Fantasy Baseball Advice

It’s a pretty funny game this fantasy baseball.  And, obviously, since I’m saying it’s funny, it’s not at all funny what I’m about to say.  No matter how heralded a prospect is, no matter how young they still are, if they have a bad season, people abandon them.  David Price is currently being drafted around the 170 mark in 2010 fantasy baseball drafts.  This is the pot luck section of every draft.  This is the point when people throw out game plans and are just looking for the best available pitcher.  This is the point when someone invariably walks into your room while you’re drafting and you lose it.  Her, “Honey, can we eat dinner soon?”  You, “Dinner?  Dinner?!  I’m choosing between Randy Wolf and David Price and you’re asking me about dinner?  How about I fix the economy while I’m at it?!”  And now you’ve drafted Randy Wolf and you’re getting a divorce.  Hopefully you’re not picking a divorce attorney while doing your midseason draft.  “Retainer?  Retainer?!  I’m deciding between Felipe Lopez and Scott Sizemore!”  There’s little to be excited about when looking at Price’s 2009.  Ks went down, walks went up, he wasn’t unlucky… He basically threw gas and let out a burp.  So what will Price’s 2010 look like?  Is he a possible 2010 fantasy baseball sleeper?

Price has tremendous stuff that he showed in college, the minors and briefly in the majors in 2008.  Intro Paragraph mentioned how Price’s walks went up and Ks went down in 2009.  Mr. Paragraph, if that’s his real name, wasn’t telling you the whole story.  Price’s K’s went down in the 2nd half of the season, but his walks went way down, as well.  Captain Stubing once described this as “getting your sea legs.”  Price was learning how to pitch in the major leagues last year.  2010 should be the year he continues his progress.  Walks should stay down and strikeouts should start to come around again.  The real breakout might not come until 2011.  Nevertheless, the breakout will come.  In 2010, we should expect a solid third fantasy starter-type season.  Ups and downs, culminating in a line of 12-9/3.75/1.30/155.  The reason why I’d go for him over someone like, say, Oswalt is the upside.  The reason I’d go for Oswalt over Price is the downside.  There’s more risk with Price.  You need to evaluate your pitching staff in-draft to see if you can handle risk.  The only reason why I’m not head over flippin’ heels for Price while caps-locking my superlatives is because of his division.  I’d prefer a late pitcher in the NL, but risk and division aside, I like Price and he is a solid sleeper for 2010 fantasy baseball.

The comments were shut off on the Position Eligibility for 2010 Fantasy Baseball post because that post was just listing players and their eligibility for 2010 fantasy baseball.  Now, in this here post, we get down to business.  Or bidness, if you mispronounce business.  That business is pointing out players that gain some advantage by having more eligibility than they know what to do with.  Are you going to finish the rest of that 3rd base eligibility? Multiple position eligibility is a funny thing.  Just when you think someone has no value, they unbutton the top button on their shirt and a heaving bosom of multiple position eligibility comes pouring out.  It’s the “butterface” of fantasy players.  Thanks for dinner, Ian Stewart, but I have a headache… *reveals 2nd base eligibility*  Well, you don’t have to go home just yet.  If I left someone off of this post from the position eligibility for 2010 fantasy baseball post it’s because I didn’t see any added boost in their value from having extra eligibility.  Or maybe I forgot them.  I’m half-idiot, sometimes.  Anyway, here’s some players who see a boost in their 2010 fantasy baseball value because of their multiple position eligibility:

Victor Martinez – You want him at catcher, but the added eligibility is nice if you lose a 1st baseman to an injury and need to slot in V-Mart.  Krishna knows it’s easier to find a random schmohawk catcher off waivers than a 1st baseman.

Jorge Cantu – Without the 3rd base eligibility, he wouldn’t even be drafted in most leagues.  With the eligibility, you still want to avoid him.  For those keeping score, that’s damned if you do, and damned if you do.

Chris Davis – When you’re looking to draft a player that is capable of striking out 300 times, you probably want them at a corner infidel spot, so the additional 3rd base eligibility doesn’t add much.  If you don’t play with corner infielders, you want Davis at 3rd, but with only 11 games there you may be S.O.L. in some leagues. (Damn you, ESPN.)

