The injury bug has struck another substantial blow into the Fantasy Baseball world as it was announced that Alex Gordon will be expected to miss eight weeks with a Groin Injury. This is leaving more than a few fantasy owners scouring the waiver wire as he was owned in 86% of ESPN leagues (as of 12:30 PM PST Thursday) and was on average an 8th round pick (109.0 ADP) in 12-team leagues this year.
Here are some Alex Gordon Replacement Options. These players are owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues (again as of 12:30 PM PST Thursday) and have seen a recent uptick in ownership in ESPN leagues. These players are ranked in order of least likely to most likely to help your Fantasy team.
6) Odubel Herrera, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
Herrera came to the Phillies as a Rule 5 pick during the off-season and he has at least been not terrible (however, it’s tough to say the same thing about the team he is playing for). He has hit for a respectable AVG (.265) and has hit four HR and stolen nine bases. Other than a few SB here and there, I don’t see much of an upside to Herrera. His four HR is more than he hit in the minors last year and his BABIP of .341 indicates his already modest AVG may already be inflated to begin with.
5) Gregor Blanco, OF, San Francisco Giants
Blanco has been red hot lately as he hit .340 during the month of June and is hitting .345 over his first eight games in July. He has provided recent short-term value with a strong AVG but can he keep this up long-term?
I’m leaning more towards no on this. His BABIP is 47 points above his career total indicating that his stronger results lately are more of a result of good luck. Once the AVG fades, all you have is a someone who is only slightly more valuable than Herrera as he mixes single digit HR power with a modest helping of SB.
4) Delino DeShields, OF, Texas Rangers
DeShields has received his first MLB playing opportunities this season. The bulk of his value is likely to be limited to SB and OBP (if you are in a league counting this instead of AVG). This season he has stolen 13 bases and displayed the ability to eventually produce off the charts totals (he stole 50+ bases in the minors the last three seasons). Also, he has a 11.5% BB Rate and has a track record of being very patient at the plate.
What he has not done is hit for power as he has zero HR in his first 182 career PA. While he did hit for some power in the minors (11 HR in AA last year), I do not anticipate that this will ever be a major strength for DeShields.
3) David Peralta, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
Peralta gets the nod over DeShields due to having slightly more power and the likelihood of batting for a stronger AVG for the rest of the season. He has seen an increase in playing time recently due to Ender Inciarte being on the DL. While he hasn’t been a superstar, he has been a steady contributor as he is hitting .265 with seven HR & four SB. One other positive thing is that he has shown increased patience at the plate as he has seen his OBP improve despite a decrease in AVG.
While his AVG has decreased this season, this has more to do with a minor dip in BABIP instead of any regression with his skills. If anything, he has been hitting the ball better this year as he has seen a modest increase in Hard Hit Balls (Hard%) and a decrease in Soft Hit Balls (Soft%).
2) Alejandro De Aza, OF, Boston Red Sox
While De Aza got off to a very slow start with the Orioles, he has seen a substantial improvement in his performance since being traded to the Red Sox.
In the past, De Aza has shown himself capable of hitting for some power (17 HR in 2013) and contributing in the SB category (26 SB in 2012). His AVG is unlikely to move much higher than its current spot of .255 as has BABIP is very consistent with the last few seasons.
The recent surge of strong play, .306 AVG in his first 28 games with the Red Sox appears to be more of a stretch of good luck and that he will likely to continue to be a league average player (his wRC+ is 100 in 2,379 career PA). The percentage of balls he has hit hard in 2015 is within career ranges for De Aza.
1) Marlon Byrd, OF, Cincinnati Reds
Byrd may not be the most consistent hitter, he’s not going to give you any SB and is definitely not the youngest hitter on this list (he’s currently 37) but he can hit for much more power than any of the other players on this list which gave him the nod over the other replacement options listed. While he did get off to a slow start this season (.169 AVG in April), his bat has heated up as of late as he hit .319 in June and is hitting .368 over the first five games of July.
This season, he has hit 14 HR and has seen his AVG pulled down to .245 due to a BABIP that is well below his career total. However, this could possibly be a sign of him getting older. His Line Drive Rate (LD%) is well below the totals he put up the last two seasons. With that being said, Byrd still has a strong chance of finishing this season with 20+ HR and hit for a slightly better AVG going forward.
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