Do I have a good team?

[Blue Jeans]

C B. Molina

(Tor - C) CUtilBN 121/410 45 15 69 0 .295

1B T. Helton

(Col - 1B) 1BUtilBN 163/509 92 20 79 3 .320

2B J. Cantú

(TB - 2B,3B) 2B3BUtilBN 171/598 73 28 117 1 .286

3B D. Wright

(NYM - 3B) 3BUtilBN 176/575 99 27 102 17 .306

SS M. Tejada

(Bal - SS) SSUtilBN 199/654 89 26 98 5 .304

OF A. Dunn

(Cin - 1B,OF) 1BOFUtilBN 134/543 107 40 101 4 .247

OF C. Crisp

(Bos - OF) OFUtilBN 178/594 86 16 69 15 .300

OF M. Bradley

(Oak - OF) OFUtilBN 82/283 49 13 38 6 .290

Util M. Jacobs

(Fla - 1B) 1BUtilBN 31/100 19 11 23 0 .310

BN S. Hillenbrand

(Tor - 1B,3B) 1B3BUtilBN 173/594 91 18 82 5 .291

BN J. Vidro

(Was - 2B) 2BUtilBN 85/309 38 7 32 0 .275

BN A. Kearns

(Cin - OF) OFUtilBN 93/387 62 18 67 0 .240

BN R. Barajas

(Tex - C) CUtilBN 104/410 53 21 60 0 .254

Pitching

Pos Pitchers Edit Opp Status IP W SV K ERA WHIP

SP D. Willis

(Fla - SP) SPPBN 236.1 22 0 170 2.63 1.13

SP A. Burnett

(Tor - SP) SPPBN 209.0 12 0 198 3.44 1.26

RP T. Gordon

(Phi - RP) RPPBN 80.2 5 2 69 2.57 1.09

RP D. Báez

(LAD - RP) RPPBN 72.1 5 41 51 2.86 1.33

P J. Vázquez

(CWS - SP) SPPBN 215.2 11 0 192 4.42 1.25

P T. Wakefield

(Bos - SP) SPPBN 225.1 16 0 151 4.15 1.23

P C. Schilling

(Bos - SP,RP) SPRPPBN 93.1 8 9 87 5.69 1.53

BN J. Weaver

(LAA - SP) SPPBN 224.0 14 0 157 4.22 1.17

 

It's a 12 Man League, I had the 11th pick.

Edited February 16, 2006 by Blue_Jeans

[Virginia Giant]

Looks damn good to me, but I've never done a baseball league.

[LorfTVP]

Okay, as a fantasy baseball nerd, here's my take. You have an incredible infield, over 120 homeruns at least. The outfield is a bit on the weak side but it looks like you're going more for HR/SB threats rather than pure power. Dunn will hit you at least forty while Crisp and Bradley are 15/15 players at least. Mike Jacobs is still moderately unproven in a full season...too bad he doesn't have catcher eligibility. Offensively, you are strong on power, will do average in average (the only standout is Helton who will hit his normal .330 this year), and have possible double digit steal guys in Wright, Dunn, Crisp, and Bradley. I know, but Dunn did "promise" steals one year and can run. Strong bench too, but maybe you should consider throwing a speed guy on it. I'm not sure who is still available, but look for someone like Ryan Freel, Willy Taveres, Joey Gathright...people who are probably available. Your starting rotation is pretty strong but it has a lot of questions. Schilling's ankle, Burnett in the AL and will he put it all together, Willis' lack of run support, Vazquez in a park known for homeruns, etc. At it's peak, it will dominate as a rotation. Gordon will get his saves but his peripherals are rising. Baez is a smart insurance policy for Gagne. **Gives thumbs up**

[gateb]

Drafted a little early IMO but you do have a good amount of potential on that team. I love Cantu at second base. Oh yeah, what's the guy on the Mariners name, the pitcher who has an amazing arm? I think it's Felix Hernandez. He's definitely going to be my main steal in one of my drafts.