Ryan Garko – From the files of “Yeah, No Kidding,” he’s a whole lot more appealing as a 5th outfielder than a 1st baseman.  And even in the outfield, it’s really only in deep leagues.

Bobby Crosby – Psyche!  He has no added value anywhere, but seeing him on the position eligibility list made me realize something.  He played 54 games at 1st base and 42 at 3rd base.  Billy Beane might be like the Orson Wells of baseball GMs.  The Moneyball years is to Citizen Kane as Bobby Crosby playing 1st and 3rd base is to Orson Welles shilling for cheap wine.

Clint Barmes – 2nd base eligibility is nice, but, as the Yankee Doodles used to say, shortstop eligibility is macaroni.

Alberto Callaspo – With MI and CI eligibility, he has the coveted superfecta of eligibility.  Though, I wouldn’t say Callaspo is necessarily coveted.  Funny how that worked.

Jose Lopez – You want him at 2nd base or MI.

Ben Zobrist – Zobrist’s risk of not repeating is definitely counterbalanced by the nice eligibility.  He played 91 games at 2nd base, 70 games at outfield and 13 games at shortstop.  Hmm… No wonder he hit 27 homers and stole 17 bases, he played in 174 games.

Emilio Bonifacio – I wouldn’t own him outside of NL-Only leagues, but he does have the Pick 3 of eligibility.

Mark DeRosa – Slot him in at the corner infielder spot, grow bored and put him in your fifth outfielder spot.  Lose interest and drop him.  You know what I’m saying, you’ve been there before.

Casey McGehee – You know you’re more likely to take a chance on him at 2nd base or MI than 3rd base.  Yes, I know you better than you know yourself.

Mark Reynolds – You think you’ll be fine with him as your 1st baseman, but, by the end of 2010, you’re going to want him as your 3rd baseman.

Jhonny Peralta – He gained 3rd base eligibility this year to go along with shortstop…. yay!  He hit 11 homers in 582 at-bats.  Moving on…

Ian Stewart – I’m excited about Ian Stewart for 2010 fantasy baseball.  Looks like Mark Reynolds going into 2009.  Oh, and he’s eligible at 2nd base.

Juan Uribe – Won’t find him on a Grey Albright team out of a draft, but in single league, uh, leagues he has solid eligibility.

Michael Cuddyer – Corner infield and outfield eligibility is nice, but I’ll bet you $5 he’s the first guy you want to drop.

Adam Dunn – Probably will end up in your outfield, but the flexibility of putting Dunn in at corner is nice.  And that is the only time a sentence will ever contain flexibility and Dunn.

Nick Swisher – See Adam Dunn or 1/12th of an inch above.

Garrett Jones – Robot Jones is in the same boat as Casey McGehee.  The added eligibility makes the gamble easier to take.

Chase Headley – Maybe it’s the three whiskey sours talking, but I’m sorta excited about Headley at third base this year.

Asdrubal Cabrera – Shortstop eligibility is a nice added bonus, so we’ll excuse him for fielding his position in the shape of a swastika.

The 2010 fantasy baseball rankings are not as far away as you might think.  Right now, January Grey is throwing darts at a board to figure out where to place Edwin Jackson.  In the meantime, let’s look at the players who have multiple position eligibility for this upcoming 2010 fantasy baseball season.  This took me far longer than it probably should’ve.  Can’t someone write me a program that sorts all the players by games played at a position?  Why do I need to go through every player on every roster?  Maybe I’m just a coprocephalic (Nerdy Word of the Day!).  I did this list of multi-position eligible players because I figured it would help for your 2010 fantasy baseball drafts.  I’m a giver, snitches! I only listed players that have multiple position eligibility of ten games or more played outside of their primary position. So this should cover Yahoo, ESPN, CBS, et al (not the Israeli airline).  Yes, Christmas came early this year.  (Or (C)Hanuk(k)ah came late, if that’s your thing.)  Players with multiple position eligibility are listed once alphabetically under their primary position.  Games played are listed in parentheses. I closed this to comments.  Comments for this post can be found at the position eligibility for 2010 fantasy baseball, companion piece — say that fast three times with food in your mouth.  Anyway, here’s all the players with multiple position eligibility for the 2010 fantasy baseball season and the positions they are eligible at:

CATCHERS

Chris Coste C (55), 1B (16)
Ramon Hernandez C (55), 1B (30)
Victor Martinez C (85), 1B (70)

