I found this article on ESPN and it got me thinking about how important a quality speed guy on your fantasy team has become. A top speed guy will get you a ton of runs, hits, average and most importantly stolen bases.
Far too many fantasy baseball managers go nuts over a guy with some pop in his bat and fail properly evaluate what a speedy guy can bring to their team. Let's take a look at some of the top speed guys in the league.
Jose Reyes
SS - Mets
AVG - .283 | Hits - 65 | HR - 7| RBI - 26 | Runs - 36 | SB - 18
Jose Reyes has extended his hitting streak to 18 games. He has also reached base in 33 straight games. Reyes is the catalyst of the Mets' offense. If he's getting on base then the Mets are scoring runs and winning games.
Fantasy Impact Having a quality shortstop for your team is key. The top players in this position are not as deep as others. Look for Reyes to get about 120 runs, 70 SB, and 190+ hits. That's dominant numbers in at least 3 categories and he won't kill you in average at all either (.280 - .300).
Hanley Ramirez
SS - Marlins
AVG - .292 | Hits - 63 | HR - 9| RBI - 23 | Runs - 44 | SB - 13
Hanley Ramirez is now the franchise player in Miami. It looks as though the owners may be signing a few young players long term in hopes of another World Series before the inevitable team blowup. (I don't blame them because it seems to work.)
Fantasy Impact Once again having a quality shortstop for your team is key.
Look for Hanley to finish off the season with amazing numbers that will look something like 200+ hits, 24+ HRs, 120 runs, and 50 SBs. Once again 3 categories that are dominated and the fourth (HRs) definitely will doesn't hurt the bottom line.
Carl Crawford
OF - Rays
AVG - .276 | Hits - 64 | HR - 4| RBI - 30 | Runs - 39 | SB - 15
Carl Crawford has been a top base stealer for a few years now and there are no signs of slowing. OF is a lot deeper than some IF positions but having Crawford sitting in an OF spot gives you a little more wiggle room for some bigger bats in your IF spots.
Fantasy Impact
Look for Crawford to finish the season with a solid performance. His numbers will look something like 180 hits, 11+ HRs, 75-80 RBIs, and 50+ SBs.
Ichiro Suzuki
OF - Mariners
AVG - .287| Hits - 69 | HR - 3| RBI - 15 | Runs - 39 | SB - 24
Ichiro is getting up there in age, although his legs don't seem to be showing it, so don't go crazy for him in keeper leagues. With 24 SBs already he's on pace to swipe about 70 bags.... damn Ichiro! He only stole 37 bases last year but other than trying to spark his Mariners season I see no other reason for this pace to slow down.
Fantasy Impact This season expect these kind of numbers from Ichiro: 220+ Hits, 6-9 HRs, 50 RBIs, and 50 SBs. Yes, I'm saying 50 SBs! He won't be cheap in your league at this point so unless he goes into a slump I say wait on Ichiro.
There are many other notable speed guys (Rollins, Pierre, Ellsbury, Bourn, Taveras, Gomez, and Upton) that I'll touch upon in the next update.
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Most leagues don't have hits as a category, and many SB guys won't be a plus in the RBI stat. For pure speed I'd go with Bourn cheap, because if he ever starts hitting he'll be a terror on the base paths.
SB have quietly supplanted HR as a more available WW stat to pick up...it wasn't too long ago that Louis Castillo and Juan Pierre were the upper echelon of the steal and Bonds and Sosa we're leading the sluggers (juicers) revolution....now the speed freaks rule the WW.
AVG - .284 | Hits - 52 | HR - 4 | RBI - 21 | Runs - 41 | SB - 28
He doesn't have the pop that Hanley Ramirez has (and probably slightly less than Jose Reyes) but his numbers are right there with all of these guys. Look for him to steal even more with David Ortiz going to the DL, since he'll be playing every day and be more inclined to get himself into scoring position. He's currently projected for about 110+ runs and 70+ steals, so long as he doesn't hit a rookie wall.
Does anyone else think that seeing a crucial steal in the 9th inning when your team is down by 1 or it's a tie game and then that person coming into score on the next hit is just as exciting as seeing a walk-off homerun?
I just remember how incredible it was watching Dave Roberts steal 2nd back in the 04' ALCS against the Yankees. It was probably the most exciting play I've ever seen.
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