Jose Reyes’ thyroid condition may have just become public enemy No. 1 for fantasy owners.
The Mets said that it would be approximately two to eight weeks (quite a large window, we know) before Reyes resumes baseball activity after he was ordered to rest until his thyroid condition normalizes. GM Omar Minaya isn’t optimistic about his shortstop being ready for the start of the season and even when he does return, chances are that Reyes will have plenty of rust to shake off after missing virtually the entire 2009 season and all of spring training this year.
The problem fantasy owners face is that Reyes is one of 5-6 shortstops that are worth grabbing before the talent level at the position falls off a cliff. Hanley Ramirez is in a category all to his own, while Reyes, Troy Tulowitzki, Jimmy Rollins, Derek Jeter and Ben Zobrist comprise the rest of the top 6 shortstops. Fail to draft one of those players and risk dealing with the inconsistencies of Stephen Drew, Alexei Ramirez or Yunel Esobar.
So what is a fantasy owner to do? Well for starters, monitor Reyes’ situation leading up to your draft. If the reports are positive and it looks like he’ll be back to full strength in May, then don’t pass on him if he represents good value in your draft. There were tons of owners that avoided Joe Mauer last year because of his lingering back problems and he turned out to be a fantasy superstar. Reyes might not be overly productive in the first half of the season, but if you can grab a fill-in like Marco Scutaro or J.J. Hardy late in your draft to keep your SS position afloat until the All-Star Break, Reyes could be huge in the second half.
Conversely, if Reyes suffers a setback over the next week or so, then it might be wise to avoid him altogether and target one of the other top 5 available shortstops. Every year Jeter falls in drafts because of his age and every year he produces. Nabbing him instead of taking a risk on Reyes earlier in your draft might pay off in the end.
But overall, doing your homework and staying on top of latest reports will allow you to make a sound decision on Reyes come draft day.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
