Got a Question?

Email me your questions and ill answer them as soon as i can. The official email for the page is listenupandlearn@hotmail.com.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Hey Guys....

I'd like to apologize to those of you who continue to check my site for my next list, over the past few weeks i have run into a bit of family problems that have taken up a lot of my free time. I will continue to try and get lists out there when i can during this time. When i am able to be back and on a regular schedule i will make apost to let you know. until then, just check back every other day or so to make sure i havent posted something. take care guys and thanks for the understanding.

The Teacher

Monday, February 5, 2007

Roaming the OF

This week ill tackle the OF, this one took a bit of time, its 45 players long and alot of guys could move up a spot or two or down a spot or two. I racked my brain to put it in a finalized order, hope you guys like.

1. Alfonso Soriano - .280 - 115 - 43 - 110 - 36
Wont have another 40/40 season, but this is still enough to be the top dogg
2. Vladimir Guerrero - .315 - 102 - 36 - 120 - 12
He is starting to slip a little, but man those are still nice numbers. didnt get any help in the offseason, but when has he had help?
3. Carlos Beltran - .275 - 120 - 39 - 115 - 16
He is back as a fantasy stud, id like to see his average go up a bit
4. Carl Crawford - .308 - 94 - 20 - 82 - 57
He'll break 2o HR this year and keep his SB above 50.
5. Manny Ramirez - .320 - 107 - 36 - 121 - 0
Just Manny being Manny, any surprises here?
6. Matt Holliday - .318 - 112 - 33 - 118 - 9
Gotta love Coors field. could add double digit steals to these great power numbers
7. Jason Bay - .290 - 104 - 37 - 112 - 12
Didnt do as well as many expected last year but that was far from a bad season
8. Grady Sizemore - .298 - 128 - 31 - 89 - 26
Many will have him higher but i think that is more based on potential, not what he will actually do. he'll move up next year
9. Andruw Jones - .272 - 108 - 43 - 130 - 2
Contract year, he'll be great. Too bad he doesnt run anymore
10. Ichiro Suzuki - .331 - 114 - 11 - 52 - 44
Nothing surprising here
11. Carlos Lee - .302 - 103 - 41 - 118 - 16
Most people dont see the SB that he does get from year to year
12. Vernon Wells - .300 - 94 - 32 - 108 - 18
He will continue his rise, just got to prove his consistancy from year to year which he will
13. Bobby Abreu - .325 - 108 - 24 - 111 - 31
Doesnt have the power he used to but he is still running
14. Jermaine Dye - .302 - 100 - 36 - 108 - 5
I dont see him doing what he did last year, but he will still be great
15. Johnny Damon - .301 - 120 - 25 - 78 - 26
Been consistantly around these numbers for a while now
16. Hideki Matsui - .303 - 102 - 22 - 108 - 1
He will return from his injury ok, and play some more DH this year to protect him
17. Adam Dunn - .245 - 97 - 43 - 105 - 5
Hate the average, love the power
18. Jeff Francoeur - .271 - 89 - 31 - 109 - 0
Will form a great core with the Jones' this year
19. Juan Pierre - .285 - 100 - 2 - 35 - 54
SB is the only reason he is here
20. Delmon Young - .291 - 89 - 24 - 92 - 38
These are lofty expectations for a rookie i know, if he ups the pine tar, he should have great numbers
21. Gary Sheffield - .289 - 97 - 31 - 101 - 3
Wont have the type of numbers he would have had in new york, but will be a great addition to their lineup
22. Corey Patterson - .273 - 80 - 18 - 51 - 44
Nice power to go with all those SB. However, not the 30/30 guy he was projected as early in his career
23. Rocco Baldelli - .304 - 97 - 21 - 79 - 24
25/25 is not out of the question with this guy, wonder if he stays a dray all year long?
24. Torii Hunter - .282 - 92 - 33 - 104 - 14
Contract year should be a big one for Hunter.
25. JD Drew - .289 - 91 - 24 - 105 - 0
I like him hitting behind Manny in that park
26. Magglio Ordonez - .303 - 80 - 26 - 107 - 0
He is back healthy but not what he used to be, now is an underrated fantasy OF
27. Alex Rios - .297 - 75 - 19 - 79 - 13
Combo of HR and SB is what lands him this high, 20/20 isnt out of reach but i doubt it this year
28. Brad Hawpe - .286 - 72 - 24 - 91 - 3
Will continue to improve, helping to form a great fantasy style OF in COL
29. Pat Burrell - .261 - 81 - 30 - 97 - 0
I know people in PHI hate him but he is still a 30 HR 90 RBI guy
30. Mike Cameron - .266 - 84 - 21 - 80 - 21
Nice combo of power and speed, average is what keeps him down on this list
31. Raul Ibanez - .281 - 92 - 26 - 102 - 0
What a season last year, he just isnt that good. this looks about right
32. Barry Bonds - .265 - 62 - 25 - 71 - 0
If healthy he'll break the record, hopefully he doesnt get hurt, so we dont have to go through this again next year
33. Wily Taveras - .295 - 102 - 3 - 29 - 42
Move to COL will help him out
34. Nick Markakis - .281 - 76 - 23 - 81 - 1
I like the power he has in this park
35. Josh Willingham - .268 - 65 - 22 - 80 - 1
Another youngster that im sure i have lower than most, i just dont think he'll be as good as last year. Long term he will be better than this
36. Ryan Freel - .269 - 73 - 7 - 31 - 39
Speed, Speed, Speed, and at multiple positions
37. Chris Young - .287 - 94 - 18 - 61 - 28
I see him leading off in ARI, and doing a good job
38. Moises Alou - .302 - 65 - 27 - 82 - 0
Should fit in nicely in new york
39. Juan Rivera - .293 - 61 - 25 - 92 - 0
Broke out in LA last year, should continue to improve
40. Eric Byrnes - .275 - 83 - 27 - 90 - 13
Could be batting more towards the middle of the lineup this year, which will bring the SB down, if he doesnt, he'll break 20
41. Curtis Granderson - .263 - 84 - 18 - 65 - 10
good thing Ks down count in fantasy
42. Ken Griffey Jr - .250 - 58 - 24 - 69 - 0
Still has lots of power, but just know he will get hurt, even if they do move him to RF
43. Dave Roberts - .286 - 81 - 2 - 40 - 39
Another speed guy, he wont help you anywhere else, but you need SB to win
44. Aaron Rowand - .274 - 82 - 15 - 55 - 15
Another guy to help you get a few steals while providing a little of everything else, this is optomistic though
45. Jacque Jones - .270 - 70 - 23 - 78 - 11
not the 20/20 guy he used to be, but he still has power with double digit SB ability

