How well did I draft?

Victor Martinez (C - CLE)


Adam LaRouche (1B - PIT)


Chase Utley (2B - PHI) *first round pick, 9th overall


Julio Lugo (SS/IF - BOS)


David Wright (3B - NYM)


Hideki Matsui (OF - NYY)


Juan Pierre (OF - LAD)


Magglio Ordóñez (OF - CWS)


Orlando Cabrera (SS - LAA)


Bengie Molina (C - SF)


Ryan Freel (IF - CIN)


Melky Cabrera (OF - NYY)


Ryan Shealy(1B - KC)





Roy Oswalt (SP - HOU)


Ben Sheets (SP - MIL)


Brad Lidge (RP - HOU)


Todd Jones (RP - DET)


Bartolo Colón (SP - LAA)


Kei Igawa (SP - NYY)


Mark Mulder (SP - STL)


John Maine (SP - NYM)





I'm a little concerned about my closers, but I have a good balance of power and speed in my lineup.

How well did I draft?
Pretty good, I can't believe Utley lasted that long. And then they let you have Wright on the way back. O-Cab and Molina were wasted picks, neither are wothy of a fantasy spot and you need those bench spots. Melky and Shealy are emergency Waiver Wire adds only and shouldn't occupy a bench spot.





A couple of players that get missed that may help you. Garrett Anderson, he was forgotten and I have picked him cheap in almost every league - you might want to move fast on this one, he is now on the front page of Yahoo, MLB. And he can provide some solid power and RBI numbers (25HR's and 100RBI), use him instead of Melky as a back up. Chris Duncan in St Louis qualifies at 1B and can be a decent backup or alternative to LaRoche. He hit 22 HR's last year in 91 games playing part time and could produce 40 this year as a full time player. Especially if Edmonds is injured, Duncan may occupy the 5 spot in the lineup and have a huge upside on RBI's. He cannot hit LHP, so only play him in games against RHP - he hits over .300 against RHP and LaRussa plans to only start him against RHP although he may still pinch hit if a RHP reliever enters a game started by a LHP. Get rid of Molina or Shealy to make the move.





Colon will start the season on the DL and may not pitch in April so he will open up a pitching spot on opening day when he qualifies for you to put him in a DL position.


Until then drop Molina or Shealy and pickup Zumaya as your insurance for Todd Jones, someone in your league may have already done this so your other options for potential closer should be Broxton, R. Soriano, M Gonzalez...... and are ready for this one? D Turnbow - the guy was one of the top vote getters for the Allstar team last year and then fell apart. But F Cordero is shaky at times and the Brewers still look at Turnbow as their closer of the future and want to get him back on the saddle and working at his previous high level. Last year he was a draft choice up there with K-Rod, Mariano and Nathan. If he can get the job back and correct his mental problems he could again be one of those elite closers this year.





You can sometimes find Jason Jennings or Fernando Nieve available after the draft in smaller leagues, these are both good k/9 guys. And if Nieve would quit walking guys he could post a decent WHIP. Either of these may give you some innings until Colon returns.
Reply:I think your offense is pretty solid.





Your starting pitching is ok, maybe picking up one more Start that will go deep in the season. Your closers are poor, you might want to think of trading for some, offense for a closer maybe?





overall i say you have a middle of a pack team, i if your offense can make strides then you will have a good chance at winning.
Reply:your team looks very solid. sometimes its hard to judge a team b4 the season starts. but considering that injuries dont plague your team im gonna say you'll have a pretty good season with this line-up. i like utley alot. he will carry your team throught out the season. you might wanna look into strengthening your bench players. you dont really need molina. use his bench spot and try to find a good backup for lugo. also i believe its safe to say you can drop shealy. you will need a backup for laroache but i think you'll be able to do better then shealy. definatly look at getting some help in the closing area. look on the waiver for guys like broxton, torres, and mike gonzalez. or you can always trade away for another closer. but i believe at some point during the season, mike gonzalez will take the closing postion from wickman. i watched him pitch the other day against philly and he rocked them pretty good. but other then that i think you will do just fine. good luck!!
Reply:looks good to me. But like you said you need some closers. I would try to trade for one. Use Colon and/or Igawa to try to get another closer.
Reply:You are right to be concerned about your closers. Check the other teams in your league and see how many they have. If all teams are carrying at least three closers, do not be surprised being at the bottom of the food chain in SV's this year. I'll break this down by position with some constructive criticism at the end.





C - Top 3, unless it's Mauer, not going to do much better here.


1B - Decent, some upside here, I would look into if Overbay is available though (went undrafted in a lot of leagues) for backup


2B - You're set.


3B - You're set.


SS - Decent steals and runs, not much else


OF - Pierre - Great steals, Ordonez, Matsui - good four-tools.


Bench - Needs some help.





Pitchers - Another closer would greatly help. Having Sheets as your SP2 means that you're in good shape there. Keep an eye on Colon, Lidge, and Mulder, especially Colon. If Lidge repeats last year, he might not be closing at all.





You can afford to lose most of your bench. Molina, you have Martinez and unless he gets hurt, you'll be fine. Address a weaker area with his roster spot. M. Cabrera will have a tough time finding playing time with competing against Damon, Abreu, and Matsui. Freel makes awesome, jaw-dropping defensive plays and is on ESPN almost every night. Unfortunately, that will not help you win a fantasy league. Shealy looks like a work in progress, but might surprise. I'm just a little gunshy about anyone in KC not named Teahen or Gordon.





Ultimately, it's your team and just my opinions here. I agree with you that you have a nice balance in your batting line-up. I would target another RP and find a power DH for your team. Addressing those two concerns, I believe, will take you towards the bragging rights you get for winning your league. Good luck to you this year.
Reply:Utley in the first Wright in the second, Wrights better of the two
Reply:Looking at your team I must say that I am quite impressed. It is obvious to me that you must be very experienced and possess a great deal of baseball savvy. Your team is among the finest that I have seen this season and I commend you on your choices.


You have assembled a team with a great mix of speed and power, as well as a very solid pitching staff. Although there may be some injury concerns, the depth that you have built into this team is extraordinary. You appear headed to victory and a very satisfying season.


If you haven't done so, I suggest that you look into the possibility of making this more than a hobby. You certainly have some keen insights on the way a baseball team is assembled.


Good Luck