Hello reader(s). After having Sean post such a thorough article about strategy, I thought the only way to follow it up was with my contrasting style: lots of ramblings in bullet point form. It's what I do best, and I have a lot of different thoughts on my mind. In paragraph form, there would be no rhyme or reason. Come to think of it, there is no rhyme or reason anyways, but here we go:
-Ricky Romero has to be hurt in some way, shape, or form. There is just no other way to explain this drop in production. I know what you are thinking hardcore baseball fan: he pitches in the AL East, what do you expect? What I expect is that Ricky Romero will be one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball no matter where he's pitching. He's proven that he is capable of this, regardless of opponent over the last 2 years. Romero went from a 3.73 ERA with 1.29 WHIP and 174 K in 2010 to 2.92 ERA with 1.14 WHIP and 178 K last year. I didn't expect it to get much better, but I also didn't expect it to balloon to a 4.94 ERA and 1.43 WHIP after his horrendous outing today (3 innings, 13 runners including 6 BBs, and 8 ER). I watched him today and he didn't have command of the plate. He also was only around 91mph. Bottom line: it didn't look like the stud pitcher I remember from last year and he must be hurt. The only thing I can recommend is to trade him if someone is still a believer and get 70 cents on the dollar. I don't see you getting full on Ricky Romero-type production for the remainder of the year, although he can only (I think) go up.
-Sean is wrong about Adam Jones over Trout. Mike Trout is the best rookie that I remember in a long time. Especially for fantasy. The thing that gives Trout an edge over just about anyone else is his phenomenal set of wheels. He's going to steal 60 bases at some point in his MLB career. This year, he is on pace for 45 STL with only 458 AB. Considering he is a lead-off hitter, his current pace projects for over 60 STL in a full year (about 600 ABs for lead off hitters). Not to mention, he can hit- for average AND power. Trout is on pace for 15 HR and 63 RBI in the same 458 AB pace. That projects as this for a full season: .335, 20 HR, 80 RBI, 60 STL, 120 R. How many players are better? I don't even have to go into Adam Jones' numbers because they're not that. Period. Worrying about the rookie wall for a guy who has hit at every level he's been at is ridiculous.
-Jeff Samardzija's ERA is now over 5. His ERA for the last month: 7.27.....with a 1.81 WHIP! For everyone who fell in love with him, it's time for the breakup. I know breakups are hard, but they are for the best. The kids just not ready for a 35 start season yet. Needs a year to get his arm stretched out.
-Anthony Davis is going to be the first pick of the NBA Draft. Scouts are comparing him to Bill Russell already. He is going to be a fantasy stud no doubt. I wanted to touch on a few other players that I think will have fantasy relevance NEXT YEAR:
-Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: Scouts smarter than I are already comparing him to the next Gerald Wallace. Even if Bradley Beal ends up going #2, he will end up on a very bad team with big minutes lined up. I see him as a nice scorer in the NBA even though his jump shot is not fully developed. MKG is an around the rim type scorer with offensive rebounding capabilities. No doubt, like every rookie, he will struggle a bit in his first year. His FG% should still be high for a rookie assuming he doesn't start trying to stretch out his game ala Josh Smith. He is a dirty work kind of player and those numbers translate to fantasy even if he won't be lighting up the scoreboard with 3's. I expect him to go 2 or 3 in the draft and score about 13ppg with 7 rebounds in his rookie year.
-Thomas Robinson: Some say Jared Sullinger is the best post scorer in this draft. I completely disagree. Not only does he have diagnosed chronic back problems, but he is unathletic and reminds me too much of Carlos Boozer. Boozer is a decent scorer, but I think Thomas Robinson can be special. According to Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA), Thomas Robinson will lead the rookie class in scoring. Robinson is a definite lottery pick himself, and could go as high as 2. Bobcats, Wizards, etc can all use the scoring. He reminds me of an Amare Stoudemire light. Give you the same categories as Amare with same %'s in a lesser fashion. He may take a year more than MKG to develop into his full potential, but in keepers I think Robinson is a no-brainer.
-Austin Rivers: It sounds like Michael Jordan is targeting Rivers with the 10th pick. Apparently, he sees a fit with Kemba Walker/Rivers guard combo. Don't forget, Jordan IS the guy who went with Felton/Augustin PG duo for a while. Also don't forget it killed both their fantasy values. Rivers, though, is a volume shooter. When he gets the ball, he will definitely shoot. I can see Rivers leading the rookie class in points. Should give you a decent amount of 3's, PTs, FT%, STL. My guess is he will be around 14 ppg depending on what team he ends up on.
I'm in Mississippi and the Hornets are our team. I am really looking forward to Davis wearing our uniform. I think he'll energize the city the way Ricky Williams or Reggie Bush did once they arrived in town. Also, .agree with your comments on Samardzija. Think he's a bust from here on out this year.
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