 

Tejada scares me a bit. If I were you, I'd actually trade him and Willis (Willis ain't doing anything this season), and get some excellent players, perhaps a different utility guy and another starting pitcher.

[LorfTVP]

Drafted a little early IMO but you do have a good amount of potential on that team. I love Cantu at second base. Oh yeah, what's the guy on the Mariners name, the pitcher who has an amazing arm? I think it's Felix Hernandez. He's definitely going to be my main steal in one of my drafts.

 

Tejada scares me a bit. If I were you, I'd actually trade him and Willis (Willis ain't doing anything this season), and get some excellent players, perhaps a different utility guy and another starting pitcher.

 

Trust me, King Felix will not be a steal in any draft. For some pitching steals, look at Felix Hernandez type players, amazing minor league starters who will be coming to the big leagues. My three main suggestions are Matt Cain of San Francisco, Justin Verlander of Detroit, and Francisco Liriano and Scott Baker of Minnesota. Mark my word, these three may not match King Felix, but you can draft them near the very end and they will surpass the performances of many drafted rounds ahead of them. I think that with your SP depth, you can maybe trade for a stronger outfielder and maybe pick up one of the aforementioned pitchers.

 

MLB.com Fantasy Baseball on Matt Cain, ranked #4 top prospect for 2006

"Cain's Major League splash may have been as surprising as any other's in 2005. It's not that Cain doesn't have upside; he's the most exciting pitching prospect this side of King Felix. But the 21-year-old struggled with his command mightily in Triple-A, walking 73 in 145 2/3 innings (he did also whiff 176 and held hitters to a .218 average). He'll be the Giants' No. 4 starter and should continue to rack up the K's. Beware of the walks, though his low hits total should keep his WHIP from escalating. He's a keeper worth holding onto long-term."

 

On Francisco Liriano:

"Cain's Major League splash may have been as surprising as any other's in 2005. It's not that Cain doesn't have upside; he's the most exciting pitching prospect this side of King Felix. But the 21-year-old struggled with his command mightily in Triple-A, walking 73 in 145 2/3 innings (he did also whiff 176 and held hitters to a .218 average). He'll be the Giants' No. 4 starter and should continue to rack up the K's. Beware of the walks, though his low hits total should keep his WHIP from escalating. He's a keeper worth holding onto long-term."

 

On Justin Verlander:

"It's hard to believe Verlander has just one year under his belt, not when you consider he made it all the way to Detroit before what amounted to a tired arm shut him down late in 2005. Before then, he posted silly numbers: 1.29 ERA, 136 K's, 26 walks and a .197 batting average against in 118 2/3 innings at two levels. The command was the most surprising, and is the biggest reason why he may be the front-runner for the No. 5 spot in the Tigers' rotation. Pitching in Comerica behind a couple of soft-tossers only increases his value."

[gateb]

Thanks, I'll keep you in mind as my main insider when it comes to fantasy. So you're saying Felix won't be a steal because he'll just be drafted in the top 5 rounds or something like that?

[LorfTVP]

Considering people draft off of lists pretty much (which though it helps, it isn't the smartest thing in the world). If you're in Yahoo Fantasy Baseball, do not, for any reason, use their draft list. They have a computer that compiles the data and lists them with a mix of their rankings from this season and the last. I suggest the list at TheSportingNews.com or ESPN, but that's just me. Just Yahoo is severely skewed. Anyway, as for Felix Hernandez being a "steal" or lack thereof, I'm going to show you his ranking for the main ranking sites.

Yahoo-58th

The Sporting News-66th

MLB.com-63rd

ESPN.com-43rd

Considering that anyone is using any of those sites, there's no way you can snag Felix Hernandez anywhere past the 5th or 6th round. I suggest making a list of "Steals" but don't wait too long before getting them. Don't take them too early either, because that defeats the purpose of the steal. Just keep track of all the news around...think back to last year when steals like Huston Street weren't even drafted. My one suggestion for your team now is to find an impact basestealer. I realize that you are littered with 10 steal guys but with one "speed" guy you could win the category. Dump Kearns, he's not really worth it. He's been flashing potential for years but has never delivered. True he has a starting job now, but I wouldn't bank on it. Who is available in your league? Willy Taveras(34 in 152 games)? Ryan Freel (36 SB in 103 games)?

