Since we are getting dangerously close to draft day in most leagues, many of you readers will have some questions you’d like answered. In an effort to help, I am giving you a chance to get your questions answered today.
All reasonable questions posted in the comments by 9:00 PM EDT will be answered. What makes a question reasonable? Glad you asked.
A reasonable question would look something like:
• “Who would you rather have, Matt Holliday or Nick Markakis?”
• “Rank these five players: Martin Prado, Kyle Seager, Aaron Hill, Dan Uggla, and Chase Utley”
• “What is your projection for Mark Trumbo?”
An unreasonable question would be:
• “Who would you rather have, Albert Pujols or Adam Moore?”
• “I have these 20 players, and I’d like you to rank them.”
Of course there’s a gray area, but I’m a decent human being and will probably answer your question. Just please be gentle and don’t make the questions too time consuming. One question per person only, please.
You can ask about any relevant fantasy topic, from draft day etiquette to anything else on your mind, it will likely be answered.
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So, let’s get to it! Any questions?
Rubby De La Rosa? Will he become a cog in the Boston Starting 5?
I think he can, but he’s obviously got to stay healthy. Don’t expect him to start the year in the bigs.
he’s already been optioned to triple a
Fernando Martinez? HR, SB in 2013?
14 HR, a couple of steals at best.
What is keeping Carlos Santana from achieving the AVG. that he had in the minors? Is a true breakout coming for him?
also, projection for Anthony Rizzo if you have time, please.
Don’t think Santana will ever have an average over .280, but it’s not like he needs it to be successful.
Rizzo: 27 HR, 75 R, 90 RBI, 3 SB, .280 BAVG
Is there really any reason to think Matt Carpenter will be better than say Daniel Murphy? Seems like a player that is being over-hyped for a 12 HR, 3 SB skillset.
Better than Murphy because he has more power, but yeah, the hype is there because “omg this guy was at 1B and now he’s at second it’s going to be teh awesome.”
Carpenter also seems like a guy who’s going to put up a better .OBP than Murphy. His walk rates are certainly better.
I am in an OBP league that drafts this week — can you name a few high-end guys and a few sleepers that you like particularly well for this format? Thank you!
He’s not a sleeper, but Rickie Weeks is a big target in OBP leagues.
Gyorko, Carpenter, and Desmond Jennings all have more value in OBP leagues than in standard leagues.
Make sure to check out the values based on Steamer projections for OBP leagues: http://www.fangraphs.com/projections.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&type=steamer
What are your NL MVP, Cy Young, batting crown picks?
NL MVP: Ryan Braun
NL CY: Clayton Kershaw
Batting crown: Buster Posey
Last pick: Tillman, Wandy, or mike Adams in a holds league. Vacuum question
Wandy.
Pick 12 mixed h2h pts. Is tulo looking healthy. Whats the soonest youd pick harper…are you trusting adrian gonzo to bounce back? Thanks!
I don’t trust Gonzo’s power to come back! I think Harper in the third, maybe maybe the late second.
10 teams, H2H, auction draft: Salvador Perez, Yadier Molina or Victor Martinez?
1. Yadier
2. Victor
3. Perez
I have the 5th pick in my draft, and I’m driving myself crazy deciding who I will pick: Pujols, Kemp, Mccutchen, Votto. You can poke holes in all of them, and in a H2H league, I need consistency, and as little injury risk as possible. Who should I pick?
Out of that group: McCutchen.
My top-5 hitters are
1. Braun
2. Trout
3. Miggy
4. McCutchen
5. Cano
Thanks for the thread.
I’m in a twelve team keeper, standard 5×5 H2H league. I need to pick my last two keepers (of 10) from some combination of S. Perez, Swisher, Hardy, Revere, Werth, Bailey, Tillman, De Aza, and T. Hudson. Leaning Perez for my ninth, dice roll on ten.
If it matters, my other keepers are Trout, Pujols, Bautista, Reddick, Choo, Beltre, Morrow, and Bumgarner.
I agree on keeping Perez, and I’d go with Hudson for the 10th. Low Ks, but good ERA and WHIP.
Which pitcher should I stash in a DL slot for the 2nd half out of Pineda, Luebke, or Beachy?
Beachy.
Luebke has already had his rehab slowed, and I’d rather have an elbow guy than a shoulder guy.
I am in a 13 team NL only keeper league. Pitcher stats are wins, Ks, saves, ERA and WHIP. Auction coming up April 5 with $260 total for 23 players (9 pitchers). Which would you keep? All? I think the pickings will be slim with few aces or strong #2s available at the auction.
Westbrook (5); Estrada (7); Kendrick (6), Maholm (1); Miley (5); Marcum (20)
Keep Estrada, Maholm, and Miley.
I am in a league that uses R, HR, OBP, SLG, RBI, S for the hitting. For catcher, could you rank your thoughts on the following players? I’m planning on using a mid-round pick for my single catcher slot.
– Mike Napoli
– Miguel Montero
– Jesus Montero
– A.J. Pierzynski
Thank you.
Miguel Montero
Mike Napoli
Jesus Montero
A.J. Pierzynski
I love head-to-head leagues, but there is nothing more frustrating than owning a streaky player in that format. What are some peripheral stats I could use to judge how consistent a batter or pitcher is?
