The following countdown details my early top 35 first basemen heading into exhibition play, with an emphasis on 5×5 roto leagues.
Generally speaking, I favor power-average-speed guys over one-dimensional sluggers who rely on their immense but sporadic power to get through a given season.
I’m also a sucker for positional versatility, which may explain why Joe Mauer, Buster Posey and Victor Martinez warrant special mention here.
Enjoy the show!
Fantasy Baseball’s No. 1 overall pick is as highly coveted as it is debated.
Though Mike Trout‘s flash-fried jump to elite status has further clouded the debate for the first pick, for all intents and purposes, it’s a three-man race between Trout, Ryan Braun and Miguel Cabrera.
While there’s really no wrong choice, the question of the right choice still remains.
For my money, I’m taking Miguel Cabrera, fresh off an American League MVP.
Miggy merits discussion as the top pick for obvious reasons.
Besides the fact that he put together baseball’s first offensive Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, he is the best of a shallow third base pool by a rather wide margin.
Cabrera led all third basemen in runs (109), homers (44), RBIs (139) and average (.330) in 2012. In fact, not only was he the lone third baseman to score 100 runs, hit 40 homers and drive in 120 runs, he was the only third baseman to do any of those things.
Neither Trout nor Braun can boast that type of positional dominance due to the cavernous depth of fantasy baseball’s outfield.
Adding to Cabrera’s case, the “Blue Label Bomber” has proven to be a model of durability and consistency throughout his career, never playing fewer than 150 games in any season while averaging 34 home runs, 117 RBIs and batting .321.
Trout, on the other hand, has much to prove in terms of consistency, as he hasn’t even played a full season at the major league level. Furthermore, questions of durability are certainly warranted considering the tenacious outfielder’s reckless abandon when making plays.
While there’s no reason to doubt Braun’s consistency or durability, his availability, or lack thereof, due to suspension could definitely derail a fantasy season. Braun is mired in the midst of a PED scandal—the second time his name has been brought up with performance-enhancing drugs.
Despite questions marks surrounding Trout and Braun, there’s no question of Cabrera’s ability to produce in a lineup featuring Austin Jackson, Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez.
There may not be a better lineup in baseball than Detroit’s and there’s definitely not a better choice for fantasy baseball’s No. 1 overall pick than Miguel Cabrera.
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We all know guys like Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout will be the most sought-after fantasy baseball players in 2013, but as most successful fantasy owners know, it’s the unheralded, under-the-radar finds that usually culminate in a league championship.
Whether the reason is a change of scenery, more experience in the big leagues or finally getting healthy, the following three players are poised for monster seasons in 2013.
Let’s meet the candidates.
Mike Napoli
2012 Stats: 108 games, .227 average, 24 HR, 56 RBI, 53 RS and .343 OBP
After a somewhat injury-plagued season in 2012, Mike Napoli now finds himself in Boston as a member of the Red Sox, following a two-year stint with the Texas Rangers.
Playing in a more hitter-friendly park like Fenway, Napoli will be one of the leaders in this Red Sox lineup.
According to NBC Sports, he recently received good news regarding his hip:
Furthermore, Napoli enjoyed his time at Fenway Park last season, sporting a .462 batting average with three home runs and eight RBI in 13 at-bats.
For the last three seasons combined, the 31-year-old owns a .366/.438/.854 line at Fenway.
With his hip getting better, Napoli should be able to turn on inside fastballs and drive them into/over the Green Monster in left field, making for a productive season in Boston.
Anthony Rizzo
2012 Stats: 87 games, .285 average, 15 HR, 48 RBI, 44 RS and .342 OBP
No one is doubting Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo’s potential. He just needs the opportunity to showcase it.
The 23-year-old didn’t appear in a game for Chicago until June 26 last season, but he still produced on a Cubs team that ranked 28th in runs scored in 2012.
Chicago skipper Dale Sveum has confidence in his young first baseman, telling ESPN:
I have all the confidence in the world in him to double what he did last year. “He came up, did well, had a little hiccup but other than that he was really good. There will be some bumps along the road but you give Rizzo 600 plate appearances there’s going to be some damage done.
