Posts Tagged ‘Fantasy Baseball Tiers’

2011 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Relief Pitchers

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 12th, 2011

As you are preparing for your fantasy baseball draft or fantasy baseball auction, there are several items you can use to help you determine where the value lies at each position and where a drop off can suddenly occur leaving you short at a thin position. We have already looked at the fantasy baseball ADP results for the different positions, now it is time to examine the fantasy baseball tiers for each grouping.

Here is a look at the 2011 fantasy baseball tiers for relief pitchers.

Tier 1:

Joakim Soria, Brian Wilson, Heath Bell, Neftali Feliz

By the end of next week, we should have a better idea if the Texas Rangers are going to move Feliz into the starting rotation or leave him in the closer role.

Tier 2:

Carlos Marmol, Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, Francisco Rodriguez

Rivera is likely a Tier 1 closer for some people, but his age and drop in strikeout rate pushes him into Tier 2 for me. Every year, we keep saying he is defying his age in terms of performance, but I would rather be out on him one year early than one year too late.

Tier 3:

Andrew Bailey, Huston Street, Jose Valverde, John Axford, Chris Perez, J.J. Putz, Joe Nathan

Quite a few of these guys have some injury concerns and Axford and Perez were closers really for the first time last season, so there is a lot more risk in this tier than in the previous two.

Tier 4:

Jonathan Broxton, Matt Thornton, Francisco Cordero, Drew Storen, Ryan Franklin, Brad Lidge

I think there is some good value for Thornton since the buzz about Chris Sale has pushed his value a couple of rounds lower than where it should be. If you end up with Broxton, you better try and grab Hong-Chih Kuo or Kenley Jansen as a handcuff.

Tier 5:

Craig Kimbrel, David Aardsma, Frank Francisco, Kevin Gregg, Jake McGee

Kimbrel is facing some strong competition from Jonny Venters in spring and could be on the outside looking in at the closer role if he does not start piling up a few more clean innings. McGee has not been officially named the closer in Tampa Bay yet, but he has the best arm in the Rays bullpen.

Tier 6:

Joel Hanrahan, Leo Nunez, Brandon Lyon, Fernando Rodney

Tier 7:

Jonny Venters, Ryan Madson, Hong-Chih Kuo, Chris Sale, Koji Uehara, Evan Meek, Aroldis Chapman

With a 25-30% failure rate for fantasy baseball closers each season, it is a good bet that several names in this tier will finish the season with 15-20 saves.

If you are looking for 2011 fantasy baseball projections, be sure to grab your copy of the 2011 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide.

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2011 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Third Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 6th, 2011

As you are preparing for your fantasy baseball draft or fantasy baseball auction, there are several items you can use to help you determine where the value lies at each position and where a drop off can suddenly occur leaving you short at a thin position. We have already looked at the fantasy baseball ADP results for the different positions, now it is time to examine the fantasy baseball tiers for each grouping.

There are about 13 guys that I would be happy to have at third base. After that, the options all kind of seem to run together with no real standouts in terms or power or upside. Keep in mind that there are several players that will earn third base eligibility in the first month of the season such as Chone Figgins and Kevin Youkilis so if you find you miss out on one of the top options, that is another possibility.

Here is a look at the 2011 fantasy baseball tiers for third base.

Tier 1: (round 1-3)

1. Evan Longoria
2. David Wright
3. Alex Rodriguez
4. Ryan Zimmerman
5. Jose Bautista

It is hard to imagine that a year ago Bautista was a reserve or free agent pick up depending on the size of the league and now he is in the top tier at third base. For his ranking at 3B, I have him just percentage points behind Zimmerman.

Tier 2: (rounds 4-6)

6. Michael Young
7. Adrian Beltre
8. Mark Reynolds

I don’t have Beltre quite as high as others since I have seen this story from him before following a breakout season in a contract year. Reynolds I probably have higher than most, but his raw power and ability to get double digit steals I think warrant this tier.

Tier 3: (rounds 7-9)

9. Aramis Ramirez
10. Pedro Alvarez
11. Casey McGehee
12. Pablo Sandoval

Sandoval looks to have lost a good deal of weight, is in decent shape and has been hitting so far in spring. McGehee seems to get overlooked with Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun on his team.

Tier 4: (rounds 10-16)

13. Ian Stewart
14. Edwin Encarnacion
15. Scott Rolen
16. Chris Johnson
17. Chase Headley

Stewart is somewhere in between Tier 3 and 4 but I don’t usually give a tier to just one player. I think with the many options that Colorado has in the infield, he could lose some at bats, plus he has batting average risk.

