Man am I glad to have baseball back. Fantasy baseball is my escape from reality. I guess that’s partly why it’s called “fantasy”. I don’t know about you, but every time I turn on a different game on my TV I feel like Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson when they walk into a different wedding in Wedding Crashers. The excitement is real people.
I have a suspicion that Michael Brantley is going to be a very valuable fantasy player this season. In Jay’s Staff Picks post from earlier this week I chose Carlos Santana as the potential MVFH. If I could get in Bill and Ted’s phone booth I would have Rufus help me change my pick to Brantley. First I guess I’d have to go back and get Rufus (RIP). I chose Santana last year and I think I hit the proverbial nine inch nail on the head. But this year I’m leaning towards Brantley. Guess I kinda rushed my selection. I do like me some Carlos Santana, but the big difference between the two is their ADP, which is a significant factor in determining MVFH. Santana had a H2H ADP in the 60s, while Brantley clocked in at around 118. I have Santana projected to score a few more fantasy points, but it’s close. Nothing a big game couldn’t erase. In twelve team leagues Santana is being drafted in the 5th round, while Brantley is going in the 10th. If you can get nearly the same production 5 rounds later I think it’s clear which pick would be more valuable.
In the comments of one of Grey’s posts this week a commenter asked the following:
“Cespedes or Chris Taylor in points leagues? The winner of the above comparison vs Brian Anderson?”
The few that replied chose Yoenis in both comparisons. Here is my reply.
“While it slightly depends on your scoring system, I have Cespedes over Taylor. However, if you consider Taylor’s position eligibility it’s close.
The next comparison is even tougher. Do you really think Cespedes is going to make it through 60 games without succumbing to an injury. I’m not very confident in that given his history.
Anderson is 27 years old. He played 156 games in 2018 and only missed the end of 2019 because he fractured his hand by getting hit with a 94 MPH fastball.
I think his numbers will be very close to Cespedes. If he doesn’t get hurt Cespedes will hit a few more homers, but in points leagues there is more than one way to get points. With Anderson having eligibility at 3B and OF, I’m going with Anderson.”
Here’s the interesting part. I own all three. If I knew I’d get just about 60 games from each of them I’d lean Cespedes, but I’m not convinced of that happening.
Mike Moustakas is going to give Brantley a run for that MVFH award. You heard it here. Toss in his 2B/3B eligibility and he’s a winner in my book.
Let’s forget for a second that Joey Votto is 36 years old. I realize he is coming off of two pedestrian, at best, seasons, but I think he’s got something left in the tank. I think we are going to see the Reds make a good run this season and I believe Votto will both contribute to that effort and benefit from the offensive production around him. With an ADP of about the 15th round, he stands a good chance IMHO to provide an excellent return on investment. I picked Votto as my comeback player of the year.
So Sam Coonrod refused to kneel before Zod, huh. One might think with his surname he’d prefer not to draw any unwanted attention. To each their own.
C.J. Cron is a triple shy of the season cycle after just two games. Considering he has just six triples in seven seasons, I wouldn’t hold out hope. Regardless, Cron is a guy I tried to draft late in several of my leagues.
While it’s only been one start I’d like to point out that I tabbed Dylan Bundy as my 2020 sleeper in the Razzball Staff Picks post. Coming into the season I had him ranked about 40th amongst starting pitchers, sandwiched between Mike Soroka and Max Fried. That was my conservative approach. Had I ranked him in the top 25 many of your would have crucified me.
Just in case anyone’s forgotten, Paul Goldschmidt was the bees knees just two years ago. While he did have a down year last year in terms of the “gold” standard, he still did manage to hit 34 home runs and drive in 97. His points total was down to just under 400 (depending on your scoring system), which was a career full season low. Can you believe that the difference was doubles. Goldschmidt hit just 25 doubles last year. In the seven previous seasons he averaged 37 doubles. Let’s not forget he had a change of scenery last year as well. I’m still buying Gold(schmidt). Let’s hope he can hit a few more doubles!
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette? Pick one for this year and beyond. Just curious. My choice is VGJ.
Can anyone tell me what the following list of players have in common? Will Smith, Joey Votto, Enrique Hernandez, Max Muncy, Leury Garcia and Giancarlo Stanton. The answer is… As of Sunday morning they each lead their perspective position in points. Muncy actually leads 1B/2B/3B, but I picked 3B for him. For a guy that’s hit 35 home runs in each of the last two seasons, he doesn’t get quite as much fan fare as one might expect. As for the rest of the list, here’s my advice. If you own Stanton, trade him now while his stock is high.
Thanks for the late scratch Strasburg. We’re not getting off on the right foot. At least he didn’t catch COVID-19 from Juan Soto.
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