Fantasy baseball: Power and speed, the ultimate combo

In the early years of fantasy baseball, Rickey Henderson was a god. His combination of speed and power, unrivaled at the time, gave his owners a huge advantage. Staff writer Tim Hubbard looks at a few lesser-known players who provide the best of both worlds.

Carlos Gomez

OF | Milwaukee

There’s much to be said about the other “CarGo.” Gomez has gone from being a solid defender who could swipe a bag to a fantasy stud in the mold of the original “CarGo,” Colorado’s Carlos Gonzalez. Gomez, two years removed from a .225 season, is batting .280 with 32 steals, on pace to better his 2012 total of 37. Gomez has also shown that his increased power last year, when he hit 14 second-half homers, was no fluke as he’s already tied his career best with 19 HRs with three weeks remaining.

Jason Kipnis

2B | Cleveland

In his third season, Kipnis is starting to put it all together, improving his numbers across the board, particularly in batting average, from .257 last year to .281. On his current pace, he could finish the season with 20 homers and 30 stolen bases, the best power-speed numbers by a second baseman this season. He also has 76 RBIs.

Will Venable

OF | San Diego

From 2010-2012, Venable was a solid stolen-base option but had a little pop in his bat. This season has seen a role reversal for the former Princeton outfielder, as Venable had already put 21 balls over the boards entering the weekend, but with only 16 steals. He’ll have to pick up the pace to reach the 24 he had last year.

tim.hubbard@latimes.com

Twitter: @timhubbardLAT