A few more to keep your eye on:
Jeremy Hermida - I still think he'll be a great player
Jim Edmonds - Getting old and will be hurt at some time during the year, but still solid
Coco Crisp - Will move to the bottom of the lineup in Boston, hopefully it will lessen the pressure
Carlos Quentin - This guy is a long term power threat, this year he just misses the list
Jose Guillen - I think this guy is a sleeper this year, if he stays healthy he could be mid 20s HR

Questions:
12 returning owners from last year`s mixed 6x6 league want to go to keeper after this upcoming draft. It was suggested to keep up to five players each season. A draft pick ( beginning with the first round ) would be lost for each player retained. 22man rosters with 9 hitters/9 pitchers active. Should there be a time limit on how long you can keep a player? Are there any other rules you recommend. Thanks for your expertise.

Well i touched on this in an earlier post, but ill say it again. I would strongly recommend setting a number of keepers and leaving it at that. If you allow people to keep more and drop picks, you will have alot of teams with different numbers of keepers and stuff like that, just makes it much harder to work with. lots of leagues are now moving to only allow keeping a player for a certain amount of time, i think this is alot more realistic to some degree, however it makes it impossible for a team to keep a franchise player. I like the idea of allowing a team one franchise player that they can keep for as long as they want. Then maybe something like 3 years for anybody after that. Sounds like a good plan if you want to have a limit on how long you can keep players

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Top SS for 2007

Sorry for the delay again guys, family issues kept me from the computer til yesterday and then i was busy. Since this is becomming a trend, i guess just wait til Tuesdays to check in, HAHA. Anyways, here we go.....

