‘How could anything get past Grey Albright!’ you say in an incredulous tone. It’s true, it is very hard to sneak out from under Grey’s all-seeing ways. He is the fantasy baseball equivalent of the Eye of Sauron, though slightly less malicious. But we here at Deep League Thoughts (like how I tied my previous title into it’s own thinktank like it’s not just one lunatic behind these posts? Genius. Sheer, evil genius.) believe that sometimes all a guy needs is a chance for 500 ABs and Wilson Betemit could be an example of that.
Please, blog, may I have some more?2012 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d write this post. Probably because my wildest dreams don’t usually have to do with where I’d rank Emilio Bonifacio and have more to do with Swedish flight attendants and lingonberries. But then ESPN ranked him 214th overall (I have him 126th overall in my top 300 for 2012 fantasy baseball). They say, “Apparently, he needs to change his name to Bona fee-day.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Between the two middle infield positions, I tend to draft a 2nd baseman early and punt shortstop. This happens for a few reasons. 1) 2nd base has more talent. That’s right, I draft the deeper position earlier. Same reason I punt catchers and try to get a 1st baseman early. If a position is deep, a lot of your leaguemates are going to have one of the top guys. You don’t want to be one of the 3 or 4 teams without a top guy. 2) There’s less difference between a middle-tiered shortstop and a bottom-tiered one. (Same could be said of catchers. We have a theme! Or is it a genre? No, it’s a theme!) 3) Shortstops tend to give value with the steal. You can find cheap steals later. Most of the 2nd basemen on this list are going after the top 150 in your 2012 fantasy drafts. This is a supplement to the top 20 2nd basemen of 2012 fantasy baseball.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Here, friend, are some catchers that I will be targeting at my 2012 fantasy drafts after the top options are gone. I’m not going to get into the strategy of punting catchers. Been there, half-drunkenly wrote that. Click on the player’s name where applicable to read more and see their 2012 projections. This is a (legal-in-most-countries) supplement to the top 20 catchers of 2012 fantasy baseball. Now, guys (and four girl readers), I am not saying avoid catchers like Wieters, J.P.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Earlier this offseason, the White Sox’s pitching coach said, “We’ll give this kid (that’s Chris Sale, in case that’s not clear; coaches like to call people “kid”) just enough experience and let him go (be a starter). We’re going to do everything in our power to not put [his health] in danger. It’s gonna be a fun year to be a White Sox fan….
Please, blog, may I have some more?
It appears another National League contending club is giving the starting shortstop keys to a relatively unproven youngster. As of now, Zack Cozart is slated to be at short on opening day for the Cincinnati Reds.
In 2007, the Reds drafted Cozart in the second round (they also drafted Todd Frazier and Devin Mesoraco – what a haul).
Please, blog, may I have some more?First the Vernon Wells sleeper post (hahahahahahaha — terrible), then the Alex Rios sleeper post (hahahahahahahaha – worse), now a Kevin Youkilis sleeper post…. Seriously, am I getting old here? What the eff in the effhole? Where’s my youth love? My rookie nookie! I blame ESPN and the rest of the schmohawks out there in Internet land. Why does ESPN rank Youuuuuuk in the 2nd round last year <italics for emphasis>for them<italics for emphasis> and now he’s 100? I get that he had a bad year, but he’s done? Just like that? Fork’s in him? How is he being drafted in the 80′s of mock drafts? I understand he’s injury prone, but everyone’s done with The Greek God Of Limps? I have a lot of questions. So what makes Kevin Youkilis a 2012 fantasy baseball sleeper?
Please, blog, may I have some more?Eff it, I’ll get in the hype circle and mosh around a little. Bryce Harper wasn’t listed in my top 300 for 2012 fantasy baseball. He wasn’t listed in my top 80 outfielders for 2012 fantasy baseball. I did drop a Bryce Harper fantasy on you for a rookie nookie outlook thingie-ma-whosie-boobie. He wasn’t included in my (fill-in any other URL link to another page — matter of fact, just click around the site. Each click brings in 1/18th of a penny revenue! Look, ma, I just made half a nickel!) I don’t think we see Bryce Harper to start the year. I’m not even sure if we see Bryce Harper by June. I don’t think so. As said in my Harper post, “I’m guessing (he shows up in the majors) some time after July 1st as the team starts to fade and they need to pull the ol’ “Hey, look at this new shiny toy” trick. Guess it’s better than the ol’ “Shine a flashlight on a wall” trick, unless you’re trying to get Pedroia to crash into a wall. Harper was signed by the Nats for $9.9 million (no word on how much of that goes for royalties to The Ultimate Warrior), and they want him to put asses in seats on Strasburg’s off days.” And that’s me quoting me! So what’s changed? For one, the Nats made some offseason moves to better their team (and maybe better the A’s a little too). For two, I don’t think this changes Harper’s ETA. The Nats are selling a can of “We Got Promise” corn saying Harper is starting the year with them, but I think they’re still just trying to sell tickets. If you lived in the Washington, D.C.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Have you heard I like Anibal Sanchez this year? No? What rock have you been living under? Does your rock have an address? Do you get mail addressed to “Rock?” If someone throws a rock onto your street, does it confuse the postman? Do you ever get mail that’s meant for The Rock that accidentally finds its way to your rock? I have rock questions. I haven’t been this excited about a man with a woman’s name since Jody Gerut hit 3 homers in September of 2009. Anibal doesn’t have as many innings on his arm as most 6-year vets not because he’s a sissy with a sissy name, but because he’s had countless injuries and a labrum tear, which does sound like an injury that would happen to a girl. He’s shown he can locate his pitches with authority, cutting his walk rate and bumping up his first pitch strike percentage to a new career high. Not only is he commanding his pitches, but he’s also throwing them faster. Most instances his past injuries would scare me away, but he’s actually gained speed on his fastball each year since 2007 with this past year setting a new career high for his fastball and slider velocity. Maybe all those years of being toughened up from beatings as a boy with a girl’s name has finally paid off. So what can we expect of Anibal Sanchez for 2012 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?
Please, blog, may I have some more?If you got into football a little early (shame on you) and stopped paying attention to baseball, you probably missed out on what Salvador Perez did. He got 158 plate appearances for the Royals down the stretch and hit .331/.361/.473 with three HRs.
Please, blog, may I have some more?