5 Players I Would Not Draft In a Fantasy Baseball League…Even If You Paid Me

Five Players I Would Not Draft…Even If You Paid Me

Before listing these five players, I will preface the article title by saying

a) If you did, in fact, pay me we could negotiate terms on ANY player

b) The players in question that I would not draft are in proportion to their value and rank and

c) This is for a one year league not a dynasty league, using the standard 5X5 twelve team league format.

Now it is time to unveil the not so (albeit all good players and in one case a borderline superstar) fabulous five:

1. Starting Pitcher: Matt Harvey, New York Mets

[the_ad id=”693″]The former “Dark Knight of Flushing” might as well now be called “Dark Knight Lite.” The 2013 version of Harvey is gone forever and two major surgeries later Harvey 3.0 is ready to be rolled out and based on spring training results anyway the rollout is not going so well. There are now whispers around Mets camp that Harvey could begin the 2017 season in the bullpen or get left behind in Florida to work out his problems. The Mets have pitching depth other teams can only dream about and can afford to do this if they so choose. Either of these scenarios would have been unthinkable at this time last year and are both still longshots, but if Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman and/or Zack Wheeler (out two full seasons after Tommy John Surgery but right now throwing harder than Harvey) continue to outpitch Harvey, the Mets might have to go this way. If only Harvey could go through Major League lineups as he goes through Victoria Secret supermodels. His latest Fantrax ranking is at 157 making him a number four starter in a fantasy league, in my opinion about two or three positions too high, especially if he does not begin the season in the Mets rotation or, even worse, starts the season in the rotation but gets lit up, forcing you to bench him for a player drafted below him until he hits his stride.

2. Relief Pitcher: David Robertson, Chicago White Sox

Roberson was the easiest player to put on this list. Once again, this is all relative to draft position, and right now, Fantrax ranks Robertson at 145, or solidly entrenched as a number two closer in a fantasy league. The problems with picking Robertson are two fold: First, his numbers have trended downward the past three season, especially in strikeouts (about ten fewer over the past three seasons with virtually the same number of innings) and Second: He pitches for a team clearly in a rebuilding mode, and one who has dealt off established players for prospects and might continue to do so if they, as expected, fall out of the playoff picture by the trading deadline. If that were to happen, teams that would be considered buyers more than likely have an established closer and would make Robertson an eighth inning/setup pitcher, and useless in fantasy baseball. Robertson, in effect, would become the 2017 version of Billy Taylor/1999, traded by Oakland at the deadline to the Mets for Jason Isringhausen, who became a very reliable closer for a decade, while Taylor nearly went into the witness protection program.

3. Catcher: Gary Sanchez, New York Yankees

Undoubtedly, Sanchez burst on the scene and, along with several other young players, gives Yankees fans reason to be excited for years to come. His current draft position, according to Fantrax is at 46, or roughly a late fourth round selection. I believe that based on not even one-half a season, that is way too high to draft any catcher in the past twenty years unless the catchers last name in Piazza (and possibly Pudge Rodriguez). Most teams, after having seen the video of Sanchez, will make adjustments, and he will have to prove he can make his own, plus catching in the dog days of August in New York, is bound to take its toll, even on a young player. Also, the Yankees, like many teams, overhype their players, and several have had big league debuts, at least almost as good as Sanchez. Ask any Yankee fan about (most recently) Shane Spencer, and Kevin Maas along with (for the more senior crowd) Steve Whitaker, and Roger Repoz, and be prepared to duck.

4. Second Base/Shortstop: Jean Segura, Seattle Mariners

[the_ad id=”567″]Normally, a player whose game is primarily based on speed and is moving from a hitter to a pitcher friendly park would be a player who should be chosen in a fantasy league. However, this is a player who was coming off two down seasons (with a viable excuse, as no one should ever have to deal with the loss of a child), bounced back after a trade, only to be traded again. Segura also switched positions, from shortstop to second base, but Seattle is going to play him at shortstop exclusively in 2017. He is valuable as a middle infielder as he qualifies at both shortstop and second base, but Fantrax currently lists him at 56, or a fourth round picks, about two or three rounds too high in my opinion.

Finally, in spite of the fact that Segura was dealt from a team not expected to contend to a team that clearly expects to be a playoff contender, the Mariners lineup does not begin to compare to that of the D’Backs, so Segura’s numbers, except for stolen bases, are more than likely to decline this season.

5. Outfield: Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins

[the_ad id=”384″]After seeing Staton’s homerun in the WBC the other night, along with his incredible power, it would, at first look, seem ludicrous to put Stanton on this list. Fantrax lists him as their 36th ranked player, basically a late third or early fourth round pick, which would actually be low if not for the following two factors: a)Stanton has only played 140 or more games two times in his seven big league seasons, and b)The Marlins might be in for a very long season, due to the top heavy National League East (Mets, Nationals) along with the expected improvement of the bottom two teams (Phillies, Braves) both of whom go into the 2017 season with better looking pitching staffs. The awful death of Jose Fernandez could have a carryover effect on Stanton’s Marlins, and, though no fault of theirs, force them to sell off talent at the trading deadline. Stanton’s contract makes him basically untradeable but others in the lineup could be dealt, leaving Stanton with no lineup protection, and the last time I checked, intentional walks are not a category in any fantasy baseball league.