Monthly Archives: April 2014

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Rum-Springer (George Springer Hysteria)

Well the news of Goerge Springer’s call up to the Houston Astros came down last night like a lightning bolt from Mount Olympus.  Twitter went wild and fantasy owners everywhere went scrambling for their phones to see if Springer was on the waiver wire.  I think the analogy holds water as most owners who drafted Springer in redraft and keeper leagues view him as a Greek God who will come and save their team.

George Springer a god?

Everyone Loves A Rookie

Projecting rookies is a funny thing.  Trying to weigh the minor league numbers against what we can expect at the big league level is almost a futile past time.  It’s like trying to figure out why the Diamonbacks are keeping Archie Bradley in the minor leagues.  Your guess is as good as mine.  (If you leave a comment about Super 2 rules and arbitration eligibility I will hunt you down. Joking…not joking.)

Even with all those questions hanging in the air most fantasy baseball owners are guilty of overvaluing rookies.  It’s a sickness that seems to plague almost every league I join.  8 out of 12 owners going into this year thought they were drafting Jose Reyes when they took Billy Hamilton over players like Alex Gordon and Jayson Werth.  They ended up with Michael Bourn.  I’ll never understand it fully, but you’re damn well sure I will try and take advantage of it every chance I get.

Even in redraft leagues the value of Springer is almost off the charts as of this very moment.  People believe they drafted Carlos Gonzalez or Andrew McCutchen in the 15th round and if you want to trade for him now that he’s making his debut tonight, you will have to pay close to that amount.  It’s madness!  Yes, I’m excited about Springer, but if he has anywhere near the value Puig had during his torrid start to last year, you better believe I will trade him.

If Springer gets off to a fast start it will be like watching the teenage Amish run around Pennsylvania during Rumspringa.  That’s right I went there.  The GM’s in your leagues that drafted Springer will be having their very own version of Rum-Springer as they run around patting themselves on the back with every stolen base or extra-base hit. You’ll get trade offers of  Springer and Gray for Cargo and Darvish.  Don’t laugh…just wait, you’ll see that these Springer crazed individuals will only get bolder and bolder as Springer plays well.

My R.O.S. projections are probably going to end up on the low side of everyone else’s.  I have Springer hitting .288 with 17 homers, 24 steals, 58 runs and 60 RBIs.  Don’t get me wrong those are really solid numbers, but I wouldn’t be trading Chris Davis or Edwin Encarnacion (two underperforming sluggers) to acquire Springer in redraft leagues.  In keeper leagues his price tag will be even more, but you better be willing to eat a ton of strikeouts to get him.

Let me know what you would give up to get Springer, sight unseen, in keeper and redraft leagues in the comment section.  Maybe we’ll discuss it when I make an appearance on The Fantasy Black Book -fantasy sports show-on SiriusXM Satellite radio with hosts Dan Strafford and Joe Pisapia.

P.S. Here’s Springer’s first Major League hit courtesy of Drew Silva

 

Garbage Picking

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Watch

Fantasy Baseball owners are as bad as toddlers when it comes to patience.  They want the results now and two bad starts or two tough weeks at the plate is just too much for them to take.  They’ll jump ship before a distress signal has even been sent.  Leagues with limited or no DL slots make this time of year exciting to watch the drop section of your league’s transaction log.  Remember it’s always better to take the bad end of a trade then drop a potential asset.  No matter what I say or do I will never change the average owner, so I have to just sit back and garbage pick through their drops.

Leonys Martin owners haven't had a lot to smile about so far.

Leonys Martin owners haven’t had a lot to smile about so far.

Erik Johnson- Chicago White Sox- Starting Pitcher

Johnson had a lot of helium in early drafts before Alex Wood and Yordano Ventura stole all the pre-draft hype.  Through his first two starts Johnson looked like he was going to prove that his draft stock deserved to be falling by looking very hittable.  Those who dropped him may be kicking themselves after watching him dominate the Red Sox lineup yesterday to the tune of 9 strike outs in 6 and a 1/3 innings.  Johnson is a fringe pitcher in 12 team mixed, but is a must roster in any larger leagues.  His strike out upside is just better than what you probably have at the bottom of your rosters.

