Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Tuesday March 27, 2007
Seattle just finished coming back from a 25-point deficit late in the third quarter to beat Minnesota by eight. Rashard Lewis is stepping it up to fill the Ray Allen void.
Check out West Virginia’s last second shot to beat Miss State. It was a pretty sweet inbounds play, nice misdirection. I guess the less-famous Hansbrough brother is now done playing too.
In baseball:
Ryan Howard had another stellar day, 0-4 with three k’s. Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run jack, which helps my confidence as I have him starting at third base in my keeper league.
Boof Bonser looked pretty decent. He went six innings, while giving up four hits and striking out seven. Carl Pavano went six innings and gave up six hits while not striking anyone out. I can only find his pitch count on Yahoo, and they have it at 27, with 22 strikes. Now, with his one walk and one hit batter, he must have thrown no other balls over the entire six innings. He had 14 groundball outs, including four double-play outs. I’m not really confident that the Yahoo pitch count is right, but the results are the same either way. You have to like the ground balls, but a strikeout or five would be nice too.
Morgan Ensberg hit a homerun. He’s a great sleeper because of how late he is going. Last year’s average was pretty bad, but he might be a good cheap power source.
Albert Pujols went 2-3 with a homerun, get used to seeing that in the box score. Chris Carpenter went seven strong innings, four hits and two walks, while striking out five.
Mike Sweeney went 2-3 with two runs, three rbi’s, and a homerun. He might have some success if he can stay healthy, which won’t happen. Aramis Ramirez looked pretty good, and Ryan Dempster picked up where he left off last year, giving up two runs in one innings of work.
Wow, the Padres (they’re not playing in Petco yet) exploded on the Rangers. Kevin Millwood coughed up 10 runs in 4.2 innings. Eric Gagne gave up four runs in one inning; his owners need to be worried. Conversely, Antinori Otsuka’s owners need to be excited. Russel Branyan had five rbi’s, Adrian Gonzalez added three and is a good bet to improve this season. Josh Bard brought nothing more than an 0-6 day to the party.
The Mariners showed off yet another round of astoundingly bad offseason pickups today. Horacio Ramirez (who might actually have some promise somewhere down deep) and Chris Reitsma combined for seven innings, 12 hits, nine runs, and three strikeouts.
Dave Bush struck out six in five otherwise sloppy innings and continues his run as the most underrated fantasy pitcher.
Giant Bobby Jenks gained a little bit of security when his scoreless inning was followed by Andy Sisco and Mike MacDougal getting rocked consecutively. Howie Kendrick went 2-4 and knocked in three.
Scott Hairston knocked out three homeruns and Matt Holliday added one of his own. Josh Fogg gave up 11 runs (10 earned) on 13 hits. Its nice to know he’s working to repeat last season’s 5.49 era.
-Adam
Check out West Virginia’s last second shot to beat Miss State. It was a pretty sweet inbounds play, nice misdirection. I guess the less-famous Hansbrough brother is now done playing too.
In baseball:
Ryan Howard had another stellar day, 0-4 with three k’s. Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run jack, which helps my confidence as I have him starting at third base in my keeper league.
Boof Bonser looked pretty decent. He went six innings, while giving up four hits and striking out seven. Carl Pavano went six innings and gave up six hits while not striking anyone out. I can only find his pitch count on Yahoo, and they have it at 27, with 22 strikes. Now, with his one walk and one hit batter, he must have thrown no other balls over the entire six innings. He had 14 groundball outs, including four double-play outs. I’m not really confident that the Yahoo pitch count is right, but the results are the same either way. You have to like the ground balls, but a strikeout or five would be nice too.
Morgan Ensberg hit a homerun. He’s a great sleeper because of how late he is going. Last year’s average was pretty bad, but he might be a good cheap power source.
Albert Pujols went 2-3 with a homerun, get used to seeing that in the box score. Chris Carpenter went seven strong innings, four hits and two walks, while striking out five.
Mike Sweeney went 2-3 with two runs, three rbi’s, and a homerun. He might have some success if he can stay healthy, which won’t happen. Aramis Ramirez looked pretty good, and Ryan Dempster picked up where he left off last year, giving up two runs in one innings of work.
Wow, the Padres (they’re not playing in Petco yet) exploded on the Rangers. Kevin Millwood coughed up 10 runs in 4.2 innings. Eric Gagne gave up four runs in one inning; his owners need to be worried. Conversely, Antinori Otsuka’s owners need to be excited. Russel Branyan had five rbi’s, Adrian Gonzalez added three and is a good bet to improve this season. Josh Bard brought nothing more than an 0-6 day to the party.
The Mariners showed off yet another round of astoundingly bad offseason pickups today. Horacio Ramirez (who might actually have some promise somewhere down deep) and Chris Reitsma combined for seven innings, 12 hits, nine runs, and three strikeouts.
Dave Bush struck out six in five otherwise sloppy innings and continues his run as the most underrated fantasy pitcher.
Giant Bobby Jenks gained a little bit of security when his scoreless inning was followed by Andy Sisco and Mike MacDougal getting rocked consecutively. Howie Kendrick went 2-4 and knocked in three.
Scott Hairston knocked out three homeruns and Matt Holliday added one of his own. Josh Fogg gave up 11 runs (10 earned) on 13 hits. Its nice to know he’s working to repeat last season’s 5.49 era.
