Fantasy Baseball Off-Season Report: Designated Hitters
By Adam McGill
The designated hitter position has become increasing useful in fantasy leagues over the last five seasons. Most fantasy owners’ have completely avoided the position entirely during past drafts, but there are always a couple hidden gems that emerge each year. The DH spot is still consistently overlooked in drafts, which only helps owners’ get better value out of them in later rounds. With that being said, here is my latest off-season report, designated hitters:
Early Top-Five:
1. David Ortiz, BOS – “Big Papi” has dominated since being moved to the designated hitter position. He gets more freedom to swing for the fences and none of the responsibility of playing the field. He has hit at least 35 homers and drove in 96 RBIs for each of the last three seasons, but is consistently undervalued in fantasy leagues. He will continue to produce in the Bo Sox heavy hitting lineup and is one of the best value picks after the seventh round.
2. Billy Butler, KC – The other “Billy B” quietly batted .291 last year while driving in 95 runs. Butler is as dedicated as they come, evident by his off the field work with charities, and he is maturing as a great opposite field hitter. He does have the tendency to fall for inside sliders, but that is something that most pros’ do anyway. He also showed some pop last year with 19 home runs, as he is looking like a guy who can still provide 25 home runs from a DH spot.
3. Michael Young, TEX – Young is the most underrated part of the Rangers’ roster. He played first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and designated hitter; and that was just last year alone. The veteran had career highs in RBI (106) and batting average (.338) in 2011, doing so despite starting every position except pitcher. He gives fantasy owners’ great versatility in the infield, something that is extremely undervalued. Young will be a great sleeper to target late in drafts this spring, especially considering people overlook his multiple position eligibility.
4. Jesus Montero, SEA – The Mariners’ seems ready to do something that the Yankees’ have been hesitant about all year, starting rookie Jesus Montero. The catcher was moved over to Seattle with a package to send young pitcher Michael Pineda to New York. Montero only played in 18 games last year, so this will still technically be considered the 22-year old’s first season. He has great pop from a guy behind the plate and will add another heavy hitter to some strong Seattle sticks.
5. Johnny Damon, TB – Damon was brought in to be an experienced bat in the middle of the Ray’s young lineup, and he did exactly that in 2011 by batting .271. He also scored 79 times, but the most promising thing to see from the veteran was that he was healthy enough to take 582 at bats. He will not put up the numbers he did last season, but he should still be a reliable flex starter in deeper mixed leagues.
Preseason Awards:
2012 MVP: David Ortiz, BOS
2012 Rookie: Jesus Montero, SEA
2012 Breakout Player: Jesus Montero, SEA
2012 Bust: Bobby Abreu, LAA
Best Source of Home Runs: David Ortiz, BOS
Best Source of Batting Average: Billy Butler, KC
Best Source of Steals: Johnny Damon, TB
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