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Scott White

I White; You Read

Name: Scott White | Gender: M | Member Since February 8, 2008
Current Level: Superstar | Email: Private
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Worth the add?

Posted on: May 13, 2008 6:44 pm
Edited on: May 13, 2008 8:46 pm
 
I've taken a deep breath, counted my many blessings and regained my composure after last night's unadulterated rant. With the Fantasy Baseball leagues back up and running (until 2 a.m., apparently), I'll now proceed with my assessment of the 10 most-added players in Fantasy.

Ryan Ludwick -- Four home runs in five games will go a long way to getting people's attention. So will a .721 slugging percentage. Ludwick obviously won't sustain that pace or his .346 batting average, but I don't question his ability to hit 30 home runs over a full season. His 14 in 303 at-bats last year project to 25 in 550 at-bats, and with Chris Duncan struggling and Skip Schumaker merely an above-average player, Ludwick could get the lion's share of at-bats in the St. Louis outfield. Considering his ownership is still only 62 percent, I wouldn't call his inclusion on this list a widespread overreaction to his great performance last week.

Jimmy Rollins -- Rollins' inclusion here is obvious. He just recovered from a sprained ankle and came off the 15-day DL, and as a first-round draft pick going into the season, he deserves to start in all leagues. We sometimes get e-mails here asking us how superstars get dropped in so many leagues just because they go on the DL, and I have to tell you I wonder the same thing. I could almost understand it in leagues that don't have benches, but even then, they'd have to be shallow Head-to-Head leagues, and most leagues without benches are Rotisserie. If someone in your league dropped Rollins, hopefully you scooped him up before the dust had a chance to settle.

Rich Harden -- Harden fits the same mold as Rollins. He just came off the DL. He doesn't have quite the superstar standing of Rollins, but he deserves to start in all leagues when healthy. If you cut him the first time, though, expect to cut him again soon.

Ryan Franklin -- I'm guessing if you pounced on Franklin, you probably owned Jason Isringhausen, and I won't dispute the move if you had no alternatives for saves. While not overpowering, Franklin has proven a successful middle reliever over the last season-plus, allowing less than a 1.20 WHIP. I don't expect him to keep the role for long, though, and he might lose saves to Russ Springer even while he has it. If you can snag any full-time closer instead of Franklin -- like Brian Wilson, Kevin Gregg or Brian Fuentes -- do so.

Vicente Padilla -- Padilla's 5-2 record and 20-win pace probably has a lot to do with his inclusion on this list, and I wouldn't necessarily criticize people for riding the hot hand. But I hope in Padilla's case, they know it'll go cold soon. He can't sustain his 3.23 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP. He just can't, and when the ERA rises, the wins will fall, cradle and all. Padilla did have some Fantasy appeal as a 15-10 pitcher with a 4.50 ERA in 2006, but don't expect him to do any better this season.

Justin Duchscherer -- Duchschererererer has a 2.45 ERA through four starts. He has yet to allow more than two earned runs, and although he hasn't quite built up his endurance yet, he went seven innings in his last start. In some Head-to-Head leagues, he qualifies as a relief pitcher, and starting pitchers tend to outscore closers. Take advantage, people.

Chris Iannetta -- The Rockies unceremoniously pulled the plug on Iannetta's starting debut last year, but he's forced his way back into the lineup this year. He has a 1.015 OPS though Monday, and as ridiculous as that sounds, it actually falls right in line with his minor-league numbers. The Rockies will ride the hot hand between Iannetta and Yorvit Torrealba for now, but Iannetta is the one you want as a No. 2 catcher in Fantasy. By the end of the season, he could emerge as a No. 1.

Blake Dewitt -- I can tell I'm going to have a love-hate relationship with DeWitt. I praised him in my blog Sunday, then blasted him in my Sliders column Monday. At first glance, I love him. I see his 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and slowly emerging power and think, "hey, this guy could do my team a lot of good." But then I look at his minor-league numbers and quickly backtrack. His ratio is more due to a lack of strikeouts than a surplus of walks, and his power is ... let's use the term inconclusive. If I play in a mixed league, I need to see more before making a move.

Joey Votto -- If you play in a Head-to-Head league that rewards walks and penalizes strikeouts, Votto won't do your Fantasy team any more good than Jeff Francoeur (and if you own Francoeur in one of those leagues, you know exactly what I'm talking about). I think he has good offensive upside and the potential to hit 25-30 home runs this year, but he'll probably end up with three times as many strikeouts as walks, making his batting average a total crapshoot. Don't get me wrong: For this year alone, I rank Votto about as highly as I do Ludwick, but I praise Ludwick while criticizing Votto because I don't think the general public gives Ludwick enough credit.

Milton Bradley -- Bradley is shaping up as one of the most underrated players in Fantasy this season, and I can certainly understand why, given his injury history -- he just left Monday night's game with a sore shoulder -- and his oftentimes poor attitude. But in between all of his stints on the DL, he's long teased us with his emerging four-category offensive talent. He took a huge step forward last year, posting a .948 OPS, and his .975 mark this year shows he hasn't let up one bit. He might succumb to an injury or two along the way, but I could definitely see him becoming a must-start in Fantasy this season and like him more than anyone else on this list (other than Rollins and Harden, of course). Pick him up in all leagues.

That's all for now.
Category: MLB
Reputation: 98
Level: Superstar
Since: Feb 23, 2008
Posted on: May 13, 2008 7:12 pm

Worth the add?

Padilla did have some Fantasy appeal as a 15-10 pitcher with a 4.50 WHIP in 2006, but don't expect him to do any better this season.

Look Blanco, you can't find guys with 4.50 WHIPs every day, so when you do, you have got to pick them up.  But I agree, I don't think he will be able to return to that form again; WHIPs like that only come along during career years.  He's probably just a flier in AL-only or deeper mixed leagues now.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.  Otherwise, good analysis, Blanco.



Reputation: 98
Level: Superstar
Since: Jan 24, 2008
Posted on: May 14, 2008 1:12 am

Worth the add?

You forgot Mark Kotsay - He's a must start in all AL-only leagues!



Reputation: 99
Level: Superstar
Since: Aug 10, 2006
Posted on: May 15, 2008 11:01 am

Worth the add?

Nice, these read like player updates.

Can you go ahead and publish your comments on the top 10 most-added players on their player update please?

Get right on that, thanks. Heck, do it daily. Thanks.

Emack



Reputation: 98
Level: Superstar
Since: Feb 23, 2008
Posted on: May 15, 2008 10:00 pm

Worth the add?

eSmack, thanks for recognizing the style.  The formula is pretty easy actually:

  • For a prospect or struggling player with an inconsistent past, you use "worth a flier", "__-only", and "deeper mixed leagues."
  • If a player is really struggling, you would use "only the deepest of mixed leagues."
  • If a consistent player is hot, you need to use "must start in all formats."
  • If it's Kenny Rogers, you say "avoid in all formats, unless your league has 'cameras-smashed' as a stat category."

Yeah, those should work every time.

Baseball Jones ~~ Hustling since 1980

 



About I White; You Read
I've never had a blog before. I'm from Georgia. (Not that that means anything, but people like to joke, and I like to accommodate, so there you go -- fuel for the fire.) But now that I've joined up with CBSSports.com, they've given me a blog space and told me to use it, assigning me a topic on which to direct my focus: baseball -- or, more specifically, Fantasy Baseball. Enjoy.
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