Furcal’s Running on Empty

5X5 11 team vanilla league

I traded away Rafael Furcal and Aaron Harang for Jose Reyes and Greg Maddux.
I also need an OF to replace Soriano.  Which D-Back should I play more frequently?  Chris Young or Justin Upton?

Thanks
Kevin in Newport Beach

Kevin,

If this were last year, I’d say that you shouldn’t do the deal.  But it’s 2007, and Rafael Furcal has been arguably this season’s biggest disappointment.  Furcal’s slow start appeared to be over in May, when he hit .371.  Since then, Furcal owners have been receiving total inconsistency from the former fantasy stud.  And we haven’t even gotten to the biggest concern.  Where are the steals?  After swiping at least 29 bags in each of the past three seasons, Furcal’s on pace for just 17 stolen bases this year, which would mark the first time in his career that he’s failed to reach 20.  Reyes, easily the top fantasy shortstop, is nothing short of a HUGE upgrade.  Losing Harang hurts, but piecing together quality pitching outings is a lot easier than recovering from Furcal’s lost season.

Of the two D-Backs’ outfielders, I’ll take Young for the time being.  He’s got almost a full big league season under his belt, and while the .229 average isn’t pretty, Young can very easily post a 25-25 year in his rookie campaign.  Watch Upton closely though!  A few more multi-hit games and I might have to reconsider.

Zach Steinhorn, MLB.com