Market Movers – Chase Utley

Welcome Back to the First Round Mr. Utley!

Progress ahead of schedule was all fantasy managers needed to know

Not in every generation do we witness a second baseman that fits the mold of a career .900+ OPS hitter with speed in a strong lineup.  The combination makes Utley a hot commodity in fantasy sports, and worthy of an early to middle first round pick if his health wasn’t in question.  Now, the original prognosis of his hip injury was 4-6 months, which could have set Utley as far back as late May.  However, optimism for Phillies’ fans was released by ESPN last Friday as his recovery is reportedly well ahead of schedule: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3919778.  This means the pain-free Utley could likely start contributing to fantasy teams as early as April, thus sky rocketing his value. 

Fantasy Spin: As of now Chase Utley is on average the 16th player selected in drafts according to MDC data.  With the news, fantasy managers are now inclined to take Utley in the first round again and as the first second baseman off the boards.  I’ll even go as far to say he should be picked in the No. 9 spot, after the M. Cab/Braun/Sizemore bunch.  This is a move that can be justified by assessing the risk of the likely less productive first round picks in Kinsler, Hamilton, Howard, and Rollins.  Kinsler hasn’t played in more than 130 games in any of the last three seasons.  Hamilton is risky because he’s only had one monster season and his durability is still in question.  Howard’s K:BB rate has risen steadily in the last three years and it isn’t a sure-thing that he’ll soon return to hitting in the .270 range.  Rollins, the safest of the group, has posted inconsistent power numbers over the past four years in 12, 25, 30, and 11 homeruns.

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