#MCM- Jonathan Villar, SS/3B, Milwaukee Brewers
@Hoover__26 May 30
Allow me to preface this very special Memorial Day #MCM with a warning that my man crush on Jonathan Villar has officially become severe. I was a huge fan of his when he got to the bigs a few seasons ago, and haven’t stopped since (even when he was batting .209 for Houston in 2014). Now that he finally seems to be improving his numbers to the point of being fantasy relevant, I just love him that much more. His batting average has climbed over .300, and he is leading the league in stolen bases with 18 (Jose Altuve, the AL stolen base leader, is sitting at a measly 15), proving that Villar is more than just a speed demon (see: Billy Hamilton). And while you may not get any fantasy points for defensive prowess in most leagues, Villar is fifth in the National League in Range Factor/Game at SS (a combination of putouts and assists divided by games played, courtesy of baseball-reference.com).
Villar’s numbers from above certainly sound pretty impressive, and his 4.3 fantasy points per game put him in the top 10 in positional fantasy points scored. However, he isn’t even owned in 34.1 percent of espn.com leagues. Very few people realize just how great of a season he’s having, and that is a travesty. Villar has been, as @jagibbs_23 puts it, “sneakily good”. Which is weird, because I really can’t remember another time when the league leader in stolen bases is simultaneously batting .300 and getting very little hype. In fact, only two National Leaguers have accomplished the feat in the last ten years (Jose Reyes and Dee Gordon).
In DFS, finding something that makes a batter’s stats jump is a key to winning. Maybe this guy bats better against a ground ball pitcher, or this guy hits more home runs at home (like those who play at legendary DFS hotspot Coors Field). Villar’s numbers stay pretty much the same no matter where he’s playing (or what he’s playing on), when he’s playing (he hits a little better at night, but it’s all hovering within about .015 points of .300), or who he’s playing against (he does hit the Padres and Braves hard, but who doesn’t?). The thing that really makes Villar’s stats change is what side of the plate he bats from. While 10 of his 15 doubles have come while he was batting lefty (which makes sense, as a right handed thrower your front hand would pull harder from the left side), that is mainly due to the fact that he has taken more than double the plate appearances from that side. In his 51 appearances as a righty batter, Villar is hitting at a .392 clip with 2 homers (he has zero from the left side) and an OPS of 1.116 (espn.com). If those were his season numbers, he would he leading the league in batting average and behind only David Ortiz in OPS. So, if Villar is going up against a southpaw pitcher, I would be putting all my eggs in his basket.
This week’s #MCM is having one of the most low key elite seasons I can remember, but that’s not the best part for me. The best part is, I finally have an opportunity to roster him without being laughed at! He has been crushing it so far, and I think he has the talent to keep this up for quite a while.
Villar’s numbers from above certainly sound pretty impressive, and his 4.3 fantasy points per game put him in the top 10 in positional fantasy points scored. However, he isn’t even owned in 34.1 percent of espn.com leagues. Very few people realize just how great of a season he’s having, and that is a travesty. Villar has been, as @jagibbs_23 puts it, “sneakily good”. Which is weird, because I really can’t remember another time when the league leader in stolen bases is simultaneously batting .300 and getting very little hype. In fact, only two National Leaguers have accomplished the feat in the last ten years (Jose Reyes and Dee Gordon).
In DFS, finding something that makes a batter’s stats jump is a key to winning. Maybe this guy bats better against a ground ball pitcher, or this guy hits more home runs at home (like those who play at legendary DFS hotspot Coors Field). Villar’s numbers stay pretty much the same no matter where he’s playing (or what he’s playing on), when he’s playing (he hits a little better at night, but it’s all hovering within about .015 points of .300), or who he’s playing against (he does hit the Padres and Braves hard, but who doesn’t?). The thing that really makes Villar’s stats change is what side of the plate he bats from. While 10 of his 15 doubles have come while he was batting lefty (which makes sense, as a right handed thrower your front hand would pull harder from the left side), that is mainly due to the fact that he has taken more than double the plate appearances from that side. In his 51 appearances as a righty batter, Villar is hitting at a .392 clip with 2 homers (he has zero from the left side) and an OPS of 1.116 (espn.com). If those were his season numbers, he would he leading the league in batting average and behind only David Ortiz in OPS. So, if Villar is going up against a southpaw pitcher, I would be putting all my eggs in his basket.
This week’s #MCM is having one of the most low key elite seasons I can remember, but that’s not the best part for me. The best part is, I finally have an opportunity to roster him without being laughed at! He has been crushing it so far, and I think he has the talent to keep this up for quite a while.