Fantasy Baseball Week 6: 3 Up, 3 Down

Let’s just say there were plenty of distractions when writing this weeks 3 up, 3 down article. Work, family, garage sale, Wild Playoff Hockey, and a slight distraction with the 2014 NFL Draft. I love football as much as the next guy so needless to say it was very difficult to focus on baseball when the draft was here, and my favorite NFL team  the Vikings had significant needs to fill.

Managing ten fantasy baseball teams this season is new for me, so needless to say extra distractions like the draft make it difficult to manage rosters, waiver wires, and even write. I would be lying if I said I like Fantasy Baseball less than Fantasy Football, it’s simply not true. I think Fantasy Baseball is the most challenging, rewarding, and fulfilling Fantasy sport. It takes time, patience and guts but it also relies less on random flukey performances, and to those who play it, they know winning a championship in Fantasy Baseball is far more difficult to do.

I love Fantasy Football, and I love the NFL, but for me no matter what sort of distractions there may be baseball will always remain at the forefront of my sports loving and Fantasy heart. That being said, I watched some of the draft, and overall loved the direction my team took so far. As long as the Wild are alive in their quest for “The Cup” I will be pleasantly distracted by them as well. Good luck to everyone in week 7.

All statistics provided by fangraphs.com

Three Up

These three items are trending upward and we should react accordingly.

 3. Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado

Well, this guy can hit huh? Tulowitzki has been doing this all season long so far, and Week 6 just may have been his best week yet. No one can deny his talent, and the only knock on him throughout his career has been injuries. The crazy thing is Tulowitzki misses games, and chunks of seasons and still ends up in the top of his position. So f you own him, you should not be surprised, nor should you be thinking “Yeah, but when is he going to get hurt?”.

I say take the optimistic point of view as I do and think “What if he DOESN’T get injured this season?” Can you imagine that? MVP caliber player without a doubt. Perhaps not to his week 6 slash standards (.412/.522/1.00 with 3 Home Runs and 7 RBI) but they will be elite none the less. Keep it up and stay healthy Tulo!

2. Yu Darvish, SP, Texas

Yu Darvish may lead the league in one final out and hit away from a no-hitter. He had yet another dominant outing this week and managed to ring up 12 batters until David Ortiz pulled a ball for a hit in his final inning. No runs allowed, 12 strikeouts, and a near no hitter is almost becoming the norm for Darvish. Not to mention doing this against Boston is another form of scary altogether.

1. Edwin Encarnacion, 1B, Toronto

It will be hard to top Darvish and Tulo’s weeks but Encarnacion just may have. A player many owners were growing a tad frustrated with, and even being involved in many trade related questions may have paused the concern after his week 6. Preaching the “It’s a long season” can be nauseating but with a select few players it makes sense. This week Encarnacion was the top hitter in Fantasy baseball with a .350/.381/1.05 and 4 home runs. He narrowly edged out Tulowitzki with that extra homer, although he had more at bats.

Anyhow, if you were worried about Edwin, fear not, he appears to be just fine and will continue to walk, hit and not strikeout…..ever.

 Three Down

3.  Tim Lincecum, SP, San Francisco

This weeks performance wasn’t a surprise to most. In fact, I almost didn’t bother putting Lincecum in the article at all. He is owned in 55% of Yahoo leagues, which after his week 6 performance will likely drop even more. If you are in a very deep league you may have no choice but to keep him, but if not and there are options on the wire, you have to consider it.

This weeks 4 inning, 4 run and 8 hit performance wasn’t great at all. He has had a few solid outings, just enough to keep owners hopeful. I fear that this weeks performance is simply another roller-coaster ride that Tim Lincecum loves to provide his owners.

2. Ben Revere, OF, Philadelphia

Revere actually hasn’t been bad this season. He is getting on base (35 hits), stealing 11 bases,and scoring some runs (15). This week though  he not only started slumping, his noodle arm in center field may be costing him some play time. With other outfielders waiting to get a shot, Revere may be having a slump at the worst possible time. If you need steals, and honestly that is the only reason most own Revere, you should keep him. If not monitor his play time in week 7.

1. Injuries!

They just keep piling up. Although some of the previous weeks huge names didn’t pop up this week, there were significant names, primarily at the corner infield position. Brandon Belt being out for 6 weeks with a broken thumb, Joe Mauer continues to have back issues, Aramis Ramirez left today’s game with a hamstring injury, and Brett Lawrie continues to be sidelined after 5 games with a hamstring issue as well. Not on the DL, which I know every fantasy owner loves.

There have been some solid waiver wire pickups for replacements, so if you haven’t had a chance to fill your new voids have a look at Juan Francisco, Chris Parmalee, Todd Frazier, or even Steve Pearce.

No matter what happens this season has been riddled with significant injuries and it is getting  to be ridiculous. Hopefully they are all just happening early and not during playoff time.