Daily Dr. Roto — March 16
Fantasy Preview in a Nutshell: New York Yankees
Players to Watch
Gary Sanchez — I am all-in on Sanchez. I took him in the FSTA Draft, LABR, and I will try again in Tout Wars. To me, Sanchez stands out like Mike Piazza once did at the position: he is so far ahead of the rest of the other players that is not even funny. In a time where position scarcity is no longer discussed, Sanchez is the poster child for that concept. The best part about Sanchez is that he plays on the top offense in the AL and should be a lock for 30-90 this season.
Greg Bird — The Bird is the word in New York. While I still think Bird has some maturing to do as a hitter, he is expected to be the left-handed bat in the middle of the Yankees’ Murderers Row lineup. This should give him a chance to drive in close to 100 runs if he can hit .250. Bird was injured last year so it’s possible that you might save a buck or two on him at your auction if people are looking at last year’s stats. If that happens, pounce quickly.
Aaron Hicks — Hicks is such a good defensive player that the Yankees want him to be their everyday starter in CF. Even better for Fantasy owners is that Hicks has power and speed and should be an integral part of the bottom half of the Yankees batting order. Because of how good the rest of the Yankees lineup is, Hicks receives little fanfare. That would be an oversight because he would be one of the top players on most other teams.
Aaron Judge — A lot of people are worried that Judge won’t be able to replicate last year’s numbers, and I agree — he won’t. That said, even if he goes down 15% overall, he is still going to hit 40+ HR and be a run producer in the middle of the Yankees batting order. Are there holes in Judge’s swing? Yes. But I have to think that at least 40 pitchers will make mistakes to him over the course of the season, making him a lock as a second-round pick.
Giancarlo Stanton — Stanton raised his game when he batted second for the Marlins last season. He felt more comfortable there and thrived even though he was hitting in one of the best pitcher’s parks in MLB. Now that he’s a Yankee it will be interesting to see what Yankees Manager Aaron Boone does with him. While it will be tempting for Boone to hit him lower in the order, it might be in Stanton’s best interest to keep him batting second where he is comfortable.
Sonny Gray — With Severino and Tanaka around, I think that Sonny Gray might get overlooked at drafts. While I do worry that he lets up too many home runs, I think he is a lock for 12-14 wins and an ERA right about 4.00. The best part about Gray is that you can take him as your SP4 and he offers SP2 upside if he can keep the ball in the park.
Chad Green — If you play in a league that values middle relievers you need to take a closer look at Chad Green. He could be the Yankees version of Chris Devenski and vulture a ton of wins for your team. Even though he is valuable in the bullpen, if there is an injury in the Yankees rotation, Green could get the first shot to win the job. I like his upside late in drafts.
David Robertson — Call it a visionary play, but I have a feeling that RP Aroldis Chapman might not finish the year as the Yankees closer. If this happens, expect the team to turn to Robertson who has tons of closing experience. Even if I am wrong about Chapman, I think Robertson can get 5-10 saves just by the Yankees having a chance to win close to 100 games.
