Clearing The Bases

Today we are going to start a debate.  We are going to talk about fantasy players on the New York Yankees and New York Mets.  Rather than just talk about different players and why they are fantasy worthy, we are going to rank Yankee and Met players in the order of which they should be drafted in a 5X5 rotisserie league.  These rankings are from this point forward, so what players might have done during the first two months of the season doesn’t really mean all that much, we only care about what they will do over the next four months.  This is also for a re-draft league, so players who are injured (Mariano Rivera) probably won’t make the rankings, neither will top minor leaguers (Manny Banuelos, Zack Wheeler), unless I thought they would contribute mightily this season.  Let the debates begin.

1. Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees:  Shouldn’t be much surprise that Cano is 1st.  Even when you include all of the players in the majors, Cano is generally considered to be a top eight pick.  Not to many 2B can hit 30+ HRs, hit over .300, and drive in over 100 runs.  He is off to a slow start however, as is most of the Yankee hitters with the exception of Granderson.
2.  Curtis Granderson, OF, Yankees:  Granderson is proving that 2011 was no fluke as he already has 17 home runs this season.  The run production is a bit of a concern as only 33 RBIs have come along with those bombs, but still one has to figure that will come around.  Only two SBs however could be a concern as he and the Yankees just aren’t running at all.
3. David Wright, 3B, Mets:  I’m a Wright fan and am very happy to see him getting off to this kind of start.  To put it nicely he is the face of the franchise.  He’s not going to hit .400 and never was but he’s a dangerous offensive weapon who looks like his old self at the plate.  With all the injuries at the hot corner this season it’s good to see David in the lineup each and every game.
4. Mark Teixeira, 1B, Yankees:  Tex got off to a slow start this season, no surprise, as he was dealing with a respiratory infection since the first week of the season that he just couldn’t seem to get rid of.  Once the Yankees have him a few days off in a row Tex started to hit again and he’s back on pace for 30+ HRs along with his usual run production.
5. CC Sabathia, SP, Yankees:  There is really not much to be said about CC that you don’t already know.  He’s the Yankees ace.  True he may not be a great pitcher like Detroit’s Justin Verlander but all he does is pitch a boatload of innings and win games for the Yankees.  He’s about as reliable as they come.
6. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees:  I toyed with the idea of dropping ARod a few more slots as I think we are seeing the beginning of the end for ARod.  He just doesn’t have the power anymore that he used to.  We can all speculate as to why (steroids, injuries) but in the end the only thing that matters are his final numbers, and right now he’s looking like a glorified singles hitter who might hit 20+ bombs.
7. RA Dickey, SP, Mets:  I don’t want to call Dickey the surprise of the season because he was pretty good last year to, but he’s on a ridiculous run right now.  Dickey is 7-1, 3.06 ERA, 1.098 WHIP, with almost a K per inning.  RA has won three straight starts and only given up one run in 23.1 IP during those starts.  He’s a must start right now and could be a candidate to start the All-Star game for the National League.
8. Johan Santana, SP, Mets:  Santana has been really good this year regardless of the fact that he pitched a no-hitter Friday night (congrats to him and the Mets).  Sure his record may not indicate it (3-2), but that’s because of a lack of run production, not because of his pitching.  The big question hovering over Santana is how his shoulder will react to throwing a career high 134 pitches during the no-hitter.
9. Rafael Soriano, RP, Yankees:  I’m far from a Soriano lover, but he looks like he’s going to remain the closer for the Yankees even when David Robertson returns from the disabled list (mid-June).  Yankees may not be the team we thought they would be this season, but will still have plenty of save opportunities.
10. Nick Swisher, OF, Yankees:  Swisher just hasn’t been the same hitter since missing a week’s worth of games with a leg injury.  Swish got off to a fast start and is still a good source of power and run production, but he’s also being dropped in the lineup a bit as Raul Ibanez now hits in front of him when there is a right-hander on the mound.
11. Lucas Duda, OF, Mets:  I’m a Duda fan and believe his numbers are only going to get better as the season goes along.  When the weather heats up, so will Lucas.
12. Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees:  If you look at Jeter’s average you’re probably thinking to yourself, how can he be so low on this list?  It’s because once again he is not driving the ball.  Sure he’s getting his hits, but they are all singles, and he’s not stealing any bases.  Pretty much makes him a two category player right now.
13. Andy Pettitte, SP, Yankees:  I still have my doubts as to whether Pettitte will be able to make it through the remainder of the season, but he’s looked good so far, even better than what his numbers say.  Lefties really can pitcher forever, or in this case, whenever they want to.
14. Brett Gardner, OF, Yankees:  Gardner is due back from the DL next weekend, and the Yankees could certainly use the speed he brings on the bases and his defense in the outfield.  They badly miss both.
15. Frank Francisco, RP, Mets:  Would probably have Francisco higher on this list if I was positive that he would remain the closer all season.  I’m not though, so this is where he sits.
16. Raul Ibanez, OF, Yankees:  So much for spring training being an indicator of how a player will perform during the regular season.  Ibanez didn’t look like he could hit a beach ball during ST, but has loved the short porch at Yankee Stadium once the regular season got underway.
17. Daniel Murphy, IF, Mets:  I’m a fan of players that have multiple position eligibility, just comes in handy during the season.  Would like to see some power from Murphy as 0 HRs and only three SB prevents him from being any higher on this list.
18. Hiroki Kuroda, SP, Yankees:  Kuroda has looked awful at times but has also looked like he is figuring it out over his last couple of starts.  Could easily move up a few spots on this list if he can keep it up and be more consistent.
19. Ivan Nova, SP, Yankees:  Nova has been puzzling this season.  No one expected him to be as good as he was last season where he pretty much won every game he started, but this season he is getting hit around hard even though his K/9 rate is much better than expected.
20. Ike Davis, 1B, Mets:  I just can’t leave him off this list even though I should.  What is wrong with Ike?  The ankle injury from last season?  The illness (Mountain Valley Fever) he contracted during the off-season?  Have to think he turns it around eventually.

You can reach me on twitter, @georgekurtz.