The Importance of Choosing Wisely

Now that we're a month into the season, we have a good idea of who the "Team Studs" and "Team Killers" are. So when you chose your keepers, did you Choose Wisely ... or did you Choose Poorly?

For my team, I had to make the choice between $5 keepers -- Jose Guillen or Nate McLouth. As the old Knight from Indiana Jones may have said, "He chose ... poorly." Yes, I went with Guillen.

How has it affected my team in the standings? Can one player on a roster of 23 really make that much of a difference? You bet. With Guillen in my lineup, my offensive production has suffered. But if I had McLouth, there would be a noticable change.

Tallying the numbers, my team batting average would be six points higher and I would have 4 more HRs, 11 more RBIs and 2 more SBs. In our league, this would move the Sliders from a total of 84 pts to 97.5 points -- a 13.5 point difference from one single $5 player.

Granted, it's only April. Guillen could turn it around. McLouth could slide into a slump. Only at the end of the season will we know which choice was the correct one.