Yankees’ Editorial: The Bronx is Boiling Fantasy Edition

By Wayne Cavadi | Mar 30, 2015

Two more, folks. This week and next Sunday will be the last Bronx is Boiling you will read this offseason. A week from tomorrow, Masahiro Tanaka will take the hill at Yankees Stadium to kick off the 2015 season against the Toronto Blue Jays, who are early favorites to take the American League Least… I mean, East. I can taste the excitement in the air.

This past week, I took part in both of my fantasy baseball league drafts. A thought occurred to me: with a large bulk of New York Yankees’ players sought after so early in fantasy drafts, how come the Bombers can’t be that good in reality? The Bronx is boiling and I need to blow some steam.

YANKEES’ FANTASY STARS

Obviously, the difference between fantasy baseball and real baseball is that you don’t have to deal with things like injuries. Should you draft C.C. Sabathia and he winds up getting shut down in May again, you can replace him with Kyle Lohse who you drafted in the 15th round. The Yankees on the other hand, may have to replace Sabathia with someone from Triple-A that they, too, drafted in the 15th round. There’s a world a difference right there.

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Still, there was seemingly a good amount of Yankees sought after pretty early in this year’s fantasy drafts. This leads me to believe that if everything breaks the Yankees’ way, which in REALITY it never does, they could legitimately win 90 games. But if the injury bug hits as it has the past two seasons for the Yankees, they could struggle once again.

Jacoby Ellsbury is clearly the most sought after Yankee in fantasy baseball this season. His ADP (average draft position for you newbies) is roughly 23. That makes him a second round pick in 12-team leagues, and that makes him a stud.

It is deservingly so. Ells is coming off a “down” year, one in which he slashed .271/.328/.419 (all below his career norms) and stole 13 less bases than he did in his American League leading 2013 campaign. Should he bounce back even moderately, he is worth the early investment and could be a top scoring fantasy outfielder.

Though Yankees’ fans hate to admit it, Brian McCann is highly targeted as well. The fan base is down on him because he didn’t hit 35 home runs and drive in 110 runs. The REALITY is, Brian McCann never did that in Atlanta, why did people think he would suddenly be able to because his paycheck got bigger?

McCann pretty much nailed his career norms last season, and that makes him a Top 5 catcher in fantasy baseball. He won’t be as bad as last year, and his second half showed that. Eight of his 23 home runs last season came in September, so if he finally got comfortable in the hitter friendly confines of Yankees Stadium, this year he could emerge as a Top 3 option.

Masahiro Tanaka is a huge question mark in the Yankees’ rotation, and likewise, a scary pick in fantasy baseball. Anyone with lingering elbow/UCL issues is a frightening proposition, but like I said earlier, the Yankees pay the price heavier than your fantasy team should he go down for a DL stint.

Before the fatigue or elbow soreness or whatever it is we call arm injuries these days, Tanaka was arguably the best pitcher in the American League. This is the perfect chance to buy low on Tanaka and pray for the best. He has been going in the 5th to 7th round, and if he can get back to healthy, that’s a steal.

The Yankees’ are infinitely better this season than last, and that means Tanaka won’t have to pitch 8 innings every outing for the win. He should have more run support which should limit his innings a little bit. If he is grooving, he’ll get comfortable and that pain in the elbow will alleviate itself. Just be sure to draft a reliable backup should he fail.

Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller are both reliable arms to stash in your fantasy bullpen. If Betances wins the closer job, he could skyrocket to a Top 3 reliever, but he still has value should he remain in a committee approach.

Betances brings you strikeouts and low ERA and WHIP, so he is invaluable even in rotisserie leagues because he brings you more than the saves that the traditional closer brings you. Clay Buchholz, Drew Smyly, Rick Porcello, Matt Garza and Shelby Miller are just a bevy of starting pitchers usually drafted before relievers go who had less strikeouts than Betances in almost double the innings. Betances is a Top 5 reliever and if he wins the closer job he could be the best.

Andrew Miller brings value and can be drafted in the later rounds, most likely the last. Stash him on your bench and if he and Betances close by committee to start the season, you are set. If Betances wins out, dump Miller and pick up a prospect like, oh let’s say, Rob Refsnyder.

Lastly, there is always sleepers in which you should keep watch. Last year, on my personal fantasy blog, I explained how I thought the word sleeper was a dead term. How is anyone a sleeper anymore when five print magazines and endless fantasy websites call the same person a sleeper? So what you are looking for is a breakout candidate.

I didn’t love the trade when it happened, but this spring training has made me somewhat of a believer. Nathan Eovaldi has had a lights out spring, striking out 14 in 13.2 innings with a 0.66 ERA. While he hasn’t had the career to prove it, there is a reason he was the centerpiece in the Marlins and Dodgers Hanley Ramirez trade and there is a reason the Yanks went after him this winter. He has always had the potential and still only 25-years old, maybe he is ready to unleash it.

That’s a lot of quality fantasy players to have on your 25-man roster, which should translate to staying competitive in reality. Throw on top a few quality late round guys like Brett Gardner, Chase Headley, and yes, even Alex Rodriguez, and the Yankees look like they have enough talent to compete in a weak AL East. Let’s hope this year turns the corner and finds the Yankees, and your fantasy teams, much success.

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