Fantasy Baseball 2013: Bounce Back Players

[caption id="attachment_16180" align="alignleft" width="266"]photo credit broadelphia.com I support these opinions![/caption]   The co-hosts of the RotoInfo.com Fantasy Baseball "Box Score Baseball"podcast combine forces to provide you with a slew of Fantasy Baseball insight. In this article the fellas provide you with a few players who look primed to rebound from a disappointing 2012 season. (Items in blue/purple are links).

Bounce Back Players by Michael Pichan

Phillies 2B Chase Utley:

Utley seems like a forgotten man, but don’t confuse him with Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts. By the end of the season, there was no doubt that Utley was healthy, illustrated by his 11 stolen bases from July to the end of season (while only being caught once). Draft Utley with the intention of him filling your middle infielder position, but chances are he could put up top ten numbers amongst starting second baseman this season.

 

Tigers DH Victor Martinez:

If spring training is any indication, it is safe to say that Victor Martinez will bounce back with authority. Often times players who miss a whole season find it difficult to see pitches well, that has not been the case with Martinez this spring. Martinez is proving that he should be fine health wise going into the 2013 season, but one thing worth noting for you weekly league players is that Martinez will miss a game here and there, so it may not be a good idea to reach for him in that format, but daily leaguers the only thing you have to worry about is that Martinez is only eligible at DH in most leagues.

 

Mariners 1B/DH Kendrys Morales:

He was well on his way to achieving this status in 2010 as he had 11 home runs, 40 doubles, and almost 40 RBI in under 200 plate appearances, before breaking his leg. If he can hit twenty plus home runs, as he did in Angel Stadium in 2009, he surely has the potential to do so at Safeco now that the fences will be moved in, and the large scoreboard in left center field has been taken down.

Wayne Bretsky's Bounce Back Players:

 

Cubs SS Starlin Castro:

Starlin Castro followed up a dynamic first half with a truly ordinary finish to the season. All told, the performance was actually a regression from his 2011 numbers, scoring 78 runs, with a .283 average. He also  did step up the power a bit and swiped a career high 25 bases—albeit with a poor 65% success rate—which are certainly enticing developments for prospective fantasy owners. A closer look reveals that Castro batted an elite .317/.329/.444 in 50 games to May 30 before stumbling his way to a .268 average the rest of the way. Still, at his age, Starlin remains one of the most exciting youngsters in the game and ranks at the top of his position in keeper dynasty formats. Entering his age-23 season, expect Castro to continue to build on the strides he made early in 2012 and leave the second half of last season as nothing more than an extended slump.

 

Phillies 1B Ryan Howard:

After slumping to the turf with a torn Achilles following the last out of the Phillies’ 2011 season, Ryan Howard has struggled to get back to 100%. He batted just .219 last season after experiencing a couple of post-surgery setbacks that limited the Big Dog to just 71 games played. Despite his struggles, Howard did produce 18.6 HR/AB last year, only slightly behind his pace over the past three seasons. In fact, if we project his production from last year over a full 162-game campaign, we find a player who was on pace for 32 HR and 120+ RBI. It is reasonable to expect that Howard, now a full year and a half removed from surgery and able to undergo a full offseason and spring training regimen, is going to be in much better shape entering the 2013 season. Expect a bounce-back to 30+ HR, 100+ RBI and a .260ish average for the Phils’ slugger and if his early spring returns are any indication, he’s not nearly as risky a draft-day investment and some might think after a down season.

Remember, to keep up with all player news, all the time, be sure to bookmark RotoInfo.com and follow them on twitter @RotoInfo_com and follow Wayne here: @BretskyBall and Michael here:@FantasyNomadBe sure to check out the new "Fantasy Recommendations" that now come attached to Player News items, which will help you make sense of how the player news effects your Fantasy decision making. Link to iTunes: Box Score Baseball Podcast