This is the last Risers/Fallers column of the season and in it, we will go over my choices for Fantasy MVP and LVP. Now, when it comes to MVP, I’m not going to select players like Mike Trout or Mookie Betts. They were first-round picks. They are putting up the numbers that were expected of them. I’m going to be looking at players that vastly outperformed where they were drafted if they were drafted at all. As for LVP, that would be the opposite. I am looking for players that were selected early who bombed for one reason or another. Hopefully, you had more of the former than you did the latter.
Fantasy MVP
Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Pirates: You could make an argument that Bell shouldn’t be on this list as he has been MIA for the past two months. I can’t argue with that, but he still has 37 HRs and 116 RBI and let’s not forget, not only was Bell a late-round draft pick in fantasy leagues, he may have been a waiver wire addition during the season. Throw in that he hits in what’s considered to be one of the best pitcher parks in MLB and with not much offensive help around him and you should be able to see why I included him here.
Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks: A stress reaction in his back ended his season early and what a shame that is as he announced himself this year with a huge breakout campaign. Maybe the humidor in Arizona was on the fritz as Marte hit 32 bombs, drove in 92 runs, stole 10 bases, and batted .329. If this is a sign of things to come, Marte will go from a late-round draft pick in 2019 to a top-three round pick in future years.
Marcus Semien, Oakland Athletics: There was a time not so long ago when Semien was known as someone who had a decent bat but was just an awful defensive shortstop. Well, not only has he become an adequate defender, but that bat has come alive as well. Like Bell in Pittsburgh, Semien hits in what is likely the least friendly ballpark in the American League if not all of baseball for batters. Semien is a shortstop who can hit more than 30 HRs, steal double-digit bases, and have an AVG that won’t hurt you. Those numbers are worth their weight in gold.
Sonny Gray, Cincinnati Reds: I wrestled with either Gray or Suarez here. In the end, the pitcher was more important than the hitter as everyone and their mother was hitting HRs this season. As for Gray, yeah, he couldn’t cut in New York. We have seen that story before, but send him to a smaller city in the National League, and you get the pitcher we had seen in Oakland. Gray pitched to a 2.80 ERA and 1.09 WHIP despite pitching in Cincinnati where baseballs end up in the seats more than they do in gloves.
Honorable Mentions: Peter Alonso, New York Mets; Matt Olson, Oakland Athletics; Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox; Jorge Soler, Kansas City Royals; Michael Brantley, Houston Astros; Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians; Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers; Lance Lynn, Texas Rangers; Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds; Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox, Will Smith, San Francisco Giants
Fantasy LVP
Daniel Murphy, Colorado Rockies: Many questioned why the Rockies would sign Murphy. They really didn’t need help at 1B or 2B and had plenty of offense to go around. Murphy has trouble staying healthy for any length of time this season and his numbers, although not terrible, were nowhere near was expected out of someone hitting in the launching pad that is Coors Field. The Rockies should have known better and now fantasy owners should also.
Robinson Cano, New York Mets: This could go down as one of the worst trades in not only the history of the Mets but in MLB as well. Yeah, Cano was terrible this season. From not being able to hit, to not running out ground balls, to getting hurt, but to think the Mets gave up Jarred Kelenic (top prospect in the game who had a great season) and Justin Dunn and took on Edwin Diaz is all you need to know about this selection. Oops.
Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees: Stanton has only played 14 games this season and hit two HRs. That’s about 48 short of the number of long balls expected out of him. Sure, injuries are the reason why, but that won’t make any fantasy owner who drafted him in the first round feel better.
Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox: Maybe we should’ve seen this coming also. One of the main reasons Boston won the World Series last season was because of Sale. He pitched not only as a starter in the postseason but also as a reliever when Craig Kimbrel fell apart. That amount of work adds up and Sale has always looked like an injury waiting to happen with his mechanics. Many questioned why the Sox would sign Sale to that extension and now the Sox are probably questioning that as well. Sale wasn’t himself from day one and injury seemed to be inevitable. What makes this contract even worse is that it may be one of the main reasons that Betts won’t be able to sign a long-term extension with the club.
Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians: Kluber didn’t even last as long as Sale. He was pitching lousy before the injury and only made seven starts this season. Kluber had always worn down during the season, but we didn’t have to worry about that this year as he was done before summer even began.
Dishonorable Mentions: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians; Justin Upton, Los Angeles Angels; Khris Davis, Oakland Athletics; Ian Desmond, Colorado Rockies; Edwin Diaz, New York Mets
