The Most Dissapointing Fantasy Players of the 2010-2011 Season (Brooke Lopez)

There were a number of incredibly disappointing fantasy players this season, but I’m going to dissect the biggest letdowns. Starting with Brooke Lopez, here we go!

Analysis: Going into this season, fantasy owners had some pretty high hopes for the better Lopez brother. Over his rookie and sophomore seasons Lopez was very consistent and showed the potential to be one of the better big men in the league. There were two serious flaws in his game that really hurt his value and caused him to be such a bust this season. Lopez seemingly forgot how to rebound, averaging 6 boards a game. That’s a drop of 2.8 boards from last season. I don’t think anybody could have predicted that, when they drafted him. Losing that many boards when you expected his boards to climb was absolutely painful. Lopez’s assists and blocks were down too hurting his value even more. The bottom line is that Lopez was expected to have a breakout year, or in the very least make a substantial jump, but he did neither. He improved his scoring numbers, but lost out in his percentages a little. The minor jump in scoring does not account for the drop-offs in the other categories mentioned.

Next Season Projection: I think the addition of Deron Williams will help Lopez find his game once again. Playing with one of the best players in the game and undoubtedly having a better win percentage will keep Lopez motivated and productive. I expect next season to be the breakout season we were expecting this year. After this bad season Lopez might fall quite low in your fantasy draft, be sure to pick him up when he does.

Sam Fuld Going Forward

The relatively young Rays’ outfielder, Sam Fuld, is off to a terrific start but can he continue his performance going forward?

Analysis: Sam Fuld is second in the league in stolen bases with seven and he is hitting .341, so what is not to like? First off, he only has two stolen bases in his previous ninety-seven big league game so it is a cause for concern. Secondly, Fuld never hit the thirty stolen base mark in a year in his minor league career. Remember, David Wright last year got off to a hot start in the stolen base department but only ended up with nineteen. Fuld’s BABIP is also beyond inflated at .389. Fuld also never hit over .300 in his minor league career with the exception of High A ball back in 2007. Yes, he is a hot commodity coming off the wire these days and it is understandable if you just look at the surface stats but he will disappoint you sooner than later. This is another Alexi Ogando opportunity here where his value will NEVER be higher than it is right now. It’s time to package the flavor of the week in a trade and reap the rewards of intelligent fantasy baseball strategy.

Carlos Ruiz To The Rescue?

With Joe Mauer on the 15 day disabled list with “bilateral weakness” in his legs it’s time to find a replacement.

Analysis: Obviously if JP Arencibia is available he is the premier power option on the wire. With Arencibia you’re looking at a guy that has hit 53 bombs in just 220 Triple A games. He seems to be a lock to hit 20 plus jacks this year and he’s available in about half of fantasy leagues. After Arencibia you’ve got the steady Carlos Ruiz. He may not be the best for batting average but he produces. The .263 lifetime hitter is coming off of a 53 RBI year on just 433 plate appearances. He’s not going to light the league on fire but he will get the job done, get his at-bats and put up some numbers that shouldn’t hurt you. He puts the ball in play a ton and that’s all you can ask from a lower tier catcher at this point in the season. The big concern has to be with Mauer though. Does this injury last more than the fifteen days or will he be fine? Will the injury come back and linger all year or will he win another batting title? Regardless, by this time next year JP Arencibia will be a top eight catcher so act now if he is available, if not Ruiz will keep trucking along.

Deep League Help- Alberto Callaspo

With Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on the 15 day disabled list with an abdominal strain it’s time to look for his fantasy replacment, Alberto Callaspo.

Analysis: Alberto Callaspo has been one of the most underrated fantasy infielders over the last two years. Callaspo is a career .280 hitter just now entering his power prime and chip in second base eligibility in some fantasy leagues and you have a winner. Callaspo strikes out less than ten percent of the time for his career and he only swings and misses at strikes at a 3.7% clip. Thus far this year Callaspo is hitting .324 with two bombs and five runs batted in. He’s a fine replacement for Ryan Zimmerman for the time being and if this is his breakout power year then you have some trade bait down the road. Callaspo is a very underrated third basmean especially in roto leagues where his batting average is consistently good and yet he still puts up the counting stats hitting in the middle of that Angels order. Callaspo does have the potential to hit well over .300 this year as he sports a career .290 BABIP which is bound to come up.

Projection: Expect at least a .290 batting average with 14 home runs and 70 RBI. This isn’t a guy who should be available on the wire yet he’s available in over sixty percent of fantasy leagues nationwide. This just may be the year Callaspo breaks out but even if he doesn’t he will quietly produce.

Josh Hamilton out 6-8 weeks

Josh Hamilton fractured his right shoulder in the first inning of Tuesday’s game against the Tigers trying to score on an unconventional pop-fly. With Hamilton on 3rd base, Adrian Beltre popped up to the left side of foul territory that sent Brandon Inge and Victor Martinez scrambling. Inge made the catch but no one covered home plate, so Hamilton took off. Inge tossed the ball to Martinez and tagged Hamilton just before he touched home plate.

It was a gusty move, and that’s the kind of intensity that wins pennants. However the Rangers will have to wait until June before they get their MVP back.

In the meantime, you don’t have to look very far to find a fantasy stop-gap for Josh Hamilton. Just look down the roster and you’ll find David Murphy.

Analysis: After Julio Borbon’s gaffe and Murphy’s game-winning double opening day, many people were clamoring for Murphy to replace Borbon. Well, “Murph’s” going to get his shot just 11 games into the season.

Murphy has always had talent. He was a 1st-round draft pick in 2003 by the Red Sox. His minor league numbers weren’t all that great (.273, 39 home runs in 1900+ at-bats), but has proven himself as a very capable major league hitter. His career batting average is .283 and his OPS is .804. Unlike most left-handed hitters, Murphy ISN’T abysmal against left-handed pitchers, putting up a very modest .266 batting average. That means he won’t sit against a pitcher just because they’re left-handed.

David is a line-drive hitter, hence why is BABIP is well above .300 for his career. There will be plenty of RBI opportunities in that Rangers lineup and should score plenty of runs.

Almost every player of fantasy value in the Rangers’ lineup should have been scooped up by now, so the possibility of 200 at-bats from a player in that lineup is well worth the risk. Murphy is worth adding to your roster across any format, regardless of if you had Hamilton on your team or not.

Projection (while Hamilton is out – about 50 games): .280, 9 home runs, 38 RBI’s, 7 steals, 38 runs scored.