-Adam
Monday, March 26, 2007
Monday March 26, 2007
So my bracket is totally destroyed just when I thought it was all going to go according to plan. So coming into this weekend all 8 of my Elite 8 teams were still alive, giving me full potential to be perfect (wishful thinking I know). It all started going downhill On Thursday when “I don’t know how I got here” Memphis beat Texas A&M by 1, only if Acie Law IV could make a lay-up. That loss hurt the most because I had them in the Final Four and I don’t think a lot of others did, so that was how I was going to gain any ground that I had lost. Besides that loss, that round went really well because that was the only one of my Elite 8 teams that lost so I went 7 for 8. Then Saturday came and Kansas decided to play like shit and lose to UCLA, there goes my national champion. I felt if Kansas was another team not too many people picked so if I was to call it I would most likely do well, so much for that. Then on Sunday North Carolina, the other team I had in the final, decided not to score any points for roughly have the day and get blown out in OT to Georgetown (a team I really like but thought UNC had their number). The only team I was able call correctly in the Final Four was Florida (just like the rest of the nation). So I went from going 7 for 8 to 1 for 4 and am now officially dead. That is the joy of college basketball though you never know who will win. With all my teams out I will hope to see UCLA vs. Georgetown in the final with UCLA winning so that folks don’t doubt the Pac-10.
If you have not seen the ending to the Division 2 NCAA Men’s basketball National Championship go to this link now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rgsn3C3UBs. That ending was nuts, a friend told me about it then I caught it on YouTube. Where would the world be without YouTube?
So it is officially less than a week until the baseball season officially starts. YAY! I can’t wait to see how the players I have drafted in my fantasy leagues pan out.
Let’s see what happened today.
Derrek Lee continues to dominate spring training’s face. Today he went 3-5, runs, 2 rbis bringing his rbi total to 17 for spring training. O and he is hitting .500 too. All Lee owners (including myself) are hoping this rolls over to the season.
Mike Piazza hit in his 16th run of spring training, his teammate Nick Swisher also drove in his 16th run of spring training. If this duo continues to do well the A’s will be looking to take their division this year because you know they have the pitching to go with those bats. I think Piazza is a good fantasy option because he is C eligible but plays DH so he will not risk injury which I feel will lead him to good numbers.
Gary Sheffield stole a base, interesting.
Aubrey Huff continues to have a solid spring going 2-3 with a run. He is batting .380 in spring training so he seems to be adjusting to Balt.
Dice-K went 5 innings allowing no hits or runs, striking out 6 and walking 5. I was able to watch part of this game while I ate lunch and I think Dice-K looked good. If he can keep the strike totals high and bring the walk total down he will be a good starter. I think the K’s will remain high going into the season because batters are not use to seeing him.
Adam Wainwright continues to pitch solid and look good in spring training. Today he went 6 innings giving up 4 hits and no runs while striking out 6 and walking none. His ERA for spring training is 0.98. I would keep an eye on this kid he could prove to be a good fantasy starter.
-Erik
If you have not seen the ending to the Division 2 NCAA Men’s basketball National Championship go to this link now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rgsn3C3UBs. That ending was nuts, a friend told me about it then I caught it on YouTube. Where would the world be without YouTube?
So it is officially less than a week until the baseball season officially starts. YAY! I can’t wait to see how the players I have drafted in my fantasy leagues pan out.
Let’s see what happened today.
Derrek Lee continues to dominate spring training’s face. Today he went 3-5, runs, 2 rbis bringing his rbi total to 17 for spring training. O and he is hitting .500 too. All Lee owners (including myself) are hoping this rolls over to the season.
Mike Piazza hit in his 16th run of spring training, his teammate Nick Swisher also drove in his 16th run of spring training. If this duo continues to do well the A’s will be looking to take their division this year because you know they have the pitching to go with those bats. I think Piazza is a good fantasy option because he is C eligible but plays DH so he will not risk injury which I feel will lead him to good numbers.
Gary Sheffield stole a base, interesting.
Aubrey Huff continues to have a solid spring going 2-3 with a run. He is batting .380 in spring training so he seems to be adjusting to Balt.
Dice-K went 5 innings allowing no hits or runs, striking out 6 and walking 5. I was able to watch part of this game while I ate lunch and I think Dice-K looked good. If he can keep the strike totals high and bring the walk total down he will be a good starter. I think the K’s will remain high going into the season because batters are not use to seeing him.
Adam Wainwright continues to pitch solid and look good in spring training. Today he went 6 innings giving up 4 hits and no runs while striking out 6 and walking none. His ERA for spring training is 0.98. I would keep an eye on this kid he could prove to be a good fantasy starter.
-Erik
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Sunday March 25, 2007
Jonny Gomes had a great day on Sunday, going 2-3 with three runs, two rbi’s and a homerun. The homerun was his fourth of spring training. He is only 26 and has hit 20 and 21 homeruns the last two seasons, while never topping 385 at bats. I think his .216 batting average last year was more related to injuries than to his skill level. In 2005 he batted .282 with nine steals, to go along with his 21 homeruns, in only 348 at bats. Simply put, the guy has talent, and if you don’t want to take him at the end of drafts in deeper leagues then at least keep an eye on him as the season starts as a cheap source for power.
Although most see him as an unspectacular lower middle-tier starting pitcher, Chuck James put up decent numbers last year and had a pretty good start Sunday. He went six innings, gave up two hits and struck out four. He also walked four, but he’s not a bad guy to keep an eye on as he could take strides forward this season.
