I’ve been batting over .300 on bold predictions for a while, and I’ve also been getting crap for not being bold enough. So, in the honor of So So Def, I’ll stop slacking on my pimping, and I’ll turn it up.
We are doing our March ranking updates. You can follow each position here:
We’re using Yahoo! eligibility requirements which is 5 starts or 10 appearances. These rankings assume the standard 5×5 categories and a re-draft league. If we forgot someone, please let us know in the comments and we’ll make sure he’s added for the updates. If you have questions for a specific ranker on something he did, let us know in the comments. We can also be reached via Twitter:
There will be differences, sharp differences, within the rankings. The rankers have different philosophies when it comes to ranking, some of which you’re no doubt familiar with through previous iterations. Of course the idea that we’d all think the same would be silly because then what would be the point of including multiple rankers?! Think someone should be higher or lower? Make a case. Let us know why you think that. The chart is sortable. If a ranker didn’t rank someone that the others did, he was given that ranker’s last rank +1.
We’ve started our annual Depth Chart Discussions, re-branded as Playing Time Battles for 2016. You can catch up on every team we’ve covered in the Playing Time Battles Summary post or following along using the Depth Chart Discussions tag.
Imagine having Mike Trout on your team. Seriously, just think about it for a second. An easy 30 home runs. Roughly a .300/.400/.600 triple-slash line, the baseball equivalent of basketball’s 50-40-90 club. Some stolen bases. Solid defense from a premium position. Kisses babies, shakes hands, frolics with puppies. All that good stuff.
Now imagine surrounding him – he of the four consecutive top-two finishes in American League MVP voting – with a supporting cast that still grades you as below-average on offense, with a 96 weighted runs created-plus and a pedestrian .307 OBP, after including Trout to bring the numbers up. Splitting his time between second and third in the order, Trout managed “just” 90 RBI, in part because the team’s lead-off hitters OBPd .280 (!!) and the team’s other regular No. 2 hitter, Kole Calhoun, struggled to get on base in that spot, too.
It has to be frustrating, having the best player in baseball and missing the playoffs because of the team around him. Not that the Angels were bad – they won 85 games despite getting outscored – and the nice thing about employing Trout is that you’re always going to project as “pretty decent” at worst. Still, it’s not exactly the most exciting lineup around him again in 2016.
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The worst kept secret in the fantasy sports industry is that the people in it are amazing. A little over a year ago, with the help of some friends (with fantasy benefits), I entered the industry with a silly little podcast, a website, and no real expectations that it would ever turn into anything more than a hobby. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how helpful and encouraging the majority of the fantasy industry is. No one ever said no to an appearance. I was given a ton of advice on what works and what doesn’t in the industry. You read what these people write and listen to what they have to say, but what you don’t realize is that they are just as cool in real life as they appear to be from the outside. Read the rest of this entry »
Below is the Second Base and Shortstop installments of our 2016 Ottoneu FGpt rankings.
Previous Rankings: Catcher/First Base/Third Base
In the context of Ottoneu, perhaps rankings are a misnomer, because you really want to know the dollar value each player is worth. We’ve included this information for our benefit. In all, these rankings should help to give you a spread of four dollar values for each player, as well as a comparison to average prices (post-arbitration, pre-cut deadline) within the Ottoneu FGpts universe. Each player’s Ottoneu eligibility (5GS, 10 appearances) is included as well, though players are ranked at their most valuable position. If you have questions on a specific ranking, or a question for a specific ranker, feel free to let us know in the comments.
Consider this your very early, subject to change, Ottoneu pricing cheat sheet.
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We recently began a series looking at the potential top rookie producers at each position around the baseball diamond. This series should be valuable for anyone participating in a fantasy league that allows keepers. It could also help anyone playing in more traditional formats who may need to fill holes throughout the season or may be in need of a little spark.
Previously:
Catchers
First Basemen
Top Targets:
Jose Peraza, Reds: The Reds traded long-time third baseman Todd Frazier to the White Sox back in December in a three-team deal that actually saw the Dodgers receive the better overall rookie haul. Cincinnati received a couple of underwhelming prospects and Peraza — who is reportedly the jewel of the deal from the Reds’ perspective. The rookie second baseman was supposed to fill the gap created by a Brandon Phillips trade but the veteran has so far nixed any attempts from the club to trade him. That creates a bit of a problem for Peraza, who may have to settle for another year in Triple-A or some time as a big league utility player. Once he receives regular playing time, the former Braves prospect has a chance to impact fantasy leagues with his game-changing speed. He stole just 36 bases last year but had 60 or more the two years prior.
Keep an Eye On:
Alen Hanson, Pirates: Pittsburgh’s veteran infield is all but set for 2016 and the club also has jack-of-all-trades Sean Rodriguez coming off of the bench, which means Hanson will once again spend time in Triple-A — barring a significant injury. An offensive-minded second baseman, the 23-year-old rookie does a little bit of everything at the plate — with mostly gap power — and can even steal 20+ bases with regular playing time. His prospect standing in Pittsburgh might be getting a little stale so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the move to another organization at some point in 2016. And that might give him a better opportunity to visit The Show.
