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Tom Kessenich
NBC Sports National Fantasy Baseball Championship
March 6, 2009
Winter of A-Rod's Discontent
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I blame Madonna. What other possible explanation could there be for Alex Rodriguez's rapid fall from fantasy grace?

Think about it, having an affair with Madonna is like doing a parody of "Miami Vice." Sure it might be sort of fun, but it's been quite awhile since anybody even cared about that show. It lacks … relevance and nothing good can really come from it.

This is where we find A-Rod. His legacy forever tarnished by a steroids admission and now he's sidelined indefinitely with a hip injury. This isn't the way A-Rod – or his fantasy owners – expected his 2009 season to unfold.

So what does this latest turn of events do to the Draft Day value of arguably the game's most complete player? Prior to this development, A-Rod had rested comfortably in the top portion of National Fantasy Baseball Championship drafts. He had an Average Draft Position of 2.95 according to data compiled by MockDraftCentral.com.

He went 12th in an NFBC draft Thursday night. So the first NFBC draft saw Rodriguez fall quite a ways, but not out of the first round of the 15-team draft.

Will that trend continue or will A-Rod fall even further? Barring a quick recovery, I would anticipate him dropping even further as more and more owners become skittish of gambling on A-Rod despite his immense upside.

But is that a wise move? Last year, plenty of owners were scared off by Albert Pujols' elbow injury. His ADP in the NFBC was 15, making him a late pick in the first round of the $100,000 event. That proved to be a terrific value as Pujols went on to have another banner season, hitting .357-37-116-100 in 148 games.

Rodriguez's talent is not in question. When healthy, he has been one of the game's premier offensive players for a decade. He has hit at least 35 HRs with at least 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored in 11 straight seasons. Few players can match his overall production.

But this could be the second straight season he will miss an extended amount of time with an injury. His production didn't suffer last season as a result so that bodes well for his potential when he returns this year.

However, there was some concern before the injury about how his mental state (hardly the strongest at times) will hold up given the constant scrutiny of the steroid admission. Now include a month's missed time and the pressure on A-Rod to deliver immediately will grown even more.

All of this combines to make A-Rod a risky pick on Draft Day. The owners who didn't shy away from Pujols were a happy bunch last year but Pujols didn't miss much time. A-Rod may avoid a stint on the DL to open the season but if his rehab doesn't go well, he could be sidelined for a few weeks at least and possibly longer.

This is the type of decision which could make or break many teams on Draft Day. Pursue A-Rod early and he buckles under all of the issues he's dealing with and your season will be in turmoil from the outset. Grab him as a value pick and he stays true to form and you'll have that rare Draft Day opportunity – an early round value pick.

It will be interesting to see where Rodriguez goes in drafts from this point forward.

***

Speaking of the NFBC, spots are quickly running out for this year's event. We're nearing our goal of 390 teams so if you want to take part in the industry's only high-stakes live baseball event, today is the day to sign up. If you can't make it to one of our four cities (Las Vegas, New York, Chicago or Orlando), we do have a phone option that will allow you to take part via a conference call. We have more than 30 owners utilizing that option this year in their pursuit of the $5,000 league prize and the $100,000 grand prize.

Click here and sign up today.



 

Tom Kessenich is the event director of the NBC Sports Fantasy Football Championship and the NBC Sports Fantasy Baseball Championship. Go to fantasybaseballchampionship.com for more details on how you can win a $100,000 grand prize. Kessenich has also been the managing editor of Fantasy Sports Magazine since 1999.
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