Fantasy Baseball: Rajai Davis and Erick Aybar Must Adds In Points Leagues

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.

For part one of the series, click here: https://fansided.com/2014/04/25/fantasy-baseball-james-loney-carlos-ruiz-top-points-leagues-must-adds/

Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Third Base:

Overvalued:

Pablo Sandoval, Giants: Panda has always had a decent walk rate, so why is he here, you ask?  No home runs and three errors, along with 18 strikeouts are keeping him from being a must-own in points leagues right now.  Given his history, it is certainly possible that he turns this around, but do yourself a favor and bench him until he does.

David Wright, Mets: He was among the first third basemen off the board in our draft, but he is 17th among third basemen in points scored.  His 23 strikeouts to just six walks and only one home run have a lot to do with that.  Trade him if you can get good value.  If not, bench him and pick up a hot hitter until he turns it around.

Undervalued:

Yangervis Solarte, Yankees: Solarte seems to have a pretty firm hold on third base, which is good news for points leaguers.  He has 11 strikeouts and nine walks, meaning you aren’t losing extra points there.  In points leagues, you don’t have to hit 30 home runs to be valuable.

Trevor Plouffe, Twins: He isn’t as widely available anymore.  Probably because he is second only to Josh Donaldson in points among third basemen.  His 14:17 walk-to-strikeout ratio have a lot to do with that, and he has only committed two errors.  If you can get him for reasonable value, you should do it.

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Shortstops:

Overvalued:

J.J Hardy, Orioles: Hardy has just one walk to his 11 strikeouts and no home runs on the season.  There is just no upside to starting him right now in points leagues.

Everth Cabrera, Padres: Stolen bases are tempting to chase in points leagues since most leagues count them as two points.  However, with Cabrera it just isn’t worth it right now considering he has only two steals, two walks, and 22 strikeouts.  He has always been a free swinger, thus tempering his upside in points leagues.

Undervalued:

Erick Aybar, Angels: No, I’m not just saying this because of his monster night last night.  Aybar has only eight strikeouts and five walks, so he isn’t really losing you points on a daily basis.  Aybar now has a four game multi-hit streak.  Pick him up and bench one of your struggling guys until he cools off.

Brandon Crawford, Giants: He won’t get you much for counting stats, but the ten walks helps make the 17 strikeouts easier to swallow.

A microcosm of the 2014 Dodgers outfield. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Outfielders:

Overvalued:

Carl Crawford, Dodgers: The four steals are nice, but he has just one walk to go with his 12 strikeouts.  The fact that the Dodger outfield is constantly in flux makes it an annoyance for owners to have to always carry around a ready replacement for the two or three days a week that he doesn’t play.  He is simply not worth the headache right now.

Wil Myers, Rays: The 24 strikeouts erase his two homers and 11 RBI, and then some.  He needs to cut down on the strikeouts to be a points league staple.

Matt Kemp, Dodgers: See also: Crawford, Carl.  Kemp’s 20 strikeouts and two errors erase almost all of the positives he has managed to put together this year.  The aforementioned Dodger outfield mess only hurt his value even more.  Kemp needs to show flashes of his old brilliance with a modicum of consistency to even consider starting full time in points leagues.

Undervalued:

Matt Joyce, Rays: Yes, he is only a platoon guy, but the advantage to that is that you know he will start against all right-handers.  He has struck out 13 times, but walked 10, and is always a power threat when he is in the lineup.

Rajai Davis, Tigers: He is atop a potent lineup, and has only struck out ten times.  His two homers and seven steals make it awfully easy to overlook any strikeouts that he may accumulate.

David Murphy, Indians: Murphy has quietly had a great season across all platforms, but it really sticks out in points leagues.  Especially the 8:7 strikeout to walk ratio and 17 RBI.  He simply is not losing you points, and that is invaluable.

Come back tomorrow for the pitcher portion of the show!