2020 Asset Group Analysis – (PW,a)
(Photo by Bennett Cohen/Icon Sportswire)
Asset groups are how BABS assembles players with comparable skills and then reviews how the marketplace ranks them. The philosophy is that, if several players are comparable, they should be valued at about the same level. As described in Chapter 2 of The BABS Project 3.0, that’s is not always the case, It is here where we can uncover numerous opportunities to build profit into our rosters.
(PW,a)
| ADP | R$ | BATTER | Pos | Tm | PT | Pw | Sp | Av | * | Pk | Rg | Sk- | Inj | Ex | Nw | Ag | Pk | Rg | |
| 24 | $26 | Harper,Bryce | O | PHI | F | PW | a | * | |||||||||||
| 44 | $20 | Hiura,Keston | 2 | MLW | F | PW | a | EX | |||||||||||
| 69 | $16 | Goldschmidt,Paul | 1 | STL | F | PW | a | * | |||||||||||
| 71 | $16 | Suarez,Eugenio | 3 | CIN | F | PW | a | * | inj- | ||||||||||
| 97 | $13 | Donaldson,Josh | 3 | MIN | F | PW | a | * | Nw | ||||||||||
| 115 | $11 | Garver,Mitch | C | MIN | M | PW | a | * | e | ||||||||||
| 116 | $11 | Conforto,Michael | O | NYM | F | PW | a | * | |||||||||||
| 174 | $7 | Encarnacion,Edwin | 1D | CWS | F | PW | a | * | inj- | Nw | Ag | ||||||||
| 194 | $6 | Voit,Luke | 1D | NYY | F | PW | a | * | inj- | e | |||||||||
| 476 | $(2) | Cespedes,Yoenis | O | NYM | P | PW | a | INJ | |||||||||||
| 543 | $(3) | Tellez,Rowdy | 1D | TOR | M | PW | a | EX | |||||||||||
| 546 | $(3) | Choi,Ji-Man | 1 | TBR | M | PW | a | * | e | ||||||||||
| 708 | $(6) | Davis,Jaylin | O | SFG | P | PW | a | * | EX |
The (PW,a) asset group is a very skillful collection of hitters with eight full-time players and a handful of mid- and part-timers. Important also is that the top names in this group contain very few liabilities and almost all carry the BABS asterisk (*) for hitters who contribute greater than 10 percent walk rates, valuable for those in on-base percentage leagues.
The top names in the group are all perceived as providing foundation power to your roster, but you have to pay for it. There are so many other options.
It may sound odd, but Michael Conforto is not all that different from Bryce Harper, especially after last year’s 33 HRs and two straight healthy seasons. Mitch Garver is one of the few catchers who bring double asset skills, as evidenced last year by his 31 HRs in only 350 PAs along with a .273 BA. A solid choice at his 115 ADP, especially for the shallow catcher pool.
The market is notably discounting a pair of first basemen who should bat in the middle of talented lineups while playing their home games in hitter friendly parks. Joining the White Sox for 2020, Edwin Encarnacion has averaged 37 home runs over the last five years, including 34 last season, despite missing nearly 50 games due to injury. Luke Voit was having a career year until a hernia injury cost him the balance of his season. He appears to be healthy this spring.
The end game offers two more 1Bmen who can be acquired for virtually nothing and have comparable skill sets to the other asset group members. Toronto’s Rowdy Tellez hit 21 HR in under 400 PAs a year ago. Ji-Man Choi feasted on right-handed pitchers on his way to a 19/63/.269 for Tampa. The market says at bats are not certain for either player, but you can’t predict injuries. Finally, it has been awhile since we have seen Yoenis Cespedes on the field, but if he is healthy for 2020, BABS reminds us he has a valuable skill set. Cespedes has gone undrafted in most leagues.