RADIO
Current ADP: 18
Rankings Status: Overvalued
Analysis: Qualifying at second base, third base, middle infield and corner infield is undoubtedly a good thing - that kind of roster flexibility can really give your team an edge. Anthony Rendon had a solid season last year, sporting a .285 batting average with 21 HR, 14 SB and healthy RBI and run totals. Those numbers are good, but are they really second-round good? Consistency is valuable that early in the draft, as it's tough to profit on a pick with only one round before it. Therefore, you should seek solid, safe production while leaving more speculative plays to later rounds.
With only one full season of major league plate appearances, Rendon is still something of an unknown quantity, and is therefore unsuited to that kind of investment. While some may argue that he still has "upside" and his production will be better than that of last year, his batted ball stats suggest otherwise. On grounders, his .250 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was slightly elevated from the league's .239 mark. On line drives, his .721 mark was significantly higher than the league's .685. He was actually unlucky with flyballs, posting a .144 BABIP against the league's .207. His overall BABIP of .314 (league average .300) suggests, however, that he might see a bit of regression, since he lacks both elite speed and an elite line drive rate, both factors that can help sustain high BABIPs. 21 bombs are really not that many, and any slip at all would lead to a number south of the 20 HR milestone. Fantasy owners likely ask for more from a second round selection.
It is entirely possible that he can repeat last year's numbers. Still, he will need to improve his overall game slightly, and even if he does, his current ADP of 18 is simply too high.
Don’t forget to read all of RotoBaller’s 2015 fantasy baseball rankings...
