Each week we here at Sports World News will be bringing you lists of players to buy low on, as well as sell high. We're not ones to overreact to hot or slow starts, but lots of other people are. Figuring out ways to take advantage of the impatience of your league mates is a major part of winning titles. Buying low is the essential ingredient to success. Opening Week is full of hype, so this is prime time for buying low.
Here are the Top 5 buy-low candidates.
Stephen Strasburg, SP Washington Nationals
Strasburg was a trendy pick to win the Cy Young award for people who are tiring of Clayton Kershaw's dominance. After two outings, however, Strasburg's numbers don't look so hot and his owners may be experiencing buyer's remorse. In two starts, he's gone a combined 10.1 innings, given up 10 runs (seven earned), and allowed 18 baserunners.
Through all that, though, Strasburg still has 16 strikeouts, and appears to still need some loosening up of his arm. His velocity is down two miles per hour on the fastball, but that should pick up as the year moves along. He's a frontline fantasy ace, on a stacked team that should be good for oodles of wins. Go get Strasburg ASAP.
Ceiling: Top 5 fantasy SP
Bryce Harper, OF Washington Nationals
Seems like the Nats' stars are underachieving. Few fantasy weeks have ever been worse than Harper's. The wunderkind went 3-for-21, struck out 10 times, and got kneed in the head in the first game of the year. He was also caught stealing on his lone attempt, and hasn't recorded any extra-base hits.
That said, it's a bad week! He's still one of MLB's brightest young stars, and has bopped 20-plus homers in back-to-back seasons despite missing chunks of time. Assuming health, he's a near-lock for 30 homers, and his lack of a track record of stardom might let you snag him from someone willing to cut bait for a more established player.
Ceiling: Top 10 overall player
Billy Hamilton, OF Cincinnati Reds
Hamilton raised his hand when I asked who had a worse week than Harper. Hamilton had a whopping zero hits, and got gunned down in his first steal attempt of the year vs. the Mets, jamming his wrist in the process. Everyone who questioned Hamilton's ability to reach base at the MLB level was screaming AMEN! as he struggled, but I think it's the perfect time to buy.
You can't teach speed, and Hamilton's got more of it than anyone in the bigs. It's worth repeating that he has two 100-plus stolen base seasons in the minors. He showed the ability to hit for average at times in the minor leagues, and raked .363 when he was called up in 2013. He might not be a .300 hitter at the MLB level, but even if he's hitting dribblers they'll become infield hits. Get him now, his stock can't be lower.
Ceiling: Top 20 OF, No. 1 in SB
Josh Donaldson, 3B Oakland Athletics
Donaldson was a fantasy darling last year, but he had his fair share of detractors shouting FLUKE! So far he's looked like a fraud, beginning 2014 on a 3-for-26 skid with no power, seven strikeouts, and a single walk. Donaldson showed flashes of high-average hitting in the minors but failed to sustain it, and has a relatively up-and-down track record in the bigs.
The reason I still like him though, is that his plate discipline is actually improving. He's not swinging at pitches outside the zone, which means he isn't panicking because of the slow start. Once he quits pounding pitches into the ground he'll be okay, and if you buy now you likely wouldn't need to give up more than a No. 2 outfielder.
Ceiling: Top 3 3B
Jim Johnson, RP Oakland Athletics
Johnson is getting booed already in Oakland, having coughed up his first two save chances in stunning fashion. He rebounded nicely his last time out, picking up save No. 1 while striking out two, walking one and giving up one hit vs. Seattle. Closers have short leashes these days, but the reason to buy low here is that his money means he'll have a longer rope than most.
He's saved 50-plus games in back-to-back years with sub-2.95 ERAs in both seasons. His experience and contract will keep him installed, even if he did lead MLB in blown saves in 2013.
Ceiling: Top 3 RP
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