Join Us At The Arizona Fall League Symposium

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:35 am

If you want to get a jump start on the 2012 NFBC season and you have some free time in early November then join about 150 other baseball die-hards at the Arizona Fall League Symposium. This annual event is perfect for fantasy baseball groupies who get to talk baseball and see some good baseball. It's put on by Ron Shandler and BaseballHQ.com, with all of the event info located here:

http://www.baseballhq.com/seminars/arizona.shtml

I'm one of the featured guest speakers and once again I'll be live in the Cage Match. Last year I won my Cage Match vs. Todd Zola as the participants voted for my pitch, but unfortunately Mr. Zola was proven correct when Jose Bautista not only topped 35 home runs in 2011 but actually topped 40 HRs. Tough titties, I say, winning the debate was all that mattered!!

This year I'm taking Matt Kemp in the Kemp vs. Jacoby Ellsbury debate. I'm preparing my bullet points now and should have an overwhelming case. Bring it on!!

NFBC members are always well represented at the AFL. I haven't seen the guest list yet, but I do know that 2011 NFBC champ Lindy Hinkelman is making a return appearance, along with Rick Thomas, Todd Zola, Gene McCaffrey, John Menna, Dave Potts, Brian Feldman, Ray Murphy, Brian Walton and hopefully Mike O'Connor. It should be another fun, fun event.

If you need any info on the conference, ask here or contact me at [email protected]. We go to games on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, seeing the top 6 prospects from each organization a couple of times. Some of us even find a fun little sports bar in Scottsdale on Sunday to watch NFL games if you'd like to join us. All good fun.

See ya there and I'll have Twitter reports on what I'm seeing at the ballparks and a few columns afterwards. This should be a great kickoff to the 2012 NFBC season, so join us.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:25 am

Just a heads up for anyone going to the AFL Symposium this year, Ron is going to host NFBC-style 50-round Draft Champions Leagues in Arizona on Saturday afternoon before the All-Star Game. We'll have the big draft boards there and the NFBC will run these leagues on the NFBC game site. We obviously won't finish all 50 rounds out in Phoenix, but we'll get them started there, have multiple live drafts going in the conference room and hopefully bring in some new players to the NFBC-style concept. I think this will be a fun addition for the AFL members and it could be a nice addition of potential new players for the NFBC. I look forward to working with Ron on this and growing this event in the following years. Should be fun.

Ron will have more details on the prizes he will be offering and more soon. Get your Cheat Sheets ready if you plan on attending the AFL Symposium.

ToddZ · Post by **ToddZ** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:45 am

Crap, I hope I don't get my cheat sheets mixed up between this and the All Time Draft.

fwicker · Post by **fwicker** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 6:32 am

I think Larry Doyle's going to have a big year .....

low talkers · Post by **low talkers** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 8:42 am

Nice! I've been wondering how we could get more new NFBC players from this conference, I think this should help. Now, I just need Zola to get the Mastersball cheat sheets up before then. If not that, maybe I can just sit by him?

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 9:22 am

After the year you had this year, Dave.

They may want to take a peek at your lists.

Congrats on a great year.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 9:23 am

dang flood protection!

[ October 20, 2011, 03:24 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 11:01 am

Originally posted by low talkers:

Nice! I've been wondering how we could get more new NFBC players from this conference, I think this should help. Now, I just need Zola to get the Mastersball cheat sheets up before then. If not that, maybe I can just sit by him? From early responses that Ron has received already, we're planning on at least three NFBC leagues. NICE!!! That should be a lot of fun on Saturday afternoon. I wonder if Ron has ordered any Corona's for this event!! He knows I can't run a draft without beer!!!

Contact Ron if you're coming to this event and want to draft in one of these leagues. There's no charge with an admission to the conference and there will be prizes. Don't delay because this third league could fill up shortly.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:45 am

The Cheesehead plane has landed in Phoenix and I'm present and ready for the cocktail hour in Arizona!!!

I know right where the Doubletree bar is, too!!

It's time for a ballgame tonight, two ballgames tomorrow and then the Rising Stars game on Saturday night (and on MLB Network). It's like 83 degrees today, but by Saturday night it's supposed to be windy and 50. Wow, I could stay home if I wanted that kind of weather.

