Don't Panic!!! It's Just the First Week...

I think one of the things I love most about this time of year is that the fantasy pretenders actaully feel like they have a chance this year. By "fantasy pretender", I mean those guys who brag about their hot starts, see themselves at the top of the standings, and are constantly making waiver moves to pick up the hot player of the day. They're offering you Vicente Padilla for Paul Konerko and are shocked when you laugh at the offer. Well, I've got news for all of them...it's a marathon, not a sprint. The season is 162 games long and we're barely past 5 games here. If your guys are off to a hot start, you better hope they can maintain throughout the season. If they don't, you better have a plan B.

For the rest of us, while it is annoying to watch your boys get off to a slow start, you know it's not insurmountable. You don't have to panic and worry that you're going to finish last in WHIP and ERA. The numbers should and will balance out. Do you really think guys like Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, or Carlos Zambrano will sit with ERA's in double digits? Will Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia and the highly touted Daniel Cabrera continue to toss underhanded to AL hitters? Probably not. Conversely, do we think the aforementioned Vicente Padilla will pitch lights out all year in Texas? What about Josh Beckett? Sure they had great first outings, but these are the guys that should have the question marks next to their names. The others will begin to whittle those numbers down closer to their 3 year averages, while guys like Padilla and Beckett still have something to prove.

The same goes for hitters as well. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have a combined 1 HR between the two of them while Detroit's Chris Shelton has 5 already. Does that mean that Shelton will outhit them both? Angel Berroa and Casey Blake are hitting .444 and .385 respectively, while Jason Giambi and Carlos Beltran are at .154 and .143. What about the fact that Juan Pierre and Scott Podsednik have 0 SBs between them? But hey...Jose Cruz is mashing the ball with a .438 BA, so he must be better than them [insert sarcastic eye roll here].

I'm not saying that the guys producing now won't produce later. I'm just saying that to be a successful fantasy owner, you need to know patience. You need to give time to evaluate your team. You can keep your eyes on the hot starters and hopefully end up with this year's Brian Robert or Clint Barmes, but don't go after them at the expense of your proven talent. On the other hand, if you have one of the hot guys right now, it doesn't hurt to shop them a little. The smart owner will turn you away, but the inexperienced one may have an itchy trigger finger.

Enjoy your first week and don't worry about your standings just yet...no one gets a trophy for having the best April...