Fantasy Baseball Cafe Forums

by **Super Manny** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 1:25 pm

Many projected big things from Piazza after he went .283, 22, 68 last year in an extreme pitcher's park (Petco), and was making the move to a full-time, middle-of-the-lineup DH gig with the A's. I'll admit, I bit into the hype, drafted Piazza in several of my leagues, and expected to get top-3 catcher numbers in return. Unfortunately, things haven't played out that way as Mike has been on the DL since early May with a strained AC joint in his shoulder, and wasn't exactly taking the world by storm beforehand (.282, 1 HR, 8 RBI in 103 AB). Adding to the frustrations of fantasy managers, the Oakland front office announced several weeks ago that upon his return, Piazza would be alternating between DH and catcher duties, due in part to the struggles of Jason Kendall and the emergence of Jack Cust. Thus, the logical questions of what to do with Piazza, and what to expect upon his return come into play...

As a guy who has struggled with injuries behind the plate throughout his career, the latest developments are obviously disheartening. He who was once viewed as a fantasy star for the season has lost much of his luster. It has even gotten to the point where some fantasy "experts", most of whom are associated with ESPN, have been advising managers to straight-out drop Piazza for anything of value on the free agent list.

What kind of numbers do you expect from Piazza in the second half of the season, and what type of value do you see him holding? Should those who have drafted/rostered him continue to ride this thing out, or is it time to swallow one's pride and cut bait? Word from Oakland is that Piazza is still at least three weeks from returning (Source: Rotoworld). What do you, the members of the Cafe, think...?

:-?

by **Old_Style** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 1:30 pm

In the only league I have him, I DLed him and still have him on the DL.

I'm going to wait it out and plug him in whenever he gets back. It won't bother me if the power isn't there, like it was last season, just as long as he hits for average.

by **duckbillgates** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 1:58 pm

Eh, I think Piazza is definitely worth holding on to.

Whether or not he returns to something that resembles career form, you've got a guy who is catcher-eligible who won't have to deal with the rigors of being an everyday catcher. Those extra at-bats, along with the possibility of hitting in a sweet spot in the lineup, should make Piazza at least a top-ten catcher when he gets back.

I'm even hoping that catching a little bit will help him find his rhythm. Some guys don't take to DHing.

by **Doughhead** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 1:18 am

duckbillgates wrote:Eh, I think Piazza is definitely worth holding on to.

Whether or not he returns to something that resembles career form, you've got a guy who is catcher-eligible who won't have to deal with the rigors of being an everyday catcher. Those extra at-bats, along with the possibility of hitting in a sweet spot in the lineup, should make Piazza at least a top-ten catcher when he gets back.

I'm even hoping that catching a little bit will help him find his rhythm. Some guys don't take to DHing.

And best of all, we'll have the opportunity to draft him as a catcher again next year! ;-D

by **SpecialFNK** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:54 am

i expect Piazza to return and put up numbers more similar to last season with HR/RBI.
maybe only being a DH this season so far hes been cold when he gets to the plate? i hear that sometimes that players who have been used to playing in the field when they switch to DH only can kind of get bored sitting on the bench and waiting for their next AB. isnt that why Sheffield was struggling some early in the season in Detroit?
maybe with Piazza coming back and getting more involved in games at C he can put up some nice numbers.

by **crimson knuckles** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 9:27 am

Im worried about Mike's playing time..seems like they want Cust to DH. Now he might be catching which takes away from the thing that drew me to draft him...the fact he was a catcher that didnt catch so he would be fresh all year.

by **puckwild** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 1:08 pm

duckbillgates wrote:Eh, I think Piazza is definitely worth holding on to.

Whether or not he returns to something that resembles career form, you've got a guy who is catcher-eligible who won't have to deal with the rigors of being an everyday catcher. Those extra at-bats, along with the possibility of hitting in a sweet spot in the lineup, should make Piazza at least a top-ten catcher when he gets back.

I'm even hoping that catching a little bit will help him find his rhythm. Some guys don't take to DHing.

I'm on the other end...

I'm worried that thinking about having to catch every once in a while will him up even more. He wasn't exactly producing that much before the injury.

by **JakeTrain72** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 1:59 pm

He is worth holding onto in 12+ team leagues. In 10 team leagues he is on the bubble, if your catcher isn't doing much than you should be taking a flier on Piazza because he will liekly produce as a top 10 C when he gets back.

In my leagues where I have him he is getting no love, even from teams that need a catcher. I was expecting him to be a top5 C this season, I have DL'ed him so it hasn't cost me anything to keep him on my roster. However, when he gets back I think he will be a top 10 C, just not top 5.

by **Super Manny** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 2:36 pm

JakeTrain72 wrote:He is worth holding onto in 12+ team leagues. In 10 team leagues he is on the bubble, if your catcher isn't doing much than you should be taking a flier on Piazza because he will liekly produce as a top 10 C when he gets back.

In my leagues where I have him he is getting no love, even from teams that need a catcher. I was expecting him to be a top5 C this season, I have DL'ed him so it hasn't cost me anything to keep him on my roster. However, when he gets back I think he will be a top 10 C, just not top 5.

This is where/why I'm on the fence as far as Piazza is concerned...

As a little bit of background, I am in a 12-team mixed money Roto league with a 6x6 format (extra cats are OBP and HLDs). I drafted Piazza in the 12th round (138th overall) and have held onto him all throughout his DL stint. Worth noting is that we are limited to only ONE DL spot and have shallow benches (5 spots), so it's been a real back-and-forth battle for me in whether I think keeping Mike is worth it, especially in dealing with DL visits to Weeks, Kendrick, Upton, Thome, Teixeira, Burnett, Dotel, Duchscherer, and Schmidt at varying points throughout the year. I know that sounds rough, and it has been at times, but I've been sitting at first place since about week 2 or 3. Call it luck, or call it skill.

Back when Barrett and Zambrano got into their little spat, a fellow manager decided to outright drop Barrett. I lucked out by his clearing waivers, and was able to claim him as a free agent. As such, I have a more than capable catcher in my starting lineup right now, in addition to Piazza on my bench/in my DL slot. Thus, the dilemma...

I really don't think Barrett/Piazza have any trade value, either, as the rest of the teams in the league carry these guys as their starting catchers - Posada, Buck, V. Martinez, Martin, Mauer, Varitek, I. Rodriguez (with Molina on bench), Estrada, McCann, R. Hernandez, and Johjima. The only two I can see potentially wanting to trade for a catcher are maybe the teams with Buck and Estrada...possibly the team with Ramon Hernandez, but even these might be a stretch...

:-?