1ST BASEMEN

Rich Aurilia 1B (22), 3B (13)
Willie Aybar 1B (31), 2B (28), 3B (18)
Jorge Cantu 1B (111), 3B (45)
Bobby Crosby 1B (54), 3B (42)
Chris Davis 1B (100), 3B (11)
Ryan Garko 1B (84), OF (12)
Ross Gload 1B (41), OF (10)
Mark Kotsay 1B (41), OF (20)
Daniel Murphy 1B (101), OF (27)
Fernando Tatis 1B (41), OF (28), 3B (27)
Ty Wigginton 1B (40), 3B (39)
Kevin Youkilis 1B (78), 3B (63)

2ND BASEMEN

Jeff Baker 2B (52), 3B (20)
Clint Barmes 2B (139), SS (16)
Ronnie Belliard 2B (60), 1B (15), 3B (12)
Andres Blanco 2B (40), SS (15)
Eric Bruntlett 2B (13), OF (10)
Alberto Callaspo 2B (146), 3B (14)
Jamey Carroll 2B (56), 3B (23)
Craig Counsell 2B (50), 3B (43), SS (27)
Mike Fontenot 2B (70), 3B (50)
Alberto Gonzalez 2B (55), SS (41)
Edgar Gonzalez 2B (15), OF (14)
Anderson Hernandez 2B (74), SS (38)
Omar Infante 2B (30), OF (16), 3B (10), SS (10)
Maicer Izturis 2B (68), SS (28)
Brent Lillibridge 2B (23), OF (12)
Jose Lopez 2B (141), 1B (16)
Jayson Nix 2B (52), SS (15), 3B (12)
Augie Ojeda 2B (35), SS (34), 3B (28)
Martin Prado 2B (63), 3B (41), 1B (28)
Nick Punto 2B (63), SS (58)
Omar Quintanilla 2B (25), SS (13), 3B (10)
Ryan Roberts 2B (57), 3B (19), OF (16)
Rusty Ryal 2B (13), 1B (10)
Skip Schumaker 2B (133), OF (54)
Matt Tolbert 2B (36), 3B (27ha)
Luis Valbuena 2B (75), SS (28)
Delwyn Young 2B (53), OF (30)
Ben Zobrist 2B (91), OF (70), SS (13)

SHORTSTOPS

Asdrubal Cabrera SS (100), 2B (28)
Juan Castro SS (28), 2B (20)
Ronnie Cedeno SS (82), 2B (13)
Alex Cora SS (56), 2B (19)
Khalil Greene SS (30), 3B (16)
Tyler Greene SS (30), 3B (11)
Brendan Harris SS (56), 3B (44), 2B (11)
Julio Lugo SS (56), 2B (30)
John McDonald SS (31), 3B (10)
Ramiro Pena SS (34), 3B (27)
Luis Rodriguez SS (34), 2B (30)
Brendan Ryan SS (105), 2B (19)
Ramon Santiago SS (69), 2B (29)
Ramon Vazquez SS (28), 2B (22), 3B (14)
Omar Vizquel SS (27), 3B (20), 2B (16)

3RD BASEMEN

Garrett Atkins 3B (78), 1B (28)
Geoff Blum 3B (102), 1B (10)
Emilio Bonifacio 3B (86), SS (20), OF (17)
Brian Buscher 3B (25), 1B (13)
Mark DeRosa 3B (108), OF (28), 1B (10)
Greg Dobbs 3B (16), OF (15)
Jerry Hairston Jr. 3B (49), SS (42), OF (41), 2B (12)
Jack Hannahan 3B (84), 1B (18)
Josh Fields 3B (49), 1B (17)
Jake Fox 3B (27), OF (26)
Adam Kennedy 3B (82), 2B (50)
Jeff Keppinger 3B (67), 2B (22), SS (11)
Mark Loretta 3B (23), 1B (17)
Casey McGehee 3B (71), 2B (22)
Jhonny Peralta 3B (104), SS (41)
Mark Reynolds 3B (130), 1B (28)
Adam Rosales 3B (57), 1B (11)
Pablo Sandoval 3B (120), 1B (26)
Ian Stewart 3B (121), 2B (21)
Mark Teahen 3B (107), OF (32)
Joe Thurston 3B (68), 2B (47)
Juan Uribe 3B (44), SS (41), 2B (38)
Chris Woodward 3B (18), 2B (11)

