After drudging through an Andy Dufresne-type tunnel for the top 20 catchers for 2013 fantasy baseball, I find myself with a group that actually really hurt or helped your team depending on how you drafted. If you went wrong with your 1st baseman, it could kill your season. Hey, Ike Davis, no hard feelings from me. We are totally fine. Please enjoy these cyanide pills I made special for you. If you went right, you might’ve won your league. For the first time in as long as I’ve been writing this blog, this is the sorriest group of 1st basemen I’ve ever seen at the end of the season, but more about that in the body of the post. To recap, this final ranking is from our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater with my comments. Anyway, here’s the top 20 1st basemen for 2013 fantasy baseball and how they compared to where I originally ranked them:
1. Chris Davis – Can’t say I’m really surprised by Davis’s end-of-the-season numbers. I’m shocked. And save that hooey that Bill James was right all along. He liked him three years ago. It was a running joke how ridiculous his projections were for Davis in 2010. Davis wasn’t even on the same team at the time. No one saw this year coming. So I don’t even want to hear it. Brucely, Davis’s K-rate is still absurd, his HR/FB is silly, his fly balls were through the roof — literally if it was a domed stadium; there’s no way he replicates this year again, but be happy you had him when he did it. Preseason Rank #15, 2013 Projections: 66/28/82/.251/2, Final Numbers: 103/53/138/.286/4
2. Paul Goldschmidt – I tried to search my old Twitter notifications because some blogger or someone wrote to me something like this in March, “Your Goldschmidt ranking is way too high, surprised to see Razzball put him in the 2nd round, used to like you guys.” I searched for only about a minute, because I didn’t respond at the time (I don’t talk on Twitter) and the person who said it was a moron at the time and probably hasn’t changed. I just wanted to retweet it without comment. Though, I’d probably have to ask JayWrong how to retweet something. It’s the same shizz every year. People in March, “Oh, your ranking is so stupid, I can’t believe it, bleh bleh bleh.” Then in August or September, they disappear. Probably because they lost their league and they moved onto fantasy football. Au Shizz was my crowning jewel this year. I went further out on a limb than any other fantasy baseball ‘pert and I brought it home. The funny thing is I didn’t even know I was going out on as big of a limb as it ended up being. I rank my players without looking at other sites and usually before them. I rank purely on stats. So, when I see a guy that could go 30/15 with a .275 average and solid counting stats, I know that’s 2nd round material. So I put him in the 2nd round. Now, why everyone else didn’t put him in the 2nd round is beyond me. They’re idiots is my guess. Oh, and he even blew away my expectations. Get it, Au Shizz, get it! Preseason Rank #3, 2013 Projections: 84/29/104/.274/12, Final Numbers: 103/36/125/.302/15
3. Edwin Encarnacion – I nearly fell into the trap of not trusting his 2012, but what tricked me on Bautista the previous year didn’t get me again. Never underestimate Dwayne Murphy. Preseason Rank #6, 2013 Projections: 87/30/98/.269/7, Final Numbers: 90/36/104/.272/7
4. Freddie Freeman – It wasn’t that long ago (maybe two years) that Freeman would’ve been ranked around 10th overall and been a great corner man if he gave you the stats he gave you (I tried unsuccessfully to make that sentence more coherent). I have a sneaking suspicion that Freeman is going to be overrated next year. Call it my not-female intuition. Preseason Rank #12, 2013 Projections: 90/25/98/.267/2, Final Numbers: 89/23/109/.319/1
5. Matt Carpenter – The bad news is I didn’t even rank him in the preseason for 1st basemen. The really bad news is he was the only player in the top 20 I didn’t rank. Not one other 1st baseman came out of nowhere to produce a season worth noting. That’s really bad. As LT would say, offense is in the toilet and no one is flushing. Preseason Rank #34 for 2nd basemen, Ranked, 2013 Projections: 54/8/59/.282/2, Final Numbers: 126/11/78/.318/3
6. Joey Votto – Doode is trending hardcore the wrong way for a few years now. Kinda scary a 1st baseman with that few RBIs is even ranked this high. But, I gotta say, Votto sure does take a pretty walk. Best walk taker outside of Jackie Bradley Jr. Preseason Rank #3, 2013 Projections: 104/25/110/.320/5, Final Numbers: 101/24/73/.305/6
