Fantasy Baseball Cafe Forums

by **zebulon** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:34 am

What do you guys think about Ethier for this season? He's the magic age of 27 and his base skills have shown consistent improvement every year. I think he might be one of the better value picks for this season. I think he hits over .300 with 30-35 HR and about 110 RBI - or is that being unrealistic?

by **Carnac** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 12:22 pm

I am high on Ethier this year, but 30-35 HR is too high. 25-28 HR is more reasonable for your projection. He will bat 3rd right in front of Manny, so he should improve on last year's #s.

He did hit .335 post all star break last year, which is when Manny came to LA.

by **activechamp2006** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 8:58 pm

you're a year late. last year was his breakout. expect to see similar numbers this year. wouldn't be surprised to see his numbers drop.

by **BitterDodgerFan** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:00 pm

i agree with activechamp2006, he might hit lower in the lineup and not bat in front of manny, which is where he did a lot of his damage 2nd half of 08.

by **tobias875** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:30 pm

i was just ready to post something on Ethier, his ST numbers are starting to worry me, .188 BA, with a .264 OBP. i realize it's only ST but still that's scary...

by **killertofu2222** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:33 pm

everything i've read has him hitting 3rd in front of manny. if thats the case, hopefully he puts up numbers like his second half again

by **Carnac** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:52 pm

Torre likes Ethier in the 3rd spot, doesn't strike out as much as Kemp and OBP is higher. If he does hit in 3 spot and Manny stays healthy, he is in for a great year.

by **zebulon** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 10:05 pm

Yes I suppose last year was his breakout - but I think he's still got more in him. All of his BPIs have shown steady improvement across the board and with him batting 3rd in front of Manny, I really think he has a shot to hit between 30-35 HRs this year. Maybe I will be wrong, but I just think there is a lot to like in his skill set.

by **McStallen** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:12 am

i think spring training stats are mostly garbage, but it would be nice to see ethier pick up where he left off- his poor spring is a little troubling-hopefully when he has manny hitting around him, the numbers jump back up

by **zebulon** » Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:49 am

I stopped worrying about Spring Training stats years ago. Unless a guy is competing for a starting role, ST stats are useless unless the player is hiding an injury.