With Bourn headed to the DL, I need another CF until he comes back. Everything ive read doesnt seem to clarify any of the best options are consistent starters. I hope Im missing something. Out of these options, which is the best to fill the void until Bourns return? 12 team h2h pts 23 man rosters.
Nate Sheirholtz
John Jay
Franklin Gutierrez
Denard Span
4
✅ Answers
? Favorite Answer
I’ll give you a brief summary of each of the four:
Nate Schierholtz – This year he has got off to a good start. In 11 GPs, he has 2 HRs, 6 RBIs and a .343 BA. So what’s not to like? Well, he will NOT maintain that throughout the season, and probably not even throughout the time Bourn comes back. In the last three seasons he has averaged 122 Games Played, 6 HRs, 26 RBIs and a .261 BA. But historically, he is a hot hitter in May hitting .313, 4 HRs and 15 RBIs in May the last three seasons. So if your willing to take the chance of him staying hot and Bourn hopefully coming back soon, he’d be a decent starter.
Jon Jay – Besides being one of the best Center Fielders in the National League, his bat has really come along as well. In the last three seasons he has been a .3 hitter, averaging 6 HRs and 34 RBIs. And even though this season his average isn’t where he would like at. .263, he already has 2 HRs and 8 RBIs. Also, being a leadoff hitter, he will score a ton of runs being in a offensive lineup like St. Louis. Last season his speed picked up with 70 Runs and 19 SBs. That might not seem great, but that was only in 117 games, if he played 159 like he did in 2011, he could easily have 1+ Runs and 25+ SBs. Out of the four you listed, Jay would be the Center Fielder to go to if Bourn is out a long time of the whole season.
Franklin Gutierrez – Sadly, the days of hitting .283 with 18 HRs and 70 RBIs are over. Those stats, were from the 29. Gutierrez is a solid CF don’t get me wrong. He will get you SBs, and decent HRs and RBIs if healthy. But that is a BIG if. In the last three seasons his games played, RBIs and SBs have gone down, mostly because of injury. Adding on to that, he is a career .256 hitter that won’t solidly lead off, therefor not getting you runs. IF he were to be healthy he would be the best replacement out there. But because of all these factors and declines, I wouldn’t touch him.
Denard Span – Very similar to Jon Jay, he is a very good fielder only having 18 error in the 5 seasons he has played. But Defense doesn’t count in Fantasy, but luckily, he is a tremendous hitter as well. Last season he hit .283, with 4 HRs and 41 RBIs and also stole 17 SBs, sound familiar? Jon Jay’s stats were very close with .305 4 HRs 40 RBIs and 19 SBs. Span played 11 more games than Jay as well. Span though has the potential to set career high in Runs and other offensive categories given he is now in a lineup (Washington Nationals) Who will put up great numbers. I would expect him to increase his stats this year with more games played and being in the Nats’ lineup.
So who would I recommend? It’s either between Span and Jay. If Span stays healthy, and plays to his full potential he would be the guy to go with. BUT Jay has played more games on average in the last 3 seasons with 127 GP on average whereas Span has 115. That and STL’s lineup is much more potent than WSH’s. BUT, since you wanting to put Bourn back in the lineup, Span hits better in the first two months of the season over the last three seasons. Take a look:
Jon Jay – April: .319, 3 HRs, 9 RBIs, 3 SBs. May: .338, 3 HRs, 15 RBIs, 4 SBs.
Denard Span – April: .281, 1 HR, 19 RBIs, 11 SBs. May: .311, 3 HRs, 24 RBIs, 12 SBs.
So, to conclude. In the short-term, pick Span. In the long, pick Jay.
Source(s): espn.com
mlb.com
I would go with Denard Span or Jon Jay. It is a tossup. Gutierrez just doesn’t play enough and is always hurt or he would be an interesting option.
Jon Jay, he has been solid so far and has the potential to go 10-25.
Jon Jay, he is a career .3 hitter, will get you a couple steals, will score a ton of runs, and has solid power for his batting average and SB’s.