Is Pedroia looking over his shoulder at Terry Francona’s latest protege′?This season is full of intriguing two-player “Showdowns” that beg comparison and invite debate. In each Showdown we pit two players from the same position against each other, scrutinize their age, injuries (if applicable), and statistics, with only one coming out on top.
The second episode in our “Showdown” series features two second basemen who disappointed many Fantasy owners last year: Kipnis vs Pedroia.
ADP keeps you in tune with which round you should draft a player when your cheat-sheet might tell you differently.No matter what cheat-sheet you use in in your Fantasy Baseball Draft, it is basic “due diligence” to know the ADP (Average Draft Position) of each player you intend to target.
The ADP of a player will give you a good idea in which round he will be drafted. This will keep you from reaching too high for your target and, at the same time, not letting him slide to one of your opponents. The ADP keeps you in tune with which round you should draft a player when your cheat-sheet might tell you differently. The greater the discrepancy between your trusted ranking of a player and his ADP, the more important the knowledge becomes.
For example, I am well aware that I have J.D. Martinez much higher in my rankings than most other sites. (Click here for the printable version of Chartfelt Tiers) It was mostly based on last year’s numbers, along with my gut feeling that he’s on the verge of a breakout year. He’s probably our biggest anomaly. Regardless, we have him ranked at 28th overall. In the meantime, Rotochamp has him at 58th, ESPN has him at 161st, Sports Illustrated at 114 and Yahoo has him at 108th. His ADP is 107.
So, as you can see, there’s a big difference between where I have him ranked and where I should draft him. My ranking tells me to take him in the 3rd round in a 12-team snake draft. Why would I do that when I know I can most likely still snag him in the 8th, or even 9th round?
In addition, you must ask yourself, exactly how valuable each player is according to position. In the case of Martinez, he’s one of many good outfielders this year. There are plenty of very good options up to and including the 6th Tier. This gives you even less reason to reach for him before his ADP approaches.
It might be handy to have a list of ADPs with you at the draft. Failing this, you could note the ADPs of players you have targeted this season and pick accordingly. You shouldn’t get too caught up in ADPs, but be aware certain players that you might be eyeballing have not yet even registered as a blip on the fringes of your opponents’ radars.
This season is full of intriguing two-player “Showdowns” that beg comparison and invite debate. In each Showdown we pit two players from the same position against each other, scrutinize their age, injuries (if applicable), and statistics, with only one coming out on top.
Our first “Showdown” includes two veteran first baseman who disappointed many Fantasy owners last year after going down with season-ending injuries before the All-Star break. Let our first showdown begin: Fielder vs Votto.
It appears it may be time to admit how wrong I was about Yu Darvish in my Comebacks post. As reported in Pro Sports Daily, Darvish has a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament, and may require Tommy John surgery.
I initially suspected that the Rangers had cut Darvish’s season short last year because the Rangers had fallen out of contention, and there was no point in “wasting” his arm for games that didn’t matter. Turns out the injury could be for real.
On the other hand, this further supports the strategy (see: Tommy John Prospects) of staying away from pitchers, especially the 20-somethings, in the early rounds of a draft.
At least with Darvish we have the information before the season begins – and hopefully before your draft took place.
It begs the question, Who’s next? Who’s the next hidden land mine that we must avoid?
I’ll admit from the get go that some of you readers probably know more about Daily Fantasy than yours truly. I have dabbled in the daily games the past couple of years, but still have much to learn. Even for someone who devotes a good portion of his waking hours to Fantasy sports, there’s only so many teams and leagues one guy can handle.
The buzz he got was in the pride of beating the system – the buzz of winning.
I have, however, been known to put a few bucks down on the odd game or two. And I know from where this penchant for wagering has come. It has come from my genetic makeup. Just like my father before me, I enjoy the rush of winning. Although there was one difference: dear old dad was good at it.
Allow me to introduce you to my latest word: “bicentinningal“. A bicent-inning-al (just flows off the tongue, no?) is a pitcher who has been cleared to pitch 200-plus innings. This is usually a pitcher in his 2nd, 3rd or even 4th full year, whose arm has been stretched out enough to meet the rigors of a full season.
Unless that pitcher has Nolan Ryan-like endurance, the formula is necessaryIt has now become customary for a team to shut down a rookie pitcher, as early as mid-August, because there has been a predetermined “innings limit” placed on his arm. This is a precautionary formula employed by most teams to ensure there will not be any injury issues, and unless that pitcher has Nolan Ryan-like endurance, the formula is necessary. It eases a young pitcher into the heavy workload of a full season.
Facade (fuh- sahd) noun
On the first glance at the above image you might think you’re looking at the warm-up for a real game in one of baseball’s shrines, Fenway Park. Not so fast. This is jetBlue Park, AKA Fenway South, and much like Spring Training itself, it is only a facsimile of the real thing. It is just a facade, and this bogus “Green Monster” fits both definitions.
We seem to wait so long for the games to start, only to be teased by this massive practice session before the real baseball season, and it’s real fake (oxymoron alert) cousin, Fantasy Baseball, finally commence. So what, if anything, can we glean from the big deception that is Spring Training?
