Junkyard Dogs: A Look at Midseason Free Agents
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2023 5:40 pm
It's been said that the talent in the league has improved, and nowhere is this more apparent than the UFA pool. Right now it's not much, but I've noticed a growing number of Y/G and G/G talent left unsigned after UFA Round 3, and even after the Free-for-all period. So sometimes I think it's good to take some time and dig through the bargain bin. Let's see if any of the guys at the top of the trash heap are worth picking up.
Albert Myers
26 years old and undrafted, Myers is listed as a PF at 7'0". Y/G talent in the Free Agent pool usually signify an random TC boost, especially when the player in question's undrafted. This basically means "This guy isn't actually good, but he definitely has the potential to help. Maybe." Myers does most of what a big man usually does, with ORB being his only glaring weakness. The fact that he at least tries to defend out on the perimeter is probably why he has green potential. He's not worth much on the scoring end with 56 INS as the only notable thing in his arsenal....but he does have 1 X-Factor that makes him interesting, and will probably let him punch a little bit above his weight in terms of effectiveness: his athleticism. 41 QKN is low/middling for a PF, but fairly high for a C. His speed should allow him to get the jump on slower backup bigs, making it easier to utilize his talents.
Richard Brown
A 27-year-old journeyman, Brown only has 3 years of experience despite entering the league almost a decade ago. There was a 5-year gap between his 2nd and 3rd season, which means that he failed to stick around once, already got a second chance to play, and failed at that too. Despite being G/G, he has no notable skills other than 3pt shooting. He's a classic case of a guy having the body to play in the league, but not the skill to compete. He can keep up, but that's about it.
Thomas Herman
Guys like Herman are why "being able to keep up" is not enough to secure a roster spot for guys like Brown. Herman's literally Brown with less experience and STR. He's even a better 3pt shooter, and at 23, there's actually some small hope that his Cs aren't indicative of maxed-out abilities, that his G/G (if he reaches it) will be better than Brown's G/G. There's some potential for an offensive sparkplug off the bench, even if he is slightly undersized (6'6") for the position he would best be able to play (SF). Basically, if you're looking at Brown, don't. Look at this guy instead.
Tony Vansicle
A 4-year vet who couldn't secure a job post-rookie deal, the gap between Tony's stints in the league paints a better picture than you might think. As a 2nd rounder, Tony played through his 2 years, failed to make an impression on Dr. K two years later, but then managed to hold back-to-back jobs in '54 and '55. He had a solid showing in '55 as well, logging 6 ppg/2 rpg/1 apg/almost 1 spg/almost .500 FG%/17 PER in 14 mpg. Looking at his skillset/athleticism, Vansicle just seems to be a player who can find a small way to to contribute no matter what. His only real standout ability is his STL. I hesitate to consider his INS as a legitimate strong point, as he doesn't have the JMP to really take full advantage of it - 57 is just okay. At least he can take care of the ball with 63 HND. I'm not sure how he does it, but anyone who can post an above average PER while playing a reasonable amount of minutes is worth giving a shot to - even if their skillset doesn't make a good case for it.
Toby Sigman
Speaking of another guy who's posted solid PER numbers in a bench role, Sigman's an 8-year vet who's been a quality backup/spot starter for at least 7. He just does what you would expect a big man to do - including rebound on both ends, a bit of a rare skill these days. He struggles to defend on-ball, but has the intangibles to make up for it. At 30, his best years are behind him, but 31 QKN for a 7'1" C isn't bad at all. I know that finding an effective big is one of the easiest things to do in sim league, but I'm legitimately surprised that Sigman's not on anyone's roster. Even if there are better-looking guys than him, someone's gotta be underperforming or just being okay. Sigman's worth picking up just to see if he can replace that guy.
Andrew Ornelas
As if to further drive home my point about big men, we finish things up with another one, this time a 27-year-old who hasn't played since his 2nd-round rookie deal expired in 2052. This is a bit of a tragic tale, as Ornelas was quite solid his rookie year, and looking at how his skills have rounded out, he might've developed into a solid player - had he been on a roster this whole time. Now I have no evidence for this, so take it with a grain of salt, but I feel like there's a bit of a "nurture vs. nature" component to player growth. I've seen potentials jump post-TC for UFAs, especially Ds to Cs, but I've rarely seen currents jump - at least not to the point that the player looks much different than before. I've seen guys develop to a point where you think "huh, maybe there was something there," but rarely do you see a guy make you wonder how you missed him. Ebbe Clauer is the only guy that immediately stands out to me who had a "WTF, where did this come from" jump as a UFA. At 27, and looking at all of those promising Cs, I can't help but think that Ornelas would've already gotten to G/G had he spent his TCs on a roster rather than in UFA. As it stands now though, he's too old to fulfill whatever potential he looks like he had. There are players like him who have more win-now traits (Myers), and vets like him who are more proven, and just plain better (Sigman).
