SOME PEOPLE HATE: AROD Quiets Haters in 2010: 2010 FANTASY BASEBALL RANKINGS: Third Base (3B)
I roll with the punches so I survive/ I bob and weave, move my feet from side to side./ I’m back, stronger than ever, surprise surprise./ They try to take me out the game, but I’s alive.
- Jay-Z, “Some People Hate” – The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002)
How about playing a round as a member in this 4-some? I hear Brady is a 4 handicapper… I’ll play with J. Anyway…
Some people hate. This time last year the sports world was hating on someone who was in the midst of a mega-scandal that was all over the television, Internet and newspapers. It involved a sports icon in this country and his enormous skeleton that came moonwalking out from his celebrity closet like Michael in his Pepsi days. Because it’s THRILLER!!! Sorry. It was similar to the type of thing Tiger Woods is currently experiencing – from a media pressure and scrutiny standpoint. And who might this character have been?
Well, none other than Alex Rodriguez.
A year later, AROD can look back on his past season and reflect. After the scandal and steriod fiasco, he came off of surgery and produced while in the lineup. He quieted all the haters by hitting in September, hitting in October (Matsui hit in October) and winning games in the process. He won a World Series Championship in New York with the Yankees. What else does he have to accomplish to silence his critics?
From an off-season perspective, Alex has to be more relaxed and comfortable than ever (Like I know because I hang out with the guy everyday), but you get my drift. Less weight on his shoulders this year. According to reports, he dated Kate Hudson. And then dumped Kate Hudson. He’s been spotted this off-season having fun with different women in different places including his old flame, the Material Girl herself, Madonna. Now, no one is talking about him. No one is gossiping about his private life. He’s not answering questions from reporters in Tampa about his steroids or not being clutch in October. He’s finally flying low, having fun, smiling and off the radar. And he’d probably tell you himself, he wouldn’t want it any other way.
A year later, the demons are gone. Skeletons crushed. Haters pacified. I think AROD has a “steroid-type” year and puts up silly Playstation numbers. Seriously.
To begin, no more Hideki Matsui. His loss is significant and cannot be understated. Flashback, Matsui was the guy driving in runs against the Phillies in the World Series last year. And against other tough teams, it seems, in tough situations all the time for the Yankees. No more Johnny Damon either. He helped set the table for Tex and AROD and scored a lot of runs last year. His swing is suited for the new stadium and they will miss his speed and bat in the 2-hole more than Yankee fans think.
Hello Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson. Good players. However, some issues; Nick Johnson has had over 500 at bats, ONCE, in a season in the 2000’s! Look it up. Once. And over 400 ABs, 3 times. Questionable durability is an understatement. Granderson is a solid player and should help in CF, maybe LF -”Gold jacket, green jacket” – nonetheless, better than Gardner and Winn. Yes, Yankee fans, I said Gardner and Winn. Remember the Shane Spencer/Karim Garcia experiment? Be afraid, be very afraid. (Look to the right: someone else is a fan of the 40/40).
All I’m saying is someone has to replace the production and while I really like Robinson Cano to pick up some slack, AROD is now 100% healthy and starting from Opening Day. His numbers will increase from last year and I think he will likely carry more of the load this year. He still may have the best lineup in baseball and as we all witnessed last year, the new Yankee Stadium doesn’t mind if flyballs happen to visit the new Bleacher Creatures.
Still, some skeptics remain. People continue to try, pry, investigate and research anything and everything to screw with him. They makeup excuses: he’s soft, he’s not Jeter, he can’t do it in the clutch, it was the steroids… I’m pretty sure I’ve said each one of those things myself in the past year. I’ve been a hater too at one point.
But the fact remains: AROD is a bona fide fantasy stud.
He continued to produce post-hip surgery (post-steroid usage surgery) and maintained his ranking this year as the number one 3B in fantasy baseball. You might not like the guy. You might agree with his morals or values. But you can’t argue with his production.
Let’s face it, he is going to break Barry Bonds’ record for homeruns someday. He’s going to do it as a Yankee and he’ll be remembered as an all-time great. Whether or not it will be a real, legit or a natural record doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t matter in fantasy baseball; fantasy, not reality and in our leagues, computers aren’t biased against PED users. They don’t use asterisks, they compute statistics. And stats are what AROD is good for.
A year later, he has no more pressure, no more worries. He can kick back, relax and play baseball. He’s in an empire state of mind and going to shine in those bright city lights. He used to shun them in the past. Now, I think he craves them. He produced last year, he will continue to produce this year. Why do some people still question it? Because the fact remains. Some people hate…
2010 FANTASY BASEBALL RANKINGS AND PROJECTIONS: 3B
1. Alex Rodriguez NYY - No more haters. No more talk. No more worries. AROD should get a full season of AB’s and showed in ‘09 he is still an elite player without the PED’s. He will continue to mash the baseball and produce fantastic fantasy baseball numbers. He gets paid along the way at benchmarks for his HR on his Ruth-ian (Bonds-ian?) chase. Hopefully, you get paid for his HR too. .291-37-118-98-14.
2. Evan Longoria – TB – LONGO is the new cover boy for MLB 2K10. He’s also the cover boy for the
Tampa Bay Rays and could be the cover boy for your fantasy team if you so choose. Longoria can rake and should produce at a high rate for years to come. He will eventually take over AROD as the top dog at 3B, just not this year. .285-32-107-93-8.
3. David Wright – NYM – D Wright had a sub-par year ‘09, power wise, hitting a career low 10 HR. He did bat .307 and stole 27 bags last year, finishing in the TOP 10 for 3B, not TOP 10 overall. The new stadium, injuries and lack of support all led to a mental breakdown some point last year. I see him bouncing back with full seasons and support from Reyes, Francouer and Bay with Carlos Beltran to return in May. .308-21-103-91-22.