Josh Beckett gave up three hits and no earned runs while striking out seven in seven innings. I think I’ve said it before, but it is interesting how he went from being vastly overrated to underrated in the last two years. I like him to be better this year and play like a #2 fantasy starter for teams. He plays on a good team that will win him some games, and he strikes guys out.
Gary Sheffield made the most out of his one at bat, finishing with a homerun and four rbi’s. The guy may be old, but he still has his bat speed and playing at DH will keep him healthy.
Chase Utley had himself a day, going 3-4, with two runs, four rbi’s and two homeruns (giving him 6 in spring training). I still say if he drops past fifth in drafts it’s a crime. And yes, he is the best fantasy option on the Phillies, although Ryan Howard did get a hit today.
Cole Hamels got the win with 6 k’s in 6.2 innings. He didn’t walk anyone and gave up five hits, two of them being homeruns.
Raul Ibanez hit a homerun, giving him 5 in spring training. I don’t think he’ll repeat last season’s numbers, but he should be good for 20-25 homeruns and close to 90 rbi’s. His average has never been lower than .280 when he’s had over 250 at bats.
In our keeper league, Chien-Ming Wang and Prince Fielder hit the waiver wire. Not quite sure on either one. Wang could have gone to the DL and Fielder was dropped for Doug Davis. The team adding Davis is way short on pitching, but come on, its Doug Davis. And Fielder should be owned at all times in a keeper league (or any league).
I’m a little bitter because I have the eighth waiver out of ten, so it is unlikely that I’ll get the Prince on my team, which is desperate for some power. Anyway, take it easy and don’t drop Prince Fielder for Doug Davis.
-Adam
Although most see him as an unspectacular lower middle-tier starting pitcher, Chuck James put up decent numbers last year and had a pretty good start Sunday. He went six innings, gave up two hits and struck out four. He also walked four, but he’s not a bad guy to keep an eye on as he could take strides forward this season.
Josh Beckett gave up three hits and no earned runs while striking out seven in seven innings. I think I’ve said it before, but it is interesting how he went from being vastly overrated to underrated in the last two years. I like him to be better this year and play like a #2 fantasy starter for teams. He plays on a good team that will win him some games, and he strikes guys out.
Gary Sheffield made the most out of his one at bat, finishing with a homerun and four rbi’s. The guy may be old, but he still has his bat speed and playing at DH will keep him healthy.
Chase Utley had himself a day, going 3-4, with two runs, four rbi’s and two homeruns (giving him 6 in spring training). I still say if he drops past fifth in drafts it’s a crime. And yes, he is the best fantasy option on the Phillies, although Ryan Howard did get a hit today.
Cole Hamels got the win with 6 k’s in 6.2 innings. He didn’t walk anyone and gave up five hits, two of them being homeruns.
Raul Ibanez hit a homerun, giving him 5 in spring training. I don’t think he’ll repeat last season’s numbers, but he should be good for 20-25 homeruns and close to 90 rbi’s. His average has never been lower than .280 when he’s had over 250 at bats.
In our keeper league, Chien-Ming Wang and Prince Fielder hit the waiver wire. Not quite sure on either one. Wang could have gone to the DL and Fielder was dropped for Doug Davis. The team adding Davis is way short on pitching, but come on, its Doug Davis. And Fielder should be owned at all times in a keeper league (or any league).
I’m a little bitter because I have the eighth waiver out of ten, so it is unlikely that I’ll get the Prince on my team, which is desperate for some power. Anyway, take it easy and don’t drop Prince Fielder for Doug Davis.
-Adam
Friday, March 23, 2007
Thursday March 22, 2007
Considering it is 5 minutes until it is midnight there is no way that I will be able to get this blog done today (literally) but it will contain information from today (Thursday) and that is all that matters.
So I didn’t really get to watch the first two tournament games today because I was at school and then I had yoga (yes I’m in yoga). I would have really like to see them both because the endings looked good. I wish Texas A&M would have won, they would have been my team in the final four that I don’t think a lot of people had picked. Happy Kansas won since I have them winning the whole thing. Also glad to see that Southern Ill gave them a run for their money because I like to see those mid-majors do well it makes college basketball better.
I did get to watch the second 2 games or as much of the OSU – Tenn game as CBS showed (UCLA – Pitt was featured where I’m from). Even though Pitt made the game close in the end they never really had a chance. UCLA controlled the whole game, every time Pitt did something UCLA came down and executed on their end to counteract. Tennessee made it rain from three point land in the first half of the OSU – Tenn game. I honestly didn’t think OSU could come back but they did. The question is how much longer can they continue to come back and win, it won’t happen every game. I like their chances against Memphis because 1) I think Memphis is bad and 2) I don’t like Memphis. I don’t know how they got this far, Acie “The” Law IV should of took over and beat them today but never-the-less.
As far as tomorrow’s games I like Florida over Butler because they have the size and experience. I think Oregon will beat UNLV because Oregon is playing very good ball as of late and I don’t know if UNLV can keep up with their speed and Kruger is overrated. I believe UNC will beat USC but it wouldn’t be as easy if Terry doesn’t play due to whatever illness he has. If USC does win they will make a serious statement and if none of their players go pro they will be very good next year because they get OJ Mayo who is supposedly the next Lebron. I saw this kid play when it was ESPN like a month ago and the kid can shoot. He was draining threes from who knows how far back (it seemed like half way between the 3-point line and the half line) and it seemed like the ball barely touched the net, it literally barely moved. But back to tomorrow’s games, in the last one I like Georgetown over Vandy because one it should be Washington State there not Vandy and I just think Georgetown is one of the best teams and hard to beat.