Verdict
Sigman should definitely be on a roster. Vansicle doesn't look like he should, but has proven that he's worthy of consideration. Brown's a hard no. There's no point in adding him when you can add Herman and see if he's worth bringing back to get an on-roster TC training or two. Myers and Ornelas are both too old to expect an on-roster TC improvement, but at least Myers has multiple clear strengths that can immediately justify a roster spot. Ornelas just doesn't have anything going for him.
Albert Myers
26 years old and undrafted, Myers is listed as a PF at 7'0". Y/G talent in the Free Agent pool usually signify an random TC boost, especially when the player in question's undrafted. This basically means "This guy isn't actually good, but he definitely has the potential to help. Maybe." Myers does most of what a big man usually does, with ORB being his only glaring weakness. The fact that he at least tries to defend out on the perimeter is probably why he has green potential. He's not worth much on the scoring end with 56 INS as the only notable thing in his arsenal....but he does have 1 X-Factor that makes him interesting, and will probably let him punch a little bit above his weight in terms of effectiveness: his athleticism. 41 QKN is low/middling for a PF, but fairly high for a C. His speed should allow him to get the jump on slower backup bigs, making it easier to utilize his talents.
Richard Brown
A 27-year-old journeyman, Brown only has 3 years of experience despite entering the league almost a decade ago. There was a 5-year gap between his 2nd and 3rd season, which means that he failed to stick around once, already got a second chance to play, and failed at that too. Despite being G/G, he has no notable skills other than 3pt shooting. He's a classic case of a guy having the body to play in the league, but not the skill to compete. He can keep up, but that's about it.
Thomas Herman
Guys like Herman are why "being able to keep up" is not enough to secure a roster spot for guys like Brown. Herman's literally Brown with less experience and STR. He's even a better 3pt shooter, and at 23, there's actually some small hope that his Cs aren't indicative of maxed-out abilities, that his G/G (if he reaches it) will be better than Brown's G/G. There's some potential for an offensive sparkplug off the bench, even if he is slightly undersized (6'6") for the position he would best be able to play (SF). Basically, if you're looking at Brown, don't. Look at this guy instead.
Tony Vansicle
A 4-year vet who couldn't secure a job post-rookie deal, the gap between Tony's stints in the league paints a better picture than you might think. As a 2nd rounder, Tony played through his 2 years, failed to make an impression on Dr. K two years later, but then managed to hold back-to-back jobs in '54 and '55. He had a solid showing in '55 as well, logging 6 ppg/2 rpg/1 apg/almost 1 spg/almost .500 FG%/17 PER in 14 mpg. Looking at his skillset/athleticism, Vansicle just seems to be a player who can find a small way to to contribute no matter what. His only real standout ability is his STL. I hesitate to consider his INS as a legitimate strong point, as he doesn't have the JMP to really take full advantage of it - 57 is just okay. At least he can take care of the ball with 63 HND. I'm not sure how he does it, but anyone who can post an above average PER while playing a reasonable amount of minutes is worth giving a shot to - even if their skillset doesn't make a good case for it.
Toby Sigman
Speaking of another guy who's posted solid PER numbers in a bench role, Sigman's an 8-year vet who's been a quality backup/spot starter for at least 7. He just does what you would expect a big man to do - including rebound on both ends, a bit of a rare skill these days. He struggles to defend on-ball, but has the intangibles to make up for it. At 30, his best years are behind him, but 31 QKN for a 7'1" C isn't bad at all. I know that finding an effective big is one of the easiest things to do in sim league, but I'm legitimately surprised that Sigman's not on anyone's roster. Even if there are better-looking guys than him, someone's gotta be underperforming or just being okay. Sigman's worth picking up just to see if he can replace that guy.
Andrew Ornelas
As if to further drive home my point about big men, we finish things up with another one, this time a 27-year-old who hasn't played since his 2nd-round rookie deal expired in 2052. This is a bit of a tragic tale, as Ornelas was quite solid his rookie year, and looking at how his skills have rounded out, he might've developed into a solid player - had he been on a roster this whole time. Now I have no evidence for this, so take it with a grain of salt, but I feel like there's a bit of a "nurture vs. nature" component to player growth. I've seen potentials jump post-TC for UFAs, especially Ds to Cs, but I've rarely seen currents jump - at least not to the point that the player looks much different than before. I've seen guys develop to a point where you think "huh, maybe there was something there," but rarely do you see a guy make you wonder how you missed him. Ebbe Clauer is the only guy that immediately stands out to me who had a "WTF, where did this come from" jump as a UFA. At 27, and looking at all of those promising Cs, I can't help but think that Ornelas would've already gotten to G/G had he spent his TCs on a roster rather than in UFA. As it stands now though, he's too old to fulfill whatever potential he looks like he had. There are players like him who have more win-now traits (Myers), and vets like him who are more proven, and just plain better (Sigman).
Verdict
Sigman should definitely be on a roster. Vansicle doesn't look like he should, but has proven that he's worthy of consideration. Brown's a hard no. There's no point in adding him when you can add Herman and see if he's worth bringing back to get an on-roster TC training or two. Myers and Ornelas are both too old to expect an on-roster TC improvement, but at least Myers has multiple clear strengths that can immediately justify a roster spot. Ornelas just doesn't have anything going for him.