Fantasy Baseball: Oakland Athletics Infielders
First base:
Billy Butler -He is a borderline mixed-league relevant player. Currently ranked as the 27th best first baseman and 236th best player overall, Butler doesn’t offer a ton of value. As a sleeper though he is certainly worth a late round grab. We know three things are true of Butler: 1. He is paid a lot of money – relative to Oakland’s spending habits – so he will play. 2. He still can mash lefties. He triple-slashed .321/ .387/ .460 against LHP in 2014. 3. Despite a down 2014, his 162 game average is still 18 homers, 87 RBI, 70 runs, and a .295 average. The bounce-back potential is certainly there and in on-base percentage leagues his value is still rather high considering where he is being taken and the fact that he doesn’t have much position eligibility. He is currently owned in 54.8 percent of ESPN standard leagues and his ADP is 227.5.
Jul 25, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ike Davis (15) singles in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Rockies defeated the Pirates 8-1. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Ike Davis – Currently projected to face righties in a first base platoon, Davis, like Butler, offers some nice bounce-back and sleeper value. In a standard league don’t even bother, Davis is ranked as the 44th best first baseman and 444th best player overall. Even in deep leagues he doesn’t warrant much attention, except for the fact that he hit 32 home runs not so long ago in 2012. Last season he clubbed 11 long balls, but all came against right-handed pitchers. You can read about what I think the Davis/Butler platoon can look like in 2015, so in a daily league Davis is at least worth a look. He is currently owned 0.2 percent of ESPN standard leagues and is going undrafted.
Next: Second Base