As I discussed in my “Cooking Up Some Trade Talk” article, it is important to target categories, not players, in rotisserie leagues.  Of course, this depends on the situation, but if you are looking to win, you have to know not only where you need improvement, but where you can actually improve.  In that same linked article above, I noted that at this point in the season, it is usually difficult to make up significant ground in certain categories.  I believe batting average falls under this criteria, but there are still several avenues where you can quickly make up some ground.

Below are hitter target lists split up into different rotisserie categories.  These lists are geared toward redraft leagues, but many of these hitters you can still properly target in keeper leagues.  I recommend reading the article linked above if you want some keeper league trading advice.  You know your league best, so only you can make the best decisions, but use this article, and the article linked above, as a guide.

Targeting HRs:

Here are a few batters I believe can help in homeruns and be acquired via trade for a reasonable or possibly low price.  They may also help you in the RBI department.  Personally, I like to target career power hitters who haven’t tallied up a ton of dingers.  One reason I do this is because my opponents may now undervalue these players, and therefore sell them at a cheaper price.  The other reason is because power is the last tool to stabilize, so maybe with a little investigative work and some serendipity, I can run into good fortune.  Some league mates may live and die by the “big” name players and not budge on the price tag.  If some of these guys are unattainable for that instance, or another, the “Other Options” part of this section may be more helpful.

Prince Fielder:

Fielder’s K% is up, and his swing percentage is down a bit, but his past tells us a power surge should be coming.  Not only is he hitting more balls in the air than last season, but his flyball distance is essentially the same as it was in 2012.  Fielder is relatively young and he seems healthy, so there is no reason to doubt his track record.

Alfonso Soriano: 

Soriano is a flawed player, but he does hit homeruns.  And the issue with the Yankees’ lineup isn’t Brett Gardner, Robinson Cano, or even Ichiro Suzuki.  The problem is the middle of their lineup.  Soriano will likely be batting fourth behind Cano, Gardner, and possibly Jeter.  So RBI opportunities should be there.  Yankee Stadium isn’t great for right-handed batters, but Soriano still has power.

Giancarlo Stanton:

You likely won’t be able to trade for Stanton in keeper leagues, but in redraft leagues, some owners may have had enough.  You know he has power.  So it should be only a matter of time before he once again taps into it.  As for the terrible Marlins’ lineup, new kid on the block, Christian Yelich, is hangin’ tough (believe it or not, they still perform).  But seriously, it could help Stanton’s RBI total if Yelich can get on base at a high clip.

Justin Upton: 

Upton’s big start to the season seems like a distant memory.  He is striking out too often, but when healthy, he has proven to have power in that bat.  He and Stanton have the most upside on this list, but Upton owners would be more inclined to deal than Stanton owners.

Freddie Freeman:

Freeman hit 21 and 23 dingers in his first two seasons.  His batted ball profile is essentially the same and in certain instances, shows signs of positive change.  Another positive is that Freeman’s batted flyball distance is actually slightly up.

 
Other Options: Carlos Santana, Michael Morse, Mike Napoli, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher.

Targeting SBs:

Now here are a few hitters that may help you in the stolen base category.  Although some of these batters aren’t what I would call struggling, they still may be undervalued by their owners.  At the very least, these speedsters should be attainable at a reasonable price.  When I target speed, I try to obtain players with high stolen base success rates.  I fear that if a player gets caught too many times, his manager may give him the red light, or the player may put the red light on himself.  Plus with only so many attempts, you don’t want to fail too often.  Success rates become even more important if you play in a league that uses the Net Steals category.  If I am looking for base thieves, I want to land an impact one who can steal me 20+ bags for the rest of the season.

Nate McLouth:

McLouth has been able to turn back the clock to 2007 when he first broke out for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  And although he may not provide much power and RBI, it looks like McLouth has the green light for the Baltimore Orioles.

Rajai Davis:

Davis doesn’t have to play every day to make a huge impact in the stolen base category.  But as of late, he has been playing often for the Toronto Blue Jays.  Because of job security, this is the type of player that gets undervalued and even be on the waiver wire for long stretches.  Davis has helped a lot of owners down the stretch in recent seasons, and this time may be no different.

Jose Altuve:

For some, Altuve has been a mild disappointment.  It also doesn’t help that he is on the Houston Astros.  But these expectations and perspectives lead to opportunity.  Do you have a slow-footed Michael Young at your 2b slot?  Then try picking up Altuve for a decent price.

Leonys Martin:

Martin is showing some good stolen base prowess in his first full big league season.  Just make sure you keep him benched vs. lefties.  If he is on the waiver wire, he makes a sneaky little add.  If not, try to acquire Martin.  Sometimes it’s the small trade you pull off that makes the real difference.

Brett Gardner:

Gardner’s legs have gotten off to a slow start (see what I did there?), but he has recently been running the bases with a lot more success.  Since July 10^th, he has six stolen bases and one caught stealing.  In the first half of 2011, Gardner was getting caught stealing too often, but he turned that around in the second half.  Let’s see if he can do it again.

 
Other Options: Eric Young Jr., Coco Crisp, Elvis Andrus, Shane Victorino.

Runs and RBI:

When trading for runs or RBI, there are a couple of ways I target a player.  For runs, the safest bet is to look at OBP and batting order.  I want guys who get the most at-bats and get on base.  Who is behind him is also important, but if he can’t get on base, or bats at the bottom of the order, the chance for him to score runs is lessened.

When trading for RBI, I am looking for offenses that have good table setters.  Hitters need runners on base so they can receive RBI opportunities.  It isn’t a perfect science, but that is one of the reasons why RBI is looked at as a flawed statistic.

Targeting Runs:

These hitters could be good buy-low possibilities, or be had at a reasonable price.  These players generally have strong OBP’s and bat higher up in the batting order.

Alex Gordon
Austin Jackson
Brett Gardner
Nate McLouth
Gerardo Parra
Ben Zobrist
Nick Swisher (If he stays in the 2-hole)

Targeting RBI:

Some of these hitters may be had at a reasonable to low price.  They are working with good table setters, and even if these players are underperforming, they should have plenty of RBI opportunities for the rest of the season.

Albert Pujols (if avoids a long DL stint)
Prince Fielder
Brandon Phillips
Carlos Santana
Victor Martinez
Billy Butler
Mike Napoli

Targeting Overall Hitters:

I look at these players as the type that could help you in multiple categories.  Although some of these players are struggling, they have the potential to put up solid numbers in four out of the five standard roto categories.  These hitters may have low to reasonable price tags.

Jason Heyward
Aaron Hill
Ben Zobrist
Desmond Jennings
Shin-Soo Choo
Chase Utley
Alex Rios

Remember to keep in mind what you are trading away, and if that creates another category hole for your team.  Proper replacements are also important.  To read some deeper analysis and strategy involving fantasy baseball trades, check out my article, “Cooking Up Some Trade Talk”.