Dexter Fowler- Houston Astros – Center Fielder

Fowler started out of the gates hot and owners were patting themselves on the back just like last year that they took him late in drafts, but an illness has really sapped Fowler for the last few weeks and owners are starting to panic.  He has been dropped in a ton of leagues for streaming types like David Murphy or Dayan Viciedo and that was a mistake. I am not a huge fan of Fowler.  I’m not one of these guys that think he will all of a sudden put it all together and be a premier outfielder. (some people actually believe that.) I think he’s a serviceable fourth or fifth outfielder to have who can fill power and speed categories when you’re in a pinch.  He should be rostered in in all 12 team mixed leagues with at least 5 bench spots.

Kyle Seager- Seattle Mariners- Third Baseman

Seager is off to another slow start this year.  Last season he was dropped almost everywhere in 12 team mixed leagues only to see him become a valuable asset down the stretch.  He no longer holds second base eligibility,  but third base isn’t the deepest position in the league.  With players like Moustakas, Sandoval, Lawrie and Freese struggling and Middlebrooks and Beltre hurting it makes hanging on to Seager that much harder.  The reason I say harder is because owners see third-baseman like Marcus Semien and Trevor Plouffe flying off the waiver wire while they sit on their hands.  I believe owners should just keep Seager on the bench if they can.  He’s too valuable as a third-baseman that has the ability to hit 20+ homers and steal 10 bases.

Khris Davis-Milwaukee Brewers-Left Fielder

Davis being dropped is an example of expectations being too high in the fantasy draft process.  People were punting homers in the middle of their drafts thinking they were going to grab Davis late and get a potential 25-30 homer guy.  That is a lot to ask of a young player.  I still like Davis a lot, but I wasn’t banking on him as my steady 3rd Outfielder.  Don’t cut bait on Davis just yet, unless there’s something crazy on the waiver wire.  Keep him on your bench until he gets his feet under him and starts to get better pitches to hit.  In leagues of 14 or bigger I wouldn’t think of dropping him yet.  The Jason Kubel’s of the world will always be there to pick up if Davis is still struggling in a month or two.

Leonys Martin-Texas Rangers- Center Fielder

Martin is caught up in the downward spiral that is the Texas Rangers.  The injuries to the pitching staff and lineup have lumped a lot of pressure on players that aren’t used to shouldering it.  Martin’s spot in the lineup was always going to keep his numbers somewhat down, but he has gotten off to much slower start than I would have thought.  He’s got zero extra base hits and only two steals so I can understand the frustration.  Martin is another one I am holding on to with all my might and I’m even trying to target as a secondary throw in in trades.  When the Rangers get healthy and the heat picks up in Texas I expect Martin to break out.

Some studs that I have seen or heard hit the waiver wire.  Allen Craig (Dan Strafford just told me about this one), Wilin Rosario, and David Ortiz.

Some other guys people might be losing patience for that you should pick up.  Brett Lawrie, Danny Salazar, Homer Bailey, Billy Butler and Xander Bogaerts.  I wish I played in more leagues where they hit the wire!

The Golden Days Of DFS

DraftDay Sold

Recently one of my favorite daily fantasy sports sites, DraftDay.com was bought by MGT.  I have to say I am sad because my initial introduction to DFS was through playing RapidFire on DraftDay with David Gonos, Dan Strafford and Eric Mack.  I had no idea that this industry existed, let alone how fun and addicting it could be.

The great thing about Draft Day was the simple user interface and the really fun Rapid Fire games.  All you had to do was pick 3 out of 5 right and you double your bet.  The 5 for 5 Rapid Fire Max was the sucker bet of all sucker bets, but every once in a while I would still partake when I felt a lock lineup was picked.  It’s exactly like that side bet at the black jack table in Las Vegas.  Lucky Ladies where if you get two queens of hearts you get a 100-1.  How many times have I seen absolute drunkards losing all their money staying on 15 against a ten and then put their last 50 bucks on that sucker bet and…..WIN!

The truth is the DFS space is getting smaller.  New companies are coming along, but they can’t offer the high stakes games that the big boys like Fanduel, DraftKings and even DraftStreet can offer.  Even if they offer a lower rake or an easier interface and softer games the big money is always going to chase the overlay in the big guaranteed prize pool tournaments.

RotoGrinders Daily Fantasy Fix Podcast recently had Andrew Wiggins co-founder of DraftDay on after he sold his stake in Draft Day and the interview conducted by Dan Back is one of the best inside looks at the shift in the DFS market place that I have heard.  You have to understand that Andrew Wiggins was not only the owner of Draft Day, but is also a very good DFS player himself.  His expertise in Basketball is known to anyone who faces him in a 50/50 or tournament.

