Today Todd Frazier participates in the Home Run Derby for
the National League, something that no one, including Todd Frazier, probably
could have predicted at the beginning of the season. Meanwhile, Michael
Brantley is Top 10 in BA, top 10 in R’s, top 10 in RBI’s IN THE MAJORS and has quietly
become a fantasy beast.
I bring these 2 players up not because they are now both on
my team (and I am rooting for them to do well), but because they are so-called “late
bloomers,” not highly-touted prospects who made it to the big leagues with
little fanfare (unlike top prospects like say, Bryce Harper or Mike Trout) and “breakout”
at a later age, usually in their 3rd or 4th or 5th
seasons. Brantley is 27 and Frazier is
28, both have been in the league for 4 or 5 years. This is the first time they’ve
been really relevant, and in a big one. They’re both 5-category producers. They’re
both Top 15 on the ESPN Fantasy Baseball Player Rater. And yet they’re still
not getting any love. It’s the Josh Donaldson Effect from last year: people
just don’t believe in them because they haven’t done it before.
Brantley and Frazier are the great equalizers in fantasy
baseball leagues for those who don’t value young prospects as much and
especially in keeper leagues where highly touted prospects are “kept” by
prospect-hording teams. Frazier and Brantley wouldn’t have been on many people’s
radars at the end of last season to be “kept” and really many didn’t have them
as sleepers coming into this season neither. Both could have probably been
picked up off waivers at the beginning of the season. And yet they’re mashing
at a high level and will probably keep doing so for the rest of the season
(fingers crossed), while some owners cling to hopes for rebound 2nd
halves from underachievers like Chris Davis, Joey Votto, etc. just because of
the big name alone.
In real life, I really hope that I can have the Michael
Brantley Theory. I hope to have a true “break out” at some point and make my
way into society, as my life/career has hit somewhat of a lull, and I would
like to keep improving. Who I really want to apply the Michael Brantley Theory
to, however, is my sister, who’s going to be a senior in high school. I love my
sister, but she has a lot of faults, and as with many 17-year-old girls she has
a rebellious side. My sister, however, lacks maturity in other ways than most
people: She lacks a filter (a common problem of mine), has an overly negative
perspective on life, and has difficulty achieving good grades in school. I
hope, for her, that she is just a late bloomer, that she has still a lot of
growing up to do in her future and that she will go to college, learn about
life, achieve success, and eventually blossom into a well-developed member of
society. It certainly would let my Mom breathe a little easier.
It’s really hard to know why some people are late bloomers….is
it genetic, is it a product of development as a child? Does something just “click”
when someone turns a certain age? Is there some sort of catalyst that can
expedite the process? All questions that would be interesting to investigate in
both life and baseball. In baseball I think it’s that after a few years in the
league, a player “figures” out something or learns a different skill in order
to adjust to the rigors of the major leagues, whereas in child/teenager
development it might also be learning a new skill or at least developing an appreciation
for other people or slipping out of the depressive and rebellious state that
one is in, going on a life-altering trip for example or meeting someone very
influential. Hoping for the best! それが起こるために私は祈っています! ( I’m
praying for that to happen!)
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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