If you are looking for 2011 fantasy baseball projections, be sure to grab your copy of the 2011 FBT Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide.

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2011 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Shortstops

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 5th, 2011

As you are preparing for your fantasy baseball draft or fantasy baseball auction, there are several items you can use to help you determine where the value lies at each position and where a drop off can suddenly occur leaving you short at a thin position. We have already looked at the fantasy baseball ADP results for the different positions, now it is time to examine the fantasy baseball tiers for each grouping.

To me this is a top heavy group where I would be happy with any of the top 11 guys on the list. Even though there are tiers at this position, I think for the players ranked 12 – whatever, there is not a whole lot of difference between them or players with upside so if you don’t end up with one of the to p11 guys, you are better off waiting until the end of the draft to make your selection.

Here is a look at the 2011 fantasy baseball tiers for shortstops.

Tier 1: (round 1)

1. Hanley Ramirez
2. Troy Tulowitzki

I have seen some drafts where Tulowitzki has gone ahead of Hanley.

Tier 2: (round 2-3)

3. Jose Reyes
4. Derek Jeter
5. Jimmy Rollins

Reyes is borderline Tier 1 but injury concerns over the last couple of years push him to Tier 2, though the difference between him and the next two guys in the list are more than the difference between him and the two guys ahead of him.

Tier 3: (rounds 5-8)

6. Alexei Ramirez
7. Elvis Andrus
8. Rafael Furcal
9. Stephen Drew

Tier 4: (rounds 10-14)

10. Starlin Castro
11. Ian Desmond
12. Miguel Tejada
13. Jhonny Peralta
14. Asdrubal Cabrera

I  like Desmond the best out of this group, especially if he stays hitting in the number two hole all season.

Tier 5: (rounds 15-20)

15. Marco Scutaro
16. Yunel Escobar
17. Jason Bartlett
18. J.J. Hardy
19. Reid Brignac
20. Erick Aybar
21. Cliff Pennington

If you are looking for stolen bases late in the draft, you have a few options in this group with Bartlett, Aybar and Pennington.

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2011 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Second Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 4th, 2011

As you are preparing for your fantasy baseball draft or fantasy baseball auction, there are several items you can use to help you determine where the value lies at each position and where a drop off can suddenly occur leaving you short at a thin position. We have already looked at the fantasy baseball ADP results for the different positions, now it is time to examine the fantasy baseball tiers for each grouping.

Here is a look at the 2011 fantasy baseball tiers for second base.

Tier 1: (rounds 1-3)

1. Robinson Cano
2. Chase Utley
3. Dustin Pedroia
4. Dan Uggla
5. Ian Kinsler
6. Brandon Phillips

Second base is a pretty deep position so despite six players going in the top 50 picks, there are still plenty of good options in the next few rounds of a fantasy baseball draft. I would have no problem taking Pedroia over Utley with Utley’s injury issues so far in spring training.

Tier 2: (rounds 4-8)

7. Rickie Weeks
8. Ben Zobrist
9. Brian Roberts
10. Aaron Hill
11. Martin Prado

Most of these players here were in Tier 1 last season, but were either injured or under performed in 2010. Some people might have Weeks in Tier 1 and if he gets 600+ at bats it could be possible but I need to see him do it again before I put him in that group.

Tier 3: (rounds 9-14)

12. Howie Kendrick
13. Kelly Johnson
14. Gordon Beckham
15. Neil Walker
16. Chone Figgins
17. Danny Espinosa
18. Mike Aviles

Again you can see that the depth this position offers with 18 second basemen gone by the end of round 14. Figgins is going about the same place in fantasy baseball drafts as he did in 2009, but the offense he has in Seattle is quite a bit different than with the Angels, which is a big impact to his runs scored total. Espinosa should push 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases but will be a drag on the batting average.

Tier 4: (rounds 15-20)

19. Juan Uribe
20. Omar Infante
21. Sean Rodriguez
22. Tsuyoshi Nishioka

I  like Rodriguez best in this group. If he can get 500+ at bats, he could put up some numbers similar the players listed above him in Tier 3.

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2011 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – First Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 3rd, 2011

As you are preparing for your fantasy baseball draft or fantasy baseball auction, there are several items you can use to help you determine where the value lies at each position and where a drop off can suddenly occur leaving you short at a thin position. We have already looked at the fantasy baseball ADP results for the different positions, now it is time to examine the fantasy baseball tiers for each grouping.

Here is a look at the 2011 fantasy baseball tiers for first base.

Tier 1: (rounds 1-2)

1. Albert Pujols
2. Miguel Cabrera
3. Joey Votto
4. Adrian Gonzalez
5. Mark Teixeira
6. Ryan Howard
7. Prince Fielder

Based on average draft position, these guys are likely to be gone within the first 20 picks of the draft.