For hitters, there’s not much you can do. Power and low strikeout rates would be best.
For pitchers, guys with high strikeout rates would be best. Less balls in play = less BABIP induced fluctuation.
Is this the year Wieters lives up the hype, or did he get too much hype?
He’s a 4-Win catcher, so it’s not like he’s been bad. Just not living up to the hype in fantasy leagues.
What is your projection for Juan Nicasio?
140 IP, 5 W, 4.00 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 117 K
Jonny Gomes numbers this year? Long term do you like him or Cowgill in dynasty league. Need power!
300 AB, 18 HR, 45 R, 50 RBI, 5 SB, .250 BAVG
Neither are worth a damn in dynasty formats, for just take the guy who’ll be better this year, and that’s Gomes.
I own Mark Teixeira for $31 in a second year Ottoneu points league. He’s my only 1B, but 4-5 good 1B’s available in the draft. I almost dropped him before the draft. With the news about his injury being worse, is it smart to drop him now and get $15 toward another 1B? Questioning whether Tex would be even a $15 player at this point.
He went for $9 in the FanGraphs Staff League.
I’d cut him and recoup your $15 bucks and clear up a roster spot for the draft.
Std 5×5 11team keeper league $310 cap. Please rank these 5. Thanks.
Willingham $6, DeAza $6, Lawrie $13, Fister $11, Torii $6
Willingham, Fister, Lawrie, Torii, DeAza.
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
African or European?
ESPN std 10 team 5×5 roto league with OBP and QS instead of AVG and W: I’m starting with kept hitters Trout, Hosmer, Wieters, and Lawrie. I have the 6th pick. Would it be crazy to go Mccutchen and Bautista with my 1st 2 picks? Probably looking at Fielder and Mccutchen in 1st, and Bautista, Hanley, or Reyes in the 2nd. TIA.
In a ten-teamer, that’s not crazy. Pitchers will be there later.
Who would you rather draft, Evan Longoria or Jose Reyes?
Longo.
I’m in very deep AL-only and NL-only leagues. Are any of the pitching re-treads worth pursuing? Guys like Garland, Kazmir, Bonderman, etc.? Thank you.
Garland and Kazmir over Bonderman.
Neither of them are going to be worth anything, though.
Better 3B for this year only – Gyorko or Arenado?
Gyorko, since he’s older and has a better chance to stick in the bigs.
Who are your sleepers for ss and 2b?
I hate the term “sleepers”, but here are a couple guys I like that you can get later:
Michael Young
Rickie Weeks
Josh Rutledge
Danny Espinosa
Marco Scutaro
You buying a breakout for Darvish this year?
Nope. I think he is what he is.
In a league where pitchers’ BB is a category. Any low walk sleepers/cheap guys for this format? Already took Lee, Zimmermann, Fister, Estrada, Hammel, stashed Garza
Erasmo Ramirez.
Please rank: kipnis, altuve, Phillips, weeks?
Kipnis, Phillips, R Weeks, Altuve
O/U 300 questions?
U. Way under.
Any chance Lawrie bounces right back to his previous predicted level? Something around 20/20? The projection systems seem to be more conservative than the fans, likely due to last years snafu…who to trust?
I have him at 17 HR, 15 SB, .280 BAVG.
Keeper league, should I trade Ian Desmond and Sale for Justin Upton
No. Too much value with the combination of those two.
You could argue that Sale alone is worth more than Upton.
I really like Ike Davis as a breakout candidate this year. I am also a huge Mets fan.
In an auction league with a $260 limit (25 Players starting. 14 teams.), how much is too much to spend on him?
Don’t go over $12-$15.
My, will this fill up your slate for the upcoming days! I’m in a 10-team AL-only 5×5 keeper league: with all the bodies in the Seattle OF and DH slot, is Michael Saunders worth keeping at $10? Thanks!
$10 is right on the edge, but it’s tolerable.
For this season can keep two of the following, dollar values are identical. Which two would you keep: Todd Frazier, Kendrys Morales, Brett Gardner, Starling Marte.
Frazier and Gardner.
When do you think Texas bring up Profar and how much playing time does he get? Also, what position/s does he play?
I think he spends the first few months in Triple-A, gets brought up in late-June to be a Super-Util in the infield.
Of course, this is all barring injury to a Rangers infielder. If someone gets hurt, he’ll be up right away to start.
You ranked Giancarlo Stanton and Bryce Harper very close to each other, yet most of their projections are very different. What led you to value them so closely? (e.g. are your projections very different from most others?)
Stanton: 38 HR, 75 R, 85 RBI, 5 SB, .275 BAVG
Harper: 27 HR, 90 R, 75 RBI, 15 SB, .275 BAVG
The overall production from Harper is worth more than Stanton’s one category dominance.
I’m bullish on Starling Marte. (And I swear I’m not a Pirates fan.) I feel like he could/should be more valuable (in a standard roto league) than OFs like Alejandro De Aza, Michael Morse, Josh Reddick, etc., who are going earlier in mock drafts. Am I crazy?
(I’m in a keeper league, with 6 keepers per team at the round they were drafted. Round bumps up by two every year, with a maximum of 5 years being kept. So I’m giving Marte a little credit for possibly being keepable if I grab him later in the draft… maybe too much credit?)
