Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
As many of you know, points leagues can be an entirely different animal. In nearly all head to head and roto leagues, A strikeout artist such as Ian Desmond or Justin Upton won’t hurt you much. A strikeout is just an out. However, in points leagues, the strikeout costs you a point in those leagues. You have to come up with a different evaluation of risk/reward with hitters who strike out a lot. This weekend, I will focus on targets specifically for points leagues, and reveal places where you may be leaking points.
Conversely for pitchers, a strikeout is worth essentially two points. One for the out, and an extra for the strikeout. This makes guys like Yu Darvish and Felix Hernandez that much more valuable.
I play in a 16-team points league that starts one of every position, three outfielders, and a utility slot. There is also a five start maximum per week, and only one RP slot. My drop/adds will mostly be based on deeper points leagues because of this. Here are some names who are still very valuable in standard scoring leagues that are often overvalued in points leagues. And of course, I will offer a couple of replacement ideas for each.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Catchers:
Overvalued:
Joe Mauer, Twins: You may be surprised to see Mauer on here, but he is primarily a singles hitter now, and he leads all catchers with a whopping 26 strikeouts. He does walk quite a bit, but not enough to offset that. Mauer is 13th among catchers in scoring in points leagues. You can bet that he was drafted in the top three. While he may turn it around, it has to start with him striking out less…….much less.
Jason Castro, Astros: Castro is struggling at the plate, as evident by his 20 strikeouts to just seven walks. That 13 point differential makes his three home runs obsolete.
Undervalued:
Carlos Ruiz, Phillies: Ruiz has walked more than he has struck out, which is a gold mine in points leagues. He is third among catchers in scoring so far on the season, which is far better than where he was drafted!
Dioner Navarro, Blue Jays: He doesn’t walk or strikeout much, so that is kind of a wash. But, Navarro has not committed an error this year, so he is not leaking points there either. His lack of power is of no consequence in a points league because he still gets on base and drives in runs, all with a low strikeout total.
Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
First Base:
Overvalued:
Allen Craig, Cardinals: Craig has struggled badly out of the gate anyway, but is especially painful in points leagues where he has 16 strikeouts to only five walks.
Matt Adams, Cardinals: No, I’m not bashing the Cardinals here. Adams has had a nice year, but his 16 strikeouts to just three walks tempers his value. The two errors don’t help either.
Undervalued:
James Loney, Rays: Loney is never one of the guys talked about in regular leagues because all he does is hit for average. This make him invaluable in points leagues since he has walked nearly twice as much as he has struck out on the season. He is outscoring such widely-owned studs as Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera, and Chris Davis. Since most owners in points leagues also play in regular leagues, you can probably get Loney for less than all-star price, but that is exactly what he is in points leagues.
Adam Dunn, White Sox: Surprised? Don’t be. Dunn has always been good at getting on base, so that offsets the strikeout numbers. And we all know what kind of power he has. He is one of the less-risky power hitters in points leagues.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Second Base:
Overvalued:
Brandon Phillips, Reds: No matter what good he has done this season, his 23 strikeouts to just three walks erases all of that. He is an albatross on your point league roster right now. Try to find someone to give you decent value for the name.
Martin Prado, Diamondbacks: The multi position eligibility is a nice sell in most leagues, but this is one place where it might not be worth it. Prado has struck out 17 times while walking just four. On top of that, he has more errors at second than anyone not named Dan Uggla. In points leagues, those count against you too.
Undervalued:
Omar Infante, Royals: Infante is a good defender, and doesn’t strike out much. Both of which are very important in points leagues. And he can be had on the cheap.
Alberto Callaspo, Athletics: Callaspo has the multi-position eligibility of Prado, but half the strikeouts and half the errors.
Come back tomorrow for the rest of the position players!