Fantasy baseball: Use the All-Star break wisely to reassess needs

While many fantasy baseball managers use the All-Star break as an opportunity to sit back and relax, those who win championships continue to research and grind away.

There might not be any meaningful MLB games to watch, but once the mid-summer break comes to a close, your first waiver period of the second half opens, and you want to take full advantage of those competitors who may have let their guard down for a few days. Teams will reset their rotations, players will be returning from injury, and we are also due for another run of rookie call-ups.

Before you start digging into specific names, it is important to do a full assessment of your team. You need to figure out in which categories you are weakest and how much extra attention they need on your roster. Which players available will help the most in the specific categories I need?

If you play in a head-to-head points league, the strategy is a little different, but the overall “best player available” methodology remains the same. Once you’ve established a specific goal, it is time to find the right players.

Most casual fantasy managers remain hung up on names. They will do what they can to grab players they’ve heard a bunch of talking heads speak about, regardless of their team role or level of help to their specific fantasy needs.

Take Baltimore rookie outfielder Colton Cowser, for example. He is one of the Orioles’ top prospects, and there has been quite a bit of buzz surrounding his arrival this week.

Cowser’s minor league numbers indicate strong on-base skills and excellent power potential, but though he has flashed some speed, he doesn’t profile as someone who is going to be a difference-maker in that department.

He is expected to be a quality asset for the Orioles, but is he right for your fantasy team?

If you are properly looking for category help and speed is your biggest shortcoming, then Cowser probably isn’t right for you.

Sure, you could pick him up and trade for speed, but that becomes more complicated —you will have to drop someone to acquire him and that move could hurt you, especially if it takes time to deal him and the player swap downgrades your team’s overall power.

If it’s power you crave, yes, Cowser can help, but you have to decide if his power and upside is better than your worst outfielder. Often, people clear out a player without even realizing that they are dropping the better asset just to get the name brand. Don’t let the hype fool you into making a mistake.

The All-Star break is exactly that — a break, a breather, if you will. But the savvy fantasy player is the one who works straight through. Identifying second-half assets can be difficult, but now is the perfect time to research. If you aren’t distracted by the games and the hype, you can focus your energy on the numbers. And every past fantasy baseball champion will tell you: It’s all about the numbers.

Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy baseball advice.