As I sit here sipping my IPA, dreaming of the what ifs in life on a Sunday night before the cold reality of hits on Monday morning, I like to dream. I go back to a time when I was a mere child and I recount some of my favorite things. I used to love dinosaurs. Thought I’d be a Paleontologist when I grew up (and I may still. Fun fact! I haven’t grown up). I also loved Greek mythology. I’d sit and read through encyclopedias, going from character to character, story to story. Yeah, I was a nerd (Fun fact part 2! I’m still a nerd). But the one thing that brings me back to my childhood? The movie Young Guns. Now looking back on scenes like this, I kinda ponder how I was allowed to watch such things at such an age. Hell, I even hold a special place in my heart for Bon Jovi cuz of this damn movie series. This shizz goes deep! But why do I ramble about all this? Cuz I’m gonna refer to Billy Burns as Billy the Kid from here on out. Yeah, 150+ words about my washed up life just to get to that point. Come fight me. But at least wait until you’re done. Here’s my take on why Billy Burns could be a deep league special for the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season…
Speed is overrated. I’m referring to the movie, of course. Really odd to think that’s what put Sandra Bullock on the map. If we’re being honest speed kills, but it has to be at the right price and it has to be elite to want to start a guy. Billy Hamilton is an elite speed guy. Dee Gordon is an elite speed guy. Rajai Davis? Eh…not so much. You want me to get geeked about a guy whose all about wheels, he better have 60 steal potential and he better have a starting job. So of course I’m here talking about a guy who’s not even said to be on the 25 man roster on most depth charts. But in my mind, Billy the Kid is in a perfect position heading into Spring Training for a chance at not only becoming a part of the 25 but also clinching a starting role. The case for Billy the Kid part 1: Coco Crisp – or as his owners from 2014 would call him, ‘Coco Cripple’. Coco had a career year in 2013 and followed it up with his worst year since 2009. He only played 49 games in 2009. He played 126 in 2014. Ruh-roh…Crisp and father time aren’t friends at this point and he’ll be 36 by the end of the year. Age and stolen bases don’t go together well and for oft-injured Crisp, it’s only getting worse. But let’s give Coco the benefit of the doubt and say the A’s realize he needs to have a less grueling position to play so they move him to left field. Left field is currently Sam Fuld…or as I like to call him the case for Billy the Kid part 2. The argument for Sam Fuld starting for a major league team is much like your argument against Nic Cage’s bird hair: invalid. He’s an OF4. A solid OF4, sure, but an OF4 nonetheless. In Billy the Kid, the A’s have a 25 year old OF with two 50+ SB seasons under his belt down on the farm. At that age, it’s really a make or break year for the young speedster. I’m of the mindset he makes it. Of course, I’m calling him Billy the Kid and we know how that ended…hopefully he doesn’t go down in a blaze of glory and just blazes.
