Early Season Fantasy All-Value Team
While #2 overall fantasy player Hanley Ramirez’s statistics are impressive, no one is that surprised after he was a top 5 pick in nearly every fantasy draft, but when Nate McLouth puts up similar numbers and is ranked as the #7 fantasy player overall…eyebrows are raised.
The McLouths and Cliff Lees of baseball are exactly what this list celebrates - the players who produce tremendous statistics considering the value they cost their fantasy owners, whether that be a late round draft selection or a timely pick up off the waiver wire:
Starting Lineup:
C - Ryan Doumit (PIT): Doumit was only drafted in 6% of Yahoo fantasy baseball leagues, but it is unlikely he is available now. After going undrafted in the league that all of our writers participate in, he was gobbled up shortly after the season began as is likely the case in your league. His .350 AVG (1st - min 75 AB), 21 R (2nd), 5 HR (4th), and .955 OPS (2nd) have combined to make him the third overall fantasy catcher thus far behind Geovany Soto (another fine value selection) and Brain McCann. Plus, if needed he can be utilized in an OF slot.
1B - Lance Berkman (HOU): How can a guy that was drafted late in the 2nd round or in the 3rd round be on the All-Value Team? Because there are 7 guys with 1B eligibility (including Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez) that were likely drafted prior to Berkman. However, Berkman is outperforming each of them (and everyone else). A 42 R/13 HR/38 RBI/6 SB/.393 AVG/1.270 OPS line has the current #1 overall fantasy player tied or leading the league in R, HR, and OPS.
2B - Dan Uggla (FLA): There were questions entering the season about Uggla’s fantasy ability because of his paltry .245 AVG last season. Despite hitting 31 HR, Uggla was drafted on average 8th overall among those eligible at 2B. For those who drafted Uggla, he has been a stud especially after a stretch in his last 8 games in which he hit 6 homers, drove in 12 runs, and saw his average rise 40 points. Overall, he is currently ranked as the #9 fantasy player behind 29 R/12 HR/28 RBI/.290 AVG - numbers that are only slightly off the pace being set by the top two bagger Chase Utley.
3B - Mark Reynolds (ARI): Reynolds barely edges out Chipper Jones and Kevin Youkilis much because he was at most an afterthought for most owners when the end of the draft neared. While those short on 3B were gobbling up the Evan Longoria, Scott Rolen, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Casey Blakes of the fantasy world, only 8% nabbed Reynolds on draft day. Those who did were the fortunate ones as Reynolds and the Baby Backs exploded out of the blocks. Reynolds batted .344 with 5 HR and 12 RBI in his first 8 games. Since then his numbers have reverted back to normalcy, but they have still been good enough to rank Reynolds in the top 50 overall.
SS - Ryan Theriot (CHC): Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins were drafted in the first round; Ryan Theriot was drafted somewhere along the time when owners begin cursing other owners for taking the full amount of time for a selection. Nonetheless, Theriot is outperforming both of the NL East stud shortstops. The former Bayou Bengal is hitting .333 with 26 runs and 8 stolen bases, and he is also eligible at the 2B position.
OF - Nate McLouth (PIT): McLouth may have been drafted in the final round or two of your draft, but no one expected this type of production from him. He has put up top 10 caliber numbers thus far - .307 AVG/31 R/10 HR/38 RBI to go along with 3 SB, which was supposed to be his strongest category. However, it’s hard to fault McLouth for not stealing more bags when he is instead trotting around the bases.
OF - Josh Hamilton (TEX): The former #1 overall pick has not only rebounded from his past off-field troubles to make it back to the major leagues, but now he has become the uber-talented hitter with the pure swing he was originally projected to be. He has been ripping the ball since he put on a Texas uniform to begin Spring Training. After being in the top 5 in RBI and batting average in the spring, Hamilton still had his doubters as evidenced by being drafted on average in the 15th round of Yahoo leagues. Those doubters should now believe Hamilton is the “REAL DEAL” like we stated in our Rangers season preview as he leads the majors with 43 RBI. He also is batting .306 with 22 runs and 8 dingers.
OF - Carlos Quentin (CWS): The change of scenery from Arizona to the Windy City has done wonders for Quentin. He is another player who almost certainly found himself undrafted in your fantasy league, but unless everyone in your league is sleeping in Bikini Bottom under a rock, he’s now found a fantasy home. After not even being a top 50 OF or breaking the first 500 players in Yahoo’s preseason rankings (642), Quentin has blasted his way into the top 20 overall with .288 AVG/26 R/9 HR/29 RBI/3 SB/.971 OPS.
