Be wise in rush to grab rooks
WHEN the baseball season began, the rookie talk was abundant. The White Sox signed Eloy Jimenez to a long-term deal so he could begin the season in the majors, the Rays did the same with Brandon Lowe, Chris Paddack made the Padres Opening Day roster, and we were all just counting the days until Vladimir Guerrero Jr. arrived in Toronto.
And don’t forget Nick Senzel, Pete Alonso, Fernando Tatis, Michael Chavis and Victor Robles. Then this past week saw another massive influx of youth.
If you’re looking for power, the Braves brought up Austin Riley, the Rangers welcomed Willie Calhoun, and the Rockies recalled Brendan Rodgers. If you want balance, the Brewers brought up Keston Hiura and the Royals added Nicky Lopez to the mix.
Speed? How about Indians outf ielder Oscar Mercado? And if you’re looking for starting pitching, Philadelphia’s Cole Irvin and Houston’s Corbin Martin have made sensational debuts.
Differentiating between which rookies to pick up is difficult. You read the scouting reports, you study the minor league numbers, you tune in to the hype and suddenly you want everyone. Is Hiura a better call than Lopez? Will Riley see the at-bats once Ender Inciarte returns? What do the Rockies do with Rodgers when Trevor Story is healthy? Will he fill that void they have at second base?
As a fantasy owner, you have to pick and choose based on what is right for your team. Audit your roster and see which positions are thinnest and in which categories you lack punch. With the abundance of call-ups, there is literally something for everyone and at almost every position. If you have the bench space, sure, grab everyone and start trading. But if you’re like the majority of the fantasy world, start finetuning your selection process now and make roster adds with purpose.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 4-6 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy sports advice, MLB lineups.