Top 20 for 2014 Fantasy Baseball

This is one of the most difficult posts to write all year. Why do I find it hard to write the next line? Oh, I want the truth to be said, Spandau Ballet. There’s just so many different ways the top 20 for 2014 fantasy baseball could go. Maybe next year I’ll write a top 10 for 2014 fantasy baseball with a ten way tie for the tenth ranked guy. Last year, I had Kemp crazy low and Posey even lower. Those made sense. I had Adam Jones higher than anyone and Paul Goldschmidt even higher. Score! I also had A-Gon and Josh Hamilton in the top twenty. Hey, they ain’t all gems. Looking into my crystal ball tells me this year is gonna be even harder. Pitchers are dominating the sport. Doesn’t mean I can go completely crackers and just put ten starters in the top twenty. I wouldn’t draft a starter in the top twenty so I won’t tell you to do it. Finding twenty hitters isn’t going to be easy, but, while thinking of me as your weird uncle that you can only talk about baseball with, let’s find them together. There’s many question marks and even an interrobang or two. Does Tulo stay healthy? Does Pujols stop the career decline? Oh, and what the eff do we make of Braun?! Lots of questions to be answered as we continue our 2014 fantasy baseball rankings. There are not as many guarantees as I’d like. Kershaw seems more safe than any of these hitters, but you can find so much pitching later, he didn’t even make the top 20. Remember, one pick does not a team make. Here’s just twenty picks you should make. Anyway, here’s the top 20 for 2014 fantasy baseball:

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2014 SAGNOF: Outfielders Part 1

by: Mike

Time to move on from the 2013 data (quit livin’ in the past, man) and get to the 2014 SAGNOF previews. Just a disclaimer, these posts are mainly focused on guys who will go later in drafts or possibly even undrafted in some shallower leagues – in other words cheap. You won’t see much written about Billy Hamilton or Jean Segura or Jacoby Ellsbury around these parts since their stolen-base contributions will most likely cost you quite a bit. This is all about *not* paying for steals (Steals Ain’t Got NO Face).

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Top 10 for 2014 Fantasy Baseball

January 13, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Baseball Draft, Fantasy Baseball Rankings | 273 Comments

by: Grey

I sure wish Grey would do his 2014 fantasy baseball rankings. Wait, I am Grey and this is those rankings. Holy crapballs, this is the greatest day ever! Now, only 400,000 words more until I finish my top 400 and I’ll be done. Worst day ever! Damn, that excitement was fleeting. Well, not for you because you don’t have to write all the rankings. You lucky son of a gun! I wish I were you… *wavy lines* Hey, why am I balding and wearing sweatpants? *wavy lines* Hmm, maybe we’re okay with how we are. Now before we get into the top 10 for 2014 fantasy baseball (though I imagine every single one of you has skipped this intro paragraph), I’m gonna lay some ground rules. First, keep your hands and legs inside the trolley. Second, send me all your money. Damn, tried to trick you! Okay, here’s our fantasy baseball podcast. Here’s where you follow us on Twitter. Here’s where you follow us on Facebook. Here’s our fantasy baseball player rater. Here’s our fantasy baseball team name generator. Here is all of our 2014 fantasy baseball rankings. Here’s the position eligibility chart for 2014 fantasy baseball. And here is a picture of my son. What a punim! You may not get all of those links in such a handy, easy-to-use format ever again this year, so make proper note. Now my expositional half insists I breakdown some generalizations about these 2014 fantasy baseball rankings. The 2014 fantasy baseball rankings will be an ever-evolving mass like the blob. This fantasy baseball top 10 for 2014 list is as of right now and could potentially change with a big injury or Mike Trout quitting baseball because he’s bored with being the best and wants to play competitive Mahjong. So while it is the 2014 fantasy baseball gospel, take it with a tablet of salt. Tomorrow we will cover the rest of the top twenty for 2014 fantasy baseball, then we will go around the horn with a top 20 list for every position. Then for pitchers and outfielders, I’ll turn the dial to 100. Listed next to each player are my 2014 projections. Did I consult with whoever else does projections? It would be ignorant not to, but in the end they are my projections. Players need 10 games at a position to get included in the positional rankings. Finally, as with each list in the 2014 fantasy baseball rankings, I will be mentioning where I see tiers start and stop. I look at tiers like this, if Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout are in the same tier, it doesn’t matter if one guy is ranked 1st and one guy is ranked 2nd, they’re both very close. It comes down to personal preference. I would prefer the guy at number one better than the guy at two, but you do you, I’ll do me and let’s hope we don’t go blind. Anyway, here’s the top 10 for 2014 fantasy baseball:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Christian Yelich, 2014 Fantasy Sleeper