Tier 2: (rounds 2-4)

8. Kevin Youkilis
9. Adam Dunn
10. Justin Morneau
11. Kendry Morales

Injury concerns with Morneau and Morales push them to the end of the second tier. Teams that like power at the corner infield spots could have the option of going Votto – Youkilis with their first two picks and flipping Youkilis over to third base at the end of April.

Tier 3: (rounds 5-7)

12. Paul Konerko
13. Billy Butler

A thin tier here as the remaining players on the board I think are too similar in nature. Konerko is the last guy left to get you 30+ home runs outside of Carlos Pena at this point of the draft.

Tier 4: (rounds 12-15)

14. Aubrey Huff
15. Carlos Pena
16. Gaby Sanchez
17. Adam LaRoche
18. Derrek Lee
19. Ike Davis

Out of this group, I probably like Sanchez and Davis the best. Pena’s average is too low to carry, Huff is likely in for a decline and Lee has some health risk to him.

Best of the Rest:

There are a few interesting candidates left at the position of first base, such as James Loney, Freddie Freeman, Matt LaPorta and Mitch Moreland. I am intrigued most by Moreland though I think he loses some at bats because of the log jam the Texas Rangers have when all players are healthy.

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Third Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 25th, 2010

In a fantasy baseball draft or auction, it is helpful to use average draft position reports along with tiered rankings in order to make sure you get a player you want from each group before there is a statistical drop off.

Here is a look at the 2010 fantasy baseball tiers for third base.

Tier 1:  rounds 1-2

1.  Alex Rodriguez
2.  Evan Longoria
3.  David Wright
4.  Mark Reynolds

Tier 2:  rounds 3-4

5.  Ryan Zimmerman
6.  Pablo Sandoval
7.  Aramis Ramirez

Tier 3:  rounds 5-7

8.  Chone Figgins
9.  Michael Young
10.  Gordon Beckham

Tier 4:  rounds 9-11

11.  Ian Stewart
12.  Jorge Cantu
13.  Chipper Jones
14.  Adrian Beltre

Tier 5:  rounds 15-20

15.  Kevin Kouzmanoff
16.  Mark DeRosa
17.  Casey McGehee
18.  Alex Gordon
19.  Casey Blake
20.  Jhonny Peralta
21.  Chase Headley
22. Edwin Encarnacion
23.  Troy Glaus

Tier 6:  bottom of the barrel

24.  Brandon Wood
25.  David Freese
26.  Scott Rolen
27.  Jose Bautista
28.  Garrett Atkins

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Shortstop

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 25th, 2010

In a fantasy baseball draft or auction, it is helpful to use average draft position reports along with tiered rankings in order to make sure you get a player you want from each group before there is a statistical drop off.

Here is a look at the 2010 fantasy baseball tiers for shortstop.

Tier 1:  rounds 1-3

1.  Hanley Ramirez
2.  Jimmy Rollins
3.  Troy Tulowitzki
4.  Jose Reyes
5.  Derek Jeter

Tier 2:  rounds 7-8

6.  Jason Bartlett
7.  Alexei Ramirez
8.   Elvis Andrus

Tier 3:  rounds 10-15

9.  Miguel Tejada
10. Yunel Escobar
11.  Asdrubal Cabrera
12.  Erick Aybar
13.  Stephen Drew
14.  Alcides Escobar
15.  Everth Cabrera
16.  Rafael Furcal

Tier 4:  rounds 16-20

17.  J.J. Hardy
18.  Marco Scutaro
19.  Orlando Cabrera
20.  Ryan Theriot

Tier 5:  bottom of the barrel

21.  Cliff Pennington
22.  Ian Desmond
23.  Julio Lugo
24.  Edgar Renteria

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Second Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 25th, 2010

In a fantasy baseball draft or auction, it is helpful to use average draft position reports along with tiered rankings in order to make sure you get a player you want from each group before there is a statistical drop off.

Here is a look at the 2010 fantasy baseball tiers for second base.

