Ok Nash,
I’m pretty far down in steals, 4 out of 12, and I am just barely better in HRs, 6 out of 12. I’m pretty good on pitching and have a good set of arms so I really need a run on points in offense to break the top 3 in my Roto league and so here is what my across the board looks like:
Runs 8 HRs 6 RBIs 5 Steals 4 AVG 6
Now the guys in front of my in HRs and RBIs are pretty far ahead, 11 HRs 23 RBIs and the breaks in front of them are about the same. Steals are only by 2 or 3 each break. I was hoping for double digits steals from Yoenis Cespedes and Nelson Cruz but more like upwards of 15. Doesn’t look so promising now and I wonder if I should trade one of them away for a steals guy?
Omar, Utah
Omar, I am actually contemplating a very similar situation in one of my leagues. It’s tough to assess if you should risk not making up points in one category for another BUT in your situation I think it would be VERY advantageous to take a hit in HRs and RBIs to attack steals hard.
When you need double digit HRs and RBIs to make up 1-2 points in those categories, you are really talking about A LOT of work. Whereas if 15 steals can get you 3-5 points easy, you know exactly where to attack.
You need to make sure you set your sights on a legit steals guy though and try to avoid trading Yoenis Cespedes or Nelson Cruz to a guy that can make up good ground in HRs or RBIs UNLESS it helps you catch the first place guy.
For example, if you trade Cruz to the guy chasing you and he poaches points from you, then you have made your job harder. Now if you can trade Cruz to a guy that can poach points away from the top dog then that makes good sense for you in the long run.
Set your sights high first, try to get Michael Bourn. If he is not going to be moved, I might try for the soon to return Jacoby Ellsbury. Otherwise you can go with just about any of Ichiro Suzuki, Desmond Jennings or Angel Pagan who should be good for about 15+ rest of season.
I think at this point of the season steals should be pretty easy to come by especially if you are willing to trade a slugger like Cespedes or Cruz!
Good luck man!
