Finally, The Second Base Prospect Arrives! …And The Top 100 Overall Hitters, Week 10

After a long wait we finally get the grand entrance! Makes ya feel good, right? Especially if you had the patience to wait for it. Aaah, patience. It’s one of those things you have to learn. No one has it by default (haha, come hang with my three kids 3 and under if you don’t believe me), and it’s something you seemingly always have to ‘work’ to find. It’s a fruit of the Spirit. It’s also the fruit of an experienced fantasy baseball player.

Finding the right prospects ahead of the curve is a key element to the equation of winning in fantasy. Can you be the first to jump the gun and get the guy still in the minors that will come onto the scene and take you over the top? While they can backfire (ahem, my bad? Where you at A.J. Reed?!?), when they hit they can be the  to winning your league.

Think Ryan Braun in 2007 (.324/91/34/97/15). As a damn rookie in 114 games! Now, that was a different era, and Braun has different juices flowing through his veins now, but he wasn’t the only one to make an immediate impact:

• Melvin Upton Jr. in 2007 (.300/86/24/82/22 in 126 games – essentially his peak form)
• Max Scherzer in 2008 (3.05 ERA, 10.61 K/9 in 56 IP)
• Kyle Schwarber in 2015 (.246/52/16/43/3 in 273 AB)

Those are a few examples, and if you snagged those guys your team became significantly better after the draft. I’m not including the likes of Bryce Harper (2012) or Kris Bryant (2015) here, because they were almost universally drafted in their respective years, and, similarly, you should know by the title I’m not talking about the kid who made a great splash last year for the Dodgers, Corey Seager (.337/17/4/17/2 in 113 AB last season), as he was drafted this year. No, we’re truly looking for the player we’ve been waiting on, the player we’ve been patient with, but was largely undrafted. This week it’s a certain 2B we’ve been very patient for, and he’s finally here!!! Don’t look now, but he’s already creeping…

• Jurickson Profar, 2B (13.3%) – Oh, not the name you expected? Who’d you think I was highlighting? Trea Turner? C’mon now…I’ll take the better prospect. “(Gasp!) Did he really just say that?” Yessir. And I’ve been patiently waiting to say it for three years now since I drafted him in an AL-Only. Sure, Turner arrived in the bigs over the weekend, and is already up to 30%+ owned, but it won’t last long (called up due to paternity leave for Ryan Zimmerman), and I believe his perceived value is tied more to the infield situation in Washington than his own offensive prowess (he’s a faster Zack Cozart…). On the flip side, Profar was the #1 prospect in baseball three years ago, flashed incredible pop at a young age prior to his injury (only 23 yo now), and possesses enough wheels to get 15-20 SB in a full season. The playing time is the obvious concern here with Rougned Odor back from suspension, the Rangers committed to Elvin Andrus at SS, and the money designating Fielder as their DH, albeit undeservingly. However, Profar has hit safely in every game since his call up (7 straight through Saturday) with multiple hits in 5 of those games. Already blasting 2 HR with 9 runs, Profar is proving he’s both healthy and capable in his call-up. Even with Odor back, the Rangers should use Profar to spell Beltre, potentially fill in at 1B and DH (like he did Saturday) and get some OF reps with all their injuries. If he continues capitalizing on the opportunity, he won’t stay unowned for long as, if nothing else, he’s an incredible MI option.

Enough creepin’…Here are your Top 100 Hitters for Week 10!

RED = Falling
GREEN = Rising
BLUE = New to the 100

Dropped from the Rankings: Hunter Pence (38), Miguel Sano (72), Addison Russell (79), Michael Conforto (84), Starlin Castro (90), Wellington Castillo (94), Brett Gardner (100)

• Guys like Sano and Pence drop from the rankings due to their injuries, but the moment Sano comes back he’s in the Top 100 (should be the 15-day minimum). Pence, on the other hand, worries me. He could miss time past the AS Break, and even when he returns, his speed could be seriously sapped. The other names all just slowed down significantly, most disappointingly Conforto.
• The big winner of the week is obviously Mookie Betts, the Red Sox and all his fantasy owners. Rookie continues to rise, and I was incredibly tempted to make him the new #1. I can’t jump him over Trout quite yet, though, and Altuve, while slowing down a little, hasn’t quite been dethroned. But if Betts keeps it up he’ll have to. He’s on pace for a .290/124/29/102/25 season. Haha, that’s bananas, and could end up being conservative. Man crush in full effect here.
• Last week’s highlight Adam Duvall continues to mash the ball, with 9 HR in the past 15 days. It’s just silly. And for as much as he strikes out, it’s no where close to the rate of Mike Napoli (34.6%) who makes the list, but I’m still very hesitant on him. The counting stats so far are legit, but his average could totally fall off. Haha, and it’s already at .237. A .311 BABIP most likely won’t continue. You know what else needs to cease from continuing? Justin Upton sucking hard. He’s hanging on by a thread, and I’ve already pulled ht trigger to drop him in a few leagues. So frustrating.

Good luck in Week 10 everyone! Check back next week for the new names that enter for Week 11!