Rotoman
I am in a limited keeper league (three max) and am pulling my hair out trying
to decide whether Erubial Durazo is worth keeping. This is a 21 team (AL&NL)
straight draft league. By the rules of our league Durazo would cost me my
16th round pick (16 x 21 teams = 336 players). Can Durazo get more than 200
at bats this year or will he again rot on my reserve list? Is he a totally
incompetent outfielder? Why do I hate Bob Brenly? HELP!
Durazo is a darling of the sabremetric set because he’ll take a walk, but the problem is he hasn’t been able to top the 200 AB mark.
I think there’s a good chance he’ll put up a pretty solid year at some point, and it may well be this one, even if he appears to be blocked by Mark Grace. But he’s far from a sure thing, because he may not get the playing time.
And, I’m a little suspicious of guys who appear to be as solid as Durazo appears to be, who come from oddball backgrounds (Durazo signed as a free agent out of the Mexican League) and who aren’t given the shot they seem to deserve when they seem to be in line to get it.
So, I think Durazo is a great guy to pick up on the cheap. If he gets some playing time he could get valuable in a hurry. But I’m not totally confident in him, nor am I confident a real shot is coming this season.
If you don’t have anyone else, you probably can’t make a big mistake in the 16th round with him. He’s got such a aura about him he could easily go a few rounds earlier. Still, he’s far from a sure thing this year.