The stuff of dreams

So you got tenth place out of ten teams in your fantasy baseball draft and sat there whilst Pujols, Halladay, Ramirez and Tulowitzki went from under your nose. But seven days in to the marathon that is the fantasy baseball season, you may have assembled yourself a surprisingly competitive side, and one that is upsetting the odds early doors. And if you are in a head to head league, a late position in the draft won’t be hurting you too much at this early stage.

Pundits love to talk about their sleepers for the season, and whilst they are awake and firing, there are still a few players that maybe surprisingly have not been picked-up by the majority of leagues.

Matt Harrison (Texas Rangers)

Harrison has only stood up to be counted once for the 6-0 Rangers, but what an impressive performance it was for a starting pitcher who is *owned by only 13.8% of fantasy game players. Harrison pitched for seven innings against the Red Sox, giving up only one earned run and bagging eight strikeouts in the game. The left-hander showed he can handle the pressure late on too, as he walked off the mound at the end of his stint after dropping a K on Jacoby Ellsbury with the bases loaded. You will of course need to have patience with any selection just a week in, but if you are in the market for an SP, take a look at Harrison.

Ben Francisco (Philadelphia Phillies)

The Phillies’ Right-Fielder  is having fun against lefties this season, and looks to have a regular spot with the fancied east coast side. Francisco has a .320 avg, 2 HRs and 5 RBIs in the first few days of competitive baseball. If you want consistency Francisco is worth serious consideration, and almost 25% of fantasy game players have caught on to that fact in the last week, as he has risen to ninth in the list of most added players.

Jordan Walden (Los Angeles Angels)

If you need saves, this Angel’s Relief Pitcher is currently available in a lot of leagues. He picked up his first of the season against the Rays on Tuesday with an unblemished performance in the ninth. Having pitched 4.1 innings, his current WHIP is a solid 0.46. Walden has only given up one hit in the five games he has pitched in so far. I am not one who puts much store in saves as I am in a 5×5 points league and sometimes something has to give, but Walden is more than just saves as he can only be good for your ERA and WHIP.

Many fantasy game players have been trigger happy in the early stages of the season. The player to feel the brunt of the community’s anger the most, is the Red Sox John Lackey. A pitcher in the Red Sox rotation had to have got you thinking come draft time, and so to turn him out on his ear seems a tad hasty. But I have every sympathy with those that had him in their roster, as he gave up 9 earned runs in just 3.1 innings pitched in his only outing so far. Over half of league players have took it on the chin and are asking him to prove them wrong, but just under 40% fell out of love with him very quickly, and they sent him to the waivers.

It’s been a fun start, and we’re all only just getting warm.

*With reference to ESPN Fantasy Baseball