Dissecting Brandon Funston's MLB Big Board

Brandon Funston is one of Yahoo!’s Fantasy Sports experts, and moderates the Baseball Big Board.

The Big Board takes into consideration past returns, current performance and expected future gains in determining who should be included among the top 50 fantasy baseball players. Essentially, the Big Board is a cheat sheet designed for a fantasy owner who is planning to participate in a draft today. Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Baseball default scoring settings are used as the baseline for the Big Board, which is updated on a regular basis.

The Big Board is a moderately helpful tool that can be used as a draft kit or to help determine the validity of a trade proposal. I’ve used it before, but there are always a few rankings that must be there as a result of drug use.

3. Lance Berkman, Hou, O/1 - Despite homerless July, still No. 1 in Y! game

I said Berkman was ranked too high last Big Board, and after being dropped one spot after a crappy July, he is still too high. I would draft Berkman in the late first/early second round right now. 

24. Jason Bay, Bos, OF - Nice landing spot in Beantown behind Ortiz, Lowell in lineup

If it is such a nice landing spot, why didn’t it boost his rankings? Bay is beasting in Boston right now, and will continue to do so (even though it looks like he has some sort of immune system disease in his picture)

27. Carlos Beltran, NYM, OF - .719 OPS in July his lowest monthly split of ‘08

Beltran was drafted in the second round in most leagues, and is quietly the 35th best player in fantasy this season. He was recently moved to the 2 hole in between Jose Reyes and David Wright. This means more steals, runs, and a lot more fastballs. Funston, how are you going to drop my boy 10 spots for having a mediocre July?

47. Matt Kemp, LAD, OF - 18-game hit streak helps Kemp to No. 7 in Y! for past month

I wouldn’t take Kemp over Nick Markakis, Bobby Abreu, Rick Ankiel, and a number of other guys not even on the board. Kemp will be a great ball player, but it is too early to say that he is a top 50 player right now.

Questionable “On The Bubbles”

How the hell aren’t these guys in the top 50 - Cliff Lee (again), BOBBY ABREU the hottest hitter in baseball, Chone Figgins

How the hell are these guys even mentioned in the article - Billy Wagner, ICHIRO, Troy Tulowitzki