Every year, we all have our short list of “must have” guys on draft day. I used to be so concerned about value that I’d begrudgingly let those “must have” guys slip away when they became a couple dollars too expensive, but as I’ve gotten more experienced, I’ve started to trust my analysis a little more and ensure I acquire the players I covet. This year, I drafted Mike Minor, Jean Segura and Jason Kipnis in all four of my leagues. Those were my guys.
Today we begin second base week and that means a look back at my Pod’s Picks at the position. It wasn’t that crazy a season with most of the usual suspects atop the value list and only a couple of true surprises. Let’s see how my rankings compared to the actual ones.
The 2013 fantasy baseball season has come to a close, so it is time to look back at the season past and determine which players were the most valuable at each position. This week focuses on second baseman.
The players were ranked based on their 2013 production, using the evaluation system explained and updated on this site some time ago. To keep things manageable and avoid skewing the numbers, players were only considered if they amassed 400 plate appearances over the course of the year. The replacement level was also adjusted to account for players eligible at multiples positions. The valuations are built for $260 budgets and traditional 5×5 roto fantasy leagues, where only one catcher is started.
One important thing to note is the premium (or lack thereof) placed on the position a player occupies in your lineup. For example, while a first baseman may be able to accumulate superior overall numbers, the availability of such production lower in the rankings severely dampers the amount the player was worth.
These rankings are meant to reflect a player’s value should he have occupied this spot in your lineup for the entire year. So, a player who missed time due to injury but put up great numbers during his time on the field would be worth less.
With all this in mind, here are your rankings. Read the rest of this entry »
Remember how great it was during Jason Kipnis’ rookie year? You probably got him for cheap in your draft and right out of the gate, he starts producing. Sure, he hit just .256 for that first month, but he also had three home runs, 12 RBI and four stolen bases. Not bad for your low-budget, rookie second baseman. But then the calendar flipped to May and Kipnis flipped a switch…a power switch, that is. He batted .295 for the month, hit another five home runs with another 18 RBI and another seven stolen bases. Two months in and he’s already paying big dividends. With a solid month of June, he totally crushed it in the first half, batting .277 with 11 home runs, 49 RBI and 20 stolen bases; basically the line you hoped he would have by the end of the season. And just to help make you feel more comfortable about his performance, his walk rate was slightly better than league average (8.9%), he had just a 15.4% strikeout rate and posted a solid .345 on-base percentage. He was the total package. Read the rest of this entry »
Raise your hand if you expected Matt Carpenter to lead all of baseball with 126 runs scored (and not just lead, but trounce the next highest total by 17!) and tie for the lead in total hits recorded. Mrs. Carpenter, put your hand down. That’s what I thought, none of you. According to Zach Sanders’ end of season dollar value calculator, Carpenter earned nearly $26, ranking 19th overall. On the value leaderboard, he rated as the second most profitable hitter and ninth most profitable player behind a slew of starting pitchers. By any method you choose, it’s clear that nobody expected this.
We’re going real deep today folks for perhaps the last deep league waiver wire piece of the 2013 season. If you’re looking for middle infield help, it’s your lucky day!
Although it’s been true for each of the last three seasons, many fantasy owners are still adjusting to the fact that offense from the second base position comes at a premium. It’s not about to usurp the shortstop position’s crown for supreme offensive futility, but it’s the only one within shouting distance.
| Pos. | wOBA |
|---|---|
| C | .310 |
| 1B | .335 |
| 2B | .304 |
| SS | .298 |
| 3B | .314 |
| LF | .318 |
| CF | .318 |
| RF | .326 |
| DH | .334 |
The league’s second basemen have averaged a .304 wOBA in 2013, which is situated squarely between the .306 and .302 wOBAs from 2011 and 2012, respectively. Fantasy-relevant second basemen obviously find themselves with higher wOBAs across the board, but the overall trend remains true. Unless sitting with one of the few studs at the position, owners have had a difficult time securing consistent production with the bat.
Thus, when a rookie second baseman bursts onto the scene and hits a blistering .335/.371/.524 (.388 wOBA) with nine doubles, two triples and six home runs in his first 177 plate appearances, owners start to feel their hearts flutter in their chests. Of course, this is referencing the scorching-hot debut of Scooter Gennett, who is playing everyday for the lowly Milwaukee Brewers.
Only one more deep league wire piece this season after today’s! ::sad face:: We’re going with a Blue Jays theme as the team has been killed by injuries, allowing some of their younger players an opportunity to garner significant playing time.
As mentioned last week and around this time every year, with such little time left in the season, you’re simply looking for guys who are contributing now. Worrying about a guy’s ROS stats here on September 4 is a bit silly as few guys available are going to have numbers so enticing that they become a “must-have.” September call-ups are here and eating into a lot of veteran time, so the obvious trick is to find guys who will continue playing regardless of who the team brings up. Here are two guys you may want to consider… Read the rest of this entry »
One of the most common South Atlantic League prospects mentioned as a big sleeper this year was (now-former) West Virginia second baseman Dilson Herrera. The 19-year-old middle infielder combined a wide variety of skills and was producing well across the board in his first full minor league season.
This week, Herrera entered a more generalized baseball consciousness, as he was the key piece sent from the Pirates to the Mets in the John Buck/Marlon Byrd deal. There’s been some debate since the trade regarding exactly where Herrera stands as a prospect–some really like him, while others are more hesitant to fully get on board the hype train. I’m probably more in the former camp.
