Josh Willingham = Underappreciated?

[Doughhead]

I just wanted to open a discussion about the man affectionately known as "The Hammer." Most seem to see him as a borderline starter in average-sized mixed leagues, and he gets very little attention in the fantasy world (including here).

Here are a few things to consider about his numbers so far...

.886 OPS (just a shade under Morneau and a little better than Carlos Lee)

31 RBIs (8th best among MLB OFs and better than Carlos Beltran)

A respectable .289 average, 3 steals, and 21 walks.

He hit 26 home runs as a rookie last year and posted an OPS of .852, so we know he's got good pop. He's cut his Ks a bit, is walking a little more, which indicates that he's building on his rookie success. He also hits in the middle of a solid lineup behind the likes of Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla, and Miguel Cabrera (so RBI should continue to come). Jeremy Hermida and Mike Jacobs should provide decent protection.

Everyone seemed to forget about him when he lost his catcher eligibility. Perhaps it's time we accepted he's an OF now--and a pretty good one at that! Am I the only one who thinks that we should stop talking about him in the same breath as Raul Ibanez and start talking about him in the same breath as Jason Bay?

[Snakes Gould]

i appreciated him more when he was catcher eligible

[SwisherSweet]

I am with you on this....he has been very productive, and has been starting as my dh all year....I have been playing him ahead of Damon, Dye, and Markakis....and he has earned that spot....The hammer is tough

[wrveres]

I was just researching him.
He was on the wire in a shallow league and that struck me as odd.
You could do much worse

[rotoquest]

I've appreciated him since I picked him up the 2nd week of the season off waivers. Visually when watching a game, he's a tough hitter for pitchers fouling off many balls. Statistically, he is a steady contributor. Wish I had more from his mold.

[NYYANKEEZ25]

I love my willingham.

[JTWood]

My 14-team OF is...

Dunn
Bay
Willingham
Drew
Quentin

...in that order. I went with Drew as my #3 early in the season, but Willingham kept hitting and Drew didn't, so in he went. I haven't looked back.

[Mr. Smithers]

He is for sure an above average player. I don't know if it will help translate to more success, but he has one of the quickest bats around right now. Watch this guy swing, his bat is so fast, I dont think people relize that. Any thoughts on his bat speed?

[Yoda]

He is underrated for sure... In fact, I'm going to try and get him.

[EP3]

i loved him as my catcher last year but i figured with so many good OF this year it'd be hard to find a spot to play him... well he just got dropped in my league and i'm thinking about nabbing him...

its either him or pence. hard to choose.