Fantasy Baseball – Coors Field And The Colorado Rockies
When drafting in a fantasy league it’s always important to look at park factors. Jesus Montero would have been a fantastic option had he qualified at catcher when he was with the New York Yankees. But the trade to the Seattle Mariners killed his value, as Safeco is one of the toughest parks for power hitting right handed batters. His opposite field power should help him out a bit, but Montero’s value took a hit the moment he was destined to play 81 games in Safeco.
With Coors Field in Colorado being one of the best hitters park in the game, we always like to pick players who join Colorado as they’re likely to see a jump in production. But considering who the Rockies picked up this season, is that a worthwhile investment?
OF Michael Cuddyer – I talked about him recently about whether or not he was worthy of an Average Draft Pick of 94.85 - but is he likely to see an increase in his numbers at Coors? As a 33 year old playing in the National League for the first time, that seems unlikely. Cuddyer has never shown great patience, and his power isn’t anything special for a corner outfielder (career 180 ISO). He might get a boost in RBI from the 70 he had in 2011, but it’s unlikely he hits more than the 20 homers he hit last year. What you see is what you’re going to get with Cuddyer.
C Ramon Hernandez – Once the Rockies were able to flip Chris Iannetta, they quickly signed Ramon Hernandez to be their starting catcher. The soon to be 36 year old has been a fantastic hitting catcher throughout his career, posting a 790 OPS over the past two seasons. When you consider that he’s been playing in Cincinnati for the past three seasons, another excellent hitters park, it’s unlikely that Hernandez will gain any value by moving to Coors. He might get a boost in the counting stats (HR, RBI, Runs) if the Rockies give him more at bats than the Reds did. But he won’t get the typical boost a player will receive by playing half their games in Coors.
2B Marco Scutaro – The Rockies made a fantastic acquisition in Scutaro, who is one of the most underrated middle infielders in the game. He’s not very valuable in fantasy baseball, because what he excels in (on base percentage) typically isn’t rewarded in the standard 5X5 league. Scutaro should see a small increase in home runs, as it’s much easier to hit one in Coors then in Fenway. According to ESPN Coors has a HR factor of 1.354 compared to .880 in Fenway during 2011. However, Fenway is very similar in hitting for average, so Scutaro likely won’t see a jump here. Scutaro will be more valuable because he’s likely to bat second in the Rockies lineup, compared to the #9 spot in Boston.
3B Casey Blake – He struggled to stay healthy last season, and at 39 there’s a decent chance his days of playing everyday are over. But he might benefit the most out of anybody moving to Coors, as Dodger Stadium is one of the toughest parks to score runs in. He was a league average offensive third baseman in a pitchers park, so if he can stay healthy there’s a chance he could be an above average hitter in Coors. That would make him a very productive fantasy player, and could be a bargain on draft day. He’ll probably need more time off than in the past, but Blake might benefit the most out of anybody moving to Coors Field.
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