OUTFIELDERS

Jose Bautista OF (79), 3B (26)
Willie Bloomquist OF (84), SS (38), 2B (14)
Michael Cuddyer OF (117), 1B (34)
Adam Dunn OF (84), 1B (67)
Darin Erstad OF (28), 1B (15)
Willie Harris OF (98), 2B (19)
Chase Headley OF (114), 3B (28)
Eric Hinske OF (35), 3B (13)
Micah Hoffpauir OF (36), 1B (27)
Chris Gimenez OF (20), 1B (18)
Garrett Jones OF (53), 1B (30)
Matt LaPorta OF (39), 1B (10)
Robb Quinlan OF (23), 1B (17)
Ryan Raburn OF (70), 1B (10)
Bobby Scales OF (20), 2B (11)
Luke Scott OF (26), 1B (10)
Nick Swisher OF (134), 1B (20)
Eugenio Velez OF (51), 2B (31)

There’s very few 1st baseman I can see jumping into the top tiers for 2011, Joey Votto is one of them.  This alone is reason for him to be a 2010 fantasy baseball keeper, but there’s more. Show me the way, Grey! I shall, random italicized voice!  Last year, Votto missed games because of dizziness and a bad case of the Mondays.  With that missed time, it was only natural to see Votto fall short of his previous year’s numbers when he had 151 games.  Oh, wait.  He outperformed those numbers in 20 less games.  That’s a cause célèbre!  If “cause célèbre” meant what it sounded like.  To put it into colloquial Mandarin then back into English, “I’ve finished my meal now I want some fresh oranges.”  “Here you go!”  “Thank you!”  So let’s look at what we can expect from Votto for 2010 fantasy baseball and why he’s a keeper and someone I’m targeting in drafts.

Double his 2nd half when he went 49/14/42/.300/2 in 267 at-bats and you’d have bottom of the barrel expectations for him.  That would mean no step forward.  If Votto continues to progress, you’re looking at a guy that could easily give you 32 homers, 10 steals and a .300 average.  This is enough reason for him to be a 2010 fantasy baseball keeper, but, wait, there’s more.  If you buy into Joey Votto for 2010, I’ll also throw in a climbing walk rate and OPS for absolutely free!  Don’t want it?  Who cares, it’s free!  Before you have time to answer because I’m talking so fast, throw in a home park that makes the new Stadium Adjacent to the House That Ruth Built spacious.  Want more?  Tough noogs, it’s all I have.

Grady Sizemore had arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow back in September. It was deemed a success and here we are a little under ten weeks later and the team says he’s near 100%.  I’m not a doctor, but my first instincts are to say the team is lying.  That’s the way I like to lean.  A real skeptic.  What do you expect from someone with a mustache?  Have you ever met an optimistic mustachioed man?  Of course not, they’d shave if they were an optimist.  Crotchety, curmudgeony and other words found in a thesaurus.  Now even if the team is lying, it’s November and Sizemore is already “near 100%.”  I have to think that’s a lot better than the team lying that he’s “near 100%” in February.  Am I right or am I right-right or am I right-right-right?  Another positive thing to note, Sizemore had hernia surgery mid-September and he’s already running and working out in the Tribe’s spring complex.  So what can we expect of Grady Sizemore for 2010 fantasy baseball and is he a keeper?

After stealing 30+ bases for two straight years, Grady looked like Kendry Morales on the basepaths, stealing only 13 bases in 21 attempts.  There’s a reason for that.  He suffered the groin issue/sports hernia or groinia back in spring training of 2009, so naturally he wasn’t running like he used to.  Consider this, he still stole 13 bases with a groinia.  You wouldn’t even be able to open a jar of pickles.  With the problem corrected, he should steal at least 20 bases again.  Then consider the elbow problem he was dealing with for most of the season.  He still hit 18 homers with that.  The average was anemic at .248.  But he also dealt with some bad luck, so that should go back up to his career norms, think .270.  For 2010, I could see Sizemore giving a 110/27/80/.270/25 line with a chance for more and returning 2nd round value.  He is definitely a keeper for 2010 fantasy baseball.