On to spring training…
Willie Bloomquist is tearing up the base paths. He had two steals today to make his grand total for spring training 9 (I believe that is more than Jose Reyes). I think do to his good performance in spring training he will see more playing time, at what position I don’t know (since he is a utility player). He could be a good pickup for steals and runs in fantasy league if he continues to play well.
Derrek Lee is hitting .511. I know this is spring training but that is still impressive, looks like last year’s injury isn’t bothering him. (Glad I got him on my fantasy team)
In Bobby Abreu’s first game back he hit a three run homer.
Nick Markakis went 4 for 4, with 2 runs, 4 rbis and 2 homers. He also had a triple in there, so he was only a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Add a producing him and A huff to M Tejada and Baltimore might have some offense, doubt will complete with Yanks and BoSox though.
J. Papelbon was announced as Boston’s closer good move on their part since Pinero would have been not a good option. This brings me to another point, the other night I had a fantasy draft (as you may of seen in previous blogs) but since it was a 2 weeks before the season started there were still player positions still up in the air. So whoever drafted Papelbon late as a starter got a damn good closer cheap. This is why I like to have drafts the week before the season starts, I think more is known.
D Willis went 6.2 innings without giving up a run and striking out 5 while only allowing 3 hits and walking 2.
The Nationals put up 16 runs! Good contributions came from: R Zimmerman, F Lopez, C Guzman, and R Church.
-Erik
So I didn’t really get to watch the first two tournament games today because I was at school and then I had yoga (yes I’m in yoga). I would have really like to see them both because the endings looked good. I wish Texas A&M would have won, they would have been my team in the final four that I don’t think a lot of people had picked. Happy Kansas won since I have them winning the whole thing. Also glad to see that Southern Ill gave them a run for their money because I like to see those mid-majors do well it makes college basketball better.
I did get to watch the second 2 games or as much of the OSU – Tenn game as CBS showed (UCLA – Pitt was featured where I’m from). Even though Pitt made the game close in the end they never really had a chance. UCLA controlled the whole game, every time Pitt did something UCLA came down and executed on their end to counteract. Tennessee made it rain from three point land in the first half of the OSU – Tenn game. I honestly didn’t think OSU could come back but they did. The question is how much longer can they continue to come back and win, it won’t happen every game. I like their chances against Memphis because 1) I think Memphis is bad and 2) I don’t like Memphis. I don’t know how they got this far, Acie “The” Law IV should of took over and beat them today but never-the-less.
As far as tomorrow’s games I like Florida over Butler because they have the size and experience. I think Oregon will beat UNLV because Oregon is playing very good ball as of late and I don’t know if UNLV can keep up with their speed and Kruger is overrated. I believe UNC will beat USC but it wouldn’t be as easy if Terry doesn’t play due to whatever illness he has. If USC does win they will make a serious statement and if none of their players go pro they will be very good next year because they get OJ Mayo who is supposedly the next Lebron. I saw this kid play when it was ESPN like a month ago and the kid can shoot. He was draining threes from who knows how far back (it seemed like half way between the 3-point line and the half line) and it seemed like the ball barely touched the net, it literally barely moved. But back to tomorrow’s games, in the last one I like Georgetown over Vandy because one it should be Washington State there not Vandy and I just think Georgetown is one of the best teams and hard to beat.
On to spring training…
Willie Bloomquist is tearing up the base paths. He had two steals today to make his grand total for spring training 9 (I believe that is more than Jose Reyes). I think do to his good performance in spring training he will see more playing time, at what position I don’t know (since he is a utility player). He could be a good pickup for steals and runs in fantasy league if he continues to play well.
Derrek Lee is hitting .511. I know this is spring training but that is still impressive, looks like last year’s injury isn’t bothering him. (Glad I got him on my fantasy team)
In Bobby Abreu’s first game back he hit a three run homer.
Nick Markakis went 4 for 4, with 2 runs, 4 rbis and 2 homers. He also had a triple in there, so he was only a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Add a producing him and A huff to M Tejada and Baltimore might have some offense, doubt will complete with Yanks and BoSox though.
J. Papelbon was announced as Boston’s closer good move on their part since Pinero would have been not a good option. This brings me to another point, the other night I had a fantasy draft (as you may of seen in previous blogs) but since it was a 2 weeks before the season started there were still player positions still up in the air. So whoever drafted Papelbon late as a starter got a damn good closer cheap. This is why I like to have drafts the week before the season starts, I think more is known.
D Willis went 6.2 innings without giving up a run and striking out 5 while only allowing 3 hits and walking 2.
The Nationals put up 16 runs! Good contributions came from: R Zimmerman, F Lopez, C Guzman, and R Church.
-Erik
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Wednesday March 21, 2007
I’ve done quite a few fantasy baseball drafts so far this season, but the one tonight is the big whammy. It is a 10-team mixed keeper league with some friends and family. This is the first season of the league, so there are no incoming keepers. I’ll do a blog-through of my impressions on each round.
Second half of the draft, see Monday’s blog for the first half…
Round 11-
Team 1- Zito
Team 2- Harden
Team 3- Haren
Team 4- Crede
Team 5- Sabathia
Team 6- Lugo
Team 7- C. Young (SD)
Team 8- Papelbon
Team 9- C. Cordero
Team 10- Rios
Seven out of the ten picks in this round were pitchers, and some of them were pretty good bargains. Sabathia and Haren continue to be underrated, and are great values in the 11th round. Harden could push Johan for the AL Cy Young if he can find a way to stay on the field. I’m not crazy about Lugo who will get more runs, but steal fewer bases in Boston. I’ve never liked Crede for some reason, and I feel like Team 4 paid for a career year (which wasn’t spectacular anyway). I like Rios, barring any staff infections, and wanted him next round.