I'll try to tweet some updates from the AFL Symposium, so if you want to follow any of it I'm at twitter@GregAmbrosius. Follow me and get some early season tips from the pros. Thanks all.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 1:54 am

So, do you think Lindy has had a good year? Do you think winning your second overall NFBC title and $116,750 is a pretty good year? Maybe, but it gets better for Lindy.

Our NFBC Champ and newest NFBC Hall of Famer arrived in Phoenix yesterday for the AFL Symposium and went to an afternoon ballgame with Sack. They get to the park and see Bryce Harper hit a monster home run. Then a foul ball is hit towards Lindy and guess what? Our champ catches the foul ball and leaves the game with a souvenir!!

I'm not kidding. It's all going Lindy's way this year!!!

Nice job Champ.

We had a great time last night with Gene McCaffrey, Dave Potts, Todd Zola, Lindy, Jeff Erickson and many others talking about this past NFBC and baseball season. The fun is just beginning.

What the hell, maybe I'll catch a foul ball today.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 6:37 am

We had a solid, solid breakdown of AFL players today by ESPN.com's Jason Grey and Toronto scout Kimball Crosley. There are some really solid prospects in the AFL this year that I'm really looking forward to seeing. Some solid standouts already include:

Bryce Harper, OF, Washington

Mike Trout, OF, Angels

Tim Beckham, SS, Rays

Matt Dominguez, 3B, Florida

Andrew Cashner, RP, Cubs

Wil Myers, KC, OF

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado

Chris Carpenter, RP, Cubs

Gerrit Cole, SP, Pittsburgh

Jed Bradley, SP, Milwaukee

Aroldis Chapman, SP, Cincinnati

I didn't realize the Reds were moving Chapman to a starting pitcher and the Cubs were moving Carpenter to the bullpen. Very interesting. Could be interesting with Carpenter and Cashner each throwing 100 mph in the late innings if Marmol sticks around. Or maybe Cashner moves into that role. All good stuff.

Plenty more prospects here.

Quahogs · Post by **Quahogs** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:48 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

We had a great time last night with Gene McCaffrey, Dave Potts, Todd Zola, Lindy, Jeff Erickson and many others talking about this past NFBC and baseball season. The fun is just beginning.

What the hell, maybe I'll catch a foul ball today.

this image just popped in my head for a second...

Quahogs · Post by **Quahogs** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:58 am

Who are we kidding.. this is more like it Greg.

MadCow Sez · Post by **MadCow Sez** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:03 am

Originally posted by Quahogs:

Who are we kidding.. this is more like it Greg.

That's so wrong. I just got done with the therapy from 2003.

ToddZ · Post by **ToddZ** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 3:18 pm

Greg and I each won our cage match though Jason Grey and Joe Sheehan thought they had stolen the show until they were trumped by an award winning performance from Jeff Erickson and Doug Dennis -- worth the price of admission by itself.

Greg can supply more details, but we ran 3 DCs through round 22 (they will finish them and play them out like a standard DC) and if this was any representation of the spring, you can take the letters ADP and replace them with WTF and I mean that in a good way - right from the get go all three drafts took on their own personality, more so than usual.

[ November 06, 2011, 09:19 PM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:04 pm

Originally posted by ToddZ:

Greg and I each won our cage match though Jason Grey and Joe Sheehan thought they had stolen the show until they were trumped by an award winning performance from Jeff Erickson and Doug Dennis -- worth the price of admission by itself.

Greg can supply more details, but we ran 3 DCs through round 22 (they will finish them and play them out like a standard DC) and if this was any representation of the spring, you can take the letters ADP and replace them with WTF and I mean that in a good way - right from the get go all three drafts took on their own personality, more so than usual. Todd is right: I remain unbeaten in the AFL Symposium Cage Matches. This year I took the side of Matt Kemp vs. Jacoby Ellsbury in 2012 and I obviously had good material to work with. But I wasn't taking any chances, so I brought a visual with me to work the crowd on my side. I had Ron find a beautiful photo of Rihanna and then offered this debate:

Matt Kemp (Greg Ambrosius) v. Jacoby Ellsbury (Matt Cederholm)

Before I battle my fine opponent in this debate and battle the merits of picking Matt Kemp over Jacoby Ellsbury, first I must explain how Matt Kemp could go from utter disappointment in 2010 to MVP candidate in 2011. The explanation is simple: RIHANNA.

