Curtis Granderson Mets: OF Has Massive Sleeper Potential in Queens

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Well, Robinson Cano was not the only Yankee, or former Yankee to ink a deal recently. Curtis Granderson has officially signed with the New York Mets.

Now, I recently wrote about the possibility of Granderson going to the Boston Red Sox and how that would be a more favorable situation for him, especially in regards to his fantasy value. With that said, I do not think that going to the Mets will drastically hurt his fantasy value. However the reality is that leaving the New York Yankees will most likely result in a decline for any hitter’s fantasy value, just ask Nick Swisher.

With that said, according to last season’s HR park factors, the difference between the New York parks is negligible, at least on paper.  [table id=142 /]

Perhaps the decline won’t be as much as one might assume.

So let’s look at other factors that will contribute to Granderson’s fantasy value such as lineup.

Granderson should be a lock to hit fourth for the Mets, and with his back-to-back 40 bomb seasons in 2011 and 2012, he should be.

He will also be hitting behind David Wright—one of the leagues best when healthy—and in front of Ike Davis. Although Ike is coming off of a disappointing 2013, he definitely has at least the potential to protect Grandy.

Overall, the Mets lineup is not all that bad, and adding Granderson is a solid move to improve this group. Hopefully his value will stay closer to what fantasy owners have come to expect.

Taking Granderson’s age, injury-riddled 2013 season, a new setting, and the loss of being able to DH, it would be pretty unrealistic to expect 40+ home runs. Granderson’s value has waivered a bit over his career. He has been a balanced player, a masher with speed, and a major disappointment at times.

The nice thing about Granderson coming off a terrible season is that he should come later or cheaper than a year ago.  So no matter what you get from Granderson, you should not have to sacrifice a lot to get him.

I always like to grab one or two elite type outfielders as core players for my teams, then save a few OF spots for late round/late auction to round the team out.

Granderson would be a valued asset to round out a team.  He does have the potential to hit 40 bombs, or even steal 15+ bags if he is healthy and playing well. So if you are drafting him expecting 20 homers and 10 steals, then you could be pleasantly surprised.  In my opinion Curtis Granderson might be one of the steals of 2014 fantasy drafts if he ends up being taken lower than top 75 hitters in baseball.

Let’s have a look at what Tanner Bell of Smart Fantasy Baseball thinks about Granderson’s early 2014 prospects. [table id=144 /]