Top Fantasy Baseball Players - Jose Reyes?
| 16
|
Jose Reyes is consistently considered to be one of the top fantasy baseball hitters. My question is WHY? Jose Reyes is, in my mind, one of the most dynamic players in baseball and is the single most important player on the Mets. When Reyes gets on the Mets are a dangerous team. He's able to use his speed to steal bases and score on plays others might not be able to. No question he's an outstanding player.
I understand that steals are rare in fantasy baseball and depending on league setup, could be the difference between winning and losing a week. Nonetheless, I hardly consider him a top 5 fantasy players. Here's a few of the other top fantasy hitters from this past season in no particular order (excuse me if I've forgotten someone):
- Alex Rodriguez
- Albert Pujols
- Chase Utley
- Prince Fielder
- Hanley Ramirez
- Miguel Cabrera
- Alfonso Soriano
- Jimmy Rollins
- Ichiro Suzuki
- Matt Holliday
In terms of last year's numbers, Reyes ranks (out of those 10) 10th in Batting Average, 9th in Home Runs (behind Ichiro), 10th in RBI, 5th in RBI, 1st in SB (by quite a large margin), and 3rd in Strike Outs.
In terms of the entire MLB, Reyes ranks 166th in RBI, 152nd in Home Runs, and 86th in Batting Average.
Do his numbers in the SB and SO categories really make up for his weaker numbers in BA, HR, and RBI? Personally, I don't believe so. Regardless, Reyes should improve each year. 2006 was an excellent year for Reyes, who hit 27 points higher, doubled his walk count, and had 23 more RBI as compared to 2005. 2007, however, was a down year, with his average dropping 20 points, RBI down 24, and HR down by 7. Also in 2007, Reyes only hit .259 with runners in scoring position, .195 with 2 outs and runners in scoring position, and .222 with the bases loaded. For a player who should be improving each season, 2007 is somewhat of a disappointment. Cause for concern? Not entirely, but still not encouraging.
Reyes in a few years may be the number one fantasy player in baseball - if he can add some power and increase his RBI count he's a legitimate 5-tool fantasy player (AVG, HR, RBI, Runs, SB).
Until those numbers improve though, Reyes isn't a top 5 pick. I'd take any of those players listed above before Reyes and then some. Keeping in mind that the shortstop position has some good alternatives (Hanley Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins, Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Guillen, Orlando Cabrera, Michael Young, Edgar Renteria, and Derek Jeter), to use a top pick on Reyes would be a waste.
The best player to use with your #1 pick: Chase Utley. He's an outstanding player and the alternatives at second base are thin. At the moment, only two players are distinguishing themselves at second base - Utley and Robinson Cano.
The verdict is in: don't use your #1 pick on Jose Reyes - he's not quite ready to be a #1 fantasy pick.