Round 12-
Team 10- Cain
Team 9- Bedard
Team 8- Cuddyer
Team 7- Saito
Team 6- A. Gonzalez
Team 5- LaRoche
Team 4- Contreras
Team 3- F. Cordero
Team 2- Hamels
Team 1- Iguchi
Cuddyer left before I could get to him. My plans of a Berkman, Rios, Cuddyer outfield just flew out the window. I like Hamels over Contreras, especially in a keeper league. Saito is older than most think and has Broxton waiting in the wings for any tiny chance to become the closer. Gonzalez and LaRoche are two pretty good, young first baseman. I can’t condone Iguchi here, when Josh Barfield was had three rounds later and Ian Kinsler was had seven rounds later. Both have better upside.
Round 13-
Team 1- Hunter
Team 2- Taveras
Team 3- Gordon
Team 4- Overbay
Team 5- Baldelli
Team 6- R. Hernandez
Team 7- Cameron
Team 8- Otsuka
Team 9- Bonds
Team 10- Chavez
I took a lot of joy in selecting Taveras a round early just so that Erik couldn’t have him. Otsuka might be the Rangers’ closer within the first three weeks, and a repeat of last year would be an insane bargain here.
Round 14-
Team 10- J.D. Drew
Team 9- Helton
Team 8- Arroyo
Team 7- R. Johnson
Team 6- Thomas
Team 5- Hawpe
Team 4- Ibanez
Team 3- Garciaparra
Team 2- Markakis
Team 1- Verlander
Pretty much all of these picks are good values at this position. Drew should excel in Boston. Helton won’t revert to 2002, but he’ll be pretty good. Arroyo and Johnson will come close to last season. Hawpe might improve, and Ibanez continues to put up solid numbers and be underrated. Markakis is a nice pick in a keeper or regular league.
Round 15-
Team 1- Burrell
Team 2- Valverde
Team 3- Beltre
Team 4- Jer. Weaver
Team 5- E. Santana
Team 6- S. Drew
Team 7- Tracy
Team 8- Matthews Jr.
Team 9- Fuentes
Team 10- Barfield
Valverde was interesting last season because he was amazing for a bit, then absolutely terrible, then just decent. I believe we’ll see closer to the amazing version, or at least good enough to be worthwhile. I’ve never liked Weaver, and now he’ll open the season on the DL. Ervin Santana is a great pickup and should provide strong ERA and wins, with passable K’s. I like Barfield, his power numbers should increase with a move away from Petco.
Round 16-
Team 10- Kent
Team 9- Posada
Team 8- Isringhausen
Team 7- Burnett
Team 6- Huff
Team 5- Schilling
Team 4- Lo Duca
Team 3- Barrett
Team 2- Encarnacion
Team 1- Wainwright
Burnett went from the most overrated pitcher a year ago to one of the most underrated now. His talent has always surpassed his success, but he has to stay healthy and put it together eventually, right? Barrett is much better than Lo Duca, especially if Lo Duca can’t hold down the two-hole in New York. Kent, Posada, and Isringhausen are a great representation of aging stars on the decline that can still provide something, as long as expectations aren’t too high. Huff should improve with a return to the AL East. You may ask what my reasoning for that is, and there is none, aside from a gut feeling. A full healthy year for Encarnacion could produce some very nice stats. Wainwright might step back into the closer role if J-Isri gets injured, but even if he stays in the rotation, he should be good.
Round 17-
Team 1- Wang
Team 2- Piazza
Team 3- R. Hill
Team 4- J. Jones
Team 5- R. Martin
Team 6- Gagne
Team 7- Willingham
Team 8- Lowe
Team 9- M. Giles
Team 10- Wickman
Ming Wang could just as easily get slammed and lose his rotation spot. He had wins, which are unreliable, and no strikeouts, which are reliable. A DH spot might keep Piazza healthy and relevant for a couple more years. Rich Hill took huge steps last season, and looks very good. Martin and Willingham are good picks. Gagne might get hurt in the first month and he might get hurt in the second month, but he surely won’t save 50 games. Wow, Giles has fallen. Maybe a San Diego family reunion will inspire some early decade Atlanta success. Wickman has Gonzalez and Soriano, who have both put up sick stats, sitting behind him, just waiting for a slip-up.
Round 18-
Team 10- I. Rodriguez
Team 9- Durham
Team 8- Hudson
Team 7- Freel
Team 6- Sanchez
Team 5- Dotel
Team 4- Bush
Team 3- T. Jones
Team 2- C. Jackson
Team 1- Peralta
Freel will be what he always is, a super-utility man who will steal in the mid to upper thirties. Sanchez might help again in average. That’s about it. If Dotel can get opportunities, he has closed successfully in the past. Bush is a great sleeper, especially this late. He teams with Sheets to make the top of that Brewers rotation pretty impressive. Todd Jones is the older, reliever version of Wang, pass. Conor Jackson should make strides, similar to Prince Fielder last season. Peralta might rebound, but not back to the numbers of two years ago.
