When is it time to cut the cord?
I’m debating when I should decide to let go of St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Colby Rasmus in one of my leagues.
Every year I pick several rookies/prospects in the hopes of getting a hit. It’s part of the fun of fantasy sports in my opinion. When you pick a winner you are a genius, and luckily in fantasy baseball there’s enough talent/prospects always rotating in and out that you can find a replacement.
This season I hit big on Cincinnatti Reds 1B rookie Joey Votto (above). He’s a hit so far, anyway. I have him in several leagues. But with Rasmus it doesn’t look like he’s going to get a shot in the bigs anytime soon.
So, we’re a month into the season. Let him go or keep him? That’s a question a lot of owners are asking right now, hopefully I can shed a little light on the subject.
Multiple factors should be considered when deciding to cut someone. I have Rasmus in a keeper league (10-to-13 keepers with supplemental picks for less players kept). That should play a part. If you are sold on a guy, you may want to find a way to keep him. If you took a flyer on him, and he’s in Rasmus’ situation, you might want to let him go.
Rasmus’ opportunity for playing in the bigs this year is slim because of two factors. He hasn’t been lighting up Triple A, instead he’s been crappin’ it up. Meanwhile his competition in the big league club’s outfield has been playing very well.
If he had an open spot to move into, or if his play was demanding his promotion it would make him a potential player to keep. Instead, he’s got two hurdles to jump — and batting under .200 is probably going to get him a demotion before a promotion.
It’s baseball, players usually bounce back and numbers typically even out over the course of the season.Will Rasmus bounce? It’s too early to tell, but it’s more than likely.
In the meantime, there’s no reason to hold onto him, particularly if there’s another more promising prospect or an overachieving veteran available on the waiver wire.
One of the more important moves to make in fantasy baseball is picking up players off waivers at the right time. Every team is going to make a move or 10, the teams that win are the ones that make trades count and the ones who pick up that year’s best overachievers.
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Finding young players to make an immediate impact in Fantasy Baseball is always tough, particularly since most young players don’t play consistently enough to yield long-term benefits for the season.
Although, nabbing them early for keeper leagues is a wise investment if you have the patience … which is why I’m not handy in dealing with keeper leagues. Blame it on our generation’s need for instant gratification.
I don’t doubt Colby Rasmus will turn things around, since St. Louis has a proven track record of working well with young talent. Apparently, the Cardinals system works wonders.
If you lean on giving Rasmus his walking papers, there are a slew of Class AAA talent currently hitting well and may attract attention from their Major League teams this year.
Keep an eye on: Dallas McPherson, 3B for Florida; Nelson Cruz, RF for Texas; Ian Stewart, 3B for Colorado; Nate Gold, 1B for Texas; Terry Tiffee, 3B for Minnesota; Mike Hessman, 3B for Detroit; Brad Eldred, RF for Pittsburgh and Jeff Larish, 1B for Detroit.
Since Detroit is probably hoping for pitching help, their youngsters may have to wait until next spring to make an impression; but Pittsburgh, Florida and Texas are assuredly going to be giving these guys a chance, epsecially once the trading deadline takes away some of their pricey veterans.
If you want to go further down the Minor League trail, take a peak at Matt LaPorta, OF for Milwaukee, who is already heating up in Class AA and should rise to Class AAA by the end of summer. He may be held down this year, but he should be a name to watch next spring. It may be wise to snag him this year if you can.
I’ll even allow you to take credit for the snatch, no finder’s fee here.
Thanks for the prospect watch list Jay-Mo, but in my opinion trading one dead weight player for another isn’t worth it at this point in the season. Rasmus is a highly regarded prospect and I’ll only dump him to pick up a player who’s going to help my team immediately, like St. Louis Ryan Ludwick who hit .524 with 3 HRs and 8 RBIs last week or even a surging really old guy like Garrett Anderson who’s batting .368 with the same number of homers and RBIs.