Rizzo Better Than Goldy; So I Am Drafting Goldy

[DOUGHBOYS]

In our minds, we have an inkling of which player is better than another player. Goldschmidt is better than Rizzo, who is better than Abreu, who is better than Teixeira, who is better than Napoli, etc.
Then, when the season begins and if Rizzo is better than Goldschmidt or Napoli better than Teixeira, we don't care.
It's too late to fix anything.
We tip our hat to the players who played better and try to recover the next year.

I do believe that Rizzo could have a better fantasy year than Goldschmidt.
Yet, I don't put that belief in drafts.
I've had a chance to draft Rizzo over Goldschmidt three times.
Took Goldschmidt every time.
I know the reason why.
Security.

There is nobody in baseball I enjoy watching in slow motion than an Anthony Rizzo swing.
Magical.
Especially pitches that would be on the fists of most hitters. Rizzo has a way of clearing his hips and hands and manages to get the sweet spot of the bat on the ball.
In slow motion, there is a science to Rizzo.
For Goldschmidt, it is more of a see ball, hit ball approach.

I owned Rizzo a lot last year. Watched just about every at bat.
I believe he only scratched the surface of what he is capable of last year.
If he went .325/110/45/120/14 this year, it wouldn't surprise me.
The same cannot be said for Goldschmidt.
I don't see a 'zoom' season for Goldy. Just a lot more of the same good production that he provides.

So, why aren't I drafting Rizzo ahead of Goldy, you may ask.
Good question.
Rizzo stands on top of the plate.
Almost literally.
His hands sometimes over the plate.
He led the league, by a wide margin in getting hit with a pitch. To my knowledge, he never lost a day after getting hit by a pitch.
Still, each time it scared the bejeezus out of me.
We don't want our first round pick getting hit by pitches. We don't want our first round pick running into fences, or making diving catches, or being taken out by slides.
We want our first pick to never be in danger.
Rizzo puts himself in danger every at bat.


I have never drafted Brett Lawrie. Lawrie goes out of his way to get hurt.
In the name of hustle or being a team guy, he puts fantasy owners through hell.
If he ever stayed injury free, he may put up good numbers.
But, he won't. He's wired to dive in dugouts and the seats.
And now at second base, he'll stand his ground on an oncoming baserunner when he shouldn't.
It's just part of his dna.
Fans love it. Fantasy owners loathe it.

The danger of losing Rizzo overrides my feeling that he can outperform Goldschmidt.
Security.
The same reason we choose the 0.5 interest at Wells Fargo rather than the 4.9 interest from a company never heard of.
I may put a little money in the 4.9 interest place, like I may draft Rizzo in a small draft.
Sometimes, we may lists players as being better than another.
Then follow that list during a draft.
And sometimes, it is harder NOT to follow that list.

[Bronx Yankees]

So, why aren't I drafting Rizzo ahead of Goldy, you may ask.
Good question.
Rizzo stands on top of the plate.
Almost literally.
His hands sometimes over the plate.
He led the league, by a wide margin in getting hit with a pitch. To my knowledge, he never lost a day after getting hit by a pitch.
Still, each time it scared the bejeezus out of me.
We don't want our first round pick getting hit by pitches. We don't want our first round pick running into fences, or making diving catches, or being taken out by slides.
We want our first pick to never be in danger.
Rizzo puts himself in danger every at bat.

Ironically, Paul Goldschmidt missed a chunk of the 2014 season - which I think was his only trip ever to the DL - when he broke his hand upon being hit with a pitch. Just goes to show, we can make evaluations on who is more or less likely to be injured, but you just never know.

Mike

[rkulaski]

Good post, Dan.
This is the exact reason that I can not stomach drafting starling Marte this year.
There's nothing like seeing one of your best players go 0/3 and you're a little disappointed. Then you notice that there was never a fourth AB. Another player has taken his place. Then I go to Twitter and read that Marte was hit by a pitch. Gone in for x rays. Could be day to day. Could be out 2 months, maybe longer.
It's simply not good for my health.