2013 Fantasy Baseball: Don't Write Off Curtis Granderson

Please write off Curtis Granderson, fantasy baseball community. Do us all a favor and cast the New York Yankees outfielder into the abyss of MLB mediocrity. This will only play into the hands of those who look at statistics on their own and can think for themselves. Granderson is anything but done and could very well be the best draft day value in baseball this season.

Rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. So many people have latched onto his .232 batting average in 2012 that they are beginning to forget just how good he actually is. He will be a top ten outfielder in 2013, I guarantee it.

Before I get into why you should still love Granderson, I want to address the batting average issue. Yes, he hit .232 last year and I am aware that is not very good. But people don’t realize that his batting averages have fluctuated greatly over the course of his career. He has hit as high as .302 (in 2007) and as low as .232 last year.

His average batting average fluctuation from year to year is 22 points one way or the other. He simply is all over the map. He posted a poor batting average last year, but there’s every reason to think he will fall in somewhere else on the batting average spectrum this season. If he improves by 22 points, which he statistically is likely to do, he’s hitting .254, a number you can live with.

While his batting average plummeted in 2012, Granderson’s power numbers were as impressive as ever. He finished with a career-high 43 homers and 106 RBI, his second highest career total. He tied for the second most homers in the American League and just missed the top five in runs batted in. He also, believe it or not, tied for eleventh in baseball in runs scored.

While the fantasy baseball community has hit the panic button on Granderson because of his dipping batting average, he is certainly worth a second examination heading into 2013. I think he will easily place himself inside the top-10 among outfielders and will outshine players being drafted ahead of him like Justin Upton and Adam Jones.

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