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An Atlanta Braves fan’s fantasy baseball dilemma: battling ourselves

By Alan Carpenter

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - DECEMBER 06: In this handout image provided by Disney Parks, fireworks and confetti fly at Cinderella Castle during the Grand Opening of New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World Resort December 6, 2012 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Actress Ginnifer Goodwin, Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs, singer Jordin Sparks and Mickey Mouse joined dozens of Disney characters on Cinderella Castle stage to celebrate the opening. New Fantasyland is a new area in the Magic Kingdom and is the largest expansion in the 41-year history of the theme park. (Photo by Kent Phillips/Disney Parks via Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL - DECEMBER 06: In this handout image provided by Disney Parks, fireworks and confetti fly at Cinderella Castle during the Grand Opening of New Fantasyland at Walt Disney World Resort December 6, 2012 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Actress Ginnifer Goodwin, Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs, singer Jordin Sparks and Mickey Mouse joined dozens of Disney characters on Cinderella Castle stage to celebrate the opening. New Fantasyland is a new area in the Magic Kingdom and is the largest expansion in the 41-year history of the theme park. (Photo by Kent Phillips/Disney Parks via Getty Images) /
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Manchester United’s Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo reacts after failing to score during a football match between Everton and Manchester United on March 1, 2020.  (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester United’s Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo reacts after failing to score during a football match between Everton and Manchester United on March 1, 2020.  (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

Philosophies and Sucker bets

If you’re playing this game and using a standard 5×5 stat grid (HR, RBI, AVG, Steals, Runs for hitters; Wins, Saves, ERA, WHIP, K for pitchers)… where should you go in the first round if you’re not drafting from one of the obvious positions of strength?

This is the point where I generally want to shy away from taking pitchers early on – but especially avoiding Jacob deGrom in particular.

He’s got two shiny Cy Young trophies… and yet he should not be drafted – at least not in the first round.

I don’t think it’s giving away a big secret here, but he can’t win games… at least not by himself.

Here’s some fairly damning criteria about deGrom’s career from a fantasy perspective:

  • He’s never recorded more than 15 wins in a season
  • Over the past 5 seasons, he’s averaged a scant 11.4 wins
  • His 15 win season actually came with his worst ERA performance: 3.53

Yes – the guy racks up strikeouts. Yes – he averages a WHIP just below 1.10. But if you get deGrom, you’ve basically given away two of the five scoring categories: wins and saves… and he may not earn you enough in the others to make up for it.

He’s the poster child for the Pitcher Wins Don’t Matter movement.

So draft deGrom in the first round? Please… go ahead… I want somebody else to take that sucker bet. I just know it won’t be me doing that.  Maybe Round 2.  Definitely by Round 3… but somebody won’t wait that long… I guarantee it.

Despite all that, our crew will still probably snap up every Braves pitcher before Round 3 finishes.  Because.

[Full disclosure: our league is going to operate on a points system with nine categories each for hitters and pitchers…

An example:  a home run will be worth 7 points… 5 for the homer, 1 for the RBI, 1 for the Run scored.  I have no words for this.]

Power Outage?

Speaking of homers… another drafting factor that we won’t know enough about until the season starts: we saw all those homers in 2019 thanks to a juiced baseball.

Is that going to be the same in 2020? My bet is ‘probably not quite as bouncy… but maybe still a bit more than 2018’.

That presents a quandary for picking out home run hitters. Those fence-scraper guys that feasted on the 2019 baseball might be a little short in 2020 if that prediction comes to pass.

So you might want to go for those Aaron Judges and Pete Alonsos of the sport… you know the type:  guy hits ball; ball go far.

I have an idea about how to locate such hitters for the draft… but that’s a secret I’m holding on to for now.

Anyway… we’re gonna have some fun with it and we’ll open the door to invite y’all to likewise have some fun at our expense.

Maybe some won’t care… but hey: it’s still about baseball, and fantasy baseball is one way to participate more in our shared national pastime.

Next. The passing of some interesting baseball history. dark

If you don’t do this already… maybe consider joining a league this year?

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