After a breakout 2009 season, Ben Zobrist still oddly is undervalued in many mock drafts.
If baseball is a game of numbers and stats, than fantasy baseball is a game of trends – of ebbs and flows.
A good example of this is the second base position in 2010. Usually a roster position that fantasy owners dreaded to fill simply due to a very weak player pool, second base now features a wide variety of elite stud options and, more importantly, young talented players with upside.
So when you see guys like Chase Utley and Ian Kinsler fly off the draft board, don’t worry. There’s plenty of value still on the table. Guys you can target late and still feel good about include:
Ben Zobrist, TB. After a breakout 2009 season, Zobrist still oddly is undervalued in many mock drafts. He has plenty of power (27 home runs last season) and offers unique speed on the base paths (17 swipes). He is young with plenty young talent around him. An added bonus is that Zobrist will still be multi-eligible on a positional basis … he’ll be able to play at second base, shortstop and outfield, giving the fantasy owner plenty of flexibility.
Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE. Another player with multiple eligibility (2B, ss), Cabrera’s stock took a hit with a shoulder injury last June. He was scorching before landing on the DL, but equally as impressive afterward … going .370 at the plate throughout the month of August. Cabrera won’t offer the power of Zobrist or some other second base players, but he will be a great source of runs, steals and overall batting average. Think Brian Roberts-lite.
Jose Lopez, SEA. Perhaps one of the potentially best values in your upcoming draft is Lopez, who opened it up last season to the tune of 25 homers, 96 RBI and a .272 batting average. Sure, Lopez isn’t going to win you the stolen base category, but with an improved lineup around him (specifically the speedy Chone Figgins batting ahead of him, Lopez stands to show marked improvement in 2010.
Casey McGehee, MIL. While I’m a Yankee fan first and foremost, my NL team of choice is the Brewers. That is largely because they have such a knack of finding young talent and fostering it until it blossoms. McGehee was swiped from the Cubs via trade last year and showed immediate impact as a rookie for the Brew Crew. He had an uncanny combo of plate discipline and power in spot duty during the 2009 campaign and has an inside track to the starting third base gig this season … although he’ll still be eligible at 2B. Great potential combined with expanded opportunity to reach that potential make McGehee a nice value pick.
Rickie Weeks, MIL. A total fantasy tease for quite a while now, Weeks finally started living up to his billing in 2009 before a freak May wrist accident derailed everything. Weeks won’t be on anyone’s radar screen during your draft this season, but he does have plenty of potential to be an everyday fantasy second baseman if he can return to last year’s mini-emergence. Take a flyer on him late. You may look like a genius in your league by early summer.