I like Marte, too.
I have Reddick far and above the other three, but Morse/Marte/DeAza are all in the same tier.
I would like to take this moment to brag about my team name this year:
The Chronicles of Reddick. The Chronic for short.
Who will get more PAs in 2013, Dom Brown or Leonys Martin? (as a bonus, I’d love to see your projections for both!) Thanks!
Martin: 350 AB, 3 HR, 50 R, 45 RBI, 15 SB, .260 BAVG
Brown: 450 AB, 15 HR, 55 R, 55 RBI, 7 SB, .265 BAVG
Charlie Manual told the Phillies Official Website that Brown was in the lead for the starting LF job.
Looking to correct an AVG issue with my 10 keepers via the draft this year. Name some mid-to-late round options to bolster batting average.
Michael Young, Daniel Murphy, Matt Carpenter, Ichiro Suzuki, Jon Jay, David Murphy.
Please rank these OFs for 4 x 4 (no runs) NL only league: Revere, J. Upton, BJ Upton, Choo, Crawford.
J Up, BJ Up, Choo, Revere, Crawford
Do you really want to hurt me? Do you really want to make me cry?
In all seriousness, how valuable or ownable are James McDonald, Volquez, Billingsley and Wade Davis this year in mixed 12 teamers?
Volquez is interesting because of ballpark, Billingsley is good if he’s truly healthy, and Davis should be okay.
I’d let McDonald slip to the waiver wire. The other three are interesting last round or two guys.
In an obp league, is Carlos Santana a third rounder? Also, would he be better served as a 1B in that format?
Always keep Santana at C, because why not?
Third round value, yes, but doesn’t mean you have to take him there.
Please rank these AL-only speed guys, irrespective of position, in a league that has OBP and SB’s as 2 of the categories: Andrus, Altuve, Bourn, Victorino, Crisp, DeAza. Thank you!
With position factored out:
Andrus
Altuve
Victorino
Bourn
DeAza
Crisp
Do you see Hellickson taking a step forward this year with an uptick in k’s or is the good luck about to run out?
Don’t think it’s luck; it’s his skill and TB’s DEF.
But no, not much of an uptick in Ks. I have him at ~6.5 k/9 this year.
Does Ryan Howard need a platoon mate? If So, Reimold or Carter?
Carter, because he’s more likely to stay healthy.
Ottoneu points league:
$2 Marte or $3 Jackie Bradley, who do you prefer for this year and next?
Also, in case you have time, who do you like least, $10 Shelby Miller or $8 Trevor Bauer?
Thanks!
Marte for this year and next. Always take the guy who’s playing right now.
I like Miller more than Bauer. Awesome ballpark with Miller.
Just made the following trades in 2 seperate leagues. Do you like or dislike them?….
20-team Dynasty…Gave: David Wright, Jose Fernandez, Trevor Rosenthal, and Jorge Soler for Joey Bats, Doug Fister, and Kuroda(my team in WIN-NOW mode)
10-team Keeper(16–moving to Dynasty)…Gave: Todd Frazier, Wil Myers, Jeff Smardj. for Choo and Scherzer
10-team Keeper(same as above)….Gave: David Wright, Matt Cain, Paul Konerko for Prince Fielder and Greinke
Honestly not sure how to feel about any of them. I know I gave up a good number of prospects and future talent, but both of my teams are heavily in win-now mode.
20-team trade is good.
10-team 1: Don’t like.
10-team 2: Don’t like.
Do you think the emergence of Trout and Harper last year has caused a massive overvaluation of prospects in general this year? In all my keeper leagues, ive been drafting the top prospects available, mainly Jose Fernandez and Zunino, and then flipping them for VERY good major league players.
Yeah, prospects are getting overvalued. Trout and Harper are rare.
You like Waino or Darvish better this year? Short reason why please. Thanks for this!
Waino over Darvish.
Don’t think Darvish can keep the BB down, and Waino is in a great park and an extra year removed from TJ.
14 team 5×5 keeper league with OBP instead of AVG. T Flowers or J Castro? Thanks
Castro.
You like Rizzo or Hoz better this year?
Rizzo by far.
Am i crazy to see Taveras coming up within the first couple of months due to Beltran/Craig getting hurt?
Craig’s at 1B, so that shouldn’t affect Taveras.
But, I could see Taveras coming up early even if Beltran doesn’t get hurt. Slide Beltran to center and use Jay to give days off.
No way would they slide Beltran to CF at this point. Taveras would start there first.
If you were the Cardinals mgmt what would YOU do with Mike Adams? I get he has nothing left to prove in AAA but how does being a bench guy help him stay good?
You mean Matt Adams?
I think he’ll need to be traded, but might as well keep him on the bench.
At this point, I’m not sure he’s more than a Quad-A guy.
Last keeper slot for an AL-only league with the following pitching categories: IP, SV, ERA, WHIP, K, K/BB.
Take a flyer on Erasmo Ramirez for $5 or lock up Addison Reed for $12? For reference, closers in our league tend to go for $12 to $20.
Thanks!
Erasmo and then bring back Addy in the auction.
When will Tim McCarver be removed from FOX’s playoff/World Series commentating?
