Corner Infield Shuffle Up: The Prince Fielder problem
The idea with Shuffle Up is simple: 5×5 value for rest of season. Today we do the corners (first base, third base), with the DHs mixed in (they don’t fit anywhere else).
What’s happened to this point is merely an audition. I didn’t rank anyone on the DL, or anyone in the minors. Everyone seems to be more optimistic on injury returnees (hey, Boxberger) and hot prospects (hi, Berrios) than I am.
The prices are unscientific in nature, and players at the same price are considered even. I’m just looking for a way to show the pockets of value as I see them. I don’t look at old prices when I construct these — it’s all from scratch. I don’t even see the point of looking back there; live in the present, look to the future.
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I welcome your respectful disagreement. Obviously you will feel passionate about what you don’t agree with, that’s why we have a game. The discussion can be deep and illuminating if you want it to be.
And remember the golden rule — a player doesn’t gain value because you like him, nor does he lose value because you don’t like him.
Prices now, comments later Thursday. I reserve the right to make changes in this list during the first 24 hours. Win the debate, win the rank. (Priority is given to those who don’t hide behind the cloak of anonymity.)
If I missed someone, let me know. I’m on Twitter, @scott_pianowski.
(I will give catchers their own shuffle, shortly. That’s why Posey, Lucroy, and the rest are not listed here.)
$32 Nolan Arenado
$31 Manny Machado
$30 Miguel Cabrera
$29 Josh Donaldson
$29 Paul Goldschmidt
$28 Anthony Rizzo
$27 Kris Bryant
$25 Eric Hosmer
$23 Todd Frazier
$23 David Ortiz*
$22 Matt Carpenter
$21 Edwin Encarnacion
$20 Chris Davis
$19 Nick Castellanos
$19 Kyle Seager
$19 Daniel Murphy
$18 Adrian Beltre
$18 Joey Votto
$18 Jose Abreu
$18 Mark Trumbo
$17 Travis Shaw
$17 Hanley Ramirez
$17 Adrian Gonzalez
$16 Maikel Franco
$15 Freddie Freeman
$15 Stephen Piscotty
$14 Brandon Belt
$14 Evan Longoria
$14 Victor Martinez
$13 Eduardo Nunez
$13 Matt Holliday
$13 Anthony Rendon
$13 Danny Valencia
$12 Albert Pujols
$12 Mike Napoli
$12 Jon Villar
$12 Wil Myers
$12 Josh Harrison
$11 Carlos Santana
$10 Jake Lamb
$10 Byung Ho Park
$10 Matt Adams
$10 Prince Fielder
I suppose some magical mechanical fix could come for a player at any time, but when slumps make their way into June, it’s harder to keep the faith. All the under-the-hood signs are pointing down on Fielder: walks down; strikeouts up; hard contact down; soft contact up. You hope he’s found a way to get rested — sleep apnea issues were disclosed in spring training. The Rangers are a win-now organization, which opens the question of whether Fielder will get the entire summer to fix his problems. I’m not confident we’ll see a happy ending . . . Valencia solved right-handed pitching last year, which means he’s in the Circle of Trust now. And he might not be saddled with Oakland’s stadium all year, as he looks like a perfect trade chip for a contender to poach in midsummer . . . Pujols is hitting for less power this year, while his average has dropped from .244 to .230. His OBP is barely over .300. The Angels lineup, save for one obvious guy, is a joke. He’s scored 23 runs, for crying out loud. At what point does a name brand wear off for you? He’s a two-category player and it’s a 5×5 world.
Myers is a better fantasy player than real-life player through the opening third of the season. The category juice is on a nifty pace and you appreciate a bump in average, though it’s come through more hacking and less walking (and an OBP barely over .300). A .444 slugging percentage isn’t quite what you expect from a corner. But so long as Myers can stay healthy the balance of the year, I guess we’ll take what we get. At least Petco Park is no longer playing like the offensive death sentence it was a few years ago . . . I’m all for enjoying the frozen-rope machine that is Victor Martinez, but don’t forget we live in a 5×5 world. He won’t steal any bases; heck, he can barely run the bases. He’s only scored 22 runs. Still a useful player, sure, but I wish I had some shares so I could find someone happy to overpay for a speciality bat that’s in an age-37 season. See the full picture . . . Playing in a platoon helps the efficiency but also comes with a counting-stats leak. That’s why I’m not higher on Jake Lamb.
$9 Chris Carter
$8 Brandon Moss
$8 Joe Mauer
$8 Alex Rodriguez*
$8 Jose Ramirez
$7 Eugenio Suarez
$7 Steve Pearce
$7 Adam Lind
$7 Chase Utley
$7 Matt Duffy
$7 Jung Ho Kang
$7 Derek Dietrich
$6 Mark Reynolds
$6 Dae-Ho Lee
$6 Justin Bour
$6 Brett Lawrie
$6 Brandon Drury
$5 David Freese
$5 Aaron Hill
$5 C.J. Cron
$5 Martin Prado
$5 Justin Turner
$5 Yasmany Tomas
$5 Yangveris Solarte
$5 Hyun Soo Kim
$4 Ryan Zimmerman
$4 Yunel Escobar
$4 John Jaso
$4 Hernan Perez
$4 Justin Smoak
$4 Tommy Joseph
$4 Trevor Plouffe
$4 Mark Teixeira
$4 Howie Kendrick
$4 Javier Baez
$4 C.J. Cron
I’d like to believe in Utley; he was always the best infielder in Philly during their glory days, while others were winning misguided MVP awards. It’s hard to forget Utley’s sorry line last year, but with a major surge in line drives and hard contact this year, I’m back in. Bump him a couple of bucks . . . Smoak’s off to a solid start this year, most of his value coming in the OBP. But a .430 slugging percentage leaves you cold, and let’s not forget all the disappointments with this player through the years — heck, he was a .226 hitter and a .299 OBP guy just last year, while so many other Jays were raking. I was offered an unsolicited Smoak in a trade last week, which bumped me offline pretty quick. Enjoy your non-contending team, mack. I just hope you don’t lay down for the other teams in trade.
$3 Luis Valbuena
$2 David Wright
$2 Tyler White
$2 Logan Morrison
$2 Chase Headley
$2 Tyler Saladino
$2 Tommy La Stella
$2 Sean Rodriguez
$2 Darwin Barney
$2 Pedro Alvarez
$1 Mitch Moreland
$1 Juan Uribe
$1 Chris Coghlan
$1 Brett Wallace
$1 Cheslor Cuthbert
$1 James Loney
$1 Danny Espinosa
$1 Gordon Beckham
$0 Ryan Howard
$0 Yonder Alonso
