by Byron Damon
All too often in fantasy baseball, people go after the big names. While many big names can give great stats, there are smaller names who don’t stand out in any one category, but give a nice balance of stats across the board. These stats are often as valuable (if not more) as the stats put up by bigger names. Let’s look at some of these players.
Casey Blake (49.6%) – Ok, so Blake barely makes this list, but frankly, Blake is a useful fantasy contributor that many seem to overlook. Blake has put up 18+ HR’s and a .270+ BA the past few seasons, and he’s on pace to do so yet again, currently hitting .281 with 14 HR’s, 68 RBI’s, and 66 runs. With those numbers, he’s on pace to hit .280 with 20 HR’s and 90+ runs and RBI’s. Not to mention, Blake is eligible at 1B and 3B. Because of the depth at 1B, he’s not going to be a starter there. But Blake could definitely be a starter at 3B and is an extremely useful bench player. You can plug him in at a bunch of places and he can produce pretty solid numbers.
Kurt Suzuki (28.7%) – Finding a good offensive catcher is hard. After the elite guys are gone (Mauer, Martinez, McCann), it’s a pretty safe bet to just grab a catcher in the last few rounds. With so few good offensive catchers, it amazes me how Kurt Suzuki is not owned in over 70% of ESPN leagues. Right now Suzuki is hitting .275 with 10 HR’s, 55 RBI’s, and 54 runs. He’s even chipped in 5 SB’s, too. Extend that over a full year and you’ve got a .275 hitter with 15 HR’s and 80 RBI’s and runs as a catcher. Suzuki’s numbers make him about the 8th best catcher in terms of offense, yet he’s most likely not even owned in a 10-team league.
Denard Span (41.7%) – I will admit, OF is a very deep position, so many people may already have great OF’s. But for those of you who need one more quality OF, look no further than Denard Span. Span’s numbers up to this point are a .305 BA with 70 runs, 6 HR’s, 47 RBI’s, and 19 SB’s. Over a full year, Span would produce a .300+ BA with 107 runs, 9 HR’s, 72 RBI’s, and 30 SB’s. Sure he’s not a HR hitter, but he doesn’t hurt you anywhere and can be a valuable source of SB’s without having to overpay for a guy like Ichiro or Crawford.
Michael Cuddyer (43.2%) – Cuddyer is another Minnesota Twins OF who isn’t getting the respect he deserves. While the OF position is deep, it also means there’s lots of value there. Guys who can hit 20+ HR’s from the OF slot are a dime a dozen, which is why grabbing someone like Cuddyer over the big name like Carlos Lee can really help your fantasy team. Cuddyer currently sports a .270 BA with 19 HR’s, 58 RBI’s, and 70 runs. Over a full season, that translates to a .270 BA with 27 HR’s, 84 RBI’s, and over 100 runs.
Cody Ross: Every year, it seems like there are points in the season where Cody Ross goes on an absolute rampage, only to drop into a horrible slump shortly after. The good news about Ross this year is that his strikeouts are down and his average is up. Hitting around .270, Ross’s power is as good as ever before, as his 20 long balls are a nice source of power for those wise enough to own him.
Billy Butler (19.8%) – Last year, fantasy baseball analysts fell in love with Butler, but he didn’t produce as he was expected. Now, he’s actually producing, but people have forgotten about him. The one knock against Butler is his eligibility; he’s only eligible at the deepest position in baseball (1B), or the utility slot. Then again, you could do a lot worse for a utility man. This year, Butler has hit .300 with 15 HR’s, 65 RBI’s, and 54 runs. In a full season, Butler would hit .300 with 20 HR’s, 88 RBI’s, and 75 runs. Plus, he’s extra valuable in leagues that count XBH: he’s already stroked 41 doubles in only 119 games, putting him on pace for 56 on the year.
Well, that’s my list of the top ten most overlooked hitters in fantasy baseball. Soon, I will be coming out with my list of the ten most overlooked pitchers in fantasy baseball. Hopefully, these two articles will enlighten you about players you may not have thought were doing so well and maybe even help you win your league championship.
Tags: Arts & Entertainment by Byron Damon
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