Oh, we like youngsters....rookies....phenoms...... Those are the guys that are going to be the next Mike Trout, Adrian Peterson or LeBron James. When the $&%# hits the fan, though, and games are played for keeps, can these guys actually help your fantasy team?
Take for example two highly touted young players in the Red Sox recent call-up Xander Bogaerts and Reds rookie pitcher Tony Cingrani. Bogaerts has been lighting it up all year in double A and Triple A. He gets his call with the Red Sox and is being snapped up like a trailer park in a tornado.
I know in our league, there are at least a couple of guys who drool over prospects. Conversely, there are a couple of guys who know that and have really taken some owners to the cleaners when making trades. Some guys just go 'ga-ga' over highly touted prospects and will stop at nothing to have them on their team. Bad move.
These guys are extremely volatile. For every Mike Trout, there are ten Felix Pie's. Who is Felix Pie, you ask? My point exactly. Highly touted farmhand out of the Cubs system, that never became more than the 26th guy on a 25 man roster.
With September call-ups looming, some of you vying for a pennant may be looking to swoon in on a player here. Be careful. Some of these guys come up to get a handful of at bats or innings pitched and that is about it. If you are looking for guys to give you numbers that can help you, make sure they are going to play a lot. Some teams will really hand over a starting spot to a September call-up to see what they can actually do. Most do not. So, don't fall into the hype if you are really looking for numbers.
I had Edinson Volquez a few years back. When he got his September call, they plugged him right into the rotation. I needed some help in the pitching category so I grabbed him. He gave me a nice month of numbers and I ended up winning my league.
Regarding Bogaerts, he is a guy who is going to play a lot down through the last 6 weeks of the season. But, don't be surprised if he sits, especially if he gets off to a lousy start (he went 0 for 3 with a whiff in his first game). He can be a nice addition for you in the pennant drive or be just another drain on you batting average and not give you the numbers you want. Just beware of that.
For a guy like Cingrani, who has been pitching for most of the year, the issue you have to worry about here is overuse and fatigue setting in to his pitching lines. The rookie pitchers have never thrown well into September. Their season stops about Labor Day, so as the innings start to pile up, you could be in for some bad starts, or some injuries. Cingrani left Tuesday's start with a lower back issue. Could it be a sign that he might be hitting the wall physically?
Highly touted rookies are great fodder for columns and hoopla, but be a little cautious as you approach these guys down the stretch.
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