It’s like ESPN has taken over Razzball the last few days because it’s all Red Sox and Yankees all the time. A Yoan Moncada fantasy on Monday, Aaron Judge fantasy on Tuesday and Andrew Benintendi today. Who’s next? Tyler Austin? “Ha, Grey you crack me up with your witticisms and third person ramblings.” Thanks, Self, but you’re standing on my foot. “You’re such a klutz!” Don’t you mean, I’m such a klutz? “You tell me.” I legit got a headache during that third person conversation. No wonder homeless people are always banging their head with their hand. That shizz is exhausting. On Monday, Prospector Ralph aka Rappin’ Ralph aka The Ralper aka Red Sox Homer aka Ralph Lifshitz said he’d want Benintendi over Moncada, and I thought that was interesting but didn’t agree. Benintendi does have a more solid floor — solider? Benintendi looks less likely to be awful, whereas Moncada does have that possibility. To use a clumsy comparison of another Cuban player, Yasiel Puig looked can’t miss until he didn’t even start playoff games for Andrew Toles, who was working in a supermarket last year at this time, and Toles over Puig made sense because of how little Puig has done — or is it has-been? That’s likely people’s fears with Moncada. Those fears don’t carry as much weight with Benintendi. Not sure his ceiling is that high either, and, with rookies, I want ceiling over floor. Anyway, what can we expect of Andrew Benintendi for 2017 fantasy baseball?
Benintendi seems like a lock to start the year with the Red Sox, barring an injury or some offseason trade. There’s a chance he could platoon, but the guys taking at-bats from him against lefties won’t be either good or able to face righties. Those speed humps are LLAMAS, the lot of them. So, playing time seems locked up for at least 475 ABs, which is more abs than Billy Butler in a Brookstone massage chair. The other good stuff is Benintendi’s plate discipline is ridonk. Some guys he’s been compared to are McCutchen, David Wright, Markakis, CarGonzalez, Kinsler and Marte. No batting average drags there. Contact! Can Benintendi get a hit, boom or BABIP? More BABIP, and less boom. He strikes me as a 20-ish homer guy vs. a big bomber. Maybe he fills out in a few years and starts hitting more badonkadonks than a drunk Ben Affleck. Watching Benintendi hit made me think he could become a guy that would hit pull homers and opposite field off-the-Green Monster jobbers. Speed? Yeah, he’s got that too. You starting to see his appeal, Adnan Syed? He’s a five category performer. The speed is likely going to either come or go with the power. He fills out more and he’ll hit more homers and steal less; he stays trim, slim and light-skin and he might steal 25 bags. I’m legit concerned he turns into one of the guys I listed above and you can guess which one it is. It’s the only guy who we need to avoid from that list: the Greek God of Lame, Markakis. When Markakis first came up he hit 23 HRs, stole 18 bags and hit .300. He never hit much lower than .280 for ten years straight, but, because of his body size and non-burner speed, Markakis obviously became an average only play. That’s what I fear Benintendi could be. Not bad in the real world when you’re fighting for a job and arguing about who needs to clean the dishes, but in fantasy it’s a bit yawnstipating. I’m gonna give Benintendi the benefit of the doubt and give him the line of 79/16/68/.303/19 in 480 ABs.
I cant wait for 2017’s Cleveland steamer projections.
@jash: Better than waiting for the Cleveland streamer projections
Grey,
I struck a deal last night and wanted your opinion.
I gave up: deGrom, Quintana, Duvall, Allard, and Zimmer
I get: Sale, Stanton, Britton, and Judge
How did I do?
Talk about a fleece job. Actually hard to believe.
@Scott Kimmel: I like the Sale side
@Grey,
You mean me getting the Sale Judge, Britton and Stanton side
Yeah, good for you
the deal has to approved by the league.
@Scott Kimmel: Which Zimmer, Bradley or Kyle or?
Malicious Phenoms: The OF from CLE. So I think it’s Bradley
@Scott Kimmel: Good trade for you man!
@Scott Kimmel: Hopefully it does then
3 for 3 now! I must be doing something right in my keeper league.
Also, let me ask ya, is Gary Sanchez eligible and just dinged because he’s a catcher, eligible and you don’t believe in him, or not eligible?
@Branta: Gary Sanchez isn’t rookie eligible, so he won’t get one of these posts… Is he catcher eligible is another question…
As Giancarlo is to Grey, Benintendi is to myself. The Razzball SAT analogy.
@Tweak: Ha, you and Ralph
@Tweak: Go easy now, Beni is like one of Raplhs kids to him…hehe
Schwarber looks good at the plate, not sure I would start him in LF @ Wrigley..I think he would be a nice bat off the bench for the Cubs.
