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Author: Jakkers

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Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen for 2021 – Week 12

June 20, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Second Basemen | 4 Comments

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Before the season starts, we devour all the statistics we can about a player in order to determine where we should rank them ahead of our fantasy draft or auction.

We look at home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage. What was a player’s ISO, average exit velocity, and BABIP? How did a player hit over the final month, two months, and/or three months of the previous season? We need to know who was on the decline and who showed improvement.

Then there is a number I always look at – a player’s age, especially when it comes to dynasty leagues. In my preseason rankings, I valued a younger player more than an older player, especially for a redraft/dynasty league. But maybe it is time to put that bias aside and just go with the numbers and my gut.

Why, you may ask? Well, when it comes to the top second basemen this year, youth is being pushed aside by the veterans. Four of my top five ranked second basemen are 30 or older. Out of my top 10 players, seven of them are now in their 30s. So while I love the younger players, perhaps it is not wise to write off those aging players just yet.

So, just who are these veterans showing they can still play the game. Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops for 2021 – Week 11

June 13, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Top 25 Shortstops | 20 Comments

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Fantasy rankings are always an interesting exercise. How much do you weigh a slump at the plate? Should an injury penalize a player? The answer to that is the oh-so-great “it depends.”

Is the slump over the past week or two? If yes, then the player may drop down in the rankings a bit but he won’t disappear, especially if he is a proven veteran. If it is a month-long slump, then that player is obviously not one of the top 25 players at that time. I don’t think anyone could realistically rank Francisco Lindor as a Top 25 shortstop during the first month of the season.

Now that we are two-plus months into the season, I look at players on three levels when I consider trading for them or adding them from the waiver wire. The obvious level is what are his overall statistics. I then look at what they have done in the last 14 days and 30 days.

If I’m going to add a player to one of my dynasty teams, I want production, not just this year but for the next year or two. Thus, I’ll go even deeper into the weeds and look at their exit velocities, hard-hit percentage, and strikeout percentage and compare them to past seasons. If a player’s counting stats look nice but his overall numbers are trending down, I’m going to think twice before trading assets for him or picking up a free agent and thus have to drop one of my current players.

As for injuries, if a player is out for 10 days, I’m not going to drop him out of the rankings unless he was already near the bottom of the rankings. But if a player is out for a considerable amount of time, then that will affect where he is ranked. That is why Corey Seager is not ranked right now. In real life, he is still a top 25 shortstop. No MLB would drop Seager from their roster because he is hurt. But in fantasy baseball, Seager is not helping anyone. He has not produced for weeks and it will be weeks before he hits the field – so he is not a top 25 fantasy shortstop right now.

But there are plenty of players who are not injured and who are not slumping at the plate. Which players have moved up the rankings or entered the Top 25? Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen for 2021 – Week 10

June 6, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Second Basemen | 4 Comments

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The baseball season is now two months old, and over the first third of the season, what have I learned?

I learned that Marcus Semien was a good signing by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays didn’t care that Semien wasn’t a second baseman. All they saw was a player who finished third in the American League MVP voting in 2019 was available so they snagged him.

Meanwhile, I have also learned that I didn’t overvalue Whit Merrifield in preseason rankings as he continues to produce and steal bases, which in today’s game makes Merrifield a superstar. I learned not to underestimate Max Muncy. I had him ranked 10th in my final preseason rankings, one spot ahead of Nick Madrigal. Madrigal is nowhere to be seen in the rankings anymore while Muncy is now a Tier 1 second baseman.

Is there anything else I learned? Yep. I should have listened to my gut when it came to DJ LeMahieu. I had a debate with myself when it came to ranking him second overall because I was worried about his age. He seemed too good of a hitter for that to be a concern, but right now, I am looking really silly for ranking him that high.

Is LeMahieu still even ranked? Who has surprised this season and become a Top 10 second baseman? Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops for 2021 – Week 9

May 30, 2021 | Top 25 Shortstops | 6 Comments

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When ranking players every two weeks, you have to treat those rankings a lot like the stock market. Players are going to have hot streaks, and if you are lucky enough, you get them into the lineup and ride the wave. Of course, just like the stock market, players also suffer slumps and can devastate your lineup if they are a key part of your team.

But a good fantasy owner knows, or is lucky enough, to catch the players when his stock is going up and have enough depth to overcome a player whose stock is falling. Some players see their value drop because of injury or illness, such as Fernando Tatis Jr. A true clue chip stock, owners were obviously not going to get rid of him when his value fell. They just waited for Tatis to get healthy and watch his value rise. Right now, it is through the roof.

