If you find yourself still reading fantasy baseball columns during the month of September, you are either in your head-to-head playoffs or in the thick of a championship run in your rotisserie league. You’re looking for September call-ups who can provide the statistical boosts necessary to help get you into the winner’s circle.
But what if you were one of those savvy fantasy owners who had the foresight to prepare for such needs back in July? What if you were smarter than the rest of your league, stashed a few top prospects so you weren’t competing with the commoners on the waiver wire and ended up having real-life general managers pull the rug right out from under you? It’s time you got your pound of flesh.
Where the heck is Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.? Can somebody get Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins on the phone? The 19-year old third baseman sat atop every MLB analyst’s rankings this year, and rarely do you see the combination of elite skill-set, strong plate discipline and emotional maturity he possesses. Watching him slash .381/.437/.636 with 20 home runs across four minor league levels had fantasy owners salivating at the idea of his call-up, and there is no reason he shouldn’t be hitting dingers in the Rogers Centre right now.
The Blue Jays claimed they didn’t want to move Guerrero to the outfield and were simply waiting to trade Josh Donaldson, but the hot corner has had a massive vacancy throughout most of the year, as the veteran was injured most of the time and was finally dealt to Cleveland at the end of August.
Still no Guerrero, though, and fantasy owners wasted a roster spot as much as the Jays wasted their season. Atkins needs to be held accountable.
While we’re at it, let’s throw White Sox GM Rick Hahn under the bus as well. Why in the world are we not watching Eloy Jimenez destroying big league pitching right now? The 21-year old uber-prospect has massive power and put it on display this whole season — .385/.384/.577 with 22 home runs between Double and Triple-A. Most clamored for Jimenez to jump from Double-A to the majors, but Hahn said that he needed some time at Triple-A. Well, after a dozen home runs in 211 at-bats, how much more did he need to warrant playing September on the South Side?
Fantasy baseball owners aren’t stupid. We understand the concepts of arbitration clocks and Super-Two free-agent status. What we don’t understand is why our championship dreams have to suffer for no reason.
We’re not asking for these kids in May. We just want a late-season taste for a final push. We understand that players don’t care about our fantasy teams, but how about a little professional courtesy from the front office?
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 4-6 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy sports advice, MLB lineups and DFS weather updates.
