2006 , Delmon, And Junk
Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 5:22 am
One of the reasons I like Fantasy sports is because of the one and doneness of it all. Once the year is over, the slate is wiped clean.
One of my preparations for drafts is to find skills that have been dormant in some players. For example, Ben Zobrist has possessed the skills that were shown last year. He never utilized them fully and Tampa didn't give him the chance until last year.
In doing the research, I look at past notes and books from years gone.
Just for fun,
Here are notes on five players from 2006, the names will be xxx and can be found at the bottom of the blurb to give you an opportunity to guess who the player is.
These particular notes are from 'Rotisserie League Baseball', which was edited by John Benson, with an introduction from Sam Walker.
These fellas were all prospects before the 2006 season:
1. The bulky xxx, has been such a good hitter in the minors that people assume he is not a good defensive player. But, he has performed well as a catcher and occasional 1B.
He has a .310 average in 1,051 minor league at bats, including .303 with 19 homers and 77 rbi.
Ryan Garko
2. xxx has been showing up, and showing well, in spring training for so long that its difficult to believe that he is as young as he is and hasn't played above AA. In 2004, an infected finger hampered his swing hampered his swing so he was sent back to Jacksonville last year. He showed that he's beginning to develop power by reaching career highs with 11 homers and 65 rbi. It seems certain that many more homers will come from his smooth, line drive swing.
James Loney
3. Before 2005, xxx was a line drive hitter with little power. But his strength and power increased last year with maturity and experience. His plate patience is adequate, but his walks are declining. The second round draft choice does not project as a power hitter. His .312 average is a better indication on the type of player he'll be.
Andre Ethier
4. xxx is a speedy outfielder who has hit for high averages in the minor leagues. Included is the .297 average with 34 stolen bases at AAA last year. The five home runs in 109 at bats he had during his call up in September were a surprise,it had taken him more than 400 at bats to get that many in the minors. xxx arm is not strong enough to be either a center or right fielder in the Majors. He might have to become a fourth outfielder.
Nate McLouth
5. Even though he just turned 20 near the end of the season, xxx is clearly ready for the Majors.He has the potential to hit 40-50 home runs someday, plus he hits for average. He should become more patient as he matures. xxx is an above average base runner as well, with good speed and sports a tremendous throwing arm from right field. He is a future all-star.
Delmon Young
Goes to show how much can change in four short years. How many more chances does Young get to become the 40-50 home run guy that they envisioned? At most, right now, he is servicable and playing time is diminished as well with Minnesota's addition of Jim Thome.
Are his skills lying dormant or is he fool's gold?
Young has used up most of his chances with the Twins. I wouldn't take him this year. I do think his skills are dormant, but two things have to change for Young to show his real skills.
1. He is a consistent leader in hitting ground balls. His swing has to be more than tweaked. He has to find a batting coach that is simpatico to adjust his swing. Butch Harmon is not available in baseball. But I believe some players need personal mentoring from a respected source rather than 'settling' for what each baseball club has to offer.
2. He needs a change of scenery. The Twins made a mistake. Move on. Young is not necessary in their future pursuits. Confidence in Young is thin and a platoon this year may become a reality. They did not trade Bartlett and Garko for a platoon player.They will help both Young and themselves by peddling him to another team.
Young had a good spring training last year. I didn't look for numbers from him. I looked at how mant ground balls were hit, his ratio was good and I was a buyer for the Main team.
Of course, Young fell back into his old habits and had another sub-par year. This year, I'll Missouri/Missouri him unless he is traded before the draft.
Delmon Young is like that lemon of a car we buy. We realize after awhile that it is not what we paid for. Later, after trading it in (faab) when we see that same car with a different owner, we smirk, knowing.
One of my preparations for drafts is to find skills that have been dormant in some players. For example, Ben Zobrist has possessed the skills that were shown last year. He never utilized them fully and Tampa didn't give him the chance until last year.
In doing the research, I look at past notes and books from years gone.
Just for fun,
Here are notes on five players from 2006, the names will be xxx and can be found at the bottom of the blurb to give you an opportunity to guess who the player is.
These particular notes are from 'Rotisserie League Baseball', which was edited by John Benson, with an introduction from Sam Walker.
These fellas were all prospects before the 2006 season:
1. The bulky xxx, has been such a good hitter in the minors that people assume he is not a good defensive player. But, he has performed well as a catcher and occasional 1B.
He has a .310 average in 1,051 minor league at bats, including .303 with 19 homers and 77 rbi.
Ryan Garko
2. xxx has been showing up, and showing well, in spring training for so long that its difficult to believe that he is as young as he is and hasn't played above AA. In 2004, an infected finger hampered his swing hampered his swing so he was sent back to Jacksonville last year. He showed that he's beginning to develop power by reaching career highs with 11 homers and 65 rbi. It seems certain that many more homers will come from his smooth, line drive swing.
James Loney
3. Before 2005, xxx was a line drive hitter with little power. But his strength and power increased last year with maturity and experience. His plate patience is adequate, but his walks are declining. The second round draft choice does not project as a power hitter. His .312 average is a better indication on the type of player he'll be.
Andre Ethier
4. xxx is a speedy outfielder who has hit for high averages in the minor leagues. Included is the .297 average with 34 stolen bases at AAA last year. The five home runs in 109 at bats he had during his call up in September were a surprise,it had taken him more than 400 at bats to get that many in the minors. xxx arm is not strong enough to be either a center or right fielder in the Majors. He might have to become a fourth outfielder.
Nate McLouth
5. Even though he just turned 20 near the end of the season, xxx is clearly ready for the Majors.He has the potential to hit 40-50 home runs someday, plus he hits for average. He should become more patient as he matures. xxx is an above average base runner as well, with good speed and sports a tremendous throwing arm from right field. He is a future all-star.
Delmon Young
Goes to show how much can change in four short years. How many more chances does Young get to become the 40-50 home run guy that they envisioned? At most, right now, he is servicable and playing time is diminished as well with Minnesota's addition of Jim Thome.
Are his skills lying dormant or is he fool's gold?
Young has used up most of his chances with the Twins. I wouldn't take him this year. I do think his skills are dormant, but two things have to change for Young to show his real skills.
1. He is a consistent leader in hitting ground balls. His swing has to be more than tweaked. He has to find a batting coach that is simpatico to adjust his swing. Butch Harmon is not available in baseball. But I believe some players need personal mentoring from a respected source rather than 'settling' for what each baseball club has to offer.
2. He needs a change of scenery. The Twins made a mistake. Move on. Young is not necessary in their future pursuits. Confidence in Young is thin and a platoon this year may become a reality. They did not trade Bartlett and Garko for a platoon player.They will help both Young and themselves by peddling him to another team.
Young had a good spring training last year. I didn't look for numbers from him. I looked at how mant ground balls were hit, his ratio was good and I was a buyer for the Main team.
Of course, Young fell back into his old habits and had another sub-par year. This year, I'll Missouri/Missouri him unless he is traded before the draft.
Delmon Young is like that lemon of a car we buy. We realize after awhile that it is not what we paid for. Later, after trading it in (faab) when we see that same car with a different owner, we smirk, knowing.