Each week I’ll be looking at some favorable match-ups to help you grab a few extra steals for your fantasy team. Whether you are in a weekly or daily league, looking at weak defensive catchers and strong/aggressive base running teams may help you make decisions as to which players you should start or sit in your hunt for an edge in the stolen base category. Since the 2013 season is only a week old, I’ll use some data from 2012 to get started and give you an idea of what we will be looking for. Just realize that these are only two dimensions that can affect stolen base totals.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Rob Brantly
A quick primer to begin: This is not a list of my top overall prospects — Shelby Miller would not lead that list. No, this list exists only to serve those of us in fantasyland. The names that follow are, at this moment, the prospects who have the best chance at offering positive contributions for fantasy owners in 2013. My method here was quite simple: each player was assigned a grade for both potential fantasy impact, and for current opportunity. Those variables were weighed equally, totals were then tallied, and finally, I sorted out the ties and adjusted here and there as I saw fit. Opportunity grades are always tough. At this point in the year, circumstances can shift overnight and a prospect’s ETA can change dramatically (see Miller). My plan is to revisit this list before opening day, and also to keep a running Top Ten Fantasy Prospects throughout the year in order to keep us posted at any given moment as to which fantasy-relevant prospects are next to arrive in the bigs. In any case, this list should suffice for those of us drafting early.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Like Tobias from Arrested Development, the Miami Marlins will forever be known for their offseason fire sale. OH, THE BURNING! Giancarlo Stanton seems to be the last man standing in South Beach. However, rebuilding can often mean opportunities for young talent to shine. This will be the case for catcher Rob Brantly. Brantly, 23, will have the chance to be the every-day catcher (sorry, Jeff Mathis) for Miami in 2013.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2012 (28) | 2011 (29) | 2010 (8) | 2009 (2) | 2008 (14)
2012 Affiliate Records
MLB: [69-93] NL East
AAA: [73-67] Pacific Coast League — New Orleans
AA: [70-70] Southern League — Jacksonville
A+: [74-62] Florida State League — Jupiter
A: [80-59] South Atlantic League — Greensboro
A(ss): [44-13] New York-Penn League — Jamestown (Batavia beginning 2013)
Arizona Fall League Players — Phoenix Dessert Dogs
Michael Brady (RHP); Grant Dayton (LHP); Brian Flyn (LHP); Scott McGough (RHP); Jake Realmuto (C); Kyle Jensen (OF); Christian Yelich (OF)
Graduated Prospects of Note
Jacob Turner (RHP), Matt Dominguez* (3B); Scott Cousins (OF)
*Now with Houston
The Run Down
While Miami fans cannot be pleased with the Marlins’ roster moves at the big league level, it’s tough to ignore the club’s improvement in the minor leagues. Not only did system talent like Christian Yelich and Jose Fernandez explode with breakout years, but the organization added necessary depth via trades with Detroit and St.
Yesterday, Cliff Lee gave the line 8 IP, 1 ER, 8 baserunners, 10 Ks to move his record to 6-7 in 190 innings. That’s to go with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. If you had 7 wins as his over/under for the year with a full season of starts and without him being traded midseason to the Astros, you might win yourself a lot of money.
Please, blog, may I have some more?