[ Fantasy Baseball Manager of the Year: MOTY Talk ]

Four outfielders you gotta draft in 2009

April 6, 2009 — Okay, this year I’m going to try to crack out more of these MOTY Talks in quick-burst style. Starting with this one.

Of course, it’s Opening Day, but there are plenty of leagues still drafting. And even for all of you who’ve already drafted, there are still sleepers out there in free agency. Players other guys overlooked or dismissed in the draft … to their eventual downfall.

So here’s a quick short list of four outfielders you can still get on the cheap. See if you can figure out who they are based on their recent stat lines:


Batter
Batter			MOTY#	r	hr	rbi	sb	avg	ab	obp	slg	ops
Player 1	tm x	of	94.15	93	37	99	24	0.342	383	0.429	0.695	1.124
Player 2	tm x	of	18.37	19	7	26	3	0.330	115	0.421	0.609	1.030
Player 3	tm x	of	23.30	19	8	30	5	0.362	105	0.417	0.638	1.055
Player 4	tm x	of	10.60	13	6	16	0	0.277	47	0.327	0.766	1.093

Give up?

Well, maybe not on the first one. Astute fantasy players might recognize “Player 1” as Nelson Cruz, the guy who won the right field job for the Rangers this Spring. That’s his monster stat line from last year at AAA Oklahoma City. And, yes, he won the 2008 PCL Most Valuable Player award.

’Course, if you didn’t recognize Cruz as Player 1, that’s okay, because “Player 2” can help you out a lot this year too. It’s … Nelson Cruz. And that’s his stat line for the Rangers after getting called up in late August last year. Not too shabby, eh?

Player 3 didn’t get quite as many ab’s as Cruz, but hit 1 more homer, for better average, with a better ops. Cruz didn’t mind though, because, you got it — those are Nelson Cruz’ numbers too … from his 2008 Dominican Winter League season playing for Gigantes del Cibao. (By the way, check out teammate Kendry Morales’ stats.)

By now, you probably realize that Player 4 is also Nelson Cruz. The stats being what he’s done this Spring, through March 31. (Though not including the homer he hit in the WBC).

Unbelievably, in ESPN leagues he’s not going, on average, until the 19th round, give or take (194th pick). In Yahoo! leagues (3 OF instead of the 5 in typical ESPN leagues), he’s the 147th overall, average pick.

Bottom line, move Cruz up on your draft list and you’ve got a great OF sleeper pick on your hands.

Shawn

Questions, thoughts, cool stories of how the MOTY System has helped your fantasy baseball team? Drop us an email. Your comments might show up here in a future MOTY Talk.

Already a MOTY Subscriber?

If you already have a MOTY subscription, welcome back. Your team’s waiting for you.

Don’t Have a MOTY Subscription Yet?

There’s a great fantasy baseball manager inside you just waiting to get out. All he needs is a little help. Take a few minutes to sign up and you’ll meet him — every morning in the bathroom mirror.

Build a Winning Fantasy Baseball Team

Draft: MOTY# projections help build the strongest Opening Day roster possible.
Manage: The MOTY Scope and Weekly Rankings tell you who’s really hot. And who’s really not.
Win: Capture your league championship, bust out the smack talk, take a Yoo-hoo shower.

Frequently Asked Questions

The MOTY System doesn’t turn the fantasy baseball world upside down. But it does shake it up a bit. Enough so that you probably have a few questions, thoughts, even doubts. So we’ve gone ahead and tried to answer some of them in our Frequently Asked Questions section.

Ask MOTY and MOTY Talk

The answer to any question never asked is always “No.” So fire away. Questions, thoughts, suggestions, whatever’s on your mind — email MOTY at askMOTY@fbmoty.com.

Seem like there’s a wrench in the works? We’re capable of most everything short of Tommy John surgery. For technical help, email MOTY at support@fbmoty.com.

We’ll do everything we can to answer your questions, possibly even highlighting them on MOTY Talk, the site’s blog page.

Fantasy Baseball Manager of the Year