This month may be time to hunt for fantasy league hitters

The Fantasy League Guru [email protected]

I’ll admit something that might come as a surprise to my
loyal nerd … err … herd of followers: my fantasy baseball team
isn’t doing so well.

No need to panic, though. The Fantasy League Guru is still
confident about his chances to finish atop the standings.

The first week of April was too soon to re-assess my
team’s strengths and weaknesses. So was the second week. But
the first day of May sounds just about good.

Luckily for me, the standings point to hitting.

If you’re going to falter early on, the key is to struggle
with your hitting ““ and thanks to the likes of Adam Dunn and
Travis Lee, my team has certainly done that. If your ERA is still
over five, no amount of trading will save your season. But hitting
woes are easy enough to rectify.

Now to find a solution.

Whatever you do, avoid pulling a George Steinbreinner. Find the
bit of Joe Torre in you and avoid giving up on players too
soon.

Think of it this way: when I drafted Dunn, I had a specific idea
of what to expect from the guy. Something like 70 home runs and 160
RBI. OK, just testing to see if you were still paying attention.
But 35-40 home runs, my initial prediction, still seem feasible.
Since Dunn has only hit five home runs so far ““ including a
pair on Monday ““ I’d be trading away at least 35 home
runs in a panic move.

Same goes for Travis Lee. Hitting under the Mendoza-line for
most of April doesn’t bode well for Lee, but he’s a
streaky hitter. If I sit him during his 12 for 24 explosion, then
I’d be stuck with that .221 average.

The reason I preach patience is because most fantasy owners
don’t know the meaning of the word. Anyone who traded Jim
Thome or Eric Chavez in 2001 certainly doomed their title
hopes.

You must now target the 2002 version of struggling hitters about
to bust out. Do you believe in Frank Thomas? How about Derrek Lee?
Can Tino Martinez be this bad? Never mind that last one.

Early May is the perfect time to go bargain hunting for hitters.
That’s why it’s not too late for teams struggling with
their hitting ““ just like mine.