Comments on: Top 20 3rd Basemen, 2011 Fantasy Baseball

By: chata

chata — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:38:57 +0000

@Steve: you can bet your azz that it would take more than a few beers for me to step into the batter's box . and , just in case the pitcher i was about to face was a little wild , fried chicken doesn't seem like such a bad choice for a last meal .

By: wily mo

wily mo — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:54:02 +0000

@Grey: i actually keep forgetting longoria wound up getting to 30 last year. he came on late, 17 in august & september. but after the power binges he went on when he was so young, every spring i keep expecting him to go for 40. so yeah, he's probably a good target for next year.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:16:11 +0000

@Steve: Ha! I like how that's become a focal point for their collapse. Like Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle or so many others weren't three sheets to the wind even when they were playing... @Nick: It was more of a comp for this year. Going forward, he's young and can get better.

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:03:44 +0000

I think the Overbay/Sandoval comp is fundamentally flawed in a lot of ways. Firstly, Sandoval’s already had a season better than Overbay’s peak year (in 2009, he hit .330 w/25 homers and 90 RBI). Secondly, Overbay’s “big” year came at the age of 29; Sandoval is exceeding that production at the age of 24. And yes, Sandoval’s 2011 is less than/equal to in counting stats to Overbay’s 2006 season, but in 155 fewer AB’s. A fully healthy Sandoval very likely could have pushed 30 HR and 100 RBI. Even after breaking his hamate bone, an injury that scouts say saps a hitter’s power, Pablo continued to hit home runs to all fields. He very well could project out to be a top 5 third baseman going into 2012.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:02:17 +0000

Am I the only one who’s wondering how awesome it would be if the Red Sox pitchers drank beer and ate fried chicken on the days they WERE pitching?

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:52:30 +0000

@wily mo: He actually had a solid season last season minus the average and that was because of some shizzy luck. I think the market per ESPN will have Longoria in the late 2nd round, which will be absurd.

By: wily mo

wily mo — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:48:37 +0000

@Grey: yeah, i wasn't really addressing any particular comment there, just general philosophy of position scarcity while we're on the subject of 3B being horrible. longoria to me is a beast with questions. i keep on expecting him to finally be huge the next year and he keeps on not quite doing it. still not sure why that is. i mean he was my example for why bautista was good, i kept saying bautista "turns on fastballs like longoria," and then bautista came out and did it and longoria didn't. so what's his problem, i don't know. just health? but i'm just drafting him on his bat, at this point, whatever i decide i think about it. if i get suspicious he's fixing to flake out on me again i'm passing on him until at least the late second round, by which time he'll probably be gone. or will he? i have no clue yet what the market's going to be. i haven't even built my preliminary stack of hitters for 2012 yet. maybe you can't push him down that far.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:34:38 +0000

@TheKingAdRock: No problem. He was not eligible in ESPN from what I see.

By: TheKingAdRock

TheKingAdRock — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:32:07 +0000

i stuck Alex Gordon at third after i youk started to suck… i’m in a yahoo league wasn’t he 3b eligible in ESPN leagues? thanks for a great season Grey!!!

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:24:18 +0000

@Steve: Yeah, it's pretty freakin' incredible. I could've bathed in the sauce. Actually, I did bath my mouth in it. @wily mo: I agree that you should just draft beasts. Some would say Longoria was a beast coming into 2011 though and he disappointed. I also agree with your 2nd comment (which I think is agreeing with me). You need big power bats, especially now with no steroids in the game.

By: wily mo

wily mo — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:11:10 +0000

i think the overlooked factor has something to do with replacement value. like grey was saying in the 1B writeup. monster 1Bs don’t really come out of nowhere. just doesn’t happen. they also don’t crap out on you that often. at 2B/3B/SS, yes, there are no studs to draft, but that also means that (A) most of your opponents aren’t going to have studs there either, and (B) it’s so much easier for a random ryan roberts type dude to have a surprise year that’s just as good as 90% of the guys who got drafted at that position. and (C) the guys you’re drafting aren’t studs and so might totally crap out on you. those positions are high variance. so i just draft sluggers at slugger positions until i have them stacked two deep and then fill in the thin positions with up and comers off the FA wire. (in standard leagues that’s a lot easier than deep type leagues, of course.) it really works well.

