Early Fantasy Baseball Free Agents Worth a Look

By Jonathan Munshaw on Saturday, April 6th 2013
Early Fantasy Baseball Free Agents Worth a Look

While it’s easy to speculate about players only three games into the baseball season, that doesn’t mean there aren’t quality moves that can be made to set your team up for success later in the year. Even with only one series in the book for each team, it’s easy to see where the holes are in your fantasy lineup, and free agents can be a quick and easy fix to those holes.

There are players who are being snatched up in most fantasy leagues due to hot starts, and although some may call it over-hype, free agents additions can pay off in the long run.


Lance Berkman – 1B, Texas Rangers

Berkman was on the list of underrated veterans heading into this season, and so far it looks like he is set to have a solid year in Texas. Berkman is available in 43 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and is a great pickup in American League-only leagues. While his first three games were against the Houston Astros, Berkman has gotten six hits in ten at-bats, driving in three runs and scoring two more himself. It will be interesting to see if Berkman can stay healthy this year, but he is worth a bench spot to see if he can keep up this production.


Adam Dunn – 1B, Chicago White Sox

In keeping with veteran first basemen, Dunn is a great early-season pickup if your roster is lacking power. The 33-year-old is only hitting .182 through three games, he already has a homer and a RBI. He’s certainly going to go through slumps this season, but he’ll also have moments of greatness. Over the past week, 26 percent of teams in ESPN leagues have added him, and if your team is lacking in slugging percentage or homers, Dunn is a great addition.


Hisashi Iwakuma – SP, Seattle Mariners

Starting out his second year in the majors, Iwakuma was certainly impressive against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday. In six innings, the 31-year-old from Japan struck out seven batters and only gave up one run. He started 16 games for the Mariners last season, going 9-5 and posting a 3.16 ERA. Iwakuma has been picked up by 28 percent of teams in ESPN leagues, but is still owned by less than half of the teams in those leagues. He may not post the most wins with Seattle’s lacking offense, but he certainly has the potential to put up good strikeout numbers this season.


Gerardo Parra – OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

Only owned in 27 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Parra is likely available in your league. And with a .500 average, that probably won’t last very long. He has scored four runs, and has eight hits in 16 at-bats. He has even tacked on a homerun and a stolen base through three games. For someone who has a career .406 slugging percentage and a .282 average, Parra would be a wise pickup for a utility spot or an outfield spot in deeper leagues.

Tyler Flowers – C, Chicago White Sox

After appearing in 52 games last season, Flowers looks like he wants to play in far more than that this season. Through four games and only seven at-bats, Flowers has four hits, two homers, two RBI and has gotten on base 70 percent of the time. Catcher is a tricky position every season, but the fifth-year player looks like he wants to lead the White Sox to bigger and better things. He has never hit over .213, but judging by his early numbers, he could easily eclipse that.

 

Jackie Bradley Jr. – LF, Boston Red Sox

For as long as David Ortiz is out, Bradley will be starting in left field for Boston with Jonny Gomes DHing. Although he only has two hits in his first three games, he has still scored four runs and driven in three others. He has also been getting on base often, drawing three walks in the first game of the season. Bradley is an excellent pickup for anyone who drafted Ortiz, and has significant upside as long as he is in the starting lineup.


Todd Frazier – 1B, 3B, OF, Cincinnati Reds

Frazier, who is owned in 84 percent of Yahoo! leagues, has had a strong showing thus far this year. Not only is he eligible for three different positions in Yahoo! leagues, he has four hits in twelve at-bats, but has already scored two runs and drive in two others. In a Reds lineup that is loaded, he is liable to score in almost every game, considering the power that surrounds him in the lineup. The 27-year-old is only in his third year in the majors, but a .333 on-base percentage shows he is ready to play every day in Cincinnati.
 

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