What was I thinking when I thought this would be a fun post? I came into this wanting to be Grey’s opposite for S’s and G’s, but that ship sailed south really fast. If you are disappointed that I bailed on that idea, then go to his comments any day and you can view my contrarian ways as I try to keep him honest and keep myself being…well, me being good ole me. When Rudy told me he would make me a table doing a side-by-side with dollar values, I was a little worried about how that would be accepted by the Grey-heads. Then I thought to myself, who doesn’t like money? Well maybe Monty Brewster, who hated money for 30 days, but I would too with what he had to do in that classic 80’s baseball flick. On a hunch, I went into the archives to find that Rudy wrote this post last year and realized I got duped into doing it for 2015. Well played señor Rudolfo…well played indeed.
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This season as I have prepped for drafts, I’ve been checking my work against what both Grey and Rudy have so generously prepared for us. Thanks you two for all the hard work you put in to help us each and every year! You all need to go buy Grey a daiquiri right now. No really, go do it, I can wait. Now before I move on, I have one last question, if we buy Grey a daiquiri, what do we buy Rudy? Seriously, is there a buy Rudy a beer button I’ve never seen before? Is he a non-drinker and I have to send over a cup of black coffee? Dammit, I got questions and I want answers! What does Rudy like to sip on while he works his magic? My bet is a nice Hibiscus Tea with a little honey and a shot of Cazadores tequila dropped in it like a boilermaker.
The chart below gives us a side-by-side look with the ability to sort by rank, position, team, as well as a Grey minus Rudy calculation. Before I get to the list, lets take a look at some players that have at least a 10 dollar difference between them. The first number will be Grey’s, the second will be Rudy’s, and the third will be the difference. The words will be mine.
Justin Upton (29.0 – 16.4 = 12.6) – Talk about a difference of opinion here. Basically Grey has no problem with the move to San Diego and has him as his 7th ranked outfielder. Rudy would rather have him do that on someone else’s team and has him as his 24th ranked outfielder. Personally, I think he falls somewhere in between and ends up as the 12th-ish best outfielder for the season. Sorry Jay.
Nolan Arenado (27.0 – 16.2 = 10.8) – When I saw this, I thought the site was going to crash and a vortex would suck me into middle earth. Rudy has him just below my ADP steal Charlie Blackmon ($16.4) and we all know how Grey feels about Nolan. Sky is another lover of Arenado too, and I am feeling Nolan like a teenager who wants to feel his friends hot mom. Grey likes to be bold for who is next and Rudy is hanging out with Bill O’Reilly with his conservative rankings here.
Ian Desmond (29.0 – 17.3 = 11.7) – This one screams positional scarcity to me. For those that read Rudy’s post where he threw scarcity out the car window like an old cheeseburger wrapper, know that his rankings this year are fueled by Meritocracy Theory – Do no position adjustments. Looking over Grey’s top-30 shows us that 26th ranked Michael Brantley (87/17/92/19/.301) is better for your team than 16th ranked Ian Desmond (75/21/87/22/.251) as long as you use Rudy’s 2015 theory.
Tyson Ross (20.0 – 7.6 = 12.4) – Okay, this one is too easy to pick on. In every draft I have been in, no one is agreeing with Grey on Ross. Steamer has him at 166 innings so that comparison is useless. Rudy values pitching more than Grey except on Ross…and a few others. He has him at 39, Grey at 14, and I have him on someone else’s team for 2015.
Mat Latos (16.0 + 1.2 = 17.2) – WTF is with my math problems? Grey kinda sorta likes Latos in a “take a flyer on a guy that should be a deal on draft day” way because “Latos is too young (27) to be breaking down, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt”, and that’s me quoting Grey. I’m guessing he is banking on Dallas Latos the blogger and motivational speaker factor that no one else is seeing. Rudy is zipping up the body bag and moving on to older pastures with guys like Brandon McCarthy (30th), John Lackey (26th) and Lance Lynn (29th).
Evan Gattis (7.0 – 18.7 = -11.7) – We all know Grey hates drafting catchers early but Rudy just told us to take that theory and shove it where the sun don’t shine. Numbers are numbers wherever they may come from. Catchers have been going at a massive discount in the few drafts I’ve been in this year and I’m leaning Rudy on this one. In Gattis we get the rare chance to draft a catcher that will be playing the outfield and DH’ing in a better home park than last year. What’s not to like! Can I get a 600 at bats? I love you Albright, but for the love of god, bump up Gattis in your ranks. 183? Oh FFS, c’mon!
Kolten Wong (18.0 – 6.8 = 11.2) – Grey hearts Wong and Rudy is just okay with Wong. I’m all in with Grey here. I like me some nice young hot Wong to make everything better for 2015. With all the small-to-large question marks with the 2nd basemen going ahead of Wong in this years draft, why not live a little and buy yourself some Wong? Sometimes you have to throw your sack on the table and let the draft room know you want a player and that you DGAF. Wong is that guy. Own him, hold him, but not too much, you’ll go blind. Rudy has him below the the fantasy snoozer Daniel Murphy Bed, and that’s just wong…wrong.
There are many other names I could have gone over here, Clayton Kershaw (-10.4 difference), Anthony Rendon (9.1), Adam Jones (8.5), Max Scherzer (-9.2), Danny Santana (10), Jedd Gyorko (14.6), and Melky Cabrera to name a few. But what fun would that be? Please explore the list and share your thoughts in the comments. My best advice is to use them both, one to let you fly and the other to keep you grounded. I’m going to be drafting one of my RCL’s by making alternating picks between the two ranks for funnzies. You don’t have to pick a side, unless you want to. My choice is…
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