Off the Bench: Chipper Jones (ATL), Kevin Youkilis (BOS), Conor Jackson (ARI), Xavier Nady (PIT), Ryan Church (NYM), Ryan Ludwick (STL), Emil Brown (OAK), Carlos Gomez (MIN), Geovany Soto (CHC)
Pitching Staff:
SP - Cliff Lee (CLE): 53.2 IP, 6-0, 44 K, 4 BB, 32 H, 0.67 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, only allowed earned runs in two starts. Best starting pitcher in the game right now, and he was most likely sitting on the waiver wire when the season started. Enough said!
SP - Shaun Marcum (TOR): Overshadowed by fellow Toronto rotation members Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, and Dustin McGowan, Marcum went undrafted or in the last couple of rounds in almost every draft. However, on the mound, he has been dominant. Even better than Halladay’s four consecutive complete games. He is only 4-2 despite his 2.22 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 49 K in 56.2 IP. Opponents are only hitting .151 against him, and he has only given up 30 hits.
SP - Edinson Volquez (CIN): After the first week, everyone was rushing to the waiver wire in pursuit of a Reds’ rookie pitching stud, but that was Johnny Cueto instead of Volquez. While Cueto has been hit around lately, Volquez is baffling hitters with his array of pitches. In seven starts, Volquez is 5-1 with a remarkable 1.06 ERA, and some people still haven’t heard of him. He has already struck out 52 batters in 42.1 IP while only allowing 28 hits. Volquez has issued 24 walks, which explains his 1.23 WHIP.
SP - Ervin Santana (LAA): In his most recent outing, Santana had his worst outing and failed to become the first 7 game winner in the AL. He gave up 5 earned runs, but he did leave with the lead before the bullpen fell to Tampa Bay. Prior to that appearance, Santana had a 2.02 ERA in his first 7 starts. After going undrafted in almost every league due to his ability to consistently under perform, Santana has harnessed his dormant talents to the tune of a 6-0 record, 2.63 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 45 K and only 10 BB in 54.2 IP.
RP - Brad Lidge (PHI): After still having Albert Pujols come to him during his dreams while in Houston, Lidge finally moved away from Pujols and the train tracks of Minute Maid Park that Pujols visited. The change of scenery has done wonders for Lidge. The 16th closer chosen, on average, has returned to the dominant closer he was prior to Fat Albert’s launching. Prior to allowing a run Tuesday night on a poor defensive play, Lidge had tossed 17 scoreless innings including 18 K and only 8 H.
RP - Joakim Soria (KC): If you haven’t seen Soria pitch, you are missing out. He has some electric stuff. The Royals’ closer was, on average, chosen as the 20th closer in Yahoo fantasy drafts. However, he has been the 4th best during the season behind the more familiar names of Jonathan Papelbon, Mariano Rivera, and Lidge. In 15 appearances, he has yet to allow a run, and Soria has more outings where he has registered multiple strikeouts (5) than outings in which he has allowed a hit (4). He also has great controlling walking only one thus far for a 16.0 K/BB ratio.
RP - Brandon Lyon (ARI): Brandon Lyon is not your quintessential power closer. Instead, he relies on forcing ground balls with a hard sinker ala teammate Brandon Webb. Combine that with being unproven in the closer role and Lyon went undrafted in 69% of Yahoo leagues, and when he was drafted, it was often after at least a handful of setup men (a slap in the face to a fantasy closer). But Lyon has produced. He has been a top 10 closer, and that’s after he blew two saves during the first week. Since then, he hasn’t allowed a run and has converted 9 consecutive saves.
Off the Bench: Zack Grienke (KC), Tim Hudson (ATL), Carlos Marmol (CHC), Santiago Casilla (OAK), Aaron Cook (COL), Joe Saunders (LAA), Troy Percival (TB)
Shotgun Spratling
| 2.5 |
May 14th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
How fortunate would you consider a fantasy player who had both Nate McClouth and Cliff Lee? I am lucky enough to have both; I drafted McClouth in the 22nd and final round of my draft, and picked up Cliff Lee shortly after the season started. My team is doing rather well, but my success depends a lot on the success of these guys.