Deadheadz wrote:DOUGHBOYS wrote:Deadheadz wrote:
How can Kershaw be justified as a #1? I don't see it.
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And what don't you see?
Give us some thoughts and stats that you think back up your Kershaw hesitations.
Awaiting analysis.
While he's got amazing stats and a long track record, his recent injury history makes top 3 questionable at best.
This year he should fall like Donaldson has fallen. First round? No argument. But top 3?
It's an interesting question: where do you value Kershaw, clearly the best pitcher, amongst the best hitters? I'm kind of old school. Before last season, I never took a pitcher in the first round. Still haven't done it (yet) in a big money league, but I took Kershaw around the middle of the first round in a couple of DCs last year. Although his injury hurt, he still was one of the most valuable pitchers. More importantly to me, I found that I could take a pitcher first and still feel content with my hitting and roster composition at the end of the draft. I'm now more open to taking a pitcher in the first round.
That being noted, while I would take Kershaw at certain points in the first half of Round 1, I would not take him first. Even if I liked Kershaw the best and wanted him, I'd probably KDS 3 or 4. Even if desperate for Kershaw, I'd KDS 2 given that the vast majority of folks take Trout first (the worst that can happen is you're in a draft with another Kershaw lover and you get Trout with the second pick).
I also agree that last year's injury weighs on me. If he got hit in the shin with a batted ball, I'd discount it entirely. Backs, however, are a funny thing. The risk of recurrence Is greater than zero. Plus, pitchers get injured more frequently than all or most (excluding catchers?) positional players.
If you assume health, however, Kershaw is an easy top pick. If you could guarantee me that Trout would play 162 games and Kershaw would make 34 starts, I'd take Kershaw. Yes, Trout will give you five categories of excellent performance, but I think Kershaw is so strong in four categories, and provides such a huge edge in ERA and WHIP, that he'd be more valuable.
Just a few quick stats depicting Kershaw's greatness:
Starts per year since 2009: 30, 32, 33, 33, 33, 27, 33, 21.
Strikeouts per year since 2009: 185, 212, 248, 229, 232, 239, 301, 172.
ERA per year since 2009: 2.79, 2.91, 2.28, 2.53, 1.83, 1.77, 2.13, 1.69.
WHIP per year since 2009: 1.23, 1.18, 0.98, 1.02, 0.92, 0.86, 0.88, 0.72.
Really, that's just ridiculous. But for his injury, 2016 was shaping up as his most dominant season. Damn, I'm talking myself into taking him first.

Better stop now, but, yes, if you believe Kershaw will be healthy, he's a very compelling pick virtually anywhere in the first round.
Mike