January 10, 2014 | Uncategorized | 168 Comments

by: Grey

There’s a benefit to playing for the Marlins besides learning the value of having to buy your own equipment and refreshments. “Guys, money’s tight, you’re gonna have to bring your own Gatorade from now on.” That’s a Marlins exec on the first day of the spring. The other benefit is the Marlins don’t care what the hell you do as long as you’re playing for the salary minimum. You know that guy who always brought Popov back to the dorm room? Did he return from the liquor store saying it would go best with orange juice? Nope. Popov was proven to cause cancer in vermin, but it got you drunk and was cheap. That’s the Marlins team. And sometimes the Marlins, like Popov, cause projectile vomiting and lead you to wonder how you ended up with so much orange and teal in your closet. The Marlins don’t care if Christian Yelich hits. He will play every day because he’s cheap. Since we don’t need to collect every 20% off Bed, Bath and Beyond coupon we’ve ever received in the mail when we put together our fantasy team, the cheap thing doesn’t matter to us. It does matter when you’re wondering if Yelich will get 550 ABs and hit in a relatively good spot in the lineup. Who else are they moving up in the order? Ed Lucas? You throw Lucas the ball because he can’t hit it. Casey McGehee? I just vomited onto my bathroom mirror and it spelled out, “Gross.” Adeiny Hechavarria? More like Adon’tthinkso Hereallysucks. So, what can we expect from Christian Yelich for 2014 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Jedd Gyorko, 2014 Fantasy Sleeper

January 9, 2014 | 2014 Fantasy Baseball Draft | 138 Comments

by: Grey

I am most excited about drafting Jedd Gyorko. I am most confident that first sentence sounds best if said in an Apu or Balki Bartokomous voice. Surprised that Gyorko feels like he’s under the radar still even though he had 23 homers in only 125 games and for about a month after he returned, he was playing hurt. Playing Hurt was also the lead single off my 2nd album, “My Heart Goes Poof When You Smoke Out My Hormone Juice.” It didn’t sell well, let’s move on. 23 homers in 125 games at 2nd base. Let that sink in for a second. Sunk yet? Not stunk? No. Sunk. As in sunkpendous. How is he under the radar?! Seriously, I interrobang that. It makes no sense. Or no cents if you only deal in paper money. Oh, and he’s eligible at 3rd base in some leagues. Do you people have any idea what a wasteland 2nd and 3rd base is this year? Well, you’ll have a better idea on Monday when I release my rankings, but take my word for it right now — it’s a wasteland like New Jersey after a good rain. Anyway, what can we expect from Jedd Gyorko for 2014 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2014 Minor League Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers

January 8, 2014 | Fantasy Baseball Prospects | 48 Comments

by: Scott Evans

Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2013 (19) | 2012 (23) | 2011 (12) | 2010 (21) | 2009 (23)

2013 Affiliate Records
MLB: [92-70] NL West
AAA: [76-68] Pacific Coast League – Albuquerque
AA: [59-80] Southern League – Chattanooga
A+: [65-75] California League – Rancho Cucamonga
A: [67-72] Midwest League – Great Lakes

Graduated Prospects
Yasiel Puig (OF); Tim Federowicz (C); Scott Van Slyke (OF/1B); Hyun-jin Ryu (RHP); Stephen Fife (RHP); Paco Rodriguez (LHP)

The Run Down
After a holiday hiatus, we have returned to our MiLB preview series. To get us back into prospect mode, let’s all scream Puig on three. One, two, three, PUIG. Good, we’re back. We’re talking about the Dodgers today, a top-heavy farm, but a group that offers plenty of fantasy intrigue. There’s a lot going on here from spots one to six, but things take a turn toward the boring when we reach the last four names of the top ten. Still, Seager, Pederson, and Urias are all of the high-impact variety, while Lee, Guerrero, and Anderson should all develop into relevant fantasy pieces in their own right. Combine those six with recent grads like Yasiel Puig and Hyun-jin Ryu, and this Dodgers org begins to take shape as one that develops well and spends wisely in the international markets. That’s a particularly effective model for sustainable success.

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Book Review: Winning Fantasy Baseball By Larry Schechter

January 7, 2014 | Book Previews | 64 Comments

by: Rudy Gamble

I do not review baseball books very often. I have managed more ‘fake’ book reviews on this site than real ones (see here). Even books that have been in print for years that I meant to belatedly review end up unreviewed – like The Book or Ball Four – because I’m usually in one of three states (pre-season stat-crunching/writing, in-season management/writing or off-season/vegging).

But I made an exception with Winning Fantasy Baseball (officially out Jan 7 – click preceding link to buy it on Amazon) since the author (Larry Schechter) is far and away the best performing ‘expert’ in Tout Wars so I could definitely learn a couple things from him. (It didn’t hurt that his PR person sent me a free copy as professional courtesy – if only I had such sway with European car companies or bacon of the month clubs).

