Fantasy Friday - the Ken Griffey Effect | Mario Soto's Blog

Why Ken Griffey Jr. is like a Rolex watch

Rolex or Timex? Both timepieces feature premium quality and deliver accurate time. Rolex is the favored choice despite the fact that it carries a greater cost. Consumers tend to pay more for popular name brand products even if they can get the same quality/results at a lower price.

Unfortunately, fantasy owners fall victim to the same way of thinking during draft day and end up with a team that sounds much better than it performs. We'll call it my Ken Griffey Jr. Theory.

Ken Griffey Jr. is a well-known baseball player who has been in the league since 1989. He has hit 40 or more homers seven times, was named the AL MVP in 1997 and won 10 straight Gold Gloves. He had a candy bar named after him, even though he was allergic to chocolate, and wore "northwest green" with pride. Regardless of your opinion of Griffey Jr. as a person or a player, one cannot argue this simple point: You know of him.

Fantasy leagues are full of common consumers. An owner will draft Griffey Jr. and other illustrious players too early based on popular name recognition as opposed to statistics. My advice is that you save the memories for a trip to Cooperstown. Based on 2007 statistics, here are some equally good products that will compete against your name brand players in 2008:

GW-LKERAWHIPZito3411 131314.531.35Gaudin3411 131544.421.52 ABRHRRBISBAVGOBPDelgado53871248740.2580.333Wigginton54771226730.2780.333 I. Rodriguez50250116320.2810.294R. Paulino45756115520.2630.314

I realize that a one-year player comparison has more holes in it than the Mitchell Report. However, it best exemplifies my theory and, more importantly, challenges owners to consider whether the value (draft position) they associate with any player is based on name recognition or actual statistics. Looking for the owner who failed to prepare before the draft? Research takes time, so his roster reads like the line-up in the 2003 All-Star Game. Before arriving at the draft, he bought a sweater from The Gap.

The watch analogy ends at name recognition. Ken Griffey Jr. still has fantasy value but should be drafted in later rounds. Do not draft him too early because the cost may outweigh the actual value. Probably like a Rolex.

By Jay Higgins of www.DugoutCentral.com