I wouldn’t expect a high total of RBI from the young slugger, given the lack of production up and down the Cubs lineup, but I do expect his average and power numbers to improve.
The lefty excels against pitches down and in the middle of the zone, which will be something for you to keep an eye on this season.
Nonetheless, 2013 will be a breakout year for Anthony Rizzo.
2012 Stats: 16 games, .323 average, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 7 RS and .417 OBP
New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner played in just 16 games for the Bronx Bombers last season after suffering an elbow injury to his non-throwing hand in mid-April (h/t ESPN).
According to Dan Martin of the New York Post, Gardner’s elbow has healed and he’s ready for the 2013 season. “’I probably rushed it back a little bit last year to get to the playoffs, but I felt great when I played,’ Gardner said of his injury, which he says is fully healed. ‘It’s completely in the rear view mirror, which is a good thing.’”
Fantasy owners know they won’t be getting power numbers from Gardner, but they should expect hits, runs and stolen bases, as Gardner possesses some of the best speed in the league.
In 2010 and 2011—seasons in which the 29-year-old played in at least 150 games—Gardner swiped 47 and 49 bags respectively, and he could very well bring that type of production to your lineup this year if he stays healthy.
New York has plenty of depth in the lineup to drive Gardner home; he just needs to remain healthy and get on base to make it happen.
After missing practically the entire season last year, Gardner will be hungry and productive in 2013.
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With spring training officially underway, it’s time to begin pre-draft preparations for 2013 fantasy baseball leagues.
If you’re like me, you’ve already done a draft or two to see where certain players are being taken and how to pick out the diamonds in the rough that slip to later rounds.
If you’re not like me, well, it’s time to start preparing.
Last season was a big year for breakout fantasy stars. Several guys came from seemingly nowhere to produce big numbers and be weekly starters on their manager’s fantasy rosters.
The pace that some started at early in the season seemed unsustainable, but many of them quickly proved analysts wrong by keeping it up through the season’s final game.
These same players may be useful fantasy options in 2013, but I’m here to tell you about the ones that are almost assuredly going to decline. Some of the 2012 stats were so gaudy that it would be unreasonable to expect the same again this season.
I’ve compiled a list of five position players and five starting pitchers, but let’s get started with the bats.
The population of third basemen in Major League Baseball is talented and getting increasingly young, and with the promotion of Manny Machado and impending ascension of top prospects Anthony Rendon, Nick Castellanos and Mike Olt (if he stays at 3B), the position is getting deeper and becoming even younger..
With that said, it should be understood the position has several question marks among the top echelon of players (ie, health issues, consistency issues), so in consideration of the depth of the position it may be advisable to wait until the middle rounds to make a selection if you do not get one of the top three or four options.
Of course, even in the middle rounds there will be some questions that attach to your selection, but if you’re going to select a third baseman with some questions it would be better to gamble with a fifteenth round pick than a fourth or fifth round pick.
(NOTE: Hanley Ramirez is included among the shortstops, as opposed to the third basemen)
Related articles: Top 10 Catchers, Top 10 First Basemen, Top 10 Second Basemen
In baseball we chronicle seasons according to memorable storylines that unfold during that time. 1998 was the year of the home run, as Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Ken Griffey Jr. put on a show for the ages. Sadly, that entire decade, and parts of the 2000’s, have now be re-branded as the steroid era. Almost on cue, 2001 was the year of BALCo and Barry Bonds, so there’s that. When Sid Bream crossed home plate in the NLCS, 1992 became the year Sid slid. 1994 was the year of the strike. 2004 will always be the year of the glove slap and the bloody sock. 2011 was the year of tainted urine, and last season—despite Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown—was the year of Mike Trout. And so on and so forth.
For fantasy purposes, 2013 is officially the year of the catcher.
