Kansas City Fantasy Report Week 1
Welcome to the start of Fantasy Baseball. Hopefully you enjoyed your opening weekend festivities and are ready for a title chase of your own. Here’s a look at the Royals this week:
The Royals got off to a nice start at home this weekend taking three of four from the Angels. They have Monday and Thursday off this week, so if you have daily line-ups be sure and have them set. They will face a White Sox squad for a two-game set drawing Gavin Floyd and Mark Buehrle. They will then head to Detroit who will counter with Scherzer, Coke and Porcello.
The Royals defeated the Angels on their final at-bat three days in a row. The big reason for this opportunity has come on the shoulders of a talented bullpen. Joakim Soria is one the elite closers in baseball. Now, with young arms like Aaron Crow, Tim Collins, and Jeremy Jeffries, the Royals bullpen may be the brightest spot of this young team. Nothing worth grabbing here just yet, but it will be interesting to watch these young arms mature. Be sure to scout these three and keep a pulse on the ever-changing (as with any team) dynamics of this pitching staff.
HOT:
Jeff Francis began his Royals career with a nice 7 IP, 4 K and 1 BB allowing only 5 hits against the Angels. He’s worth a look in AL only leagues.
Going 6-19, including a 4-6 outing Sunday, Alex Gordon has one of the hottest bats for KC out of the gates. His 0-5 performance on Thursday and 0-4 showing on Saturday defines some of what we can expect from him this year. He will have some ups and downs. However, he has a firm grip on the left field position and has batted third all season. He’s a must own in AL only leagues and is at the very least a 5th outfielder in mixed leagues.
NOT:
Bruce Chen gave up three home runs Sunday as the ball was flying out of Kauffman. It remains an ugly rotation in Kansas City. Steer clear of this situation until some of the young talent arrives.
Many fantasy owners in drafts have coveted Alcides Escobar as a sleeper this season. After slugging 5 home runs in 60 spring at-bats while hitting .364, the hype got pretty high. While his average should rebound over last season, Escobar is still tough to count on in mixed leagues. He’s not a bad $1 sleeper or keeper, but don’t expect a huge breakout just yet.