fantasysportsguru

So you’re one of the lucky teams that makes it into the postseason.  Great.  But chances are, you play in a league that doesn’t reward you for your regular season achievements.  They don’t hand out rings to the Yankees every year for the AL East now, do they?  Playoffs are what matters in just about any fantasy league you play in.  It’s win and move on to the big bucks, or get bounced early and waste the efforts of an entire season.

Here are some moves I’ve made in the past couple of weeks to try to solidify my roster for the stretch run.

1) Picked up pitchers Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez

Both Florida Marlin pitchers were shelved for most of last year and this year.  But both came off the DL earlier this summer, and have had great track records when healthy.  I took a gamble and picked both of them up, and the move has paid enormous dividends.  The Marlins can score runs for them, and both guys have great stuff.  Sanchez can get a little wild at times, but they are still both posting mid 3.00 ERAs and Johnson especially has racked up a good number of wins in his limited starts.  Pick up both if they are still available in your league.

2) Picked up pitchers David Price and Brandon Morrow

These are two young stud arms that could factor heavily in the fantasy playoffs.  Price is due to be called up some time before the end of August, and has been nothing short of spectacular in the minors, despite maybe a rocky outing or two in Triple-A.  The #1 overall draft pick from a year ago is a guy who has the potential to really put up some big numbers, especially playing for the surprisingly dominant Rays.  Morrow is a guy that the Mariners have already used as a set-up man as well as their closer when J.J. Putz went down with an injury, and his splits of 1.47 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 47 K’s in 36 2/3 IP suggest he could post Joba Chamberlain-like numbers when he is brought back up to the majors later this year after being sent down to improve his stamina as a starter.

3) Picked up injured studs Victor Martinez and Rafael Furcal

You know the story with these two by now.  V-Mart started out the year as the #1 ranked catcher in fantasy, but then quickly succumbed to injuries, which sapped his power completely during his 2008 stint behind the backstop.  Furcal was the total opposite, coming out of the gate on fire and ranked well ahead of any other shortstop before he started experiencing back problems which kept him out of the lineup indefinitely.  Martinez is slated to return any day now, and Furcal has set a target return date of September 1st for himself.  Other teams may not have had to make any desperation moves with their infielders, but in my situation, I’ve got Yadier Molina behind the plate.  V-Mart could potentially be a huge upgrade even if he plays to about 80% of his capabilities.  As for the SS position, right now I’ve got Mike Aviles, who is as hot as can be, but can be shifted to 2B, which would allow me to throw B.J. Upton into the UTIL spot.  Furcal might not be the answer, as there’s no telling how he might fare after attempting to comeback (especially with his speed).  But, with Upton struggling as badly as he has, it’s worth a gamble.

I may have the best team now in my league, with a 14-7 record and having clinched my division.  But one loss in the semifinals in 3 weeks and I’m playing for my entry fee, and not bigger money.  My job is to make sure my team is in the best possible shape come playoff time.  So, a friendly piece of advice: even if your team is coasting to the end of the regular season, it doesn’t mean you should avoid trying to improve your team for when it really matters.

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