It’s been a long season, but the finish line is finally in sight.
As the fantasy baseball playoffs wind down with baseball’s regular season, and the kings of your league are crowned, Roto Files takes one final look at the best and worst of the American League:
MVP: While arguments can be made for Chris Davis (more on him later) and Mike Trout (.330, 26 HR, 92 RBI, 33 SB, 1.01 OPS), Miguel Cabrera still takes the title. Thought his Triple Crown was impressive last year (.330, 44 HR, 139 RBI, .999 OPS)? He can potentially eclipse those numbers this year (.347, 44 HR, 134 RBI, 1.10 OPS). There’s a reason he’s the No. 1 ranked fantasy player and he continuously backs it up.
LVP: Josh Hamilton’s Head & Shoulders commercial with teammate C.J. Wilson was the best thing he did this season. At least in the commercial, he acted like a baseball player.
CY YOUNG: It’s a battle between two — Yu Darvish of the Rangers and Max Scherzer of the Tigers. Darvish has the edge in strikeouts and a slight edge in ERA, while Scherzer has the edge in wins and WHIP. When push comes to shove, while Darvish has almost 40 more strikeouts than Scherzer, the Tigers’ ace gets the award because of his win total.
ANTI-CY YOUNG: You can chalk some of David Price’s struggles this season to injuries, but what’s CC Sabathia’s excuse? The Yankees’ left-hander (58.1 average draft position — the 14th pitcher taken overall) has accrued numbers that make his worst seasons look good. His 4.90 ERA and 1.37 WHIP before Friday night’s start are the worst of his career. His win total is his lowest since 2004. His strikeout total is his lowest since 2005. Certainly not a fantasy.
BIGGEST SURPRISE (OFFENSE): There were plenty of surprises in the AL, but none bigger than Chris Davis. With an average draft position of 133.9 (the 22nd first baseman taken overall — below Ike Davis, who had a 109.4 ADP), he was just another 30-homer, 80-plus RBI guy with a decent batting average. Not anymore! He has become an elite fantasy player with his 50-plus homers, 130-plus RBIs, a .290 batting average and 1.013 OPS.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT (OFFENSE): The fact highly-touted Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas (149.8 ADP — the 16th third baseman taken overall) is barely hitting his weight and is owned in fewer than 30 percent of leagues speaks volumes of how far he has fallen.
BIGGEST SURPRISE (PITCHING): If you went into your draft believing a portly 40-year-old veteran like Bartolo Colon would be a vital part of your rotation, you need to start charging people for your predictions.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT (PITCHING): It may sound weird, but Justin Verlander is the winner here. From 2009-12, the Tigers ace went 78-31 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 977 strikeouts. This season, while the strikeouts were there (195), the wins weren’t as abundant (13), and his ERA (3.66) and WHIP (1.33) skyrocketed to his highest numbers since 2008 when he went 11-17.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: In just under 80 games, Tampa Bay’s Wil Myers is hitting .300 with more than 10 homers, almost 50 RBIs and five stolen bases. The .860 OPS doesn’t hurt either. He’s a keeper.
TOTAL RELIEF: Jim Johnson has more saves and Greg Holland has a lower ERA, but there’s only one closer deserving of this award: Mariano Rivera (and it’s not just because this is the last time we will ever be able to use him on a fantasy roster).
TOLD YA SO: For those of you who used an early draft pick on R.A. Dickey expecting a repeat of his NL Cy Young Award winning season, Roto Files did try to warn you.
PICTURE IT!: Through 14 starts, the oft-injured Clay Buchholz is 11-0 with a 1.51 ERA, 90 strikeouts and 1.01 WHIP. Can you imagine if he stayed healthy?
BEST ADAM DUNN IMITATION: Mark Trumbo is hovering around Adam Dunn’s career .238 batting average and had belted 34 homers before Friday night’s games. The runner-up: Dunn with another 30-plus homer season, an ugly .219 average and 181 strikeouts.
YOU VET!: Alfonso Soriano may be 37-years-old, but he has always been a reliable fantasy option (averaged 31 homers, 86 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and a .274 batting average from 2001-12). This season was no different, hitting 30-plus homers (first time since 2010) and almost 100 RBIs with 18 stolen bases and a .255 average before Friday night’s games.
BEST PICKUP: Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Josh Donaldson is the winner. How far was the A’s third baseman off everyone’s radar? According to fantasypros.com, his average draft position this season was not ranked.