Q&A: A Different Perspective

Does anyone else in fantasy baseball cause more headaches
than this guy?
(photo courtesy of Mike McCann's Field of Fotos)

Josh C

(Editor's note: Josh was kind enough to answer a few, select fantasy baseball questions from this past week.  You may know Josh as our resident Sacramento Kings' fan and is one of my biggest fantasy sports' rival, most notably defeating my baseball team in our league's 2012 championship game.  He brings a different view on what he thinks makes for a successful fantasy baseball season).

QUESTION #1: "Need OF help and I have to choose between Coco Crisp, Jayson Werth, and Melky Cabrera.  Who would you choose?"

Of course, Crisp and Werth are currently injured at the moment so Melky Cabrera is the default answer.  However, if all three are healthy, I would definitely have Werth as my third choice.  So it boils down between Cabrera and Crisp and what kind of OF your team is looking for.  In terms of pop, Melky has a slight advantage, but Crisp is clearly the better base stealer.  However, if you're looking for batting average, Cabrera is your man as I highly doubt that Crisp can continue to hit over .280.  Plus Cabrera is hitting in a better lineup than Crisp.  Toronto is struggling now, but when they turn things around, I want to have Cabrera in my lineup so he can reap the benefits and starts helping my team.

QUESTION #2: "Is Kyle Kendrick for real?"

Depends on your definition of "real."  Is he as good as the numbers he's putting up?  No, but he's one of those guys that you "power stream" (meaning you play them against everyone except the "power" lineups).  I say he can finish the year with 12-14 wins, 3.34 ERA, WHIP of 1.19, and approximately 140 strikeouts.  Not too shabby.

QUESTION #3: "I'm a B.J. Upton owner.  Now what?"  (I too have B.J. Upton on my current squad--Ed)

Huge fan of Justin Upton, but never been a fan of B.J.  That being said, he can still contribute in all the major categories, except batting average and I still figure that he can hit around .240.  Without doing the math, for him to have a "spike" from his current average of .138 to .240 means he's going to have a hot stretch at some point to get there.  I think the fact that Justin is there with him this season is going to help him out of this slump.  I wouldn't drop just yet and would continue to keep riding him in my bench until I see a glimmer of hope (if you insist that I should continue to practice patience...--Ed).

QUESTION #4: "Would you trade Giancarlo Stanton for Matt Holliday?"

Even if assuming that Stanton is healthy and Holiday can continue to be a durable player at his advanced age, I think I would still have to say 'yes' on this one.  I don't believe Holliday is as good of a player as Stanton, but I was already doubting Stanton entering this season (and even long before I realized just how bad this Miami Marlins' lineup would be).  His statements about how he felt about the organization after their fire sale in the offseason made me wonder how a guy with a fire inside like that is going to do when his team is the worst in the league and he doesn't have anybody in the lineup to protect him.  The current results have answered all of my questions.  Nobody is pitching to him, but then again, he's not walking that much either.  That tells me that he's getting frustrated at not being pitched to and swinging at pitches he wouldn't swing at in the past.  

I think the homeruns will come eventually this year, however (I'd take the over on 27), but not sure any of the other peripherals or counting stats will come around in 2013.  Conversely, it's very hard to count out a guy when he has uber talent.  

QUESTION #5: "Jim Henderson or Jim Johnson?"

I really want to say Henderson here, but I actually prefer him from a skills standpoint (I don't know about you, but I like my closers to be able to fan the side).  However, for some reason, the Milwaukee Brewers love Axford.  I just have this feeling that if Axford continues pitching well like he has been of late (although he took the loss yesterday against the Pirates--Ed), that they are going to give him another shot (or turn it into some sort of "platoon"/"closer by committee"). 

I have to go with Jim Johnson on this one because of the current solidity of his role. 

QUESTION #6: "Lorenzo Cain or Starlin Marte?"

I like both of these guys, but Marte still hacks a little too much for me to completely believe in his average.  He's going to steal more bases, but I think Cain has more ability to be a multi-way guy.  Slight advantage to Cain.

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CATCH!: 2013 Early Pre-Rankings--LF

New uniform, but Hamilton still packs that same, sweet-swingin' bat of his.
And he also comes with a lot of baggage.
(photo courtesy of Mike McCann's Field of Fotos)

Felipe M

To view our 3B pre-rankings, click here. 

Since I play in a league that requires to draft a LF, CF, and RF, I thought I would rank the outfield in this manner.  