Round 19-
Team 1- Monroe
Team 2- Blalock
Team 3- Kinsler
Team 4- Teahen
Team 5- Beckett
Team 6- Capuano
Team 7- Granderson
Team 8- O. Cabrera
Team 9- Varitek
Team 10- Clemens
The Kinsler, Teahen, Beckett run was a nice time for sleepers. Beckett followed Burnetts path from over to underrated. Not sure about Capuano, I really expected a regression last year. I don’t want Clemens since he can’t even be stored on the DL.
Round 20-
Team 10- Zumaya
Team 9- Crisp
Team 8- Hillenbrand
Team 7- Pierzynski
Team 6- Pettitte
Team 5- D. Roberts
Team 4- Garcia
Team 3- Cantu
Team 2-Vazguez
Team 1- Alou
Everyone here has a certain amount of upside, except Hillenbrand, Pierzynski, Roberts, and Alou. Crisp will run more at the bottom of the lineup, Zumaya might close eventually, Pettitte should get more wins. Roberts will do what he always does, run.
Round 21-
Team 1- Ensberg
Team 2- Broxton
Team 3- Byrnes
Team 4- B. Molina
Team 5- A. Gordon
Team 6- Benitez
Team 7- L. Castillo
Team 8- Kearns
Team 9- Podsednik
Team 10- Olsen
Not sure how Broxton, Olsen, and especially Gordon fell this far in a keeper draft, but there they are.
Round 22-
Team 10- J. Johnson
Team 9- Mo Pena
Team 8- Mora
Team 7- Iwamura
Team 6- Dempster
Team 5- Hermida
Team 4- Griffey Jr.
Team 3- Youkilis
Team 2- Torres
Team 1- Crosby
Johnson is talented, but hurt. Iwamura is a mystery. Dempster was terrible, but might not be so bad this year. Hermida is a good late keeper league pickup, as is Crosby.
Round 23-
Team 1- Borowski
Team 2- Snell
Team 3- Escobar
Team 4- J. Lopez
Team 5- A. Sanchez
Team 6- Penny
Team 7- Uribe
Team 8- Garland
Team 9- Upton
Team 10- N. Johnson
Nice to get a closer this late, even if it is Jo Bo. Snell has some serious strikeout potential, the trouble is, so far it has come with serious walks. Escobar deserves better than this. Hannibal or Animal Sanchez, whichever one you think sounds better, is overrated by some, but you can’t call him that when he is getting drafted in this spot.
So there is the draft, comments on teams or picks are welcome.
-Adam
Second half of the draft, see Monday’s blog for the first half…
Round 11-
Team 1- Zito
Team 2- Harden
Team 3- Haren
Team 4- Crede
Team 5- Sabathia
Team 6- Lugo
Team 7- C. Young (SD)
Team 8- Papelbon
Team 9- C. Cordero
Team 10- Rios
Seven out of the ten picks in this round were pitchers, and some of them were pretty good bargains. Sabathia and Haren continue to be underrated, and are great values in the 11th round. Harden could push Johan for the AL Cy Young if he can find a way to stay on the field. I’m not crazy about Lugo who will get more runs, but steal fewer bases in Boston. I’ve never liked Crede for some reason, and I feel like Team 4 paid for a career year (which wasn’t spectacular anyway). I like Rios, barring any staff infections, and wanted him next round.
Round 12-
Team 10- Cain
Team 9- Bedard
Team 8- Cuddyer
Team 7- Saito
Team 6- A. Gonzalez
Team 5- LaRoche
Team 4- Contreras
Team 3- F. Cordero
Team 2- Hamels
Team 1- Iguchi
Cuddyer left before I could get to him. My plans of a Berkman, Rios, Cuddyer outfield just flew out the window. I like Hamels over Contreras, especially in a keeper league. Saito is older than most think and has Broxton waiting in the wings for any tiny chance to become the closer. Gonzalez and LaRoche are two pretty good, young first baseman. I can’t condone Iguchi here, when Josh Barfield was had three rounds later and Ian Kinsler was had seven rounds later. Both have better upside.
Round 13-
Team 1- Hunter
Team 2- Taveras
Team 3- Gordon
Team 4- Overbay
Team 5- Baldelli
Team 6- R. Hernandez
Team 7- Cameron
Team 8- Otsuka
Team 9- Bonds
Team 10- Chavez
I took a lot of joy in selecting Taveras a round early just so that Erik couldn’t have him. Otsuka might be the Rangers’ closer within the first three weeks, and a repeat of last year would be an insane bargain here.
Round 14-
Team 10- J.D. Drew
Team 9- Helton
Team 8- Arroyo
Team 7- R. Johnson
Team 6- Thomas
Team 5- Hawpe
Team 4- Ibanez
Team 3- Garciaparra
Team 2- Markakis
Team 1- Verlander
Pretty much all of these picks are good values at this position. Drew should excel in Boston. Helton won’t revert to 2002, but he’ll be pretty good. Arroyo and Johnson will come close to last season. Hawpe might improve, and Ibanez continues to put up solid numbers and be underrated. Markakis is a nice pick in a keeper or regular league.
Round 15-
Team 1- Burrell
Team 2- Valverde
Team 3- Beltre
Team 4- Jer. Weaver
Team 5- E. Santana
Team 6- S. Drew
Team 7- Tracy
Team 8- Matthews Jr.
