User menu

Main menu

Main menu

Five Hot-Start Fantasy Players You Should Trade, Like, Yesterday

By: 
Larry Dobrow
Xavier Nady, Pittsburgh Pirates: This one’s pretty simple. Nady has never hit righty pitchers (he boasts a career .744 OPS against righties, versus an .873 mark against portsiders), yet this season he has inexplicably smacked the bejesus out of ‘em (.945 OPS in 88 at-bats). A few weeks from now – likely after he’s dealt back to the left-leaning Metsies – Nady will embody the phrase “regression to the mean.” Meanwhile, out of deference to Xavier McDaniel, let’s put our teensy brains together and see if we can come up with a better nickname for the guy than X-Man. You know, like Son of X-Man.

 

Stats through Sunday: .347 BA/.406 OBP/.542 SLG, 4 HRs, 30 RBI in 118 at-bats

 

clee.jpgCliff Lee, Cleveland Indians: Through his first five starts, Lee’s numbers look like something from one of those little leagues where 19-year-old pitchers with rigged birth certificates mow down prepubescent fifth-graders. But look at who he’s put ‘em up against: the A’s (sluggish offensively), the Mariners (in a two-year hitting slump), the Twins (who frequently approach the plate armed only with swizzle sticks) and the Royals (who have yet to score a run this decade). Maybe Lee has turned a corner, or maybe he has merely benefited from being pitted against bench detritus. What do you think, inspector?

 

Stats through Sunday: 5-0, 0.96 ERA, 32 strikeouts and 2 walks in 37.2 innings


 

gsoto.jpgGeovany Soto, Chicago Cubs: Catchers who have put up the kind of monster offensive numbers that Soto has so far usually go by the name of “Mike Piazza” and find themselves harangued by the New York media into giving uncomfortable press conferences about their sexuality. Temper the expectations about Soto, though. As eye-poppingly nutzoid as his early numbers have been, he also became the first player to whiff in eight straight at-bats in some time. Cubs fans right now are beyond giddy; offer Soto up to similarly inclined owners in your league for a bushel of useful stuff (a B-list catcher like Ryan Doumit and a closer?) and enjoy the bounty.

 

Stats through Sunday: .333 BA/.430 OBP/.618 SLG, 12 doubles, 5 HRs, 23 RBI in 102 at-bats

 

jsaunders.jpgJoe Saunders, Los Angeles Angels of Wherever the Hell They Actually Play: You know what I hate? Lefties who don’t miss bats or paint the corners in true Glavine-esque fashion. Does this sound like any pitcher on the Angels roster named Joe Saunders that you know? Hurlers whose primary skills are “poise” and “personality” rarely remain unhittable for too long. Also note that, with the exception of games against the Indians and Red Sox, Saunders hasn’t faced too many real lineups yet.

 

Stats through Sunday: 6-0, 2.61 ERA in 48.1 innings


 

cjackson.jpgConor Jackson, Arizona Diamondbacks: I ignored the early run on first basemen and drafted Jackson late this year. Over the last five weeks, his performance has brought me more joy than family, religion, and dessert combined. Hell, the guy runs like a refrigerator, yet he has still managed to leg out three triples and two steals. I don’t understand it and I don’t care to think about it too deeply. Maybe Jackson plus a trinket nets his owners one of the loagy-start first base monsters (Ryan Howard or Prince Fielder) in return?

Stats through Sunday: .343 BA/.421 OBP/.590 SLG, 5 HRs, 25 RBI in 105 at-bats