In looking to provide you with the best possible fantasy advice, the FanHouse team is constantly trying to uncover new ways to find value. Remember, too much hype on a player will end up causing him to become overvalued in many leagues. Unfortunately, this often happens to young players who many are tagging as “the next” someone or something. People love flocking to Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg just like everyone loved Matt Wieters last season (and this season again) and Alex Gordon several years back.
In today’s era of fast information, it’s amazing to me how fast some players are largely lost in the shuffle of fantasy hype after not becoming an immediate star. Some of last year’s examples of players who had lost a good bit of hype and had breakout campaigns were Mark Reynolds, Matt Cain, Rickie Weeks (prior to injury) and Carlos Gonzalez (to some extent). Hell, even Felix Hernandez had lost some hype before coming into his own as a Cy Young candidate.
Remember, players on this list were not hyped simply for kicks on a Friday night. they all have some innate talent and could eventually break through the way Cain and Reynolds did last season. They’ve also had stunted development at the big league level — for whatever reason — and have a shot at being nice value picks in deeper fantasy leagues.
David Price, age 24, SP, Rays – a 1.93 ERA down the stretch and dominant postseason performance for the Cinderella Rays of 2008 had Price at the forefront of baseball fans’ minds last spring. a 10-7 record with a 4.42 ERA and 1.35 WHIP — not to mention a stint in the minors — weren’t exactly what we all had in mind. Just remember that was his first season in the rotation and keep his age in mind. the 2007 no. 1 overall draft pick is still going to be a star.
Clay Buchholz, 25, SP, Red Sox – Like Cameron Maybin, a career event early on fast-forwarded his development in the minds of many fans. Of course, a no-hitter (Buchholz threw one on September 1, 2007, in his second major league start), is a bit different than one swing of the bat. His 2008 season, though, was a huge step backward and he’s still working his way back. Remember, though, the Red Sox have assembled a great defense behind him and he doesn’t have much pressure in the rotation because of all the extra pressure on the Beckett/Lackey/Lester/Dice-K group.
Alex Gordon, 26, 3B, Royals – I made the case for him as a new Stud, but then he got hurt. Still, upon return, there’s no reason he can’t still become a good player. the injury probably decreases his stock in the public eye and means you can get him even cheaper to stash on your bench.
Homer Bailey, 23, SP, Reds – I always have to laugh when I hear things like “how long have we been waiting on this guy?” regarding Bailey. He turns 24 in may. Yeah, let’s write off a guy because he’s not a superstar by 24. He showed significant growth down the stretch (when he went 6-1 with a 1.70 ERA in his last nine starts) last season, so he has some confidence and success to build upon.
Brandon Wood, 25, 3B, Angels – 236 plate appearances in three different major league seasons have yielded Wood 74 strikeouts compared to just seven walks, a .192 average and seven home runs. but he crushes minor league pitching and will finally get an everyday shot at third base. and, again, check out that age.
Cameron Maybin, 22 (he’ll be 23 by Opening Day), OF, Marlins – That home run at Yankee Stadium back on the second MLB game of his career in 2007 may have been a bit early for the masses to remain calm. here we are in 2010 and he’s yet to stick in the bigs. Of course, again, look at his age. Once fully developed, you’re looking at a guy with 25-home run, 40-steal potential. Patience is a virtue here, as he’s a star-in-the-making.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 24, C, Rangers – back in 2007, Salty was a hot trade prospect because he was stuck behind Brian McCann in Atlanta. He became the centerpiece of the Mark Teixeira trade (even though the Rangers also got Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz and Matt Harrison).
Brandon Morrow, 25, SP, Blue Jays – the former fifth-overall selection in the MLB Draft, Morrow has been bounced back and forth between starter and reliever throughout his career. the Mariners finally just traded him and the Jays are going to leave him in the rotation. He’s fared better in the bullpen throughout his early career, but he could shine when given an extended look as a starter, especially now with a fresh start. His strikeout rate (9.3 per nine innings for his MLB career) looks especially appetizing.
Ian Kennedy, 25, SP, Diamondbacks – Along with Phil Hughes, Kennedy was supposed to be the saving grace of the Yankees’ aging rotation prior to 2008. instead, he struggled in a major way and was demoted. Then the Yankees threw a bunch of money at starting pitching, Kennedy suffered a season-ending injury in 2009, and now he’s been traded as part of the Curtis Granderson three-team deal. Remember, Kennedy is now completely healthy, still very young, switching to a much easier pitching division and has always dominated the minors (19-6, 1.95 in 46 career appearances).
And we’ll leave you with two much maligned former no. 1 overall draft picks …
Delmon Young, 24, OF, Twins – the 2007 runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting hasn’t demonstrated any improvement since then. in fact, his refusal to adjust to the strike is evident with 92 strikeouts against just 12 walks last season in 416 plate appearances. He also quit stealing bases (just two last year, after 24 combined in his first two full seasons). On the flip-side, he should see an increase in playing time with Carlos Gomez having been traded in the offseason and he’s reportedly in much better shape this season. and he did somewhat cure his groundball-itis from 2008 (when he only hit 27.8 percent of his in-play balls in the air).
Luke Hochevar, 26, SP, Royals – unless the Kyle Farnsworth-to-starter project is a success (cue hysterical laughter), Hochevar should be pretty unchallenged in his rotation spot for the entire season. Hochevar has gone 13-26 with a 5.88 ERA and 1.47 WHIP thus far in his major league career. He hasn’t struck out hitters at a high rate in the bigs, either. That being said, we’ve seen flashes of his immense talent. Witness a September 18 shutout of the White Sox last year, or his punching out 13 Rangers in a 7-inning, 2-earned run outing last July. the latter of which concluded a six-game stretch when Hochevar went 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA, but then he gave up 7 runs on 11 hits next time out. As you can see, it’s been a bit of a roller coaster for the youngster. Just remember he’s only really had two seasons (with 48 career starts) and is still young. It’s not over yet.