The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Grease
June 23, 2004
Written by Trav the Ump

Hello all, after a little vacation time and quick 8 hour jaunt east for a golf tournament I have returned both to my little column here and my fantasy team. Having been separated from my team for about a week and with no computer access and very little television coverage I stared blankly at the screen. My roster page had eight little red crosses beside my player's names. Now a few of them had been hurt before I left, but eight!?! I mean come on; nobody's team should have to endure that. Not even the team that's right ahead of me in the standings. I've lost the likes of Chavez, Ordonez, and Percival. Not to mention a good chunk of my regular guys. My team looks better on the DL than on my active roster. So what do you do? My team had been hovering between 3rd and 4th for about a month. I had now slipped down to 6th. This is not the direction I wanted my fantasy team to be heading as we barrel towards the mid-point of the season. Is it time to scour the waiver wire for that next diamond in the rough? Should I simply plug in the replacements for my injured guys? The likes of Ross Gload or Mark McLemore? K-Rod was already rostered so my lone source of saves had just dried up. What to do? What to do?

Well here is what I have done and what I advocate to you, the fantasy baseball manager, to begin doing when looking to replace more than two or three guys. Research, the baseball season is a long and arduous task. Players get injured, promoted, demoted, and traded. Its time for you to get a competitive edge. Do you remember when a few columns ago I had mentioned that maybe you should make a nice little list of each teams top prospects for this year? That list should have included the likes of Kevin Youkilis, Clint Nageotte, and of course Casey Kotchman. You say to yourself…wow; those guys were right at the top of my list and our now playing in the majors. That's right. Guys that have come out of literally nowhere to grab regular jobs. How about Alexis Rios? They're all up and playing. Now there success may not be immediate and there impact probably isn't going to win you the championship. But wouldn't Youkilis's nice batting average be better than Jolbert Cabrera's once a week plate appearances? Guys come up from the minors every year and can have positive value for your fantasy squad. Having them a week before your competition knows who Justin Morneau is can lead you that much closer to that aforementioned championship.

Secondly, it's almost that time of year when the guys who have been out with long injuries start to re-emerge. Take a look at guys with "DL" next to there name and there estimated return date. A lot of players can be had for cheap coming off the DL; don't be afraid to roll the dice. Did you really think Rondell White would be batting .292 near the end of June? Neither did I but he is and he's been healthy. That type of pickup can win you championships. Watch for it. Dmitri Young, A.J. Burnett…there's more. Do some research.

Another bonus of picking up a quality waiver wire pick up is that when your star or regular player returns you have the option to do some roster shuffling and possibly swapping that free agent with one of your other bums for a positive return. Don't drop guys back to the free agent pool without a fight. Maybe you can upgrade your middle relief corps. A two for two. Why not? Anything that can make you better is always a good idea. Lets not forget that were trying to win, not have the best record for replacing injured guys. Trades don't always have to be blockbusters, simply getting a little better ERA and Whip can go a long way come the end of September.

So I'll tell you this much, don't just grab the highest rated guy on your leagues website. Don't grab the guy with the most at bats or homeruns. Research. Find out whose playing time is increasing, who has been on a hot streak, was compensating for a nagging injury. There's a lot of information out there for the taking on the World Wide Web and it can help you to the coveted yoo-hoo shower. Injuries stink trust me I know. But they're not the end of the world. Just another opportunity for you to take advantage of your league mates.

(I mostly follow AL, guys you may want to keep an eye on…)
Joe Blanton OAK P
Grady Sizemore CLE OF
Travis Blackley SEA P
Dallas McPherson ANA 3B

Trav The Ump
Travis Merrick

Trav_9@hotmail.com