4. Pablo Sandoval – SF - Fantasy 40/40 just broke down Pablo in a 2010 Player Projections & Outlook post. Like I said, I like Sandoval, I don’t like his supporting cast. .316-23-92-79-4.
5. Mark Reynolds – ARI - Reynolds took a gigantic fantasy leap last year with his 42/24 line. He batted in the .240’s, but should increase that this year. I also took a look at Reynolds in a prior post you can find here. .259-38-99-97-17.
6. Ryan Zimmerman – WAS - Zimmerman plays in Washington and still puts up great numbers. He’s one of those players that if he played in New York or Boston, he’d be as popular as Wright or Youkilis. Ryno plays great defense and has the hot corner locked down for years to come. He also has big Adam Dunn hitting behind him which seemed to help him last year. Find a post of Ryan and a 2010 breakdown here. .288-31-103-99-4.
7. Kevin Youkilis – BOS – YOOUUUK! Youkilis is a gritty, play-hard, effort type of player managers love. Fantasy owners should love him too – he offers 1B/3B, .300-30-100-100 potential. Yes please. .306-28-92-89-5.
8. Chone Figgins – SEA - Little “Sean, Shaun, Shawn”, Chone Figgins has a new home in the Pacific northwest. He stays in the AL West so learning a new league or division is not an issue. He and Ichiro are going to create havoc on the base paths and Chone should give you all the little things, AVG, R, SB. .286-5-50-91-37.
9. Aramis Ramirez – CHC - It’s 2010 and this thirdbaseman is still playing. After starting in Pittsburgh in ‘98, Ramirez is as fragile as they come. ”Fra-gee-lay. That must be Italian”. He’s now 32, getting older and less productive. That being said, take Ramirez in the middle rounds because he can still hit – hopefully he stays healthy, maybe 120 GP. .294-22-88-71-2.
10. Gordon Beckham – CHC – Another player we highlighted in a 2010 Projections & Outlook post. A high draft pick for the Sox, Beckham impressed Ozzie with his play and will see AB at 2B this year, his natural position. Expect good things from this kid. .277-21-86-84-10.
11. Michael Young – TEX - Michael Young has been asked to play 2B, SS and 3B by the Texas Rangers in his career. While playing well defensively at each position, Young continued to hit at each stop as well. Last year, he hit .322 with 22 HR. He probably won’t hit 20 again, but should be serviceable in mixed leagues. .304-16-80-79-8.
12. Ian Stewart – COL – What do you know, Stewart has his own 2010 Player Projection post as well. Take a look. He has major potential, just a matter of time before he puts it all together. .253-25-78-77-7.
13. Jorge Cantu – FLA - Cantu can play 1B/3B for fantasy owners in 2010 and put up decent numbers last year. He plays in a big park (16HR) but has a good lineup (100RBI). He won’t hit 29 again (‘08) but could reach 20. .277-18-81-66-2.
14. Chipper Jones – ATL – Larry “Chipper” Jones has had a great career as an Atlanta Brave. This sweet, switch-hitting 3B looks like the All-American ballplayer. He was once the cream of crop at 3B – no longer. He’s another aging, oft-injured 3B you can heap in with Aramis Ramirez. Fact is, Chipper is on his downside. Draft at your own risk. .293-19-76-74-3.
15. Adrian Beltre – BOS - Featured in a Fantasy 40/40 2010 projection, Beltre is out of Safeco and in Fenway with the Monster. He’s had some injuries and lost seasons in Seattle, but I like his chances of bouncing back. His shoulder should be healed and he should benefit from hitting line drive after line drive off the wall. Don’t expect Dodger numbers, but don’t be surprised with his end of the year stats. .269-19-70-67-10.
16. Mark DeRosa – SF - DeRosa has a new home as well in San Francisco. He takes his versatile game to the Bay and should start in left. He hit 20 HR last year with a poor avg., but he fought through injury and pain. DeRosa can serve as a valuable supporting piece to a good fantasy team – he should play the infield sometime in the season, adding to his value. .272-18-70-71-3.
17. Mark Teahen – CHW – Surprise surprise, Teahan is also moving cities to Chicago to play 3B for Ozzie Guillen. He was once a prized prospect with the Royals organization and looks to find his way in Chi-town. He has the skills and potential, just needs to find it. .269-14-63-70-7.
18. Alex Gordon – KC - Another torn-labrum patient, Gordon has not lived up to expectations. He was another high Royals draft pick and hasn’t found an answer. I’m kind of at the “tell me when he finally does it” stage, but age, upside and potential have him at #18. .270-15-60-72-10.
19. Casey Blake – LAD - This guy, in his late 30’s, has played well and is in a solid lineup in LA. He gives you the same thing every year, Mr. Consistency. About 18-28HR, 70-80 RBI, 60-70 R and an okay avg. Every year for the last 7 years. .262-17-68-68-4.
20. Martin Prado – ATL – Prado is actually going to play 2B for Bobby Cox, but is listed here because of all the positions he plays. This fantasy “MacGyver” plays 1B, 2B and 3B to start the season and should bat .300. Not much of a power threat, Prado is more of a backup or MI/CI/U option in deeper rotisserie leagues. .292-11-54-66-2.
21. Aubrey Huff 22. Garrett Atkins 23. Casey McGehee 24. Edwin Encarnacion 25. Jhonny Peralta 26. Kevin Kouzmanoff 27. Scott Rolen 28. Chase Headley 29. Andy LaRoche 30. Mike Lowell
