Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Welcome to the first edition of Frozen Ropes. Frozen Ropes will take a look at the hottest and coldest hitters in major league baseball, take a hard look at players current stats, and forecast what the future looks for each player.
The Good:
Unlike Chad's Chin Music article on pitching, some of the hottest bats in the bigs are names you know well. Albert Pujols (#6), Miguel Cabrera (#3) , and Alfonso Soriano (#10) are all having great starts to their seasons. Then there's the list of names you know, but aren't accustomed to being the most dominant offensive fantasy players in the game through the first week and half.
Ian Kinsler and Evan Longoria, shown above, are the two most productive hitters in fantasy baseball so far. Kinsler, help mostly in part to a 6 hit night on Wednesday, has been the most productive hitting .474, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 11 R and a whopping 1.471 OPS. He was a MVP candidate last year before an injury cut short his season, and looks to building off his breakout season last year. The fact that he's a second basemen makes him more valuable. We all know he's not going to keep that pace up, but should maintain a top 10 status throughout the season due to the depth in the Rangers lineup. You should still expect him to hit .300 and drive in 25 HR, 90+RBI and 100+ runs. Evan Longoria has been a superstar in waiting since he was drafted by Tampa Bay. His rookie campaign was nothing less than sensational, and it looks like a strong start will keep him from a sophomore slump. Longoria is hitting .441, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 7 R and a 1.457 OPS. He had 27 homers and 85 RBI in only 122 games in 2008, so he should hit 30+ homers and top 100 RBI. 5 of his runs scored have come from homers, but he should still top 80 runs this season.
Rounding out the top 5 most productive fantasy hitter so far are the surprises. Emil Bonifacio (#4) and Nick Swisher (#5) are proving to be pleasant surprises in their new cities. There is no way Bonifacio is this good and my suggestion is to trade him now while he's hot. He's hitting .436, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 12 R, 4 SB and a 1.040 OPS. That OPS should drop under .700 before the end of the season and the batting average should be down to .270 at most. Bonny is a free swinging hitter that strikes out too much. Like I said in my previous article on Wednesday, the only stat he should be consistent in are stolen bases. If he continues to play the majority of games, then he should easily top 20 steals.
The Bad:
There are some big names that head the list of the early season strugglers. Lance Berkman is having a terrible start to his season. His average is .214 (ouch) and has only 1 HR's and a measly 2 RBI. Thrown in a paltry .726 OPS and only 2 runs and it makes his season start even worse. Don't worry though, he's a great fantasy player and should right the ship soon. Mart Teixiera, the Yankees new $180 million dollar man, is suffering through his usual early season struggles. He's only hitting .174, which is 46 points few than his weight, has 1 homer, 3 RBI, 3 R and an amazingly low .677 OPS. That's not a whole lot of production for the money he's getting paid, but big Tex isn't a flower that's gonna wilt under the bright lights of New York. He's a solid ball player who is struggling like he does every year.
David Ortiz looks like he's not fully recovered from the wrist injury that sapped his power last season. He's only hitting .176 with 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, and a .499 OPS. I know what you're saying, it's not possible for Big Papi to have an OPS that low. He has a career OBP of .385. If you take away the numbers and just watching him play, the situation looks even worse. He's not hitting the ball with any authority and is currently relegated to warning track power. Personally, I think Ortiz's days of fantasy stardom are over. The Red Sox should be very worried about his production for this season and beyond. If you can find a Sox homer to trade him to, then do it! Should you panic about Chris Davis and Chris Iannetta? Not really on Davis and a resounding now on Iannetta. Davis, a preseason breakout pick by many an expert, is seriously struggling so far. He's hitting .167 with 2 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R and a .609 OPS. The offensive talent surrounding him will eventually allow him to stop pressing and return to the hitter he was late last season. Chris Iannetta, another preseason sensation due to his production in the WBC, is also struggling. Somehow he's only hitting .059, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R and a.540 OPS. Wow, those are some awful numbers. The good thing is those stats are only in 19 at bats this season. He needs to relax and stop putting pressure on himself after hitting 18 homers in just 104 games. If you can, try to pick up another catcher and ride out the storm for now.
Under the radar:
Just in case you didn't know, the following players are off to hot starts this season and are currently ranked in the top 20. Nelson Cruz (.278, 5, 12), Adam Jones (.389, 2, 11), Adam Lind (.372, 3, 12), Aaron Hill (.356, 3, 11) & Mike Cameron (.370, 3, 5). Nelson Cruz and Adam Lind are both former top prospects and should elevate themselves to decent fantasy starters this season. Adam Jones, another former top prospect, is just starting a breakout season. He was on the verge late last season before a hand injury ended his season. He may not hit more than 20 homers this season, but should drive in 90+, score 90+ runs and steal you 10 or more bases. Don't just laugh when you see Koske Fukudome's stats so far (.370, 2, 5). He's had a solid start to his second season in the bigs and looks much more comfortable. I actually drafted him in one of my leagues and have been pleasantly surprised. He's never going to put up major production numbers, but should be a solid option in NL only leagues.
Well, thank you all for your support. Don't hesitate to let me know if I forgot about anyone.
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