Jacoby Ellsbury: Outside of Top 50 Entering 2016
By Bill Pivetz
The New York Yankees have always been about signing the big free-agent players in order to compete for a World Series. The downside is that most of the players they sign are just past their prime when they join the Bronx Bombers. This leads to disappointment from the front office, fans and fantasy owners alike. Just look at Jacoby Ellsbury‘s 2015 season. As a result, I think he is no longer a top-50 player in fantasy for next season.
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Ellsbury was a superstar with the Boston Red Sox. In seven years, he hit 65 home runs, 314 RBI and stole 241 bases with a .297 batting average. He then signed a seven-year, $153 million deal with the rival Yankees. In his first season in New York, he played in 149 games, hitting 16 homers, 70 RBI and a .271 batting average with 39 stolen bases.
It looked like Jacoby Ellsbury remained the same despite switching teams. He had an ADP of 33.2 (fourth round) as the 34th player and 10th outfielder drafted this season. Those owners who drafted him were hoping for another 15-homer, 30-stole base season. If so, they were left disappointed when the 2015 season ended.
He played in just 111 games, missing 43 games with a knee injury. Jacoby Ellsbury hit seven home runs and 33 RBI with 21 stolen bases and a .257 batting average. His average was the lowest since 2010 (he played in only 18 games that season).
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The 21 stolen bases are nothing to scoff at, finishing 24th among all hitters. The downside was his lack of power, mostly in the RBI category, and low average. In an injury-plagued season, Ellsbury finished 209th overall and 47th among outfielders on the Player Rater.
Now, Jacoby Ellsbury will likely be 100 percent when the 2016 season begins. However, the amount of time missed over his career and decline in speed have me dropping him in my rankings, but not by much. The 15/20 potential keeps him in my top 100.
Projections: 119 hits, 14 home runs, 56 RBI, 20 stolen bases, .265 average
Draft: Round 8