ADP Crowdsourcing: Edinson Volquez

Once a fantasy superstar, always a fantasy superstar? Not so much if you’re Edinson Volquez.

Volquez put up dominant fantasy numbers in 2008, winning 17 games with an ERA of 3.20. However, neither his FIP nor xFIP was entirely impressive, mostly because his walk rate was worrisome.

When Volquez tried to duplicate his numbers during the 2009 season, he was shut down and had to undergo Tommy John surgery after throwing less than 50 innings. In those innings, Volquez’s control got worse, as did his ground ball rate and his ability to miss bats. Calling 2009 a disaster for Volquez is putting it lightly.

After returning from injury late this season, Volquez started out very slow for the Reds. His control problems were back, and he was giving up way too many homers. But, in miraculous fashion, Volquez turned the corner big time in September, looking better than he did in 2008. His ability to miss bats was at an all-time high, and he did a great job of keeping the walks to a minimum and delivering ground balls.

Even in his best year, his WHIP was high and his K/BB rate was not spectacular. But, he was only 24 at the times, and the extra two years (even if they were shortened by injury) could have done him a world of good.

So, here’s the question I have for you: Will owners buy into his strong finish and his name value, or are they far too skeptical to assign much value to Volquez? To date, this is the toughest one to gauge, at least for me.

Below is a link to the voting form, and please read the wording carefully. This is not where you would draft him, but where you think he’ll be drafted in most leagues. For the voting, we’re assuming a 12-team standard league, using 5×5 scoring.

To submit your vote, click here.