Make Your Case: A. Ramirez vs. G. Atkins

[The Jury]

Atkins is FAR, FAR, FAR better than A-Ram.

I'll point you to two facts:

1. Atkins has much better plate discipline as evidenced by his +.400 OBP and his superb +1 BB/K ratio. Atkins ranks in the top 15 in both of these categories and neither of them have much to do with the "Coors effect."

2. Atkins average fly ball distance is one of the best in baseball. Even on the road, he's among the league leaders (#7 overall) in doubles. That stat is important because his power has been getting better with age, and we should soon expect those doubles to turn into home runs.

Attribute his breakout year as a fluke all you want, but his peripheral stats suggest a superior player. In fact, the first name on PECOTA's list of comparable players is Carl Ripken Jr.

I guess I should go with A-Ram then because I don't want someone who's best comparison is to someone I've never heard of before!

[jvmillion83]

I'm going to wimp out on this one. It depends on what your team needs at that point in the draft. If you're looking to boost your average and runs then you go Atkins. If hr/rbi are more important to you then go Ramirez. Their value is virtually identical so it all depends on your team needs. I decided I was going to build a team that could withstand me taking the chance on Adam Dunn this year so I took Atkins.

I totally agree with this point depending upon how you set up your team. For my 13 man league draft, Howard fell to me with 7th pick and I took Tejada. In Round 3, it was Atkins or Aramis for the hitters still out there I preferred. I knew I wanted my boy Victor Martinez in rd 4 and other players, and Atkins was a nicer fit to my team. Especially since my league doesn't allow trading, you really have to build a balanced roster as you go.

Both are for real. I don't understnad why people are dogging Atkins. He was a stud hitter in college and minors. He was out for almost a year with an injury and missed time in limited games in which he knocked in 87 runs in 05 season. I can easily see maybe him dropping to 25 home runs this year, but his batting average and RBI total should increase. The Rockies now have Willy Taveras and a healthy Todd Helton hitting in front of him.

[fezzik]

I had them ranked right next to each other...both had excellent springs (particularly A-Ram)...so I ended up choosing them back-to-back in my 10 team league with picks 40 and 41...now my 3B and Util spot is stacked. They are even more valueable than normal in that league because it's a 7x7 league with BB's and OPS...which lessens the value of the SB guys. I was surprised they were still available.

Anyways, looking at both of their second halves last year and taking into account their careers, I had A-Ram by a sliver...but they are as about as equivalent in my rankings as any two guys can get.