X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Xander Bogaerts Rankings Debate - Comparing RotoBaller's Rankers

We continue our long-running series of articles debating fantasy rankings with a player who was widely selected in the second or third round last year, but endured a disappointing 2017 campaign.

RotoBaller's expert writers have come up with our consensus rankings for mixed leagues, but that doesn't mean we agreed on everything. In this space, we'll hear from rankers with the biggest differences of opinion on a well-known player and have them defend their position against each other.

Today, the topic is Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Kyle Bishop believes he can recapture his 2016 form, while Harris Yudin is concerned that his plate discipline will prevent that from happening.

Featured Promo: Get ANY MLB Premium Pass for 10% off the regular price with code BALLER. Exclusive access to our Draft Kit, Nick Mariano's #1 accuracy rankings, Ariel Cohen's #1 accuracy ATC projections, customized advice in the Team Sync platform, Live Draft Assistant, 15 in-season lineup tools, customized rankings and much more! Go Premium, Win More!

 

2018 Draft Rankings Debate - Xander Bogaerts

Ranking Tier Player Position Kyle Nick Pierre Jeff Harris Bill
 65  6 Xander Bogaerts SS 52 58 63 76 90 61

 

Kyle Bishop's Ranking: #52 overall

Coming off a legitimately great season in 2016 (.294-21-115-89-13), it's understandable that fantasy owners were disappointed by Xander Bogaerts' performance a year ago. He only managed 10 home runs in a season where approximately everyone cracked 20, his batting average dropped by 20 points, and his run production suffered.

What happened? Did the 25-year-old suddenly forget how to hit? Unlikely. He swung a bit less than he had in prior seasons, but otherwise his plate discipline and batted ball data didn't change much. I see no reason he can't regain at least a little of the batting average he lost a year ago. As for the run production, the Red Sox offense should benefit from a full season of Rafael Devers, as well as free agent import J.D. Martinez. If they get any sort of bounce-back from Hanley Ramirez or Jackie Bradley Jr., even better.

It's worth pointing out that even in a season that was universally considered to be disappointing, Bogaerts reached double digits in both homers and stolen bases, while scoring 94 runs and hitting 20 points above the league average. His 62 RBI weren't anything to write home about, sure, but he didn't kill you anywhere - and there's a cogent argument to be made that 2017 represented the young star's floor.

Perhaps Bogaerts won't rebound to the lofty heights he reached in 2016. Fortunately for purposes of this debate, he doesn't need to do that to make Harris'  ranking look foolish. If he more or less settles in the middle of his previous two performances - which is essentially what the projection systems expect to happen - he'll easily earn a profit on his modest ADP of 84.

 

Harris' Ranking: #90 overall

Xander Bogaerts is coming off a down year, and yes, he may very well bounce back in 2018. But can he bounce back to being a top-50 player? Doubtful.

He swings more than the average player at pitches out of the zone, and less than average on those in the zone. His 41.9 percent swing rate is well below average, but his 8.8 percent walk rate is nothing to write home about. His 2017 home run total (10, 7.2 HR/FB) is probably more indicative of future production than is his 2016 total (21, 11.4 HR/FB) given his career batted ball profile. And unless he hits well over .300 -- which he’s only done once in four years despite posting a solid BABIP in each of the last three seasons -- his rate stats won’t make up for the moderate power and speed.

Kyle claims that the addition J.D. Martinez and a full year of Rafael Devers will help Bogaerts’ run production. But the 25-year-old shortstop was bumped down to the sixth spot in the Red Sox’s lineup last year due to poor performance, so those additions are likely to keep Bogaerts away from the top of the order. As a result, his run and RBI totals are unlikely to revert back to where they were in 2016 (115 R, 89 RBI).

Lastly, let’s compare Bogaerts to some of the infielders Kyle has ranked behind him.

They all blow him out of the water in terms of 2017 production, and from the same position, Elvis Andrus outproduced Bogaerts in all five categories.

Bogaerts is still a reliable fantasy contributor and is worthy of a selection in the first 100 spots, but spending a fifth-round pick on a guy this unassuming is incredibly risky.

 

More 2018 MLB Ranking Debate Articles




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Eduardo Rodriguez16 mins ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler22 mins ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel31 mins ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley39 mins ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Dejounte Murray49 mins ago

Available Versus Boston
Xavier Tillman50 mins ago

Sr. Cleared For Thursday Night
Al Horford58 mins ago

Won't Face The Hawks
Jrue Holiday1 hour ago

Available On Thursday
Tarik Skubal1 hour ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes2 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis2 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer3 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw4 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler4 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager4 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz4 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Alex Caruso4 hours ago

Ayo Dosunmu Probable Friday
Darius Garland4 hours ago

Probable Against 76ers
Donovan Mitchell4 hours ago

Upgraded To Questionable
Duncan Robinson6 hours ago

Heat Rule Out Duncan Robinson Friday
Bryan Reynolds6 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Jimmy Butler6 hours ago

Probable Against Portland
Onyeka Okongwu7 hours ago

Remains Out Thursday
Dejounte Murray7 hours ago

Questionable With Back Soreness
Jordan Romano7 hours ago

Not Expected To Be Out Long
Gerrit Cole7 hours ago

Yankees Put Gerrit Cole On 60-Day Injured List
Elly De La Cruz8 hours ago

Batting In Six-Hole On Opening Day
Anthony Rendon8 hours ago

Hitting Leadoff On Opening Day
Wander Franco8 hours ago

Placed On Administrative Leave
Aaron Ekblad8 hours ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov9 hours ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto9 hours ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin9 hours ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard9 hours ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins9 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist9 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear9 hours ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Keita Bates-Diop9 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Season
Dyson Daniels10 hours ago

Remains Out On Thursday But Nearing Return
LaMelo Ball10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Rest Of 2023-24
Jose Alvarado10 hours ago

Questionable To Face Milwaukee
Jaden Springer10 hours ago

Considered Questionable
Xavier Tillman10 hours ago

Sr. Questionable Thursday
Gabe Vincent10 hours ago

Expected To Return To Action On Sunday
Al Horford21 hours ago

Back On The Injury Report
Derrick White21 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
TJ Friedl22 hours ago

Hits 10-Day Injured List
Aaron Gordon23 hours ago

Cleared To Face Phoenix
Jackson Chourio23 hours ago

Will Start In Right Field Friday
Eduardo Rodriguez1 day ago

Starts Throwing Program
Mark Hubbard1 day ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson1 day ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen1 day ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers1 day ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers1 day ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers1 day ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark1 day ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers1 day ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels1 day ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby1 day ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds1 day ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim1 day ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA1 day ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry1 day ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox1 day ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak1 day ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan1 day ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg1 day ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn1 day ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby1 day ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin1 day ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord1 day ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala1 day ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark1 day ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler1 day ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder1 day ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen1 day ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama1 day ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin1 day ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson2 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown2 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff2 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins2 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams2 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT2 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn2 days ago

Could Return Wednesday
Scott Mayfield2 days ago

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
TOR2 days ago

Mitch Marner Skates On His Own Tuesday
Trevor Zegras2 days ago

To Return Tuesday
Justus Annunen2 days ago

Inks Two-Year Extension
Nick Chubb2 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift2 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson2 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell2 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans2 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott2 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley2 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs2 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Brandon Saad2 days ago

Gets Another Goal In Monday's Loss
Logan Thompson2 days ago

Stretches Winning Streak To Three Games
Pittsburgh Steelers3 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson3 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas3 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas3 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan3 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson3 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla3 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo3 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron3 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs3 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher3 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo4 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal4 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman4 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott4 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa4 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala4 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland4 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron4 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF