Fantasy Ruckus: Second Basemen

SECOND BASEMAN
The days of second base being a position of little pop are over.  Today, as always, you will find speed but, you will also find power and sometimes you’ll find both at the pivot position.  Seven second basemen topped 25 homeruns; Chase Utley turned in a 30-20 season and Ian Kinsler one-upped him on that front by joining the 30-30 club.  Although the position is more exciting than it was a few years ago, you will still need to commit an early round selection if you want one of the main guys.  Grabbing one of the studs does put you at a nice advantage over someone who misses out.  However, passing on one of the big boys here carries less risk than it does at other positions.

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Tags: Aaron Hill, Alberto Callaspo, Chase Utley, Chris Getz, Dustin Pedroia, Gordon Beckham, Ian Kinsler, Rickie Weeks, Robinson Cano

Spring Training Notes

Brian Cashman: “The 2010 Yankees would be better with Joba and Hughes in the ‘pen.”

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Rays – 1 ChamberHughes – 0

If you saw the box score from today’s game or, even worse, caught some of it live you already know that Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes were less than impressive in their Spring Training debuts against the Tampa Bay Rays.  It looks like we should have shelled out the 5 years $80 million for Lackey after all.  No, no, no I am definitely kidding and there is no truth in that jest.  Spring Training – especially the first few starts – are to get back in the groove.  I kinda like to compare it to going to the pool for the first time of the year.  While some hot heads like to cannonball into the deep end on a full sprint, I, personally, like to take the steps and let my body re-adapt to the rigors of relaxation.  Let’s bring this back on topic, though.  The most important thing about Spring Training is that guys – especially young pitchers – further develop aspects of their game and/or ease their way back into game shape.  In Hughes’ case that specifically means improving on his change up.  Apparently he threw it quite a few times and even got a swing and miss on it by Ben Zobrist.  Joba simply got knocked around a bit today, and while I am nowhere close to panicking after his first action of the season, I will say that I don’t like the three walks.  Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing them pitch some more this spring as they “compete” for the fifth starter spot.

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Devil’s Advocate: 5th Starter (what else would it be?)

First off, let me establish that I think Joba Chamberlain will win the 5th starters job. It is kind of hard to imagine the Yankees going through all of that drama with Chamberlain last year only to put him back in the bullpen this season. Obviously, the performances of Chamberlain and Hughes (and only those two because, barring injury or an incredible showing of sucktitude, nobody else is going to win that job) will play a role in the decision but, unless Hughes completely blows everyone away, I feel like Chamberlain will start the season in the Major League rotation. The question then becomes, “what do they do with Hughes?” As many, if not most or all, of us know by now, the two options are sending Hughes to Triple-A to build up innings or sticking him in the bullpen to set up for Mo. I’m not interested in making an argument for either one right now but, you can check out my thoughts here. Instead, I would just like to take a look at the pros and cons of each scenario.

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Tags: Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes

Farm Reports Returning

The Farm Report “series” was one of my favorite things to write last season and I am looking forward to bringing it back.  Like last year, I will primarily focus on the top five prospects in the system while also highlighting the performances of some of the other well-regarded prospects in the system.  The main subjects of this year’s Farm Reports will be Jesus Montero (duh), Austin Romine, Slade Heathcott, Zach McAllister and Manny Banuelos.  Actually, I’m contemplating as I write this…I may just follow the top nine guys in the system so that I can also include Gary Sanchez, J.R. Murphy, Jeremy Bleich and the always intriguing Andrew Brackman.  Who knows?  The point is, Farm Reports are coming back soon.  You should be excited because I definitely am.

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2010 MLB Draft Order

The 2010 MLB Draft is still a good three months away but it’s never too early to just take a glance at things. Here is the selection order. The Yankees, having won the World Series, will be selecting last in the first round but, unlike past seasons, will not lose selections due to signing free agents. The team that has the most opportunity (and pressure) to do some damage is the Toronto Blue Jays who have ten selections in the first 126 picks. What a way for their new GM Alex Anthopoulos to really put his stamp on the organization.

