I watched the remake of Clash of the Titans for the second time, hoping it wasn’t going to be as god-awful (get it?) as it was when I first sat through it. My hope was quickly extinguished, or as Tehol might opine, I thought I was safe and happy until this film made my joy turn to ashes in my mouth. I enjoy Liam Neeson and tolerate Sam Worthington, but I just couldn’t get into this one (despite the excellent special effects work). How does this relate to OBP? Loosely, but stay with me. I mentioned that Shin-Soo Choo was an OBP demigod last week. If Choo was a demigod of OBP, let’s call him Perseus (Sam Worthington). Every Perseus needs an Olympian father and Joey Votto plays that role, as the Poseidon (Danny Huston) of OBP.
Votto led the NL in OBP in four straight seasons, from 2010 to 2013. Even in his injury plagued 2014 season, with numbers down across the board, the Sealord posted a .390 OBP. This season, he has been reunited with his powers and raised the sea on Wednesday, smashing 3 bombs with four RBI. I loved Votto in OBP leagues but was concerned entering into this year, considering his injury-marred 2014. From what I have seen this season, I anticipate him returning to an elite draft position in 2016 leagues. His walk rate is, as always, among the best in the league, and his .398 OBP sits at 8th best in baseball, directly ahead of Nori Aoki.
And how about that Aoki? If you ask me, he’s A-Okay. Aoki went 1-for-4 last night but has been en fuego over the past week. His .395 OBP on the season is 9th best in baseball, behind a cavalcade of big name stars like Paul Goldschmidt, Bryce Harper, and Anthony Rizzo. He has posted the highest OBP in the game over the past week with several multi-hit games and a smattering of runs scored. I think Aoki is playing a little over his head, but I am definitely enjoying this ride.
Carlos Santana deserves a nod of recognition in this column. His 18.9% walk-rate is second only to Bryce Harper this year, and his very respectable .369 OBP is obscured by his abysmal .222 batting average. He returned from the paternity list last week, as he had the nerve to spend time with his family following the birth of his daughter. The power, which has typically been his calling card, hasn’t really emerged yet, as he has just 7 dongs this season. If you can find an owner growing wary of the power outage, I’d buy. His OBP will be steady, as he is currently leading the league in walks, after having led the league in walks last season as well.
I have spoken about guys who are probably already owned thus far, so let’s shift gears a bit. Mitch Moreland is among the hottest schmotatos in the land and deserves a mention. Moreland has been an OBP nightmare since his first full season in 2011, posting a paltry .311 from 2011-2014. 43 games into 2015, he is sitting at a respectable .360, with a .889 OPS. I would absolutely own him and ride this streak, but I do think this is just a flaming schmotato, and not a breakout. Moreland’s ratios don’t look noticeably different than in years past, and he is actually walking less than his career average. His K-rate, LD%, GB%, and FB% all look fairly close to the Moreland we’ve been watching for the past few seasons. What stands out is a .345 BABIP which is significantly higher than his career average. Ride the schmotato, mash the schmotato with sour cream and butter and serve it with a helping of meatloaf, but don’t expect much more.
If you are in one of the nearly fifty percent of ESPN leagues where he is available, grab Cameron Maybin. Over the past week, Maybin has been getting on at a .500 rate, and he has a .375 OBP on the year. Maybin has been hitting in one of the few decent spots in the Braves lineup, wedged between Jace Peterson and Freddie Freeman in the 2-hole. Maybin’s combination of legs (11), power (5), and OBP was enough to have me add him everywhere he was available. I think there is more legitimacy to his numbers than Moreland’s. Once a highly-touted prospect (who was the key piece in the Miguel Cabrera trade), Maybin may be fulfilling his destiny … as a fourth outfielder in fantasy leagues. Grab him if you can.
I have focused on OBP leagues for a couple of weeks, so next week we will dive into OPS leagues. If you have any suggestions for the column, please leave them in the comments.
