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It may be annoying, but targeting Coors Field is going to happen in this column quite often. It’s like drafting Pablo Sanchez with your number one overall pick in Backyard Baseball.
It just makes sense.
Sadly, there are no players in major league baseball that present the pop that Sanchez possessed in those games, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t value to be had at the plate this week. Of course, targeting teams that play in Colorado is a must, which is why we begin with the San Francisco Giants. Oh, and by the way. The Pablo Sanchez pop comment was totally a joke.
Sort of.
Michael Morse, San Francisco Giants (@COL, vs CLE) - If there’s one thing Morse does have, it’s pop. When healthy, the guy is a serious threat to take one out of the park, sporting a career HR/FB rate of 18 percent. After an injury-plagued 2013 campaign, Morse has started off the year with his new team hot, batting .302 with three home runs, 11 RBI and seven extra base hits. That power and XBH potential should be beneficial at Coors, where he is 20-for-40 for his career. Colorado’s rotation has been very poor to start the season, as the Rockies’ 26.05 outs pitched per game are the fewest in baseball. After a series with the Rockies, Morse will face two sporadic arms in Cleveland (Salazar and Carrasco), who are prone to giving up the long ball. Morse is still available in over 40 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Eric Young Jr., New York Mets (@LAD, @ARI) - I’ve had a dilemma in my home league. I own Carlos Gomez, Matt Holliday, Jason Heyward (who I love) and George Springer. However, I also have EY Jr., who continues to give me reasons to start him, but it is just so hard for me to bench the aforementioned players. Young isn’t hitting the ball, isn’t driving people in, but who cares? The guy is getting one base as frequently as Billy Beane would like, which has led to an NL-lead 10 stolen bases. His .367 OBP is very appealing for a guy who is practically a lock to swipe a bag when he gets on base. He is also showing good plate discipline, ranking 8th in the NL in walks (10). You won’t be targeting him this week (or ever) for his bat, but more so his legs. Arizona catcher, Miguel Montero ranks 21st out of 23 qualified catchers in caught stealing percentage (0.71%), and has allowed 13 swiped bags, the second-most in the majors. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are allowing the 5th-most walks per nine innings in baseball (3.85), while the Dodgers aren’t far behind at 3.33.
Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals (@CLE, @BAL) - If you have been waiting for power out of your Royals players, you’ve been disappointed thus far. Kansas City ranks dead last in the power department this year, belting just five homers to this point. Guys like Eric Hosmer and Moustakas have not lived up to expectations. but could this be the week the Royals offense breaks out? It’s possible, as Moustakas has launched two homers in his last four games, and gets two strong matchups with the Indians and Orioles. Baltimore is a very good ballpark for power, seeing the fourth-most home runs per game in 2013 (1.275). Moustakas, meanwhile, has hit three home runs and a .500 slugging percentage in 10 career games at Camden Yards. And with Ubaldo Jimenez already allowing four home runs, as well as showing decreased velocity, it’s very possible Moustakas has a nice power surge in Week 4.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