I polished this nearly 350 page book in 2 days. Kudos to the author for his eminently readable prose.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Brad Miller, 2014 Fantasy Sleeper

January 6, 2014 | Uncategorized | 185 Comments

by: Grey

Last year, Brad Miller hit 20 homers and stole 11 bases while hitting over .300. Right now, you’re thinking how is this guy even a sleeper? He should be a top five guy at shortstop. I know what you’re thinking because I’m sitting in your head. Sorry about that whole spilling my Jamba Juice on your medulla oblongata. My bad! There’s one little problem with that 20 homers, 11 steals, .300+ average stat line. That’s adding together his minor and major league numbers. That’s wrong. Or as they say in North Korea, that’s un-Jongy. In 102 games between Triple-A and the majors, Miller had 14 homers and 7 steals. Still not really bad. Unless bad is not bad but bad is good–Scratch that, if bad is good then it’s still not really bad. It’s solid, better than decent — or becent to be more portmanteauy. Fortunately for us, Miller only had 8 homers and 5 steals in the majors. That’s not going to raise too many eyebrows about drafting this guy. Then you throw in that going after a Mariner hitter not named Cano is about as appealing as Carol Channing sans makeup, and people shouldn’t be that crazy excited about Miller, so that makes him a sleeper, but what can we expect of Brad Miller for 2014 fantasy baseball?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Kole Calhoun, 2014 Fantasy Sleeper

January 3, 2014 | Uncategorized | 164 Comments

by: Grey

The Sciosciapath, Arte Moreno and Arte Moreno Jr., played by Scott Schwartz (Flick from A Christmas Story and later the porn movie, A Trystmas Story), got together and declared their starting right fielder. You know what they say: just about half of opportunity and fortunately are ortun. They make a good point. Oddly enough, Scott […]

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Todd Frazier, 2014 Fantasy Sleeper

January 2, 2014 | Uncategorized | 100 Comments

by: Grey

Rarely do I double dip on sleepers. If they don’t pan out the year I tap them on the shoulder with my sleeper amulet, there’s an issue that usually makes them suspect for the following year too. That brings us to my favorite sleeper from 2013 that failed to live up to expectations, Todd Frazier. If you just rolled out of a 12-month coma, it’s like nothing’s changed, except your family was sick of waiting for you to wake so they drew faces on coconuts and moved on to a new father who isn’t emotionally detached. That’s not your kid, that’s a coconut. Don’t worry, the guy with the creepy voice on Dateline will do you justice when he tells your life story. In 2013, Frazier hit 19 homers, which matched his 2012 total, but in 2012 he only had 422 ABs and last year he had 531. The batting average took a real spin around the toilet bowl and flushed out a stank .234 after he hit .273 the previous year. Obviously, Frazier’s not coming out of 2013 without his Napoleonic-sized hemorrhoids, but he can Prep-H those and still set things right. So, what can we expect from Todd Frazier for 2014 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Matt Adams, 2014 Fantasy Sleeper

December 31, 2013 | 2014 Fantasy Baseball Draft | 126 Comments

by: Grey

The night before I wrote this post I had a dream that Matt Adams was painted green from head to toe and sitting above Mike Matheny who was dressed as Princess Leia in a bikini as I bartered for the return of the carbon-frozen Grady Sizemore, after we went nipple shopping and Matt Adams decided on silver dollar ones. I think I have to do less Soda Streaming prior to bedtime. At least I wasn’t dreaming about Candy Crush. (BTW, if you’re seeing the symbol for AT&T and thinking it looks like a blue striped candy, you need other hobbies. Totally speaking from experience here.) Let’s see if we can get excited about Matt Adams without picturing him slowly unlatching his bra. Last year, Fatt had more homers than anyone with so few plate appearances (the only other players that were even close were Hanley Ramirez and Wilson Ramos). In just 319 plate appearances, he hit 17 homers. This comes in an era when 24 homers is a lot — hey, Joey Votto, I’m subtly looking in your direction. Adams also hit .284 with a ton of counting stats for the amount of plate appearances he saw. Then again, everyone on the Cardinals had counting stats last year. Matt Adams, I understood the most. He loves ribbies. Anyway, what can we expect from Matt Adams for 2014 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Wilson Ramos, 2014 Fantasy Sleeper

December 30, 2013 | Uncategorized | 84 Comments

by: Grey

Wilson Ramos smells of Salvador Perez. A catcher that could be drafted as a fringe top ten catcher with the chance of performing as a top five catcher. I take my Latin catchers’ abuelitas seriously, and so should you after Salvador Perez lost two months last year when his Maw-Maw passed. Luckily, Wilson Ramos has two extremely healthy abuelitas. One abuelita just did the Baja California 5K, and his other abuelita likes to cook fattening foods, but she will be staying with me all next summer if I draft Wilson so I can keep an eye on her and her health. Lupe Ontiveros, his maternal abuelita, said, “I feel as good as a mule piñata stuffed with nails and could probably live for another twenty years.” Let’s not push it, Lupe! Just get us through 2014, that’s all we ask. Last year channeling the strength from his two healthy abuelitas, Ramos put on a show, hitting 16 homers in only 78 games, while ranking in the top ten for all of baseball in home run distance. Didn’t have any negatives, other than the one thing that has haunted him for his whole career. Unlike his abuelitas, he has a hard time staying healthy. It’s been about three years since he’s played a full season, and he’s never played more than 113 games in a major league season. So, what can we expect from Wilson Ramos for 2014 fantasy baseball and what makes him a sleeper?

Please, blog, may I have some more?