Comments on: 2010 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Top 300

By: Grey

Grey — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:09:14 +0000

@Brian: Ludwick was barely ownable last year in 12 team leagues. I think he can be better but he's not exactly an upstart rookie.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:00:38 +0000

I’m taking Ludwick around pick 150. You have him ranked at 213 with projections that include less RBI than he had last year, yet he’s now batting behind Pujols and Holliday. I respect your analysis, so I’m wondering if maybe you have some concerns about Ludwick this season? I was thinking that his spot in that order would boost his RBI numbers. Was it that his avg. with runners in scoring position last year was a little unrealistic and will undoubtedly dip this season?

I appreciate your insight, because I’ve been drafting him a lot in my mock drafts. Thanks!

By: Grey

Grey — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:52:27 +0000

@Big Mike: Morneau's slightly safer. Zimm does have more upside though, so I'm not opposed to Zimm before Morneau if someone wanted to go that way.

By: Big Mike

Big Mike — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:50:15 +0000

I see #22 Justin Morneau and #29 Ryan Zimmerman. Looking at their projections, Morneau gives you two more HR, but Zimm beats him by 5 steals, 10 runs, and 5 points of average (and plays a shallower position). So why the love for Morneau over Zimm?

By: jamesllegade

jamesllegade — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:03:19 +0000

Bless you Grey.

You know what I would love to see? The biggest “under ranks” on yahoo default.

Usually it is RP’s that win the closing job late but last year you gave me Pablo Sandoval and he was ranked in the 200′s on yahoo default.

I know a lot of people use yahoo and a lot of leagues have dudes just staring at the default for their next pick. We must take advantage of this.

By: papasmurf

papasmurf — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:27:21 +0000

I am going with your list this year, Grey! Since I stink at drafting.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:01:17 +0000

@Spamcakes: A mid-to-low 4 ERA in the AL East didn't make the cut for me.

By: Spamcakes

Spamcakes — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:54:18 +0000

Niemann?

By: Orangeman94

Orangeman94 — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:15:42 +0000

Mark Kotsay’s wife = #1 draft pick

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:18:09 +0000

Great lists Grey,
Now can you please rank MLB umpires, bat boys, and players’ wives?

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:11:30 +0000

@IowaCubs: @Grey: That looks more like a party of two in his basement rec room.

By: brett

brett — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:03:03 +0000

@Stephen: Thanks. I agree with you on the power potential. The only reason i might pass on Wood at 3B is that I'm hoping to have the position locked up long before it's time to draft him and there's a growing list of guys at other positions that i want in the late rounds. But that makes a lot of sense, especially in a league with a CI spot.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:57:37 +0000

@IowaCubs: Ha, nice link. That alone gets Branyan above LaRoche.

By: IowaCubs

IowaCubs — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:51:08 +0000

You’ve ranked Branyan, but no Blalock or Adam LaRoche. I like LaRoche better than Branyan, who has yet to sign with a team, though Branyan does like to party:
http://mopupduty.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/branyan-boozing.jpg

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:32:25 +0000

@Stephen: @sean: Meant to say "Couldn't say it any better." My bad.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:30:49 +0000

@brett: Brett you said, "Do you agree with Grey’s assessment of Brandon Wood? I was planning on not bothering, but if Yahoo gives him SS eligibility I may have to reconsider." This is Grey's line; 279 - B.Wood: 60/25/75/.250/7 I play in a 20 team league, and this would be awesome value if I didn't get Wright, Longoria or A-Rod. Grey ranked Ian Stewart at 100 with a possible line of: 85/29/100/.260/10; in 12 team leagues, you can get similar power potential 12 rounds later. Sure Stewart can play second, but he can also play third. Honestly, if he gets SS eligibility, you almost have to own him. Even if he is just given third base, that would be great value in the mid to late rounds. Wood doesn't have the job security, but the power potential is way more valuable in Wood's ADP (or rankings) than where Stewart is now going. That is just my opinion. There is definitely much more risk relying on Wood, but the rewards definitely out weight the risks. @sean: Could say it any better. Us commentators (and Grey) don't return to middle school when people disagree with their thoughts or opinions. There is always great discussions, tips, and breaking news. Sure beats Yahoo's "First" comments and ESPN's religion people don't critically analyze.

By: Cheese

Cheese — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:14:50 +0000

@Grey: 100% agree with your worry there. You would definitely need a disclaimer lol. I was actually looking at a mock draft done by "experts" and Nathan was the first RP off the board at a pick in the mid 90s. I see value there. But anyways, it would definitely be a good read, and may have more value than the actual top 300 rankings. I'm sure if it came down to it, with your 2nd pick in a draft, and you wanted an OF, and you could choose between Crawford, Ellsbury and J Upton, I see you taking Upton almost every time, even though you have him ranked behind those 2. With some of the comments I've read, I've noticed that some readers are confused with your rankings because you bash certain players, yet still rank them kind of high. Having a list could potentially clear that all up. Anyways, just some food for thought.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:55:06 +0000

@Cheese: I was thinking I would do that. Then I was thinking I would write that post and draft, say, Nathan, and he wouldn't be on my list and people would have a conniption. Because really I try to draft value. I wouldn't own, say, Nathan, unless he fell far enough. So in reality, I would only own about 20 or so players if things play out how I would expect them. Maybe I'll write that post with those caveats.

