Mound Talk

First Base Platoon options

Recalling my previous entry I will be expanding upon that to find platoon options at each position. Ideal candidates, in summary, hold more value if one of their splits (home/away or lefty/righty) holds much more value than the player as a whole and that split occurs frequently enough to be useful. Then, the player’s draft/bid value must be low enough that you can afford two picks/bids and roster spots on one position. I will list players who meet the credentials as well as give them a ranking of –,-,=, + or ++ in each of the 5×5 categories. The ranking will be based off the gold standard at the position. In this case, the gold standard is Albert Pujols. An overall rating is posted next tot he players name. Player rankings will not be systematically calculated based on the +/- rating in each category because those rankings are compared to Albert Pujols and the overall ranking is to value their ability as a platoon player. (This entry will exclude stolen bases)

Jason Giambi ++
Giambi’s rates for R, HR and RBI were near or above Albert Pujols’ rate in 2006 when he was hitting against right handed pitching or at home. When he was on the road or against lefties he wasn’t as good.
Giambi at home or against righties:
R: + HR: + RBI: ++ AVG: –

Brandon Jacobs -
He’s not nearly as good as Pujols and won’t compare favorably. But he’s got some use against righties. Jacobs, while not projecting based on his split to be able to be part of a platoon to mimic Pujols, still holds more value as a platooner than your full time starter.
R: — HR: — RBI: - AVG: –

Carlos Delgado +
He could be a poor man’s Pujols in a platoon situation. He hits better against righties and better on the road, though home/road isn’t too much of a factor except in runs and marginally in average.
R: = HR: = RBI: - AVG: –

Kevin Youklis –
Many fantasy owners who drafted a slugger in Texas or Chicago turned to Youk, the Greek God of Walks, last year. And he wasn’t a bad option. He would have been a better option if you only used him at home. The only real issue with Youklis is that you can extract some more runs and a better average at Fenway than you can anywhere else.
R: - HR: — RBI: — AVG: -

Adam LaRoche +
LaRoche is a $1/21st round type player. Or at least he should be. But in a platoon he’s a guy to target. He’s a road warrior who performs slightly better against righties but not enough (except in average) to care.
R: - HR: = RBI: = AVG: -

Todd Helton ++
I bet you’ll never guess where he performs better. In a platoon you’ll want to play him at home, sit him on the road. There might never have been a more obvious statement ever made.
R: - HR: — RBI: = AVG: +

Nomar Garciaparra +
Nomar would be a plus play on the road. He doesn’t have the power nor will he score the runs but he’s much more valuable in a platoon than alone.
R: - HR: - RBI: — AVG: =

Lyle Overbay ++
He’ll be tougher to grab but if you do he’s a good option against righties and at home. His splits are quite staggaring really. He is the guy you want to build your platoon around to maximize production. The only question is, how much does he cost you?
R: - HR: - RBI: = AVG: +

Any of these guys demonstrate positive characteristics in a platoon situation. I’ve found them, now all you have to do is figure out when you can grab these guys and what the benefit is.