Sweet treat
Scoop of Villar late is a great fantasy dessert
IMAGINE going to the f inest, priciest restaurant you can find. The tablecloths are as white as snow, the silverware is polished so well you could use a spoon as a mirror, and the staff saunter about the room dressed as if they were attending the Met Gala.
Then the food is beautifully presented, but everything is burned to a crisp. Even after sending it back, it comes back the same way. You have a bitter taste in your mouth, as the high hopes you had for this restaurant are spoiled. You vow there’s no way you would ever go back there.
Well, unless there’s a huge discount, right?
Welcome to Chez Villar (it’s in Milwaukee)!
After his breakout 2016, in whi c h he hi t . 285 with 19 homers, 63 RBIs, a .826 OPS and 62 stolen bases, Jonathan Villar was treated like the trendy new restaurant in town. Chez Villar was one of the most coveted reservations (middle infielders) in 2017, as his average draft position of 35 had him being drafted as high as the second round. This 26-year-old’s star was on the rise and everyone wanted a taste.
And then it happened: Chez Villar burned you. He missed 40 games with injuries, hit .241 with 11 homers, 40 RBIs, a .293 on-base percentage and .665 OPS. Even worse, he stole just 23 bases, struck out 30.3 percent of the time (up from 25.6 percent in 2016) and walked in just 6.9 percent (down from 11.6 in 2016) of his atbats.
It was like the Health Department made a surprise visit and discovered rat droppings or food being kept at improper temperatures. Suddenly, Chez Villar went from an “A” letter grade to a “C,” and customers went elsewhere.
Chez Villar’s letter grade entering 2018 is still pending, as fantasy owners are still worried they’ll get food poisoning. Roto Rage, however, believes that’ s insane. There is no risk, only reward — especially at the discount you’ll get.
The soon-to-be 27-year-old has an ADP of 196.11, according to Fantasy Alarm, and is going for a morethan-reasonable $9 in 12-team auction leagues. This is just one year removed from a career year, not four or five years, and he’s on a team with a potent lineup that became even better with the additions of Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain.
Can Chez Villar bounce back? Yes! Villar may swing at just about every pitch thrown his way (and miss more often than not — there’s a reason he has struck out 306 times over the past two seasons), but he has the ability to hit for a solid average, has some pop and has the ability to reach double-digit steals.
Just think of it this way, if 2016 was as good as it gets for Chez Villar and 2017 was as bad as it gets, the norm lies somewhere in between — and if that’s a .250-.260 average with 13-16 homers, 50-60 RBIs and 25-40 stolen bases, you’ll be in good shape.
If you miss out on (or don’t want to pay premiums for) Jose Altuve, Brian Dozier or Jonathan Schoop, you can go about your draft and know there’s a guy like Villar waiting, ready to prove he still has what it takes to be fantasy gold.
Chez Villar may not be the fine dining establishment it was in 2016, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great meal there in 2018.
Other middle infielders who should bounce back include Rockies shortstop Trevor Story (135.50, $8), who should rebound after hitting .239 and striking out 191 times, but still hitting 24 homers and driving in 82 RBIs, and the Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts (53.32, $15), who can be had at a slight discount after playing through a hand injury last season.
Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis (217.98, $12), Rays utilityman Brad Miller (414.73, $2) and the Cubs’ Addison Russell (273.07, $10) should also be on your radar.