Comments on RotoSavants.com: RotoSavants' Top 100(+2) for 2010: Part 1

I'd have a difficult time putting Prince at #2 sim...

2009-10-24T05:14:07.370-04:00

I'd have a difficult time putting Prince at #2 simply due to the depth of 1B. His raw numbers were obviously incredible last year, but depending on your league's specific settings, I'd have no problem waiting on a mid-tier 1B such as Joey Votto or Kendry morales. A guy like Billy Butler, who will have 10 pure 1B (more if you include multi-eligibility guys like Reynolds, Youkilis, and even Dunn), should be able to be had relatively late with some definite upside.

I'm surprised that no one expected regression in Mark Reynolds' SBs in the dissenting opinions of him. He's certainly not a burner in terms of raw speed, and his conversion rate, though solid at about 70%, would probably indicate that there will be a decline in his number of attempts. I'd also expect pitchers to pay more attention to him next year. The batting average should drop as well, though the high number of Ks are mitigated by his HR/FB%, his decent speed, and the simple fact that he hits the ball hard. I'd project somewhere around .245 for next year.

I feel you guys are underrating A-Rod here as well. I realize he's getting up there in years, but I haven't seen any real drop in skill. I'd argue that his remarkable return from his hip surgery is a testament to the type of shape he's still in. I'd personally still take him ahead of Reynolds, as I expect the huge difference in batting average between the two to give A-Rod the advantage overall.

I'd say that Mauer is the most difficult player to rank out of the guys on this list. I'm just not sure he has the raw power to sustainably hit so many HRs to the opposite field. Furthermore, I'd easily consider him the biggest injury risk of any of the 1st rounders. He's a catcher who has already had back and knee problems. Even with those concerns, taking him in the first round might not be a bad idea at all.

Kevin Jebens said... I'm going to find the later ...

2009-10-02T14:32:51.837-04:00

Kevin Jebens said...
I'm going to find the later rankings much harder, for this simple fact: I never make strictly numerical rankings for myself. I group into tiers (at position, not even overall), and I overstudy the middle and lower tiers a lot. But who I rake really depends on the individual draft and all its factors.

I get the feeling it's going to be like a real draft for me, where I'll pick a person to talk about, and the very next writer will grab someone that will make me go "Yeah, I should've picked HIM instead." =P

Our next group of players will prove interesting. ...

2009-10-02T13:24:51.413-04:00

Our next group of players will prove interesting.

Like Aaron, I think I can easily rationlize almost any of the next 10-15 players after Pujols and Hanley in my personal Top 100. There is a bunch of similar guys at the top.

What I'm trying to figure out now, is the positional weights, and hwo to strategize them.

I tried to give Pujols the zeroth rank but it just...

2009-10-02T12:03:00.263-04:00

I tried to give Pujols the zeroth rank but it just wouldn't stick.

One thing I've noticed so far is just how balanced things get next year after Pujols and maybe Hanley. You could make a case to swap just about any two players on this list and and even some guys who aren't on here like Sizemore, Miggy, and Kinsler. I think 2010 is going to be a good year to either have the 1st pick or a pick in the middle to end of the first round. There be dragons there.

Hmm... without going into too much detail, I disag...

2009-10-02T02:31:06.419-04:00

Hmm... without going into too much detail, I disagree with a few of them.

Too high: Fielder, Utley (but barely), Reynolds.

Too low: Braun, A-Rod, Pujols (c'mon, he's arguably the best hitter to play in our generation. #1 isn't good enough for him)

Honestly, I'd swap Braun and Fielder, A-Rod and Reynolds, and figure out if Mauer really belongs in 12th, and not Miguel Cabrera. I mean, I love both Reynolds and Mauer, but do I really think they're the best players in each of their positions? Well Mauer, yes, but drafting a catcher first round is hard to stomach. And the only reason I say Utley is too high is because I think 2B, though not very deep, has a few players with just slightly less value than Utley like Hill and Kinsler and Pedroia. If I can spend my first pick or two on the monsters at the corner infield and outfield spots, I'm fairly confident that there would still be one of those four left.