RotoRob Tries RotoDerby: The Drafts
There’s plenty of buzz surrounding sophomore Yasiel Puig.
Follow along all season as Josh Johnson plays RotoDerby — a new twist on Fantasy baseball — and checks in with monthly strategy updates. For a complete explanation of how RotoDerby works, see our article here.
Team One: Pure Power Team (60K Longball Derby)
This team is full of notable names. Our angle was to get players with a proven power history or that are peaking. We met the home run cap (220) on the nose.
- Miguel Cabrera, IF: It was hard to fit 44 homers in but we had to have at least one team with Miggy.
- David Wright, IF: Wright regressed last season to 18 homers, but has averaged 26 for his career. Damn, the dude even gets annoyed when his BP pitcher doesn’t toss him a cookie (see video below).
- Brandon Phillips, IF: Phillips has hit at least 17 homers in every season since 2006.
- Adrian Gonzalez, IF: A-Gon’s homer numbers have down recently, but he will be in the lineup everyday.
- Albert Pujols, IF: Phat Albert missed loads of time last season, yet still hit 17 homers.
- Matt Adams, IF: This young bopper hit 17 homers in just 296 plate appearances last year.
- Josh Hamilton, OF: We’re banking on a bounce back year.
- Bryce Harper, OF: Harper is so young, so powerful and so far above average.
- Giancarlo Stanton, OF: Stanton is fully capable of crushing 50 homers and since he only hit 24 last season, we couldn’t pass on him.
- Yasiel Puig, OF: Since the masses are oozing over Puig, we decided to listen.
Team Two: The Good Eyes Team (15K Longball Derby)
With this team, our only restriction was taking players that struck out less than 100 times. We created this team to see how fewer negative points could effect overall team performance.
- Edwin Encarnacion, IF: Double-E slapped 36 bombs last year and he only struck out 62 times.
- Hanley Ramirez, IF: So we cheated a bit here: H-Ram played in just 86 games, but he only struck out 52 times compared to 20 homers.
- Ian Kinsler, IF: Kinsler is always an injury risk and he had a down year last season. Now, he is in a much better hitter’s ballpark (based on last year, anyway).
- Buster Posey, IF: Posey is another player that had a down year power wise (just 15 homers).
- Pablo Sandoval, IF: We know Panda can do better than the 14 homers he hit last season and we love that he only struck out 79 times.
- Adrian Beltre, IF: Beltre may old, but in every one of his four seasons that he has hit at least 30 homers, he has struck out less 100 times.
- Coco Crisp, OF: Though Crisp is not historically a power hitter, we love his 162-game average of just 87 strikeouts.
- Jose Bautista, OF: Joey Bats’ strikeout totals were down because he missed 40 games, but who doesn’t love 28 homers?
- Matt Holiday, OF: While Holiday only played in 141 games, he hit 22 homers and fanned just 86 times.
- Bryce Harper, OF: We cheated again, as Harper was limited to 118 games last year — hence his mere 94 whiffs — yet he still managed 20 homers.
Team Three: The Peakers (15K Longball Derby)
This team is comprised of players that we believe will not only exceed their homer total from 2013, but set career highs in the process.
- Anthony Rizzo, IF: Rizzo has 39 homers in his first 1,211 plate appearances.
- Freddie Freeman, IF: Three straight 20-homer season leaves us thinking 30 is attainable for Freeman.
- Jedd Gyorko, IF: Gyorko’s power is legit. He hit 23 homers as a rook, despite missing nearly 40 games.
- Todd Frazier, IF: Frazier has back-to-back 19-homer campaigns and after spending the offseason watching videos of himself batting.
- Carlos Santana, IF: Cleveland plans on limiting Santana’s catching duties, which should improve his hitting focus.
- Troy Tulowitzki, IF: Tulo’s clear bill of health could mean 40 homers.
- Yasiel Puig, OF: The honeymoon continues while pitchers are still trying to figure Puig out.
- Giancarlo Stanton, OF: Stanton’s in a contract year.
- Bryce Harper, OF: Harper will surpass 20 homers in his sleep.
- Will Venable, OF: Venable has been on verge of busting out for 30 homers for awhile now.
Team Four: Comeback Players: $99 (60K Longball Derby)
This team is a gaggle of veterans that we believe can put last year behind them. We have seen them do better in the past and we are so confident in them that as a whole, this team was 34 homers under the cap.
- Albert Pujols, IF: No way is Pujols done.
- Justin Morneau, IF: Morneau has had various healthy issues, but he is now coming around. He could top last year’s 17 homers by the All-Star break.
- Hanley Ramirez, IF: In barely half a season last year, H-Ram’s numbers were gaudy.
- Todd Frazier, IF: Frazier is working this spring on improving his swing mechanics.
- Eric Hosmer, IF: Okay, so Hosmer’s career high is only 19 homers, but as he approaches the 2,000 plate appearance mark, his power should manifest itself.
- Wilin Rosario, IF: Rosario’s power regressed slightly, but he still hit 21 homers in 2013.
- Matt Holiday, OF: Holiday’s peak was 36 homers and last year he hit 22.
- Andrew McCutchen, OF: Even though McCutchen has only done it once, he is a constant 30-homer threat.
- Josh Willingham, OF: In 2012, a healthy Willingham hit 21 of his 35 homers in the not-so-hitter-friendly Target Field.
- Alex Rios, OF: Rios’ career high for homers is 25, set two years ago, but in this year’s Rangers lineup, he should top that.
Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below how you think Josh did in drafting his teams.
RotoRob’s Fantasy Baseball Weekly Podcast
Crave more in-depth Fantasy analysis? Then join us every Thursday at 9 p.m. EST for RotoRob’s Fantasy Baseball Weekly Podcast on Blogtalkradio as we entertain and edify you for an hour or more each week. We’re off this week because of March Madness, but will return April 3, when RotoRob is joined by Josh Johnson. Tune in here.