Quote from Andrew Wiggins about the sale of Draft Day:

“We have worked tirelessly to build an outstanding product and loyal player base. With MGT’s support, DraftDay will have greater resources to grow this business to new heights. Our employees look forward to making MGT the market leader in daily fantasy sports.”

Seriously, go take a listen then come back and read the rest.

Draft Day just couldn’t keep up with the huge contests that were being offered up at their competitor’s sites.  Andrew said they made a huge error in working on the site itself instead of raising money so they could attract more players.  I think anyone can understand the mistake that DraftDay made.  They simply looked at the wrong problem to fix.

I find myself wasting time doing the same here on my site.  Instead of providing my loyal readers fresh content, I fiddle with the look of the site or work on SEO issues.  People don’t come to my site for the ease of navigation or for the fancy pictures, they come to see if they should drop Mike Moustakas in season long fantasy baseball now or pay for Jose Fernandez in DFS.  I KNOW my problem and how to fix it and yet I still find myself wondering if I am going about this right.

I think that’s what got Draft Day in trouble.  They knew how to build a great user interface and how to create fun games with interesting salary structures.  They didn’t know how to raise money.  I have to commend Andrew for being so honest when he talked about all the financial backing DraftKings got this last year.  He wasn’t jealous in the least.  He was amazed.  How did they accomplish that?  I am the same way when someone in the same industry as me displays a talent that is just so foreign to me yet is exactly what you need to succeed.

Another thing mentioned by Andrew is that DFS players have no idea how good we have it right now.  It’s true, we really don’t.  We nit-pick at sites on slow nights and complain when there’s a lull in big contests.  Imagine how much we’re going to complain when all the overlay is gone, and the rake gets bigger.  We could see a future of only two massive sites where you literally can only play other sharks because all the casual players have been chased away.

We really are Jolly Green Giants walking the DFS earth.

Remember these are the golden days my friends and we will look back fondly on them.

 

 

Waiver Watch

Waiver Watch: Pitchers For Week 1

James Paxton Fantasy Baseball

Starting Pitchers:

James Paxton:  The flame thrower from Seattle started out of the gates fast.  The big thing with Paxton is you’ll get a nice bump in strikeouts and strikeouts are as hard as homers to find and there’s nothing like picking up a nice supply week 1 of the Fantasy Baseball season.  Jump on while you can and look at my Mariners’ article for the reasons why I love this team.

Scott Kazmir:  Fantasy Baseball owners were not believing that Kazmir could do it again.  The funny thing is people drafted Ubaldo Jimenez even though he signed with the Orioles to pitch in a hitter’s park in a nightmare of a division, but wouldn’t touch Kazmir in Oakland.  I wasn’t going to overpay for Kazmir in drafts, but I did take him pretty late where I could and picked him up off the waiver wire where he went undrafted because he was just too good to be sitting there.  He’s available in a lot of 12 team leagues and that just shouldn’t be the case.  Go grab him and hope he holds up physically.

Jenrry Mejia:  Mejia can pitch.  He’s a lot like Johnny Cueto and looks like a lesser version of Pedro Martinez.  Think…Pedro towards the end of his career.  He’ll throw a hook in any count and spot a fastball that only runs 90MPH, but looks 97 after his off speed pitches.  He would have been a lot of analysts favorite sleeper if he had won the 5th starter job for the Mets earlier in Spring Training.  Don’t expect big K numbers, but he’ll help your ERA and WHIP.

Erasmo Ramirez: The Eraser is a personal favorite of mine, but not because I think he’s going to be a top 30 starter or anything.  It’s just the way he pitches.  He spots his fastball and puts a little on and takes a little off all while having a very good change up.  I think his ceiling is Kuroda-esque.

Jake Odorizzi:  I have no doubt that Odorizzi is going to have a big impact on many fantasy teams this season.  I think he has the ability to pitch well enough to have the Rays think twice about giving Hellickson back his rotation spot and he could keep his spot if David Price is moved before the trade deadline.  Odorizzi is one of these young starters that actually found a change up that works early in his career.  If he can continue to hone that change up he can help you win your league.

Nate Eovaldi:  Eovaldi is an underrated commodity in fantasy baseball right now.  The Marlins are an up and coming team (that is currently playing above their talent level on offense) that should help Eovaldi continue to build on his skills.  He is an injury concern and is known as a one-pitch pitcher, but he has tried to work in a league average change up that just might make his hard sinker look even harder.

