What do you guys think are the chances of Varitek bouncing back with a All-Star type year (fantasy-wise)?
Question:Like do you think he can go back to being the fantasy player he was up until last year? Cause before he was (to me) a top five catcher. Can he reach that status again? Was it just one bad year, or was last year a sign that his peak years are behind him?
Lets hope not because he's my guy. The "Captain" of my team. We need him. I would like to draft him in my leagues this coming season, but I wanna make sure that he's not on the decline already...
Thanks guys,
Answers:
What should I do with this team..?
I don't know. Catchers are tough. I think he is one of those players who is way more valuable to his own team than yours. I'd pay high for Mauer or someone like that.I think that Varitek had good seasons because one, he was in his prime playing time, and two, he benefited from the lineup. I'm not saying he doesn't have talent, because he surely does. But to say he's capable of hitting 25 or more dingers again is questionable at best. He's going to be a smart catcher as always, and I don't see him losing stride defensively. I am a little concerned that if doesn't have lineup protection behind him that he's going to become a huge target for groundouts. I don't think that JD Drew is going to solve any of these issues either, seeing as he is going to make his usual demands and follow it up by not performing. Good luck with Varitek, but I think he has more going against him than for.
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Being that Varitek has never batted above .300 a .310 average is very unlikely. He only hit 2 homeruns at home last season. He will probably hit around .260 (career average only .269), he may not even bat that high, he is already on the downside, alraedy 34 years old. Homeruns around 15 and RBI's 85. No way he is a top 5 catcher any more. Mauer, VMart, McCann, Ramon Hernandez, Johjima, Barrett, Posada, Pierzynski, IROD, Russell Martin, Bengie Molina and Piazza all rank ahead of him. And most of the players below him have a better upside too.NBA fantasy trade: Josh Smith for C. Butler?
not good. catchers usually dont hit well for average, based on the facts that they dont get as many at bats, and that their bodies go through a lot of strain, espescially the knees. joe mauer last year and johnny bench are really the only exceptions that i can think of. if youre looking for average, go for mauer early, and remember, guys like varitek, posada, and even pudge are on the decline. catchers dont last nearly as long in the big leagues as most other players. your best bet other than mauer would be brain mccann from atlanta, or if your into taking risks, ramon hernandez from baltimore or kenji johjima from seattle. still, from varitek, i expect .280-.285, 18 hr, 80 rbi, so if all else fails, he might not be too bad. remember, in fantasy leagues, dont go for your favorite players (if you cant handle cheering against your favorite team, then dont play). if people did that, the first two guys i would have drafted the last couple years would have been bj surhoff and scott ericksonHis better years as an offensive threat are behind him. He is still one of the better defensive catchers. Looking for .300 20HR 80 RBI is asking a lot. He needs help to get those #. JD Drew might help but I doubt it. If the Red Sox get Todd Helton he would stand a better chance. With Crisp, Kevin Y., Pappi, J Lugo, Manny R. Drew and possibly Helton the table is set up for him. He would have baseruners to knock in.
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