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In the timeless words of New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra, “It’s like deja-vu all over again.”
It appears that the Colorado Rockies have once again gone to the well of former Minnesota Twins to find a proverbial diamond in the rough. Just last season, former Twins OF Michael Cuddyer used the friendly confines of Coors Field to destroy his lifetime .269 average, slashing .331/.389/.530. With the hopes that lightning will strike twice, Rockies fans and fantasy baseball GMs now say hello to the former face of the Twins, Justin Morneau.
So far, so good for Morneau and the Rockies. The unorthodox left-handed Canadian slugger is currently slashing .344/.371/.609 SLG. Of his 22 hits to date in 2014, almost half (nine) have been for extra bases, including four long balls. Batting in the middle of a Rockies lineup with that kind of power numbers means one thing for Morneau: RBIs, and lots of them — 15 to be exact.
Depending on league scoring, Morneau ranks at or near the top five of fantasy baseball first basemen. Yet, he is owned in just 50 percent of most leagues.
Here’s the thing, and to me it’s based on simple logic backed by statistical fact: sluggers’ careers are historically rejuvenated in Colorado. This is neither an anomaly nor is it a fluke. Morneau will be in the lineup on a regular basis playing half his games in the thin air of Coors Field. The proverbial stars are aligned; you simply have to take advantage of it.
There is one caveat with the Morneau waiver pick. Prior to his Sunday 2-for-4 outing, he was owned in far less than 50 percent of leagues. On Monday, he was named the NL player of the week. The simple translation – grab him, now. He’s a hot fantasy baseball commodity.
Jim Heath is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_heath, or add him to your network on Google