1. Jose Reyes - .305 - 125 - 21 - 78 - 59
Hands down the man at this position. Will lead the league in SB this year and improve power slightly, and room for more improvement
2. Derek Jeter - .328 - 115 - 16 - 93 - 28
Some more HR would be great but its not killin him. He is still the #2 man
3. Miguel Tejada - .320 - 100 - 25 - 105 - 4
Numbers are pretty much down across the board but he is stillt he best power SS
4. Hanley Ramirez - .296 - 120 - 18 - 56 - 52
Hiding in Reyes' shadow, less power, less speed still crazy good
5. Michael Young - .310 - 95 - 17 - 102 - 3
Power numbers are down slightly, but still contributes big time
6. Carlos Guillen - .318 - 92 - 20 - 80 - 21
A surpise this high im sure, but i really like his ability to contribute in all categories
7. Jimmy Rollins - .275 - 120 - 15 - 65 - 37
Power numbers were a fluke to me, but he will still score and run often
8. Rafael Furcal - .298 - 114 - 16 - 59 - 33
I used to think he had more power potential, now i know he is just stuck in the teens
9. Felipe Lopez - .274 - 96 - 10 - 54 - 36
In washington his HR will barely crack double digits, but speed is his value and he should still run
10. Julio Lugo - .289 - 115 - 12 - 60 - 23
Hitting in front of that trio should keep him scoring runs big time, steals will go down on this team though
11. Stephen Drew - .298 - 89 - 21 - 70 - 14
5-tool guy, who wont be batting in the right spot in the lineup to show off all his abilities quite yet. he will be higher next season
12. Edgar Renteria - .290 - 98 - 15 - 66 - 12
still a solid contributer, doesnt have the speed he once had or the power for that matter, but you can count on him
13. Orlando Cabrera - .280 - 100 - 10 - 65 - 23
showed just about zero HR power last year and the trend will continue, but he will get you 20+ sb, good runs and a nice average. hits in a good spot to get some rbi too
14. Troy Tulowitzski - .275 - 75 - 15 - 60 - 8
His Sept call up was horrible, but given the starting job and a bad spot in the lineup this is what i expect, basically off of talent and no proof
15. Bobby Crosby - .260 - 65 - 18 - 71 - 9
If he stays totally healthy he'll move up, but judging from where i got him you know how i feel. loads of potential but who knows....

Some sleepers off the dome...
Johnny Peralta - had one amazing year and then fell off, ill bet returns to putting up solid numbers
Juan Uribe - will he play this year? who knows, but if so, he is a great source for HR from SS
Jason Bartlett - played very well down the stretch last year and should continue
Khalil Greene - Tons of talent, but hasnt been able to hit much in the pros, he is nearing his prime
JJ Hardy - injured most of the season last year but still has lots of upside


Questions:

Looking for some teacher advice.....

Plain and simple.

Vlad, Harden, Buerhle, Duncan for Grady, Bondy, Kazmir, Sexson

Thoughts?


Well since you are saying simple, im just gonna make this a fairly short answer. Grady's side. Alright ill go on a little. Grady is a stud, will never (imo) be a guy who dominates a single category like a vlad could in RBI and HR, but i think grady will be very good in every major category. Bonderman is a very good young pitcher starting to put it together, ive heard he may get some cy young votes this year. This could be the real break out year people have been predicting for over 3 years. Kazmir is an elite fantasy pitcher in every category but wins. With the way the Drays look like they could be building, he could be a cy young candidate in a few years. and Sexson is still one of the best power bats in the league. hope this helps



Next week ill be giving my top 45 OF, it will take longer so hopefully ill have it out on time...lol

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Top Hot Corner Candidates (3B)

Well, id like to apologize for the delay of getting this to the web. I got busy and couldnt get it up on Monday, then i looked earlier today when i had time and the site was down. But im here now, and here it is. Also if anybody has any feedback thinking that i ranked someone poorly or anything like that feel free to email me and ill discuss it. Also with your emails please if you can include your name and where you are located, id just like to see where people are from that read my content. Thanks, and here goes....

