Rankings Analysis: Week 1 Recap

In this weekly column, I will be taking a look at some hitters and pitchers who had a big week, and then place them in categories of my choosing. The categories will be different every week, but will give you some idea of how to act on these players going forward. To get the list of players, I use the ranking system on Yahoo! to see who made the biggest jump from week to week. In this first week's edition, I'm comparing their current ranking to the pre-season O-Ranks given. Next week, I will compare the rankings as they stand now to the rankings as they shake out next week. The number next to the player's name is how many spots in the rankings they have jumped since the previous week.

Offense

Add Wherever Possible

Michael Saunders (243)

Dexter Fowler (154)

Todd Frazier (139)

Chase Utley (92)

Michael Brantley (90)

For the remainder of the season, I expect these players to be starter-worthy in all formats.

Start For Now

Greg Dobbs (622)

Chris Heisey (490)

Gerardo Parra (390)

These guys should be productive and starter-worthy, but only for as long as they have consistent playing time. Parra and Heisey aren't likely to finish the season with a starting gig, and Dobbs doesn't really have one at the moment, but I can't imagine Casey Kotchman keeps him on the bench if Dobbs keeps raking like this.

Meh

Chris Iannetta (808)

Travis Hafner (698)

Craig Gentry (645)

James Loney (535)

Jean Segura (147)

In deeper leagues, these guys are worth a look as they all are capable of putting up solid numbers. I wouldn't trade for them unless desperate, but you could do worse.

Don't Bother

Vernon Wells (717)

Justin Maxwell (554)

These guys won't offer much further value going forward.

I Like, But This Is a Mirage

Michael Morse (168)

Michael Cuddyer (145)

Chris Davis (120)

Ride out the hot streaks while they last, but it might be wise to deal these players as they are probably at their current max value. Nothing wrong with these players, but they aren't as good as these hot starts would indicate.

Pitching

Set and Forget

Mitchell Boggs (223)

Alexi Ogando (194)

Alex Cobb (151)

Matt Harvey (122)

Jaime Garcia (115)

Mike Minor (99)

Start these pitchers regardless of matchup. I like them for the remainder of the season and think that the hot starts are a sign of things to come.

Undervalued

Eric Stults (311)

Kelvin Herrera (260)

Hisashi Iwakuma (241)

Glen Perkins (132)

Will likely hit some bumps in the road, but I do think they will provide more long-term value than where they are currently positioned.

Stream-Worthy

Wandy Rodriguez (235)

Paul Maholm (235)

Carlos Villanueva (169)

Miguel Gonzalez (142)

James McDonald (126)

Homer Bailey (111)

Jump on these guys when they have a favorable matchup, but don't be afraid to toss them back on the waiver wire at the first sign of struggling or poor matchup. The success likely won't last all year.

Sell High

Josh Collmenter (283)

Daniel Straily (217)

Wade Miley (152)

I have little faith in these three pitchers. All three suffer from being on deep staffs and won't have a long leash to work with. Straily has already been demoted in favor of Bartolo Colon, and Miley will likely have to compete with Delgado and Skaggs in a few weeks. I do think each of these guys would produce if given the opportunity, I just think they will frustrate managers all year with the lack of job security.