 

I'd love to help whoever I can in FB, especially since I'm not playing any of you, but my advice also mostly corresponds to my strategies too. For instance, I'm not the biggest closer guy in the world. Regardless, I look forward to the baseball season where we can see how all our intuitions take us.

[gateb]

Yeah, it's really appreciated. BTW, even after my first season I knew not to look at the yahoo rankings. If you're going to win this, you're going to need your intellect to win it (trades, waivers, etc.). I'm looking forward to it.

[gateb]

Oh yeah, considering Mirabelli isn't going to catch Wakefield anymore, that may be a risky pick. I suggest putting him on the block also.

[Blue Jeans]

Lorf, maybe you can help me... Here's my second FB draft ever and it needs desperate pitching help. 12 man head to head league:

 

 

Pos Batters Edit Opp Status H/AB R HR RBI SB AVG

C I. Rodríguez

(Det - C) CUtilBN 139/504 71 14 50 7 .276

1B A. Pujols

(StL - 1B) 1BUtilBN 195/591 129 41 117 16 .330

2B R. Canó

(NYY - 2B) 2BUtilBN 155/522 78 14 62 1 .297

3B J. Cantú

(TB - 2B,3B) 2B3BUtilBN 171/598 73 28 117 1 .286

SS J. Reyes

(NYM - SS) SSUtilBN 190/696 99 7 58 60 .273

OF C. Beltrán

(NYM - OF) OFUtilBN 155/582 83 16 78 17 .266

OF J. Pierre

(ChC - OF) OFUtilBN 181/656 96 2 47 57 .276

OF C. Crisp

(Bos - OF) OFUtilBN 178/594 86 16 69 15 .300

Util J. Hermida

(Fla - OF) OFUtilBN 12/41 9 4 11 2 .293

BN S. Hillenbrand

(Tor - 1B,3B) 1B3BUtilBN 173/594 91 18 82 5 .291

BN J. Vidro

(Was - 2B) 2BUtilBN 85/309 38 7 32 0 .275

BN M. Jacobs

(Fla - 1B) 1BUtilBN 31/100 19 11 23 0 .310

Pitching

Pos Pitchers Edit Opp Status IP W SV K ERA WHIP

SP B. Zito

(Oak - SP) SPPBN 228.1 14 0 171 3.86 1.20

SP K. Millwood

(Tex - SP) SPPBN 192.0 9 0 146 2.86 1.22

RP B. Ryan

(Tor - RP) RPPBN 70.1 1 36 100 2.43 1.14

RP E. Gagne

(LAD - RP) RPPBN 13.1 1 8 22 2.70 0.98

P J. Lieber

(Phi - SP) SPPBN 218.1 17 0 149 4.20 1.21

P T. Gordon

(Phi - RP) RPPBN 80.2 5 2 69 2.57 1.09

P S. Kazmir

(TB - SP) SPPBN 186.0 10 0 174 3.77 1.46

BN C. Pavano

(NYY - SP) SPPBN 100.0 4 0 56 4.77 1.47

BN E. Santana

(LAA - SP) SPPBN 133.2 12 0 99 4.65 1.39

 

 

One guy is willing to trade Clemens, Clement, or Bonderman... Are they worth it and if they are what would be a good trade for me?

[gateb]

If you don't mind, I'll throw in my two cents in here too. Once again, you have a team based on potential. Guys like Cano, Beltran, Hermida, Crisp, etc. I like those guys.

 

Out of the pitchers that are on the block, go for Bonderman. He's young, I think he's a lefty, and he's talented. It is obvious that you need pitching and you do have nice players to offer. What I usually do is do a little research and see where a guy is bad at. Like for you since you have Hillenbrand on the bench, scroll around and see if someone needs a guy at either position, maybe extend the deal a bit and get some very nice players.

