5 Traditional Fast Starters

Recently, I posted about five traditional slow starters - they are guys you should look to acquire during the season, because they consistently play better as the season drags on. Here are five guys who consistently start hot. Pick them up early if you don't have them now, but try to move them in a couple months to truly maximize their value.

Brad Penny: Penny is by far the most well-documented first half player in fantasy baseball history. His pre-All-Star Break ERA is 3.66, but his post-All-Star Break ERA jumps to 4.23. His strikeouts fall from 588 to 399. The biggest problem is that the big-name websites all crucify Penny in June, so it's difficult to move him for much in the second half. If you had him all of 2007, though, you still had a pitcher with a 3.03 ERA at season's end. He was so strong the first three months of last year (ERA was under 2.00) that he's worth owning for half the season, but just remember that he's really only a three month investment.

Alex Rios: There's not a huge amount of data on him, but he's started the season strong and I think merits mention on this list. He has 37 homers before the All-Star Break in his career, as opposed to only 15 after. His career batting average falls 20 points and his OPS falls almost 100 points. Those numbers might be somewhat depleted by his 2006 season, where he missed July because of injury and never was the same player. He maintained a high average but lost his power in the second half of 2007. He's still young, but I'll probably sell on him come June.

Russell Martin: I'm putting the young Martin on this list, but what I really mean is all fantasy catchers. Catching is the most physically demanding position in baseball, and most - if not all - catchers show signs of being worn out by season's end. Most also have significantly more games played in the first half of the season, because they get more days off to rest or miss games because of injury late in the year. Martin is the most susceptible to this because his value comes partially from his speed, which will be first to go as he tires, but Victor Martinez's power numbers drop significantly in the second half, as does Joe Mauer's average. If you have Martin, see what you can get for him in July - you might be able to upgrade your outfield significantly and go with a stopgap at catcher for the rest of the season.

Justin Morneau: I'm sure his owners haven't forgotten his fall from grace last season. After the '07 All-Star Break, he hit only .243 with 7 HR, as compared to .295 with 24 HR beforehand. His sharp decline caused a lot of fantasy teams to tank - and to the owners who got rid of him, nice work! His career numbers show a fairly dramatic pre- and post-All-Star Break split: In 28 more games after the Break, for example, he has 18 fewer home runs. His average drops nearly 20 points while his OPS drops nearly 100 points. I was one of the victims of his collapse last year, and you can be sure I won't be buying Morneau from anybody in July.

Brian Roberts: This find surprised me slightly, but Brian Roberts actually hit .324 before the All-Star Break last year, only to finish the season by hitting .247 after. I examined the splits more closely and found out that he's nearly a .300 hitter in the season's first half, but hits only .267 in its second act. He also has 49 fewer SBs and 48 fewer runs in only 28 fewer games. Roberts is an easy guy to sell in late June to the guy who's dead last in steals, and he should fetch a pretty penny (especially if he ever gets traded to the Cubs).

No wonder I collapsed so badly last year - I owned Morneau, Roberts, and Penny. Although all three had seemingly outstanding numbers at season's end, their second half numbers were truly awful. Look to move guys like these in mid-season if possible, because their statistical drop-offs can drag a team from the path to a championship to the path toward disaster.