There was a time—not very long ago—when there was no discernible difference between, say, the 10th rated catcher and the 20th best option. But now there are more quality options at the position than at any point since the height of the steroid era. Typically the weakest position in all of fantasy baseball, catcher is in fact the deepest position this season. Gone are the days when a .230 hitter with modest power and little-to-no run production could crack the Top 10 simply by virtue of getting at bats.
You can no longer, as I often would, ignore the position entirely during your fantasy draft and weasel yourself a starter on waivers. That’s not to say there won’t be quality catchers who materialize during the season, after all, if things didn’t evolve during the course of the season, we would crown league champions on draft day. But with so many more quality players at the position than in years past, you would really be putting your team in a hole by waiting to strike free agent gold instead of investing in a worthwhile backstop during your draft.
Over the years, many fantasy baseball aficionados viewed the catching position as one that could largely be ignored in auctions and drafts. While there have always been a handful of catchers worth owning, they often went for too much money in auctions or far too early in drafts, so many owners filled their slots with $1 pick-ups (auctions) or late-round fliers in drafts. The best thing these owners could say about their catchers was “His batting average won’t kill me” or “He will not get enough at-bats to skew my average.”
This viewpoint was not a ringing endorsement of the talent (or lack thereof) an owner was able to stick behind the plate.
As we look ahead toward the 2013 baseball season, the position appears much deeper than it has been in many years, with four guys who appear to be something of a sure thing in terms of fantasy production and value. Among the next half-dozen backstops there are several who have asterisks after their names, either because of injury or the lack of a substantive track record.
In compiling my rankings, I have taken injury history into account (i.e., Victor Martinez), and I have added value to those players who qualify at multiple positions (Joe Mauer, Carlos Santana and Mike Napoli).
(NOTE: If not for his qualifying at multiple positions, Napoli wouldn’t have made the list due to his horrific batting average and potential hip problems (can you say Bo Jackson?), but the fact he can be slotted at catcher while playing most days at 1B or DH forced me to put him on my list. Barely!)
Now that 2013 has officially kicked off and fantasy football came to a conclusion, MLB addicts can finally come out from hiding and start preparing for fantasy baseball drafts.
Perhaps even more thrilling than the season itself is evaluating every player and assembling a comprehensive cheat sheet and draft strategy to win your league. Unless that’s just me.
The best way to train for draft day is through participating in mock drafts. By engaging in as much practice as possible, you’ll know what to expect for the real thing, and no difficult situation will catch you off guard.
Clearing out the calendars gives us all an excuse to draft away without feeling as nerdy for beginning months before baseball season. To get the ball rolling, let’s simulate the first two rounds of a 12-team mock draft.
This exercise assumes that the league operates under standard 5X5 rotisserie league scoring. Those in head-to-head leagues should not blindly abide by this listing.
Also, this is not a pure set of rankings. Staying true to a genuine mock draft, I considered each imaginary squad’s first-rounder before selecting its second payer. So after slotting a pitcher at No. 12, I avoided choosing another ace for No. 13 since a team should not take two pitchers out of the gate.
Now let the mocking begin.
Note: All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs
Every year, in sports, there are underrated players who break onto the scene with great performances.
And, every year, people try to predict who those players will be. And this year, I have some ideas.
Despite successful 2012 campaigns, these players aren’t getting much attention for a variety of reasons. However, in 2013, they will be getting attention, for some good performances, in fantasy and real life. And then, they’ll be shining in the bright lights of October.
But who will those players be? Well, why don’t you find out.
The 2012 MLB season is preparing for its most exciting series of the year, but it’s never too early to pick the breakthrough pitchers for next season.
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com called this “the age of the pitcher” and for good reason. This season, a total of 21,017 runs were scored. That’s nearly 4,000 less than the 24,971 scored in 2010.
With pitchers like Justin Verlander, C.C. Sabathia, Felix Hernandez and R.A. Dickey dominating hitters, it’s easy to find high-quality pitching. These aces will have high fantasy value next season, but owners can’t draft all of them.
Still, there are some pitchers that are on the verge of breaking out in 2013. Here’s a list of 10 pitchers poised for a great season next year.