Since we've got a few days without a meaningful baseball game (unless you buy that "this time it counts!" nonsense from the MLB All-Star Game), it's a great time to take a step back and evaluate the first half of the fantasy season.
As always, there's no fan voting, no managerial or player choices, no stuffing the ballots and no popularity contests here. Just the cold, hard stats to tell us who are the 2010 Fantasy All-Stars so far.
CATCHER
Joe Mauer and Brian McCann are bigger names, but it's journeyman Miguel Olivo who leads all catchers in RBIs and is in the top three in runs, homers, steals and average. Sure, a lot of that is due to the Coors Field factor - Olivo's hitting .400 at home, .215 on the road - but he's still been the best backstop this year.
FIRST BASE
What a turnaround for Miguel Cabrera. He entered the season as a big question mark because of last year's drinking incident and now stands as a legit Triple Crown contender thanks to a .346 average, 22 homers and 77 RBIs, all of which lead the majors.
SHORTSTOP
For all the discussion about Hanley Ramirez loafing it in the outfield, he hasn't been a slouch at the plate, where he's in the top five in each of the big five categories among shortstops.
SECOND BASE
Robinson Cano might not steal bases (2), but he does everything else exceptionally well - .336 average, 16 HR, 58 RBIs, 61 R. Sure, it helps that fantasy stalwarts Chase Utley and Dustin Pedroia are hurt, but Robbie was already outpacing them before their injuries.
THIRD BASE
Remember when everybody was upset about David Wright's power outage (10 HRs) last year? He's got 14 so far this year, along with the most RBIs (65) in the NL. He's also got the most steals (14) among third-sackers and is hitting .314.
OUTFIELD
The underappreciated Carl Crawford is putting together a career year with .321 average, 31 steals, 70 runs scored (tops in the big leagues). Good timing for the soon-to-be free agent.
Josh Hamilton has put a down 2009 in his rearview mirror. The fully healthy Texas slugger has 22 homers, 64 RBIs, 59 runs scored and is hitting a robust .346 with 1.015 OPS.
Corey Hart is a surprising third choice in the outfield, but the guy does have 21 homers and 65 RBIs after all. Not bad for somebody who started the year as a platoon player for the Brewers.
UTILITY
Rangers DH Vladimir Guerrero has enjoyed quite a resurgence in the Lone Star State - 20 HRs, 75 RBIs, .319 average, which place him among the league leaders. So much for being washed up ...
STARTING PITCHER
Anybody predict Ubaldo Jimenez to be the league's best pitcher in 2010? Not only does the Rockies ace have a league-high 15 wins, but his miniscule 2.20 ERA and 1.05 WHIP have been helping fantasy squads all year, and his 113 Ks, while fewer than some other aces, are certainly enough to help you stay competitive.
RELIEF PITCHER
There's no clear-cut answer at closer. Carlos Marmol leads in strikeouts (78). Joakim Soria leads in saves (25). Jose Valverde is tops in ERA (0.92). Mariano Rivera has the best WHIP (0.62). But I'm going with a guy who's competitive in all those categories, Heath Bell of the Padres (24 saves, 1.88 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 50 Ks, 4 wins) by a hair over Billy Wagner, Rafael Soriano, Neftali Feliz and a few other worthy candidates.
Showing posts with label David Wright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Wright. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Evan Longoria is cleaning up
I know it's only two games, but it looks like Evan Longoria has taken a liking to batting cleanup.
The Tampa Bay Rays moved their cornerstone third baseman from third to fourth in the batting order this year, and while I've heard some chatter that he preffered batting in the No. 3 hole, the switch doesn't seem to have affected him much. So far he's 3-for-8 with four RBIs and blasted his second home run of the season Wednesday night against Baltimore.
In other words, he's cleaning up - and I don't just mean the cash he's raking in from his commercials.
