Three Guys I Will Avoid In 2012
Over the last few days, Howard Bender, Chad Young, and Ben Duronio have been writing about three players they will each avoid this season (parts one, two, three, and four), and now I’m going to join in on the fun.
Archive for Catchers
Thoughts on Consensus Catcher Rankings
As beloved editor/writer Eno Sarris continues to roll out the RotoGraphs Consensus Positional Rankings, those of us not included in the Fab Four (with the handsome mugshots) but that cover a specific position were asked to chime in with our thoughts after the rankings were released. You can find my personal rankings either on FantasyPros or on my site, but for now, let’s just talk backstops and the consensus rankings. Also, don’t forget that next week we will be rolling out the position tiers as we did last season.
Catcher Rankings: RotoGraphs Consensus
by Eno Sarris
March 14, 2012
Consensus Ranks: OF, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, and RP and SP.
Tiered Ranks: C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, NL OF, AL SP, NL SP, Holds.
After all the positions with all the disagreement, we hit one of the most difficult positions to fill… and we all agree. I mean, look at Alex Avila, who will most probably regress off of his numbers from last year — number eight right across the board. Apparently, I ‘love’ Mr. K, J.P. Arencibia, and showed that love by ranking him a full two spots ahead of everyone else. Even Jonathan Lucroy, who appears halfway down the list hand has very moderate upside, shows up around the same place on everyone’s list.
So which catcher inspired the most disagreement? Maybe it’s Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who finally paired a nice batting average on balls in play with his low-contact approach last year. Will he fend off Ryan Lavarnway (who didn’t quite play enough catcher to be a catcher this year) another season? We can’t seem to agree on John Buck, but maybe that’s because some of us choose to focus on how far away the new park’s walls are, and some of us choose to focus on how much shorter the walls are in that new left field. Some of us think Devin Mesoraco is going to take that job and run, some of us think that Ryan Hanigan will charm his veteran-loving manager into most of the playing time. Oh, and finally (mercifully), the Mets writer on staff liked the Mets player a little more than the rest of the rankers. Phew.
Catch yourself a catcher.
These Royals Don’t Stink!
Back in November I discussed bargain shopping in Houston and how there are still a few hidden gems that would make for strong selections at the tail end of your draft. Well, today, we’re going to look at another perennial cellar-dwelling team and see what kind of fantasy gold can be found. Funny thing, though, is that these Royals — these, more often than not, punching bags of the AL — are looking pretty darn good lately and there’s going to be quite the battle to obtain a number of their players’ services in fantasy drafts this year.
Same Old Iannetta
I was looking over Ben Duronio’s 10 Bold Predictions the other day and while I may disagree with some of his calls, nothing inspired me to put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard?) quite like his last prediction that Chris Iannetta “puts it all together” this year. I’m sure there are a number of my predictions that people will criticize and I’m happy to see it, but to me, Iannetta has been one of the most overvalued catchers in fantasy over the years and I don’t see a move to the Angels being the answer for him.
Eno Sarris’ 10 Bold Predictions for 2012
by Eno Sarris
February 29, 2012
We — collectively — are going to steal Mike Podhorzer’s idea and make some crazy predictions for the coming season. Every year, something happens to surprise baseball viewership. Jose Bautista and Lance Berkman come to mind over the past few years.
So let’s try to open our minds and let crazy in for some fun. Then we’ll look back at the end of the season and see which RotoGraphs staff member can access the other side most effectively — then we’ll scoot down the bench a little away from him.
1) No player will hit 40 home runs this year. Obviously Mike Stanton and Jose Bautista loom large, but there were only three guys that managed the feat last year, and the point is that power is down. Handy graph time!
Is Joe Mauer’s ADP Too High?
We see it all too often in fantasy — a former superstar and usual top pick ends up on the decline and still gets drafted or traded for value based solely on name and former reputation. Maybe some people are anticipating and hoping for a return to the glory years. Maybe some people are just fans and can’t let go. Whatever the reason may be, the player’s value is over-inflated on draft day and, more often than not, a complete disappointment by season’s end. With a top five ranking amongst catchers and an overall ADP of 79.64, Joe Mauer seems like a candidate who fits this description.
Is Jason Castro Even Worth $1?
A year ago, there was talk of Astros’ rookie backstop Jason Castro being a quality late round sleeper in fantasy leagues. But then he tore his ACL and, with surgery needed, Castro missed the entire 2011 season. He made it back to play in the Arizona Fall League and was returning to “potential sleepers” lists until he injured himself again during the final game and required foot surgery in mid-December. He was expected to miss atleast three months. But on Sunday, Brian McTaggert, an Astos beat writer for MLB.com, reported that Castro has already declared himself good to go and is ready to ease his way back in. An early return? Is that enough to put him back on your watch list? Is he worth a late round/$1 pick on draft day?
Should You Trust Russell Martin?
There’s no question that Russell Martin’s power resurgence last season came as a bit of surprise. Obviously a move from pitcher-friendly Chavez Ravine to hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium (along with that surrounding Yankee lineup) was promising, but to watch a guy whose ISO went from .176 down to .085 over a four year span, there had to be some serious doubts in his ability to produce again. Overuse and injuries were likely to blame for the decline, in part, but as we move forward and examine some of Martin’s other numbers at the plate, there certainly has to be a reasonable amount of doubt in anything close to a repeat performance. Or is there…? Read the rest of this entry »
Reader Mock Draft: Catchers ADP Analysis
If you’re using ADP to help guide you through your draft, it’s always good to see it in action. The lists you see on Mock Draft Central are great because of the aggregate data, but you know how a lot of mocks go — sometimes you get guys that stay for the first 10 rounds and then leave, putting it on auto-pick the rest of the way. That just skews the data towards the site’s rankings and becomes less helpful. So while the sample size is tiny, let’s look at the RotoGraphs Reader Mock Draft and see how a group of informed and dedicated fantasy baseball citizens did with their catchers in comparison to the ADP data we see.