I don’t think you can start him… Something re-injures in his knee in the field and it could be calamitous… Not worth it, and not like they don’t have other options
No doubt guys, I hope they don’t start him, but what a great late pinch hitter if need be..
Yeah, agreed
@Grey: @Count de Monetball:
GREAT NEWS, from rotoworld and for us that own dude in a a dynasty!
Cubs president Theo Epstein said Thursday afternoon that Kyle Schwarber is not medically cleared to play left field.
Schwarber is coming off knee surgery and doctors feel that there’s too much risk involved with rushing him back to play the field. While he served as the designated hitter for the first two games in Cleveland, he’ll be limited to pinch-hitting duties for the next three games in Chicago. The Cubs were hoping for better news, but Schwarber is still capable of making an impact off the bench.
Nice! Haha, such fantasy baseballers
@Grey:
Of course. I have to think of my team first!
I know, me too!
I started watching Veep. About 6 episodes in. SoliD so far
Yeah, it’s funny… Did you stop watching Justified?
@Grey: it’s on pause. Been reading a lot lately
What you reading?
@Grey: a hodgepodge between a book about the mind/psyvhology of the sports fan and a couple different graphic novels I picked up when I take my daughter to the comic book store
Ah, cool… You stop watching The Wire too? That’s who I’m currently reading, David Simon
@Grey: Babys Mama has been working crazy hours so its on pause til we get past November
Ah, gotcha… Hope you got to a good place to pause, otherwise it’s a tough show to just pick up again
@Big Odio: “What are you laughing at, Jolly Green Jizz Face?”
@Dr. Kenneth Noisewater: I’m probably going to get this wrong, “I’m left with the guy that looks like a police artist sketch of a rapist”
@Big Odio: Haha, show is just constant memorable one liners. One of my favorite Jonah jokes is from a nobody that is in maybe two episodes.
Finally convinced my girl to watch and she was like ohhhh ok, so this is why she’s won 14 Emmy’s in row.
@Dr. Kenneth Noisewater: so many good jokes that you have to wait for. I appreciate that. So far the fake dog is awesome and anything with Jonah. I just finished the episode when they go to see the metal band
@Big Odio: I’m re-watching them here and there as she’s watching. But I missed the last 2 seasons so I’m pumped to get all caught up with them.
Grey!
Great write-up.
a. Sorry for arriving late, but better late than never. Also I remember the last time I didn’t show up and all hell broke loose.
b. Off to N’Djamena tomorrow for 7 nights in the capital!
c. Otherwise things are ok. Major SNAFU today, but ok now that I get to read this masterpiece.
Cheers,
Ante
A. Yes, I thought something happened to you B. Fun? Business? C. Good!
@Grey: Grey!!!
a. Thanks for caring, man. Last time I missed a day you got a tummy ache and then I showed up on JB’s pitcher profile (I think it was Musgrove’s profile) and then you saw me there and THEN all hell broke loose, right?
b. Business.
c. I approved two people’s mission requests (worth 1200$ for each staff member) about 10 days ago. Then my boss calls me this morning (never good when he calls, it’s never for chit-chat) and says that I have to annul their mission requests (and hence take back the 1200$). Needless to say they were happy about it. But then this idea of shameless greed started to bother me and it didn’t bother me as much to cancel their missions. There is very little selflessness in these operations among the humanitarian staff – mostly greedy money grabbing mercenaries looking to make a salary (90% of which they send home) and an additional like 25% of a salary just off mission allowances that they spend on their hotties that the wife in faraway places doesn’t know about. I visited this refugee who fell into a hole when he went looking for a job. He damaged his spinal column and currently can’t urinate and has total paralysis from the waist down. Yet, we cracked jokes today with him and he was heartily laughing with me. My predecessors Mr. Bungled his case which should have been treated about 2 years ago. Now, as a result, he will never walk again – probably confined to a wheelchair – and he’s ONLY 27. His wife divorced him after he fell into the hole and she learned of his long-term prognosis. Will let you know what happens, but as a result of some corrective measures I took in the last 2 weeks he should be off for Sweden to have corrective spinal surgery and might be able to urinate again. I could write a book about it, but it would be pretty dull. Anyway, such is life.
Cheers,
Ante
A. Yes! So be careful B. Wow, what bureaucratic BS, that’s actually beyond BS, it’s a little scary… but this can all be summed up with ‘avoid a-holes’
What do you think of Mike Montgomery possibly getting the #5 job next year over Jason Hammel?
He looks like he could be the latest Epstein heist
Maybe at some point if there’s an injury, but he’ll enter spring as a setup man