When he slaughters a call-girl while partying with Charlie Sheen.
Alright who’s gone first, McCarver or Hawk Harrelson?
Its going over 300 btw. Could you help me w/ my keepers in an 11 team, $260 5 x 5, NL only league? Players with a * are 1 year only, the others are this year and next year. Hitters are Goldschmidt* ($12), Wong ($2), Carpenter ($10), Valdespin ($10), Cozart* ($10), Simmons ($10), D Brown ($2), Ludwick ($1), Pacheco ($2), Arenado ($17). Pitchers are Wainwright* ($18), Zimmermann ($18), Minor* ($5), McDonald ($10), Cashner ($1), Shelby Miller* ($1), Wheeler ($2). I can keep 14 and will have a goodly amount to spend at auction. Thanks a bunch.
Basically the exact kind of question he didnt want you to ask.
Either way, i would drop Valdespin, Pacheco(assuming you keep Arenado), McDonald. Think its pretty obvious actually. Certainly some really strange $ values though.
Keppinger or Peralta for MI slot?
Peralta.
What are your thoughts on Yonder Alonso? Does he develop enough power to become a good fantasy first basemen?
He’s pretty much Replacement Level in fantasy.
In a 12 team H2H league where each team keeps 5. So 60 players off the board to start. I’m keeping Stanton 4th, Mccutchen 8th, Cespedes 10th, Craig 11th, Peavy 16th. We have 3 OF and 1 UTIL. Question is, Heyward will be right there for me in the 2nd rd. Do I complete my OF/Util that early. Or get other needed positions? Already having stanton mccutchen and cespedes.
Don’t fill up the UTIL that early.
Long-story Short: 10-team keeper, points league. Have both players cheap (McCutchen $16, Heyward $7). Will keep both regardless.
I can “Franchise” one player so that it costs $2 less to keep him. Push McCutch down to $14 or Heyward down to $5? Obviously if either player gets injured or reaches actual value, the long-term gains of this -$2 decision is negated. Otherwise, using the tag each year compounds the savings. Thanks!
Push Cutch down.
Is Frank Francisco worth hanging onto with only 3 bench spots? Must consider we do not have an innings cap and other owners stream to run up K’s and win potential.
Cut him loose.
I have to choose two of the following three players in a 10 team 6×6 head-to-head league (extra category being OPS). Which two would you choose?
Billy Butler (10th round)
Giancarlo Stanton (4th round)
Ryan Zimmerman (9th round)
Thanks!
Butler and Zimm.
12 Team AL Only auction league. We start 2C, 1b, 2b, SS, 3b, 5OF, 1DH, 9P. Keepers were just announced (we can keep up to 6) and there were 8 catchers and 10 closers kept (none from me). Inflation will be high for those remaining players, do I drink the Kool-Aid and spend big money or do I go for a couple of terrible $1 catchers and good set-up men (skills not roles) and hope to get a couple of?
All depends on how much cash you have left after your keepers.
10 team Keeper league, Auction style format. 6×6 with OBP and IP. Can keep players up to 4 years. I traded 4 seasons of Profar at $2 for 2 Seasons of Heyward at $11 and 3 of K. Jansen at $3. Am in win now mode. Decent trade?
Yeah, that’s solid.
Am I being overly optimistic in believing that Eovaldi could really outperform his K/9 projections? Everyone talks about the life on his fastball. Is 7K/9 too much to expect?
I love his fastball, but he has problems finishing hitters. Don’t think he gets to 7.
Oh…Profar will have 10 bucks added to salary for years 3 and 4. Same with Jansen though I have option to keep him at $3 for just two more seasons which is more likely. Heyward already at peak salary.
I have Rosario in 12 team mixed, head-to-head league – I am a little concerned his defense will cost him at-bats. Would you consider pairing him witha late round catcher (Pierzynski, Doumit as examples) to make the at-bats?
I’ve got Rosario pegged between 25-30 homers and .250-260 average – adding a platoon partner could create ridiculous counting stats at the position, no?
Doumit would be my choice because you can also slot him in the outfield to further increase your counts.
Probably wont be noticed, but I’ll try anyway:
Similar situation, but have adequate backups everywhere else, would grabbing the winner of the Torrealba/Hernandez battle be smart in a daily league where I should (in theory) be able to set the players before the game starts?
If it’s Hernandez and you’re not dropping anyone, sure.
16 team dynasty league, starting budget $300. How much of my total budget do you think would be wise to committ to prospects?
Depends on how’s the draft going and if you’re going for it in year one. Even if you are, put $30 aside.
If you’re trying to stash youngsters, there’s no limit.
With Rizzo and Goldschmidt kept, in a league with 1B and two UTIL, no CI, would you shy away from high-end 1B like Pujols, Votto, Fielder? Or do you stick to the board and worry about the logjam later?
They’ll probably be guys at other positions available who are just as good, so stay away from 1B.
I’m in a league with deep pitching and need one more starter. Could you please rank the following players: Julio Teheran, Jake Westbrook, Patrick Corbin, John Danks, and Nate Eovaldi
Westbrook, Teheran, Danks, Eovaldi, Corbin.
Looking to trade one of Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Beltran or Angel Pagan for a pitching. Any particular pitcher I could make a reasonable trade for?
