I’m sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea, I’ve got to be free, free to face the life that’s ahead of me. The Virgin Sea is Coors Field and you have got to be free to add Avisail Garcia ASAP. What sweet sweet rock n’ roll poetry to get week 2 of the season started. The 1970’s and early 80’s hit making band Styx provided me with that brilliant piece of intro for this week’s Creeper of the Week. Their classic, Come Sail Away, has been a radio staple, as well as a beautiful remade meoldy by Eric Cartman on South Park. In week 2, we get the early season gift of Avisail Garcia making his Coors debut and like any lover of sleepers out there we love these kind of trips. If I was wealthy, I’d hop a plane to cheer this 6’4 240lb Venenzuelan onto fantasy week 2 gold. I’d also want to go get a room in the team hotel (stalker alert) and that way I can make sure anytime he isn’t on the field no one is trying to disrupt this treasured hitter. Wait a minute, before you all think I’m crushing too hard on him be reminded I’m not the only person at Razzball with a crush on Avisail. (He was Jammed by the Guru, targeted by Grey, a sleeper by Grey, loved by Mike and Bill Mahoney in the White Sox Fantasy Preview, and is one of Jay’s top 100 keepers) So why is he only 11.6% owned in ESPN? I’ll tell you why, 88.4% of all ESPN leagues don’t read Razzball (for shame) and only contain ESPN employees and their family members. Thankfully we have a good readership in Yahoo who sports a 34% for my Creeper of the Week. Props to you Yahoo players for reading the Razz on the regular.
Why brainstorming this post, I asked myself, “what kind of stats are you going to use to support this claim? Why take such a big risk with no previous data to build your case? Why do I go buy a new bag of socks every time I can’t find a match? Why do I keep watching re-runs of Burn Notice yet haven’t brought myself to watch the finale?” Wow, I got a lot of things on my mind. Maybe it’s because I got multiple personalities rolling through my head and I just came home from my daughters birthday party and I still have the sound of 30 screaming kids in my head. BTW, if you are going to have a kids party, just give them all balloons tied to strings, and everyone is happy. You can try and give them all the food and cake and cool stuff you spent your tax return on, but a balloon filled with helium tied to a string is about the best thing they could ever have.
Sorry to fall off track there, it’s been birthday bonanza around here this week. Here is what I do have on Avisail, according to Hitter-Tron he’s the 59th best hitter projected over the next week. That’s ahead of Justin Upton, Mark Trumbo, Joey Votto and Prince Fielder according to that lover of Rocky Mountain Metal. Hey guys, it’s Rudy’s Coors Correction, which I can’t argue with….Actually I don’t call it the Coors Correction. I have my own name for it and it’s Bichetter, in honor of the great Colorado Rockies mullet wearing masher Dante Bichette who used to smash balls out of that mile high city as easily as Matt Adams closes down buffet’s. When he’s in Colorado, he’ll be Bichetter! I hope it sticks. I really need to stay on track over here, after that opening week series in Colorado he gets to return home to hitter friendly U.S. Cellular Field. Last season it was the 4th best park to hit a home run with an average of 1.349 bombs per game. In that series he gets to face all righties, he’s a career .309 hitter against vs. .252 against lefties. One of them he is 2 for 2, Corey Kluber, against and two others, Justin Masterson and Zach McAllister, have never faced him. I look at it as glass half filled with optimism with a shot of bravery. I know there isn’t a lot of data, but if you have been down on his slow start or someone has dropped him then I would seriously add him and if you own him and he’s on your bench then play him. If there was a time for him to get going now will be it.
In case Avisail is gone, other hitters up for consideration this week are: Corey Dickerson, Tyler Flowers, Oswaldo Arcia, Colby Rasmus, and DJ LeMahieu
Note: Last week I said I would only be covering players less than 20% owned and I got a bit of advice on this matter from last years Creeper of the Week writer Sky. “Try to keep it reasonable….given the % are skewed by dead teams” So there it is. The words of wisdom have been passed on. I will be lifting my 20% cutoff. Now I’m off to drink something strong and carbonated.
