Archive for Speed

The third in an ongoing series (Pt. 1) (Pt. 2), I’ll continue to compare hitters using blind résumés to highlight “generic-brand” players who could be drafted as substitutes for “name-brand” players in later rounds of your draft. This entry will differ slightly in substance; I’ll focus on 2018 projections to identify similarly skilled players rather than use hindsight to rationalize (or poke holes in) how we’ve valued past performance.

I will use National Fantasy Baseball Championship average draft position (NFBC ADP). Reminder: we host them here on FanGraphs, too. It’s worth noting I pulled these projections this past weekend, so the numbers will likely differ slightly but not unconscionably. The ADPs are current as of yesterday.

Comparison #1: Power-Speed Outfielders, Mostly

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I have spent the last few weeks rewatching Breaking Bad. For those who have never watched it, it is arguably the greatest show of all time. It is the classic story of a high school chemistry teacher that gets terminal cancer and becomes a drug kingpin to make sure he leaves something behind for his family. Let’s be honest, the story of Walter White could be any of us, minus the drugs, Mexican cartels, violence, terminal cancer, money, and ability to make thermite in our kitchen. Read the rest of this entry »

As I look through the standings of my various roto leagues, the common thread that ties them all together is the ease at which points can be accrued just by boosting your stolen base totals. In one league, less than 10 stolen bases separate fourth place in the category from ninth place. In two others, 12 steals could make up an eight-point difference. If people love the strategy of streaming pitchers so often, what’s the harm in streaming in a stolen base guy for a week or two? Obviously, those who are left on your wire are, more or less, one-category helpers, but for just a temporary boost, who cares? There’s nothing wrong with a quick fix if you know that’s all you’re looking for. Take your steals and…pardon the pun….run! Here are a pair of guys who fit the bill perfectly… Read the rest of this entry »

2012 wasn’t supposed to look anything like 2011 for the Miami Marlins as they added a whole mess, and I do mean mess, of new salaries to help inaugurate their new digs in downtown. But for all their trouble, the Marlins finished 69-93 having been outscored by their opponents by some 115 runs, which was actually slightly worse than 2011’s 72-90 finish with a -77 run differential.

2013 won’t look much like 2012 whether the Marlins manage to extricate themselves from the cellar of the NL East or not simply by virtue of the roster shuffling that has already started. Despite signing a rich deal last winter, Heath Bell was one of the very first players moved this offseason, and Ozzie Guillen wasn’t far behind him out the door. In fact, about the only things that really came as advertised were Giancarlo Stanton, the home run monstrosity and Jose Reyes. Read the rest of this entry »