Ryan Zimmerman went into last year with a bum wrist, which was enough for me to be down on him — Beavis, “Hehe, Grey was down on him.” — I didn’t want any part of Zimmerman. Then when he came down with an injured shoulderitis or some shizz, I backed away slowly from him like when your friend tells you he got herpes from his cousin. It all smelled bad like a skunk in a microwave. There was no way I was drafting Ryan Zimmerman last year. And my concerns were confirmed, as Zimmerman put up some yawnstipating numbers, 51/14/51/.283/1. Those numbers look similar to the numbers Ryan Howard can put up in one month. So why am I touting Ryan Zimmerman as a 2009 fantasy sleeper?
In September of last year, Ryan Zimmerman went 14/5/13/.290 in 93 ABs. 5 home runs in that final month shows me the surgery he had on his shoulder last summer took, and there’s no reason to have any worries about lingering problems. Oh, bee-tee-dubya, he’s still only 24 years old. He won’t make huge strides in his power numbers for 2009. He’s not going to explode for 40 HRs. He’s not that type of hitter. But 100/20/100/.290/7 is not a completely unrealistic floor for Zimmerman. That’s right, floor. He can go above those numbers. Since he’s going late in drafts, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t grab him as your 3rd baseman if you punted that earlier. Or grab him as your corner man. Ryan Zimmerman is not going to save your team, but he’s a decent fantasy sleeper.
