Sleeper Watch

Can a player whose batting average stands at .395, whose OPS is well over 1.000 and who qualifies at two shallow positions be considered a sleeper? Maybe not, but there are still fantasy players who have doubts about whether Colorado 2B/SS Clint Barmes is for real.

Granted, Barmes may not hit anywhere near .400 this season, and his OPS, which never topped .881 in five minor league seasons, may also head south from its current level of 1.191 sooner rather than later. But his current average and OPS aren’t the numbers that should have fantasy owners licking their chops anyway – it’s his splits which mark him as an intriguing fantasy asset.

Most Rockies’ stats are characterized by a large gap between home and road production, and Barmes’ early numbers are an extreme example of this effect. Away from Denver, the 26-year-old infielder has looked overmatched, hitting just .190 in six games. In the hitters’ haven of Coors Field, on the other hand, Barmes has thrived, compiling an average of .591 and a slugging percentage of 1.182 while hitting four home runs in five games. His OPS at home (1.822) is more than three times his road OPS (.513).

Obviously, 11 games is a very low sample size, and Barmes’ splits are likely to become far less extreme as the season progresses. Nevertheless, he looks like a prime candidate for a Coors platoon in leagues with daily lineup changes, possibly paired with a speed-only 2B. In many leagues, Barmes will have been drafted as a backup infielder, making him potentially expendable, and if his owner considers the young Rockie’s early-season success to be a fluke, you might be able to get a bargain in spite of his stellar numbers.