Players who are not Tatis are tougher to judge. Joey Wendle has taken fantasy owners on a rollercoaster ride this season. A great hot streak to start the season before turning ice cold only to turn it around at the plate. Did you catch the Wild Wendle Ride at the right time, or did you ride it too long, got off and now are wondering whether to get back on?

Let’s find out with this week’s rankings of the Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen for 2021 – Week 8

May 23, 2021 | Top 50 Middle Infielders | 14 Comments

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At the start of the season, I was certain Ozzie Albies was the top fantasy second basemen, followed closely by DJ LeMahieu. I was so smart to rank them there and I knew it. Filling out my top five were Whit Merrfield, Keston Hiura, and Brandon Lowe all ranked in my Top 5.

I wish I could say I was spot on about all five players. But if there is one thing that I should have learned in my lifetime, it is that what I am certain about in baseball is not always the way things turn out.

My initial Top 5 currently has only one player still there. Thanks, Merrifield, for living up to expectations so far. The rest of you, ugh. Albies, LeMahieu, and Lowe all struggled out of the gates but have since shown signs of life at the plate. And if you are an owner of Hiura, I’m sorry. I hope you enjoyed the two-run homer he hit for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds the other day. So outside of Merrifield, my Top 5 was completely wrong.

So who is now in the Top 5 and fills out the rest of the rankings? Has Albies done enough to crack the Top 10? Has LeMehieu or Lowe? Let’s find out.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops for 2021 – Week 7

May 16, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Shortstops, Top 25 Shortstops | 4 Comments

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With April in the rear view mirror and June fast approaching, we are starting to see a lot less wild movement in the Top 25 Fantasy Shortstop rankings.

Two weeks ago, five new players entered the rankings – Alex Bregman, Brandon Crawford, Paul DeJong, Freddy Galvis and Kike Hernandez. While all five players produced well to move into the rankings, they were help by the continued freefall of Francisco Lindor and the cold bats of Eugenio Suarez and Donovan Solano and injuries to Jean Segura and Ketel Marte.

Now in Week 7, the top shortstops have, for the most part, moved to the top of the rankings while the middle tier players are settling into their spot in the rankings. Of course, not all the stars are performing as expected and players you probably thought were never going to valuable in fantasy baseball are doing their best to get off the free agent wire.

If you are wondering about Lindor and where he is ranked, don’t waste your time. He is still missing in action this season, hitting .195 with two home runs and seven RBI. I guess if there is a bright spot, both of his home runs and five of his seven RBI have come over the last two weeks. If you can buy low on him, you might as well do it because he has to turn it around at some point, right?

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen for 2021 – Week 6

May 9, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Second Basemen | 6 Comments

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Happy Mother’s Day! If you are a mother reading this, I just wanted to wish you a wonderful day and appreciate all you do. I know I wouldn’t who I am without the guidance of my mom. And I know my household would be a disaster without the leadership of my wife and mother of two.

OK, so with the important stuff out of the way, let’s talk some baseball. With the weather heating up, we are finally seeing some players who were ice cold in April starting to find their groove at the plate. That’s right, we are looking at you DJ LeMahieu and Ozzie Albies. Top 5 second basemen entering the season, you left millions of fantasy owners nearly bald as they were pulling out their hair watching you look like Freddie Patak at the plate.

Meanwhile, some players who I was hesitant to rank at the start of the season continue to produce, such as Ryan McMahon and Garrett Hampson of the Rockies. I’m still waiting for the bubble to burst, but that is because years of expectations for these two have always left me shaking my head wondering why I kept having them on my teams. Guess the secret for them to produce was for me to finally dump them from my teams. So all you McMahon and Hampson owners, you’re welcome. I expect you owners to post kind words about me now.

Enough small talk. Let’s get to the rankings and discuss who’s hot and who’s not.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Shortstops: Week 5

May 2, 2021 | Top 50 Middle Infielders | 10 Comments

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The month of April has come and gone. Among the hundreds of players in Major League Baseball, perhaps no one is happier about that than Francisco Lindor.

Acquired in the offseason by the New York Mets to be the face and anchor of the franchise, the perennial All-Star is off to such a bad start, Mets fans are greeting him with boos. That is what happens when you are hitting .189 with a .299 on-base percentage and a woeful .243 slugging percentage.

Is this just a player trying too hard to impress his new team and fanbase? Maybe. Lots of players have struggled to adjust to new settings or the bright lights of New York before figuring things out. Perhaps, however, Lindor’s struggles are not a blip. When you look deeper into his stats, maybe what we are seeing now is the start of a trend.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Fantasy Second Basemen: Week 4

April 25, 2021 | Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Second Basemen | 10 Comments

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The start of the baseball season is fascinating because you can quickly see which owners are quick to ditch players and which owners believe in the slow and steady approach.

