Post by Cardinals GM (Wood) on Mar 7, 2015 20:16:36 GMT -6
Astros OF George Springer hit 20 homers in 295 at-bats last season — with 114 strikeouts. Photo Credit: Otto Greule Jr.
With the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season closing in on us quickly, I thought it would be interesting to look at the current ADP landscape through the lenses of the 2014 Fantasy Football season. We just went through one of the wackier NFL seasons in recent history, and to put it in perspective, we’ll look at it as if it were the upcoming MLB season.
MIKE TROUT ARRESTED FOR CHILD ABUSE ON APRIL 10.
Adrian Peterson was the No. 1 overall pick according to ESPN’s 2014 Fantasy rankings, then Peterson was indicted on child abuse charges after Week 1 of the NFL season. A.P. was disciplining his child with a switch, and it left marks. Trout is pretty much still a young child, so he’d have to rent a kid first, and he’ll most likely discipline pitchers with a Louisville Slugger switch all season long.
GEORGE SPRINGER GETS BUSTED WITH WEED ALONG WITH EVAN GATTIS … THEN SPRINGER LEADS ALL HITTERS IN HOMERS.
Springer is a sophomore worth an early round pick, coming off an impressive season filled with promise – and peripheral potholes, like his 33-percent strikeout rate. Le’Veon Bell’s 3.5 yards per carry was similarly ugly in his first NFL season, and he got busted with marijuana before the season started with new teammate LeGarrette Blount. Then, Bell went out and led all RBs in Fantasy PPR leagues.
ALBERT PUJOLS SUSPENDED FOR THE SEASON AFTER DOMESTIC ABUSE INCIDENT ON AN ESCALATOR.
We changed the location a bit, but still. Ray Rice was a former top-five pick in the back end of his career coming into last season, but he was still worth using as a starter at his Fantasy position – like Pujols.
MOOKIE BETTS’ HYPE BUILDS TO UNREACHABLE HEIGHTS, ONLY TO GET APPENDICITIS AND EVENTUALLY HAVE ALLEN CRAIG DOMINATE IN HIS PLACE.
Remember when Montee Ball was creeping up into the early second round – and low first rounds – of many drafts? Then C.J. Anderson came out of nowhere to be Denver’s beast in the backfield. The warnings of many (including myself) to avoid Ball, the over-hyped sophomore, went unheard. Similarly, Betts is getting a ton of run as Boston’s possible leadoff man. Don’t bite on Betts earlier than Round 9.
DYLAN BUNDY REBOUNDS FROM TOMMY JOHN SURGERY TO EARN MVP VOTES IN HIS ROOKIE SEASON.
Odell Beckham Jr. started his rookie season with an injured hamstring, but once he finally worked his way into the lineup, he exploded for one of the best rookie WR seasons in NFL history. Bundy was a highly touted pitching prospect for the Orioles until he underwent Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2013. He’ll be about 18-months removed from that surgery when Spring Training ends. Beckham was ranked 66th among WRs by ESPN before the season started, and Bundy’s ADP is as the 128th starting pitcher.
JACOB DEGROM GOES FROM ROOKIE BOOM TO SOPHOMORE BUST, AS ROOKIE NOAH SYNDEGAARD REPLACES HIM IN THE ROTATION.
Zac Stacy was a hot commodity at the end of the 2013 NFL season, and he was immediately tabbed as a first-round pick in 2014 Fantasy Football drafts. But the Rams weren’t quite as happy as his Fantasy owners, and they brought in Tre Mason, who eventually took the job away from him.
YANKEES SP MICHAEL PINEDA LEADS THE LEAGUE IN INNINGS PITCHED.
After never carrying the ball more than 220 times in one season, oft-injured running back DeMarco Murray led the NFL in carries with 392 – the seventh-highest total in NFL history. Pineda, who has definitely been “oft-injured,” enters 2015 with the Yankees as a sleeper SP in many Fantasy leagues.
JAMES SHIELDS STINKS IT UP IN SAN DIEGO AND JON LESTER FIZZLES IN CHICAGO – BOTH GET REPLACED.
Ben Tate joined the Cleveland Browns 2013 offseason, and it looked like a perfect match for the run-through-‘em running back and the Browns offense. Toby Gerhart left Minnesota to sign with the Jaguars, a perennial loser like the Cubs. Both Tate and Gerhart were replaced by midseason by their backups – which is something we don’t really think is possibly with Shields and Lester, however.
While we honestly don’t expect any of the above things to happen in the 2015 Fantasy Baseball season, we hope this provides you with a clear picture at just how insane the 2014 Fantasy Football season was. You really never know how it’s all going to shake out!
"There is no limit to what can be accomplished when nobody cares who gets the credit."