Jake Odorizzi Change Up

Closers:

Before I start, I know that many of you have had these guys picked up already in your leagues.  These lists are mainly for Fantasy Baseball GM’s that do weekly waivers or Faab.

Sergio Santos:  Santos is one fill-in closer that I would actually target.  There is no guarantee that Casey Janssen will make it back quickly and even if he does, Santos may have already nailed down the closer’s role.  Of the injury fill-ins he’s my top guy.

Jose Valverde:  I was lucky enough to watch a lot of the Mets’ spring training (wait did I just say I was lucky to watch that?, Oh never mind.) and it was clearly visible that there was something wrong with Bobby Parnell.  His velocity was way down and he had no command.  Luckily for the Mets they had given Valverde a shot to make the team and now it looks like he may be the closer for the rest of the year.  (I know that Parnell may try to rehab, but I have my doubts that it will work.)  The Mets have some decent starters (Gee, Wheeler, and Mejia) and not much offense so there should be some opportunity for Valverde to get some saves.

Francisco Rodriguez:  K-Rod is back in the closer’s spotlight thanks to Jim Henderson being out of sorts.  The Brewers strongly hinted that the job will be Henderson’s if and when he gets his stuff together.  Personally I would stay away if I could, but if your league weighs saves heavily then you could do worse than K-Rod.

Josh Fields:  Bo Porter, Houston Astros Manager, is going with the company line that his relievers just get outs when called upon.  I think Fields will get the bulk of the early opportunities and if he pitches the way he did the other night when he nailed down his first save against the Yankees, he may just shift the company stance.

Matt Lindstrom/Nate Jones:  An injury to Jones slowed hi this spring and it gave Matt Lindstrom the chance to win the White Sox closer’s job out of Spring Training.  Both have struggled so far, but I think it will eventually be Jones that wins the job.  For now I would stay away unless I had unlimited DL spots and then I would take a chance on Jones since he’s currently on the DL for a Glute problem.

Jonathan Broxton:  Broxton looks to be the closer in Cincinnati until Aroldis Chapman is fully recovered.  Broxton should be coming off the DL some time next week and Hoover has pitched himself out of the temporary closer situation.  The Reds have a very good rotation that could lead to a bunch of opportunities for Broxton in the short term.

***Check Back Tomorrow For Position Players***

NFC East Wide Receiver Movement

NFC East Free Agency and Wide Receiver Movement

Rueben Randle warms up.

New York Giants: The Giants let Hakeem Nicks walk this off season and brought back an old Super Bowl hero as a sort-of replacement. The Giants had no designs on keeping Hakeem Nicks in the fold so it came as no surprise when he signed a prove-it deal with the Indianapolis Colts. Nicks’ declining health and skills wore on the Giants’ brass and fans alike. His Fantasy Football stock is at an all-time low even being paired with one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, in Andrew Luck.

The sort-of replacement is none other than Mario Manningham. The Giants former third-round pick is back after spending two injury-plagued years in San Francisco. While having Manningham back in the fold feels nice as a fan of the Giants, I don’t expect him to start or to be an asset in Fantasy Football next season. Instead of replacing Hakeem Nicks on the Giants’ roster he is essentially replacing Louis Murphy, who had a very forgettable tenure with Big Blue.

The Giants should and probably will look to fill the void Hakeem Nicks’ exit has created by starting Rueben Randle and getting Jerrel Jernigan more involved in the offense. I do look for the Giants to draft an outside wide receiver this year, and could even see them taking Mike Evans if he ever fell to them. If Evans doesn’t fall to the Giants at 12 there will be a lot of talent at the wide receiver position available at their slot in the second round. Davante Adams or Donte Moncrief would be excellent second round picks.

Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have had a quiet off season as they are right up against the cap and have done some foolish things with their money lately. While Dez Bryantdidn’t quite take the leap to 1B to Calvin Johnson’s 1A as a fantasy wide receiver as many thought he might, he did put up solid numbers last season. Ninety-three receptions for more than 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns is nothing to sneeze at, but did leave some fantasy owners wanting.