By: wily mo

wily mo — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:06:29 +0000

honestly i think drafting for a thin position bites you in the ass more often than it helps you. in the last few years i’ve shifted to a hardcore, no-exceptions strategy of “ignore position and just imagine this guy in the batter’s box facing your favorite team’s pitcher, if that scares you, draft him” and i’ve been killing it. like, tulo, the fact that he’s a SS, ok, i’ll consider that. but after that point, no. draft beast hitters until they’re gone, full stop. as long as you do a good job of identifying who the beast hitters are, it really works.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:39:08 +0000

@Grey: Oh man, just did some research and that all sounds so good. Most envious. His website needs some work, though (emoticon)

By: Grey

Grey — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:29:04 +0000

@Steve: J Mueller BBQ was incredible. Was probably the best BBQ I had in my life but good BBQ is so abundant in Texas Rudy said it wasn't even the best in Austin. Was a trailer in a parking lot and the brisket was heavenly. Moneyball was a disappointment. My hopes were high. People gave it A+ marks. I'd give it around a B/B-.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:12:18 +0000

@Grey: I would, but I just saw him go behind the gym with Berry. So - the BBQ was good? Also - did you see Moneyball yet?

By: Grey

Grey — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:08:55 +0000

@DrEasy: Now you're abandoning him? Aw, geez... @BookieBob: Ha! Wow, that's random. @theguarantee: Yeah, didn't work wanting a stud 3rd baseman last year though. @Steve: Pass him a note for him, tell him to leave me alone.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:48:43 +0000

@Grey: Oops. He asked me to pass you a note. I must have put it in the wrong desk.

By: theguarantee

theguarantee — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 21:33:46 +0000

Would also concur that I think Longo goes plenty early last year. Maybe top-10 even. Around 12 looks about right though. The other guys have more dings against them and less to be excited about. And maybe even more reason than ever to want a stud 3B next year, in my opinion.

By: BookieBob

BookieBob — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:12:07 +0000

Evan Longoria – If it wasn’t for bad luck, he would’ve had no luck at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPL7nN99jno

THAT’S going around the horn!

Or not. Whatev.

By: DrEasy

DrEasy — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:00:17 +0000

Now as much as I supported Bautista last year, I don’t see him repeating next year. His second half (HR derby curse?) makes me think he’ll be a 30-HR, low AVG player next year. I’ll stay away.

By: Grey

Grey — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:42:43 +0000

@SwaggerJackers: Sounds about right for Longoria. Youuuuuuk's now going on two years where he hasn't been great, but sure anything's possible when a guy takes walks. I don't think he's definitely the starter, but he's probably the first in line as of right now. Barely.

By: SwaggerJackers

SwaggerJackers — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:37:09 +0000

I think Longo still goes late 1st round. Maybe 12 overall.

Youk could bounce back and put up solid numbers.

Is Casey Mcgehee even a starter next season?

By: Grey

Grey — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:00:09 +0000

@papasmurf: Yeah, I think he'll be right around there. Around where Alvarez was this year. Sorry for that example.

By: papasmurf

papasmurf — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:58:48 +0000

Brett Lawrie’s gonna crack the top 10 next year, ain’t he? Assuming he’s healthy.

Wright did have that back thing.

By: Tony

Tony — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:30:34 +0000

@RandomItalicizedVoice: i doubt Longo slips much past the 2nd round, IF THAT.... wright i could see mid to late 2nd MAYBE early 3rd and zimmerman will be a 3rd-4th rounder.... they're gambles, but i see someone going for it at that point in drafts.

By: Grey

Grey — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:17:27 +0000

@Steve: We're not. We hate each other. @chata: I'm going around the horn. Shortstops will be next. @El Famous Burrito: Ha! @RandomItalicizedVoice: Yup @Josh: Ha @Mark: Yeah, probably not. @K RoC: What about Freese for what? @Eddy: Ha!

By: Eddy

Eddy — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:03:26 +0000

Chien-Ming Wang is talking contract extension with the Nationals.

So in other words, the Nationals want to extend their Wang.

By: K RoC

K RoC — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:18:42 +0000

What about Freese? At least that way you can take Headley off haha.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:00:07 +0000

So assuming the Mets move the fences in a bit and replace their training staff with a bunch of recent clown college grads, you going all in on Metsies next year?

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:46:42 +0000

Appreciate the honesty and accountability Grey. I’m still waiting for Matthew Berry to realize maybe Kyle Blanks and Tyler Colvin won’t each hit 40 HRs.