This post is not meant to scream fire in the theater of Razzball. I’m not saying don’t draft these guys. I’m not unfriending them. I would hide all of their stupid Mafia Wars updates. I’m just saying you need to be aware of certain concerns that I’ve kept to myself about these players. I’m unburdening myself. My shrink says it’s good for me. I still like these players; I just want you to have the whole picture. Anyway, here’s some concerns for 2011 fantasy baseball:
Troy Tulowitzki – Concern: Injury. Sure, his previous injuries were of the fluky nature, but his 1st halfs make Te(i)x seem like a year-round performer. In 2009, he hit .254 in the 1st half. In 2008, he hit .166. In 2010, he hit 18 homers in August and September. A lot of you fantasy baseballers (<–my mom’s term!) who play in roto are thinking, “It’s cool, doode. Just get me the stats.” That’s you. Yeah, but it’s not cool when you’re out of the running in August because your first round pick is hitting .260 with ten homers. “You’re right. Not cool, doode.” That’s you again.
Yovani Gallardo – Concern: WHIP. My concern here could also be stated with, “Has Grey fallen so in love with the K that he’s forgotten Gallardo’s career WHIP is 1.32.” A 1.32 is pretty tough to own when he’s your number one starter. I have Gallardo at a 1.24 WHIP in my projections. That is very optimistic. My gut is saying the Brewers are going to win their division and Gallardo is going to be a big part of that. I think you need some limbs on your fantasy team in order to win a competitive league. It’s just tough when one of those limbs comes with a high price tag. If Gallardo throws a 1.32 WHIP and you don’t have the number two or three to balance him, you may want to kill me for having you select him as your number one.
Francisco Liriano – Concern: Health. I try my best to stay level-headed about Spring Training news. Hey, one of us has to. I’m not crazy about shoulder problems, the news that he didn’t do his proper prep work in the offseason and that the Twins wanted to trade him. You don’t want to trade someone who you have no concerns about. So that makes two of us.
Ryan Howard – Concern: Rudy. Rudy and I disagree from time to time. He loved Black Swan; I thought Portman was good. I like the Cold War Kids; he thinks they sound like George Michael (though he says that’s not a complaint, which means we might have bigger issues). We also disagree about Ryan Howard. So far, he’s bit his lip about Ryan Howard and my ranking of him at 8th overall. What’s going on behind the scenes is Rudy thinks I’m slightly crackers with a side order of nuts. I usually trust Rudy’s judgment, but I refuse to believe Howard’s days of big-time production are behind him (though there is plenty of behind on him). Rudy thinks Howard’s homers and RBIs aren’t as good as they used to be and he’s going to be just okay on runs and average. He doesn’t think he should be as low as the 3rd round, but 8th overall drives him a bit crazy. He has him as the 7th ranked 1B (Pujols, Votto, Miggy, A-Gon, Fielder, Te(i)x before him). He has him for $23 in 12-team mixed league auctions. I’d go to $30. I think it’s only fair to fill all of you in, we’re in disagreement.
Robinson Cano – Concern: Won’t be overrated. Usually I can build up enough venom for even the nicest of players if I think they’re overrated. I had a real hard time getting totally down on Cano. His skill set tells me that he’s a 25-homer, .310 hitter. That’s not bad, it’s just him in the first round is pushing the laws of good judgment.
Jason Heyward – Concern: Sophomore slump. Some gooftards just can’t get their act together in their second year. Lots of great players come to mind, so don’t give me that ol’ “Heyward’s different” shizz.
