LorfTVP

I don't see any evidence that he means it defensively.

Okay, in my eight team league, I put together all the teams in excel and every single player's ESPN projections and calculated the team's performance based on the ten starting hitters and every pitcher. Here were my results: ------------------AB---R---HR--RBI-SB--AVG Team 1 Hitters 5049 875 234 805 180 0.290 Team 2 Hitters 5133 776 223 810 108 0.296 Team 3 Hitters 5248 853 255 855 82 0.290 Team 4 Hitters 5162 833 219 791 118 0.292 Team 5 Hitters 4767 840 246 843 58 0.295 Team 6 Hitters 4872 798 189 705 135 0.293 Team 7 Hitters 4923 807 260 843 85 0.294 Team 8 Hitters 5100 858 191 734 165 0.291 -------------------IP----W---SV--SO--ERA--WHIP Team 1 Pitchers 1920 122 72 1748 3.55 1.27 Team 2 Pitchers 1785 106 134 1511 3.46 1.23 Team 3 Pitchers 1584 104 135 1578 3.58 1.22 Team 4 Pitchers 1773 106 111 1444 3.47 1.22 Team 5 Pitchers 1881 135 94 1431 3.59 1.25 Team 6 Pitchers 2238 146 75 1739 3.69 1.26 Team 7 Pitchers 2061 132 70 1702 3.77 1.27 Team 8 Pitchers 2037 134 75 1513 3.88 1.27 I'm Team 1 btw. But notice how remarkably close the statistics are. Granted one would expect this, but it had a lot more of an impact after I saw it all on paper. Of course these are projections and nobody knows what will happen, but it says a lot about the importance of keeping an eye on your team, playing backups, and watching the waiver wire. Most of these teams don't have a backup C or MI and that will hurt them when they lost those at bats due to off days or days of rest. Also remember that this is a head to head league, which makes a world of difference in scores. If a rotisserie league were to end exactly like this, it would be rather close all around. Basically, my point is, watch your team.

That's complete bullshit and you should know that. There is no way Cano will ever reach Alfonso Soriano's value. Soriano was the only 30/30 player in the majors last year. Cano is 23 while Soriano is only 30. Cano will never reach Alfonso Soriano's ability, and any casual observer can say that. The most Cano can do is hit for a better average, which isn't saying much.

**ahem** We were tied atop the division.

Thing is, the Nationals won't be able to get decent value at all since everbody knows Soriano wants out. Their best bet is to get him to play LF.

Think of it like this...Blanton had a 5 era for half the year and ended with one in the mid-3s. The As offense which has always been a down point has improved significantly with a healthy Bobby Crosby, Milton Bradley, Frank Thomas, and a breakout Mark Ellis. I predicted the Rangers last year, VG, but they dissapointed me. I'll get into this later, for I must be off to socialize. As for the Diamondbacks...one or two years. They have one of the best farm systems in the majors. I'll get into it later.

Well, 3B, though not deep in superstars, is deep in options. Good trade, though I hate trading before the season starts. You might find Street and Rivera to be more of a wash than you think but Crawford and Glaus for Guerrero...best OF but you traded a top 5 OF as well. We'll see.

Acks, I hate how ESPN adds more to an article later on. But, it's a decent trade. I'm still doubting Papelbon starts in the rotation because we still have Wells and Clement. Papelbon is more likely to go to the pen, especially with Clement's hot spring. Wells on the other hand should NOT be traded in my opinion, we need the depth. I would've preferred Arroyo and his ability to go back and forth...and his status as a fan favorite (though words don't describe how I hated the cornrows). This move should help....so our roster right now is looking like: Hitters: Varitek, Youkilis, Loretta, Gonzalez, Lowell, Ramirez, Crisp, Nixon, Ortiz, Stern, Snow, Pena, Cora, Bard, Graffanino* . Pitchers: Schilling, Wakefield, Beckett, Clement, Wells, Papelbon, Tavarez, Riske, Seanez, Dinardo*, Timlin, Foulke We'll start out the beginning of the season with fewer pitchers. Graffanino is likely to be traded and there's no way the Sox will let Stern go without at least getting him his 12 (17?) games so that he fulfills Rule V obligations. Logic says they'll trade Graffanino for prospects and give Dinardo, as a LHP a spot in the bullpen. Actually, they might go with a smaller pitching corp in the beginning until Stern can fulfill obligations, though 11 pitchers is incredibly low. It's not a bad thing to have competition. Kapler will have a hard time getting on the team when he comes back. I meant it was underhanded because Arroyo signed a hometown discount and then was traded. Pena is signed for cheap now though, though I don't know how long his contract is.

Helton has a history, Fielder does not. Fielder has the capability to hit 40 but he will probably be overmatched by pitching in the beginning and will probably end up with 25-30 HRs, right where Helton should be as well. Fielder is an incredible keeper though.

For Wily Mo Pena...seems like an underhanded move after the discount. Why?!