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Fantasy Ruckus: First Basemen

First base is a position that needs to be tapped into heavily if you expect to dominate your opposition.  And we’re talking about the primetime sluggers, the types that bring the big bark up to the plate with them.  Not to say that guys like James Loney and Todd Helton are valueless in fantasy but, those aren’t guys that you want to have to trust on a daily basis from the get-go.  A lot of leagues have Utility or DH spots.  Those might as well say first base.  Obviously, Albert Pujols is not going to last beyond the second overall pick and just about all of the studs are likely to be gone by Rounds 3 or 4.  Don’t be afraid to draft them early and often while the supplies last and, definitely do not be afraid to draft more first baseman than you have spots for.  Everyone wants power and, if you’re drafting the right guys, you should be able to move your surplus for a stud elsewhere.

Top 5
1.  Albert Pujols
2.  Miguel Cabrera
3.  Mark Teixeira
4.  Prince Fielder
5.  Ryan Howard

Bounce Back
Chris Davis was a popular pick to breakout in 2009 and he ended up doing a nice Mark Reynolds impression – only he forgot about the homeruns.  There’s no way around the fact that he’s going to strike out in bunches but, there is also no secret surrounding his prodigious power potential.  Another guy who disappointed fantasy owners despite not having a down year, per se, was James Loney.  Loney is not a guy who is going to light up the opposition with power but he still has room to build on last season and provide the value in the later rounds that fantasy owners have been hoping for.

Rising
Joey Votto is about to explode.  His counting stats were suppressed a bit due to some DL time which will keep his price lower than it should be.  Billy Butler has been on prospect and sleeper lists for a couple of years now but, it looked like he finally figured some stuff out last season and started raking.  Look for that to continue in 2010.

Falling
Lance Berkman, Paul Konerko and Todd Helton are three guys who have provided top shelf fantasy production in recent years but, while they still have some gas in their tanks, it is time for them to pass the torch on to the next generation of slugging fantasy studs.

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Tags: Albert Pujols, Billy Butler, Chris Davis, James Loney, Joey Votto, Lance Berkman, Mark Teixeira, Miguel Cabrera, Nick Johnson, Paul Konerko, Prince Fielder, Ryan Howard, Todd Helton

Bolstering the Bullpen

To start off, we will discuss the move that will have the most significant impact on the Yankee bullpen.  They brought in Chan Ho Park on a $1.2 million deal.  Not that I’m a huge fan of Park but, he pitched well last year out of the ‘pen for the Phillies, it’s a cheap deal and you really can not have too many quality arms in the bullpen – although, “quality” may not quite be the word to toss around too liberally when the discussing 36-year old journeyman.  All technicalities aside, this is a good, low-risk move.  Last season he posted a K/9 of 9.36 and and a K/BB of 3.30 in relief.  Of course, those ratios won’t come as easy in the AL East but, they certainly make him worthy of getting a shot to play an important role in bridging to Mo.  Stay tuned because his addition will crowd the ‘pen make for an interesting competition.

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Johnny Damon Signs With Tigers

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Tags: Johnny Damon

Fantasy Ruckus: Catchers

The catcher position is similar to the center position in basketball – they’re both thin, the little bit of talent dries up quickly, and they’re often valued for their real life contributions that do not necessarily translate to production on the fantasy stat sheet.  Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez are the two best options at catcher and there is little – if any – debate on that fact.  Brian McCann is an All-Star catcher and certainly someone worth having on your fantasy team.  However, he has averaged only 485 AB’s over his four full seasons and, unlike Mauer and Martinez, does not get to stay in the lineup on his “off” days.  Would you be better off waiting a bit and snagging Matt Wieters later in the draft?  He’s younger and less proven but, if he is slated for 550+ at-bats, it could be worth the risk.  It is just something to think about.  Sometimes it is best to take a waiting approach with your backstops.  It could be beneficial to use your early picks on guys who play a less demanding position and who are reasonably guaranteed more playing time.  You can afford to take this approach in one-catcher leagues.  Those that require you to start two will obviously require a more aggressive approach.

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Tags: Brian McCann, Chris Iannetta, Geovany Soto, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jesus Flores, Joe Mauer, Jorge Posada, Kurt Suzuki, Matt Wieters, Miguel Montero, Russell Martin, Ryan Doumit, Victor Martinez