Kemp’s year-long affair with this beautiful rock star in 2010 took his focus off baseball and onto romance. This 34-24-34 beauty queen got in his head and got in his bed and the results were enjoyable for Matt Kemp but disastrous for millions of us fantasy owners. That wasn’t the type of 30-30 season we expected in 2010 from Matt Kemp, but personally I bet it was one of the most fulfilling years of his young life!!! I’d lose focus too if I came home to that every night for a year!!

When understanding Kemp’s future fantasy numbers you need to analyze him in two ways: R and WR. Rihanna and Without Rihanna. The 2010 Matt Kemp season is the outlier here and you need to analyze him that way.

Let’s look at the numbers:

2010 with Rihanna waiting for him at home every night:

.249, 28 HRs, 89 RBIs, 19 SBs, 82 runs, 162 games, .310 OBP

His concentration was so bad that year that he was thrown out stealing 15 of 34 times (55.9%). I can just imagine what he was thinking about as he tried to steal second base, knowing what was waiting for him at home.

Now let’s look at his 3 full seasons Without Rhianna:

.304, 28 HRs, 101 RBIs, 36 SBs, 102 runs, 162 games, .364 OBP. His SB success rate is also 78.4% (109 of 139)

He followed up his disappointing 2010 season with a 2011 season for the ages: .324-39-126-40-115 with a career-best .399 OBP. He was a much better base stealer under the tutelage of Davey Lopes and he became a first-rate defensive centerfielder again. He allowed baseball to become first in his life and his main focus.

For those of us who saw Kemp in the Arizona Fall League in 2005 as a raw 21-year-old, we knew that this kid could be something special. He had and still has the physical tools to become a special player. He has developed into an MVP candidate and if baseball remains his primary focus in 2012 he will be that special player who joins the 40-40 club.

Kemp deserves to be the No. 1 pick in every fantasy draft this year because nobody else can accumulate the five-category numbers like Matt Kemp can. Not Albert Pujols, not Jacoby Ellsbury, nobody. He is the perfect Age 27 breakout star for 2012: He just turned 27 in September, has six MLB seasons in already and he is the unquestioned leader of this team. There’s every reason to believe that 2012 will be even better than 2011, which is an amazing thought.

Nothing against Jacoby Ellsbury because he is definitely a Top 5 fantasy pick in 2012. But he’s never dated Rihanna and he never will date Rihanna. He doesn’t have Before Rihanna stats and after Rihanna stats. Yes, his 2010 season is also an outlier, but his three full seasons outside of 2010 don’t compare to Kemp’s:

Three Year Averages: .300-16-71-53-104

2011: .321-32-105-39-119

After seasons like the ones Ellsbury and Kemp just had, I have a feeling that both are likely dating a lot of 36-24-36’s. They are both having 30-30 off-seasons. But when next season begins, Kemp should be the top fantasy pick and by season’s end – unless Rihanna finds his bed again – Kemp will have produced the best fantasy numbers as well.

Game, set and match for GREG A!!!

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:07 pm

I only have a few hours home tonight with the family before catching another flight tomorrow morning to Manhattan to speak at the prestigious Sports Media & Technology Conference. I love that show and I'm honored to be part of the Fantasy Panel on Wednesday afternoon.

I don't have too much time to give you all of my insights from the Arizona Fall League, but I will on Friday. It was a FANTASTIC conference this year and there are some FANTASTIC prospects to watch for in 2012. This was a very, very talented group of prospects and I'm looking forward to seeing guys like Bryce Harper, Mike Trout and Garrit Cole when they're stars in the Major Leagues.

Look for my scouting reports soon. I have strong opinions on several of these guys.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:13 pm

For the first time ever at Ron's AFL Symposium we held live drafts with the participants. We created three 15-team NFBC style Draft Champions leagues and had folks pick their draft spots and the league they wanted to compete in right on the spot. It was pretty cool and everyone was into it. We had the big draft boards and after Round 10 Ron told everyone that the league champions would get free entries into next year's AFL Symposium and the team with the highest point total would also get flight and rooms paid for in 2012. AWESOME JOB RON!!!

Well, we finished 22 rounds for all three leagues in just over 2 hours and I'm convinced that we will be having some new NFBC players out of this group. Many of these participants are auction players, but I know many people said they were surprised how much fun they had with this "draft and hold" type league and they are really looking forward to finishing the draft and running their teams. We'll do the last 28 rounds after we have the software finished and they will conclude this as a Slow Draft.

