Over about a two week period I’m going to be reviewing 12 rookie hitters and 12 rookie pitchers that could make signifiant waves in Major League Baseball in 2017. Last week, I took a look at the first six hitters and today I’ll be reviewing the final six.

Potential Impact Rookie Hitters for 2017 (continued):

Lourdes Gurriel, OF/IF, Blue Jays: Perhaps the biggest sleeper on this list, Gurriel — a Cuba native — hasn’t even played professionally in North America after signing with the Jays in the offseason. But he’s also one of the more intriguing prospects to come out of Cuba and should open his career in double-A or triple-A. A strong athlete, Gurriel could end up at any number of positions but the Jays’ greatest needs are likely in the outfield, although an injury to an infielder (Josh Donaldson, I’m looking at you and your calf) could change that in a hurry. Reports suggest he can do a little bit of everything on offence and his floor might be something along the lines of Sean Rodriguez. In truth, we won’t really know what the Jays have in Gurriel until he starts playing but the Jays’ lack of upper level depth (and lack of well-rounded athletes) could expedite his timetable.

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A few moments ago, I read a tweet from an old high school nemesis – Sean Doolittle. The topic of the tweet didn’t have anything to do with this post. His comment sent me down a mental rabbit hole, wondering what I’d say to him if we were to meet again. Sean was always an approachable rival, and there were a few occasions when we trained together at an indoor facility (it’s bothering me that I can’t remember the name of it). However, I was awkward, shy, and probably not very memorable. I don’t foresee a budding bromance in our future, even if we were to be re-introduced.

That got me thinking about who I was as a player back in my prime, and what I wish I knew then. I played competitive baseball through college. I attended a D-III school in St. Paul, Minnesota not known for sporting prowess. My recruiting class consisted of me, a lazy catcher, and two walk ons. The others all quit after freshman year. The best I can say about myself is that I contributed. For the first half of my junior season, I was actually quite good. I spent most of my college career pitching through arm injuries. I’m still pitching through those same, slowly worsening injuries.

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I love comparing my Pod Projections to Steamer, since mine are all done in a massively time consuming manner by hand, while Steamer is spit out by the almighty computer in mere seconds. It works as a sort of checks and balances system, as I am likely aware of various issues the computer doesn’t know about, while I might have some inherent biases I don’t even realize that the computer won’t suffer from.

So today, I continue my new series pitting my projections against Steamer in a specific fantasy relevant stat category. Last Thursday, I listed the hitters that I was most bullish on for home runs compared to Steamer, so today, I’ll look into the hitters Steamer is most bullish on compared to my projections.

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2/26/17

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!

Follow us on Twitter

• @sporer
• @enosarris
• @jasoncollette
• @almelchiorBB
• @paulkastava

Notable Transactions/Rumors/Articles/Game Play

• Tyler Glasnow debut (3:09)
• Mitch Haniger SBs (4:33)

Strategy Section: Pitcher Battles

• Jon Lester v. Justin Verlander (7:50)
• Steven Matz v. Sean Manaea (14:18)
• Jeremy Hellickson v. Alex Cobb (24:38)

Strategy Section: Baltimore Orioles Breakdown

• Does Manny Machado run again? (39:30)
• Encore for Mark Trumbo? Trumbo (pick 70) or Chris Davis (pick 83)? (50:40)
• Is Welington Castillo their yearly power breakout? (55:15)
• Who do you like better for AL-only: Hyun Soo Kim or Seth Smith? (1:00:08)
• Betting on a Kevin Gausman breakout or WYSIWYG? (1:02:00)
• What do you see for Dylan Bundy? (1:05:40)

IMPACT PROSPECTS (LOL)

• Hitters: Chance Sisco, Trey Mancini
• Pitchers: Hunter Harvey – recovering from TJ
• Anyone else?

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Chat transcript is available below!

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On Wednesday, I asked for help to verify historic preseason closer situations and how those roless held up. Today, I will task your memory and ask for help with two more seasons. After getting these two seasons straightened out, I’ll call it quits on the collection process and begin the analysis next week.

Please look over your favorite team and make sure the information is correct. Additionally, look over the situation with question marks as the information I gathered was vague. Finally, here is the meanings of each column. Read the rest of this entry »

Two weeks ago we kicked off our ottoneu FanGraphs points league rankings. This year the rankings will include values from myself, Joe Douglas, and Chad Young. We are presenting our individual dollar values, the average of all three individuals, plus the ranking of that average. In addition the tables below include ottoneu eligibility (5 games started/10 games played in the prior year). Players are ranked at their most valuable position, and the hierarchy we are using is C/SS/2B/3B/OF/1B (with 3B and OF being a coin toss in terms of replacement level, we chose to include 3B/OF eligibles at 3B).

Prior Rankings: C/1B/3B, 2B/SS

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This time of year, it’s not only about identifying likely draft-day targets, it’s also about identifying players who represent poor values and are better to bypass selecting. A top-100 pick is too rich for my blood for a sophomore catcher with some scary underlying numbers and other check marks in the cons column. Power is the calling card of another sophomore, and he calls a great ballpark home for accentuating that skill. Furthermore, he might be more than a one-dimensional slugger. Read the rest of this entry »

The purpose of this post is not to evaluate Tommy Joseph. At least, not in the usual sense. We’re here today to talk about dynasty assets. Specifically, the kinds of assets that are hard to value. Joseph is a great example. Ryan Schimpf is another. If you want, you guys can supply another dozen names in the comments.

Do you know much about Joseph? Let’s explore.

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2/23/17

The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!

Follow us on Twitter

• @sporer
• @enosarris
• @jasoncollette
• @almelchiorBB
• @paulkastava

 Leading Off: Question of the Day

• How are you attacking catcher in your drafts this year?
  • C rankings

Notable Transactions/Rumors/Articles/Game Play

• Jered Weaver to SD!!!!
• Matt Wieters to WAS
  • Impact on Derek Norris

Strategy Section: Chicago White Sox Breakdown

• Better breakout pick: Tim Anderson or Carlos Rodon?
• Who plays CF? Charlie Tilson has a stress fracture already.
• Better rebound pick: Jose Abreu or Todd Frazier?
• Why no love for Melky Cabrera? 63 OF off the board; 34 on Player Rater
• Any untapped potential left w/Avisail Garcia or Brett Lawrie?

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