More Power, Scotty!

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DOUGHBOYS
Posts: 13088
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:00 pm

More Power, Scotty!

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Sat Dec 11, 2021 8:10 am

Bill Buckner
Bobby Abreu
Thurman Munson

These three players have done something during the modern age that no other players have done, as far as I know.
Buckner, Abreu, and Munson each had 100 rbi seasons three times without benefit of even 20 home runs each of those years.
Think about that.
To me, a few of things come to mind.
1. These three were very good hitters....especially in rally situations.
2. What a pain in the ass for pitchers to see these fellas come up with runners on base.
3. Analytical folks would put them down as 'lucky'.
4. Fantasy folks would put them down as 'unrepeatable'
Let's focus on that last one since, ....you know, ...we're all about fantasy.

First of all, we would have been wrong. These three hitters repeated those seasons three times.
There's that.
It's not our fault though.
We equate home runs with RBI. Especially in todays game.
And you know what? We'd be right in doing so.
Nobody had 100 RBI with less than 20 homers this year. In fact, no player has had less than 20 home runs and knocked in 100 runs since Brandon Phillips did so in 2013 with 18 homers and 103 RBI.
Yuli Gurriel was the 'closest' last year with 15 homers and 81 RBI.
No current player has ever had 100 RBI with less than 20 home runs.

Is it a big deal?
No.
Mostly, it just shows how our game has changed.
Myles Straw is the closest thing we have to a 'judy'.
Most players now had better hit for power or bad things happen to them (demotion, dfa'd, early retirement)
And for us in the fantasy community, an ease.
The ease of following the home run, knowing it is tied with three categories.

In fact, we have 'ease' now in both the hitting and pitching categories of our game.
For hitters, we follow the home run and do our best with speed.
For pitchers, we follow the strikeouts and do our best with ratios.
Todays game has made it easier for us in that way.
All we have to do is pick the players who represent these two factions, correctly.

I am in a text group that includes six of us NFBC diehards.
Any time I detract from a K pitcher I am hardly ever agreed with.
They love their K's.
Adam Wainwright is a darned good pitcher for me. He has adjusted without a big fastball.
For them, Wainwright is a persona non grata. (Well, until having success during the season, at which point they wished they'd drafted him)
On the other hand, if I suggest that Tarik Skubal will follow the path of Matt Boyd or point to frailties, I'll get a "That's your opinion" or mostly ignored.
After all, Skubal gets K's.
I don't blame or criticize them.
As a whole, our fantasy community follows power hitting and power pitching.
It's the way of the baseball world and certainly the fantasy baseball world.
But it sure makes me miss players like Buckner, Abreu, and Munson.
Last edited by DOUGHBOYS on Sat Dec 11, 2021 12:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

DOUGHBOYS
Posts: 13088
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:00 pm

Re: More Power, Scotty!

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Sat Dec 11, 2021 9:01 am

Damn, forgot to put this in the post....

I have an NFBC friend who ONLY drafts K pitchers. Starter or Reliever, if a pitcher does not have a high K rate, he is of no interest to this fella.
For three years, I have told him that Adam Wainwright was being had at a good price.
I knew he'd ignore me and he did.

This past week, he sent me a text.
"I just took Adam Wainwright in the draft I'm in!"
I ridiculed him.
I love Wainwright. More than most. BUT, he has been a round 20's pick for three years.
Now that drafters believe in Waino, he is being taken in the 10th round.
Think about that.
For three years, drafters mostly feared Wainwright's age.
Three years LATER, they don't.
I don't get it.
Anyway, I would not touch Wainwright in the tenth round.
His recent numbers may suggest he's a 10th rounder, but c'mon, there are better options out there.
And yes, some of those are power pitchers who will get K's. :D
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

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