Panzram
03-15-2006, 04:13 PM
Jhonny Peralta, Indians
In the past, I'd have been all over this guy. A guy who hit close to .300 with 24 homers and 78 RBI in his first full major league season? Sign me up – he's got .300-30-100 written all over him! Now, I've turned over a new leaf and have become a much more boring, risk-averse fantasy baseball practitioner. Now that I'm realistic about my expectations for young players, I can be skeptical about guys like Peralta (and Tracy, above). Jhonny had a huge year for the Tribe, no question, but my glass is half-empty on a guy who can't spell his own name right and was a .277 hitter in the minors with a career-long penchant for whiffing more than twice as often as he takes a free pass. I could be wrong and Peralta could be the next A-Rod (I'll freely admit that his position-leading .520 slugging percentage is pretty impressive), but I'd rather draft a guy like Rafael Furcal or Julio Lugo, both of whom I know are safe bets for 30-plus steals and solid peripheral numbers, than chance it with the unproven Peralta.
Rafael Furcal
Currently drafted in Round 4, RotoRank Projected Round 7.
Furcal is recovering from offseason knee surgery, something that isn't great for someone who relies on speed to make things happen offensively. I am normally high on Furcal, but the injury risk is too much, and he decides to ease up on the basepaths, he will lose a lot of value. I'd target Furcal around the 94th pick, but I'm sure he'll be long gone by then. I'll let someone else take the risk.
Bill Hall MIL SS/3B We were high on Hall until Corey Koskie was traded to MIL. Most publications/sites list him as a top 15-20 3B. With Koskie in town, Hall's value drops considerably. He can play lots of positions and steal some bases, but unless there is an injury he may not get 300 At bats this year.
B.J. Upton TB SS Until Julio Lugo is traded, Upton probably won't be in the majors until after the All-Star break. Some think he will make the opening-day lineup, we just don't see it happening. If Lugo is traded, he would immediately come off are overvalued list.
In the past, I'd have been all over this guy. A guy who hit close to .300 with 24 homers and 78 RBI in his first full major league season? Sign me up – he's got .300-30-100 written all over him! Now, I've turned over a new leaf and have become a much more boring, risk-averse fantasy baseball practitioner. Now that I'm realistic about my expectations for young players, I can be skeptical about guys like Peralta (and Tracy, above). Jhonny had a huge year for the Tribe, no question, but my glass is half-empty on a guy who can't spell his own name right and was a .277 hitter in the minors with a career-long penchant for whiffing more than twice as often as he takes a free pass. I could be wrong and Peralta could be the next A-Rod (I'll freely admit that his position-leading .520 slugging percentage is pretty impressive), but I'd rather draft a guy like Rafael Furcal or Julio Lugo, both of whom I know are safe bets for 30-plus steals and solid peripheral numbers, than chance it with the unproven Peralta.
Rafael Furcal
Currently drafted in Round 4, RotoRank Projected Round 7.
Furcal is recovering from offseason knee surgery, something that isn't great for someone who relies on speed to make things happen offensively. I am normally high on Furcal, but the injury risk is too much, and he decides to ease up on the basepaths, he will lose a lot of value. I'd target Furcal around the 94th pick, but I'm sure he'll be long gone by then. I'll let someone else take the risk.
Bill Hall MIL SS/3B We were high on Hall until Corey Koskie was traded to MIL. Most publications/sites list him as a top 15-20 3B. With Koskie in town, Hall's value drops considerably. He can play lots of positions and steal some bases, but unless there is an injury he may not get 300 At bats this year.
B.J. Upton TB SS Until Julio Lugo is traded, Upton probably won't be in the majors until after the All-Star break. Some think he will make the opening-day lineup, we just don't see it happening. If Lugo is traded, he would immediately come off are overvalued list.