Apples and Oranges
The following article was written by part-time blog contributor and full-time fantasy agitator, David Graeber. Enjoy...
Apples and Oranges
This widely used idiom evokes the apparent differences between items which are popularly thought to be incomparable. At the beginning of the season, many drafters found a huge gap between David Wright and Garrett Atkins at the hot corner; and between Victor Martinez and Brian McCann at the thinnest of all fantasy spots—catcher.
Apples and oranges? I don’t think so!
Well, as it turns out, as some lucky teams found out, the comparison was much closer than people think! Before we analyze the draft positions, let’s consider the stat lines of all four players:
Atkins: 564 AB .328 AVG. 27 HR 108 RUNS 114 RBI 3 SB
Wright: 543 AB .307 AVG. 24 HR 90 RUNS 110 RBI 19 SB
Martinez: 533 AB .315 AVG. 16 HR 75 RUNS 86 RBI 0 SB
McCann: 404 AB .327 AVG. 20 HR 55 RUNS 77 RBI 2 SB
All of these players’ numbers are respectable from both positions for any fantasy squad. The only glaring differences between any of these numbers are the 17 steals that separate Wright from Atkins and the 55 runs that separate McCann from Martinez.
At the beginning of the year on draft boards, David Wright was the 17th ranked player overall taken and the 2nd third baseman chosen. Whereas Atkins was the 223rd pick in most drafts and the 23rd overall third baseman. And, at season’s start, this was completely realistic given Wright’s prospects and the idea that Atkins was only really a place saver for Ian Stewart. Now, at the season’s end, they are almost identical players minus the steals. Considering Atkins is hitting 20 points higher, it shrinks that deficit some as well, further inching them closer on the ranking sheet. The real story here for fantasy owners is that if they chose Atkins later over Wright they got incredible value on their pick and probably scored a stud with their first or second rounder as well! Edge to the Atkins drafter!
The same story applies to the Martinez/McCann splits (McCann taken on average at the 290th pick and Martinez at the 25th). The real difference here is in the at bats and offensive lineups each plays in every night. While Martinez DHed (and played first) his way to over a hundred more at bats than McCann, McCann still definitively came out of nowhere to outslug Martinez—who was the clear cut number 1 catcher in most drafts. Not only that, but his OBP was almost identical AND, McCann hit 15 points higher.
None of these players are busts by any means and if you drafted any of them, you most likely placed well in the standings. However, in a game where finding value means making a race of it, if you chose Atkins and McCann and avoided the crush to get on the Wright and Victor bandwagons, you probably found your way to a title or close to it because you were able to use those higher picks on bona fide sluggers or hurlers.
So apples may not be oranges, but they certainly both taste like fruit!
Apples and Oranges
This widely used idiom evokes the apparent differences between items which are popularly thought to be incomparable. At the beginning of the season, many drafters found a huge gap between David Wright and Garrett Atkins at the hot corner; and between Victor Martinez and Brian McCann at the thinnest of all fantasy spots—catcher.
Apples and oranges? I don’t think so!
Well, as it turns out, as some lucky teams found out, the comparison was much closer than people think! Before we analyze the draft positions, let’s consider the stat lines of all four players:
Atkins: 564 AB .328 AVG. 27 HR 108 RUNS 114 RBI 3 SB
Wright: 543 AB .307 AVG. 24 HR 90 RUNS 110 RBI 19 SB
Martinez: 533 AB .315 AVG. 16 HR 75 RUNS 86 RBI 0 SB
McCann: 404 AB .327 AVG. 20 HR 55 RUNS 77 RBI 2 SB
All of these players’ numbers are respectable from both positions for any fantasy squad. The only glaring differences between any of these numbers are the 17 steals that separate Wright from Atkins and the 55 runs that separate McCann from Martinez.
At the beginning of the year on draft boards, David Wright was the 17th ranked player overall taken and the 2nd third baseman chosen. Whereas Atkins was the 223rd pick in most drafts and the 23rd overall third baseman. And, at season’s start, this was completely realistic given Wright’s prospects and the idea that Atkins was only really a place saver for Ian Stewart. Now, at the season’s end, they are almost identical players minus the steals. Considering Atkins is hitting 20 points higher, it shrinks that deficit some as well, further inching them closer on the ranking sheet. The real story here for fantasy owners is that if they chose Atkins later over Wright they got incredible value on their pick and probably scored a stud with their first or second rounder as well! Edge to the Atkins drafter!
The same story applies to the Martinez/McCann splits (McCann taken on average at the 290th pick and Martinez at the 25th). The real difference here is in the at bats and offensive lineups each plays in every night. While Martinez DHed (and played first) his way to over a hundred more at bats than McCann, McCann still definitively came out of nowhere to outslug Martinez—who was the clear cut number 1 catcher in most drafts. Not only that, but his OBP was almost identical AND, McCann hit 15 points higher.
None of these players are busts by any means and if you drafted any of them, you most likely placed well in the standings. However, in a game where finding value means making a race of it, if you chose Atkins and McCann and avoided the crush to get on the Wright and Victor bandwagons, you probably found your way to a title or close to it because you were able to use those higher picks on bona fide sluggers or hurlers.
So apples may not be oranges, but they certainly both taste like fruit!
posted by Howard Bender at
9:49 PM
