Base Heads

Before we dig in, I just want to thank you all for helping to make yesterday’s debut of the “Ruby Slippers” such an enormous success.  How big was it?  The call lines were flooded and the site crashed.  That’s how big.   My Outlook even sent me one of those “your mailbox is full” alerts!   Please know, I couldn’t have done it without you. All 12 of you.  Give yourselves a round of applause.

Moving on…

I didn’t mention this yesterday but I think it’s important to make one thing clear:  a “slipper” doesn’t necessarily have to be  super obscure.  All too often we find ourselves enamored with the “unknowns”, when the better value is smacking us right in the face.  Be honest.  You know you love it when the guys around the draft table (or draft lobby to the electronic among us) ask “who?” after  you’ve taken that diamond in the rough.  And that’s cool.  But the problem with that is that we often overlook some of the more well-known commodities who can still be had at bargain prices.

In short,  slippers arent so much  under-the-radar talents as they are underappreciated ones.  Keep that in your back pocket; it’ll come in handy.

Our first guest of the day, Tim Heaney from KFFL.com (and proud winner of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association’s 2009 Expert League), gives us the perfect example of a player who has the name recognition, but isn’t getting the attention in drafts that he deserves.

Break him down for us champ.

One breakout candidate not receiving much love – to KFFL.com’s delight – is Yunel Escobar. A climbing flyball rate, growing line-drive prowess and an elite batting eye make the 27-year-old Braves shortstop a bull candidate primed to outperform his midrange draft value. Escobar hasn’t swiped many bags yet, but you shouldn’t forget his 20-homer potential; double-digit steals could place him among the top handful of shortstops.

Good stuff.  I’d like to add that Escobar’s average draft position over at Mock Draft Central is 156.  For the mathematically-challenged, that’s the very end of the 13th round in 12-team mixers.  In 12-team NL-only drafts, he’s going in the middle of the seventh frame, well after Stephen Drew, Miguel Tejada, and Rafael Furcal.   That, my friends, is what you call a slipper (sorry Tim, hope I didn’t steal your thunder there).

Did you guys pick up a copy of USA Today’s Fantasy Baseball 2010 on newstands today?  You better.  Don’t fall for the big smile, Mr. Nice Guy, baseball in hand, jacket-over-the-shoulder look; when it comes to roto, Steve Gardner doesn’t play around.

Tell ‘em who’s your slipper, Steve.

A good recipe for a preseason sleeper…

It’s slipper, Steve!  Slipper!

…is someone who combines untapped talent with an expected increase in playing time. Colorado’s Ian Stewart is a good example. He hit 25 homers and drove in 70 runs last season while dividing his time between second base (21 games) and third base (121). He figures to be the Rockies’ starting third baseman, but the eligibility at second is the key — especially in NL-only leagues where the talent pool is extremely shallow. Stewart hit just .228 last season, but part of that was due to a below-average .275 BABIP. With normal luck on balls in play, Stewart could be this season’s version of Mark Reynolds. The power is there and although he’s also prone to striking out, he and Reynolds are both relatively patient at the plate (12 percent walk rates). The key to Reynolds’ monster fantasy season was a jump in stolen bases from 11 in 2008 to 24 in ‘09. Stewart stole just seven bases a year ago … but he did have a pair of double-digit steal seasons in the minors.

Don’t you just love the way he teased us at the end there (and completely ignored me at the top?)  I so want Stewart on my team right now.

OK, I’ve got some bad news and I’ve got some good news for ya.  The bad news is that we’ve come to the conclusion of Part II.   The good news is that Part III should be up later today.  Just waiting on a couple of gurus to put the finishing touches on their slippers.   Tune in tomorrow, when I’ll post my ruby slipper for the 2010 season.

Never let me slip, ’cause if I slip, then I’m slippin’.

- Dr. Dre

Part I

Part III

Part IV

Part V