I am going to tell you all a little secret. I really never liked ponies. There, I said it. I feel better. What, you don't care? You do not really want to discuss ponies as you prepare for your fantasy baseball drafts and auctions? OK, as you wish… but in my defense, you should know that in fantasy baseball parlance, one-trick ponies are players who are likely to help in only one category and guys you may need to balance out your roster. The key is to playing with one-trick ponies is making sure you pay the right price. In other words, do not go overboard on players who will hurt you in more categories than they help. Now, who are some of those guys worth targeting at the right price? Read on.
BATTING AVERAGE
Howie Kendrick, Dodgers
Yes, Howie is a good player. Yes, the Dodgers made a good deal to get him to play second. However, if you are a fantasy owner, you have to view Howie as a one-trick pony who will not hurt you. Kendrick has averaged .295 over the last two years. Nice. He has also averaged about 10 homers and 10 steals over the last two years. That is decent production for a mid-priced middle infielder. The key here is to avoid paying as if he is the 20/20 guy people have predicated forever. Batting average is the only sure thing for the new Dodger. Price him accordingly. If you do, you will get the batting average and still have room to profit on your investment.
James Loney, Rays
I admit it. I have a kind of irrational roto-man crush on Loney. That said, I know what he is —a pretty sure thing batting average producer who will give you less-than-average production in the other categories, especially from the first base position. If he falls to the single digits in an AL-only league and you have rostered a low average power hitter, Loney could be the one-trick pony you need.
Casey McGehee, Giants
If you bought Casey at an auction for a buck or two last year, good for you. His .287 over 616 at-bats really helped you in the batting average category. That said, he appears in this column as a warning. Do not expect a repeat. You know he hit only four homers and stole no bases. Thus, if his average slips, he goes from a one-trick pony to a no-trick pony. Casey is going to the Giants and will play in an even worse hitters’ home park. Moreover, his .339 BABIP was a huge, unrepeatable number for a guy with no speed at all. You have been warned.
STEALS
Rajai Davis, Tigers
Every year there is a question about his playing time, but every year (and I mean every year), Rajai gets 325 at-bats and 35 steals. This guy is speed money in the bank. Rick Wolf and I targeted him in Tout Wars-AL because we knew we would not have to pay full value for certain production. Another year, another spring training, another fantasy baseball draft, but for Rajai, nothing has changed.
Alcides Escobar, Royals
Loyal readers know that Rick Wolf and I love to address scarcity. Well, if you are going to chase speed, doing it at the scarce middle infield position makes sense, right? The Royals' shortstop, who is averaging 27 steals per year over the last three years, fits the bill. Will he help you in other categories? If his age 27 season of 2014 is his baseline, he will, and his .283, 74 runs and 50 RBI will be a nice bonus. However, those stats are far from certain to repeat. Pay for the steals at a price where a repeat of the other 2014 production will provide bonus value.
Elvis Andrus, Rangers
See Escobar, Alcides. Elvis is just 26 and has averaged 33 steals per year over the last three years. Yes, he will not hit for any power, but his other number will not kill you and his runs will help. It will be little surprise to see Andrus on some Colton and the Wolfman AL-only teams in 2015.
Craig Gentry, Athletics
Gentry is a low profile Jarrod Dyson. Both players play part time. One stole 43 bases over the last two years and one stole 44. The difference is that Dyson gained a ton of attention during the Royals’ almost magical run in 2014. If you want a guy who will steal you 20, Gentry is much more likely to be the guy you can roster for a couple of bucks at the end of the draft.
STRIKEOUTS
Wade Miley, Red Sox
Do you want to grab this strikeout one-trick pony from last year? You would like those 183 strikeouts, right? Hey, maybe you can convince yourself not to go screaming through the night as you race away desperately attempting to avoid that 4.34 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. My advice is to continue running – in the other direction. Wiley is going to the AL so, just by virtue of not striking out pitchers, his strikeout numbers should fall and ratios could get worse. Given that his HR-rate has gone up three straight years and he is now going to face DHs and pitch in AL hitters parks such as Yankee Stadium, Camden Yards and Rogers Centre instead of NL pitchers’ parks such as Petco, AT&T and Dodger Stadium, you have a guy who should not be on your radar for strikeout value or anything else other than end game fodder.
SAVES
I am all for rostering guys for the saves. However, given that closers pitch only 1/3 of the innings of an average starter, closers really are the quintessential one-trick ponies. That said, bad ratios from closers will still hurt you. Thus, here are some names to avoid in 2015 unless you get them super cheap: Joe Nathan, LaTroy Hawkins and Jonathan Broxton.
One-trick ponies are a necessity in deep leagues but largely should be avoided in shallow leagues. If you do go shopping at the One-Trick Pony Mart, make sure to look for bargains and consider the harm in the other categories before spending an early pick or handing your scarce auction dollars to the auctioneer.