Building the Red Sox fan’s perfect fantasy team
COMMENTARY“Why can’t we get guys like that?” If you’ve been a Red Sox fan for long enough, chances are you’ve uttered that dripping-with-sarcasm question a few times. If you haven’t, it’s generally something you ask about a player who used to be on your team, but no longer is. Die-hard Red Sox fans have a running list in their heads of these players, so we thought, what better way to kick off the 2017 season than to bring them together on a fantasy team? Now, obviously some of the players will be current Red Sox players, because, hey, the 2017 team is still pretty darn good. But we’re going to have some fun here. Since this is a fantasy team, we’ll be at least somewhat mindful of Average Draft Position while building a roster. ADP is just what it sounds like — the average of where players are being drafted in fantasy leagues this spring. I used the Fantasy Pros list as a guide, as their method of using multiple popular fantasy systems gives them averages on averages. Their list runs 429 players deep, in case you don’t feel like clicking and scrolling to the bottom. Finally, my other self-imposed guideline was to create a roster of 25 players using what is close to a traditional fantasy baseball format: catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, five outfielders, a CI (corner infielder), MI (middle infielder), UTIL (utility player, can be any hitter) seven pitchers (can be starters or relievers), five bench spots and two disabled list spots. (Note: All ADP figures are as of Thursday)Pitchers (ADP): Chris Sale (19.8), Jon Lester (33.8), Carlos Martinez (66), Rick Porcello (92), Rich Hill (122.5), Mark Melancon (79.3), Andrew Miller (120.5)This is a pretty fantastic group, if I do say so myself. Two of the pitchers — Sale and Porcello — are currently on the team. As for the rest, the one name you might be scratching your head at is Martinez. While it’s true Martinez never pitched for the Red Sox, he was signed by the Red Sox before having his contract voided by Major League Baseball. As Alex Speier detailed back in 2013, the Sox had the chance to sign him again a year later, but chose not for reasons that look incredibly childish in retrospect, especially now that Martinez is an All-Star.Position PlayersCatcher — Sandy Leon (279.3): Catcher is pretty thin for this exercise. Victor Martinez is no longer a catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is no longer a starting catcher, and Red Sox manager John Farrell continues to deny Blake Swihart the chance to play on a regular basis. So that leaves Leon. Hopefully he’ll hit well again, but if he doesn’t, hey, no team is perfect.First Base — Anthony Rizzo (11.5): This one hurts. One of the four prospects dealt in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez back in December 2010, Rizzo never played in the majors with Boston. But he got close, as in his final stop in the team’s farm system. He hit 20 homers in 107 games for Double-A Portland as a 20-year-old. That’s rare talent, and while he was never a top-25 prospect, he was always well thought of, and is now a bona fide superstar. He’s finished in the top 10 in the NL MVP race the past three seasons, and will probably continue to do so for the foreseeable future.Second Base — Dustin Pedroia (115): Given that he’s accounted for more than 80 percent of the Red Sox plate appearances at second base since 2010, it’d be pretty hard to pick someone else. And really, why would you? Pedroia has another season or two before he passes Bobby Doerr as the best Red Sox second baseman of all time, but he’ll get there eventually.Third Base — Adrian Beltre (66): In 2010, Beltre was worth 6.4 wins above replacement (WAR) with the Sox. That was the best season for a Red Sox third baseman since Wade Boggs. Then he signed with the Texas Rangers in free agency, and over the past six years there, he has been worth 33.7 WAR, as he has bolstered what should be a strong Hall of Fame case. In that same space of time, Red Sox third basemen have been worth just 3.5 WAR. It’s safe to say that the Sox screwed up by letting Beltre walk.Shortstop — Xander Bogaerts (27.3): What, were you expecting Mike Aviles?Outfield — Mookie Betts (2.3), Yoenis Cespedes (46.8), Jackie Bradley Jr. (116.3), Andrew Benintendi (117.5), Jacoby Ellsbury (232.8)You could be forgiven if you’d rather have Manuel Margot (296) as your fifth outfielder instead of Ellsbury, but neither would be playing much. Heck, Benintendi wouldn’t be playing much, and he’s a player consistently drafted in the top 10 rounds of fantasy drafts this season. This is a pretty great group, led by MVP candidate Betts.Corner Infielder — Hanley Ramirez (76.3): He probably won’t be as good as he was last year, but he’s still a great hitter.Middle Infielder — Yoan Moncada (243.3): This is a future play, but also Moncada is the best option left in terms of middle infielders, and he doesn’t even qualify as a middle infielder yet. He will though, as the White Sox plan to play him at second base. In real life, you’d probably pick Jose Iglesias here, but in fantasy baseball, Iglesias is essentially worthless.Utility — Adrian Gonzalez (148.3): Most Sox fans are probably still trying to forget him, but he has been pretty consistently good in Los Angeles since he left town. His power dipped a bit last season, as it sometimes does for 34-year-old first baseman, but he maintained his on-base percentage, and should be a useful player again this season.Bench — Craig Kimbrel (90.8), John Lackey (142.3), Victor Martinez (196.5), Marwin Gonzalez (394.5), Manny Ramirez (n/a)The first three names will all make sense to you. Gonzalez is a bit of a stretch, but with Martinez limited to strictly first base, I thought it would be good to have a backup middle infielder, especially with Moncada not being in the majors to start the season, and believe it or not, Gonzalez is the best choice. Another player who never actually suited up for the Sox (the Sox took him in the 2011 Rule 5 Draft, and then immediately traded him to the Astros), Gonzalez qualifies at first, second, third, short and outfield in Yahoo! Leagues this year, which adds to his value. He’s racked up double-digit homers in each of the past two seasons, and he’s got “win” right in his name, so you know he’s good. The final bench spot goes to Manuel Aristides Ramirez. You can’t draft him in your league because he’s no longer playing in America, but he is still playing, and I can’t think of anyone better to sit at the end of the bench, tell jokes and be ready to hit, just in case we need a pinch-hit home run.Disabled List — David Price (96), David Ortiz (n/a)Price will be back, probably. I am worried we are looking at another Bret Saberhagen situation here, but hopefully I’m wrong. As for Ortiz, I’m cheating a little — technically you couldn’t put a retired player on the disabled list. But if it weren’t for his feet he might still be playing, so I’m stashing him there anyway. Just in case.Happy baseball, everyone!(Others considered: Mike Napoli (201), Drew Pomeranz (237.8), Eduardo Rodriguez (287), Steven Wright (287.8), Pablo Sandoval (289), Manuel Margot (296), Mitch Moreland (312), Tyler Thornburg (314.3), Josh Reddick (319.5), Bartolo Colon (340), Brad Ziegler (350.5), Brandon Moss (355.3), Blake Swihart (359.5), Jose Iglesias (n/a), Wily Mo Pena (n/a), Koji Uehara (n/a), Junichi Tazawa (n/a), Michael Kopech (n/a), Anibal Sanchez (n/a), Hunter Strickland (n/a))