7. Prince Fielder – I went out on a limb that his big-time odd numbered power stats were going to show themselves in 2013 because, well, it’s an odd numbered year. Yeah, that didn’t work out so well. As the original Fat Boys said, if it ain’t one thing, it’s anuddah (bruddah). Preseason Rank #2, 2013 Projections: 94/39/117/.291/1, Final Numbers: 82/25/106/.279/1
8. Michael Cuddyer – His end of the season projections are frighteningly close to my preseason ones, except he got hella lucky on balls hit into play. Yeah, I still say hella, what’s it to you? Preseason Rank #21, 2013 Projections: 71/22/84/.271/9, Final Numbers: 74/20/84/.331/10
9. Eric Hosmer – In a lot of leagues, you have a corner man. A corner man that you are guessing in March will come from 1st basemen. This year you had about nine steady 1st basemen (first seven guys minus Carpenter who was a 2nd baseman, plus A-Gon and Craig, minus Cuddyer and Trumbo who were outfielders, and other guys are catchers or corner men) that you didn’t want to drop. Nine 1st basemen total. Say it with me now, bring back steroids! I can’t remember the last time there were only nine reliable first basemen. The sheer number of catchers on this list points to how pathetic first basemen were. Hosmer didn’t even reach the projections I had for him this year, and I ranked him all the way down at 16th overall in the preseason. Yikes. Again, with emotion, YIKES. I say all of this now, because Hosmer was a top ten first basemen and he had only one homer through June 12th. If you stuck with him until then, I applaud your patience or wonder how much Valium you were on. Preseason Rank #16, 2013 Projections: 75/22/90/.280/12, Final Numbers: 86/17/79/.302/11
10. Mark Trumbo – I bet if Pujols and Hamilton had the years people thought they would’ve had, then my preseason prediction that Trumbo would be benched for one quarter of the Angels games would’ve came true. No way The Sciosciapath keeps trotting out him out otherwise. Preseason Rank #13, 2013 Projections: 62/28/82/.258/5, Final Numbers: 85/34/100/.234/5
11. Mike Napoli – Went over him in the top 20 catchers for 2013 fantasy baseball post.
12. Adrian Gonzalez – I’m surprised the power never returned for A-Gon. Even for half of a season. But, I guess, he just got old. Happens to the best of us, except me. I’m above that aging process crap. Preseason Rank #5, 2013 Projections: 86/29/112/.292/1, Final Numbers: 69/22/100/.293/1
13. Brandon Moss – The A’s were a bit like the Cardinals in the amount of counting stats they produced. Also, my preseason projections for Moss had Carter still on the A’s at the time. He was gone with plenty of time for me to adjust Moss’s stats, but I must’ve forgot. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Preseason Rank #41, 2013 Projections: 45/19/58/.274/2, Final Numbers: 73/30/87/.256/4
14. Jonathon Lucroy – Went over him in the top 20 catchers for 2013 fantasy baseball post.
15. Victor Martinez – Went over him in the top 20 catchers for 2013 fantasy baseball post.
16. Carlos Santana – Went over him in the top 20 catchers for 2013 fantasy baseball post.
17. Allen Craig – The Counting Stat Cardinals made everyone on their team appear better than they were this year and Craig was no exception. If a few less people get on in front of him, we’re talking about what a terrible year he had. 13 homers? That’s the new blech. Better watch out, Yunel Escobar, he’s trying to steal your identity. Preseason Rank #10, 2013 Projections: 67/23/83/.315/3, Final Numbers: 71/13/97/.315/2
18. Kendrys Morales – The 18th ranked 1st baseman didn’t do anything great, he just didn’t do anything terrible. Or hit any game-winning homers. It’s the age of counting stats ruling the day. A guy plays 150+ games and he has a good chance of being ranked in the top twenty somewhere. Preseason Rank #20, 2013 Projections: 77/26/89/.272, Final Numbers: 64/23/80/.277
19. Brandon Belt – The scary thing is he was basically a platoon player that wasn’t used as one — vs. lefties: 3 homers in 119 ABs. The scarier thing is he only had 14 homers in 390 ABs vs. righties. The scariest thing is Kathy Griffin without makeup. Preseason Rank #39, 2013 Projections: 60/14/74/.262/10, Final Numbers: 76/17/67/.289/5
20. Buster Posey – Went over him in the top 20 catchers for 2013 fantasy baseball post.
