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There are going to be players that are major risks when fantasy baseball drafts get underway for 2013 and won’t get picked at all. I’m going to suggest one that may shock many people but I think is the right thing to do – I would make it a point not to draft Alex Rodriguez this season with his hip issues.
While A-Rod may be back sometime in the second half of the season, I just can’t trust that he will be worth anything at all this season. I know some people will want to store him on their bench or a DL spot just in hopes of getting something worthwhile out of him this season, but I won’t be one of those people, as I don’t believe Rodriguez will even return this season. The hip injury is a very big deal and even if A-Rod returns, he could be more of a fantasy liability than an asset.
There are many third basemen that are worth drafting this season that won’t carry nearly as much baggage. Everyone knows that A-Rod has been a stud for a ton of fantasy baseball teams over the last decade, but age and injury are catching up to Rodriguez very quickly. If you must draft A-Rod, I would wait until one of the final rounds to do it if you can. It is important to make sure you have enough healthy bench players to support having Rodriguez on your team. I would just let A-Rod sit on the waiver wire until he is getting close to returning.
Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports or like his Facebook page.
