Next Years Top 10

Next Years Top 10

            We’re nearing the end of the 2014 season and my first thought goes straight to next season’s fantasy leagues.  I’m a major fan of fantasy leagues and I always look forward to playing fantasy baseball.  I recently started pondering about who will be the next years top 10 fantasy picks.  Considering a standard ESPN fantasy league is a 10-team league I decided to look at the top 10 myself.  Now this list is my predictions on how they will be ranked next season and who could be the best picks next year.

1) Mike Trout

BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	ISO	BABIP	wOBA	wSB
12.3%	24.3%	.299	.387	.575	.963	.276	.356	.413	1.9

            With all the “struggles” Trout has had there is really only one thing to really worry about when it comes to Trout.  His wSB is down from last year and with only 12 SB this year he’s not even half way to his season total from last year.  The team seems to be giving him the red light on stealing but he does steal enough to make pitchers worried about him.  Don’t worry his 88 RBI’s and a great slash line I think fantasy owners will survive.

2) Miguel Cabrera

BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	ISO	BABIP	wOBA	wRC+
9.3%	16.4%	.304	.364	.512	.876	.208	.331	.376	138

            Technically having a down year by his standards he could also be playing hurt.  He’s mentioned a few times now that his abdominal injury still hasn’t heal properly from last year and its been having giving him problems when he’s swinging.  Looking at the numbers a struggling Cabrera is a fantasy superstar and next year after an off-season of rest he should have a normal Cabrera season.

3) Andrew McCutchen

BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	ISO	BABIP	wOBA	wSB
13.9%	17.4%	.311	.411	.536	.947	.226	.354	.409	2.5

            Basically what we expect from Trout but not as good as Trout.  McCutchen is a monster power speed combo that fantasy player’s love and this year has been no different.  After a typical slow start McCutchen is having a pretty typical year when it comes to his production levels.  If you couldn’t get Trout in the draft your not going to be disappointed getting McCutchen.

4) Carlos Gomez

BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	ISO	BABIP	wOBA	wSB
6.3%	23.5%	.291	.353	.493	.846	.202	.356	.372	2.1

            One step down from McCutchen but really not too much different besides the BB% and the amount of K’s he gets.  I wasn’t a believer in Gomez last year and even at the beginning of this season but you can’t deny his talent anymore.  He’s the next best thing to a Trout or McCutchen.

5) Giancarlo Stanton

BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	ISO	BABIP	wOBA	wRC+
13.8%	26.5%	.288	.389	.548	.937	.260	.354	.397	155

            Power pure and simple.  Stanton is one of the strongest hitters in baseball and can easily hit 30 HR’s without trying.  There are some downsides to Stanton: he does have an inconsistent AVG and this year is only the 2^nd time he’s hit over .260 and he’s on a bad team, something he doesn’t have much control over.  Overall those HR’s will help anyone win a league.

6) Clayton Kershaw

K/9	BB/9	HR/9	BAA	WHIP	BABIP	ERA	ERA-	FIP	FIP-
11.01	1.19	0.42	.198	0.85	.285	1.82	52	1.72	48

            Do I need to say too much?  If it weren’t for the injury at the beginning of the season he’d easily be the best pitcher in all of fantasy.

7) Jose Abreu

BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	ISO	BABIP	wOBA	wRC+
7.0%	22.1%	.304	.363	.613	.976	.309	.330	.412	163

            Easily the best power hitting option in fantasy this year and he’s still got time to add to that total.  Abreu has surprised many critics by not only hitting for more power than we even dreamed but also not hurting your average, in fact helping it.  Why is he so low on this list?  It’s Abreu’s rookie season so regression might be a factor for next year and it’s enough to make people skittish about picking him.  At least he’s 27 and it might not affect him as much as people think.

8) Felix Hernandez

K/9	BB/9	HR/9	BAA	WHIP	BABIP	ERA	ERA-	FIP	FIP-
9.66	1.66	0.31	.191	0.88	.262	1.97	52	.204	55

            Hernandez is having a monster of a season and is really earning his “King” nickname.  Hernandez’s ERA and WHIP is amazing and he is striking out enough batters to make him a valid fantasy starter.  The only knock on Hernandez is the fact he’s a Mariner and wins will be hard to come by.

9) Troy Tulowitzki

BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	ISO	BABIP	wOBA	wRC+
13.3%	15.2%	.340	.432	.603	1.035	.263	.355	.443	173

            Tulo is having a big season and his best season of his career.  Playing in Colorado insures that the power numbers aren’t going down anytime soon.  Like Abreu, why is Tulo so low on this list if he’s actually got the best numbers off them all and plays a shallow position for power like SS?  Injuries.  If he goes down with the prototypical injury plagued season then this pick is going to kill your team.

10) Paul Goldschmidt

BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	ISO	BABIP	wOBA	wRC+
13.4%	23.0%	.300	.396	.542	.938	.241	.368	.402	156

            Having a very strong season though cut short by an injury.  He’s a great power speed for a 1B and a potential 25-30 HR guy.  He’ll steal about 10-15 bases a year and with a strong team behind him he could have another 100 RBI season.