Fantasy Baseball Report….March 28th, 1998

Well, with the start of the arduous baseball season only days away, its time to take a few guesses at who will be the surprise and disappointing players of Fantasy Baseball 1998.

CATCHER

The Best of the Best:

  1. Mike Piazza, Los Angeles: Triple Crown Candidate every year.(.361 , 40 HR, 124 RBI)
  2. Ivan Rodriguez, Texas: In an era of very few good hitting catchers with power, Rodriguez(.313 , 20 HR, 77 RBI) stands out. Last year was an off year, too. He’ll bounce back with 30 HR’s and 90 RBI’s this year.
  3. Todd Hundley, New York Mets: Would be ranked second, but is out until the All Star Break. Last year’s figures: (.273, 30 HR, 86 RBI ) in only 417 at bats.

3a) Sandy Alomar Jr., Cleveland: Decided to add him in, because of Hundley’s injury. Stats from last year: (.323, 21 HR, 83 RBI). Along with Piazza these two guys are the best clutch hitting catchers in baseball today.

Surprise of the Year: Javy Lopez, Atlanta: Really came into his own last year(.294, 23 HR, 68 RBI) in 400 at bats. Has a fluid swing, doesn’t strike out terribly often. Atlanta has finally found a catcher they can settle on after scraping by for years..

The Crash and Burn Player of the Year: Terry Steinbach, Minnesota: His best days

have long passed him by, yet he is still given an above average value by novice fantasy leaguers who remember his productive days back in Oakland…

 

 

FIRST BASEMAN:

    1. The Best of the Best:
    1. Jeff Bagwell, Houston: The total player. Hits for average(.286) for Power(43 HR, 135 RBIs) and can run (31 steals last year). Potential to be a 40-40 man this year.
    2. Mark McGwire, St. Louis: I give him the slight edge over Bagwell just based on sheer power. Hit 58 home runs last year, its amazing he only had 123 runs batted in (RBIs). Still bats .275 while offering enough power alone to light up many small towns. Will chase Maris’s single season home run record again this year.
    3. Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox: The Mike Piazza of first baseman, a triple crown threat every year. Hits to all fields with power, patient at the plate. Last year(.347, 35 HR, 125 RBI).

Sleeper/Surprise Player of the Year: Tony Clark, Detroit: Broke thorough last year with 32 homers and 117 RBIs, this year we predict he will take it to the next level, and will become one of the elite first baseman in the American League.

Crash and Burn Player of the Year: Fred McGriff, Tampa Bay: On the downside of a great career, now he’s banished to expansion team Devil Rays to be the focal point of their offense. That is not the role he’ll be productive in, not at this point in his career…Expect his numbers to go down as pitchers pitch around him, knowing he doesn’t have the fearsome Atlanta hitters around him…

 

SECOND BASEMAN:

The Best of the Best:

1) Craig Biggio, Houston: A premier leadoff hitter. Bats .308, 22 home runs, 81(!)

RBIs , and 146 runs! He scored, on average a run every game he played in. Oh yeah, and he stole 47 bases last year too. No big deal, right?

2) Chuck Knoblauch, New York Yankees: Lead the league in thefts last year(62), now sets the table for one of the more potent offenses in the league in New York after years of being under-appreciated in Minnesota. Hits a steady .290 with a good eye for the plate.

3)Roberto Alomar, Baltimore: Last year’s stats(.332, 14 HR, 60 RBIs) were great considering he only had 412 at bats… in a full season, his average stays as good, but he tacks on 6-7 HRs and about 20 RBIs… the consumate number 2 hitter in any team’s lineup.

Surprise/Sleeper of the Year:

Carlos Baerga, New York Mets: You heard it right here first. Nobody is expecting anything out of him, which is why he’ll quietly produce close to his numbers of old. All the scrutiny is off of him in New York now, as they have basically given up on hoping for good years out of him. Cleveland is a much nicer town both media and fan wise than New York, and Baerga is one of those "Sensitive" players who would have been more productive in a smaller market these past few years instead of being in that tiny fish bowl called New York.

Crash and Burn Player of the Year:

Jeff Kent, San Francisco: An erratic hitter with above average power, he is largely undisciplined at the plate(as evidenced by his .250 average). How he drove in 130 RBIs last year baffles me. Even the 29 HR was a career high, by far. Don’t expect much more than the same average with 20HR and maybe 90 RBIs this season. That’s not terrible for a second baseman(all things considered), but a far cry from last year’s numbers.

 

 

This concludes Part 1 of my 3 part review of Fantasy Baseball this year. The Second part will be posted on or before April 4th.

Special thanks to Jason Pattulo for his input and knowledge.

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