The best news is that Ron asked the participants if they would be interested in doing a Draft & Hold league next year at the conference if they were pay leagues. I'd say 25+ said yes indeed. The next day Ron announced that he would like to expand the conference to four days -- presumably to allow a day for pay drafts -- and overwhelmingly folks agreed to the new schedule. I would envision a Wednesday night welcoming party followed by the conference on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday next year. AWESOME JOB again Ron. I like the new schedule. NFBC pay drafts on Thursday maybe??? Wow, think of the content we'd have with some draft results BEFORE the rest of the conference. Could be good.

It was great to meet all of our NFBC players out there and I know we have several new recruits coming on board. It was great all around.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:20 pm

Okay, here are some quick draft results from the AFL's NFBC Draft Champions Leagues. Man, EVERY draft was soooooooooo different, it was unreal. But it was great.

League 1

1. Ryan Braun

2. Matt Kemp

3. Albert Pujols

4. Troy Tulowitzki

5. Miguel Cabrera

6. Adrian Gonzalez

7. Jacoby Ellsbury

8. Joey Votto

9. Justin Upton

10. Hanley Ramirez

11. Carlos Gonzalez

12. Jose Bautista

13. Evan Longoria

14. Robinson Cano

15. Prince Fielder

League 2

1. Miguel Cabrera

2. Ryan Braun

3. Albert Pujols

4. Matt Kemp

5. Troy Tulowitzki

6. Jacoby Ellsbury

7. Adrian Gonzalez

8. Carlos Gonzalez

9. Justin Upton

10. Jose Bautista

11. Joey Votto

12. Jose Reyes

13. Evan Longoria

14. Hanley Ramirez

15. Robinson Cano

League 3

1. Matt Kemp

2. Albert Pujols

3. Joey Votto

4. Ryan Braun

5. Jose Bautista

6. Miguel Cabrera

7. Troy Tulowitzki

8. Adrian Gonzalez

9. Robinson Cano

10. Jacoby Ellsbury

11. Carlos Gonzalez

12. Prince Fielder

13. Josh Hamilton

14. Evan Longoria

15. Justin Upton

** Three different guys went No. 1 and none of them were Albert Pujols. Pretty amazing, huh? Braun, Cabrera, Kemp.

** Matt Holliday went 23rd, 38th, 52nd.

** Carl Crawford went 17th, 37th, 33rd.

** Brett Lawrie went 57th, 74th, 46th.

** Stephen Strassburg went 86th, 95th, 61st.

** Joe Mauer went 106th, 81st, 77th.

Thoughts? Enjoy everyone. More to come in the next week.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:34 pm

Thanks for bringing us back to the present players, Greg!

Alex Avila went in the 6th and 7th rounds of our early drafts, where did he go in those three?

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 11:46 pm

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Thanks for bringing us back to the present players, Greg!

Alex Avila went in the 6th and 7th rounds of our early drafts, where did he go in those three? I'm heading out the door now and don't have the actual numbers, but I believe that Avila went in the 6th and 7th rounds here, too. I wrote down all of Joe Mauer's draft spots and they were mostly in the seventh round and Avila went right after him each time. I promise I'll look this up when I return and provide even more. Gotta run.

BEF · Post by **BEF** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:41 am

I was a participant in League 1 and Avila went at the end of the 6th. Also, there's a mistake in our list above as the #9 pick was not Justin Upton but instead Michael Bourn (Upton went at the turn with pick #16).

It was a fun experience but there were so many first-time drafters involved that I'd take some of the results with a grain of salt.

The Mighty Men · Post by **The Mighty Men** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 5:50 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

quote:Originally posted by ToddZ:

Greg and I each won our cage match though Jason Grey and Joe Sheehan thought they had stolen the show until they were trumped by an award winning performance from Jeff Erickson and Doug Dennis -- worth the price of admission by itself.

