Early in the season it is always easy to get sucked in by the hype showered on teams that were active in the offseason. This year teams like the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays are getting all of the love. It is smart to wait out the hype as evidenced by the 2013 Miami Marlins and the 2014 Blue Jays. Both teams were touted as potential champions but fell flat on their faces out of the gate and never recovered. With that in mind, we’ll start off conservative with proven commodities and well thought out value picks that could have plenty of upside. We will also pick on some of the worst teams in the game as we select Wednesday’s MLB Fantasy Five.
OF – Adam Jones – Baltimore
The Orioles are at the Tampa Bay Rays with a starting time of 6:10 p.m. ET. The Rays are a mere shell of themselves having lost manager Joe Maddon and other key components that have them facing a dreadful season. Baltimore is a fundamentally sound playoff contender and Adam Jones is a major reason for their projection as a top contender again in 2015. In almost any fantasy format, Jones is a top ten player with the proven ability to reach 30 home runs and exceed .800 for OPS.
OF – Carlos Gomez – Milwaukee
The Brewers host a dreadful Colorado Rockies team that is among the worst pitching teams in the game. Gomez has emerged as a near-elite outfielder that can do many things well. Gomez has developed into a 20 home run and 30 stolen base player that boasts a combination of power and speed that few players can match. Milwaukee was a near miss for the playoffs last year due to a horrible finish and will be looking to break out with a great start against a terrible Colorado team.
SP – Danny Duffy – Kansas City Royals
The Royals host a highly touted but unproven Chicago White Sox team at 7:10 p.m. ET. The White Sox made a lot of offseason moves that caught plenty of attention but they have often failed to live up to similar hype in previous season. Duffy has improved to the point of becoming the Royals number two starter behind Yordano Ventura. The Royals did not get much love in the post season due to their relative inactivity in the free agent market but they have a strong roster of home grown talent that remains and is seasoned after their World Series run of last year. Duffy owns left handers as he held them to a .137 batting average last year. Dufy had a 1.35 WHIP last year with a sparkling 2.53 ERA.
1B – Joey Votto – Cincinnati
We are expecting a big comeback year for Votto after injuries robbed him of a significant amount of time for the third time in four years. Votto’s injury problems have served to make him a potential bargain if he can stay healthy. Votto is only 31 years of age and put up career-worst numbers last year. We believe a comeback player of the year season is possible and love that career OPS of .950, to go with a career batting average of .310, and an average of 20 home runs per season. Cincinnati hosts the Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:10 p.m. ET in an early season Central Division showdown from the National League. We look to Votto to emerge as a key figure in that matchup.
SP– Matt Cain – San Francisco
The Giants are at a poor Arizona Diamondbacks team with opening pitch set for 8:40 p.m. ET. This is a definite call against the D-Backs who are in a rebuild under a new manager and should do little to threaten the better teams in the National League West Division. Cain should have his way against the weak Arizona lineup and could come at a bargain as he had a lackluster 2014 season. Although his numbers have dropped the last two years we expect Cain to be in sharp form against an outclassed Arizona team. The Giants are considered to be something of an accidental champion and many of their players, such as Cain, bring enhanced value as a result.