TOP TIER

1. Ryan Braun: Another year of PED allegations is haunting yet another offseason for Braun.  However, until there is something more concrete, apropos to possible punishment by the Commissioner's Office, there simply is no reason to drop Braun from the top spot.
2. Mike Trout: Phenom extraordinaire, Trout has proven to live up to the hype that was bestowed upon him last season.  Would like to see him improve his approach at the plate, but the raw projections are predicting another huge year for the young Angel.
3. Carlos Gonzalez: Injury concerns are always a concern for CarGo, but he's only 27 and is ready to enter his prime of his career.  Just like Trout, would like to see more patience at the plate, but his raw numbers alone, along with his age, are good enough to place him in this tier.
4. Josh Hamilton: Well, let's see: wrong side of 30, injury-prone outfielder, bad 2012, second half, choked in the postseason, and there's always that chance that he can be easily swayed to revert back to a dark past (alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.).  Nevertheless, when he has all of those issues under control, the guy can definitely rake.  However, as one will notice, he's not even the best LF on his own team.

SECOND TIER

5. Matt Holliday: Just like Hamilton, Holliday can still rake, but unlike Hamilton, he's proven to be a gamer as he has been able to play through a variety of injuries that would derail an average player.  However, at 33,  those injuries might be catching up to him.  Add to the fact that he struck out more times than ever in 2012 and his BB:K was it's lowest since 2007 and I just feel obligated to warn you, the reader, to be wary of this guy.  However, he's a "safe risk" to have on your team, but  a risk nonetheless.  If I were stuck in a situation where Holliday was the best player available in my slot, I would highly likely go after a younger, up-and-coming player at that position to hand-cuff with Holliday.
6. Yoenis Cespedes: Cespedes proved to be a major factor last season with the Oakland A's. He could threaten to have a 20/20 season in 2013, but the potential, raw, power numbers that he can produce is enough of a reason to draft this player.
7. Alex Gordon: Gordon has turned around his career after it looked like he would become a "bust" for the Kansas City Royals.  His raw, counting stats are nothing to brag about, but a respectable contact rate to go along with a projected OPS between .820-.840 makes Gordon a solid pick at this position.
8. Martin Prado: Like mentioned before for the 3B, there is nothing flashy about Prado, but what he lacks in power, he more than makes up for it in versatility, superb contact rate, and a stout patience at the plate. 
9. Josh Willingham: His power is never in question as he has proven to possess ample amounts of it at three, different, pitcher-friendly  ballparks.  Age is a concern as he recently turned 34 years-old and injuries are magnified with Willingham; more than the other 30+ year-olds who've had a history of injuries.  However, when healthy, Willingham is a legit source of power of the 30/100 variety.

THIRD TIER

The rest of the field:

• Desmond Jennings (who can put up good, solid numbers, but low on-base% and OPS means many slumps and struggles.
• Melky Cabrera (PED use)
• Mark Trumbo (even in the OF, there are better options than this strike-zone illiterate)
• Brett Gardner (speed, but no power)
• Shane Victorino (age, decrease in production)
• Jason Kubel (age, decrease in production)
• Carl Crawford (injuries, dramatic decrease in production)
• Michael Morse (power, strikes out too much, jury is still out)
• Carlos Quentin (power, but injury concerns)
• Logan Morrison (power, but injury concerns)
• David Murphy (solid numbers, but in platoon system)
• Ichiro Suzuki (speed, but lacks power, age has sapped his contact rate)
• Juan Pierre (speed, but lacks power, age concerns)
• Ryan Ludwick (power, but age concerns)
• Lucas Duda (good potential, but awful on defense)

As you can see, the Third Tier at LF is larger than the other positions, but doesn't provide greater depth at the position, per se.  It offers a good mix of power and speed, but for a lot of these players, except for Jennings, the attributes are always exclusive from each other.  There are a lot of question marks with all of these players, but at their best, they can become solid players.  At their worst, they can cost you the season. Choose wisely.

Keep an eye on:

• Starling Marte (until I see that he's been officially named the starting LF for the Pittsburgh Pirates, I'm not ready to move him up to the Third Tier yet.  And even so, he will struggle mightily in 2013).
• Matt Joyce (in daily leagues when he's hitting against right-handers)
• Jonny Gomes (in daily leagues when he's hitting against lefties)

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CF rankings are available here.