Shock Value
Zach Friedland
When
the fantasy baseball owners prepare for their draft, they go straight to the
top for players to carry their squads.
Typically first round values like Joey Votto or Miguel Cabrera lead your
team to victory, while you scour the late rounds for some talent to contribute
to push your team over the top. These
five players were late round steals, who have more than outperformed their average
draft position (ADP) spots.
Player/Team/Position/Average
Draft Position/Average Draft Round (Yahoo Sports)
Chris Davis Baltimore 1B/OF 138.7 12.9
Davis, a
power-hitting player with eligibility at two positions has long been known as a
boom or bust prospect. He entered the
year following a successful campaign with concern only with his 169
strikeouts. Despite still averaging
about a strikeout per game, Davis leads the Majors in home runs with 20 and is
second in the bigs in RBI’s. Don’t
expect to his split line to stay as high as his current .357/.440/.754 as his
strikeouts should continue to push his average down closer to .310. As a 13’Th round pick, Chris Davis projects
as an immediate keeper for next season.
Jean Segura Milwaukee SS 246 22.2
Segura
was projected at a late round pick to undrafted free agent, but the Brewers
rising star has done more than be a handy waiver-wire pickup. The speedy shortstop is making headlines no
one would’ve expected from a 23 year old undrafted prospect straight from the
Dominican Republic. Segura has erupted
in his first chance in a starting role batting behind emerging star, Norichika
Aoki. In the two hole, Segura has
produced 8 homers with 23 RBI’s and 31 runs to go along with 15 stolen
bases. This is highlighted by his absurd
.344/.382/.541 split line and 6 triples.
Expect Segura to surge to a top 5 season among ML shortstops, so trade
for him before the value is too high to acquire him.
Domonic Brown Philadelphia OF 245 22.1
Brown
has gotten a chance the previous two seasons in limited roles with an influx of
injuries to Phillies teammates. While he
has not made the most of his chances in those two seasons, his performance was
good enough to warrant a starting nod this year. With job security, Brown has exploded onto
the scene with 17 homers and 42 RBI’s.
His OBP has not jumped tremendously, but his average and slugging
percentage have due to his power surge and a sense of responsibility with an
otherwise anemic Phillies lineup with numerous injuries. While the going is hot, jump on Domonic
Brown.
Clay Bucholz Boston SP 215 19.7
Bucholz
is a starter that has always shown signs of extreme talent and confidence. A steady starter for the Red Sox since 2007,
the gangly Texan has exceeded expectations for a starter going between the 19’Th
and 20’Th rounds of standard drafts. Coming
off a subpar season with a 4.56 ERA, .263 BAA, and 6.1 K/9, Bucholz has settled
down this season. He holds a 8.9 K/9,
but don’t expect that to hold up as his history shows a regression to more of a
6-7 K/9 rate. His ERA has plummeted to a
stingy 1.62 and has dropped his WHIP from 1.33 to 1.02. As a result, he has started the season 8-0 in
his first 11 starts and teamed with Jon Lester to re-form to one of the top 1-2
punches in the Majors. The Red Sox are
10-1 in his 11 starts and as a result, has fueled the team to a 35-23 record
and a 2.5 game lead over the Orioles and Yankees.
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