Last week we had several picks who hit big in our May 25 Buy List. Unfortunately, I think many of the guys who were deserving of upgrades finally made it. There are a few bargains to be had, however. Keep your eyes open and on the look-out for these players and you have a good chance at flipping some guys for a profit.
June 1, 2015 Diamond Dynasty Buy List
Best Bet of the Week (Gold)
Prince Fielder, TEX (84 OVR)
There is no "Lock of the Week" this week due to the fact that Prince's value is already surging ahead of an almost guaranteed bump to gold. The American League's co-RBI leader is currently selling for around 3000-3500 stubs. While I believe Prince's value will increase, I'm not sure we will see the 2x increase we saw with our "Lock" and "Best Bets" last week (Jason Kipnis and Russell Martin). Buy Fielder for as close to 3,000 stubs as you can and then expect to sell him for around 4,500-5,500 stubs during the middle of next week.
Solid Value (Gold)
Drew Storen, WSH (80 OVR)
Storen may not quite make it to gold this week as he's five rating points away. However, he's a solid value this week as he is selling for between 200-350. Storen leads the National League with 16 saves and is tied for the second-lowest closer ERA at 0.84. Other Gold closers like Trevor Rosenthal and Glen Perkins sell anywhere from 7,000-14,000 so there is a lot of upside for Storen if and when he finally reaches Gold.
AJ. Burnett, PIT (80 OVR)
The Major League ERA leader has already seen his value quintuple over the past 10 days as Diamond Dynasty players load up for an anticipated ratings bump. Will Burnett get the five point bump needed for Gold though is the question? I'm not sure he does, but if he doesn't, it will likely follow the following week as long as he doesn't have a huge collapse over the next seven days or so. Buy Burnett as close to 1,000 stubs as you can and expect his value to climb near 4k when and if he finally does get to Gold.
Joakim Soria, DET (83 OVR)
Soria is the closest player to Gold in this group, but also the most likely to never get there. While Soria has been fantastic this year with a 1.27 ERA and 15 saves, he has an ERA over 3.50 over the previous three seasons. While it is possible Soria has regained his regained his dominance displayed four years ago, its also possible he reverts back to his form of the previous three seasons. With a buy price of between 350-650 there is some value in picking him up. However, I would recommend selling fast if and when he hits Gold because he may not stay there long.
Borderline Buys (Gold)
Brandon Crawford, SF (83 OVR)
The Giants dynamic shortstop already received a four-point ratings bump last week. However, he continues to hit the ball well (.351/.408/.564 over the past 30 days). While he isn't the biggest bargain on this list (cureently selling for 900-1200) he does have some value should he ever get to Gold. Gold shortstops are rare so you could win big if he gets there. Worst case though (and far more likely), he stays right around where he is and get your stubs back out of him when you no longer need his services.
Kolten Wong, STL (83 OVR)
Wong received a three-point ratings boost two weeks ago and probably hasn't done enough to deserve a bump to Gold just yet. However, much like Crawford, he has some solid upside if Sony decides to give him the extra two points needed for Gold in the future. Gold middle infielders are rare so you could pocket a nice return if you're betting on the come. Wong is currently selling for around 1100-1300. Like Crawford, he will probably hold his value so he is low risk. If you have the stubs and patience to buy and hold him, he could pay off for you down the road.
Low-Level Buys (Silver)
Silver is proving to be a hard level to predict. Sony has been reluctant to give a lot of guys in the mid-70's the necessary ratings bump to achieve this level. Also, once they reach Silver, you don't always see a huge bump in market value either. That's probably due in some part to these guys starting out as Bronze players and there being a significantly higher amount of them in circulation. For that reason, I will list some guys that I think could not only get the bump to Silver, but also continue to rise and provide you some long-term value.
Brandon Belt, SF (76 OVR)
Belt has been on fire lately hitting .327/.381/.615 over the past 30-days. He was our Silver "Lock of the Week" last week but didn't get the bump he needed. I'm fairly certain he will this week. However, I'm not sure what that means for his overall value. Belt is currently selling for 75-150 and, while you will probably be able to sell him for a profit, I'm not sure how big that margin will be. Long-term, though, I think Belt has some promise as he has displayed monster power recently. He's a guy that could hit 25 homers and slowly work his way up the value chart as the season goes along.