Longo's been a popular pick from 2010 AL MVP, and I have to concur. I ranked him as the No. 2 3B entering the season, behind Alex Rodriguez and above David Wright, and I believe he can challenge A-Rod as fantasy's best third baseman this year.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Inside the Top 50
A few random insights into my Top 50 players list:
Albert Pujols is the consensus No. 1 fantasy pick in almost every rankings, including mine. But I went with Alex Rodriguez at No. 2 over Hanley Ramirez because I think A-Rod still has at least another year of elite production and could rival Pujols' offensive numbers. If you look at what Rodriguez did last year despite the missed games with a hip injury and the fallout from his steroid admission, you could easily make a case this will be a special year for him.
But I'd still be thrilled to build my team around Han-Ram at shortstop, even though his steals totals have been in decline.
Just a personal preference, but I don't like taking pitchers in the first round, which is why Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum are just outside the top 10. And surprise - I like Halladay this year in the NL just slightly more than fantasy favorite Lincecum.
Evan Longoria edges David Wright as my top third baseman. I just can't put Wright's awful 2009 out of my mind, even though he says this year will be different.
Adrian Gonzalez is a tad higher on my list than some others I've seen. That's in the hopes that he gets traded somewhere this season - Boston, perhaps? He'd have hit 50 HRs or more last year if he didn't play home games in Petco Park.
I'm a little down on Ichiro Suzuki this year. Last season's leg troubles and declining SB/runs totals scare me a little.
I have similar concerns about Brian Roberts, who's stolen base numbers have dropped from 50 to 40 to 30 in the past three seasons and who's still recovering from a herniated disk that's kept him out of spring training games so far. But with 2B being such a shallow position he might be a risk I'm willing to take.
Jonathan Broxton is the only closer who cracks the top-50. And I'd still probably avoid taking him (or any closer) that high.
B.J. Upton rounds out the list in the hopes he'll have a bounce-back year at the plate. He could be a steal.
Albert Pujols is the consensus No. 1 fantasy pick in almost every rankings, including mine. But I went with Alex Rodriguez at No. 2 over Hanley Ramirez because I think A-Rod still has at least another year of elite production and could rival Pujols' offensive numbers. If you look at what Rodriguez did last year despite the missed games with a hip injury and the fallout from his steroid admission, you could easily make a case this will be a special year for him.
But I'd still be thrilled to build my team around Han-Ram at shortstop, even though his steals totals have been in decline.
Just a personal preference, but I don't like taking pitchers in the first round, which is why Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum are just outside the top 10. And surprise - I like Halladay this year in the NL just slightly more than fantasy favorite Lincecum.
Evan Longoria edges David Wright as my top third baseman. I just can't put Wright's awful 2009 out of my mind, even though he says this year will be different.
Adrian Gonzalez is a tad higher on my list than some others I've seen. That's in the hopes that he gets traded somewhere this season - Boston, perhaps? He'd have hit 50 HRs or more last year if he didn't play home games in Petco Park.
I'm a little down on Ichiro Suzuki this year. Last season's leg troubles and declining SB/runs totals scare me a little.
I have similar concerns about Brian Roberts, who's stolen base numbers have dropped from 50 to 40 to 30 in the past three seasons and who's still recovering from a herniated disk that's kept him out of spring training games so far. But with 2B being such a shallow position he might be a risk I'm willing to take.
Jonathan Broxton is the only closer who cracks the top-50. And I'd still probably avoid taking him (or any closer) that high.
B.J. Upton rounds out the list in the hopes he'll have a bounce-back year at the plate. He could be a steal.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The great keeper debate
My primary baseball league the past few years has been one run by some of my newsroom cohorts. It's a 10-team keeper league with a regular snake draft, and it's pretty competitive (I've finished in the bottom half the past two years, much to everyone else's delight).
With the deadline for keepers rapidly approaching - each team must designate 5 players they'll "keep" from last year's squad - I thought I'd take you through my thought process.
Luckily it wasn't a very tough decision, but that's because my team last year just wasn't that talented. While some of my competitors had as many as 10 or more players they could legitimately make a case for keeping, I narrowed my list down to seven.
But first, some guys who didn't make the cut: Dan Uggla, Elvis Andrus, Alex Rios, Franklin Gutierrez, Alcides Escobar, Nolan Reimold, Scott Kazmir, Ricky Nolasco, Rick Porcello, Joba Chamberlain. All useful players, but not really keeper material in this format. We've never really had a "long-term" focus in this league; the way I see it, our keepers should more or less represent the top 50 (5 keepers a team, 10 teams) fantasy players. None of those guys qualify.
