Total points have a way of stripping all pretense aside and giving you a reflection of who the player really is. This can be seen clearly when looking at the pivot. Some players come with a tremendous amount of hype because of their power numbers or their speed numbers. Fantasy seasons can be lost when players chase particular categories at the expense of others. Total points will keep you grounded.

This is because the platform takes everything into account. Different platforms have different formulas they use, but all of them run on the same basic foundation. You get rewarded for positive events and penalized for negative events. It is usually those negative events that end up robbing the overrated player of his value. Feel free to adjust based on the platform you use, but we will be using the following one.

Total bases + Runs + RBI + BB + SB + HBP – SO – CS – GIDP= Total Points

Rougned Odor—Texas Rangers 

Contract Status: Signed Through 2022

DRS: +3

Occasionally, the feeling of vindication is so satisfying. I’ve always ranked Odor lower than others feel prudent. I’ve never liked the swing from the heels/take no walks approach to the game. It’s caught up with him. Granted, if we were being fair we’d say he is likely better than what he was last season, but the aggregate seems pretty reasonable and that makes him a bottom tier second baseman in this format.

Joe Panik—San Francisco Giants 

Contract Status: Arbitration

DRS: -11

It’s hard to believe that Panik is a more valuable offensive player than Odor. He doesn’t have the power or speed, but that is the difference between total points and the traditional categories. You get more points for patience, contact, and extra base power (sans homers). Panik may be on the move depending if Stanton accepts a trade to the Giants. If the Marlins get him it’s a coup.

Dustin Pedroia—Boston Red Sox 

Contract Status: Signed Through 2021

DRS: -2

The bad news is that Pedroia will miss the beginning of 2018 recovering from surgery. The good news is that he might return to the player he was in 2015 and 2016. Late in 2017 he was virtually devoid of power and looked like a guy near the end. He has been a brilliant player for more than a decade, so hopefully he will have another several good seasons before he hangs them up.

Brandon Phillips—Free Agent

Contract Status: Free Agent

DRS: -7

Average second basemen for sale! Average second baseman. Get your average second basemen right here. Phillips is remarkably consistent and durable. On a short-term contract he could help quite a few teams. The same is true for fantasy owners as well. As long as you don’t overreach you will be fine.

Jonathan Schoop—Baltimore Orioles

Contract Status: Arbitration

DRS: +2

We look at the season by season totals because they tell us so much more than the simple average. The average paints a picture of an Odor type that simply will be limited in his level of production. The season by season numbers show us a player that has grown each year into a top ten performer. We typically don’t get a lot of growth after the fourth season, but even if he holds here he is well worth a pick.

Yangervis Solarte—San Diego Padres

Contract Status: Signed Through 2018

DRS: +1

The Padres and Yankees both shuffled Solarte between second base and third base as if they wanted him to be a super utility player and not a regular. All he has done is produce solid, but unspectacular numbers. Total points definitely shows him off a little better than the standard five and six categories. Who knows where he will play next year in the infield, but he will play somewhere and likely give you a solid two points per contest.

Devon Travis—Toronto Blue Jays

Contract Status: Arbitration

DRS: +3

Oddly enough, Travis has been a model of consistency in his three years. He puts up virtually the numbers per game and he is always hurt. It actually would be a good idea to pick him up late at the off chance that he’s healthy this year, but with the addition of Aledyms Diaz, there will be competition for that job. That acquisition is a sign they are tired of waiting for him to finally put it together.

Neil Walker—Free Agent

Contract Status: Free Agent

DRS: -6

An old SNL sketch had a bemused Gerry Cooney looking at what appeared to be the national debt ever increasing. He asked and the black host told him it was the amount of money white people lost betting on him over the years. A similar rolodex of numbers could represent the numbers of fantasy players that thought Walker was about to bust out and finally put together that one healthy and productive season. They are still waiting.

Kolten Wong—St. Louis Cardinals

Contract Status: Signed Through 2020

DRS: -1

Ah, the irony. Wong was beginning to figure it out last season, but his starting slot is still in a state of flux as the Cardinals flirt with acquiring either a third baseman or a first baseman. Either move would likely shuffle Matt Carpenter to second base and thus Wong out of the lineup. If he’s the everyday guy he could be a decent late round selection, but otherwise he could be relegated to the bench.

Ben Zobrist—Chicago Cubs

Contract Status: Signed Through 2019

DRS: +1

You could set your watch to my annual “Ben Zobrist man crush” article, but sadly those days are gone. Zobrist still has value because of his awesome positional flexibility, but that is the only thing that is awesome about Zobrist these days. Mind you, he’s not bad and still has a place on a fantasy bench, but the days of him being one of the ten most valuable players in the league are likely over.