Andre Ethier, LAD (75 OVR)
Behind Belt, I like Ethier the most out of the Silver buys. He's currently selling for about 25 stubs and is a guy with 20-30 home run power. Ethier is hitting .317/.407/.550 on the season and has shown no signs of slowing down. Not only could he turn a nice profit for you when he hits Silver (and I'm fairly certain he will eventually), I also think he has solid potential to continue to grow in value as the season progresses.
Chris Young, KC (77 OVR)
Young is a solid Major League pitcher who is off to a hot start. Currently, Young has a 4-1 record and a 1.55 ERA for the Royals. That should be enough to get him into the Silver tier. However, as I've mentioned, Sony has been inconsistent in this level so there's no guarantee. The fact that Young is only selling for around 25 stubs though makes him a good buy. When he does finally get to Silver he should get a decent bump in the market and allow you to flip him for some extra stubs.
Avisail Garcia, CWS (75 OVR)
I don't know why, but I like this pick for some reason. Although Garcia has never shown a ton of pop through his major or minor league careers, I think he is starting to come around as a Major League hitter. Garcia is currently hitting .327/.365/.456 on the season. He's got 15 homer and 70 RBI potential along with a .300-plus average. I think Garcia gets to Silver in the next week or two. Considering you can also pick him up for about 25 stubs, I think its worth buying him now and seeing what he does over the next few weeks.
Chase Anderson, ARI (76 OVR)
Anderson is a guy with a ton of talent who also struggles with consistency. Throughout his minor league career he has mixed in flashes of brilliance with periods of despair. Anderson is off to a good start this year though (1-1 2.59) and is 1-0 1.39 over his past six starts. If the Diamondbacks coaches can keep his head and mechanics right, Anderson could be a solid pitcher that gets up close to a Gold level. He could also flame out and be back in the minors by July. Either way, he's worth a shot at around 25 stubs.
Kyle Gibson, MIN (76 OVR)
Gibson is one of the top pitching prospects for the Twins. Although I'm not sure he can be considered a prospect anymore with 286 Major League innings under his belt. Gibson had a solid minor league career and displayed an ability to get hitters out consistently. He just hasn't been able to put it together in the Majors yet. This year, Gibson is off to a 4-3 start with a 2.72 ERA. Over his past six starts, he is 3-1 with a 1.32 ERA. While he may not be able to keep that pace up all year, Gibson is likely to reach Silver sometime in the near future. Like Anderson, he's also a guy who has the potential to continue to improve and work his way close to Gold by season's end. Its certainly worth the gamble at a selling price between 10-30 stubs.
June 1, 2015 Diamond Dynasty Buy List
Best Bet of the Week (Gold)
Prince Fielder, TEX (84 OVR)
There is no "Lock of the Week" this week due to the fact that Prince's value is already surging ahead of an almost guaranteed bump to gold. The American League's co-RBI leader is currently selling for around 3000-3500 stubs. While I believe Prince's value will increase, I'm not sure we will see the 2x increase we saw with our "Lock" and "Best Bets" last week (Jason Kipnis and Russell Martin). Buy Fielder for as close to 3,000 stubs as you can and then expect to sell him for around 4,500-5,500 stubs during the middle of next week.
Solid Value (Gold)
Drew Storen, WSH (80 OVR)
Storen may not quite make it to gold this week as he's five rating points away. However, he's a solid value this week as he is selling for between 200-350. Storen leads the National League with 16 saves and is tied for the second-lowest closer ERA at 0.84. Other Gold closers like Trevor Rosenthal and Glen Perkins sell anywhere from 7,000-14,000 so there is a lot of upside for Storen if and when he finally reaches Gold.
AJ. Burnett, PIT (80 OVR)
The Major League ERA leader has already seen his value quintuple over the past 10 days as Diamond Dynasty players load up for an anticipated ratings bump. Will Burnett get the five point bump needed for Gold though is the question? I'm not sure he does, but if he doesn't, it will likely follow the following week as long as he doesn't have a huge collapse over the next seven days or so. Buy Burnett as close to 1,000 stubs as you can and expect his value to climb near 4k when and if he finally does get to Gold.
Joakim Soria, DET (83 OVR)
Soria is the closest player to Gold in this group, but also the most likely to never get there. While Soria has been fantastic this year with a 1.27 ERA and 15 saves, he has an ERA over 3.50 over the previous three seasons. While it is possible Soria has regained his regained his dominance displayed four years ago, its also possible he reverts back to his form of the previous three seasons. With a buy price of between 350-650 there is some value in picking him up. However, I would recommend selling fast if and when he hits Gold because he may not stay there long.
