We still don’t know exactly what the situation is with Chase Utley. It appears that he could miss some time, though how much is anyone’s guess.
Will it be a week? Will it be a month?
Even if he is somehow able to be ready to start on Opening Day, at this point we all know that this is a potentially chronic knee problem. Who’s to say that it doesn’t creep up in May or June or, even worse, September when your fantasy title is on the line?
Obviously, he still offers as much upside as anyone at 2B, so that makes the decision on where to rank him all the more difficult. He has to be moved down, but exactly how far? These rankings are going off the assumption that he’s going to get between 400 and 450 AB in 2011, meaning I’m projecting him to miss about a month (as well as lose the majority of the benefits he once had to steal a few bases).
If he misses more? Well, that’s a different story all together. For now, he has too much upside to drop too far and too much downside not to drop significantly:
- Robinson Cano – New York Yankees
- Dustin Pedroia – Boston Red Sox
- Ian Kinsler – Texas Rangers
- Dan Uggla – Atlanta Braves
- Brandon Phillips – Cincinnati Reds
- Martin Prado – Atlanta Braves
- Rickie Weeks – Milwaukee Brewers
- Chase Utley – Philadelphia Phillies
- Ben Zobrist – Tampa Bay Rays
- Aaron Hill – Toronto Blue Jays
- Brian Roberts – Baltimore Orioles
- Kelly Johnson – Arizona Diamondbacks
- Gordon Beckham – Chicago White Sox
- Howie Kendrick – Los Angeles Angels
- Chone Figgins – Seattle Mariners
Thoughts:
- Until we know more about Utley’s situation, the risk far outweighs the reward. Yes, you could get a prototypical performance from him, but at this point I’d put the chances at under 10%. It is far more likely that you could nothing out of your early round pick, making it impossible to call his name. If he falls to the middle rounds, then absolutely. He still could be one of the most dynamic options at the position.
- Are potential rebounds from Ben Zobrist and Aaron Hill worth more than Utley? That certainly is debatable, though they are far from locks in their own right. As we’ve said with Hill, he got very homer happy, but can we be sure that he rectifies it? (click here for more on Hill)
- Without Utley, do you think fantasy owners will finally realize just how valuable Dan Uggla is? You know people who once targeted Utley have to turn their attention somewhere, so maybe he will finally get the respect he deserves. For more on Uggla, check out my projection for 2011 by clicking here.
What are your thoughts on the rankings? Who’s too high? Who’s too low?
**** Make sure to order your copy of the Rotoprofessor 2011 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide, selling for just $5, by clicking here. ****
Make sure to check out our 2011 rankings:
- Top 15 Catchers
- Top 15 First Basemen
- Top 15 Third Basemen
- Top 15 Shortstops
- Top 30 Outfielders
- Top 30 Starting Pitchers
- Top 15 Closers
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