Team 9- Fuentes
Team 10- Barfield
Valverde was interesting last season because he was amazing for a bit, then absolutely terrible, then just decent. I believe we’ll see closer to the amazing version, or at least good enough to be worthwhile. I’ve never liked Weaver, and now he’ll open the season on the DL. Ervin Santana is a great pickup and should provide strong ERA and wins, with passable K’s. I like Barfield, his power numbers should increase with a move away from Petco.
Round 16-
Team 10- Kent
Team 9- Posada
Team 8- Isringhausen
Team 7- Burnett
Team 6- Huff
Team 5- Schilling
Team 4- Lo Duca
Team 3- Barrett
Team 2- Encarnacion
Team 1- Wainwright
Burnett went from the most overrated pitcher a year ago to one of the most underrated now. His talent has always surpassed his success, but he has to stay healthy and put it together eventually, right? Barrett is much better than Lo Duca, especially if Lo Duca can’t hold down the two-hole in New York. Kent, Posada, and Isringhausen are a great representation of aging stars on the decline that can still provide something, as long as expectations aren’t too high. Huff should improve with a return to the AL East. You may ask what my reasoning for that is, and there is none, aside from a gut feeling. A full healthy year for Encarnacion could produce some very nice stats. Wainwright might step back into the closer role if J-Isri gets injured, but even if he stays in the rotation, he should be good.
Round 17-
Team 1- Wang
Team 2- Piazza
Team 3- R. Hill
Team 4- J. Jones
Team 5- R. Martin
Team 6- Gagne
Team 7- Willingham
Team 8- Lowe
Team 9- M. Giles
Team 10- Wickman
Ming Wang could just as easily get slammed and lose his rotation spot. He had wins, which are unreliable, and no strikeouts, which are reliable. A DH spot might keep Piazza healthy and relevant for a couple more years. Rich Hill took huge steps last season, and looks very good. Martin and Willingham are good picks. Gagne might get hurt in the first month and he might get hurt in the second month, but he surely won’t save 50 games. Wow, Giles has fallen. Maybe a San Diego family reunion will inspire some early decade Atlanta success. Wickman has Gonzalez and Soriano, who have both put up sick stats, sitting behind him, just waiting for a slip-up.
Round 18-
Team 10- I. Rodriguez
Team 9- Durham
Team 8- Hudson
Team 7- Freel
Team 6- Sanchez
Team 5- Dotel
Team 4- Bush
Team 3- T. Jones
Team 2- C. Jackson
Team 1- Peralta
Freel will be what he always is, a super-utility man who will steal in the mid to upper thirties. Sanchez might help again in average. That’s about it. If Dotel can get opportunities, he has closed successfully in the past. Bush is a great sleeper, especially this late. He teams with Sheets to make the top of that Brewers rotation pretty impressive. Todd Jones is the older, reliever version of Wang, pass. Conor Jackson should make strides, similar to Prince Fielder last season. Peralta might rebound, but not back to the numbers of two years ago.
Round 19-
Team 1- Monroe
Team 2- Blalock
Team 3- Kinsler
Team 4- Teahen
Team 5- Beckett
Team 6- Capuano
Team 7- Granderson
Team 8- O. Cabrera
Team 9- Varitek
Team 10- Clemens
The Kinsler, Teahen, Beckett run was a nice time for sleepers. Beckett followed Burnetts path from over to underrated. Not sure about Capuano, I really expected a regression last year. I don’t want Clemens since he can’t even be stored on the DL.
Round 20-
Team 10- Zumaya
Team 9- Crisp
Team 8- Hillenbrand
Team 7- Pierzynski
Team 6- Pettitte
Team 5- D. Roberts
Team 4- Garcia
Team 3- Cantu
Team 2-Vazguez
Team 1- Alou
Everyone here has a certain amount of upside, except Hillenbrand, Pierzynski, Roberts, and Alou. Crisp will run more at the bottom of the lineup, Zumaya might close eventually, Pettitte should get more wins. Roberts will do what he always does, run.
Round 21-
Team 1- Ensberg
Team 2- Broxton
Team 3- Byrnes
Team 4- B. Molina
Team 5- A. Gordon
Team 6- Benitez
Team 7- L. Castillo
Team 8- Kearns
Team 9- Podsednik
Team 10- Olsen
Not sure how Broxton, Olsen, and especially Gordon fell this far in a keeper draft, but there they are.
Round 22-
Team 10- J. Johnson
Team 9- Mo Pena
Team 8- Mora
Team 7- Iwamura
Team 6- Dempster
Team 5- Hermida
Team 4- Griffey Jr.
Team 3- Youkilis
Team 2- Torres
Team 1- Crosby
Johnson is talented, but hurt. Iwamura is a mystery. Dempster was terrible, but might not be so bad this year. Hermida is a good late keeper league pickup, as is Crosby.
Round 23-
Team 1- Borowski
Team 2- Snell
Team 3- Escobar
Team 4- J. Lopez
Team 5- A. Sanchez
Team 6- Penny
Team 7- Uribe
Team 8- Garland
Team 9- Upton
Team 10- N. Johnson
Nice to get a closer this late, even if it is Jo Bo. Snell has some serious strikeout potential, the trouble is, so far it has come with serious walks. Escobar deserves better than this. Hannibal or Animal Sanchez, whichever one you think sounds better, is overrated by some, but you can’t call him that when he is getting drafted in this spot.
So there is the draft, comments on teams or picks are welcome.
