notoriously slow starters

[baseballin storm]

Always been interested in the slow starter strategy. Thought I would post some guys I have found who might be worth a pick-up or buy low trade. If you've got any more I would love to see them.

Adam A. LaRoche, 1B
"LaRoche is hitting .295 (26-for-88) in May and has raised his average from .169 to .236. LaRoche has always been known as a slow starter before heating up as soon as the weather does in the summer. If you can grab LaRoche (owned in 50 percent of leagues) consider doing so before he really goes off. He'll likely end up with 25 home runs before season's end." CBS Sportsline

Nick Markakis, OF
"Nick Markakis is usually a slow starter, but he has put up solid power numbers so far. He hit his ninth homer and has 24 RBIs. He is only batting .258, so highlight that as you try and buy low." BY ADAM RONIS, newsday.com

"Matt Cain, SP
As of his May 18th start against the White Sox, Cain has a pedestrian fantasy line: 2 W, 61 IP, 32 BB, 53 K, 4.57 ERA, and a 1.43 WHIP. Obviously, except for his 7.81 K/9 rate, that line is unimpressive. However, let’s examine Cain’s combined stats after the All-Star Break during the 2006 and 2007 seasons: 11 W, 189.2 IP, 180 K, 3.53 ERA and a WHIP of 1.18.
With the Giants 11 games under .500 and having scored only 179 runs on the season, third fewest in the majors, Cain might struggle to get wins in the second half of the season, but any fantasy owner can live with the solid ERA and WHIP ratios as well as the 8.5 K/9 rate Cain has shown in the second half of the season. If a current owner in not pleased with Cain at this point, feel free to offer a modest proposal.

Robinson Cano, 2B
As Cano comes into Memorial Day weekend with a .232 average and a .640 OPS, let me show you the totals Cano has put up in the second half of the season the past two seasons.

2006 - 211 AB / 11 HR / 51 RBI / 2 SB / .365 AVG / 1.015 OPS
2007 - 289 AB / 13 HR / 57 RBI / 2 SB / .343 AVG / .953 OPS
Second Half Totals: 500 AB / 24 HR / 108 RBI / 4 SB / .352 AVG / .984 OPS

If an impatient owner wants to dump Cano, put together a deal, and you’ll be the one laughing as you make a run at your fantasy title in the second half.

Frank Thomas, DH
Thomas is a notoriously slow starter. The combined March/April is the only month Thomas has a career average under .300. Last season, it took him until the last week of May to get going. He even tried to tell the Toronto Blue Jays when they benched him earlier this season. Alas, it ended with the Big Hurt being released and, subsequently, signing back with Oakland. If Thomas is available for cheap and you have room for a power hitting .270-.280 UTIL, now may be the best time to snatch him up as Thomas has heated up in May (.348 AVG, .989 OPS in May with 4 HR in his last 6 games)." Fantasy: Rang Report - Buy Low http://blueworkhorse.com/mlb/

Other notoriously slow starters - Mark Teixeira, Ryan Howard, Paul Konerko, Vladimir Guerrero, Erik Bedard, Fausto Carmona, Brad Hawpe, Aubrey Huff.

Any others?
Any fast starters your looking to trade or dump?

[Sea Dog Fan]

For pitchers, Santana is an obvious slow starter.

Teixeira is a slow starter.

Ryan Zimmerman

[mweir145]

Frank Thomas, DH
Thomas is a notoriously slow starter. The combined March/April is the only month Thomas has a career average under .300. Last season, it took him until the last week of May to get going. He even tried to tell the Toronto Blue Jays when they benched him earlier this season. Alas, it ended with the Big Hurt being released and, subsequently, signing back with Oakland. If Thomas is available for cheap and you have room for a power hitting .270-.280 UTIL, now may be the best time to snatch him up as Thomas has heated up in May (.348 AVG, .989 OPS in May with 4 HR in his last 6 games)." Fantasy: Rang Report - Buy Low http://blueworkhorse.com/mlb/

The Blue Jays knew very well that he was a slow starter and would likely turn it around if given the opportunity. He did, after all, do exactly that last year. It was all about next year's option for them.

As for whether he's a buy low option, I'd say definitely. Except he may have just gotten a signficant injury 2 days ago.