Greg can supply more details, but we ran 3 DCs through round 22 (they will finish them and play them out like a standard DC) and if this was any representation of the spring, you can take the letters ADP and replace them with WTF and I mean that in a good way - right from the get go all three drafts took on their own personality, more so than usual. Todd is right: I remain unbeaten in the AFL Symposium Cage Matches. This year I took the side of Matt Kemp vs. Jacoby Ellsbury in 2012 and I obviously had good material to work with. But I wasn't taking any chances, so I brought a visual with me to work the crowd on my side. I had Ron find a beautiful photo of Rihanna and then offered this debate:

Matt Kemp (Greg Ambrosius) v. Jacoby Ellsbury (Matt Cederholm)

Before I battle my fine opponent in this debate and battle the merits of picking Matt Kemp over Jacoby Ellsbury, first I must explain how Matt Kemp could go from utter disappointment in 2010 to MVP candidate in 2011. The explanation is simple: RIHANNA.

Kemp’s year-long affair with this beautiful rock star in 2010 took his focus off baseball and onto romance. This 34-24-34 beauty queen got in his head and got in his bed and the results were enjoyable for Matt Kemp but disastrous for millions of us fantasy owners. That wasn’t the type of 30-30 season we expected in 2010 from Matt Kemp, but personally I bet it was one of the most fulfilling years of his young life!!! I’d lose focus too if I came home to that every night for a year!!

When understanding Kemp’s future fantasy numbers you need to analyze him in two ways: R and WR. Rihanna and Without Rihanna. The 2010 Matt Kemp season is the outlier here and you need to analyze him that way.

Let’s look at the numbers:

2010 with Rihanna waiting for him at home every night:

.249, 28 HRs, 89 RBIs, 19 SBs, 82 runs, 162 games, .310 OBP

His concentration was so bad that year that he was thrown out stealing 15 of 34 times (55.9%). I can just imagine what he was thinking about as he tried to steal second base, knowing what was waiting for him at home.

Now let’s look at his 3 full seasons Without Rhianna:

.304, 28 HRs, 101 RBIs, 36 SBs, 102 runs, 162 games, .364 OBP. His SB success rate is also 78.4% (109 of 139)

He followed up his disappointing 2010 season with a 2011 season for the ages: .324-39-126-40-115 with a career-best .399 OBP. He was a much better base stealer under the tutelage of Davey Lopes and he became a first-rate defensive centerfielder again. He allowed baseball to become first in his life and his main focus.

For those of us who saw Kemp in the Arizona Fall League in 2005 as a raw 21-year-old, we knew that this kid could be something special. He had and still has the physical tools to become a special player. He has developed into an MVP candidate and if baseball remains his primary focus in 2012 he will be that special player who joins the 40-40 club.

Kemp deserves to be the No. 1 pick in every fantasy draft this year because nobody else can accumulate the five-category numbers like Matt Kemp can. Not Albert Pujols, not Jacoby Ellsbury, nobody. He is the perfect Age 27 breakout star for 2012: He just turned 27 in September, has six MLB seasons in already and he is the unquestioned leader of this team. There’s every reason to believe that 2012 will be even better than 2011, which is an amazing thought.

Nothing against Jacoby Ellsbury because he is definitely a Top 5 fantasy pick in 2012. But he’s never dated Rihanna and he never will date Rihanna. He doesn’t have Before Rihanna stats and after Rihanna stats. Yes, his 2010 season is also an outlier, but his three full seasons outside of 2010 don’t compare to Kemp’s:

Three Year Averages: .300-16-71-53-104

2011: .321-32-105-39-119

After seasons like the ones Ellsbury and Kemp just had, I have a feeling that both are likely dating a lot of 36-24-36’s. They are both having 30-30 off-seasons. But when next season begins, Kemp should be the top fantasy pick and by season’s end – unless Rihanna finds his bed again – Kemp will have produced the best fantasy numbers as well.

Game, set and match for GREG A!!!

[/QUOTE]You say this jokingly, but I buy into this 100%.

I sit by a guy from Ireland on my commuter train. He knows I'm a fantasy nut, and he told me once I had to find out information about what is going on in a guy's personal life in order to know the full story. According to him, that is what the big bettors scrounge up in soccer matches in Ireland.

Last spring I said to several guys that Kemp will have his focus back because he no longer would go home and be p-whipped by Rihanna. People LOVE to crunch every single baseball statistic, but don't take into account the personal factors guys face. We fantasy players love information but do not have access to the personal pressures and influences players are facing.