1. Alex Rodriguez - .310 - 115 - 41 - 123 - 15
He'll have a bounce back season, it shows how good he was that we were all disappointed with what he did last year
2. David Wright - .308 - 100 - 29 - 110 - 15
He will continue to improve his power, but the SB is the reason he is above Cabrera
3. Miguel Cabrera - .328 - 105 - 30 - 110 - 5
Pretty much a sure thing and he is what...25? Actually only 24
4. Aramis Ramirez - .300 - 95- 36 - 115 - 0
Lack of any speed keeps him behind the top 3
5. Garret Atkins - .320 - 105 - 27 - 110 - 1
Benefits from Coors Field, but hey, its all about the numbers baby
6. Ryan Zimmerman - .295 - 85 - 25 - 108 - 8
Should continue to develop and could be in the top 3 by next season
7. Chone Figgins - .290 - 100 - 8 - 55 - 55
This is purely because he offers speed at this position that nobody else does
8. Troy Glaus - .260 - 95 - 37 - 103 - 1
Great power but the average can kill ya
9. Chipper Jones - .305 - 85 - 28 - 85 - 2
Still one of the game's best, but cant stay healthy
10. Scott Rolen - .295 - 95 - 23 - 90 - 2
Another great one that needs to stay healthy
11. Eric Chavez - .275 - 80 - 25 - 90 - 1
Last year was due to an injury, he should bounce back. But he may not be the 30-100 guy he used to be
12. Adrian Beltre - .270 - 90 - 28 - 90 - 8
He gets a bad rap because of his expectations, but he has sneaky numbers, i like the double digit SB potential
13. Chad Tracy - .280 - 88 - 21 - 82 - 0
Solid, consistant guy, doesnt really have the potential to do worse than this, but wont be better
14. Joe Crede - .270 - 75 - 25 - 85 - 0
Back injuries will likely force him to miss a little time, but he should still be solid
15. Morgan Ensberg - .270 - 80 - 25 - 83 - 0
He was off to a solid start last year before getting hurt, i think he will improve but the 35-100 was a fluke year

A few others to keep your eye on...
BJ Upton - if he gets a starting gig he could be a great SB candidate at this position
Aubrey Huff - has great career numbers as a visitor in BAL, but will he start?
Mark Teahen - May end up moving to LF with emergence of the next guy
Alex Gordon - May win 3b job in spring training, and projected as a david wright type(down the line)
Edwin Encarnacion - high potential for power, but will have a bad average.


In response to the comments made.....
First of all it was a NL only league, so its Jeff Weaver not Jered.
Second of all ill respond to the person who commented on keeping all the best players...Jerry wrote me back and informed me that he would have such little money to get the remaining players so this is for him too. I realize that in an auction you shouldnt pay someone 35 who you can get for 30, however if you read his question he said that hitters go for a crazy amount, so i figured that aguy like andruw jones who is a 40+ HR guy at a price of 35 is pretty solid. In retrospect i would probably tell him to not keep Chipper or Wagner. I think chipper is too injury prone to realliy count on at that price. Although i think in an NL only league there is so very little offensive talent to go around that i think Chipper might be good at that price. I suspect you could get a closer or maybe even two for the same price as wagner, obviously they wouldnt be the best of closers, but it would be cheaper. As for the two players to replace them on the keeper list i would probably keep Maine, then Linebrink and then probably Armas. here are my reasonings for adding linebrink and armas. I think linebrink may get some time to close this year, if not he is still one of the top 3 set up men in the game and will get you a lot of Ks, a great ERA and a great WHIP. Also a great amount of holds if your league uses that. With Villareal i think its really questionable. Armas has yet to be signed in real life but he will sign somewhere (currently looks like PIT) and will be a starter. This guy has always had the talent and maybe a change of scenery is just what he needed. Keeping these two guys would allow you to save alot more money to pursue others. I would assume that most of the big bats in the league will be kept cause there arent alot to go around, so a guy like chipper who hit 26 HR last year in less than 400 AB may go for more than you paid for him originally. I realize that my original thinking would leave you with not enough, so i admit it, and i adjust. Also to the guy who said my advice was dumb because i picked only the best players, no offense to the guy who wrote in, but i still dont feel like there is much else to keep on this team. other than those 8 that i orginally listed there is linebrink and gordon that i would feel comfortable keeping. but due to the prices of the others, i couldnt keep gordon and went with armas.

Hope this was helpful to Jerry and i hope i explained myself to those who question me.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Gettin sidetracked for a few questions here...