By: Cheese

Cheese — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:50:44 +0000

@Grey: You consistently mention that even in the top 100, there's really only about 20 guys you would own. I can pin point a few just from players comments, but others I'm not 100% sure about. Is there any blog in the near future that you will post that will just be a list of names you will draft? I think it would benefit everyone, and be greatly appreciated by the community. You wouldn't have to rank them, just a list would suffice. What are your thoughts? Thanks.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:05:27 +0000

@Martin: Yeah, as I said in the mocking the ESPN mock, I thought Cockcroft did a good job.

By: sean

sean — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:01:28 +0000

@Nate Marcum: Other than the sheer fact that Grey and Rudy's insight is better than what some competitors offer for "paid" content, the best part of this place is that the frequent commenters are generally well informed, intelligent, and articulate folks. Combine that with a zeal for fantasy baseball and it's an awesome combination. Definitely the first thing I look forward to doing when I check my computer in the morning...

By: Martin

Martin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:01:10 +0000

this guy has very similar rankings.

http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/baseball/flb/story?id=4675202

By: majortommy

majortommy — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:56:05 +0000

@Nate Marcum: Got a feeling that all of that will change. Eventually this site will become what everything else that starts off cool and hip becomes once the masses get their hands on it. Like a band you love until you hear their music on a commercial and your 12 year old neice has them on her I-Pod. Enjoy it while it lasts my friends.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:55:57 +0000

@mikey boy324: I'd like it to be Bell. But I imagine it will be Aardsma. @Nate Marcum: Yeah, we have the best commenters.

By: Nate Marcum

Nate Marcum — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:51:00 +0000

@sean: Thanks for all the interesting feedback guys. I think it is great that a question like mine doesn't only get answered with a simple response, it gets broken down in multiple ways. Something else that I have noticed since I started reading this blog is that not a single person on here has written, "First", or any other douchbag type response to the articles. Thank you fellow razzball readers for being the best commenters on the interweb and thanks Grey for allowing us to comment on informative and helpful articles.

By: mikey boy324

mikey boy324 — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:50:45 +0000

grey being that you wait till the 7th-8th rounds for a closer who usually winds up being your first closer?

By: majortommy

majortommy — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:31:31 +0000

@peter: I don't hate Aardsma, I just don't like him in that spot. It will be interesting to see how many people read Razzball by where he is drafted in Mocks and what not I do.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:28:50 +0000

@pwire: 1. Worried about innings. 2. He just missed the 300. There was just too many guys because I had to move lots of closers in. 3. I don't usually draft AL pitchers late, so they need to fall a bit. 4. I don't want him near any of my teams. 5. He hit 25 homers last year and nearly 100 RBIs. At 2nd base, that's not bad. He's just not very exciting. 6. I think he can give 70/26/90/.310/3. Those are Carlos Lee numbers without outfield eligibility. 7. Not sure what you mean. One can hit homers, one can't. One has more speed. You draft the one you need for your team. If you need more speed, than Morgan's the better pick.

By: peter

peter — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:27:56 +0000

@majortommy: Darn tootin, you're right! I was looking at the wrong spreadsheet. Mea Culpa. So, yes, I think 9 is high, too. But, looking at the guys who come after Aardsma on the list, I can kind of see it: I don't trust Brian Wilson, guys like Street/Soriano/Wagner are greater injury risks, and everyone after that isn't necessarily a lock for the job.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:21:12 +0000

@Tony: You have to remember guys I have much later than they would go -- Manny, for instance. So if you take guys off the board because I won't own them, I'm going to end up going for a Bruce or McCutchen. Plus, my commentary on each player is meant to lead you through. If I like a player, I like him. What's the difference between picks 90 and 120? Same difference if you need an outfielder and I've said I like him. @Bob: I'd love to take Bell in the 12th round. I simply said I'd draft a closer in the 7th to 8th rounds. Meaning, I'd grab Nathan around pick 90 if he were still there. But he won't be. I believe he's around a 70 ADP. So value is still value. At 90, that's value. As I said in the closer rankings, I'm shooting for 120 saves at the end of the draft. Really I could've listed 20 closers together at pick 170 and said grab three of them. Closers are closers as saves are saves. @majortommy: No problem. re: Aardsma -- He has a solid K-rate. I look for that first with a closer. Once that's good, I think about the team. His team should give him saves. Then I think about the likelihood he'll lose the job. I don't think Aardsma will. Seems pretty safe.