Fantasy Baseball Lineup Decisions: AL Teams Spending Week 12 In NL Parks
June 20, 2010 · Eric Stashin · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
With Interleague Play continuing for another week, five American League teams will spend the entire week in National League parks:
- Boston Red Sox
- Cleveland Indians
- Detroit Tigers
- Minnesota Twins
- New York Yankees
Let’s take a look at how each of these teams are affected, and if their normal DH is still worth considering for the upcoming week:
Boston Red Sox
David Ortiz is heating up (12-29 with 3 HR, 10 RBI, and nine runs since June 11). So how can they place him on the bench for an entire week?
The answer is, they can’t. And Kevin Youkilis’ flexibility will likely open up first base for Ortiz.
We’ve seen Youkilis roam the outfield before (he played two games out there in 2009), and with J.D. Drew hurting, I’m guessing he sees a game or two out there while in the NL parks, freeing up the infield position for Ortiz.
Youkilis could also see time at third base for a game or two, allowing Adrian Beltre a day off.
Keep using Ortiz unless you have a tremendous replacement. Even if he plays three or four games, he’s hot right now.
Ortiz likely has more potential then whoever you might put in his place.
Cleveland Indians
Travis Hafner is the main DH. But does anyone really care?
He’s hitting .253 with 8 HR and 28 RBI, nothing that can’t be replaced. Hafner might find his way into the lineup once or twice, but there certainly isn’t enough potential upside to continue using a roster spot on him this week.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are in an interesting situation.
Johnny Damon is the primary DH, but he’s the No. 2 hitter. It’s tough to remove him from the lineup for a week.
With Austin Jackson hurting, there’s an obvious place to plug Damon in. But he’s not a centerfielder, nor are the two men currently manning the corner outfield spots (Magglio Ordonez & Brennan Boesch).
What will the team do?
They will likely rotate all three corner outfielders, keeping them fresh.
This move could hurt their fantasy appeal this week but, at the same time, requires that all remain in your fantasy lineup.
Minnesota Twins
With four outfielders for three spots (Denard Span, Mike Cuddyer, Delmon Young & Jason Kubel), it’s tough for the Twins to play in the NL.
Young would usually be the odd man out, but he’s absolutely on fire right now. He simply can’t be taken out of the lineup.
The thing is, Kubel is also on a tear.
The Twins are kind of in a bind (Span is the one virtual lock to play everyday). The other three should rotate (with Cuddyer possibly seeing a game at first base to spell Justin Morneau, or possibly at third base as he did last week).
I’d keep them all in your active lineup.
New York Yankees
With Nick Johnson out, the Yankees are, for the most part, using the DH spot as a chance to get guys a day of rest.
The exception is Jorge Posada, who is still recovering from a hairline fracture in his foot.
However, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees catching him everyday for the next week. Chances are that Posada and Francisco Cervelli will split time behind the plate, meaning neither is a great play in one-catcher formats (though Posada is possible depending on your other options).
If you are in a two-catcher format, I could see using Posada, considering the other options that are probably at your disposal.
Final Thoughts
What are your thoughts on these situations? Which team is most affected by the lack of a DH? Who would you still consider using?
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