Yes, I’m using the term sleeper loosely. And I wrote this post in October and left it in The Dungeon of Forgotten Posts along with the post, Alex Gordon, 2009 Is His Year! Anyone that has a couple of percolating neurotransmitters knows Carlos Gonzalez. So this is for everyone else. Hello, friend. Put down the fork. You don’t need that to read. You read with your eyes. Perfect! Now put on some pants. That’s a sweater… Aw, forget it. Carlos Gonzalez is the doode in the Rockies outfield. He’s also the guy that can go 20/20 with upside in each category. Some supersized brains have compared him to Alex Rios. Before you jump out your window, they meant it as a compliment. Rios wasn’t always a Scarlet Letter.
Please, blog, may I have some more?2010 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper
I didn’t even get a chance to write the Billy Butler fantasy sleeper post before I had to bring out the “This Guy vs That Guy” post. Geez, people are really overhyping early this year, huh? (More of a question to myself, you don’t have to answer.) What did Butler do last year that has him screaming up the rankings on so many draft sheets? Let’s see, he hit 21 homers, .301 average, 78 runs, 93 RBIs and 1 steal. In 608 at-bats. That doesn’t sound all that wonderful. There has to be another reason. Oh, it’s because he hit 51 doubles. People are assuming at least 10 of those 51 doubles have to turn to homers. After all, he has size C moobs and silver dollar nipples. Oh, wait. It’s because he hit 6 homers in September and 13 homers in the 2nd half. See, he was already showing that burgeoning power. Yeah, those are reasonable, uh, reasons. But he’s being asked to do too much.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
A guy craps the bed and I get excited. Hmm… Maybe I should work at a convalescent home. Last year, Francisco Liriano had a line of 5-13/5.80/1.55/122 in 136 2/3 innings. That makes Jason Marquis shudder. Did Dr. Freeze operate on the wrong arm?
Please, blog, may I have some more?
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the strikeout pitcher. I jumped on the Wandwagon during last year’s preseason for this reason. So it’s only natural that I’m excited about Jonathan Sanchez. First, let’s expand briefly on why the K pitcher gets me all googly. I recently said this to frequent commenter, Simply Fred. Me, “ERA is fielding dependent. Obviously fantasy depends on ERA, so it shouldn’t be ignored, but it can be taken with a grain of salt. ERA is a lot like average. There’s wide variances and the two stats aren’t always controlled by the player. Say a hitter is a .280 hitter. Depending on luck that hitter can be a .310 hitter or a .260 hitter, but in the end his skills say he’s a .280 hitter. Same with a pitcher. A pitcher can be a 3.20 pitcher and fall anywhere between 2.80 and 3.60 ERA and still be a 3.20 pitcher. Pitchers only really control a few things. One of those things is Ks. If they’re a K pitcher, they should, without injuries or other anomalies, get Ks. So a pitcher can be a 180 K pitcher with a 3.75 ERA. Or a 180 K pitcher with a 3.50 ERA. Or a 180 K pitcher with a 4.00 ERA. The one constant — the Ks.” I.e., Believe in the K. In this game of fantasy baseball, you want as many sure things you can get. The 40 homer hitter, the 40 steal threat and the 180 strikeout pitcher. Which brings us to Jonathan Sanchez and why he’s a 2010 fantasy baseball sleeper.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
I know, it’s probably hard for a lot of you to love again. Whether it’s divorce or your number one outfielder was out for 60 games with plantar fasciitis, it’s equally disappointing. Hopefully, you didn’t draft Carlos Quentin last year and get divorced. No one can go through that sort of heartbreak. Not even Samuel L.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
From when he was called up in May until he went down with an Achilles injury in mid-September, Nolan Reimold was having a standout rookie campaign. In 358 ABs, he had a line of 49/15/45/.279/8, slashing .279/.365/.466. Some days he hit for power, some days he stole bases, some days he was Fred Savage… Oh, wait, that’s his brother, Judge. None of the numbers Reimold put up in his first season strike me as being fluky. As of November, Reimold’s Achilles tendon was pain-free; he should be good to go for the start of spring training. So what can we expect for him this year and why is Nolan Reimold a 2010 fantasy baseball sleeper?
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Sometimes I overestimate when people will be drafted. November Grey wrote an Alcides Escobar Sleeper post thinking Elvis Andrus sleeperity (sleeperishness? sleeperitude?) was inherent. Then I took a looksie at what people are doing in their mock drafts. As I write this, Andrus is being drafted on average 180. Sure, 95% of those drafters are probably Matthew Berry and his Berrites, but what The Five Percenters? Have they lost their bean pies? If Andrus is being drafted on average at 180, then for every 160 there’s a 200 in there. That’s crazy talk. Let’s see what people are actually missing and why Andrus is a 2010 fantasy baseball sleeper.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Julio Borbon can steal 40-plus bases for your 2010 fantasy baseball team. I really shouldn’t even have to say more. And a lot of you probably won’t even read what else I write, especially the readers that found this because they searched Google for “Borbon fantasy” after hallucinations from drinking too much Wild Turkey. Alas, I shall continue. Last year, Julio Borbon hit .312 in 157 ABs. As I tell the ladies, that seems like a small sample size but it’s not. He should be in the .300 range in 2010. Next, he stole 19 bases in more or less two months of full duty. So 40 bases really isn’t that much of a long shot. Emilio Bonifacio’s April 2009 comes to mind when I think of Borbon. Borbon might steal 10 bases in April alone and be owned in all but the shallowest of ESPN leagues that are already abandoned. (Don’t worry, Bonifacio’s May through September doesn’t come to mind.) So Borbon’s SAGNOF!, got it. But why is Julio Borbon a 2010 fantasy baseball sleeper?
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Being the fantasy baseball ‘pert I am — ‘perting ain’t easy — I’ve noticed a trend I think I need to address. There’s a whole lot of what have you done for me lately. If someone takes a dump in their comforter in 2009, people ignore them for 2010. If someone is terrible in 2009 and 33 years old then quite possibly they’re on the downturn of their career. I.e.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Let’s do some hypotheticals. It’s the end of your mixed league 2010 fantasy baseball draft and you’re looking to fill in the last spot in your outfield or your utility. You see random fifth wheel candidate that will do exactly what you expect him to do. Think Juan Rivera, Mike Cameron, Luke Scott, Scott Luke, Tony Luke, Luke Whatever and Travis Snider. You draft Travis Snider. This is as much about what Travis Snider can do in 2010 as overall fantasy baseball drafting strategy. I’ll get to Snider’s projections in a minute. For right now, let’s talk about why you’re avoiding the fifth wheel outfielder/utility man. Snider’s potential is unknown. Snider hits 6 homers by the end of April? You trade him for a cold-hitting vet, think Lance Berkman or a cold starter, think Wainwright if he starts off cold. Juan Rivera hits 10 homers in April and no one, including Juan Rivera, will think he can keep it up and you’re not trading him for anything. This doesn’t just go for Snider. It goes for players at the end of the draft with potential. Always be looking for upside. I’ll touch on this more as we get further into drafting season. So now about Snider’s potential. Why is Travis Snider a 2010 fantasy baseball sleeper?
Please, blog, may I have some more?
