SubscribeThe Seattle Mariners started off Spring Training this week with a surprising infield arrangement — Jose Lopez taking grounders at 3B and the newly acquired Chone Figgins playing 2B.
At this point it just looks like an experiment, but the potential shift has lots of people talking. For fantasy purposes, a 2B-eligible Figgins would be a throwback to his legendary flexibility of years past.
But how valuable is Figgins at 2B? As a 3B in a standard league, I’ve got him at $11. That may seem a bit conservative after his breakout $19 campaign in 2009, but don’t forget about a 2008 where he barely managed to be above replacement level. He’s also making the transition from the Angels to the Mariners, and I don’t see many guys in Seattle that will be able to provide much help for his run totals. He’s hard to predict for 2010, but the best guess is that his true talent lies somewhere in between 2008 and 2009 — maybe about $11.
All of that assumes he only qualifies at 3B for fantasy, though. You might notice that the Price Guide lists a “Total” value and an “Adj. Total.” The former represents a player’s value without regard for position; the latter is after taking position into account. Since the typical 2B is a little worse than the average 3B, a player with equivalent stats will be worth a little more as a 2B than as a 3B. The “League Info” tab of the Price Guide tells you how much each position is adjusted.
To figure out what Figgins is worth as a 2B, all you have to do is replace the 3B adjustment with the 2B one. It turns out that, in a standard fantasy league, Figgins would get a bump from about $11 to $15 if you could put him at 2B.
There’s also some value in a player qualifying at two positions: You gain roster flexibility for off days, and you have more options for replacing an injured player. Those things are tough to quantify, but I’d pay a couple of extra dollars for a 2B/3B. I could easily see a swing from $11 to $18 when everything is accounted for.
Keep in mind that all of this is for a standard league that starts an extra CI and MI. Surprisingly, in a shallow league like the Yahoo or ESPN default setup, there is basically no gain for switching from 3B to 2B. The hypothetical 2B-Figgins is valued at $8, just a slight improvement from the expected $6. With only 10 or 12 starting at each position, the drop-off on 2B is much closer to that of 3B than to SS.
In a situation without a MI slot, I’d be willing to give a little extra for multi-position eligibility. So maybe that original $6 becomes $12 if Figgins is a 2B/3B in Yahoo/ESPN.
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In AL only leagues, this would also be interesting if Lopez qualifies at 3rd. 3rd base seems really shallow in the junior circuit this year.
I’m assuming you’re calling the AL the junior circuit?
I would argue A-Rod, Longoria, Youk, Figgy, Beckham and Young stack up pretty darn well against the NL hot corners…
A-Rod > Wright
Longoria > Sandoval
Youk > Reynolds
….
Just my thoughts..
But once you’re past those 6, in a 12 team league what’s left? Beltre? Encarnacion? Gordon? I like Lopez as a 3B before those guys.
True, it sure does fall off after those. But what do you have after the top 6 NL-3B?
Wright, Pablo, Zimm, Reynolds, Aramis, Chipper…
Then what?
Stewart? Headley? Blake?
I completely agree that Lopez would fit in nicely as a top 6-7 3B in an AL-only league but I don’t agree that the AL is the weaker of the two leagues at 3B this year… It’s a rather shallow year all around.
Jmo.
@Chris: Regarding Stewart, the projections put him as the #2 NL 2B! He could easily be in that middle class of Aramis/Chipper-level thirdbasemen this year.
I think the NL at least looks deeper at 3B because there are more multi-position guys that qualify there in the NL. The AL basically has Youkilis (1B), Teahen (OF), and Peralta (SS). In the NL its Reynolds (1B), Sandoval (1B), Stewart (2B), DeRosa (OF), Prado (2B, 1B), Cantu (1B), Headley (OF), etc.
I can’t tell if it is actually deeper or not, but there are factors that can give you that impression.
No arguments about 3B being shallow in the NL as well.
My comment was mainly about AL only vs. mixed league.
That said, I think I’d rather have some of the bottom-barrel guys in the NL than the AL. Which at least I don’t have to worry about this year, as I’ve got Reynolds as a keeper on my NL-only team.
Mays – the projections on Stewart seem awfully bullish on his BA. I don’t see how you have a career .238 hitter projected to hit .257. Conversely, Phillips’s .267 average seems a little low.
@Molson: Ian Stewart may be a .238 hitter in MLB, but he’s also a .293 career hitter in the minors. I think .257 is a reasonable middle ground. (Of course, I don’t make the projections…)
Brandon Phillips is a career .265 hitter (2700 MLB AB). He did a little worse in 2008 (.261) and a little better in 2009 (.276). CHONE is a little more optimistic (.272), and CAIRO is a little pessimistic (.260).
No matter how you look at him, he seems like a reliable ~.270 hitter.