Spring Training Notes
Second Base
Brian Roberts (S) BAL
Chase Utley (L) PHI
Brandon Phillips (R) CIN
Placido Polanco (R) DET
Robinson Cano (L) NYY
Dan Uggla (R) FLA
Jeff Kent (R) LAD
Ian Kinsler (R) TEX
Aaron Hill TOR
Mark Ellis (R) OAK
Rickie Weeks MIL
Kelly Johnson (L) ATL
Dustin Pedroia BOS
Chone Figgins LAA
Freddy Sanchez PIT
B.J. Upton (R) TB
Luis Castillo NYM
Ryan Theriot CHC
Fantasy Sports Handicapping will be providing notes throughout spring training on the fantasy players who will be most active in daily draft fantasy contests once the season starts. We will also throw in some notes on sleepers for you guys in traditional season long leagues. Our spring training notes are aimed at getting daily contest players familiar with the pool of players most used in daily cash games.
I have talked with some of the major sites about the stats they will use this year, but not every site has decided on their exact setups yet. The most common hitting statistics are RBIs, Singles, Doubles, Triples, Home Runs, Runs Scored, Stolen Bases, Walks and Strikeouts. Each site has different point allocations for each category. We will fine tune how we rank players as the season approaches.
I have talked with some of the major sites about the stats they will use this year, but not every site has decided on their exact setups yet. The most common hitting statistics are RBIs, Singles, Doubles, Triples, Home Runs, Runs Scored, Stolen Bases, Walks and Strikeouts. Each site has different point allocations for each category. We will fine tune how we rank players as the season approaches.
29 years old. Utley missed a month with a broken hand and still put up great stats. He hits .300+ vs. RHP and LHP, has speed, power and scores runs. He will probably be the most expensive second baseman on the daily draft board, but he will be worth the money.
30 years old. Roberts is a very consistent player who has a good deal of speed. He swiped 50 last year and already has 7 steals this spring. He doesn't hit LHP that well with a .260 average over the last three years. His average v. RHP is .312. He has a little power, reaching double digit home runs for the last three years. His OBP should stay in the .350 range.
25 years old. Cano is a player on the way up. Only 25 years old, he still has a year or two before he reaches his best stats. He hits .300+ v. RHP and LHP. He hit 19 HR last year and could work that up to 25 this year. His OBP should stay around .350, with a slugging percentage approaching .500. He scored 93 last year while collecting 189 hits.
26 years old. I keep waiting for Phillips to collapse, but he never does. He seems to be for real and at 26 years old, he even has room to improve. He picked up 702 plate appearances last year hitting .288 and smashing 30HR. His OBP is a little low at .325 and his slugging will probably end up around .475. His K/BB ratio wasn't very good last year at 109/33. He gets his hacks in for sure and plays in a great HR hitters ballpark, but I don't expect 30 HR again. He has great speed for a power type hitter, stealing 32 bases last year.
28 years old. Uggle hits for power, not average, and he strikes out alot. He was equallly bad against RHP and LHP last year hitting .245 against both. Historically he is a little better than that against LHP. He doesn't have much speed, but he will score close to 100 and also drive in close to 100. He doesn't have Miguel Cabrera behind him anymore, so his stats could take a dip, especially the runs scored.
32 years old. Polanco is a sneaky daily draft fantasy player. He gets absolutely no love from the traditional fantasy baseball drafters, but he is a daily game gem. He was the fourth best scoring 2nd baseman for daily draft games last year. He put up an OBP of .386 and gets on in front of a loaded Tigers lineup, as he scored 105 times. He doesn't have much power or speed. He is strictly a contact hitter with a 30/37 K/BB ratio. He hits .300+ v. RHP and LHP.
23 years old. I have a feeling that most daily draft sites are going to play Upton in the outfield rather than second base, but I'm going to include him here. Upton is a good hitter against LHP and RHP and he has very good power, especially when you consider his age. He stole 22 last year. It is quite possible that he will get to the 30/30 club. He is young though and his strikeout total was a monstrous 154. He is someone you will have to keep an eye on if you are playing on different sites that use -1 point for strikeouts.
26 years old. Johnson was a great leadoff hitter last year and collected 79 walks pushing his OBP to .375. The high OBP allowed him to score 91 runs. He is a .275 hitter against LHP and RHP. He has good power and should reach 20 HR this year. He has a little speed and should reach double digit steals. He does strike out a good bit, but that is the cost of the HR's that he gives you. He should be an everyday player, as Escobar won't be stealing any ab's since he has his own job now.
25 years old. Kinsler slides this far down the daily draft list because he just can't hit RHP. He posted a .239 average in 368 ab last year. He will make a good play on days when he faces LHP, as he hit .339 last year off them. He figures to be the leadoff hitter for the Rangers and should score close to 100 runs. He has some power and a fairly good eye with a 83/62 K/BB ratio last year.
40 years old. Kent is getting old and the downhill slide for 40 year olds can be very quick. He still makes a good option in daily leagues because injuries aren't important to success. Just avoid him if he gets hurt (although he is already having some hamstring problems this spring). Traditional season players don't have that luxury. Kent has good power and a good eye from both sides of the plate. His power has come down the last two years, but he still has 20 homer potential. He has no speed and probably won't score 75 runs this year.
Orlando Hudson (S) ARZ