[Blue Jeans]

If you don't mind, I'll throw in my two cents in here too. Once again, you have a team based on potential. Guys like Cano, Beltran, Hermida, Crisp, etc. I like those guys.

 

Out of the pitchers that are on the block, go for Bonderman. He's young, I think he's a lefty, and he's talented. It is obvious that you need pitching and you do have nice players to offer. What I usually do is do a little research and see where a guy is bad at. Like for you since you have Hillenbrand on the bench, scroll around and see if someone needs a guy at either position, maybe extend the deal a bit and get some very nice players.

 

What I am really, really hoping on is having Hermida be an imidiate impact, start him on the outfield and package Coco Crisp and another hot player for a stud pitcher.

[gateb]

I assume you watched sportscenter this morning then? Gammons was talking about young guys who just got called up were expected to make an immediate impact. Hermida was one of them. If I were you, I would keep Coco. You'd be surprised what he can do at Fenway with guys like Loretta (lorf, clarify this for me?), Ortiz and Manny behind him. Bound to put up fantasy numbers.

 

I think one of your three bench guys are going to come out on fire. Maybe Jacobs. If so, trade as soon as possible. We know as Mets fans that he started out hot, got cold then got hot again.

[LorfTVP]

Yah, I agree, Clemens won't start (if he even plays) until the middle of this year so he's out. Clement is known for fast starts and slowing down but last year he was hit in the head by a line drive. I think that you could get Clement for a lesser value if you tell the person that he always falls off. Bonderman on the other hand has a lot of potential and his asking price may be higher. Most important thing, DON'T GET CHEATED. People may tell you you need pitching but don't let them convince you to trade Pujols for a Jeff Weaver or something. Okay, that's an extreme example, but people try to cheat you. It's usually not a good idea to take the first offer but better to discuss the trade. Coco should have a career year if you check his three year averages. He is increasing every year and now he's on an even better offensive team. His position isn't fully set yet, the team would like him to lead off but he tends to have a lower OBP and Spring Training should decide that. "Worst" case scenario, Youkilis leads off, followed by Loretta, Ortiz and Manny, and then Crisp. Either way, as long as he bats from the top to middle of the order, he should get a lot of runs and rbi. His value has skyrocketed because of this trade and it isn't all totally undeserved. Your offense is a good running team, with about 80 stolen bases between Pierre and Beltran at least. Keep an eye on Gagne because Baez is waiting in the wings in case he falters returning from his injury. Your team lacks a high impact strikeout pitcher. Both Bonderman and Clement will give you 150. Thing about Bonderman is that he still hasn't reached his potential while we already have an idea about what kind of pitcher Clement is. I think they'll finish close but Clement with about four more wins (better team) and better statistics.

[Blue Jeans]

Who would you recomend me trading for Clement? Off of the list I gave you. Should I wait until some of my 'prospects' mature in value?

[gateb]

Can you post that guys roster so we can see some of his weaknesses?

 

And lorf, you are the man. No way I'm getting insider when I can just ask you something

[Blue Jeans]

His Roster

 

