This is a keeper league. I need to protect 12 players and keep another 6 that are unprotected (due to an expansion team drafting from the keeper pool). Last year, I drafted with the future in mind...I took the hit on Alex Rodriguez and selected him in the second round (he missed more than a month to start the season) -- a tremendous steal when 2010 rolls around and ARod is projected as the 3rd or 4th overall best player. I also had terrible luck with my first-round pick, Jose Reyes, who missed more than half the season.
So things are definitely looking brighter for me this season. A normal season of Reyes and ARod (look at that purse baby!) coupled with the rest of a solid offense that features both power and spee
d bodes well for 2010. My offense is covered at all the difficult-to-fill positions except one (catcher). My pitching staff will be anchored again by Doc Halladay, and I have acquired some good young pitching to offset the disastrous move of frustration-dropping Ricky Nolasco last year. I have 2 of the projected top 10 closers, along with Carlos Marmol, so relief is looking good to start.To give you a better idea of how things look going into the draft, here is my list of 12 protected players, and other 6 potential keepers (marked as unprotected):
C- Bengie Molina (unprotected)
1B- Adrian Gonzalez (protected)
2B- Brandon Phillips (protected)
3B- Alex Rodriguez (protected)
SS- Jose Reyes (protected)
OF- Ben Zobrist (protected)
OF- Denard Span (protected)
OF- Ryan Ludwick (unprotected)
Util- Juan Rivera (unprotected)
Util- WILD CARD
SP- Roy Halladay (protected)
RP- Heath Bell (protected)
P- Jose Valverde (protected)
P- Carlos Marmol (protected)
P- Rick Porcello (protected)
P- Max Scherzer (protected)
P- Derek Lowe (unprotected)
P- Jeff Niemann (unprotected)
The lineup looks pretty decent, and if I'm correct, I can only lose one unprotected player in total. The Wild Card slot I am pretty much unsure about. Here are the candidates (any advice is always appreciated):
- Marco Scutaro -- supposed to be the starting SS for the Red Sox. He had a career season last year and was great for the OBP and Runs categories. Jed Lowrie may take some of his time away.
- Nick Johnson -- supposed to be the starting DH for the Yankees, and will likely hit second in that lineup -- that means big-time runs scored and OBP; however, Johnson's health is always a question mark. Still, he was third in the majors in OBP last season, and having that lineup around him cant hurt.
- Orlando Hudson -- traded to the Twins to become their starting second baseman, as part of a new-look middle infield that includes J.J. Hardy. A steady if not unspectacular hitter and runner, he will likely hit second behind Span. The fact that I have two bona-fide second base-eligible players makes him less likely to be kept; along with the fact that I probably dont want to own the top 2 batter for the Twins all season long.
- Corey Hart -- Coming off a below-average season (which is why I was able to pick him up at the end); however, he STILL won his arbitration hearing (huh?). Anyway, he missed all of August and still managed to post his third consecutive 20-20 season. CBS is projecting him as a late rounder, and I dont blame them.
- Vernon Wells -- One of my biggest draft-day mistakes last season and as far as I'm concerned, he was a total bust last year. Wells is on the wrong side of 30, and has shown marked regression the past 3 years. Probably no chance I'm keeping him.
- Erik Bedard -- Last year a great waiver pickup in the first three weeks of the season....this year he is coming off shoulder surgery and is not expected to even take the mound until late June at the earliest. Once this guy was a great pitcher...I think those days are gone.
This Rototimes report will probably make my last keeper selection easier; as Reyes will start the season on the DL (here we go again!) This means I probably have to keep Scutaro as SS insurance; although I just checked and according to Yahoo, Zobrist still has his SS eligibility...guess it might be a moot point!
ReplyDelete"On Thursday, the club revealed that Jose Reyes will open this season on the disabled list. The shortstop has a hyperactive thyroid, and he will refrain from physical exertion until his levels return to normal. The process could take anywhere from two to eight weeks. Reyes will then need more time beyond that to get back into shape and find his swing.
"It's a completely curable, treatable situation. I think we all view it as good news," agent Peter Greenberg tells the New York Daily News." It's obviously mild because they said there's no prescribed medication or intervention. It's just a matter of rest and diet. I don't really know exactly what the numbers were, but it's mild."
The wide timetable makes it difficult and risky for fantasy owners to assess Reyes's value. He could be back by mid-April or he could be out until late May or early June. A mid-to-late-May timeline previously pushed teammate Carlos Beltran down roughly 70-90 spots in drafts. Reyes could see a similar decline, although he could return more quickly than Beltran. The shortstop has been a top-20/25 pick this spring, but he could now fall near the bottom of the top-100.
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ReplyDeleteNice rundown. (I'm referring to the post, not the picture. Heheh.) Your roster is interesting. I definitely think you have a great core of hitters, starting pitchers, and closers. Your top 8 or 9 players match up well with any team in the UPL.
ReplyDeleteObviously, your hitters and closers are better set than SP. (After Halliday, there's a big dropoff. If Porcello and Scherzer can step up, then that would be huge for your team.)
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to have some low OBP guys, Nick Johnson isn't a terrible option, though for full disclosure, he's been an O.N. Thugs regular for quite a while, so I may be biased.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't worry. I'm sure that Ken Griffey Jr. will still be there at the 5th pick :-)