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Giancarlo Stanton fantasy owners just can’t seem to win this season.
To start the year, Stanton was off to a very slow start, causing fantasy owners to worry a bit (I don’t know why, he’s a stud). Then, hopefully smart owners bought low on this prolific source of power, because he recently began to turn it on, hitting three homers over his past three contests. Look out, here comes the monster home run numbers from my preseason pick to lead the majors.
Wrong.
On Monday night, Stanton left his game early with an apparent hamstring injury. He said he heard a pop, but managed to walk off of the field under his own power. Stanton was later diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, sidelining him for almost a month. For what it’s worth, I still believe Stanton will finish the season with around 30 home runs. Remember, he missed 39 games last season and still belted 37 home runs. Fantasy owners need to find a short-term replacement option, so let’s take a look at some potential candidates.
Nate McLouth, Baltimore Orioles: It’s hard to believe that what McLouth is doing will last for long, but owners need an outfielder now and McLouth is on fire. Batting .346 with two homers and eight RBI on the season, McLouth continues to be productive, reaching base safely in 22 of his last 36 plate appearances. Despite being 31-years old, he also has some steal potential, swiping eight bags thus far. He also ranks 3rd in the American League in runs (22), so he is clearly doing a little bit of everything. McLouth is certainly the number one option to replace a guy like Stanton in the outfield, even though this production won’t last for too much longer. Some regression is coming, but you can’t ignore his current production.
Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates: Marte has been pretty strong all season long, and it’s time I give him some credit. On Tuesday night, he launched his second homer of the season, giving him 11 RBI on the year. While it was his first game with an RBI since April 15th, Marte is a strong candidate to be at least a .290 hitter, with serious possibility of reaching the .300. He has enough speed to be a top steals guy, currently ranking 2nd in the NL in stolen bases (7). Batting in the lead off spot, Marte is getting on base very frequently, only failing to do so twice all season long. Honestly, Marte is a borderline must-start guy right now and is a strong option to fill-in for Stanton.
Vernon Wells, New York Yankees: The 34-year old Wells has been rejuvenated in the Bronx. Through 24 contests this season, he is batting an even .300 with six home runs and 13 runs batted in. Only eight of his 26 games this season have resulted in zero hits for Wells and he is getting on base quite often. While his strong start may not last, I do believe that Wells will stay relevant in fantasy land, as well as the Yankees roster. With Curtis Granderson and others set to return eventually, I don’t necessarily believe that Wells will just automatically be pulled from the lineup. His terrific start is a big reason the Yankees are 16-10 and right behind division rival Boston in the AL East standings. The veteran outfielder certainly won’t smash a ton of home runs, but he is an experienced, intelligent batter with good plate discipline, who can get on base. He’s definitely worth a look.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