The Teacher, Thank you for taking the time. I am in 12 team NL only w/ $260 auction minus the keepers money. We can keep 5-8 players. Hitters go for crazy prices in auction.( ) will be the year in contract; we can keep a player for 3 years. I MAY BE CRAZY MYSELF BUT I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT KEEPING PUJOLS @$49
My team Beltran (2) $37 A. Jones) $35 C.Ross (2) $6 Fla. L. Scott (2) $5 J. Encarnacion (FA) $14 A.Pujols(2) $49 O.Saenz (2) $1 C. Jones(2)$35 J.Carroll(2)$1 Blum(2) $5 W. Aybar (2) $5 Ja. Valentin (2) $6 D. Ardoin (2) $1
Zambrano (2) $28 Schmidt (2)$26 J.Weaver (2( $16 J. Sanchez(2) $6 J.Maine (2) $5 H.Kuo (2) $5 T. Armas (2) $1 Villarreal (2) $5 Linebrink (FA) $1 Gordan(2) $21 B.Wagner (2) $27 Thank You Jerry Hancock


Jerry,
Well you said 5-8 players and hitters go for crazy high prices. That said, i think keeping pujols is a must, you aren't crazy.
here is my top 5:
1. Pujols - best player in fantasy
2. Beltran - great overall player even stronger in NL only
3. Jones, A - contract year for a major power guy
4. Zambrano - most people will tell you to stay away from pitchers in low keeper number leagues, but Zam is one of a few pitchers who are annual cy young contenders
5. Schmidt - I expect a big year from him on that team, they should score a million runs

I dont believe in just giving you a list like some others will, i will explain my reasons so that you know why i picked these players and if you disagree you can change your picks accordingly. Also, i have the time to give you reasons unlike others, haha.
The combination of Pujols, Beltran are three of the top power hitters in the game, the fact that you would have them in an NL only league makes it even stronger. I think with these guys you will be able to fill in other positions with average to above average players and win the power categories (HR and RBI) and you should compete in Runs as all three should get around or upwards of 100. I think you are fairly thin elsewhere on offense which opens up the final two spots to pitching. I think you only have 2 guys really worth keeping. Zambrano and Schmidt. Zambrano in my opinion is an annual Cy Young candidate year in and year out at this point in his career. Even if you listen to those analysts who say pitching is too up and down to count on year in and year out, there are things that Zambrano does, that you can count on. He will get strikeouts, have a good ERA and a pretty solid WHIP. Only thing you'll have to worry about with Z is wins from year to year, but they should be alot better this year, so look for big things. Schmidt is a guy who is past his prime, yet still great. He is another guy that you can pretty much count on getting some of the major stats even if he wont get the wins youd like. He will get alot of strikeouts have a good ERA and a good WHIP. These two guys should allow you contend weekly in those 3 stats. Both are also on teams that improved during the off season and should therefore atleast keep their win totals. Schmidt should get more than 11.

If you are any where above 5 keepers, here is the additional list.
6. Chipper - just another power bat to add to a lineup that would turn dominating
7. Billy Wagner - should be a great closer yet again on a major winning team
8. John Maine - if he can continue to pitch like last season, he will be a nice cheap addition to your rotation


I know that i basically took the highest priced players on your team, and in my opinion the best way to attack a league like this would be to acquire the most stars that you can and then fill in holes with cheap guys. in a 12 team league there should still be enough talent to go around for you to get some players for cheap to fill your holes. Honestly i thinkj you have a great team to go with for the up coming season. Good luck, if you have any more questions, feel free....


12 returning owners of a 12 team 6x6 roto league want to go keeper after 2007 draft. 22 man roster 9hitters/9 pitchers active. It was suggested to have up to five keepers and lose a draft pick (starting with first round) for each player retained. Should a limit be set for how long a team can keep a particular player? How long is good? Any other rules to suggest with a set up like this? Thank you for your expertise.