The lack of a clear cut second option in the passing game hurt Dez Bryant last season.Jason Witten was another year older, and slower, and Miles Austin once again spent most of the season rehabbing his forever-pulled hamstrings. The only bright spot was they appeared to hit on their third round pick in Terrance Williams from Baylor. Williams had 44 receptions for over 700 yards and 5 TD’s in a rookie campaign that saw him grow. Williams is definitely a player to keep on your radar as a potential wide receiver 3 in 12-team leagues next year. In fact, if he has a good offseason you should target him.

Philadelphia Eagles: Can I just say wow! I knew DeSean Jackson had a high salary cap number, but after the season he had last year I was fully expecting the Eagles to extend him or at least have him play it out. Well, in today’s NFL you never know. Don’t get me wrong I know Jackson is tough to deal with, I often compare him to some of the prima-donna strikers you see in the English Premier League, but I didn’t think they would let their second-best player walk.

With Jackson gone the Eagles will feature Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin at the wide receiver position and Zach Ertz at the tight end position. I don’t think Chip Kelly realizes how much ackson helped the Eagles last year with his ability to make a secondary respect his deep speed, but Kelly will find out quickly if teams are able to stack the box to try and stop LeSean McCoy.

Obviously Cooper and Maclin get a big jump in value with Jackson gone, but the one who may benefit the most is Ertz. Ertz quietly had a very nice rookie campaign as he caught 36 passes for 469 yards and 4 TD’s. Even with Brent Celek getting some of the targets from the tight end position I am moving Zach Ertz up my fantasy rankings. I currently have him 12th before the NFL Draft. Maclin’s return from injury could have been a nice buy-low, but with Jackson leaving you may have to pay a premium to see if Maclin’s knee is really healed. He is currently the 37th wide receiver going off the board in my Fantasy League Drafts. Cooper will be a wide receiver 4 next season with the same volatility he had this year. He’s the perfect guy to take in best ball leagues or to play when you really need a high ceiling play.

DeSean Jackson Signs With The Redskins

Washington Redskins: The Redskins last year featured Pierre Garcon and…..well no one. The thinking was Fred Davis would finally come into his own well…..that didn’t happen. (He is currently suspended from the league indefinitely, oh and making really terrible rap albums.) The Redskins decided to address this lopsidedness in free agency and have been very active in free agency. They signed David Gettis, the former promising wide receiver from the Carolina Panthers. They signed the versatile Andre Robertsfrom the Arizona Cardinals. Roberts can play inside or outside and has always been a bit under rated.

I thought the Redskins may have been done there and assumed Garcon would still get the lion’s share of targets and production, but low and behold Dan Snyder saw Jackson hitting the street and he pulled out that big check book. Jackson had a career year last season with the Eagles with 82 receptions for more than 1,300 yards and 9 touchdowns. His numbers will probably never come close to those again, but he can still be a useful fantasy wide receiver.

The Redskins’ new head coach, Jay Gruden, is a west coast offense disciple. He will use the tight end, Jordan Reed. He will get the ball out quickly to wide receivers that can run after the catch, Jackson and Garcon profile as excellent west coast wide receivers, and he will will stretch the field with built in deep shots. Gruden’s Bengals last season relied on the deep ball a little too much and I think he will get back to a more ball control offense in Washington. Garcon and Jackson are both wide receiver twos with this move, but with them also sharing the ball with the gifted Jordan Reed I move them down to the bottom of the wide receiver two list. Garcon still holds more value for me in PPR leagues and I would still be comfortable with him as a solid wide receiver two there.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, @Coachesser and connect with me on Facebook. You can also read all of my articles on everything fantasy at Coachesser.com.

Seattle Mariners Future

Robinson Cano leads the Seattle Mariners

Robinson Cano Has A Lot To Smile About in Seattle

TheSeattle Mariners future is now folks.  I thought they were a year or two away just as recently as the beginning of spring training, but they are becoming a team that can not be overlooked on the field, or int he box score.

Oh the all important box score for the fantasy baseball player.  It used to be we, as fantasy baseball players and fanatics, would only check the Seattle box score when we either had King-Felix (Felix Hernandez) pitching that night or when we were facing him.  The only other time I may have caught myself checking the Mariners’ position players  is when I was completely injury ravaged and wanted to see who was actually alive and starting for them.

James Paxton Box Score

So that’s last night’s box score from the Mariners game.  Just glancing at it will let you know that James Paxton had a very good night.  This early in the season he more than likely didn’t pitch into the 9th inning so what ever he did he didn’t give up a run to a decent offensive baseball team in the Angels.  In reality if you watched the game you would have seen James Paxton look like one of the most dominant left handed starting pitchers to come a long in a long while.  His fastball was touching 98mph and his off speed stuff was almost unhitable after seeing that cheese.

