5 Players You Need to Win Your Fantasy Baseball League, Part III: Rickie Weeks

Today, we’ll resume a look at the five players you need to win your fantasy baseball league in 2009.  Today, I will profile a second baseman that has put up some great numbers to date—Rickie Weeks, second baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers.

To date, Rickie Weeks has a batting average at .282, with nine home runs, 28 runs, 24 RBI, and two stolen bases.  Not a bad line for a former top prospect.

Unlike the two players that I profiled before in this feature, Rickie Weeks has actually put up some great numbers to date, and there are several signs that these numbers will continue at the current pace he has set for himself.  OK, so he won’t hit 60 home runs, but he can be a rock-solid option at second base.  Unlike your pre-conceived notions of Weeks as a batting average killer, he will actually put up a solid batting average this year.

Weeks has made above-average bat contact to date (75%).  His batting eye/walk rate has also been fairly stable at a 8% walk rate.  In 2006, Weeks had a 74% contact rate and 8% walk rate—and it resulted in a batting average of .279.  If these skills remain stable (and they have for the duration of this season), then Weeks could realistically bat anywhere from about .255 to .280—a big improvement over the .230 pace he has batted the past two years.

Weeks also has speed that he has yet to show this season.  In the past three seasons, Weeks has stolen no less than 19 bases in all of those years.  20 stolen bases is a realistic goal for Weeks, and his stolen-base potential has been hidden to date.

If you can sell the other owner on Weeks’ propensity for low batting averages and no speed to date, you may still be able to acquire this guy at a discount.  Rest assured, if you get Weeks, your chances at winning a fantasy baseball championship will increase significantly.  Weeks can contribute in all fanalytic categories—and won’t hurt your batting average.  Get this guy if you can.

Quick Hits:

David Aardsma has replaced Brandon Morrow in the Seattle Mariners closing role—but is he worth a pickup in your league?  Aardsma is a high strikeout, high walk option, which is always a recipe for lots of dominant saves and lots of blown saves.  Opponents are batting only .153 against him, so buy him if you can and see if he can maintain the role.  Fernando Rodney of the Detroit Tigers comes to mind here.  If Aardsma holds the role, look for a solid 20-25 saves, albeit with a potentially high WHIP.

Shin-Soo Choo has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball, and a bright spot on a fairly disappointing Cleveland Indians ballclub.  Despite fairly good all-around numbers to date, expect the batting average to regress to .275.  He can, however, provide nice 15HR-15SB production from one of your outfield spots.  I consider him a David DeJesus lite, with slightly less batting average.

A guy that I am extremely bullish on is Jorge de la Rosa from the Colorado Rockies.  Sure, he pitches in the launching pad that is Coors Field, but this guy is absolutely dominant.  Opponents are batting a mere .217 against him, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio show the skills of a frontline starter.  While de la Rosa has had issues with walks in the past, he is more than worth an immediate pickup in any format.  If you’re worried about the home park, consider that de la Rosa has only given up two home runs in 42.2 innings pitched.

Another seemingly hot pickup in fantasy leagues is Matt Palmer, a 30-year-old pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  While his stuff is fairly underwhelming, he has been tricking hitters to date, as they are only batting .168 against him.  Despite this, Palmer still walks too many batters for my liking—and I recommend a pickup of Palmer in AL-only or deep mixed formats.

The Washington Nationals have yet to draft Stephen Strasburg, but he has been added in a few fantasy formats as a free agent/waiver wire add.  Unless you are in a keeper league, don’t expect to reap much from Strasburg, at least in 2009.  The hype around this guy is amazing, and while he is a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of talent, it doesn’t mean that he will provide dividends for your roster this season.