Sizemore Undervalued?
Feb 28th, 2007 by winabango
Is Grady Sizemore an undervalued fantasy baseball player? I know that you want to ask: How can a mid second round pick in fantasy drafts be undervalued? Maybe I am splitting hairs, but I personally think that he deserves to go in the late first round. At age 24, he is just as good as Carlos Beltran and Miguel Cabrera. I averaged out his projected stats from 5 resources (I know this can be dangerous) and came to this realization:
Sizemore should hit just 5 fewer homeruns, score 15 more runs, knock in 15 fewer runners, steal just as many bases, and hit for a better average then Beltran. The key here is that Sizemore is 6 years younger, which is priceless in keeper leagues.
Against Cabrera, Sizemore should hit 6 fewer homeruns, score 14 more runs, knock in 33 fewer runners, steal 14 more bases, but hit 25 points less in average. Since both players are 24, that is a wash.
Grady actually mirrors Chase Utley more than anyone else, but due to scarcity at 2B, he is a locked mid first round pick. Don’t be afraid to take Sizemore in the first round if you are drafting at the end. If you are picking in the 12th spot, take both Cabrera and Sizemore with your two picks and laugh your way to a title.
What about Holliday over Sizemore? Holliday steals bases too, though fewer than Sizemore. But Holliday will give you more HR, RBI, and a higher BA.
I agree on the idea that Holliday may also be undervalued. The two players have identical looking curves for all of the major stats. However, I disagree that he is as valuable as Sizemore. Holiday is actually projected to hit the same amount of HRs, but steal 10 less bases. The main difference will between runs and RBI, but they will wash out in the end. I also think the Indians lineup is better, and Sizemore is two years younger. Both are great players, but only Sizemore belongs in the first round. Holiday should be drafted in the middle to beginning of the 2nd.
Kelly