The offensive performance was more of the early season same for these Mariners.  Abraham Almonte got on base a few times.  Brad Miller drove the ball hard when he wasn’t striking out (2 for 5 with 3 K’s last night.).  Robinson Cano continued to stay hot going 2 for 4 and Justin Smoak and Corey Hart provided some middle of the order power, both homering in the 9th inning.  Dustin Ackley couldn’t keep his hot streak alive as he was 0 for 4, but he has never looked more like the 2nd overall pick that he was then now.

This off season I have to admit I was a little obsessed with the Seattle Mariners.  I could not get enough news about the health of Taijuan Walker and the short stop battle between Brad Miller and Nick Franklin.  I was also targeting Hisashi Iwakuma in my Fantasy Baseball drafts because I would be getting a nice injury discount.  Walker seemed to be passing every hurdle without complaint as he rehabbed his sore shoulder and Brad Miller outmashed Nick Franklin in Spring Training to nail down the coveted short stop spot for the Mariners.

A Team Of Ifs

The Starting Rotation:  If each member of the starting rotation stays healthy and pitches up to their ceiling as players then the Mariners will have one of the best, if not the best rotation in the American League.  Felix Hernandez is often over looked when talking about aces because people think too much about the win as a stat.  Hernandez still has the best swing and miss stuff in the league (20 change-ups the other night and 17 swing and misses) even though his fast ball isn’t as fast as it once was.  Hernadez’s control and movement make him an uncomfortable at bat for anyone in the league.  Erasmo Ramirez was supposed to explode on the scene last year, but he struggled in his first season in the bigs.  There was nothing wrong with his stuff, it was just his confidence and ability to pin point his pitches.  This spring The Eraser was stellar in Spring Training and won a safe spot at the top of the Mariners rotation.  His first outing of the season was a masterpiece that only had one blemish, a sinker that was deposited over the center field wall by Raul Ibanez.  James Paxton, who is currently the number three starter, is a tall flame throwing lefty that is the perfect pitcher to slot after any of the Mariner right handers.  The angle of his fast ball coupled with velocity makes Paxton a potential strike out machine.  Hisashi Iwakuma is 23-11 so far as a Mariner and sported an impressive 4.40 K/BB rate.  I’m not sure why people sleep on Iwakuma as a fantasy baseball asset, but it really doesn’t matter to me because I just pick him where I can and include him in trades where I didn’t get him.  The ultimate final piece to this rotation will be Taijuan Walker.  Walker is a big time talent that has been season in the minors since 2010.  The Mariners gave him a cup of coffee in the majors last season and Walker teased his potential as he had a 7.2 K per 9 rate and a 3.60 ERA.  Walker was a better prospect than the highly regarded Sonny gray of the Oakland A’s and should be back in the rotation by early May, yet he was drafted at the very end of Fantasy drafts or not at all in some cases.  I drafted him everywhere I could and especially targeted him in leagues where I had a DL spot or two at my disposal.  While Walker and Iwakuma are on the mend I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris Young put up decent numbers for the Mariners as their 5th starter.  It was supposed to be Randy Wolf in that spot, but Wolf was offended when the Mariners asked him to sign a non guarantee to his contract.  So the Mariners turned to the often injured Chris Young who had lost out on a spot in the starting rotation for the Washington Nationals.

Catcher:  If Mike Zunino can develop in the bigs instead of getting more seasoning in the minor leagues.  The Mariners were widely panned for bringing up Zunino last season before he was ready for the challenge of catching in the major leagues.  Zunino struggled and the Mariners struggled to support their young prospect.  This season the Mariners added the well traveled John Buck to support Zunino and hopefully won’t put too much pressure on the young catcher to perform offensively.  Zunino projected as a plus bat behind the plate and I feel like his time will come, but asking for him to be a fantasy asset this season would be a lot.

1st Base:  If Justin Smoak can finally fulfill just a portion of the potential the Mariners saw in him when they traded Cliff Lee for him.  Smoak is off to a fantastic start this season.  He has already slugged 2 homers and driven seven runs batting in the four hole protecting Robinson Cano.  This looks like the Justin Smoak the Rangers were waiting on and the Mariners were hoping for.  If he can bat over .270 with the threat of power from both sides of the late it won’t be so easy for teams to pitch around Cano.  If Smoak falters the the Mariners have Logan Morrison and Corey Hart who can man first base, but I don’t think that will be necessary this year.

