Fantasy Baseball: Late-Round Value Found in Royals and Pirates Players

I sat down last night to run through a draft, and found myself looking at players that you might not think should be on fantasy rosters. There are times we evaluate a player's ability based on the team he actually plays for. The problem with that is baseball is a team sport based on a collection of individual performances. 

It is entirely possible for players on poor teams to produce valuable fantasy statistics. While an extreme example, we all saw Alex Rodriguez produce MVP numbers while with a last-place Texas team. Certainly, we wouldn't overlook a player like that, but others we may miss. 

Two such teams are the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals. These franchises are mired in a rut of ineptitude, to the point that they don't seem to be able to give away tickets. They have, though, had several key fantasy players in the last few years that have made a difference in fantasy lineups. 

The Pirates produced Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, players that have produced relatively regularly. The Royals boasted Mike Sweeney for several years, as well as Carlos Beltran and Zack Greinke. 

Now, there is another wave of youth sweeping these teams, and fantasy owners would be wise to pay attention.  

Pitching 

This is the one area where neither team brings much to the table. The Royals will help you out more than the Pirates, though. 

Zack Greinke is fast becoming a borderline staff anchor, and Joakim Soria is going to record plenty of saves for those willing to spend the type of draft pick required. Unfortunately, Kansas City struggles putting together a fantasy relevant staff beyond these two. 

Brian Bannister has shown flashes in his few years, but struggled so dramatically on the road last season that he couldn't be started at all. He posted an 8.43 ERA on the road, with batters hitting .363 against him. Luke Hochevar may eventually completely replace him, but Hochevar's command issues are keeping him at bay for now. 

Gil Meche was a high profile acquisition that hasn't been a complete bust. He certainly will provide strikeouts late in the draft, and had a K/9 rate over eight for the second half of last season. Meche is average, but a workhorse. There's something to be said for that. 

Beyond Meche, you'll be staring at Kyle Davies or Brandon Duckworth. Please don't do that to yourself or your team. 

Pittsburgh has a similarly solid closer in Matt Capps. Capps posted a WHIP under 1.00 last season, and has the stuff to be dominant. The issue he faces is that there aren't many leads to protect in Pittsburgh. He's a second-tier closer, but fringe even there. The lack of chances kills his value. 

The best starter for the Pirates is Paul Maholm. Maholm actually pitched better than many might realize, but doesn't get the wins to show for it. His WHIP in 2008 was 1.28, and his ERA was 3.71. At home, he was 7-2 with a 3.46 ERA. He's not a regular in mixed leagues, but presents solid matchup play potential. He certainly warrants a spot in NL-only formats. 

The rest of the Pittsburgh staff struggles. Zach Duke has potential, but he was knocked around like a ping pong ball all too often last season. Ian Snell gets pub, and has had a decent spring, but batters hit over .300 against him last season. 

Infield 

Here is where you can find some decent mid-to-late round value in both camps. 

In Kansas City, deep leagues will find power threat Mike Jacobs available late in all drafts. He's going to pull down your average, especially with a league adjustment on top of a .247 mark in 2008, but Jacobs is a 30-home run threat, and provides a late boost in power numbers. 

For owners that don't want to jump at a third basemen early, Alex Gordon provides upside at the position in the middle rounds of a draft. Gordon led the Royals in runs scored in 2008, and should continue to develop both his power and average numbers. I don't think a .275 mark with 23 home runs is out of reach by any stretch.

With middle infield being very thin, Mike Aviles could provide owners with some unexpected production. Aviles came up last season and hit .325 in his partial season while providing 10 home runs and 51 RBI with eight steals. A full season may see a drop in average, but the remaining numbers should go up just with increased games alone.

Billy Butler is the final piece here, and is another player that can be had cheap. He hit 11 home runs in just under 450 at-bats last season, and crushes left-handed pitching. Expect some increased pop as he will be in the full-time DH spot for the Royals. 

Looking at the Pirates, Ryan Doumit is the cornerstone of the infield prizes. Doumit is a starter in any format, and his breakout 2008 campaign gives him solid value in the middle rounds at catcher.  

Andy and Adam LaRoche are two pieces that should see greater production in 2009. Adam smashed 25 home runs to go with 85 RBI and a .270 average. He's available late in drafts as well, underscoring the overall depth at the position. It's crazy that you could get this talent in the last third of your draft. 

Andy LaRoche still falls more into the NL-only category at this point, and he's borderline. LaRoche struggled after coming to the Pirates, but has certainly hit well enough in the minors to raise eyebrows. Look to him early in the season, as he will still be the starter at third for Pittsburgh. 

I'm not a big Freddy Sanchez guy, but I can see why others might be. Sanchez has seen his average drop in each of the last two seasons, checking in at .271 in 2008. He could come back to .285 or so, and he should score runs at the top of the order, but there are better options. Deep leagues or NL-only leagues should take note, though.

Outfield 

In Pittsburgh, the outfield discussion begins and ends with Nate McLouth. McLouth produced solid fantasy numbers, but did struggle in the back half after the trades of the team's more established stars Bay and Nady. 

Still, the outfielder should come in around .275/25/90 with 20 steal potential as well. He certainly represents a 25/25 threat, and you don't just scoff at those numbers. 

In Kansas City, the most intriguing piece (I find) is Coco Crisp. His time in Boston was certainly a disappointment, but was cut short mainly due to the arrival of Jacoby Ellsbury. Crisp, in limited time, hit .283 with 20 steals in Boston during 2008.  

The speed should still translate, but Kansas City would be smart to use him as Boston did, more toward the bottom of the lineup. He hit just .203 for Boston out of the top spot.  

I'm hesitant to say that he'll produce over a full season, because he hasn't since his 2005 season with Cleveland, which vaulted him on to Boston. In deep leagues, his steals are worth the gamble, but you could still do better in other categories. 

Jose Guillen will give owners power on the cheap late in a draft. Guillen has cracked 20 home runs in six of the last seven seasons, with the exception being an injury/attitude plagued 2006. A .280/23/95 line wouldn't be surprising. 

David DeJesus produces average numbers in multiple categories. He hit .300 last season, cracked double-digits in home runs and steals, and drove in 73 runs. Another late-round selection, DeJesus would provide balance to a team seeking a boost across the spectrum, but wouldn't provide isolated statistical help.