Here are a few things id consider:
I would suggest just setting a keeper amount and sticking to it. When you get people having more keepers than another it just kinda screws things up. This being a new keeper league i would start with a low amount of keepers, as there are different strategies for keepers and one year leagues. Starting with a low number of keepers will more or less allow all the teams in the league to adapt their team to fit what style they want to pursue without feeling like they were screwed due to it being a former one year league.
In terms of how long a team should be able to keep a player, i think it is always been best for my liking to keep the player as many years as you want, as it is most like a real life situation. in real life if a team wants to keep a player for his whole career they pretty much can if they are willing to pay the right amount and thats how i feel. I have seen alot of leagues that only allow you to keep a player for up to 3 years at a time. That doesnt seem to be a bad idea, just not to my personal liking.
Only rule that i can think of is something that i would not suggest. I would not allow trades of draft picks. This confuses things and would mean that you have to have a very active commish to keep track of all this stuff. if you do allow it, id suggest that in a trade, no teams may have more picks+players than # of roster spots you guys allow. for example dont let someone have 5 players and 22 remaining picks when you only have a 25 man roster.


I also wanted to add this note. I would like for all you who submit questions to me to let me know what city and state you are from. Kinda like the live chats on ESPN and stuff. I am just curious to see where my readers are from. Thanks alot, and stay tuned for Monday's list of top 3b

Monday, January 15, 2007

Top 2b in fantasy land

This week i will go over the top 2b around the league.

1. Chase Utley - .308 - 125 - 35 - 110 - 12
This was the easiest pick here. His greatness at such a mediocre position is what gets him so highly drafted.
2. Brian Roberts - .290 - 100 - 10 - 50 - 40
SB is king here. At such a weak position the SB are a big help to any fantasy lineup
3. Dan Uggla - .278 - 98 - 25 - 90 - 4
Outside of Utley has the most power at the position
4. Rickie Weeks - .285 - 105 - 17 - 65 - 36
This is mostly based on expectations, I think he'll stay healthy this time around
5. Robinson Cano - .325 - 80 - 13 - 70 - 2
He is hurt badly by his spot in the lineup
6. Josh Barfield - .280 - 90 - 15 - 55 - 27
I think he continues to improve
7. Tadahito Iguchi - .280 - 100 - 16 - 63 - 10
Mr. Consistancy, you can pretty much lock him in around here
8. Howie Kendrick - .290 - 74 - 16 - 70 - 16
Angels think he will be good, so do I.
9. Brandon Phillips - .270 - 69 - 14 - 69 - 18
I think he returns to Earth this season, but he is still very serviceable
10. Jeff Kent - .290 - 60 - 17 - 80 - 0
Definatly slowing down
11. Ian Kinsler - .285 - 70 - 16 - 60 - 12
Young solid guy, but nothing to special just yet
12. Jorge Cantu - .265 - 65 - 21 - 86 - 0
I think he ends up moving to 1b, but he will have 2b eligibility and if he returns to form could be a sleeper here
13. Marcus Giles - .275 - 93 - 12 - 58 - 14
Joining the Padres will hurt his power numbers, but playing with Bro could help overall
14. Jose Lopez - .285 - 85 - 14 - 75 - 3
Would have finished with a higher ranking had his power gone missing second half last year, i think he stays more consistant this year
15. Ray Durham - .280 - 75 - 15 - 63 - 3
I definatly don't see a repeat of last season, and I think age will catch up with him again

A Few Sleepers...Luis Castillo, Orlando Hudson, and Placido Polanco

No questions this week, so stay tuned next week for top hot corner players. I look forward to answering any questions you guys send me

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Top fantasy 1B

Sorry for the delay guys, i got really busy yesterday and didnt get to post this. Well...here it is