C M. Piazza

(SD - C) 100/398 41 19 62 0 .251

1B J. Morneau

(Min - 1B) 117/490 62 22 79 0 .239

2B M. Lowell

(Bos - 2B,3B) 118/500 56 8 58 4 .236

3B D. Wright

(NYM - 3B) 176/575 99 27 102 17 .306

SS F. López

(Cin - 2B,SS) 169/580 97 23 85 15 .291

OF C. Crawford

(TB - OF) 194/644 101 15 81 46 .301

OF H. Matsui

(NYY - OF) 192/629 108 23 116 2 .305

OF M. Holliday

(Col - OF) 147/479 68 19 87 14 .307

Util T. Hafner

(Cle - Util) 148/486 94 33 108 0 .305

BN P. Feliz

(SF - 1B,3B,OF) 142/569 69 20 81 0 .250

BN B. McCann

(Atl - C) 50/180 20 5 23 1 .278

Pitching

Pos Pitchers Action Opp Status IP W SV K ERA WHIP

SP C. Zambrano

(ChC - SP) 223.1 14 0 202 3.26 1.15

SP R. Clemens

(Hou - SP) NA 211.1 13 0 185 1.87 1.01

RP J. Nathan

(Min - RP) 70.0 7 43 94 2.70 0.97

RP B. Wickman

(Cle - RP) 62.0 0 45 41 2.47 1.26

P T. Hudson

(Atl - SP) 192.0 14 0 115 3.52 1.35

P J. Bonderman

(Det - SP) 189.0 14 0 145 4.57 1.35

P J. Blanton

(Oak - SP) 201.1 12 0 116 3.53 1.22

BN M. Clement

(Bos - SP) 191.0 13 0 146 4.57 1.36

BN B. McCarthy

(CWS - SP) 67.0 3 0 48 4.03 1.18

BN E. Bedard

(Bal - SP) 141.2 6 0 125 4.00 1.38

[LorfTVP]

I think that out of those three, Clement is the best bet, but I'm not a big fan of pre-season trades either. You never know what to expect until these guys take the ball. It's another month-plus until baseball season so a lot can happen. Keep an eye on how these guys do during spring training and then make a decision. Is there a deadline for a possible deal here? Does he want someone you have in particular?

[gateb]

I like Bedard a lot, maybe for the right price, take a shot on him. His hitting is basically set so you don't really have a hitter to offer.

[Blue Jeans]

Trust me, King Felix will not be a steal in any draft. For some pitching steals, look at Felix Hernandez type players, amazing minor league starters who will be coming to the big leagues. My three main suggestions are Matt Cain of San Francisco, Justin Verlander of Detroit, and Francisco Liriano and Scott Baker of Minnesota. Mark my word, these three may not match King Felix, but you can draft them near the very end and they will surpass the performances of many drafted rounds ahead of them. I think that with your SP depth, you can maybe trade for a stronger outfielder and maybe pick up one of the aforementioned pitchers.

 

MLB.com Fantasy Baseball on Matt Cain, ranked #4 top prospect for 2006

"Cain's Major League splash may have been as surprising as any other's in 2005. It's not that Cain doesn't have upside; he's the most exciting pitching prospect this side of King Felix. But the 21-year-old struggled with his command mightily in Triple-A, walking 73 in 145 2/3 innings (he did also whiff 176 and held hitters to a .218 average). He'll be the Giants' No. 4 starter and should continue to rack up the K's. Beware of the walks, though his low hits total should keep his WHIP from escalating. He's a keeper worth holding onto long-term."

 

On Francisco Liriano:

"Cain's Major League splash may have been as surprising as any other's in 2005. It's not that Cain doesn't have upside; he's the most exciting pitching prospect this side of King Felix. But the 21-year-old struggled with his command mightily in Triple-A, walking 73 in 145 2/3 innings (he did also whiff 176 and held hitters to a .218 average). He'll be the Giants' No. 4 starter and should continue to rack up the K's. Beware of the walks, though his low hits total should keep his WHIP from escalating. He's a keeper worth holding onto long-term."

 

On Justin Verlander:

"It's hard to believe Verlander has just one year under his belt, not when you consider he made it all the way to Detroit before what amounted to a tired arm shut him down late in 2005. Before then, he posted silly numbers: 1.29 ERA, 136 K's, 26 walks and a .197 batting average against in 118 2/3 innings at two levels. The command was the most surprising, and is the biggest reason why he may be the front-runner for the No. 5 spot in the Tigers' rotation. Pitching in Comerica behind a couple of soft-tossers only increases his value."

 

Jesus Christ, what a brain you have. Kudo's!

 

BTW, My league looked totally different at the end and I finished second.

[gateb]

Phew, I wasn't that off on my predictions either. I hate looking back at my predictions that I made before the season when the season ended.

[LorfTVP]

Jesus Christ, what a brain you have. Kudo's!

 

BTW, My league looked totally different at the end and I finished second.

 

Wow, I love being right. I was off on Baker, but that isn't that bad. I'm sort of afraid of looking at my pre-season playoff predictions though...probably way off on those.