-Adam
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Tuesday March 20, 2007
So last night was the draft for the inaugural season of a keeper league that I have with some friends (yes I have friends). I was kind of worried about this draft because over my spring break I did not really get to look into fantasy baseball as much as I wanted to. This was a concern because I was hoping to find some late round young sleepers since it was a keeper league. O and only 5 people showed up for the draft, wtf that is like the best part of the season. Here is how my picks went in order:
Chase Utley, 2B *Yes I picked him over A-Rod and R. Howard, he is young and the drop off after him at 2B is pretty far
Travis Hafner, DH *It was him or Beltran, went Haf because of his raw power
Derrek Lee, 1B *I feel he will have a great year with all that offense in the lineup
Hanley Ramirez, SS *Needed some speed and he is young
Joe Nathan, RP *Wanted F-Rod but he went 3 picks ahead of me, no SP was worth taking
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B *Feel he will be good this year and only improve over time
John Lackey, SP *Needed a quality SP, felt Lackey was good all-around
John Smoltz, SP *Don’t think he will drop off, considering he closed for a few years
J.J. Putz, RP *Wanted another quality RP and felt wasn’t much left
Jeff Francoeur, OF *Thinking I should have taken Delmon Young since it is a keeper league
C.C. Sabathia, SP *Saw an interview with him on ESPNnews and liked him
Adam LaRoche, 1B *Will fill my other Util spot, might produce well with Bay
Rocco Baldelli, OF *I really wanted Willy Taveras here but got taken 3 picks before me by same jerk who took my F-rod
Brad Hawpe, OF *Might have been early for him but didn’t want to lose him like Taveras
Ervin Santana, SP *Young quality pitcher that shares name with the best pitcher (Santana)
Curt Schilling, SP *Think he has some left in the tank and will get W’s in Boston
Russell Martin, C *Needed some to feel the catcher hole didn’t want anyone worse then him
Octavio Dotel, RP *Has the skill but will he get the opportunities in KC?
Josh Beckett, SP *Think he will come around this year in Boston
Dave Roberts, OF *Needed another man to get steals and if he gets on, Barry will drive him home
Alex Gordon, 3B *This is a keeper league so I’m thinking down the line here
Jeremy Hermida, OF *Another OF incase some of the earlier OF don’t pan out
Anibal Sanchez, SP *It was him or Ian Snell, Snell got snagged so went with him and yes he will throw another no-hitter
I’m pretty pleased with the draft personally; I got the people I was aiming for except Taveras. I really love my infield: Lee, Utley, Ramirez and Zimmerman. I feel it is easier to fill the OF during the season since there 3 times as many to choose from. We get 6 keepers for next year, right now I know three and assume they will stay that way: Utley, Zimmerman and Ramirez. All my infield, nice!
Things to keep in mind before you completely dog my draft: first year of keeper league, 10 teams, roto, I picked in the 5th spot.
Please let me know what you think of my draft, if you think it sucks please let me know if you think I am a drafting god please let me know.
To see all the draft results look at yesterday's blog (a.k.a. scroll down).
-Erik
Chase Utley, 2B *Yes I picked him over A-Rod and R. Howard, he is young and the drop off after him at 2B is pretty far
Travis Hafner, DH *It was him or Beltran, went Haf because of his raw power
Derrek Lee, 1B *I feel he will have a great year with all that offense in the lineup
Hanley Ramirez, SS *Needed some speed and he is young
Joe Nathan, RP *Wanted F-Rod but he went 3 picks ahead of me, no SP was worth taking
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B *Feel he will be good this year and only improve over time
John Lackey, SP *Needed a quality SP, felt Lackey was good all-around
John Smoltz, SP *Don’t think he will drop off, considering he closed for a few years
J.J. Putz, RP *Wanted another quality RP and felt wasn’t much left
Jeff Francoeur, OF *Thinking I should have taken Delmon Young since it is a keeper league
C.C. Sabathia, SP *Saw an interview with him on ESPNnews and liked him
Adam LaRoche, 1B *Will fill my other Util spot, might produce well with Bay
Rocco Baldelli, OF *I really wanted Willy Taveras here but got taken 3 picks before me by same jerk who took my F-rod
Brad Hawpe, OF *Might have been early for him but didn’t want to lose him like Taveras
Ervin Santana, SP *Young quality pitcher that shares name with the best pitcher (Santana)
Curt Schilling, SP *Think he has some left in the tank and will get W’s in Boston
Russell Martin, C *Needed some to feel the catcher hole didn’t want anyone worse then him
Octavio Dotel, RP *Has the skill but will he get the opportunities in KC?
Josh Beckett, SP *Think he will come around this year in Boston
Dave Roberts, OF *Needed another man to get steals and if he gets on, Barry will drive him home
Alex Gordon, 3B *This is a keeper league so I’m thinking down the line here
Jeremy Hermida, OF *Another OF incase some of the earlier OF don’t pan out
Anibal Sanchez, SP *It was him or Ian Snell, Snell got snagged so went with him and yes he will throw another no-hitter
I’m pretty pleased with the draft personally; I got the people I was aiming for except Taveras. I really love my infield: Lee, Utley, Ramirez and Zimmerman. I feel it is easier to fill the OF during the season since there 3 times as many to choose from. We get 6 keepers for next year, right now I know three and assume they will stay that way: Utley, Zimmerman and Ramirez. All my infield, nice!
Things to keep in mind before you completely dog my draft: first year of keeper league, 10 teams, roto, I picked in the 5th spot.
Please let me know what you think of my draft, if you think it sucks please let me know if you think I am a drafting god please let me know.
To see all the draft results look at yesterday's blog (a.k.a. scroll down).
-Erik
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