The Greatest Players Fantasy Baseball Refuses to Acknowledge
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by user Jagsinbowlxl
The Greatest Players Fantasy Baseball Refuses to Acknowledge
You scroll down the Free Agent list in your local fantasy baseball league and odds are you will be missing some of the greatest players the MLB has to offer. Why is this so? The reason is simple. Greatness doesn't always show up in stats. For example, in fantasy 10 out of 10 times you'll take the 10 K a game 6 ip pitcher over the sinkerball throwing 8 inning man with only 3 Ks. Why you may ask? Well, fantasy leagues are set up based on incentives. Every pitcher gets the groundball out, every pitcher throws a solid 5/6 innings, but only a few can give you that extra kick with a lot of Ks and few hits. So many pitchers fly under the radar in fantasy leagues. On the other side of the ball, you only get a half a point (or no points at all) for a walk as opposed to 1 or more for a hit, rbi, sb, hr, or run scored, etc. The walk in a real game is very important, as it can start a rally, tire a pitcher, and mess with his confidence all with a couple of pitches. So as you can see, fantasy baseball hides some of the greatest players baseball has to offer. Just to tickle your brains a little here is a list of the some of the greatest players fantasy baseball refuses to acknowledge.
1. Brian Giles-OF-San Diego Padres : This guy is a walk machine. In team seasons of playing over 100 games, Giles has averaged 97 walks per season and eclipsing the 100 walk mark 4 times. He has never struck out more than 80 times in a season with a career low of 48 in 2003 through 105 games. He has 261 Career Homeruns along with 953 RBIs, 1599 hits, 343 doubles, 973 runs scored and 103 stolen bases. He is an all around player and a strong team leader for the San Diego Padres.
2. Willy Taveras-OF-Colorado Rockies: All this guy does is play baseball--and he plays it hard. He is probably one of the fastest players in the league and gives you 100% effort all the time. His style of play can send shock waves through his team and start a late rally. He will get you around 30 stolen bases every year with potential for more(off to a great start with 17 this year on a much higher powered offense). He always hits right around .300 and he has never hit below .278 which is good for a player of his stature. He is young and has room to grow, but right now he is exactly what the Rockies need to stabilize their highly potent offense. He is also a hit machine, getting 172 in 2005 with the Astors and 147 in 2006.
3. Jason Varitek-C-Boston Red Sox: Varitek is the staple of American baseball for this past decade and he is undoubtedly the greatest defensive catcher playing today. He not only gives you an added pop from the catcher position (1003 career hits, getting over 100 hits 6 times in his career) but he has the greatest pitch selection out of anyone in the game. Not to mention his intense leadership for the Sox in their World Series run in 2004. He is also very durable playing in the Majors for 10 seasons. He represents the ideal catcher in the league and is most likely the most underrated catcher (and possibly player) in the Majors today.
4. Placido Polanco-2b-Detroit Tigers- Continuing the theme of underrated leaders is Placido Polanco. All he does is maintain a .302 career average while accumulating 1209 hits in his 12 year career. He is one of the best defensive second baseman's in the game and he provides leadership and experience for the very talented and fairly young Detroit Tigers. In his illustrious career he has racked up 1639 total bases and is a very poised player in the clutch. He is a player anyone would like to have on his team, as he is the picture of hard work and success in this league.
5. Todd Jones-CP-Detroit Tigers- Todd Jones might scare away some Fantasy Baseball owners because of his wild style, but don't let that fool you; he is first class when it comes to baseball's premier door closers. His teammates are always confident in him and he is now pitching in his 14 Major League season. He has 280 career saves along with 835 strikeouts. He is an intimidating force on the mound and is a very composed closer, although he gives him fielders heat attacks half the time. He has appeared in 904 games and has had 40 saves twice in his career, showing his durability and poise under pressure. A great player that fantasy gurus fail to notice.
6. Joe Borowski-CP-Cleveland Indians- When this guy isn't being shipped to every team this side of the Rockies, he has turned into a very reliable closer. He started out as a respectable reliever, but has molded into a very fine closing pitcher. He doesn't get many strikeouts (330 in 12 seasons), nor does he pitch many innings (399 in 12 seasons), but when you need him most, he comes through in the clutch. He had 36 saves for the non-playoff Marlins in '06 and contributed 33 to the Cubs in 2003. He is a solid closer who won't shock you with his stuff. He is consistent and consistently goes out there and pitches his heart out. This is a first class citizen that any manager would want on his team, and it shows by the support he garnishes from his teammates.
7. Yuniesky Betancourt-SS-Seattle Mariners - This might be the best defensive shortstop we have seen in a long time. Betancourt, along with young secondbaseman Jose Lopez, might make the best double play combination this league has seen in a very long time. He has a knack for the spectacular and has a ridiculously strong arm. He is quick and agile and is a very smart defensive shortstop. Oh, and I forgot to mention that in his second year in the bigs in 2005 (first full year) he had 167 hits along with 68 runs and 47 rbis. He, along with Jose Reyes, will be the Shortstops of the future, and when I say future, I mean a long, long time.
8. Eric Chavez-3b-Oakland Athletics- Chavy is one of the best athletes that the A's have had in a long time. He loves playing the game and he has a lot of fun doing it (along with teammate Nick Swisher who is also very underrated in Fantasy leagues). Eric is a very good power hitter, but a very underrated fielder. He has a bullet for an arm and is very accurate. He is ever pitcher's best friend. He has a respecatbly .487 career slugging percentage and has belted 224 homers in his career. He is very underrated and a delight to watch.
9. Scott Linebrink-RP-San Diego Padres - Good thing this is a big man, because the Padres rely HEAVILY on his arm. He is one of the most reliable setup/relievers in the MLB and he has amazing poise for a player of his position. He has a lifetime 3.04 ERA in his 7 seasons with a 2.05 ERA so far this season. He has pitched a cool 403 innings and is a solid pitcher who fits the dimensions of PetCo field very nicely. He is in my opinion the most underrated relief man in the league and it is no wonder the Padres field hundreds of calls about his availability throughout the year. He is the definition of a MLB pitcher, but his groundball style doesn't attract many fantasy owners.
10. Omar Vizquel-SS-San Francisco Giants: THE greatest defensive shortstop of this generation. Only Ozzie Smith is better in my opinion, but only because he could do acrobatics across the diamond. Omar makes every play look extremely easy and he does everything with a sense of calm and cool about it. He is a leader both in and out of the clubhouse and he is the guy you look towards for support and help. He also has an amazing 2525 hits, 1307 runs, 837 RBI, 371 SB, 3292 TB, 914 walks, and 74 triples in his 18 year career. Nuff' said. He might not be "good enough" for fantasy. But oh yes, he will definitely cut it in the hall of fame.