2nd Base: Robinson Cano took the big money from the Mariners and most people said he chose the money over winning when he did.  I am a Yankee fan and I thought Cano saw a genuine opportunity to be the face of a franchise on the upswing.  While there are many ifs when talking about the Mariners, Robinson Cano is not one of them.  Cano is the best second baseman in major league baseball and looks like he wants to be the unquestioned leader of the Mariners.  Good for him and the Mariners.

3rd Base:  Kyle Seager is one of my favorite young players in the league.  He can hit for power with a decent batting eye and will steal the occasional base all while fielding his position better than league average.  I thought Seager was going to benefit from hitting directly in front of Robinson Cano this season, but he has started the season in the 6 hole and should have plenty of chances to drive in Robinson Cano.  I do think his fantasy value takes a hit in that spot, but I’m not panicking.

Short Stop:  Brad Miller was the darling of the Fantasy Baseball world in the off season.  With short stop being such a shallow position you can forgive fantasy die-hards for not holding back on their enthusiasm.  Miller first had to beat out Nick Franklin for the position and did so convincingly.  Miller has not slowed down since Spring Training and has already smacked two home-runs and is sporting an over .1100 OPS.  Miller is the real deal folks.  he will hit for power and score plenty of runs hitting in front of Cano, but you will have to live with some high strikeout totals.  he has a big swing and doesn’t like to cut it down with two strikes.

Outfield:  Abraham Almonte is a switch hitting Center Fielder that Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon seems to have fallen in love with.  Almonte doesn’t offer anything in terms of power, but his speed and position on top of the Mariners order make him interesting in AL only formats.  If Almonte can’t hit his weight they always have big Michael Saunders who could take over.  Saunders operates as the fourth outfielder for now and is featuring in Right Field while Corey Hart continues to get healthy.  Saunders is a legit 20/20 guy if he gets a full opportunity, but he has never been able to hit for a high enough average to warrant it.  The aforementioned Corey Hart is a big piece of the Mariners puzzle.  He is a legitimate power right handed bat when he is healthy.  The only bad thing is he hasn’t been healthy in a while.  Hart was a solid fantasy performer in his Brewer days before a lost season last year.  A lot of people drafted him and stashed him last season only to get burned.  Those same Fantasy players may have avoided him this season because of it.  If Hart can stay healthy he will be an asset to the Mariners and fantasy owners with his power.  The last piece of the outfield puzzle is Dustin Ackley.  Ackley is a former second overall pick that was supposed to be the Mariners second baseman for the next 15 years.  Instead he struggled mightily last season, both in the field and at bat, so the Mariners decided to make him an outfielder.  First they tried him in Center Field which was a mistake, and now he has been give the left field job without any competition.  Ackley projects as a hitter that should hit for a high average and also keep a high OB%.  The only problem is he doesn’t have much power for the position.  I think the Mariners figure they could come out ahead in the power department in the middle infield and eventually at the catcher position so his lack of power won’t hurt their overall team.

Closer:  If Fernando Rodney can keep the closer’s role for the entire season he should ave over 40 games with this pitching rotation.  If he falters then Danny Farquhar will be waiver wire gold.  Keep an eye on Rodney and Farquhar if you’re in need of Saves.

As you can tell I have really been concentrating on the Mariners for selfish Fantasy purposes, but nonetheless you should start looking at them as well.  

Fantasy Spin:

Zunino should only be owned in AL only leagues for now.

Smoak should be rostered in 14 team leagues and larger.  I wouldn’t kill my Faab budget on him though.

Seager is some one you may have to play match ups with with his low spot in the batting order.

Miller will be a top ten short stop, but don’t go crazy trying to trade for him.

Ackley is going to be an asset in leagues with Batting Average especially because of his position eligibility. (2B,CF,LF)

Hart is always an injury risk, but makes for a nice Utility player when healthy.

Walker should be owned in every league you are in (except 8 team leagues, but what’s fun about 8 team leagues?)

Erasmo and Paxton are key targets for the waiver wire in 12 team leagues and larger.  In ten team leagues it may be tough to give up on who you drafted so early.

Feel free to comment and let me know which, if any Mariners, you targeted in your fantasy baseball drafts.

 

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