Juan Gonzalez Signed

Yah, I started a prediction thread, but it didn't get much love and somehow disappeared. Anyway, my predictions are as follows: AL East - Boston Red Sox AL Central - Cleveland Indians AL West - Oakland Athletics AL Wild Card - New York Yankees NL East - New York Mets NL Central - St. Louis Cardinals NL West - Los Angeles Dodgers NL Wild Card - Atlanta Braves Red Sox and Yankees are evenly matched, so that's a coin toss. Their seasons will bank solely on injuries and comebacks. The AL Central is also extremely competitive, and though the Indians have slightly downgraded, they're also a year older and more mature and should be able to produce enough to compete. The White Sox still have the edge, but I see the Indians offense carrying them (including Belliard ). The Athletics is an easy pick with their jaw-dropping rotation of Zito, Harden, Haren, Blanton, and Loaiza - top 2 in the AL with the White Sox. With an improved offense and a (hopefully) healthy Frank Thomas, they should win easily. As for the NL, the Mets are the best on paper and I can't go against them. I'm a fan of them, and I think that though their rotation has gone down, it won't go down to the level of the Phillies rotation. Their offense is incredible, carried by two Carlos' and a Wright brother. The Cardinals cannot be bet against, and though the Cubs and Brewers should put on pressure, the Brewers are a year or two away and the Cubs need a healthy Prior and Wood. The Dodgers and Giants will be close but this is merely a gut pick, and maybe a little bit of bias with the Red Sox connections on the team. I think the Braves, Cubs, and Dodgers/Giants will compete for this spot but the Braves have more weaker opponents to pick on with the Marlins, Phillies, and Nationals. As for the playoffs, they cannot be predicted, for anything can happen in such a short series.

Now by league I'm assuming you mean the entire major leagues, considering the arguments over Kent and Soriano. Soriano is one of those guys who will still produce no matter where he is or how unhappy he is. He knows he's a free agent next year, and even though he fears losing 2b respect on the FA market, he will still hit to the best of his ability to make more money. Even during his worst year, his numbers were still amazing for the position as he hit .280 with 28 HRs and 18 SB in 2004 in 145 games. As for Jeff Kent, the dropoff has yet to occur. Last year he hit more homeruns than in the past three. He has decent lineup protection too. While his batting average did fall .030 points in the second half, he still hit for equal power, OBP, SLG, and OPS. You're writing off this player way too early. The way lineups are made aren't based around a fielding position, they're based around hitting ability. Miguel Tejada is a hitting shortstop and the offense is based around him, why can't an offense be based around a still strong Jeff Kent? Now I'm talking offensively here btw, defense doesn't play a role. i still stand by my statement that Belliard will not be among the top 10 offensive second basemen in the league by year's end. Utley, Soriano, Kent, Roberts, Cantu, Figgins, Giles, Loretta, Weeks, Polanco, Iguchi, etc. These guys will outproduce Mr. Ronnie Belliard. I'm not gonna deny that he's going to help his team, but he's not a top 10 player at his position As for the Fielder and Mulder for Helton and Glavine, ot's the typical + - deal, moving up in one category and down in the other. I think it goes without question that Helton will outproduce Prince Fielder. Helton is the active leader in batting average at .336 and 22nd all time in 9 seasons. He's only 32 and though his HR rate has declined a bit due to injuries and age progression, he should still be able to hit .325 (at least), 30 HR, with one of the top OBPs in the majors. Fielder on the other hand is untested and raw. He has the power, and will hit HRs but his average will plummet to the .270s in the majors and he may be overmatched at times. Not gonna get into Mulder and Glavine, but Glavine will still produce.

Glaus is better for power but I think Blalock will have more run and rbi opportunites in the Texas Ranger lineup. My suggestion, if you're up for it, is to play Blalock solely at home. He hits .310 at home compared to .238 on the road. Last year he hit .291 at home versus .231 on the road. IF you platoon you can get maximum output while minimizing the potentially devastating BAs from both players.

Where's the love? I reviewed all of your teams :brooding:

And finally here's my team, and I'm staying in this thread. This is an 8 team (so the talent per team is slightly richer) 5x5 head to head league. Position - Player - Pick # - ESPN Ranking (Top 200) C - Josh Willingham - #196 - NR 1B - Albert Pujols - Keeper - NA 2B - Rickie Weeks - #116 - #119 SS - Jose Reyes - Keeper - NA 3B - David Wright - Keeper - NA OF - Bobby Abreu - Keeper - NA OF - Miguel Cabrera - Keeper - NA OF - Carlos Beltran - #45 - #15 Util - Paul Konerko - #68 - #40 Bench - Bill Hall - #157 - NR Bench - Justin Morneau - #180 - #168 Bench - Aubrey Huff - #125 - #85 Bench - Bengie Molina - #189 - NR SP - Rich Harden - #52 - #64 SP - Curt Schilling - #84 - #108 RP - Huston Street - #77 - #68 RP - Mike Gonzalez - #173 - #197 P - Derrick Turnbow - #132 - #140 P - Mark Prior - #61 - #65 P - Brandon Webb - #93 - #112 Bench - Joe Blanton - #141 - #129 Bench - Scott Kazmir - #109 - #150 Bench - Francisco Liriano - #164 - NR Bench - Matt Cain - #148 - #170 Bench - Dan Haren - #100 - #111 The keepers were amazing, having had a good team last year. My outfield is incredible, very Omar Minaya-ish, but strong. According to ESPN projections, the starting lineup alone should produce about 875 R, 234 HRs, 805 RBI, 119 SBs, and a .288 BA. I'm not sure what one should try and get for a lineup in each category for 8, 10, and 12 team leagues (gonna figure that out as a side project), but I think the team is well rounded. The pitching is a bit more questionable though. Right after I drafted Prior, we drafted while watching the WBC loss, there was a blurb scrolling across the bottom of the screen that said Prior may miss the beginning of the season. Shame. He'll still dazzle when he's around, or at least offer a K per inning and good ERA. Saves are weak but I have three guys who should at least give me a chance to win the category week by week. I'm going to make similar excel charts for my pitchers based on ESPN projections. I get obsessed. So, what do you think? No real major steals when comparing draft position to the board but I expect the guys not ranked in the top 200 to produce considerably.

