Jeter and Rivera

[Frenchiegangsta9]

Both are coming off serious injuries and are approaching 40 yrs old or passed that magic number. These 2 players got hurt while performing at an elite level even at their advanced ages so it clouds how we might predict their future performance after recovering from their respective injuries. If they had gotten hurt and were already showing a pattern of decline then it would make it easier to make an educated guess on how they will do in 2013. I have more faith in Rivera putting up numbers closer to what we might normally expect from him than Jeter due to the demands of the positions in which they play.

Does anyone know of any players that we could use as comps who suffered similar injuries?

[americanleagueroto]

I think the best way to handle Jeter is to try to zero in on games played/AB's to help with projections/rankings.

Right now, I am projecting 485 AB's, as I want to see that he'll be ready for opening day before I bump it up, and even then, I believe he'll require a little more rest between recovery and age. I have him as my 14th best SS in mixed 12 team MI CI 5 OF leagues. He'll approach double digit homers, have decent counting stats even with limited playing time (74 runs, 60 rbi) and still provide solid BA .303+

As far as Rivera goes, I am not too concerned considering what the injury was and the time he will have to heal. I currently have Rivera as my 8th best closer, but that's with Rodney and Nathan ahead of him. It's an area I could see changing.

[Element]

Maybe slow starts from both, but it's a long season. Both guys will have their numbers in the end.

[Montana168]

Yes, I am a Yankees homer but I will be targeting both, assuming another Yankee fan in the league doesn't go crazy and take them early--although that is always a concern with casual Yankee fantasy fans. SS is extremely thin, and if I miss out on a guy like Tulo or Hanley, I could see myself possible going with a Jeter/Andrus or Jeter/Segura rotation to start the season, and load up on other positions early.

As for Rivera, my gut tells me he will return and have a great 35 sv season with a sub-3 era, but logic tells me to be cautious. If he is going in the top 5 closers, I won't touch him--although I never draft top 5 closers since they get drafted too high. If he goes in the 8-10 range of closers off the board, I might consider him as my #1 closer. If he falls past that, I would 100% draft him.