Even value for each of the guys:
Soriano = Vargas
Beltran = Gallardo
Pagan = Parker or Vogelsong
Who wins in this dynasty league trade:
J. Upton and H. Ramirez for M. Kemp and I. Kinsler
Both teams have solid backups at the infield positions they’d be losing but lack a quality guy at the position being filled.
Looking overall here (long term and short term)
Kemp and Kinsler wins, but I’d realistically call it a tie.
We use different settings in my league. We use R,HR,RBI,OBP,SLG,Net Steals for offense. And QS,ERA,WHIP,K,K:BB,Net Saves for pitching. We have 4 OF,an IF slot, and 2 ULT spots. Any guys you think are significantly more valuable with these settings? Like Votto gaining a ton of value?
Also would you wait on OF this season and grab a Votto/Pujols and HanRam/Reyes and Zimmerman/Sandoval/Headley in the early rounds? I mean I could get an OF of say Holliday/Choo/Willingham/Reddick/Aoki if I wait…
Sorry about 2 question..
Does my FG+ make up for it?
Who gets Det 5th spot: Porcello or Smyly?
Porcello. Need to showcase trade value.
In a 12-team H2H that counts QS/IP/K:9/ERA/WHIP/Saves, looking to replace Dylan Bundy with an actual pitcher, and possibly upgrade from Justin Masterson. Any thoughts on: Fiers, Ryu, Johan, Nova over either or both of my guys?
Fiers is the best of that group, and he’s better than Masterson.
Fujikawa or Grilli. Holds count, too, so patience is cool.
Grilli.
What projections do you have for S.Perez, V.Martinez and Ryan Howard?
And would you keep Tex or Beachy in your only DL spot? Thanks!!
Perez: 15 HR, 60 R, 65 RBI, 0 SB, .300 BAVG
V-Mart: 8 HR, 65 R, 85 RBI, 0 SB, .300 BAVG
Howard: 25 HR, 50 R, 75 RBI, 0 SB, .235 BAVG
Keeper: If Porcello wins Detroit #5 job, should I drop Smyly for him?
No.
for a bench spot: OF Nolan Reimold or C John Jaso?
I have Weiters at C, and J Upton, Harper, Dom. Brown, and Carpenter as eligible OF’s. 16 team h2h, with OPS and 2B’s added.
Reimold.
In a 5×5 keeper auction draft, only Zimmerman, Wright and Moustakas are available amongst 3B that I trust to start this season.
If I miss out on one of those 3, who would you take out of this pack to be my *shudder* starting 3B? Thanks!
Plouffe
A-Rod
Pachecho
Gyorko
Carpenter
I’ll rank all of them:
Wright
Zimm
Moose
Gyorko
Carpenter
Plouffe
Pacecho
A-Rod
You are a gentleman and a scholar. Thanks!
I know it’s folly to read anything into spring training numbers, but are you putting any stock at all in Porcello’s performance, particularly his K/9 and K/BB ratios? Given his regular season track record thus far, I probably shouldn’t, but it seems like (per the FG article on this topic) the improvement might stem from the fact that he’s abandoned his terrible slider and incorporated his curve more, so could the improvement stick if he carries this pitch mix over into the season? If he were to be traded to one of the rumored teams (SD, LAA, TEX) or earn the 5th spot in Detroit’s rotation, would he be worth dropping someone off of my offensive bench to pick up? Bench options (12 team league, 10 keepers) are Berkman, Markakis, Arenado, and D’Arnaud. Thanks!
None of those guys are worth dropping for him.
I’m going into the 4th year of a 5×5(OBP instead of BA) 12-team keeper league where we keep 10. $260 cap. League roster rules are as follows:
2 C, 1 1B, 1 2B, 1 SS, 1 3B, 1 CI, 1 MI, 5 OF, 1 UTIL, 9 P, 3 Bench
I’ve been offered the following trade:
I get Trout ($3; can be extended throguh 2016, with a salary increase of $2 per season) and Moustakas ($3; can be extended through 2016)
I give Posey ($6; contract already maxed out through 2015) and Headley ($1; can be kept for one more year at $1 before a contract has to be given)
The Trout and Posey salaries are so low because they were drafted in our inaugural MiLB draft back in 2010.
My keepers currently break down like this:
C- Posey ($6)
1B- Votto ($29)
SS- Prado (he qualifies in our league) ($6)
3B- Headley ($1)
CI- Fielder ($40)
MI- Seager ($1)
OF- Choo ($26)
OF- Gordon ($3)
OF- Fowler ($8) or Revere ($1)
UTIL- Machado ($1)
Moustakas (who I’m bullish on this year) would take Headley’s spot at 3B, and Trout would replace the Fowler/Revere spot.
Is that too much to give up for Trout, especially in a 2 C league? Or do I go with the “I’m getting the best player in the deal” mentality here?
Thanks for the insight!
tl;dr Mike Trout is awesome.
Please help me feel better about my second baseman. Our draft was Saturday. Here is the list of 2B available at draft (i.e. non-keepers) and what they went for.
