Tim Ain’t So Tiny On The South Side …And The Top 100 Hitters, Week 22

Can we talk about the SS position right now? Seriously, it’s like 2004 travelled into the future, made like rabbits to triple itself, and then gloriously handed it’s crown to the offspring that will eventually put them all to shame. Ok, maybe not to shame…there’s no far less PED’s, but sweet mercy if this crop of shortstops ain’t something to behold. Let’s give a little rundown: Seager, Bogaerts, Correa, Lindor, Desmond, Tulowitzki, Machado, Villar, Nunez, Miller, Segura. That’s 11 guys. So, for a 12-tea standard league there’s no use in reaching big time for a SS, as I haven’t even mentioned Turner (he’ll get the eligibility next year), Swanson (still two years away from becoming the next Jeter), Semien (could be the 2017 Schoop), Ramirez in his breakout, the young’n Russell or the sneaky good Crawford. However, there’s another name vying for that 12th spot. Someone not so small (6’1″, 180 lbs) that fits the mold of one of the first four names mentioned and is blossoming into a pro hitter before our eyes. Someone worthy enough as a Creeper to get his name written in the tab of this article enough to relegate all the prior names to last name status so far. Someone named…

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• Tim Anderson, SS (11.9% owned) – Remember when coming into the season Tyler Saladino was the White Sox SS poised to break camp with the big league club? Then they signed, wait for it, Jimmy Rollins? Then they got off to a superb start, only to fizzle like a flash in the pan? Remember all that? Well, in the middle of the South Side’s mediocrity they finally figured out their SS position when they finally promoted Tim Anderson to the Sox near the beginning of June. Anderson rates as a 60 overall prospect (scale of 20-80) who will probably bring a little more glove than bat to his value. His ISO in the minors hovered between .115 and .175, nothing to write home about, but more than Andrelton Simmons. He carries an AVG of .285 coming into Week 22 with a .376 BABIP. That seems high, but is right on par with his minors trajectory (.369 the lowest in 2014 A+ ball). Last season he stole 49 bases in AAA with a .315 AVG and a .105 ISO. What does this add up to? A top ceiling of Jimmy Rollins (circa 2006), optimistic comparison of Fransisco Lindor (there he is!), and a floor of Jordy Mercer. Anderson’s legit, and he’s already proving he’s better than that floor. With 26 XBH in his first 274 MLB ABs, he’s on his way to becoming a 40 2B, 15 HR player who can top 30 SB. I’ll take some big Tim Anderson shares in 2017, but will begin amassing them now as he deserves to creep in your lineup as he’s been arguably better than any other SS the past 14 days.

Now…enough creepin’. Here are the Top 100 Hitters for Week 22!

Note: These rankings are considered ROS trade value.

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

Dropped From Rankings: Marcell Ozuna (91), Rajai Davis (95), Martin Prado (98), Yasmany Tomas (99), Max Kepler (100)

• WE HAVE A NEW #1! Man, it’s been a long, long time since Altuve was bumped from the top spot, but Mookie’s more than deserving of the crown this week. And, if I’m betting, for the rest of the season. Why? Just in case you haven’t looked at how great his MVP-caliber season is going: .320/100/29/94/21 with more than a month left! Seriously, you’d draft that line in the 1st round, if not the top 5, to begin the year; that’s basically Mike Trout’s preseason projection. Mookie’s fully emerged this year, just in time to take the crown as the face of the Red Sox.
• As for a previous #1, maybe I should have written off Bryce Harper months ago. I mean, damn it. Of course he turns it on right in time the fantasy playoffs, but man…what a change in his game the past three weeks. But here’s the scary part I’ve yet to hear: for as ‘bad’ as Bryce was post-April and through the summer, he’s still hitting a .254/70/22/73/18 clip. That’s crazy. He could easily end with a .270/90/30/95/23 line. In a massive down year. WUT?!? Ethcu me?!? In other words, if you’re able to steal Bryce next year anywhere after the first six picks you’re robbing everyone else in your league. When you’re one of the greatest young hitters ever it doesn’t take much to turn my attention back around. And as he turns around so do my thoughts. He’s quickly climbing back. Somehow. (I’d be willing to bet all of @JB Gilpin’s money that he’s been undisclosed injured all year…)
• Not a ton of overturn this week. Some of the bottom names that are cooling come off the 100, and we fit back in some hot bats, but at this point in the season you should have a top 100 locked in. There are some off the list that could have easily crept in the bottom, but, as I say every week, once you hit the 70-75 range everything underneath is largely preference.

DROP THOSE COMMENTS! Good luck in Week 22…September call-ups and fantasy playoffs largely begin next week! Hopefully you made it in, and if so, hopefully these rankings have been and continue to be helpful as you chase your crown!