Micah Johnson, Dodgers: Another speedster, Johnson landed in Los Angeles from Chicago (AL) during the Todd Frazier/Jose Peraza deal. He doesn’t have the ceiling that Peraza possesses but he arguably has a higher floor and is probably ready for The Show — at least in a part-time capacity. Johnson, 25, could provide some valuable fantasy steals but it remains to be seen how much playing time he’ll get in 2016 while playing for the veteran-heavy Dodgers — especially after the re-signing of Howie Kendrick.
Tony Kemp, Astros: It’s hard to project significant playing time for a rookie who shares the same position as spark plug Jose Altuve, who also happens to be the heart and sole of the Astros. Kemp, though, started to expand his defensive repertoire in the minors last season and now has experience at second base, left field and center field. Unfortunately for the promising prospect, the club is also quite stacked, depth-wise, in the outfield. He’ll find some playing at some point, though, thanks to his ability to steal bases, get on base and hit for average.
Darnell Sweeney, Phillies: A full-frontal youth movement should be on full display in Philly in 2016, which could bode well for Sweeney — a former Dodgers prospect. He’ll have to battle the likes of Cesar Hernandez and Andres Blanco for playing time but a hot spring could get him a starting gig. Sweeney, 25, has contact issues but he has some pop and could steal 20-30 bases with regular playing time. His speed also helps him compensate for the lack of contact and creates healthy BABIPs (He’s never hit lower than .271).
Ryan Brett, Rays: Logan Forsythe was the epitome of a league-average hitter throughout the first four years of his big league career but he enjoyed a 4.1 WAR, breakout season in 2015. That has made him the odds on favorite to start at second base for the Rays in 2016. However, one good year does not guarantee a successful future so Brett could be in line for significant playing time if Forsythe falters. The young spark plug isn’t flashy but he could steal some bases and hit for a respectable average.
Dilson Herrera, Mets: Like Jose Peraza, Herrera could be ready to have value at the big league value but he’ll open 2015 blocked by a more veteran player. The organization acquired former Pirate Neil Walker during the offseason and he’ll definitely be given every opportunity to play regularly for the Mets. That will leave Herrera back in Triple-A for a second showing despite producing an .893 OPS there last season. He has the ability to hit for average, steal a couple bases and hit a few home runs over the fence.
We’ve started our annual Depth Chart Discussions, re-branded as Playing Time Battles for 2016. You can catch up on every team we’ve covered in the Playing Time Battles Summary post or following along using the Depth Chart Discussions tag.
For the New York Mets, there are no outright starter roles up for grabs. There are, however, potential platoon roles given the amount of versatility some of their players have. August Fagerstrom looked at the most promising platoons here, and the Mets had two of the top 5 “potential” platoons, meaning if the Mets were to platoon, they have some valuable options at second base and in the outfield. Will there be a straight platoon? We’re not sure just yet, but the Mets have options, which is something the front office wanted to improve upon this off-season.
Some of this is being repeated from the Primer piece that went up this morning.
We’re bringing them to you earlier this year, but that also means that they’re far from set in stone so take that into consideration as you peruse them. There are still strong arms on the free agent market, let alone all the moving and shaking that happens once players start reporting to camp.
We’re using Yahoo! eligibility requirements which is 5 starts or 10 appearances. These rankings assume the standard 5×5 categories and a re-draft league. If we forgot someone, please let us know in the comments and we’ll make sure he’s added for the updates. If you have questions for a specific ranker on something he did, let us know in the comments.
We can also be reached via Twitter:
There will be differences, sharp differences, within the rankings. The rankers have different philosophies when it comes to ranking, some of which you’re no doubt familiar with through previous iterations. Of course the idea that we’d all think the same would be silly because then what would be the point of including multiple rankers?!
Think someone should be higher or lower? Make a case. Let us know why you think that. Like I said, it’s early. Things are going to change.
The chart is sortable and by default it’s sorted by AVG. If a ranker didn’t rank someone that the others did, he was given that ranker’s last rank +1. That would be 50 for Zach, 56 for Dan, 46 for Mike, 48 for Brad, and 46 for Paul K. Everyone in the top 50 was on the lists of Jeff and myself so we don’t have any +1s. They are indicated in red on the chart.
Key:
We’ve started our annual Depth Chart Discussions, re-branded as Playing Time Battles for 2016. You can catch up on every team we’ve covered in the Playing Time Battles Summary post or following along using the Depth Chart Discussions tag.
The 2015 Toronto Blue Jays owned baseball’s best offense no matter how you slice it. They outscored the next-highest team by 127 runs, they topped the league in home runs, they set the pace in on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and their weighted runs created-plus of 117 was the league’s high-water mark dating back to the 2007 New York Yankees. The Jays will return their top eight players in terms of plate appearances from a year ago, plus deadline-week acquisition Troy Tulowitzki, so there’s little concern this won’t be an elite offensive outfit once again.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t question marks. The Blue Jays are set at six positions but have playing time at three spots up for grabs, plus a major batting order question to answer.
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I’m pretty sure Joe Panik was never supposed to be anything. References to him as a prospect scream “utility.” Instead he parlayed a lucky-ish 2014 debut into a monster 2015. He posted 4.2 WAR in just 432 plate appearances.
He’s only a two category fantasy player – runs and average – with a possible hint of pop. Panik still managed to be a positive fantasy asset despite missing a third of a season. And Mr. Sanders’ valuation method is rather harsh on time missed too.
