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If you are unfamiliar with the RULES for the is contest, you can get caught up to speed HERE. * Spring Training scores do not count for the regular season. This is to get everyone ready for a long season of writing. None of the articles have been or will be modified for the staff of FantasyPros911.com. Spring Training Week One Question:Why Hanley Ramirez is Fantasy Baseball’s number one pick?Kevin Jebens , the away team, will take the con side to this debate Ramirez number one? Are you kidding me? I can’t think of a worse guy to take there! Well, maybe Paul Bako. Okay, so Hanley’s actually a good option in the first round. I’d even call him a top-five pick. But there’s no way to justify his being taken first overall. Think I’m crazy? Check out my argument and see if you don’t join me in the loony bin. How do you justify taking a guy number one when he’s not even the number-one ranked guy based on his stats? In Yahoo’s standard 5x5 roto leagues, Hanley only ranked #5 in 2008; the top dog was Albert Pujols. In 2007, Hanley’s best season so far, he still fell short of the best rank, landing at #2; A-Rod beat him out for the honors. Even in other formats, Hanley isn’t the answer. According to CBS Sportsline’s point-scoring system, Hanley fares even worse. In 2008 he earned 607, which is definitely elite, but it’s not the best. Six other hitters had higher point totals than him. What’s more, Jose Reyes was one of them, with 630 points. In a standard points league, he’s not even the best guy at his position! When you look at the three-year average, Hanley is at 612, but he’s still overshadowed at SS by Reyes (636), and Rollins actually ties him for second. For those that expect Hanley to rebound to 50 SB, I wouldn’t count on it. While he’s certainly capable of stealing bases, a possible shift in his lineup location could reduce his green light for stealing. Also, other stars have shifted their personal focus from stealing to focus solely on their power. After all, the more you run, the higher your chances of getting hurt are. On the other hand, if he does remain in the leadoff spot, he’ll keep having a low RBI total. The spike of 81 RBI in 2007 is out of line with his other two years, where he knocked in 59 and 67. I wouldn’t call him a five-category guy with an average RBI total of 69. Another interesting fact is that despite more HR in 2008 than in 2007, his slugging percentage went down. The reason: his doubles and triples both fell from the year before. While you could justify the slight drop in triples from 6 to 4 due to less AB, the drop of 14 doubles is more noticeable, and the extra 4 HR don’t explain it or make up for it. Add to it the increase in strikeouts despite fewer AB, and there’s a chance the great Hanley Ramirez comes back down to earth a little bit. Han-Ram is a great SS, and he belongs in the top tier at his position. He’s a first-round pick for sure. But he hasn’t yet proven he’s worth the number one pick. This year, I’ll be deciding between Pujols or Reyes, not Ramirez. Before you vote read Tom Walker's pro side  Loading Poll...Trackback(0)
Comments (3)
  written by Eric Gehman, March 19, 2009
This is the first of the Spring Training matchups where the con side actually convinced me much more than the pro side. I think you could've spent more time extolling the virtues of other first picks rather than focusing on the downsides for Hanley (let's face it, there aren't many)... would've been interesting to see an argument that taking Pujols or Wright is better overall for your team.
written by Kevin Jebens, March 16, 2009
Hmm, "Reyes and the pressure cooker." That sounds like a band name. Anyway.
Regarding the pressure cooking NYC, I have to say that I think Reyes is safe. The Yankee players seem to take more focus/heat than the Mets players. Plus, he's been there for four full seasons, and I can't say his numbers have been radically affected by NYC. The pressure to win for the Mets can't be any greater than the pressure for the Cubs, but players on both teams put up elite fantasy numbers during the season. He still has a great supporting cast, and he's not switching his lineup position. He still bats ahead of Beltran, Wright, and Delgado. Hanley's protection has always been weaker, and by dropping him in the lineup he'll be taking the spot of hitters that used to drive HIM in.
written by Editorenchafe, March 16, 2009
From the two, I would be more convinced to not pick Han-Ram. Suprised however that neither mentioned Han-Rams weight gain in the off-season. This should slow him down as well as power him up. Both sides could have used this. Comparing SS head-to-head was well done but pressure cooker of NYC could have been used to counter Reyes' impact and ceiling. Tough question out of the gates; well done guys.
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