Can the Braves please trade Craig Kimbrel? This isn’t a fantasy question, it’s a real question. What need does a team, who is obviously rebuilding for 2017, have for the best closer in baseball? Plus, closers are the most overvalued position in sports. Rant over, sorry. Okay, let’s get to some fantasy baseball…
Atlanta Braves
Atlanta is, well, in shambles this year. The best advice I can give for approaching the Braves this year is to stay away, unless their name is Kimbrel, Alex Wood or Julio Teheran. Yes, avoid Freddie Freeman, unless he falls to the sixth round or so. Yeah, you aren’t getting him there, but be happy about it!
A late option I like, especially in roto leagues, is Eric Young. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said that he would feel confident with Young starting the year for the Braves in center, especially with Bossman Junior Upton on the shelf.
Our new writer, Lance Johnson, wrote a good piece on the site about good value guys for steals this year. If Young gets a starting job, he may be my favorite. Once Upton is healthy, Young will compete with him, Nick Markakis and Jonny Gomes mainly for his playing time.
Relevance: Draft the guys I said to draft and avoid the rest. Grab Young late in draft if he’s starting, and let some other chump grab Billy Hamilton in the fourth or fifth round.
New York Mets
It was all good just a week ago. Matt Harvey was moving up the draft boards, and Dillon Gee was checking out property in Arlington, you know, just in case. But then, Zach Wheeler was the latest pitcher to fall victim to a UCL tear, requiring season-ending Tommy John surgery. So much for that post on the depth of the Mets’ pitching staff. Now, along with the mess that is the Mets closer spot, they have to find out who they are slotting into the No. 5 spot in the rotation. Gee seems like the obvious choice, but will the Mets lean toward Rafael Montero instead? Either way, they are both just going to keep the seat warm for Noah Syndergaard, right? Right?!? I wish I knew, too.
Relevance: Gee and Montero are $5 buys for whoever gets the last spot, but I’m not intrigued by any. Syndergaard, though, is worth a draft and stash in redraft leagues.
Miami Marlins
Believe it or not, there’s not much to see in Miami. Other than counting down the days until Jose Fernandez is back, their lineup is set. I will say that I predicted they’d be in Wild Card contention last year, but this is the year that the Marlins return to the playoffs. Well, as long as the best outfield in baseball lives up to its potential and Fernandez returns with little to know problems. But, just in case I’m wrong (it happens pretty frequently), Steve Cishek could be on the move, and A.J. Ramos will likely be the new Marlins closer.
Relevance: None, really. If Cishek is moved, grab Ramos. Aside from that, enjoy what should be an exciting team to watch this year.
Philadelphia Phillies
Living near Philly for the first time is going to be an eye-opening experience for me. I’ll get to see how they deal with the horrible season that’s on the horizon. I don’t want to touch much when it comes with the Phillies, as Cole Hamels will be moved by July 31, and Jonathan Papelbon won’t be far behind. Well, that’s assuming Ruben Amaro knows what he’s doing. It’s a stretch, I know. But the one intriguing option on the Phillies for me is Ken Giles, who will take over the closer duties once Papelbon is dealt. He’s one of the setup men that I’m OK with having in any league, in any format, despite not closing yet. Yeah, he’s that good.
Relevance: You can grab Giles in the 17th or 18th round in your draft and just wait until he’s the closer. He’s top five at the position once it’s his.
Washington Nationals
You know all of the names here. All positions are basically locked up…once every one is healthy. For now, Denard Span and Jayson Werth are slated to miss the opener, leaving Michael Taylor as a starter in Washington. For a team that many feel will win the World Series, there are some players just being drafted criminally late. Ryan Zimmerman, Werth and Span fall into this category.
Zimmerman is going to first now, which should cut down on the injuries that have plagued him. He’s going 10th overall at the position (third base) and 110th overall. To anyone in my own leagues reading this, please let him fall to me.
That goes for Werth and Span, to a lesser extent, too. Werth is, get this, coming off the board as the 44th outfielder during drafts, according to FantasyPros.com. Yeah, he has the shoulder injury that he’s rehabbing, but 44th overall? Based on what, exactly?
Relevance: Grab Werth and Zimmerman and shake the hands of your league mates after the draft. Span is another good cheap run and steals producer toward the middle rounds of your draft, as well.
