Salty or Escobar::fantasy type question

by dbimberg on Nov 6, 2007 2:35 PM EST Comment 13 comments

I am in a simulation/replay league. I am faced with a decision. who do I like better, Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Yunel Escobar?

On my team I have a SS in Furcal and a C in Pierzynski. This tells me that C is more of a need.

However, I am not contending next season and thus Furcal could be flipped for SP, which is a major need on my team. Thus, getting Escobar is helpful. However, I am already noting the downward spiral that AJ Pierzynski is undergoing, and long term I need a new solution at catcher.

My question to you minor league folks is this: Who would you rather have on your team long-term, Yunel Escobar or Jarrod Saltalamacchia?

My thoughts on each player:

Yunel Escobar hit very well this year in MLB:326/.385/.451. Outside his stint at AA Mississippi, Escobar has a +.800 OPS at every stop. His BABIP is very high, at .367 in MLB and .354 and .384 in his 2 minor league stops outside of Mississippi. At this point, I would not think that this means he is getting lucky, but rather that he hits the ball hard(perhaps a high LD%? not sure where that data is..)
Thus, I think Escobar is bound to be good. How good, I don't know, but certainly an above average MLB SS, if he stays there.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia has had a lot of coverage. He was the key acquisition in the Texiera trade, which says something. His combined MLB stats this year are: .266/.310/.422. Not great, but he is young. A concern is if he will stay at C. If he becomes a 1B, he is of much less value.

I am torn on this. For the purposes of the poll, assume that both Escobar and Saltalamacchia are in a draft and you can choose between them.

Thank you for your votes, and I would appreciate comments.

Poll

Who would you rather have on your team?

Jarrod Saltalmacchia

95 votes

Yunel Escobar

20 votes

115 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 13 comments

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Comments

salty

not even close.

I heard Tim Lincecum will win 1 Cy Young & 11 Tim Lincecums. Question is, how many Cole Hamels will he win?

by the pinstripes on Nov 6, 2007 2:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Escobar

I see him as more of a .290/15/20 guy. He'll score some runs, steal some bases and hit for a decent average. But I don't think he'll be above .300 consistently or really do much else to warrant a spot on a fantasy roster.

by mraver on Nov 6, 2007 3:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Why Salty?

I was expecting Salty to win this poll, but through the early returns he is blowing Escobar away.

My question for further elaboration is, why is he winning by such a large margin? Are poeple non-believers in Escobar? Is this based on the belief that Salty will remain at C?

Thanks

by dbimberg on Nov 6, 2007 2:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Re:

I expect Yunel to be a valuable player to an actual MLB team, but one that may not produce gaudy stats consistently. Not untypical of a batting average dependent player.

Make the world a better place. Punch Shamus in the face.

by McLovin on Nov 6, 2007 3:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly

by Yakker on Nov 6, 2007 3:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree in way

but there have been some awfully good batting avergae dependant players over the years. her reminds me of Julio Franco at the plate and I woner if there aren't a couple batting titles in his future as well. That being said being said Salty has possibly more realistic upside ( as ibn upside he will actually reach... not space cadet upside like many talk on here). In other words, to me it's a tough choice. I'd take Yunel though in real-life but, thats just me. He just looks like a player you can take to the bank for the next 10+ years and I like his all around game.

by casejud on Nov 6, 2007 4:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Real life v Fantasy

I'd take Yunnie in real life too; Salty in fantasy though, no question.

by Yakker on Nov 6, 2007 5:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Salty

Delta between Salty and AJ Pierzdickhead is much higher than between Escobar and other SS's. Unless you can get a really good deal lined up ahead of time getting SP for Furcal, I'd choose Saltalamacchia

by nevin on Nov 6, 2007 4:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

salty.

not a rip on escobar at all, he looks like a solid player and i think it's a valid question. but i think salty's going to hit for son-of-a-bitch power.

by wily mo on Nov 6, 2007 5:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

+1

Marcello on Tim Lincecum's 2008: "Yeah, he only pitched 180 innings last year, who knows if he can handle 200?!?!??"

by realityconquest on Nov 7, 2007 12:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It depends...

Salty's going to be a valuable commodity as long as he qualifies at C. If he gets moved to 1B full-time, he's not. And this year his stats probably won't be great in any event, though he may well outhit Pierzynski.

Escobar could very possibly put up Renteria-like numbers year in, year out, .290/.350/.400, and that's quite good from a shortstop. But Furcal's coming off a bad year, so I don't know if you should unload him now or hope that he hits better next year and try to get better value.

by alexwithclass on Nov 7, 2007 12:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

my thoughts too..

If Salty gets moved to 1B full-time, he becomes much less of a valuable commodity. In this event, I would rather take Escobar and see what happens.

I guess the question could become, will Furcal hit better in the future? If so, then perhaps its ok to keep Furcal as my SS and get Salty...if not, then its a gamble on how much I can get for Furcal vs. if Salty sticks at C...

Does anyone have any insight on if Salty will be the main C next year for Texas?

by dbimberg on Nov 7, 2007 4:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs