Kids, don’t listen to what they say: It’s possible to be the absolute worst at one thing, and yet be recognized as the absolute best overall. A few points, here, on greatness, and how it affects your fantasy team in 2009. Meet Exhibit A (below), Zoilo Versalles. A shortstop, he finished with 95 career home runs, with under 500 RBIs. Career batting average was .242.
Despite being the most unlikely of candidates, Zoilo (or Zorro, as his 1961 baseball card states) was the 1965 AL MVP.
Proof That You Can Be the Best at Being Bad and the Best at Being Good at the Same Time
1965 was magical year. It’s the birth year of none other than the likes of Luis Sojo, Lenny Webster, Ron Gant, Benito Santiago, Steve Finley, Kevin Brown, John Smiley, Glenallen Hill, Chris Hoiles, Cris Carpenter, Hal Morris, Jeff Blauser, Todd Stottlemyre, Rob Ducey, Ricky Jordan, Steve Sparks, Greg Vaughn, Kirt Manwaring, Mike Bordick, Mark Lemke, Todd Zeile, Mark Guthrie, Ruben Sierra, Al Leiter, Paul Sorrento, Matt Williams, Jay Bell, Craig Biggio, and Willie Blair. Percentage of those guys who would go on to use steroids: at least 40.
(There’s a present-day point to this, I promise.)And that year, Zorro came out of nowhere and hit .273 with 19 HR, 77 RBI, 126 R and 27 SB and win the AL MVP. The somewhat journeyman Cuban shortstop, all of 5-foot-nothing, 100-and-nothing (5’10″, 150) declared viva la revolucion on pitchers in the AL (to some degree) and was named the best player in that league, for that year, without leading the league in any category.
But do you want to know the most ridiculous part? That very year, 1965, he became just the seventh player to lead his league in BOTH strikeouts (122) and errors (39), and the only one to do it and win the MVP.
And do you want to know the kicker? That year, not only was he also an All-Star, but he won the Gold Glove award at shortstop. Riddle me that.
The reason that I mention this is that there is a lot of conversation this year about Mark Reynolds, the Arizona third baseman and Virginia alumnus, being a sleeper for 2009, just year after striking out a major league record and league-leading 204 times.
But do you know what he did last year, becoming just the eighth player in MLB history to do? He also led the league in errors, with 34, to go with his impressive performance at the plate.
Now, a few thoughts on both points and 5×5 fantasy baseball leagues with regard to this specimen.
If you’re in a points league, you will be sorely tempted based on high level stats (AVG/HR/RBI/R/SB) to draft Reynolds as you approach the 20-25th rounds in your league, particularly if you play a roster that includes a corner infield position. I would implore you not to consider Mr. Reynolds. His is now enshrined in a unique category that contains only one relative winner, and that is Zorro Versalles. Not to say that Reynolds couldn’t hit 25 HR with 100 RBI – I guess he could, and came close in 2008 – but his strikeout totals, unless they improve dramatically, and combined with pretty average walk rates (64 in 2008) significantly reduce his relative value. And if you play errors, too, well, good luck. You’re probably staring at over minus-200 points from his overall total, straight from the get-go.
5×5 leagues will be different – you can safely withstand Mark Reynolds’ sub-.250 batting average, and strikeouts/errors won’t count. Personally I’d prefer to avoid the stank of last year’s performance from taking over my fantasy clubhouse, but I wouldn’t dismiss anyone who drafted him among the top-15 of 3Bs.
The point is this: Study your league breakdown. Player values fluctuate tremendously based on what your league commissioner randomly placed in those boxes when he created the league, to include scoring and roster breakdown. Here we have a case where in a points league a player could be a tremendous liability, while he may well be an asset in a 5×5.
Also, when you start getting down about yourself, thinking that your sales number are low, or your project is overspending and behind schedule, just think of Zorro. He led the league in the two categories that you never want to lead the league in, and yet still won the MVP in 1965. He even won commendation for being the best defensive player at his position whilst leading the league in errors not just at that position but at any other.
It is possible to be the best at something when also being the best at being the worst in the things that you are come hell or high water not supposed to be the best at being the worst at, if that makes sense. If not, I’m sorry, as the case of Zorro Versalles has officially blown my mind. I might even pick up Mark Reynolds in my points league.
