Let’s continue to look at late round options turning our attention to shortstop.
Two of the options late in your draft we’ve already discussed in great detail, so I’m not going to rehash them here, but if you are curious, you can click the links to get the details on them Everth Cabrera and Alcides Escobar.
After those two, are there really any other options that fantasy owners should be looking at late? The options are certainly limited, considering the above two are the 17th and 18th shortstops off the board, but there is one name that still jumps out at me:
J.J. Hardy - Minnesota Twins
He was exiled from Milwaukee to make room for Escobar, but he certainly was in need of a change of scenery. He was terrible last season, hitting just .229 with 11 HR over 414 AB, ultimately being banished to the minor leagues.
While those numbers certainly were pathetic, how can we simply ignore the success he had in 2007 & 2008?
He posted averages of .277 and .283, respectively, while slugging a total of 50 HR, 154 RBI and 167 R. Is it fair to classify him as an afterthought after one poor season?
He suffered from some bad luck, with a .260 BABIP, which certainly contributed to his problems. Unfortunately, it wasn’t his only problem.
His strikeout rate has increased each of the past three seasons:
2007 - 12.3 percent
2008 - 17.2 percent
2009 - 20.5 percent
That’s a trend that needs to be reversed in order for him to get his average back into the usable range.
From the power department, for all intents and purposes, it simply disappeared. In his 27-year-old season, he saw his HR/FB fall from 14.1 percent to 8.3 percent.
Is that something that we could realistically expect to continue?
He showed too much skill in ‘07 and ‘08 to consider last season as the actual Hardy.
Hardy joins a talented, deep lineup in Minnesota and while there are questions about how the park may play, there is no real reason to shy away from him due to one bad season. He has value written all over him, making him a player I wouldn’t be upset to get as my middle infielder in all formats.
What about you? Are you expecting a rebound from Hardy? Why or why not?
If you would like to see a free preview of the Rotoprofessor 2010 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide (available for just $5) now including a Top 50 Prospects for 2010 List, click here .
If you are interested in this, check out some of the Rotoprofessor’s late round articles:
- 5 Late Round Strikeout Options
- 5 Late Round Stolen Base Options
- 5 Late Round WHIP Options
- 2 Late Round Catching Options
- 2 Late Round First Base Options
- 2 Late Round Second Base Options
- 3 Late Round Closer Options
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