Fantasy Baseball: Palmeiro Suspended, Owners Shouldn’t Feel, Um, Deflated

READ MORE: ESPN, Fantasy Baseball, Rafael Palmeiro, Tristan Cockroft

When Baltimore Orioles’ first baseman Rafael Palmeiro failed his steroid exam, the big story was the impact it’ll have on his career and how much of an idiot he looked like after being so adamant in front of Congress last March 12th during the major league baseball steroid hearings. But those of you who drafted him in the sixth or seventh round probably let out a collective ‘eh’ when the 10-game suspension was handed down. In his Out of the Box column, ESPN’s Tristan Cockroft pretty much summed up the feelings of Palmeiro fantasy owners everywhere:

The funny thing is that, as a fantasy baseball junkie throughout Palmeiro’s career, I can’t remember a single season in which anyone would have listed him as an “elite” player. He certainly never would have been a No. 1 overall pick — that instead would always go to your Barry Bonds, Pedro Martinez, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez types — and most everyone would knock on the guy merely because he played first base or designated hitter — and those, of course, were “easy” positions to fill.

And it still is. You can get 28 home runs and 92 RBI equivalents off the waiver wire some place. Even in deep leagues. And even when Palmeiro comes back he may just be a spot starter anyway. We say toss him to the wolves and let other people fight over him. He’s a waste of roster space especially around playoff time.

Palmeiro Suspended [ESPNInsider(sub. req.)
Cancel Palmeiro’s Ticket to Cooperstown [MSNBC]