With the email I received from Yahoo sports Friday night, I realized fantasy baseball season is finally here. What better way to kick off the fantasy baseball season, then with our own top 10 list provided by our very own AGSH panel?
We have each provided our own personal top tens and address a few questions that fantasy enthusiast might have about why we have a certain player ranked here or there. The last top 10 ranking is our collaborative top 10 for the upcoming fantasy baseball season. Enjoy!
Stu Shoemake’s Top 10
1.Mike Trout
2.Miguel Cabrera
3.Andrew McCutchen
4.Paul Goldschmidt
5.Carlos Gonzales
6.Chris Davis
7.Robinson Cano
8.Clayton Kershaw
9.Hanley Ramirez
10.Adam Jones
Why did Hanley Ramirez crack your top 10 and not Jose Reyes?
SS-Hanley Ramirez gives you help in every stat category where Reyes isn’t going to give you the power and RBI’s. Both have dealt with injuries the past couple of years so there is risk with either but Han-Ram give you more upside and we saw what he was capable of at the end of 2013. .345 ba with 10 swipes and 20 hr in 304 AB. So you can’t expect 50 sb anymore but 30/30 club is definitely reachable.
Dave Smith’s Top10
1. Mike Trout
2. Miguel Cabrera
3. Paul Goldschmidt
4. Andrew McCutchen
5. Carlos Gonzalez
6. Robinson Cano
7. Clayton Kershaw
8. Adam Jones
9. Ryan Braun
10. Chris Davis
Why do you have Ryan Braun so far down your list?
DS- The only reason he isn’t in the top five has nothing to do with talent or health. He hasn’t played in a game since last July. Coming back from a suspension might seem like a better situation than recovering from an injury but I don’t know how he will handle life on the road where he will be constantly scrutinized. It’s a different kind of pressure. Braun is a world-class talent and says he will be better than ever this year. I just wonder how the long lay off and the pressure of playing with a ‘cheater’ label on his back will affect him.
Jay White’s Top 10
1. Mike Trout
2. Andrew McCutchen
3. Prince Fielder
4. Miguel Cabrera
5. Chris Davis
6. Paul Goldschmidt
7. Clayton Kershaw
8. Adam Jones
9. Evan Longoria
10. Freddie Freeman
Why is Freddie Freeman in your top 10?
JW- Freddie is going to battle for the NL MVP in 2014. This year, he’ll play in his 500th career game and reach 2,000 plate appearances, yet, in September will turn only 25.
His OPS has escalated three consecutive years. His slugging % has escalated three consecutive years. His walks have escalated three consecutive years while his strikeouts have declined three consecutive years.
FF has continued to mature as a hitter and gain confidence. In Sept/Oct of last year, in a playoff run, Freeman slashed .380/.449/.620 for a 1.068 OPS and drove in 21 runs in 26 games. During this period, the Braves figured out that Freddie was the guy to lean their offense on rather than the Uptons, Heyward or McCann. In return, he drove in more than 20% of Atlanta’s runs that month.
This year they have the formula solved on April 1 as opposed to September 1. That will mean more RBI opportunities for Freddie. He’ll take the pressure off of the other sluggers in the middle of the order as opposed to the other way around.
Finally, with Freeman continuing to fill in to his large 6’5″ 225 lb. frame, the HR numbers, which weren’t bad before, should take off and round Freddie out as the complete middle-of-the-order, corner-position, run-producing power hitter.
Matt Sprayberry’s Top 10
1. Mike Trout
2. Miguel Cabrera
3. Andrew McCutchen
4. Ryan Braun
5. Robinson Cano
6. Paul Goldschmidt
7. Carlos Gonzalez
8. Clayton Kershaw
9. Jose Reyes
10. Evan Longoria
You are the only one who doesn’t have Chris Davis in your top 10. Why is that?
MS- There is no doubt in my mind that Chris Davis established himself as an elite player last season with his 53 HR, and 138 RBI. That being said, it would not be a stretch to expect a bit of regression from Davis this season. Specifically when you take into account that he struck out 199 times last season. However, he still possesses an elite amount of power and production, but just not in my top 10 elite.
With all of our panels rationale taken into account, and the average rank position of all of those players that we had in our top 10 lists, here is our official AGSH Fantasy Baseball Top 10 for the 2014 season:
1. Mike Trout
2. Miguel Cabrera
3. Andrew McCutchen
4. Paul Goldschmidt
5. Carlos Gonzalez
6. Robinson Cano
7. Chris Davis
8. Clayton Kershaw
9. Adam Jones
10. Evan Longoria
Now remember this is just a ranking, and it is not in any way written in stone. It’s just a taste of what is to come. So don’t say we didn’t warn you if you base your entire pre-draft research on our rankings and finish dead last in your league!
Follow us on Twitter: Matt: @SprayBall, Jay: @JayWhiteSports, Dave: @BirdmanBelt, and Stu: @Stu_Shoemake