Tier 1:  rounds 1-2

1.  Chase Utley
2.  Ian Kinsler
3.  Brandon Phillips
4.  Dustin Pedroia

Tier 2: rounds 3-4

5.  Brian Roberts
6.  Robinson Cano
7.   Ben Zobrist
8.   Aaron Hill

Tier 3:  rounds 7-8

9. Dan Uggla
10. Jose Lopez
11. Howie Kendrick

Tier 4:  rounds 12-15

12.  Rickie Weeks
13.  Kelly Johnson
14.  Placido Polanco
15.  Martin Prado

Tier 5:  rounds 17-23

16.  Clint Barmes
17.  Scott Sizemore
18.  Orlando Hudson
19.  Mark Ellis
20.  Luis Valbuena
21.  Kasuo Matsui
22.  Luis Castillo
23. Akinori Iwamura
24. Alberto Callaspo
25. Adam Kennedy

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – First Base

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 24th, 2010

In a fantasy baseball draft or auction, it is helpful to use average draft position reports along with tiered rankings in order to make sure you get a player you want from each group before there is a statistical drop off.

Here is a look at the 2010 fantasy baseball tiers for first base.

Tier 1:  rounds 1-2

1.  Albert Pujols
2.  Ryan Howard
3.  Mark Teixeira
4.  Prince Fielder
5.  Miguel Cabrera

Tier 2: rounds 3-4

6.   Kevin Youkilis
7.   Justin Morneau
8.   Joey Votto
9.   Adrian Gonzalez
10. Kendry Morales

Tier 3:  rounds 5-6

11. Lance Berkan
12. Derrek Lee
13. Billy Butler
14. Carlos Pena

Tier 4:  rounds 10-14

15. James Loney
16.  Adam LaRoche
17.  Paul Konerko
18.  Chris Davis
19.  Todd Helton

Tier 5:  bottom of the barrel time

20.  Aubrey Huff
21.  Nick Johnson
22.  Daniel Murphy
23.  Hank Blalock
24.  Lyle Overbay
25.  Casey Kotchman
26.  Gaby Sanchez

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Catchers

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 23rd, 2010

In a fantasy baseball draft or auction, it is helpful to use average draft position reports along with tiered rankings in order to make sure you get a player you want from each group before there is a statistical drop off.

Here is a look at the 2010 fantasy baseball tiers for catchers.

Tier 1:  rounds 1-2

1.  Joe Mauer
2.  Victor Martinez

Tier 2:  rounds 3-5

3.  Brian McCann
4.  Matt Wieters

Tier 3:  rounds 9-12

5.  Jorge Posada
6.  Kurt Suzuki
7.  Miguel Montero
8.  Geovany Soto
9.  Russell Martin
10. Mike Napoli
11. Bengie Molina
12. Ryan Doumit

Tier 4:  rounds 13-15

13.  A.J. Pierzynski
14.  Chris Ianetta
15.  Yadier Molina

Tier 5:  rounds 16-18

16.  John Baker
17.  Carlos Ruiz

Tier 6:  bottom of the barrel time

18.  Rod Barajas
19.  John Buck
20.  Kelly Shoppach
21.  Ramon Hernandez
22.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia
23.  Gregg Zaun
24.  Gerald Laird
25.  Nick Hundley
26. Miguel Olivo
27. Buster Posey
28. Ivan Rodriguez
29. Jason Kendall
30. Taylor Teagarden

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2010 Fantasy Baseball Tiers – Closers

Posted by Todd Lammi on March 17th, 2010

With recent news of injuries cropping up in the land of fantasy baseball closers, I thought it was time to revisit the list of the 2010 fantasy baseball rankings for closers from last month.

The injury to Joe Nathan plus news that Huston Street will most likely start the season on the disabled list means that two of the top 10 closers are going to be knocked down or off your draft list.

This could mean that closers go a round or two earlier than you might expect in your draft as owners try to get one of the few solid options available to them.

Here is a look at my current 2010 fantasy baseball tiers for closers based on the latest information:

Tier 1:  rock solid

1.  Jonathan Broxton
2.  Jonathan Papelbon
3.  Mariano Rivera
4.  Joakim Soria

Tier 2:  pretty solid

5.  Francisco Rodriguez
6.  Andrew Bailey
7.  Heath Bell
8.  Jose Valverde
9.  Brian Wilson
10. Francisco Cordero

Tier 3:  some injury risk in this tier

11.  Billy Wagner
12.  Rafael Soriano
13.  Brian Fuentes
14.  Trevor Hoffman
15.  Huston Street

Tier 4:  unproven after one season of closing

16.  Frank Francisco
17.  Mike Gonzalez
18.  Chad Qualls
19.  David Aardsma
20. Carlos Marmol

Tier 5:  which player from this group loses his job first?

21.  Bobby Jenks
22.  Ryan Franklin
23.  Kerry Wood
24.  Brad Lidge
25.  Leo Nunez

Tier 6:  bottom of the barrel time

26.  Matt Capps
27.  Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier
28.  Kevin Gregg, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs
29.  Matt Lindstrom, Brandon Lyon
30.  Octavio Dotel

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