Covering The Bag

[WebHamster]

This thread contains comments on Aaron West's Article "Covering The Bag", which was posted in the Cafe's Articles section on May 23, 2007. The full article can be read here.

[jamastaballa]

I've got a problem with numerous guys on this article, so here goes:

Travis Hafner and David Ortiz aren't eligible at first base, and when they are, Hafner is higher than sixth because of his excellent OBP and batting average along with very good protection in the lineup.

On top of that, Delgado and Sexson aren't even in your top 18 FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR?

I understand that they've been poor so far, but they're both slow starters and always hit over 30 jacks and are above 100 RBI. Not sure where you're coming from...you really think LaRoche will be better than them? How? Youkilis too? How?

Sexson and Delgado have a combined 13 seasons of at least 30 HR and 100 RBI, by the way. No faith in the vets, ouch.

[Madison]

As to the 1B/DH thing, he addressed that in the article:

Note that this list combines first basemen and designated hitters. I am going by depth charts, not position eligibility, since that can vary throughout leagues.

Ortiz has 1B eligibility at Yahoo, while Hafner doesn't (just as an example of how it can vary).

I disagree about Sexson, as he has a solid spot on my "do not draft" list each year. His average is a roto killer and costs you anywhere from 2-4 points on your team's average for the year which can cost you 2-5 points in the standings. Granted, he's not as painful in H2H leagues though, so if push really came to shove, I could see owning him in one of those.

I agree about Delgado, and I'm still hanging on to him. Maybe I'm crazy, but I just think he's got to wake up and find the groove pretty soon.

[dissent]

I think you misread a lot of my article. First of all, I only ranked 10 players. If I had ranked 18, your guys could have made it on the list.

Sexson hits for power with low average, is an injury risk, plus has been struggling this year. I agree with Madison that his batting average (not just this year, but career average) can have a devastating effect on a fantasy team. I wouldn't own Sexson unless I was in at least a 16 team league, and only then as a backup.

Delgado will certainly improve on this year's numbers, but he also tends to hit for low average, and has some nasty slumps. In fact, if I remember correctly, he started out red hot last year then plummeted around midway through the season and never really recovered. He is definitely on the decline -- age will do that -- but he'll have some value this year. Just not on any of my teams.

[jamastaballa]

The only thing I misread was the DH thing...sorry about that.

As far as the "18" number goes, I was simply referring to the number of players that you mentioned before Sexson and Delgado. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

As far as Sexson only being a backup in a 16-team league...I personally think it's a laughable stance, but you're entitled to it. OPS and HR and RBI are still categories in most leagues, so if you have him, you simply draft players that will keep OBP and BA afloat. There are tons of strategies out there, but counting Delgado and Sexson out is a bit presumptuous.

I'm not going to call them top 5 1B's or anything, but they're further up than that.

And how can Yahoo! justify Ortiz being a 1B? I don't get it.

Just so you know, I really did like reading your article, it's just that I disagreed strongly with some of your points. Thanks for writing.

[Madison]

OPS and HR and RBI are still categories in most leagues,

OPS is catching on, but it's not used in most leagues......yet.

By far and away the majority still use standard 5x5, but the lead it once had is shrinking each year. OBP, OPS, Holds, K/9, K/BB are all starting to gain market share and some of those (or even all) could quite possibly be the standard in the future of the game.