Fantasy Felony will occupy this space on Thursdays.I drafted Matt Wieters in a lot of leagues. That's mainly because I think he'll be freaking awesome; and he very well might be this year's Evan Longoria, the type of rookie who storms the bigs at full speed upon his call up. OR ... well, he could not.
Rookies are hit and miss a lot of times. They don't always dominate and a hot start can lead to a really cold streak and vice-versa. But regardless of how Wieters performs, you're going to have some sort of play to make in terms of trading (depending, of course, if you own him).
Bear in mind, though, when considering trading him that he is projected -- even by the normally conservative PECOTA -- to freaking dominate: BP's baby has him hitting 31 homers this year with a .311/.395/.544 line. So, boomshackalacka and whatnot, because that looks ridic. But it's not like you can't use that hype to your advantage.
Right Now: As of this moment, Wieters' value is 100% perceived. It cannot be real, because he has not done anything. He is also a catcher and, again, a rookie. Hence, his value can be quite high, but at the moment, remains nonexistent. But because people think he's going to destroy, you can actually get a pretty good haul for him; if you're a Wieters owner, you should absolutely consider shopping him all day tomorrow, while people wait for his arrival.
If you can get a stud-like player (or even semi-stud) who will contribute for the length of the season, pull the trigger; and if you can package him with someone else to upgrade at another position, no reason to hesitate.
Hot Out of the Gates: There's a good chance that Wieters -- who ripped off four hits with four RBI when he found out he was headed to B-more -- comes out smoking in the bigs. This is good news for his owners in non-keeper leagues who might be considering trades. That's because the season is a grind, obviously, and younger players tend to slow down. If Wieters -- much like Justin Upton last year -- nearly hits for the cycle in his first game, or something ridiculous like that, put him on the block in a subtle fashion. In other words, there will be someone out there who is enchanted by his potential and as long as you don't look desperate, you can deal him.
Slow Burn Early: Wieters could disappoint early (meaning the first 1-2 weeks of his arrival) as well; if that's the case, make a hard play for the youngster, provided the cost is reasonable enough. He's talented, as we've (and many others) have covered. And if someone panics -- Lord knows if someone drops him jump all over it -- after a slow start, it would almost be a crime not to at least approach that owner and find out if he has any interest in dealing the stud prospect.
So the long and short is this: you want this guy. He's quite good. He's going to be an All-Star. But just because he projects to be ridiculously dominant at a scarce position for much of his career doesn't mean you can pass up good value right now. For keeper leagues, it's a whole different ballgame, but for those owners astute enough to measure someone else's viewpoint of percieved value, Wieters' arrival marks a fantastic time to pull some wool over a fellow fantasy owner.
