Before we begin, I feel it's important to lay out the parameters of my fantasy league. See, every league in fantasy baseball is unique: like snowflakes, no two are the same. Even though that's a bold faced lie, there is some truth in it, as there are rotisserie, head-to-head and points leagues. Moreover, there are plenty of categories to mix and match, giving you the ability to make your league as unique as you please. I play in a 10-team, head-to-head dynasty keeper league that's 10x10: on the offensive side, runs/hits/homers/RBI/stolen bases/total bases/BA/OPS/cycles/slams; defensive side, wins/complete games/shutouts/strikeouts/ERA/WHIP/K/9/no-hitters/quality starts/saves+holds. A lot of these categories are unconventional, I know. I haven't seen any other league that factors in cycles, grand slams, no-hitters and saves+holds (as a single category, at least). But when you're a humongous stathead, as most of the owners in my league are, you get a little wacky. We're in our fourth season now, and I am the reigning third-place team, so you can trust that my "successes" in this game founded entirely on random chance are hard-earned.
So, without any further ado, let's start getting you on track to maybe do marginally better in your league!
Buy Buy Buy - Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies
Listen, if you don't know who this kid is, kindly remove your head from your behind and pay attention. Arenado is a defensive wizard, but more importantly, he's got a hot bat well-suited for the hot corner. I've personally been high on the 24 year old slugger since taking a flyer on him in the 18th round of last year's draft, before he delivered a triple slash line of .287/.328/.500 with 18 homers in 111 games. Small sample size alert, but through the first 6 games of the season, he's hitting .375/.423/.792. He won't help you out in steals, with 2 per season in 2013 and 2014, and if you play in an OBP league, his low walk rate will irritate you immensely. But the potential for 25 homers is there, and playing half of his games in the thin air of Coors Field makes that an inevitability more than a possibility. In addition, he's already hit 4 doubles on the young season, putting him on pace to...probably hit around 40 or so, don't get too excited. There isn't much reason to root for the Rockies these days, but if you must take a chance on a Colorado player, eschew Cargo and pass on Tulo - Arena-GO for Arenado. I'll see myself out.
Sell Em If You Got Em - Jake Arrieta, SP, Chicago Cubs
Some pitchers take longer than others to break out. Even then, only a handful of those are worth the wait. Arrieta finally put it all together in Chicago last season after several failed campaigns with Baltimore, but how long until the magic fades? The 29 year old posted a K/9 of more than a strikeout per inning (9.6, to be exact), but only in a career-high 156 2/3 innings. If he's going to be the number 2 guy in a Cubs rotation playing for the postseason, 200 strong frames (or at least 30 starts, since he topped out at 25 last year) is a necessity. He looked quite sharp against an intimidating Cardinals lineup, going 7 strong innings with as many strikeouts, but the 3 walks he allowed is nothing special (in fact, it's roughly in line with the 3.6 walks per 9 he's posted in his short career). There's no telling how long this will last, so if you're looking to really maximize Jake's value, let him play elsewhere.
Hurlers In The Stream - Wei-Yin Chen, SP, Baltimore Orioles
For all the good work Chen has done with the O's over the last 3 seasons, he never seems to get as much recognition (or, perhaps, the ADP) that he is honestly due. Chen pitched to a 3.54 ERA (3.89 FIP) last season, making 31 starts and recording 185 2/3 innings across them. He's never been a big strikeout guy, with a career 6.9 K/9 mark, so don't expect a lot of help there. But he keeps the ball on the ground fairly well, and in just one start this season (an unimpressive 4 1/3 innings against the Rays wherein he allowed 3 runs), he's mixed in his changeup and curveball more frequently, two pitches that get him out of trouble when his middling fastball is as advertised. He'll be going up against a Yankees squad that mostly looked lost in the first week of the season, and being a lefthander will certainly help him out against a heavily left-handed lineup. Additionally, the Orioles have had the Yanks' number over the past few seasons, so Chen is about as close to a sure thing as you can get in this game. For today, at least; let's not get too crazy here.
Sleeping To Success - Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds
It almost feels blasphemous to consider Votto a fantasy sleeper, but you can't ignore the fact that the former MVP followed up a typically strong 2013 with a comparatively weak 2014, missing 100 games and seeing his OBP dip under .400 for the first time since 2008. His home run totals have jumped all over the place: after launching 66 long balls from 2010-11, he managed just 44 between 2012-14 (and just 6 in his shortened 2014 season). At 31, there is no certainty that he'll regain the entirety of that power, but he should still have enough left in the tank to rediscover his swing. As long as he's healthy, Votto could quietly put up another stellar season.
TBF's Current Standing - I am currently in 5th place out of 10, in spite of winning my first matchup against our league's commissioner (I'm the co-commish, naturally). Even though we're a H2H league, our standings go by the scores of the matchups rather than actual wins and losses. Therefore, the 4 guys ahead of me all won their matchups with higher scores than the one with which I won mine. But I'm feeling really good about the construction of my team, and beating Shane (main-commish) is especially sweet due to the insane amount of trash talk he spews. I'll be sure to keep you ravenous fans updated every Monday on where I stand.
No comments:
Post a Comment