The worst Fielder could do is .270, 25, 80...and I see him easily surpassing that. He's a good value pick for you and you have a strong offensive team. As for pitching...we'll see.

I wouldn't say one of the top 2nd basemen in the league. He's a good fallback option but not someone you'd want to carry your team. In a 16 team league, he's great. But otherwise, I can think of at least 10 2nd basemen I'd draft for him. There's no doubt about the likes of Soriano, Utley, and Figgins and then throw in Giles, Kent, Cantu, Iguchi, a healthy Roberts, Placido Polanco batting .320, the untapped potential of Rickie Weeks. Really, they all bring so much more to the table. I'd have no problem taking Ryan Freel and his 30-40 SBs over Belliard. I think Belliard will have a very similar season to Robinson Cano in terms of BA and power with Cano maybe getting 10 more runs and rbi because of his team. Belliard won't hurt, but he's not a top option and nowhere near "one of the top 2nd basemen in the league".

Good point...I wouldn't draft him. Let someone else take the risk.

I dunno about Belliard...just seems so dull and average. Yah, he's on a good team, but...I dunno...one of those instinct calls. I'm looking forward to a full year from Victor Martinez though, and by full year I mean full productive year. As for Francoeur, he has raw power and an insane arm but still suffers the common rookie failing of striking out too much. Until he can resolve that, I won't consider him can't miss. Regardless, he'll definitely make enough contact to hit for a good BA and a lot of power.

Damn, you play some deep leagues. I like keeping my leagues to a minimum because I believe upkeep is one of the key factors to winning a league and that's hard to do with so many teams. Anyway, your team is servicable. I'm trying to wrap my head around 16 teams now...You have some good sleepers but also you're banking a lot on prospects like Franceour and Fielder. Belliard will fall from last year. Good MR picks with Crain and Timlin (If holds count then you're in heaven). Donnelly will hopefully regain form...but Bedard is a great sleeper...Young should dazzle, and we know what to expect from Zambrano and Mulder. Don't really have any speed, BA, or big run producers but you should get HR and RBI.

I have to agree. There are people I won't touch no matter how good they are because I don't like them. Alfonso Soriano is infuriating but still one of the best 2Bs in the game. I'll never draft the following: Alfonso Soriano - frustrating. Any Yankee Player - I'd take Pujols with the first pick. Adam Dunn - I believe in well rounded players and that batting average is killer. Andruw Jones - Same as above, though the BA isn't as bad. he'll be overvalued this year. Chris Carpenter - As amazing as last year was, I dunno, just don't like him. Barry Bonds - I refuse to take him. We all have people who we just don't touch unless it's a can't miss proposition.

I agree. Willis is too young for this grand a stage. World Series, eh...but I dunno. We need the big guys there.

Go for backups and sleepers. By the later rounds all your positions should be filled, if not, then you don't have a very good draft strategy. So many names to list...can't get to it right now really. Any specific position in mind?

Not sure if you were trying to make it real or just put out an All Star Team. Well, I think the top fantasy team possible would look something like this: C-Victor Martinez 1B-Albert Pujols 2B-Chase Utley/Alfonso Soriano (VERY debatable) SS-Michael Young/Miguel Tejada (Also VERY debatable) 3B-Alex Rodrigues LF-Manny Ramirez CF-Carlos Beltran/Andruw Jones (Moderately debatable) RF-Vladimir Guerrero DH-Mark Teixeira Bench-Chone Figgins (Speed, versatility) Bench-Miguel Cabrera (Average, power, versatility) Bench-Manny Ramirez (Average, power, rbi) SP-Johan Santana SP-Pedro Martinez RP-Mariano Rivera RP-Brad Lidge P-Jake Peavy P-Chris Carpenter (Though I'm not a huge fan) P-Roy Oswalt/Roy Halladay/Randy Johnson/Carlos Zambrano (Very tough) I think that'd be the best team you could have...amazing BA, power, speed is a bit on the downside but Figgins should get plenty of playing time with days off and whatnot...and I think Beltran should win over Jones which is 30-40 SBs right there. The pitching has everything: ERA, WHIP, Ks, SVs, and though it may be weaker in wins, it will get those.