The 2009 fantasy baseball world has seen many breakout seasons. Some of the more notable ones include guys like Happ, Josh Johnson, Reynolds, and Michael Bourn, but there are a handful of players who have gone mostly unnoticed in many fantasy leagues, flying under the radar but providing value to their owners. Here are seven of them.
Casey Blake (49.6%) – Ok, so Blake barely makes this list, but frankly, Blake is a useful fantasy contributor that many seem to overlook. Blake has put up 18+ HR’s and a .270+ BA the past few seasons, and he’s on pace to do so yet again, currently hitting .281 with 14 HR’s, 68 RBI’s, and 66 runs. With those numbers, he’s on pace to hit .280 with 20 HR’s and 90+ runs and RBI’s. Not to mention, Blake is eligible at 1B and 3B. Because of the depth at 1B, he’s not going to be a starter there. But Blake could definitely be a starter at 3B and is an extremely useful bench player. You can plug him in at a bunch of places and he can produce pretty solid numbers.
Kurt Suzuki (28.7%) – Finding a good offensive catcher is hard. After the elite guys are gone (Mauer, Martinez, McCann), it’s a pretty safe bet to just grab a catcher in the last few rounds. With so few good offensive catchers, it amazes me how Kurt Suzuki is not owned in over 70% of ESPN leagues. Right now Suzuki is hitting .275 with 10 HR’s, 55 RBI’s, and 54 runs. He’s even chipped in 5 SB’s, too. Extend that over a full year and you’ve got a .275 hitter with 15 HR’s and 80 RBI’s and runs as a catcher. Suzuki’s numbers make him about the 8th best catcher in terms of offense, yet he’s most likely not even owned in a 10-team league.
Denard Span (41.7%) – I will admit, OF is a very deep position, so many people may already have great OF’s. But for those of you who need one more quality OF, look no further than Denard Span. Span’s numbers up to this point are a .305 BA with 70 runs, 6 HR’s, 47 RBI’s, and 19 SB’s. Over a full year, Span would produce a .300+ BA with 107 runs, 9 HR’s, 72 RBI’s, and 30 SB’s. Sure he’s not a HR hitter, but he doesn’t hurt you anywhere and can be a valuable source of SB’s without having to overpay for a guy like Ichiro or Crawford.
Michael Cuddyer (43.2%) – Cuddyer is another Minnesota Twins OF who isn’t getting the respect he deserves. While the OF position is deep, it also means there’s lots of value there. Guys who can hit 20+ HR’s from the OF slot are a dime a dozen, which is why grabbing someone like Cuddyer over the big name like Carlos Lee can really help your fantasy team. Cuddyer currently sports a .270 BA with 19 HR’s, 58 RBI’s, and 70 runs. Over a full season, that translates to a .270 BA with 27 HR’s, 84 RBI’s, and over 100 runs.
Cody Ross (32.6%) – Like the store, “Ross”, this OF will get you the numbers of a big-time OF, but for a whole lot less. Granted, he is a bit streaky, but his overall numbers are still much better than you’d expect. Despite his small stature, Ross has belted 20 HR’s to go along with 66 RBI’s, 63 runs, and a .271 BA. That means that for a full season, Ross would hit about .270 with 27 HR’s and around 90 runs and RBI’s. Again, you could pay a lot more for the big name, but why would you when you can just go to Ross to get similar numbers for a lot less.
Billy Butler: The Kansas City Royals first baseman is beginning to realize some of the potential that the baseball world has draped him with. With a .300 batting average and some respectable power stats (15 and 66), Butler is looking better by the season and puts up some pretty numbers for the Royals this season.
Well, that’s my list of the top ten most overlooked hitters in fantasy baseball. Soon, I will be coming out with my list of the ten most overlooked pitchers in fantasy baseball. Hopefully, these two articles will enlighten you about players you may not have thought were doing so well and maybe even help you win your league championship.
If you’re looking for the best sports talk on the web, look no further than RootZoo, home to the best sports forum, trivia questions, and much more.