The United Nation holds a number of summits each year to address important issues worldwide, but perhaps none compare to ESPN's fantasy baseball summit.
Just kidding. But seriously, who knew there was a fantasy baseball summit? I sure didn't.
Anyway, as you prepare for your 2016 fantasy baseball season, here's what the ESPN summit covered, as reported by Eric Karabell:
Is Chicago Cubs' catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber the best fantasy backstop?
-He'll open the season as an outfielder and there's no telling how many at-bats he'll get because it probably depends on how well he's playing on defense. His bat proved to be a treasure during his rookie season, but if his defense is a liability then manager Joe Maddon will have to limit his playing time.
Will Jake Arrieta be able to rank among the league's top starters again in 2016?
-2015 was his first campaign throwing over 200 innings (his previous career-high was 156-2/3 innings) and the fatigue started to show at the end of the year. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has really only had two good seasons, so it's interesting to wonder if he'll be worth a high draft pick over some other locks at the position.
Can Kris Bryant avoid a sophomore slump and hang with the MLB's best hitters?
-The slugger's high strikeout total (199 in 559 at-bats) makes many wonder if pitchers will soon expose his flaws. He was one of the best hitters in the MLB last year, but he has more to prove in 2016. Taking Bryant early seems like a no-brainer, but it could very well end up being a fairly risky move.
-Sophomore slumps could also affect a number of others: Addison Russell (although his bat was not good in 2015), Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Randal Grichuk, Joc Pederson (although his slump began during the second half of 2015), Billy Burns, Delino DeShields, Miguel Sano and many others. Young players are great assets to have, but don't go too crazy and fill your team with them.
What can we expect from this year's incoming Asian players?
-Karabell specifically talks about Twins DH Byung Ho Park, but there are others to consider as well, including Kenta Maeda, Hyun Soo Kim and Seung Hwan Oh. Players such as Jung Ho Kang and Masahiro Tanaka have given us a reason to believe in these foreign players, but it's not necessarily safe to use those examples to take big gambles during your draft.
Where should you draft a shortstop?
-The shortstop position is perhaps deeper than it's been in the past due to the rise of young stars such as Russell, Seager, Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor. However, it's still not a position that one can simply address on the waiver wire, so it's important to strategize where you will make this selection. Keep in mind, the catcher position also isn't deep, but Karabell suggests that it's perhaps smarter to draft a catcher later on than it is to do the same with a shortstop.
Are relievers only good for saves?
-The answer is clearly no. The average drafter selects relievers based on their save total from the previous year and completely overlooks their ERA, WHIP, strikeout total and strikeout-to-walk ratio. Just because you miss out on the top closers doesn't mean you need to go after the other lesser ninth-inning guys that remain. Setup men such as Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances, Darren O'Day, Carter Capps and others are also effective players (that are perhaps more valuable than some closers) you can use in the reliever slots.
That's just a little precursor to the 2016 fantasy baseball season. Pitchers and catchers will report fairly soon, so start preparing for your drafts. It's never too early to start strategizing, especially with so many possibilities for the upcoming season.