Next, the no-brainers: Ryan Howard, Jacoby Ellsbury, Felix Hernandez. Howard is a top-10 talent and my big thumper. I've come to love Ellsbury, one of the few players capable of single-handedly keeping you afloat in steals while not killing you in other categories. And King Felix is, in my mind, a potential top-5 starter this year.
Now, the tough decisions. I've got two keeper spots left for four players: Ryan Zimmerman, Jason Bay, Josh Beckett, Matt Wieters.
Wieters is obviously a great long-term keeper, as he has a real chance to develop into one of the game's top 2 catchers (along with Joe Mauer). But is he top-2 this year? Is he a top-50 player this year? I think not. Keeping Wieters will put me at a disadvantage. Sorry Matt.
How about Zimmerman? Last year's numbers (.292/33/106) were great, and third base is fairly weak this year. A slight improvement (far from impossible for a 25-year-old) and he could surpass contemporaries Evan Longoria and David Wright and finish behind only Alex Rodriguez among fantasy second baseman. I'm keeping him.
So that leaves Beckett and Bay for one spot. Beckett can be a top-15 pitcher this year if all goes well. Bay can be a top-15 OF. In a perfect world, I'd have a more sure thing to choose from, but these guys are the best I've got. I don't foresee a lot of pitchers being kept this year, which should leave the redraft pretty flush with them. Outfielders capable of 30 homers and 30 steals? Not so much. Bay it is.
So there you have it. Ryan Howard, Felix Hernandez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Ryan Zimmerman, Jason Bay. Let's go get em, guys.
With the deadline for keepers rapidly approaching - each team must designate 5 players they'll "keep" from last year's squad - I thought I'd take you through my thought process.
Luckily it wasn't a very tough decision, but that's because my team last year just wasn't that talented. While some of my competitors had as many as 10 or more players they could legitimately make a case for keeping, I narrowed my list down to seven.
But first, some guys who didn't make the cut: Dan Uggla, Elvis Andrus, Alex Rios, Franklin Gutierrez, Alcides Escobar, Nolan Reimold, Scott Kazmir, Ricky Nolasco, Rick Porcello, Joba Chamberlain. All useful players, but not really keeper material in this format. We've never really had a "long-term" focus in this league; the way I see it, our keepers should more or less represent the top 50 (5 keepers a team, 10 teams) fantasy players. None of those guys qualify.
Next, the no-brainers: Ryan Howard, Jacoby Ellsbury, Felix Hernandez. Howard is a top-10 talent and my big thumper. I've come to love Ellsbury, one of the few players capable of single-handedly keeping you afloat in steals while not killing you in other categories. And King Felix is, in my mind, a potential top-5 starter this year.
Now, the tough decisions. I've got two keeper spots left for four players: Ryan Zimmerman, Jason Bay, Josh Beckett, Matt Wieters.
Wieters is obviously a great long-term keeper, as he has a real chance to develop into one of the game's top 2 catchers (along with Joe Mauer). But is he top-2 this year? Is he a top-50 player this year? I think not. Keeping Wieters will put me at a disadvantage. Sorry Matt.
How about Zimmerman? Last year's numbers (.292/33/106) were great, and third base is fairly weak this year. A slight improvement (far from impossible for a 25-year-old) and he could surpass contemporaries Evan Longoria and David Wright and finish behind only Alex Rodriguez among fantasy second baseman. I'm keeping him.
So that leaves Beckett and Bay for one spot. Beckett can be a top-15 pitcher this year if all goes well. Bay can be a top-15 OF. In a perfect world, I'd have a more sure thing to choose from, but these guys are the best I've got. I don't foresee a lot of pitchers being kept this year, which should leave the redraft pretty flush with them. Outfielders capable of 30 homers and 30 steals? Not so much. Bay it is.
So there you have it. Ryan Howard, Felix Hernandez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Ryan Zimmerman, Jason Bay. Let's go get em, guys.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
New Face, New Place: Jason Bay, Mets
Jason Bay turned a career year at the plate with the Red Sox in 2009 into a four-year, $66 million contract with the Mets this offseason. So how will he fare in 2010?