Omar Infante 5
Chase Utley 16
Neil Walker 20
Daniel Murphy 9
Rickie Weeks 17
Howie Kendrick 17
Brandon Phillips 28
Dustin Pedroia 30
Dustin Ackley 6
Kelly Johnson 2
Marco Scutaro 6
Dan Uggla 9
I paid $20 for Neil Walker. I feel gross. Should I? Thanks.
PS: this is not the order they went in. Pedroia, Phillips, Murphy, Utley, Uggla and Kendrick all went beforehand.
Rather have Weeks at $17 for same production, or go with Ackley at $6 and upgrade elsewhere.
Thanks Zack. Ackley is pretty much the only one I felt like went for a good price after I picked up Walker. I’ve never been high on Weeks, but I hear ya. I feel better now, at least. 😉 Thanks again.
In my keeper league (we all get three and have an auction draft), I’m dead set on Strasburg for $6. Who do I choose from:
Matt Cain: $7
Craig Kimbrel: $7
Yadier Molina: $2
Dustin Pedroia: $14
Brett Lawrie: $8
I was thinking Pedroia and Molina, because those are the two hardest positions to fill, but I don’t know how I feel about letting Kimbrel or Lawrie go into the general draft pool. I get this is close to the no-no section of the questions, so feel free to skip me. I’m just stressed about this one. >.<
Forgot about Cliff Lee for $12, but I’m worried about injury and age with him.
Cain and Pedroia. Both studs for little money.
In a 16 team 6×6 league using OPS and K/BB as extra cats. in full rebuild mode, so traded Hanley for Hosmer, Sano and minor league pick that turned into Rendon. Thoughts on the deal? I still have Starlin at SS.
Great deal. Really great deal.
In a minors draft, I was able grab Correa, Zimmer and Gausman with multiple 1st rd picks. What are your thoughts on each, in terms of ceiling, likelihood to reach it and ETA?
Thanks.
Correa: ETA 2016, solid everyday SS, not a superstar
Zimmer: ETA 2014, #2 SP ceiling
Gausman: ETA 2014, maybe bullpen stint in 2013; top of the line starter.
I’ll shorten this up and simplify it for you.
Which side do you want (5×5 2 C league)?:
Trout ($3) and Moustakas ($3) or Posey ($6) and Headley ($1)
Thanks!
2 C league, I want to hang on to Posey.
5×5, 12 teams, keep 10. LF/CF/RF & 2 UTIL spots. Keeping Pujols, Pedroia, Wright, Braun, Kemp, J.Upton, Ellsbury, Kershaw, and Hamels. Choices for final keeper are V-Mart, Andrus, or Wainwright. Who would your keepers be?
Fill out your infield with Andrus.
If you don’t have a 1 question per person rule…
Who are some DL stashes I should target in a 5×5 dynasty? And if you have time, with a $500 budget, what $ range should I target them in? It will cost $2 + the auction amount to keep any of these guys next year.
Thanks again!
Is Jose Fernandez the real deal? What do you expect his numbers to be in his prime years?
Truly elite prospect. I could see Felix esque numbers in prime (8 K/9, BB/9 ~2.5).
In a dynasty league with 1 C, I have Mesoraco, Ramos and Lavarnway on my majors roster and Trahan on my minors. I’m debating dropping Lavarnway to open up a spot to pick up Dirks (as a OF7, we start 3 + 2 UTIL) or Kyle McPherson as deep option for my rebuilding rotation.
I’d hang on to Lavarnway, but if you’re set on canning him, go with McPherson.
20 team H2H league. Please rank these pitchers:
Eric Stults, Jeff Karstens, Jeff Francis, Scott Kazmir, Jacob Turner, and Roberto Hernandez. Thanks.
Turner, Karstens, Hernandez, Francis, Stults, Kazmir.
What will Fernando Rodney’s walk rate look like this year?
around 3.0 per 9.
Could you rank these 1b? Justin Morneau, Mark Reynolds, Chris Davis, Brandon Belt, Lance Berkman. Thanks.
Morneau
Davis
Belt
Berkman
Reynolds
It seems that the first tier of pitchers is going a little earlier this year. Obviously it depends on the league and your position in the draft, but about what round/pick do you start to bite on SP and who would you include in that first tier?
Tier 1:
Kershaw
Verlander
Cain
Hamels
Price
Lee
Strasburg
Felix
You’ll have to start taking these guys in the third, I think.
Last P spot, Wade LeBlanc or Jacob Turner?
Turner.
Drafted in a keeper league yesterday where players are kept 4 rounds higher than their drafted slot the previous year. I have Kipnis in the 6th but was able to grab H. Kendrick in the 21st. Crazy to think I may be shopping Kipnis later this year? Projections for both this season? Thanks.
Not crazy to shop. Worth a 6th, but not close to a 2nd.
Kipnis: 17 HR, 90 R, 80 RBI, 25 SB, .265 BAVG
Kendrick: 14 HR, 65 R, 70 RBI, 14 SB, .285 BAVG
Silly to be asking about Juan Francisco, but such is life in a deep league when my options are Matt Carpenter and Mike Olt. Seems like he’s having a solid spring. what #s do you see him putting up in a league that uses the standard cats + OPS? W/o Chipper, I’m trying to determine if he’s got the ability to be a full time starter at 3rd or if he’ll ultimately platoon with chris johnson.
He’ll platoon with CJ.
