Top MLB Storylines to Follow in 2013

By: Justin Sperdakes

Each baseball season begins with a new series of storylines to follow throughout the season. This “buzz” is usually generated by a combination of spring training performance, offseason transactions and injuries. Below are the top five “fantasy relevant” storylines heading into a season full of them. 

The Replacements
The New York Yankees, long known for their perennial courtship of World Series Championships begin their season in a peculiar situation. They have the high-paid star sluggers as per usual, but the spring has not been kind to the likes of Curtis Granderson and Mark Texiera, uniting the star sluggers on the disabled list (DL) with legends Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees brought in Kevin Youkilis, Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner to provide some offensive power until their stars return from the DL. All of these “replacements” are shadows of their former selves but if either Wells or Youkilis have a strong April/May, they should continue to receive considerable playing time throughout the season and produce valuable fantasy stats.

Power Surge in the West

Considered a division with great pitching and pitcher-friendly parks with the exception of the Texas Rangers Ball Park in Arlington, the former four- team AL West has undergone a facelift that should produce more offense than in past seasons. For starters, a fifth team was added by moving the Houston Astros and their hitter-friendly park from the NL Central. Playing in Houston nine games a year while also hosting their weak pitching staff nine times should provide extra offense to Texas, Seattle, Los Angeles and Oakland. The second factor that should result in an overall increase in offense are the changes made to Seattle’s ball park(SAFECO) over the offseason in which they reduced their Left field distance by twelve feet and reduced overall fence height by nine feet. Seattle also added some power to the lineup in the offseason with Kendrys Morales, Raul Ibanez, Jason Bay and Michael Morse. Hitters from Seattle and Oakland could have increased fantasy relevance this year, while Texas and Los Angeles should continue to pad their stats.

Fading Aces

Once dominant front-line starts, Roy Halladay and Tim Lincecum experienced down years in 2012 with each posting ERA’s above 4.40. Through spring, indications are that these two former flame throwers have lost some zip on their fastballs and thus reducing the effects of their secondary pitches. A common occurrence with starting pitchers and particularly power pitchers, once they lose “it”, they do not get “it” back. Some of them will re-invent themselves as finesse pitchers but the dominant “stuff” that once made them unhittable and fantasy studs are gone and therefore should be avoided for fantasy purposes unless they begin to dominate early in the season or come at a decent value.

Sophomore Slumps

Two first-year hitters posted spectacular seasons, living up to their hype and top prospect status. Bryce Harper and Mike Trout exceeded expectations, posting valuable offensive numbers despite their ripe ages below twenty-two.  This early success is not typical of a major leaguer and usually a player so young requires more minor league experience.  There is always talk about sophomore slumps in every sport, some experience it(A-ROD) and some don’t(Griffey) but it wouldn’t be entirely unexpected if either of these two players experienced extended struggles this season as pitchers and teams learn more about their tendencies. Mike Trout is a safer pick for continued success as the Angels added more protection in the lineup in the form of Josh Hamilton (and Pujols last year) which should reduce Trout’s pressure and allow him to see more quality pitches without being walked. Harper is another story, playing for a team (Washington) that lead the majors in wins last with 98, faces increased expectations with less protection than trout. Washington’s most notable addition is Denard Span, which is good but will not keep Harper from Pressing at times and putting too much of the teams weight on his shoulders. Bottom line with these two players is that right now Trout is the better and safer player, but Harper is still a top 10 value at Outfield and within a couple years could be the top slugger in all of baseball.

 Reloaded

Every offseason includes teams making headlining trades or free agent signings in hopes of contenting for a championship.  Offensively, the teams that made the biggest noise were Atlanta, Los Angeles Angels and Toronto. Atlanta added both BJ and Justin Upton to a lineup that already included stud sluggers, Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman. Toronto added Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio and Melky Cabrera and the Los Angeles Angels added Josh Hamilton. Josh should produce right away and continue to post top 5 fantasy stats for an outfielder. Toronto and Atlanta may struggle early with chemistry but should have many more run-producing opportunities from their new teammates.  For a more in-depth analysis of players that have switched teams this season, check out this post by one of our fantasy experts, Anthony.