For dynasty leagues, owners are conditioned to ride out the slow starts and sometimes overlook the hot streaks, knowing that by the end of the season the good players will likely be good and the fringe players will likely be back on the fringes.

But for non-dynasty owners, being quick to react can be the difference between winning and losing. A lot of owners were surely thinking there is no way Yermin Mercedes would still be red-hot at the plate. But he is, and he is making those owners who snatched him up look like geniuses.

These rankings are more of a reflection of the owner’s who lead the league in adds and drops.  Thanks to a hot two or three weeks, players who were barely on the radar of fantasy players are now Top 10 second baseman. Meanwhile, expected studs such as Ozzie Albies, DJ LeMahieu and Brandon Lowe would be on the free-agent scrap heap if not for their name and track history.

So let’s see who has been red-hot and moved up the rankings and let’s find out how far Albies, LeMahieu and Lowe have fallen.
For dynasty leagues, owners are conditioned to ride out the slow starts and sometimes overlook the hot streaks, knowing that by the end of the season the good players will likely be good and the fringe players will likely be back on the fringes.

But for non-dynasty owners, being quick to react can be the difference between winning and losing. A lot of owners were surely thinking there is no way Yermin Mercedes would still be red-hot at the plate. But he is, and he is making those owners who snatched him up look like geniuses.

These rankings are more of a reflection of the owner’s who lead the league in adds and drops.  Thanks to a hot two or three weeks, players who were barely on the radar of fantasy players are now Top 10 second baseman. Meanwhile, expected studs such as Ozzie Albies, DJ LeMahieu and Brandon Lowe would be on the free agent scrap heap if not for their name and track history.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Shortstops Rankings: Week 3

April 18, 2021 | Top 50 Middle Infielders | 5 Comments

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Well, it didn’t take long for injuries and poor play to blow up my preseason rankings.

Fernando Tatis is back in the lineup now for the Padres, but he gave every fantasy owner a heart attack when a vicious swing nearly ripped his shoulder off his body. Meanwhile, Adalberto Mondesi has yet to even get his season started while Tim Anderson was sidelined with a hamstring issue. While injuries are a nuisance, nothing frustrates a fantasy owner more than poor performance.

It seems shortstops such has Trevor Story, Gleyber Torres and Dansby Swanson have decided to enter the witness protection program instead of hit a baseball with any consistency. Story’s slow start has seen him fall 16 spots in my rankings while Torres and Swanson are nowhere to be seen in the rankings right now. Speaking of rankings, let’s get on with the show and see who ranks where – and why.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Second Basemen: Week 2

April 11, 2021 | Rest of Season Rankings, Second Basemen | 12 Comments

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Well, just over one week into the season, who is ready to dump Ozzie Albies and who is ready to trade the farm for Chris Owings? OK, no one with a functioning brain will do any of those two things, but that is the reaction some fantasy owners are feeling at this point of the fantasy season.

If this were the middle of July, a bad week from Albies and a hot week from Owings wouldn’t move the needle much in the fantasy world. But when the season is brand new, who’s who and who’s not leads to excess celebration or hair pulling. These rankings will reward those who produced and punish those who had a bad stretch of play – though there are always exceptions as we have to look forward and not always in the rear view mirror.

With that in mind, you won’t see Albies sitting at the top of the rankings as the best second baseman – but he is still ranked. Six players who weren’t ranked in the final preseason rankings are now listed below, though one of them – Jonathan India – was a player to watch during those final rankings. So let’s stop wasting time and get to the rankings.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
Jakkers

Top 25 Shortstop Rankings

April 4, 2021 | Rest of Season Rankings, Top 25 Shortstops | 1 Comment

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Last year is officially behind us!

Months after the Dodgers defeated the Rays in the World Series to cap the most unique season Major League Baseball has ever seen, followed by countless offseason moves and meaningless exhibition games, the baseball season has thankfully begun.

Of course, it is impossible to completely put the past behind us. For the Mets and Nationals, they must think that they are still stuck in 2020 as their season-opening series was wiped out due to the COVID virus affecting a host of Washington players. But for everyone else, every hit, home run and strikeout now count. That means we are all checking how our fantasy teams five or six time a not to see how our players are doing on the field.

Gone are the endless updates of our preseason rankings as we prepared for drafts. Now the fun part starts – tracking the players and their performance as the season unfolds. Will the top players perform as expected, or will one of them pull a Christian Yelich or Jose Altuve on us and stink it up all season. With only a handful of games in the books, the Top 25 Shortstop Rankings are basically the same as they were a month ago, but there has been some player movement.

So without further adieu, lets get to the rankings.

Please, blog, may I have some more?
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