I have him at 15 HR this year, but the OPS won’t be pretty.
Carpenter will end up being the better option.
5 $1 MLB-ready pitchers you would bid up to $2 in ottoneu (FG points)?
Well who are some $1 MLB-ready pitchers?
Rank the following Pitchers in 12 team 5×5 league:
SP: EJax, Ryu, Hanson, Romero, Fiers, Bauer
RP: Francisco, Rosenthal, Coke, Cook, McGee
Thanks for answering all these questions. Great info!
SP: Fiers, EJax, Hanson, Bauer, Ryu, Romero
RP: Rosenthal, Cook, McGee, Francisco, Coke
With more playing time and a much better hitter’s park, could Chris Carter be this year’s Edwin Encarnacion?
Nope. Too many Ks, not as good of an overall hitter.
I am in a Holds league. Who are your top 10 holds candidates? And am I right to consider them to be the equivalent to closers (swapping saves for holds and all other categories of equal weight)?
Player | HLD
Tyler Clippard 30
Ryan Cook 25
Kelvin Herrera 25
Vinnie Pestano 25
David Robertson 25
Joel Peralta 25
David Hernandez 25
Heath Bell 25
Sean Marshall 25
Johnny Venters 25
Eric O’Flaherty 25
Mike Adams 25
Drew Storen 25
Who do you feel has the best value this year in terms of closers being taken late in drafts? Obviously, a lot of people (including myself) prefer not to take closers early.
Janssen, Parnell, Cook.
Another pitcher ranking question. How do you rank the following:
Johan Santana, Francisco Liriano, Jacob Turner, Erik Bedard, Juan Nicasio, and Scott Feldman. Thanks.
Free agent Kyle Lohse is currently keeping a space warm on my bench in a 7×7 roto keeper league (ERA, WHIP, K, W, L, SV, QS). I acquired Lohse off waivers and he holds little keeper value so I’m not terribly invested in him. Should I continue to hold onto him and see how the situation plays out, or banish him back to the free agent pool in favor of a young pitcher competing for a rotation spot (Tillman, Smyly, Porcello, Nova, Phelps, Cashner), another veteran arm (Billingsley, Capuano, Masterson, Jackson), or a reclamation project (Kazmir, Santana, Romero)?
I’d rather have Capuano or EJax at this point. At least they’re on a team.
In my dynasty league, I have a lot of young pitching. Teheran, Jose Fernandez, T. Walker, Harvey, Gausman, Zimmer, Guerrieri, Tyrell Jenkins. How many do you see as having no. 1 or no. 2 upside? Who do you think are most likely to reach their ceilings?
No 1 upside: Gausman, Fernandez, Walker
No 2 upside: Zimmer, Harvey
Harvey is pretty much already where he needs to be.
Howdy Zach… thanks for doing this!
I am deciding which outfielder I prefer in my ten team mixed head to head league (standard 5×5 scoring plus walks) between CarGo and Justin Upton. The consensus seems to be CarGo but I am leaning towards Upton as CarGo’s injury history has me a little nervous. How would you rank these two? And how do you project them?
If it’s got walks, I’d rather have Upton.
12 team daily roto mixed league, 4 OF, 12 bench, limited waiver/FA claims.
I have the following OFs:
BJ Upton
Gordon
Reddick
Ichiro
De Aza
Markakis
Saunders
Available on waivers
B Moss
David Murphy
Quentin
Are my OFs listed correctly and which from the wire if any should I susbstitute?
I’d be tempted to start Markakis over Ichiro, but I think you’ve got it right.
Just went through an auction without grabbing a catcher. 12 team, 5×5 roto, single C league. All reasonable options were overpriced IMO, so I decided to punt and pick one up just before Opening Day, giving myself a little time to figure out which $1 player to drop. Which rotten, stinking, awful player would you take to take up space while waiting for a good trade opportunity to emerge: Martin, Jaso, Brantly, Ellis, Iannetta, or Flowers?
I don’t think Jaso is bad, and neither is Brantly.
Gracias.
12 team roto league, ESPN rules,
Top of my rotation is: Greinke, Latos, Samardzija
which three of these do I want to fill it:
Milone, Hammel, Hanson, Vargas, Lohse, Wandy, Billingsley, Miller, Volquez, Marcum
Wandy, Hanson, Vargas.
I’m auctioning this weekend. Stars and scrubs or spread the wealth? Seems like this year there are fewer “elite” players and then just the murky deep.
Spread the wealth. Don’t believe I’ve ever seen Stars & Scrubs work, and the top guys are never worth what they go for.
12 team mixed league ROTO; traditional 5×5 stats. I would like for you to quickly examine the roster and tell me if you would go after an ace or stand pat.
c- Perez
c- Ramos
1b- Encarnacion
2b- Kipnis
3b- Freese
ss- Rutledge
ci- Rizzo
mi- Seager
of- A Jones
of- Bautista
of- Holliday
of- Jennings
of- C. Gomez
u- Duda
bench–Dee Gordon, Beckham, A. Simmons, Plouffe, Span
p-Medlen
p-J Johnson
p-Harvey
p-B. Anderson
p-Cashner
p-Hellickson
p-AJ Griffin
p-Kimbrel
p-S. Romo
Bench–Corbin, Buchholz, Masterson
I would try to get one, but you don’t have much room to give up anything significant in return.
