By Butters in D.C.

League 14

League 16

It’s important to be honest with yourself as a fantasy owner. Does your team have the right pieces? If it doesn’t, can you get them? I have two teams, one is very much in it, and one is very much not.

The approach that I take to trading and acquiring players is different on each team. On one team, I want to make sure that I am addressing needs and trading from depth - just like any good fantasy GM would do. On the other, it’s pretty safe to say, it’s rebuilding time.

Who are some players that I (and you) should target? Who should I (and you) stay away from? In this edition of the Hit List, we examine some keeper-caliber players and some players that could be keepers by the end of the season.

I am in two Mafia keeper leagues, and I own Ryan Howard in neither … for good reason. Last year, Howard had abysmal numbers to start the season.  This led to incredible disappointment after an astonishing campaign in his first full season of .313, 58, and 149.  He eventually came around to a .268, 47, 136 season last year.

One has to wonder if Howard developed an affinity for the long ball, which resulted in more K’s and a significantly reduced number of hits. In each of his two full seasons, 2006 & 2007, Howard had 108 and 107 walks, but had OBPs of .425 (’06) and .392 (‘07). This is mostly a result of having forty fewer hits in sixty fewer at-bats.

This year, Howard lays claim to a .168 BA and a .281 OBP.  I’ll say that again for emphasis - Ryan Howard is essentially getting on base at the same rate as the uber-dissapointing Ichiro is hitting his way on (.280 BA). Howard is not a young player at 29 years old. The fact that he was blocked by Jim Thome for all those years may have robbed both Philly fans and fantasy owners of four or five 50 HR seasons. Now it looks like Howard is a total feast-or-famine hitter. Make the move - trade on the name value while you still can.

Another ‘former slugger-turned-windmill’ that you need to move as quickly as you can is Cleveland Indians’ DH Travis Hafner. What happened to the man they once called “Pronk”? Three straight seasons of over .300 BA and .400 OBP, HR totals increasing from 28 to 33 to 42 and the inexorable march of destiny to becoming one of this generations most feared sluggers was halted last year when Hafner had a paltry (for him) .266 BA, .385 OBP, and 24 HR.

Maybe the most telling part of the season was the post-season, where Hafner hit .250 in the ALDS and .148 in the ALCS, with two homers in 43 ABs while looking overmatched in every single at bat. Hafner has looked terrible this year, as well, managing only a .215 BA, .312 OBP and three homers in 127 ABs. It sounds to me that, without miraculously finding his swing of 2004 - 2006, Hafner has gone from “Pronk” to “Punk”.

There is hope, fantasy fans, despite the doom and gloom from the slugging part of the world. There are players to target that you may be able to get from people who aren’t smart enough to read this column. At the top of that list is one of my favorite players … Ichiro.

Ichiro is hitting a paltry (for him) .280 through the first five weeks of the season. His career BA in May however is an eye-popping .370. Ichiro has never hit below .300, and has only come close once - when he hit .303. He’s about to heat up, and if you can trade someone like, say, Ryan Howard not only can you probably get Ichiro but another player like a 3-4 starter or a lesser 1B.

As moving Howard for Ichiro helps you in two ways - not only do you get rid of Howard’s horrible BA, but you replace it with that of the best pure hitter since George Brett. Obviously, you lose power in this deal, so make sure you can spare it, but say you get back Pat Burrell, Mike Jacobs, or Kevin Youkilis; that will certainly help offset your power loss, and each side can say that they won the deal. At least, that is, until the other owner realizes that Howard isn’t coming around this year.

Another player that I expect to be available at a discount is Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California on Gene Autry Way, outfielder Vladimir Gurrero. While it seems like Vladdy has been around forever, he’s still only 32 - younger than both Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter.

Sure, playing on the turf at Olympic Stadium in Montreal didn’t help his knees and back, and he’s usually good for a stint on the DL every year, but the guy is one of the most talented players in the history of baseball. He’s not the 40/40 player he used to be either, as he doesn’t really run anymore.

All of that is fine by me. He’ll hit over .300, slug about 30 homers, and if you can get him for either the over-performing Carlos Quentin or Ryan Dempster, who surely can’t sustain this level of performance (and let’s say it all together now - I hate pitchers!), I’d do that deal in a heartbeat. Understand what you’re getting, and you’ll love the results.

While both Ryan Howard was once maybe the most feared slugger this side of SBC/AT&T/Pac Bell Park, he has fallen victim to the cruelest curse of all - the under 30 decline.  Hafner was also a feared slugger and, while older, should still be in his prime. Instead, he should be riding the pine.

If you can move Howard and Hafner and wind up with Ichiro and Guerrero, it may be the steal of the century. Of course, make sure that your trading partners don’t read the column named after where both Hafner and Howard have wound up - The Hit List.

Let me know your thoughts on Howard, Hafner, Ichiro, Guerrero or any other player you feel is undervalued here!