DesperPrado

First of all, when you have a blog, you have to use a corny headline every now and then, so just cut me a break and continue reading the post.  I’m not apologizing.

Martin Prado is a good baseball player.  Brian McCann says he may well one day win a batting title.  Prado is, in fact, so good he is currently hitting over .360 with an OBP of .429.  Just look at his swing:

Now look over to RBIs.

4.

What?  That doesn’t make sense…a player with that average should have at least 10 RBIs, even if they were a complete and total accident

Lots of Braves have had this look this year...

The problem for his fantasy owners (and himself, and his team and really the world at large) is how awful the Atlanta Braves lineup is.  Prado is the only guy to have hit in the same lineup spot for the season thus far.  Seriously, it’s terrible.  After Prado, there is no one with at least 50 at bats hitting over .250.  That’s 1 for 4 folks.  Somehow, 7 out of the 8 position players on Atlanta can’t even muster a 1 for 4 average.

This number includes the almighty and exalted Jason Heyward, who as I had previously mentioned would temper…something my good friend and colleague may have neglected.

Four of these Braves are hitting below .215!  Prado never had a chance.

So what’s the lesson here?  Is Prado worthless?  No, the Braves can’t possibly be this bad all year.  Either these players will turn it around or new players will be brought in.  A Triple-A offense could hit better than the Braves right now, and every player on the Braves should be aware of who is playing his position on the Gwinnett Braves, lest he be heading to Atlanta tomorrow.

Prado should be used as a spot player to stabilize batting average, but few teams have the power to support having such a low RBI total at any of Prado’s 3 positions.  It’s debilitating.

As far as trade value, I would recommend buying (if he’s a free agent, your league is full of morons).  The average is real, guys.  Completely sustainable.  Just watch his swing.  And the power can only increase.  Either the Atlanta Braves will get better or lots of Gwinnett hitters will be featured on this blog as we try to inform you about their fantasy value.

Which will surely be higher than these Braves right now.

For the first time, depth at second

For years, fantasy owners have struggled to find successful second basemen. In 2008, only four second basemen ranked in Yahoo’s top 50. A shift began last season as eight players were ranked in the top-50. The trend appears to be continuing as second base has quietly become one of the deepest positions in fantasy baseball, with 9 top-50 players holding fantasy eligibility, according to Yahoo.

This revolution is being led by established players like Chase Utley, Dustin Pedroia and Robinson Cano, but is also benefitting from turnarounds from a number of previously questionable players. Players previously mentioned on this blog, including Martin Prado, Alberto Callaspo and Ty Wigginton are leaders in a new revolution, but two more players have had profound impacts on fantasy teams this year.

Kelly Johnson is owned in 51% of Yahoo leagues. He is the NL leader in weighted OPS (on base + slugging, scroll all the way down on the linked page for a full explanation).

Kelly Johnson is smiling. So are his lucky owners.

 In most years, Johnson’s .327/6/10/13 would make him an upgrade for virtually every team at second.  While it remains true these numbers would upgrade most teams, a few players remain ranked above Johnson.

One such player is Ethan’s favorite second baseman: Rickie Weeks.  Weeks has a line of .324/3/12/16/1.  As Ethan previously mentioned, Weeks also benefits from leading off for a team featuring Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder.  He isn’t available in your league (if you are playing with any competent owners), but it bears repetition that Weeks may be starting to live up to the potential the baseball world has seen in him for years.  With his history, however, another injury could be just around the corner.

To further explain the depth at second, two of the players who have consistently put up solid numbers are currently on the DL (Ian Kinsler and Brian Roberts) and will serve to add to the already strong pool of second basemen.  You have also already heard me wax poetic on the virtues of Casey McGeehee and Martin Prado, two more players with second base eligibility.  I own all four of these players on the Providence Grays and find that most other teams are not looking for a trade, largely because they already have a competent second baseman.

Historically, second basemen have been though of as overachievers (think Pedroia), not strong or quick enough to play shortstop, but hard workers who can lead a team.  The day of the second baseman may finally have come, and crossing second on the basepaths is a new feeling to players who only touch second briefly as they turn a double play.

Second basemen have had value in real baseball because of their cunning in pulling tricks like this, even at a young age. Now they are becoming fantasy relevant as well.