Though this season's Amazin's lineup likely won't be quite as good as Boston's last year, it also shouldn't be as bad as some of the Pirates batting orders Bay was a part of earlier in his career, and he was still able to put up All-Star-caliber production in relative anonymity the Steel City. He should have a number of RBI opportunities if/when Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes get healthy and David Wright returns to form.
Much has been made about the Mets' homer-sapping ballpark, Citi Field, but perhaps a little too much. New York did hit only 95 homers last year as a team - 27 fewer than the next-worst team - but in many cases they had guys suffer disastrous/injury plagued seasons and were forced to rely on little-talented replacements. And they were also the worst road homer team as well, so it wasn't merely a Citi Field phenomenon.
Though this season's Amazin's lineup likely won't be quite as good as Boston's last year, it also shouldn't be as bad as some of the Pirates batting orders Bay was a part of earlier in his career, and he was still able to put up All-Star-caliber production in relative anonymity the Steel City. He should have a number of RBI opportunities if/when Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes get healthy and David Wright returns to form.
Much has been made about the Mets' homer-sapping ballpark, Citi Field, but perhaps a little too much. New York did hit only 95 homers last year as a team - 27 fewer than the next-worst team - but in many cases they had guys suffer disastrous/injury plagued seasons and were forced to rely on little-talented replacements. And they were also the worst road homer team as well, so it wasn't merely a Citi Field phenomenon.
The Mets did lower Citi's center-field wall from 16 feet to 8 for the upcoming season in an attempt to make the park more homer friendly. That may help Wright out, but probably not Bay, who hit the vast majority of his 36 bombs to left field at Fenway last season, according to HitTrackeronline.com. So while you can probably expect Bay's HR total to dip by a decent amount, he should remain consistent in other categories and perhaps even swipe a few more bags than last year (13) in his return to the NL. Bay deserves consideration as a top-10 outfielder in 2010.
Photo by The Associated Press
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Hot talent at the hot corner
The hot corner is the hot position in fantasy baseball this year.
The pool of third basemen is teeming with talent, from upper-echelon studs to youngsters with potential to old standbys. The top three players in my overall 2008 rankings are all third basemen. It's become one of the game's deepest positions, rivaling first base and starting pitching.
As we stroll down the third-base line, the conversation has to begin with Alex Rodriguez, by all accounts the top fantasy player entering the season. A-Rod's stats were off the charts in 2007, even for him - career highs in RBIs, runs and on-base and slugging percentages - and with Rodriguez still in his prime and in a virtually unchanged New York Yankees lineup, he represents the safest and smartest pick at No. 1.
However, if you can't get your hands on A-Rod this year, no
worries. There are two other third basemen who can make legitimate claims of being top-five worthy, and their numbers shouldn't be all that far behind Rodriguez's by season's end.
The first is David Wright, another Big Apple idol. The New York Mets' golden child is a five-category contributor, with rarely seen speed (34 steals in 2007) for a third baseman. If you can get that kind of production from a corner outfielder, you've won half the battle. I have Wright ranked as the No. 2 overall fantasy player.
The other truly elite third baseman is Miguel Cabrera, who checks in at No. 3 on my overall list. He's already building Cooperstown credentials at age 24, and the thought of him moving into the Detroit Tigers' mini-Murderer's Row lineup is about as scary as the eye black/war paint Cabrera wears. It's conceivable he could finish the year as fantasy's best third baseman, assuming he doesn't struggle adjusting to the American League.
Rodriguez, Wright and Cabrera will soon have some company at the top. Start with the Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun, last year's National League Rookie of the Year. Braun is actually moving to left field this season - but don't worry, he'll keep third base eligibility in most leagues.
Defense is about the only hole in his game, as his amazing rookie numbers (.324 average, 34 home runs, 97 RBIs, 91 runs, 15 steals) weren't that far off Wright's or Cabrera's. The small sample size (451 at-bats) worries me a bit, but now Braun can focus a little less on fielding and more on padding those stats at the plate.