Winston's Empire · Post by **Winston's Empire** » Tue Nov 08, 2011 7:17 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

[QUOTE]

Matt Kemp (Greg Ambrosius) v. Jacoby Ellsbury (Matt Cederholm)

Before I battle my fine opponent in this debate and battle the merits of picking Matt Kemp over Jacoby Ellsbury, first I must explain how Matt Kemp could go from utter disappointment in 2010 to MVP candidate in 2011. The explanation is simple: RIHANNA.

Kemp’s year-long affair with this beautiful rock star in 2010 took his focus off baseball and onto romance. This 34-24-34 beauty queen got in his head and got in his bed and the results were enjoyable for Matt Kemp but disastrous for millions of us fantasy owners. That wasn’t the type of 30-30 season we expected in 2010 from Matt Kemp, but personally I bet it was one of the most fulfilling years of his young life!!! I’d lose focus too if I came home to that every night for a year!!

When understanding Kemp’s future fantasy numbers you need to analyze him in two ways: R and WR. Rihanna and Without Rihanna. The 2010 Matt Kemp season is the outlier here and you need to analyze him that way.

Let’s look at the numbers:

2010 with Rihanna waiting for him at home every night:

.249, 28 HRs, 89 RBIs, 19 SBs, 82 runs, 162 games, .310 OBP

His concentration was so bad that year that he was thrown out stealing 15 of 34 times (55.9%). I can just imagine what he was thinking about as he tried to steal second base, knowing what was waiting for him at home.

Now let’s look at his 3 full seasons Without Rhianna:

.304, 28 HRs, 101 RBIs, 36 SBs, 102 runs, 162 games, .364 OBP. His SB success rate is also 78.4% (109 of 139)

He followed up his disappointing 2010 season with a 2011 season for the ages: .324-39-126-40-115 with a career-best .399 OBP. He was a much better base stealer under the tutelage of Davey Lopes and he became a first-rate defensive centerfielder again. He allowed baseball to become first in his life and his main focus.

For those of us who saw Kemp in the Arizona Fall League in 2005 as a raw 21-year-old, we knew that this kid could be something special. He had and still has the physical tools to become a special player. He has developed into an MVP candidate and if baseball remains his primary focus in 2012 he will be that special player who joins the 40-40 club.

Kemp deserves to be the No. 1 pick in every fantasy draft this year because nobody else can accumulate the five-category numbers like Matt Kemp can. Not Albert Pujols, not Jacoby Ellsbury, nobody. He is the perfect Age 27 breakout star for 2012: He just turned 27 in September, has six MLB seasons in already and he is the unquestioned leader of this team. There’s every reason to believe that 2012 will be even better than 2011, which is an amazing thought.

Nothing against Jacoby Ellsbury because he is definitely a Top 5 fantasy pick in 2012. But he’s never dated Rihanna and he never will date Rihanna. He doesn’t have Before Rihanna stats and after Rihanna stats. Yes, his 2010 season is also an outlier, but his three full seasons outside of 2010 don’t compare to Kemp’s:

Three Year Averages: .300-16-71-53-104

2011: .321-32-105-39-119

After seasons like the ones Ellsbury and Kemp just had, I have a feeling that both are likely dating a lot of 36-24-36’s. They are both having 30-30 off-seasons. But when next season begins, Kemp should be the top fantasy pick and by season’s end – unless Rihanna finds his bed again – Kemp will have produced the best fantasy numbers as well.

Game, set and match for GREG A!!!

I agree with you 100% too Greg. I LOVED Ellsbury going into 2011 and drafted him in 3 of my 5 leagues. He outperformed my HIGH expectations by a lot, but 2012 is different for me. Yes, I still love the guy and think he will have another great year, but the only league I will have him in will be my keeper league - I got him in the 4th Round for 2 more years!

Matt Kemp in my opinion could not only follow up the career year with another monster year, but could top it

!!!!

Matt Kemp is #1 to me without a doubt and if I had to chose a #1a it would be Ryan Braun, not Pujols, Cabrera, Tulo, or Ellsbury!

Edwards Kings · Post by **Edwards Kings** » Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:15 pm

Hey all you lucky souls who were able to make the AFL. There was a great article in the Atlanta Jernal-Constipation sports section about a kid in the Braves organization who evidently put on a nice show out there, 1B/3B Joey Terdoslavich. He is only 23 and has not played AAA yet, so he is probably not a 2012 candidate for the show, but I wondered if you guys noticed him and what you thought?