We’re in full swing of the 2017 baseball season and that means that it’s time to discuss buy low sell highs in the MLB world.
SELL HIGH
Eric Thames, 1B/OF, Milwaukee Brewers
Outside of even the most hardcore baseball fans, very few (myself included) had heard of this guy, let alone had him on our fantasy radars. In fact, Thames was so obscure that he hadn’t even played in the MLB in five years and was in Korea for this past season. Yet, none of this has stopped Thames for absolutely tearing the cover off the ball in the first couple weeks of the season. Thames is slashing a cool .426/.491/1.000 to start the year off, as well as hitting for six doubles, seven home runs, 12 RBI and six walks.
You don’t need to be a fantasy expert to tell that this is unsustainable, but there is even more proof behind these numbers that suggests a regression is imminent. With a .448 batting average on balls in play and 11 strikeouts in a mere 12 games, if you can find someone to take Thames off your hands at any value whatsoever, so sell him while he’s still hot.
Travis Shaw, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers
Keeping in the Milwaukee trend, Shaw is a former Red Sox prospect who never quite developed, always leaving something to be desired in his appearances at the plate. Shaw never had a lack of power though, and hit 29 home runs in only 200 games in his time with Boston. This season that power is still evident as Shaw has 11 extra base hits in first 13 games with Milwaukee and seems to be playing well.
However, this penchant for power masks the inevitable holes in Shaw’s game. With an OBP of only .305 and 11 strikeouts in 54 plate appearances compared to only 5 walks, Shaw is bound to come back to earth once the power numbers inevitably regress to the mean. Try to sell shaw on his power upside and get back more consistent production in order to improve your fantasy season.
BUY LOW
Marcell Ozuna, CF, MIami Marlins
Marcell Ozuna has always been a fantasy darling and this is the year that he finally broke out, at least in the first week of the season. Ozuna was a first time all star a season ago, hitting 23 home runs and 76 RBI in only 148 games. This season Ozuna has come back with a vengeance, leading the NL and RBI’s and top 10 in home runs and batting average as well. Ozuna is slashing a ridiculous .354/.393/.636 to this point and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. If you can get Ozuna for anything less than All Star value, pull the trigger on the deal because Ozuna is the kind of player that wins fantasy championships.
