The 2010 free agent signings may just be trickling in, but atleast they’re good enough to catch the fantasy baseball world’s attention. After signing a 3 year, $18M (with a mutual option for a fourth) deal with the Phillies today, Placido Polanco gets an immediate bump in fantasy value. Immediate.
Reality baseball folks will criticize the length of the deal and point out that Polanco hasn’t played the hot corner in atleast 4 years, but in baseball fantasy circles, this is a great move for those that have enjoyed Polanco’s steady production in the past. For 2010 fantasy baseball drafts, he’s going to be a hot commodity. Not only will he have multi-position eligibility for the middle and corner infield, but we’re talking about a career .303 hitter joining one of the most potent lineups in baseball.
I was checking out RotoWorld and they were speculating that Charlie Manuel will hit Polanco second in order to move Shane Victorino down to get more run producing opportunities for the Flyin’ Hawaiian rather than having him set the table. If that’s the case then how could you not love drafting Polanco in the upcoming season? He’s moving back to one of the best hitter’s parks in baseball, so there’s a chance we could see a return to his 2004 level of 17 HR, and if he is, in fact, going to hit second, then he’s being sandwiched between Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, with Ryan Howard after that. What more could you want from a guy you can still draft at second base? And if you can’t use him there (not sure why, but just in case), he should be about average, maybe even a little above, for a third baseman.
Keep the excitement under your hat for as long as you can and try to keep him off your competitors’ radar screens. Placido Polanco is now shaping up to be one heck of a fantasy baseball sleeper for the 2010 season.
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