A while ago I wrote an article in which I explained when to draft. Or better, when not to draft. You can read it here: http://fantasysports.ucoz.com/publ/2-1-0-4
One of the points I outlined was pre-season injury. And that’s exactly what happened:
Alex Rodriguez decided to have surgery to repair his hip, which will sideline him for six to nine weeks. In other words he will miss the first month of the season at least.
A-Rod used to be a first-rounder and would most likely be drafted at around #2 but this will change now. You are getting no production out of your first pick for the first month.
You expected approximately 115 runs, 40 home runs, 130 RBIs and 20 stolen bases out of him, provided he stays healthy. Well, he didn’t and now you are closer to his statistics from last season when he had 104 runs, 35 home runs, 103 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Quite frankly, I think he’ll be at around 95 runs, 33 home runs, 108 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.
These are numbers that put him on a level with Evan Longoria right now; hence A-Rod currently has third round value. I guess your first draft pick turned out to be a bad one.
What’s even worse, for one month you will have to cover your third base spot with the backup you drafted. That’s someone like Mark Reynolds or Jorge Cantu if you’re lucky, but it might well be someone like Ty Wiggington or Ian Stewart if you didn’t care much about your bench.
What happens if A-Rod has further issues with is hip or other injuries that may keep him out of the line-up? I’m sure that the guys who drafted him wish they would have drafted at a later date!
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