Borderline Buys (Gold)
Brandon Crawford, SF (83 OVR)
The Giants dynamic shortstop already received a four-point ratings bump last week. However, he continues to hit the ball well (.351/.408/.564 over the past 30 days). While he isn't the biggest bargain on this list (cureently selling for 900-1200) he does have some value should he ever get to Gold. Gold shortstops are rare so you could win big if he gets there. Worst case though (and far more likely), he stays right around where he is and get your stubs back out of him when you no longer need his services.
Kolten Wong, STL (83 OVR)
Wong received a three-point ratings boost two weeks ago and probably hasn't done enough to deserve a bump to Gold just yet. However, much like Crawford, he has some solid upside if Sony decides to give him the extra two points needed for Gold in the future. Gold middle infielders are rare so you could pocket a nice return if you're betting on the come. Wong is currently selling for around 1100-1300. Like Crawford, he will probably hold his value so he is low risk. If you have the stubs and patience to buy and hold him, he could pay off for you down the road.
Low-Level Buys (Silver)
Silver is proving to be a hard level to predict. Sony has been reluctant to give a lot of guys in the mid-70's the necessary ratings bump to achieve this level. Also, once they reach Silver, you don't always see a huge bump in market value either. That's probably due in some part to these guys starting out as Bronze players and there being a significantly higher amount of them in circulation. For that reason, I will list some guys that I think could not only get the bump to Silver, but also continue to rise and provide you some long-term value.
Brandon Belt, SF (76 OVR)
Belt has been on fire lately hitting .327/.381/.615 over the past 30-days. He was our Silver "Lock of the Week" last week but didn't get the bump he needed. I'm fairly certain he will this week. However, I'm not sure what that means for his overall value. Belt is currently selling for 75-150 and, while you will probably be able to sell him for a profit, I'm not sure how big that margin will be. Long-term, though, I think Belt has some promise as he has displayed monster power recently. He's a guy that could hit 25 homers and slowly work his way up the value chart as the season goes along.
Andre Ethier, LAD (75 OVR)
Behind Belt, I like Ethier the most out of the Silver buys. He's currently selling for about 25 stubs and is a guy with 20-30 home run power. Ethier is hitting .317/.407/.550 on the season and has shown no signs of slowing down. Not only could he turn a nice profit for you when he hits Silver (and I'm fairly certain he will eventually), I also think he has solid potential to continue to grow in value as the season progresses.
Chris Young, KC (77 OVR)
Young is a solid Major League pitcher who is off to a hot start. Currently, Young has a 4-1 record and a 1.55 ERA for the Royals. That should be enough to get him into the Silver tier. However, as I've mentioned, Sony has been inconsistent in this level so there's no guarantee. The fact that Young is only selling for around 25 stubs though makes him a good buy. When he does finally get to Silver he should get a decent bump in the market and allow you to flip him for some extra stubs.
Avisail Garcia, CWS (75 OVR)
I don't know why, but I like this pick for some reason. Although Garcia has never shown a ton of pop through his major or minor league careers, I think he is starting to come around as a Major League hitter. Garcia is currently hitting .327/.365/.456 on the season. He's got 15 homer and 70 RBI potential along with a .300-plus average. I think Garcia gets to Silver in the next week or two. Considering you can also pick him up for about 25 stubs, I think its worth buying him now and seeing what he does over the next few weeks.
Chase Anderson, ARI (76 OVR)
Anderson is a guy with a ton of talent who also struggles with consistency. Throughout his minor league career he has mixed in flashes of brilliance with periods of despair. Anderson is off to a good start this year though (1-1 2.59) and is 1-0 1.39 over his past six starts. If the Diamondbacks coaches can keep his head and mechanics right, Anderson could be a solid pitcher that gets up close to a Gold level. He could also flame out and be back in the minors by July. Either way, he's worth a shot at around 25 stubs.
Kyle Gibson, MIN (76 OVR)
Gibson is one of the top pitching prospects for the Twins. Although I'm not sure he can be considered a prospect anymore with 286 Major League innings under his belt. Gibson had a solid minor league career and displayed an ability to get hitters out consistently. He just hasn't been able to put it together in the Majors yet. This year, Gibson is off to a 4-3 start with a 2.72 ERA. Over his past six starts, he is 3-1 with a 1.32 ERA. While he may not be able to keep that pace up all year, Gibson is likely to reach Silver sometime in the near future. Like Anderson, he's also a guy who has the potential to continue to improve and work his way close to Gold by season's end. Its certainly worth the gamble at a selling price between 10-30 stubs.
