Fantasy Baseball 2012: 8 Players to Avoid in Leagues That Track Errors

With Fantasy Baseball gaining in popularity over the course of the past few years, more and more league are tracking obscure statistics that impact the league's overall scoring.

One of these under the radar statistics, errors, can be detrimental to a fantasy baseball team if you have too many poor fielders on your squad.

Let's examine eight position players to steer clear from while you're preparing for your 2012 fantasy baseball draft...

Catcher: Miguel Olivo

Catcher is arguably the most difficult position to field, but for Miguel Olivo, the job has been a particularly challenging one.

The Mariners backstop committed 11 errors to go with 11 passed balls in 2011. Montero did a decent job in the power department, banging out 19 home runs and 62 RBI, but he is a defensive liability who should be avoided if you league tallies errors.

First Base: Derrek Lee

Lee's defensive statistics weren't atrocious in 2011. He only committed eight errors during his time in both Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

The reason Lee is being singled out here is because four of the five players who ranked worse than him defensively are four of the most productive first basemen in fantasy baseball (Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard.

The other player ranking worse than Lee, Mark Trumbo, will likely switch positions now that Pujols plays on his team, the Angels.

It is worth noting that Lee is aging and does play on a sub-par Pirates squad, so steering clear may be in drafter's best interest anyway.

Second Base: Rickie Weeks

Weeks put together a decent 2011 campaign offensively, notching 20 home runs and 49 RBI. His .269 batting average is somewhat a cause for concern, but it was still higher than his career average of .255.

However, it was Weeks' defense that really hurt the Brewers last year. His 16 errors were tied for the major league lead by a second baseman led the major leagues for second baseman.

Combine that with the fact that his fielding percentage of 96.9 percent was also last in the majors, and it's clear that Weeks has some severe defensive deficiencies.

Dan Uggla also accounted for 16 errors, but his production (36 home runs, 82 RBI) more than made up for it.

Third Base: Casey McGehee

The obvious choice at this position is Mark Reynolds, who committed a league-worst 26 errors among third baseman in 2011.

Reynolds, however, also banged out 36 home runs and 86 RBI, numbers that are hard to ignore from an offensive perspective.

Casey McGehee committed 20 errors of his own in 2011, the second worst total league-wide among players at his postition.

Throw in the fact that McGehee now plays for the Pirates and is no longer protected by the likes of Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun, and you're likely looking at drop in offensive production.

McGehee's numbers were decent a year ago, but his defense is not at a level that warrants a selection on draft day.

Shortstop: Ian Desmond

Desmond again struggled defensively in 2011, tallying 23 errors one year after amassing a league-worst 34 in 2010.

Offensively, Desmond is a promising young player for the Nationals. In his second year in the league, Desmond blasted eight home runs and knocked in 49 RBI. His 25 steals also made for a nice fantasy stat line.

But until Desmond can prove he can be a consistent fielder, you should give him a second thought on draft day.

Outfield: Angel Pagan

Pagan is now a member of the San Francisco Giants after a four-year stint with the New York Mets. Pagan will surely be a help to the Giants in more ways than one this year, but defensively there are many question marks.

Pagan committed 10 errors in 2011. The fact that he has to learn the ropes of a tricky AT&T Park outfield could cause that total to rise in 2012.

Pagan has the ability to be an asset in fantasy, especially on the basepaths, but his sub-par defense should scare off potential fantasy owners.

Outfield: Dexter Fowler

Like Pagan, Fowler is a player whose speed makes him a desirable pick in deeper fantasy leagues. Even though he possesses tremendous quickness, that skill hasn't yet translated into stolen bases as he managed only 12 in 2011.

Additionally, Fowler's high error total (8) and relatively low fielding percentage (.975) in 2011 are somewhat of a cause for concern. Coors Field typically yields a lot of fly balls, so the Rockies centerfielder can expect a lot of action coming his way.

Fowler is not necessarily a bad defender, but there are a lot of good ones in the outfield and you should consider opting for one of them over Fowler.

Outfield: Alfonso Soriano

Soriano has widely been considered a disappointment during his time with the Cubs. The outfielder has seen his production steadily decline and last year Soriano managed a career worst .289 on base percentage.

Soriano's fielding has also struggled. He has committed seven errors in each of the last two seasons, and his fielding percentage this past year was just 96.5 percent.

Soriano has never been known for his fielding, particularly since making the switch to the outfield. When it comes to examining outfielders for your 2012 fantasy baseball teams, you should try and avoid aging Soriano.