In contrast to what we did last season, this year we’re doing monthly updates for our positional rankings as laid out by Eno Sarris and his minions. In addition to that, we’re doing our monthly positional tier updates as well which should aid you in your waiver pick-ups and trade negotiations when you’re comparing values. The rankings can be found over here and below is how I see them by tier… Read the rest of this entry »
As we saw through last week’s series of articles, there’s been quite a lot of talk about the Fan/RotoGraphs Dynasty Mock Draft. Yes, there seemed to be a bit of confusion — two people thought it was a regular keeper draft rather than a dynasty one — but lost in the mundane and repetitive critique of that aspect was the true meaning of a mock draft. Its is a test. It is a guideline. It is a tool. You use a mock draft to gauge where particular players are going; where certain positions come off the board in a run. It certainly isn’t the gospel, but while the calendar hasn’t even flipped to January and offseason player movement has far from ceased, it’s definitely a useful piece of information from which to get started. That being said, we’re going to wrap up its coverage with a listing of the catchers that went, where they came off the board, and a few notes along the way.
At this point in the season, roto players are scratching and clawing through their categories looking primarily at the ones that have some shred of movement possibilities. Head to head owners are gearing up for their fantasy playoffs as their regular season is almost at a close. Whichever style league you find yourself in, it’s time to start focusing on the hitters that are swinging a hot bat right now, despite their overall value. The catching position is perfect for this. If you’re not sitting on one of the top five backstops out there, then chances are, the players you are using are relatively interchangeable with those that are sitting out on your waiver wire. So why not use the one with the hottest stick right now? If he starts to cool, you can probably find an easy replacement who is on the upswing for the final month then. Here’s a look at some of August’s hot bats behind the plate that may be useful at the moment. Read the rest of this entry »
Time to re-visit those monthly rankings, again. As always, the criteria used for these is as follows:
1. Current performance level
2. Expected performance for rest of season
3. Value based on standard 5×5 categories (avg over OBP)
One note, despite the fact that it is late in the season, we are not accounting for keeper value right now. We are staying within the parameters of this season alone. Injured players remain on the list at the bottom so we can just see who was up there from start to finish. That being said, here’s how the catching position looks right now…. Read the rest of this entry »
As the season moves on, things are really settling in with the catcher rankings. Not a whole lot of movement from tier to tier (almost none), but some movement within. Remember, the criteria used for the rankings is as follows:
1. Current performance level
2. Expected performance for rest of season
3. Value based on standard 5×5 categories (avg over OBP)
Here’s how it looks heading into July. Read the rest of this entry »
As we get ready to head into a new month, it’s time to update the 2011 Catchers Rankings once again. Remember, the criteria for these rankings is as follows:
| 1. Current performance level |
| 2. Expected performance for rest of season |
| 3. Value based on standard 5×5 categories (avg over OBP) |
The arrows are used to highlight a player moving up or down in tier, but you’ll also notice some minor tweaks within the tiers as well. Some that will obviously have more impact than others. Read the rest of this entry »
As important as matchups are to Pick Six (for more, see last week’s strategy post), the most important aspect of the game is to pick players that are good values at their positions. Today, I’ll give a run down on some of the better (and poorer) values at the first two positions in Pick Six: Catcher and Corner Infield. The numbers I’ll report are projected Points per Plate Apperance (Pts/PA), based on a weighted average of Oliver and PECOTA projections (a bit more weight to Oliver, because it’s more current). YMMV depending on your preferred projection system, or your own adjustments to these systems. Also, keep in mind that prices change weekly, and so this just represents a snapshot look at player value and may be obsolete by next week!
Carlos Santana, $34.25, 1.42 Pts/PA
Brian McCann, $32.25, 1.37 Pts/PA
Buster Posey, $35.50, 1.33 Pts/PA
With the calendar flipping to May, it’s time to re-visit the 2011 Catcher Rankings and see who has climbed closer to the top and who’s been dropping like a stone. As you may recall, the RotoGraph writers got together before the season began and constructed a composite catcher rankings. However, after gaining some feedback from all of you, I have decided to make my adjustments to the rankings based on the following criteria:
| 1. Current performance level |
| 2. Expected performance for rest of season |
| 3. Value based on standard 5×5 categories (avg over OBP) |
The arrows are used to highlight a player moving up or down in tier, but you’ll also notice some minor tweaks within the tiers as well. Some that will obviously have more impact than others. So without further ado, you may now cue the theme song to The Jeffersons… Read the rest of this entry »
While the tiers we established in our aggregate pre-season rankings gave you a sound foundation for your draft, you knew there was going to be some movement amongst the backstops. I’m aware that we’re dealing with a small sample size of at bats, but if you’ve got a guy who’s hot, why not use him while you can? Or, if he’s cold, bench him for now and get yourself a temporary replacement. Let’s look at a few names of backstops that are both rising and falling in current value. Read the rest of this entry »
The 2011 baseball season is almost upon us, so we here at RotoGraphs put our collective heads together to come up with some aggregate positional rankings. I’ll be taking the lead all year with the catchers, but as a group, here’s what we came up with for now:
| Penthouse on Park Avenue |
| Joe Mauer |
| Brian McCann |
| Buster Posey |
| Victor Martinez |
Despite last year’s power decline, we know the potential is there so Mauer gets the nod for the top spot. Welcome to the big time, Buster!
| Comfy Living |
| Carlos Santana |
| Geovany Soto |
| Mike Napoli |
| Jorge Posada |
| Matt Wieters |
Happy to have any one of these guys on my roster. Santana is on the rise, but this could be the last chance for Wieters in the fantasy trust department.
| Small House in the ‘Burbs |
| Kurt Suzuki |
| Miguel Montero |
| Chris Iannetta |
| Russell Martin |
| Carlos Ruiz |
| John Buck |
| Yadier Molina |
Stable group of guys who can just tow the line for your backstop position. Martin could be a nice sleeper in hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium.
| Shoebox Apartment |
| John Jaso |
| A.J. Pierzynski |
| Miguel Olivo |
| Ryan Doumit |
| J.P. Arencibia |
| Josh Thole |
| Rod Barajas |
| Ryan Hanigan |
| Jesus Montero |
No major investment needs to be made here. Some will rise, some will fall. Arencibia’s power potential puts him at the top of the sleeper list.
| Sharing a Room |
| Yorvit Torrealba |
| Jarrod Saltalamcchia |
| Jonathan Lucroy |
| Alex Avila |
| Nick Hundley |
| Chris Snyder |
Maybe a pair of diamonds in the rough in Lucroy and Snyder, but I wouldn’t want to invest more than a buck on the rest of the lot.
| Shanty-town |
| Jason Kendall |
| Jason Castro |
| Ramon Hernandez |
| Kelly Shoppach |
| Wilson Ramos |
| Ivan Rodriguez |
You’ve got to be pretty desperate to be living with these guys on your roster.
We’ll all be chiming in throughout the week with more detailed thoughts on some of the backstops and the overall rankings will be updated on a monthly basis, so stay tuned for more!