One of the keys to winning a fantasy baseball league is getting draft day bargains to go along the proven studs you select during the first 7 rounds of your fantasy baseball draft.
This is a list of 10 players that have I believe are being under valued by the average drafter. I will try to delay drafting these players until their perceived value brings them to the top of my competitors draft list. You definitely want to keep an eye on these guys, and maybe even take them a round before the average drafter would consider taking them. If you are using the RotoRank Expert Draft Guide, these players will be easily identifiable as the draft progresses.
1. Erik Bedard (Average Rank 142, RotoRank 68) – Bedard is a young gun that is entering his prime years. Since he pitches in the toughest division and for a team that struggles to support him, you’ll be able to get him at a nice discount.
2. Alexis Rios (Average Rank 91, RotoRank 48) – Peter Gammons had him pegged as a 5-tool star a few years back, and Rios finally came through in 2006. It’s hard to rate a player after his breakout season, since you can’t be sure if it is a blip on the radar or the start of upward trend.
3. Jeff Francoeur (Average Rank 135, RotoRank 70) – Francoeur has a poor batting average, but he will produce the numbers of a top 100 players.
4. Josh Johnson (Average Rank 171, RotoRank 82) – Josh Johnson was one of my late round sleepers picks that turned to gold in 2006. He may not be able to reproduce what he did last year, but I’d rather take a chance on him than an older player with no upside.
5. Kenny Rogers (Average Rank 259, RotoRank 99) – He continues to post great seasons, but at his age he won’t be drafted in the Top 100. If he can manage anything similar to his 2006, he’ll be a bargain at pick 180+.
6. Cliff Lee (Average Rank 249, RotoRank 114) – He is entering his prime and Cleveland could be a force in the AL Central. Look to get nice value from him in 2007.
7. Ian Kinsler (Average Rank 184, RotoRank 134) – Dan Uggla is getting a lot of attention after posting a great 2006 season, but Kinsler could have had a similar season if he would have avoided an early season injury. If he posts numbers like Uggla did in 2006, then he’ll be a bargain and in the Top next year!
8. Ramon Hernandez (Average Rank 174, RotoRank 111) - If he could ever stay healthy for the entire year, he’d crack the top 100. He is definitely one of the better offensive catchers available in the draft, so make sure you keep an eye on him after pick 150 comes around.
9. Doug Davis (Average Rank 263, RotoRank 148) – He has been one of the more solid pitchers the last few years, so I’m really surprised that the average rank for him is 263. A move to the weaker NL West could actually lead him to having a career year.
10. Juan Encarnacion (Average Rank 296, RotoRank 193) -
Encarnacion flew way under the radar in 2006, but he posts very consistent numbers, so you can pretty much pencil him in for .270, 17 HR, 70 R, 70 RBI, and 6 SB. Definitely worthy of being picked before his average ranking.
There are other players that have considerable gaps in value. The key to having a successful draft is determining when to use the RotoRank value over the Average Draft value of a player.
You can’t always anticipate that the average rank will be completely accurate, so if you like a player, make sure you consider taking him a round earlier than the average fantasy draft round for that player.