For Fantasy Baseball players, April can be an excruciating month. All that research you’ve done since last October is no longer just analysis, it is reality. As many pundits have reminded us, being impacted by a “small sample size” is a fool’s game but when players you counted on have already started to let you down, emotions often trump logic (my apologies for using the words “trump” and “logic” in the same sentence).
In November, the Old Duck wrote some “Picks n’ Pans” for The Fantasy Baseball Guide – Professional Edition that were published around the start of Spring Training. As I look at the standings in my four leagues (1st, 2nd, 10th & 2nd), how are my predictions doing in the early going? And, in some cases, was I smart or dumb to not take my own advice from four months earlier?
> Matt Adams, Cardinals 1B – In November, I thought 2016 might be a comeback season for him, but by April he didn’t appear to have a steady job and I threw him back at $12 in a NL-only league. He still went for $14 at the table but, so far, he’s only had 27 AB’s.
> Trevor Bauer, Indians P – My feeling was that this former top prospect was ready to take the next step, but Cleveland’s brass decided he isn’t as good as Josh Tomlin or Cody Anderson. The team that kept him at $10 in my AL-only league before that decision was made is surely disappointed with him only pitching eight (8) innings so far this season.
> Zach Britton, Orioles P – My thought that he was significantly under-rated and should be in the upper tier of Closers. Now, he’s on two of my teams and has four Saves with only one run allowed in seven appearances.
> Jay Bruce, Reds OF – I panned him due to his inability to adjust to defensive shifting. His big first week raised his draft table price to $23 but it may just be a mirage.
> Nick Castellanos, Tigers 3B – A break-out pick of mine, he’s hitting .347.
> Patrick Corbin, D’Backs P – I liked the way that AZ brought him back slowly in ’15 and his ’16 performance looks great with three solid starts and a 2.75 ERA.
> Ian Desmond, Rangers SS/OF – Here’s where all your instincts can go awry. I panned him in November and then watched him up-close as he looked terrible in March. However, at a certain point in my AL-only Draft, he was the only MI left with any hope of getting SB’s. So, I paid an exorbitant price and he’s now hitting .158. Yes, there are smart ducks and dumb ducks.
> Yovani Gallardo, Orioles P – I felt that his ’15 was mostly luck and that some poor team (in reality & fantasy) would be sorry for signing him. His April ERA is 5.62.
> Jason Hammel & Kyle Hendricks, Cubs P – Despite numerous opinions to the contrary, I liked both of these guys. So far, in six starts, they’ve combined for a 2.50 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.
> Joe Mauer, Twins 1B – Didn’t give him much hope of regaining past glory, but as a fan, I’m happy to see him hitting .339.
> A.J. Ramos, Marlins P – Really liked his numbers and was surprised that the Fish considered taking out of the Closer role before Carter Capps got hurt. Hasn’t allowed an earned run in April.
> Jean Segura, D’Backs 2B – Panned him based on two consecutive lousy years in Milwaukee. He’s only hitting .338 with three (3) HR’s and three (3) SB’s.
> Eugenio Suarez, Reds SS/3B – Said in November that his numbers could be as good as Troy Tulowitski’s in 2016. So far, his OPS is .833 and Tulo’s is .545.
Hang in there buddy, it’s just a small sample size.
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