2022 Asset Group Analysis – (P+|-A)
(Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire)
by Curt Brooks
Asset groups are a key component of the BABS system. They are our means to assemble players with comparable skills profiles and then review 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 3.1, that’s not always the case. Here is where we can uncover opportunities to build profit into our rosters.
(P+|-A)
| ADP | R$ | BATTER | Pos | Tm | PT | Pw | Sp | Av | * | Pk | Rg | Sk- | Inj | Ex | Nw | Ag | Pk | Rg | Risk | |
| 182 | $7 | Gallo,Joey | O | NYY | F | P+ | * | -A | 3.00 | |||||||||||
| 204 | $5 | Suarez,Eugenio | 3S | CIN | F | P+ | * | Rg+ | -A | 3.00 | ||||||||||
| 225 | $4 | Duvall,Adam | O | ATL | M | P+ | -A | 3.00 | ||||||||||||
| 252 | $3 | Zunino,Mike | C | TBR | M | P+ | -A | inj- | 4.00 | |||||||||||
| 269 | $3 | Sano,Miguel | 1 | MIN | F | P+ | * | -A | 3.00 | |||||||||||
| 321 | $1 | Wisdom,Patrick | 3 | CHC | F | P+ | -A | EX | Rg- | 5.25 | ||||||||||
| 413 | $(1) | Bradley,Bobby | 1 | CLE | F | P+ | -A | inj- | EX | 6.00 | ||||||||||
| 531 | $(3) | Pratto,Nick | 1 | KCR | P | P+ | -A | EX | 5.00 | |||||||||||
| 592 | $(4) | Rios,Edwin | 1 | LAD | P | P+ | Rg+ | -A | INJ | EX | 8.00 | |||||||||
| 610 | $(4) | Higashioka,Kyle | C | NYY | P | P+ | -A | INJ | EX | 8.00 | ||||||||||
| 633 | $(5) | Nunez,Dom | C | COL | P | P+ | * | -A | EX | 5.00 | ||||||||||
| 749 | $(6) | Young,Andy | 2 | ARZ | P | P+ | -A | EX | 5.00 |
The (P+|-A) group is headlined by some well-known hitters, several of whom are repeaters (or should we say repeat offenders?) in this “mixed” category. Why the “mixed” modifier? Simply put, the marriage of the extreme power skill with the equally extreme liability of (-A) requires an acute eye on roster construction. As much as (P+) is incredibly valuable, you have to be able to compensate for the drag on batting average.
Looking at BABS’s final 2021 pre-season update is revealing – eight of the nine members in this same asset group ended up producing positive rotisserie value by the end of the season, with a maximum of $14. Not bad, but the highest batting average posted by anyone in the group was .231.
How bad is the drag on batting average? If you drafted group headliner Joey Gallo and be willing to absorb last year’s .199 BA, knowing that you had already rostered Bryce Harper’s .309, where would that leave you? The net BA would be around .254 – well under most league averages. Would their combined HR output of 73 have been enough to compensate? Perhaps, but it only makes roster construction more difficult.
Some other thoughts…
- This 2022 group of hitters is relatively healthy. Of all those with positive roto values, only Mike Zunino has a minor injury concern.
- Should you play in an OBP league, Gallo, Eugenio Suarez and Miguel Sano (pictured) have the (*) modifier which helps mitigate the downside a bit.
- Full-timers Patrick Wisdom and Bobby Bradley each carry additional liabilities, which further increases their risk. Remember that the (-A) penalty digs deeper the more playing time a batter gets.
- The hitters in the bottom half of the group all carry the (EX) liability — less than a full season of Major League experience — thus further increasing your roster’s risk. These players are best left for waiver wire pickups to fill in-season losses, or they can be rostered in very deep or draft-and-hold leagues.