Did you know that Gilligan from Gilligan's Island's first name was Willy? Or did you know that there are more people in California than in Canada? That's right, 5 Facts to Know is back and this time it's the baseball edition! Baseball is roughly 2 months away which means that unless you play fantasy basketball or hockey you're on a fantasy hiatus for at least another month. In fact, if you're reading this at all you're one of the more dedicated fantasy fanatics and you should be rewarded. I give you 5 of the most interesting facts about fantasy baseball as they pertain to the upcoming season...
The first day of high school used to be one of the most anticipated days of my juvenile life. The novelty wasn't in arriving at new classes or even reuniting with friends but rather figuring out which classmates got hot or hotter over the summer. Well January through March is our summer and what better way to spend it than getting in baseball shape? It's never too early to work on your strategy or rankings in order to blow away familiar competition who has grown used to you drafting Garrett Atkins in the 3rd round. I don't mean to associate fantasy managers with school girls but let's face it: a lot of us need to step up our game. Here's five facts to keep in mind this off season.
1. Bronson Arroyo had the 4th best ERA after the all-star break last season at 2.24
Believe me, I'm not saying that the erratic Arroyo is a legitimate fantasy ace but Bronson delivered consistently over the second half of the 2009 season. Bronson will never deliver massive amounts of strikeouts and while his WHIP won't necessary kill you it won't really help either. That being said, Bronson still won 15 games last season and is definitely worth drafting as a SP3 or SP4 in most leagues. Don't overlook Arroyo on your cheat sheet and during your draft.
2. There were 4 members of the .300-20HR-20SB club, they are HanRam, Ryan Braun, Justin Upton and...Shin-Soo Choo?!
This wasn't some obscure club engineered to show a point, we're talking about batting average, home runs, and stolen bases: arguably the three most important hitting categories in fantasy. Three members of the aforementioned club are bona fide fantasy superstars that should be drafted in the top 15 in most drafts. The other, Choo, is in the prime of his career at 27 years old and has steadily shown improvement over the past three seasons. It wouldn't surprise me if the SB numbers don't hold up but I also wouldn't be surprised if Choo went .300-30HR-10SB in the 2010 season.
3. Slow-as-molasses Billy Butler finished second in the major leagues in doubles with 51.
So what does it mean when a slow poke accumulates massive amounts of doubles? That he can flat out rake. 2010 will be Butler's second full season as a starter and it is safe to assume that some of those doubles will turn into dingers. The Royals lineup should be more potent this year with the addition of Rick Ankiel and the bold person in me expects Butler to be a top 10 player at baseball's deepest position.
4. The AL save leader was not a Los Angeles Angel only once over the last 5 years. The NL save leader was not a San Diego Padre or Jose Valverde only once over the last 5 years.
Most weathered fantasy baseball players know that predicting closers not named Mariano Rivera or Joe Nathan is basically a crap shoot. As hard as saves are to predict, it appears there is a trend developing over the past half-decade: the Angels, Padres, and Jose Valverde have a propensity to save a ton of games. The Padres are logical in that their offense has been so pedestrian, especially in Petco Park, that games they win are always close. The Angels were in a similar situation until last year when their offense offense exploded and Fuentes still led the league. For what it's worth, I'm going to do my best to draft Bell, Fuentes, and Valverde this season.
5. The AL West is DEEP in pitching this season
Felix Hernandez, Rich Harden, Brett Anderson, Neftali Feliz, Ervin Santana, Joel Piniero, Scott Kazmir, and Cliff Lee all gave us reason to believe they could be stud pitchers in 2010. In addition to those names, the return of Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherer and potentially Erik Bedard means that AL West hitters have to face a lot of great pitching more often than other hitters. This doesn't mean that I would go draft the resurgent Todd Helton over Kendry Morales but the depth of the AL West rosters is still worth mentioning.
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