1. Albert Pujols - .328 - 115 - 48 - 130 - 5
No surprise here. Its the few SB that give him the slight edge
2. Ryan Howard - .310 - 100 - 54 - 135 - 0
He is really 1A to me. I think it might be hard for him to duplicate those numbers, but damn he is good
3. Lance Berkman - .320 - 97 - 43 - 125 - 1
Probably one of the most underrated players in fantasy baseball. Move to 1b could keep him healthier and provide better numbers
4. Mark Teixeira - .302 - 103 - 38 - 110 - 0
Return to being a top notch 1b.
5. Paul Konerko - .305 - 95 - 36 - 108 - 0
Has become pretty much a lock for 30-100. With Thome in the lineup with him, Konerko will not slide
6. Justin Morneau - .315 - 98 - 33 - 113 - 1
I think he will slip a bit this year. He hasn't proven he can be a MVP candidate every year. Even with a slight slip, those are nice numbers
7. Derek Lee - .285 - 100 - 37 - 109 - 8
I think he returns pretty healthy but not at the MVP level some remember him at. The SB are key to his value
8. Richie Sexson - .268 - 80 - 38 - 110 - 0
Hot second half proves to me he can keep his average in this range. Which keeps his value up
9. Carlos Delgado - .258 - 83 - 34 - 112 - 0
Batting average is slipping and so is he, but you could still expect the 30-100 in that lineup
10. Nick Swisher - .260 - 97 - 37 - 98 - 0
Batting average kills his status and takes away enough RBIs to keep him below guys like Sexson and Delgado
11. Jason Giambi - .250 - 90 - 36 - 110 - 0
Great power numbers but another batting average casualty
12. Prince Fielder - .287 - 83 - 30 - 92 - 5
Poor lineup in Milwaukee probably hurts his overall stats, but he isnt quite ready to be a fantasy stud. Very quality numbers though
13. Todd Helton - .298 - 92 - 22 - 90 - 1
He continues to slip, if he stays healthy and in colorado, this is what i see
14. Adam LaRoche - .280 - 85 - 28 - 90 - 0
I dont like him as much as others, im not confident he can improve on last year
15. Adrian Gonzalez - .297 - 80 - 27 - 90 - 0
Had a good break out year, i look for about the same this year.

A few guys on the outside lookin in: Lyle Overbay, Conor Jackson, Ryan Shealy



We are going into our fourth year year. I finished fourth last in first year- my first year of fantasy. I made it a mission to get better. I have done it largely through trading and drafting. Trading many guys like Helton, Gagne, Crawford, and others at their prime values. Drafting well and trading away Liriano, Verlander, Howard and others.Going into this year I am hoping to cap things off. Here is everyone's Dauphin Naked Mavericks, which is a spinoff of my rugby team. I have to trim to 14 players by end of February, but this is it for now. Just added Utley and Mauer for VMart and Manny.

I am going to try and make a move on Halladay or Sheets at pitcher. Any idea on who I move to get there.
14 Team League. Head to Head. 14 Keepers. Each keeper is for 3 years only. Contract years include 2007.Compete in following 6x6 areas:OBP H HR RBI R SBWHIP IP ERA SO W SVMy roster is as follows:C- J. Mauer (1)1B- Teixeira (2)2B- Utley (1)SS- Rollins (2)3B- A Rod (2)OF- Figgins (2)OF- Vlad (2)OF- Bay (2)DH- Hafner (2)Other Reserves- C. Patterson (2), Iguchi (2)P- C. Zambrano (2)P- Harden (2)P- Beuhrle (2)P- Smoltz (2)P- Jer. Weaver (2)P- Hoffman (3)P- Liriano (2)P- Pettitte (2)Pitching Reserves- James Shields (2), Papelbon (2), Maddux (2), Saito (2), Maine (2)


Dear Pitching Wanted,
Well im not sure if you wanted my suggestion for keepers and who to trade for halladay or sheets, so ill do both.

Here are your keepers as i see them.
1. mauer
2. teixeira
3. utley
4. arod
5. vlad
6. bay
7. hafner
8. figgins
9. zambrano
10. harden
11. weaver
12. liriano
13. papelbon
14. saito

Here is my explanation: I left out top guys like rollins, smoltz, hoffman, and others. The reason i take out rollins is cause his main value is SB, i wouldnt expect the same power output this year. and even i he gets the same power this year, with the team you have you dont need power, only the SBs he provides are valuable. Thing is, you keep figgins and he gets you 50+, bay gets you some, utley, arod, even vlad. you will be ok with SB. Hoffman is likely to only pitch this one more year, so i think you dont want to keep him as a keeper, smoltz is still great but i feel like you have some cant miss young SP so you gotta keep them. Also leaving guys like this available might allow you to open things up to get one of those SP you covet. I would offer up something with rollins, or patterson, with someone like smoltz. if you have to move one of your young guys to get an ace like that, then papelbon is the guy id choose to deal. the guy really cant improve his value any higher than it is right now. odds are he wont be near as dominant as a starter as he was a closer, alot of people are banking on papelbon to have a smooth transition back to the rotation, i dont think it will be that easy.

Hope this was helpful for ya.


Ill see you guys next time, where i will discuss the top 2b.