M. Moore or the Shark and brief description why???
Moore: 195 IP, 14 W, 3.60 ERA, 1.35 WHIP
Shark: 180 IP, 10 W, 3.90 ERA, 1.26 WHIP
I have Moore about $3 better than Shark.
For my “Z” roster strategy in the Fangraph writers league: Zach Sanders or Jeff Zimmerman?
(I deleted Podhorzer after seeing his LABR draft in the USA Today fantasy special; egads.)
Well I have my own projections and Jeff just likes to use others.
So, if you want a cheater, go with Jeff. But if you want the genuine original, go with *this guy*.
What is Andrew Cashner’s line if he throws 180 innings this year?
It won’t matter, because flying pigs will have dominated the vast deserted wasteland that was America.
Cool that you guys are doing this… Would you trade Adrian Beltre for Ian Desmond in a H2H Dynasty league that counts R, RBI, HR, singles, doubles, triples, avg and SB? I also have Elvis Andrus at SS and Wright at 3b.
I’d rather have Beltre since you already have a young SS in Andrus.
Which side wins in a trade?
Jose Bautista and Brett Anderson for Yu Darvish and Freddie Freeman.
Would rather have Yu and Freeman, simply because they’ll be on the field more often.
What kind of numbers do you expect from Reddick? Rather have him or Bourn?
Reddick: 28 HR, 80 R, 80 RBI, 10 SB, .250 BAVG
I have Reddick and Bourn rated virtually identically in value this year, so it really depends on personal preference and team makeup.
Is Ian Desmond in for regression , do you like him better than Rutledge or A Cabrera?
Yes, and Yes.
How would you handle having a net steals category in your league? I am interested in players like zobrist and kinsler, who are normally good base runners, but they struggled last year. Is there a formula to help handle this category?
Thanks.
No special formulas, no. Just being aware of success rate. In those leagues, the steals specialists (Bourn, Revere, Pierre) become more valuable because they take more chances. Easier to put up a +20 if you’re stealing 35 bags.
I play in an old school 4×4 AL only roto auction league. All of the player projections I see published are for 5×5. Please give me a list of some pitchers who are more valuable in 4×4 than 5×5.
Well what are the four categories?
The standard 4 ( wins, era, whip, saves ) no Ks.
Tim Hudson becomes unbelievably good. Fister, Hellickson, and Lohse also get a nice bump.
In a 12-team, 5X5 w/ OBP instead of AVG, auction, keeper league, 13 offensive slots (5 OF, 1 C).
Currently have Miguel Cabrera and Ryan Braun kept (along with Kipnis), with Rizzo in minors to be called up after draft. I really want to add one more top-tier offensive player in the draft – would you entertain drafting a 1B (e.g., Fielder, Votto) given my keepers, or is it not worth limiting roster flexibility so early on? I prefer the top 1B to the top OF (Kemp, CarGo, Bautista) in terms of risk/reliability, that’s where my uncertainty lies.
If Votto is there, he’s you man. But with 5 OF, you may want to find an OF you like.
Trying to decide last 3 keepers in 16 team 5×5 standard category mixed w $300 auction cap. First 7 keepers are set, filling out the rest. Options are Jose Reyes 29, Darvish 26, Scherzer 18, Cuddyer or Maybin @ 12, Willingham 10, or $1 wonders J Benoit or T flowers. You rock – Thanks!
Darvish, Willingham, and Scherzer.
Darvish, Willingham, and Scherzer.
Who would you rather own in a deep keeper league, Buxton, Correa or Russell?
Russell. Closer to bigs.
In an ESPN, 10 team standard roto with 2 Cs and 5 bench slots (no DL). keep 7 total players year to year, this is our 2nd year. How many bench slots would you use for stashing minor/injured players with late round picks? Would only use those picks on high ceiling, close-to-ready with that few keepers.
1 slot. It’s a 10-teamer.
Last Pick and need an SP: Beckett, E-Jax, Marcum, Tillman
Odd Year Josh Beckett!
Hi Zach,
Would you have 5×5 roto projections for Chris Sale, Mat Latos, Max Scherzer, Matt Harvey? If not and you prefer to rank them instead, that’s fine, too.
Thanks, and good luck.
Of course I have projections! I project over 500 players every year; believe it’s about 550 this year.
In ranked order.
Sale: 190 IP, 16 W, 3.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 186 K
Latos: 205 IP, 16 W, 3.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 191 K
Scherzer: 195 IP, 15 W, 3.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 206 K
Harvey: 170 IP, 12 W, 3.80 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 170 K
Everyone thank Zach Sanders for answering so many questions! Slow clap!
I play in a deep league. I need to find some outfielders that rank in the top 100 to 150 in most published outfield rankings that are going to get regular at bats and could surprise with productive stats. Any suggestions would be great. Ie
Andy Dirks, Adam Eaton, Nate Schierholtz come to mind.
Heyward projection?
28 HR, 85 R, 85 RBI, 17 SB, .270 BAVG.
Alright everyone, thank you for submitting your questions. The thread is now closed.
Even if you didn’t submit a question, hopefully my answers to a few others will help you in some way.