Who's this year's Braun? Could be Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays. Insert your own "Desperate Housewives" joke here, but don't laugh at the kid's game - the sweet-swinging, smooth-fielding 22-year-old has been on the fast track to the majors and may win the Rays' starting job this spring. Even if he doesn't, expect to see him making a run at AL rookie honors by midseason.
And while we're on the subject of young talent, don't overlook the Kansas City Royals' Alex Gordon, last year's much-hyped uber-prospect who hit a wall (.247, 137 strikeouts in 543 at-bats) as a rookie. Gordon is way too gifted to give up on yet, and after being overvalued at last year's draft, he'll be undervalued this year. Good time to buy low.
It's not just the Big Three and the fresh faces at third this year, either.
You've got your old reliables (Aramis Ramirez, Chipper Jones, Mike Lowell) your up-and-comers (Garrett Atkins, Ryan Zimmerman, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Chone Figgins) and your sleepers (Edwin Encarnacion, Hank Blalock) - a little something for everyone. If you get locked out of the top-tier guys, there's plenty of depth in the middle rounds.
The pool of third basemen is teeming with talent, from upper-echelon studs to youngsters with potential to old standbys. The top three players in my overall 2008 rankings are all third basemen. It's become one of the game's deepest positions, rivaling first base and starting pitching.
As we stroll down the third-base line, the conversation has to begin with Alex Rodriguez, by all accounts the top fantasy player entering the season. A-Rod's stats were off the charts in 2007, even for him - career highs in RBIs, runs and on-base and slugging percentages - and with Rodriguez still in his prime and in a virtually unchanged New York Yankees lineup, he represents the safest and smartest pick at No. 1.
However, if you can't get your hands on A-Rod this year, no
worries. There are two other third basemen who can make legitimate claims of being top-five worthy, and their numbers shouldn't be all that far behind Rodriguez's by season's end.The first is David Wright, another Big Apple idol. The New York Mets' golden child is a five-category contributor, with rarely seen speed (34 steals in 2007) for a third baseman. If you can get that kind of production from a corner outfielder, you've won half the battle. I have Wright ranked as the No. 2 overall fantasy player.
The other truly elite third baseman is Miguel Cabrera, who checks in at No. 3 on my overall list. He's already building Cooperstown credentials at age 24, and the thought of him moving into the Detroit Tigers' mini-Murderer's Row lineup is about as scary as the eye black/war paint Cabrera wears. It's conceivable he could finish the year as fantasy's best third baseman, assuming he doesn't struggle adjusting to the American League.
Rodriguez, Wright and Cabrera will soon have some company at the top. Start with the Milwaukee Brewers' Ryan Braun, last year's National League Rookie of the Year. Braun is actually moving to left field this season - but don't worry, he'll keep third base eligibility in most leagues.
Defense is about the only hole in his game, as his amazing rookie numbers (.324 average, 34 home runs, 97 RBIs, 91 runs, 15 steals) weren't that far off Wright's or Cabrera's. The small sample size (451 at-bats) worries me a bit, but now Braun can focus a little less on fielding and more on padding those stats at the plate.
Who's this year's Braun? Could be Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays. Insert your own "Desperate Housewives" joke here, but don't laugh at the kid's game - the sweet-swinging, smooth-fielding 22-year-old has been on the fast track to the majors and may win the Rays' starting job this spring. Even if he doesn't, expect to see him making a run at AL rookie honors by midseason.
And while we're on the subject of young talent, don't overlook the Kansas City Royals' Alex Gordon, last year's much-hyped uber-prospect who hit a wall (.247, 137 strikeouts in 543 at-bats) as a rookie. Gordon is way too gifted to give up on yet, and after being overvalued at last year's draft, he'll be undervalued this year. Good time to buy low.
It's not just the Big Three and the fresh faces at third this year, either.
You've got your old reliables (Aramis Ramirez, Chipper Jones, Mike Lowell) your up-and-comers (Garrett Atkins, Ryan Zimmerman, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Chone Figgins) and your sleepers (Edwin Encarnacion, Hank Blalock) - a little something for everyone. If you get locked out of the top-tier guys, there's plenty of depth in the middle rounds.
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