Fantasy owners do have options in wake of Stanton's injury
For the second time in two seasons, a potential MVP season for Miami Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton has been derailed because of a fluke injury.
Although he should be able to return from a broken hamate bone he suffered Friday, Stanton's absence for at least the next month is another crushing blow for his fantasy owners.
Last September, Stanton was hit in the face by an errant fastball and missed the final three weeks of the regular season. Even so, he still led the National League with 37 home runs and finished second with 105 RBI.
Proving he was recovered, he reclaimed his place as the game's pre-eminent power hitter — leading the majors with 27 home runs and 67 RBI — until that unfortunate swing in the ninth inning of a 7-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A broken hamate bone is a fairly common injury among baseball players, who put a tremendous amount of stress on their hands and wrists while swinging at pitches. With that injury, the healing period is usually followed by an almost equally long period of diminished power as we've seen before with sluggers Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki and Pablo Sandoval.
There's no way to replace Stanton's impact with a single player, so fantasy owners will need to find creative ways to keep their teams afloat until he returns in August.
The best way to do that? It depends on a fantasy team's place in the standings.
Rotisserie league, championship contender. Stanton was my first-round pick in the 15-team Mixed League of Alternative Baseball Reality (LABR), and not coincidentally he was the driving force in my team leading the pack in home runs and RBI.
At the time of Stanton's injury, my team was in first place, 5.5 points ahead of the Baseball Prospectus team piloted by Mike Gianella and Bret Sayre. To fill Stanton's lineup spot, my alternatives were to turn to my bench (Jon Jay, Melvin Upton) or look for help on the waiver wire.
With 15 teams, the pool of available outfielders isn't great — even in a mixed league — unless you consider Chris Parmelee, Eddie Rosario, Alejandro De Aza or Justin Maxwell viable fantasy starters.
Waiting for Stanton to return from the disabled list — and even longer for his return to his previous power levels — could kill my team's title hopes. And with 20 or so RBI separating me from the seventh place team in the category, I'm almost certain to lose ground without him in my lineup.
We're at the midpoint of the season. Stanton will be out for four to six weeks. Even if he's back at full strength a couple weeks after he returns, that still means we likely won't see the "real" Stanton until roughly September.
Either I need an outside infusion of power or I need to strengthen my team in another area. And the best way to accomplish that is by moving Stanton in a trade. There should be at least some demand for his skills, especially since I can benefit most by acquiring steals and saves.
As tough as it is to say goodbye to someone who has put you on top of the standings, it would be even tougher to watch the lead slip away without making an effort to stay there.
Rotisserie league, middle of the pack. This is the most difficult place a fantasy owner can be. There isn't as much urgency to make a trade. However, doing nothing could easily result in watching helplessly as other teams pass by in the standings.
Stanton owners looking to fill the power void might want to consider a fairly low-risk but potentially high-reward acquisition: Chris Carter of the Houston Astros.
Although Carter began the week hitting .198 with 13 home runs, he had a similarly slow start last season (.205, 19 HRs) but then went on a power surge after the All-Star break in which he tied for the major league lead with 18 homers and tied for fourth with 48 RBI.
The odds are against Carter repeating his 2014 second half, but he has the best combination of skills and depressed fantasy value to give Stanton owners at least a fighting chance to survive.
Rotisserie league, cellar dweller. If there was ever an opportunity to swing for the proverbial fences, a healthy Stanton provides a glimmer of hope.
Perhaps the injury isn't as bad as it might seem. Perhaps Stanton is a quick healer. He already has proved he can come back from adversity and be even better than before.
If there aren't any keeper league implications, the price to acquire Stanton will never be lower.
If a team hasn't had much success in the first half of the season, here's a great way to make the second half a little more interesting.
Head-to-head league. Thanks to his outstanding pre-injury numbers, Stanton's owners should be in good shape through the first 12 weeks of the season. A .500 record the rest of the way could be good enough to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Doing so without Stanton's bat in the lineup will be a challenge, but all teams start with a clean slate once the playoffs begin in September.
By then, Stanton should be close to 100% and primed to lead a championship run.
-- Keeper league. Despite the injury, Stanton will almost certainly be a first-round pick in next year's drafts. For that reason, he has enormous value in keeper leagues. If your team has a decent shot at winning a league title this year, trading Stanton could go a long way toward getting you there.
If you're already out of the running, see what it may take to pry Stanton away from his current owner.
Daily fantasy. One great thing about playing daily fantasy games (such as Paste BN Sports' FantasyScore) is that injuries won't ruin an entire season.
Stanton hit the disabled list as the fourth most productive hitter in FantasyScore at 4.5 points per game, behind only Paul Goldschmidt (5.0), Bryce Harper (4.9) and Todd Frazier (4.6). But since daily fantasy owners have the entire player pool at their disposal, any number of outfielders can help fill the void.
Perhaps the greatest impact of Stanton's injury is the effect it will have on the Marlins offense, which ranked 26th in the majors at 3.6 runs per game. Outside of Stanton's 27 home runs, the next highest total on the Miami roster belongs to first baseman Justin Bour ... with six.
Without their big gun in the lineup, the Marlins will need to be more proficient at manufacturing runs. That could mean even more stolen bases for Dee Gordon, a greater reliance on the so-far underachieving Christian Yelich and regular playing time for 41-year-old Ichiro Suzuki. But even if those players can elevate their performance, they can't make up for the missing masher in the middle.
Although there will be occasional anomalies, such as beating Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in their first game without Stanton, the Marlins are going to be a popular opponent during the next four to six weeks as daily fantasy owners select their starting pitchers. In Miami, the advantage tilts even more toward the pitcher. According to ESPN's Park Factors, Marlins Park ranks 24th for scoring and 29th for home runs.
All formats. There's one unhappy Stanton owner in every league. The rest can all breathe a little easier — for now. His injury won't be the last major one this year.
Even if you've lost your most important offensive player, it's important to remember that the season is only half over. There are many more twists and turns to come.