Starters offer stable vets at the top, but lots of health risk
Over 90 percent of BABS’ top 25 starting pitchers are established veterans. This would seem to lend needed stability to these volatile cornerstone players. However, only about 44 percent of them are free of any health concerns. Some Asset Groups are healthier than others – (ER,KK) has good pickings but the bottom of (ER,k) and…
Read MoreIs Clayton Kershaw still a first-rounder?
This is my weekly article from ESPN Insider. The talent curve at the beginning of a draft is very steep. In Rotisserie dollars, the variance between the no. 1 pick (Mike Trout, Jose Altuve, whoever) and the pick at the end of round 2 could be as much as $20. Value flattens considerably the deeper…
Read MoreOutfielders provide big skill, but lots of health risk
The top of the outfield food chain is similar to last year – lots of skill, lots of risk. There is no shortage of power, good average and some nice extreme speed options. But seven of the top 10 players have injury risk, and five of those seven are rated as major risks. Dropping to…
Read MoreShortstop marketplace offers options at every draft stage
The top of the shortstop leaderboard offers an ample mix of power, speed and batting average. Here, as with 2Bmen, it is always useful to grab the speed when you can. But this group also is littered with health and experience risk, so you do need to exercise some caution. Multi-asset commodities run 20 deep…
Read MoreAnchoring Aaron Judge
Each year, members have access to all the columns I write for ESPN Insider. They will appear here every Thursday or Friday. Many will include a BABS-relevant postscript. Enjoy. We are nothing if not beholden to our psychological biases. If I ask you how many home runs Aaron Judge will hit in 2018, you will…
Read MoreSecond base 2018: Focus on speed
With a scarce commodity like speed, second base is where you need to stock up. There are 10 multi-asset mid/full-time players who include speed as part of their skill set. You need to get at least one of them, even if that means bypassing an otherwise solid power commodity. You can get power anywhere. In…
Read MoreSeveral paths to profit with 3Bmen in 2018
Third base is another position with sufficient power and batting average sources, though slightly weaker overall than last year. It runs 17 deep in multi-asset players – down from 20 last year – which means mixed leaguers should be able to find at least one solid contributor. Similar to last year, there are several high-end…
Read MoreIntroducing the BABL Owners
We are about ready to toss out the first pitch of the 2018 BABL Exhibition League. I will be competing against nine other intrepid explorers in hopes of finding the optimal BABS-relevant fantasy draft format. Those nine owners have now been chosen. If you submitted an application and are not listed below, I will be…
Read MoreSpend deep, or not, for elite 1B skills in 2018
As always, this is a position loaded with excellent power options and good batting average foundation players. The nice thing is that you don’t need to pay big for the skills that this group offers. Sure, it would be nice to own some of the top names – and do feel free to invest, they’re…
Read MoreNavigating the shallow 2018 catcher pool
It seems that the catcher pool keeps getting worse and worse each year, doesn’t it? Aside from the rise of Gary Sanchez (pictured), is there anyone else to truly get excited about? Perennial stalwart Buster Posey has been dropping. Jonathan Lucroy went M.I.A. in 2017. Willson Contreras was good, but not as great as we…
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