March 2010
2010 Preview: Chicago Cubs
Projected 2010 NL Central Finish: 2nd
Lineup:
- Theriot ss
- Fukudome rf
- Lee 1b
- Ramirez 3b
- Byrd cf
- Soriano lf
- Fontenot 2b
- Soto c
Rotation:
- Zambrano
- Dempster
- Wells
- Silva
- Gorzelanny (LH)
Bench:
- Hill c
- Baker if
- Tracy cif
- Nady 1b/of
- Colvin of
Bullpen:
- Parisi
- Samardzija
- Marshall (LH)
- Berg
- Caridad
- Grabow (LH)
- Marmol (closer)
DL:
- Lilly sp (LH)
- Guzman rp
2010 Preview: Chicago White Sox
Projected 2010 AL Central Finish: 2nd
Lineup:
- Pierre lf
- Beckham 2b
- Quentin rf
- Konerko 1b
- Teahen 3b
- Rios cf
- Pierzynski c
- Jones dh
- Ramirez ss
Rotation:
- Buerhle (LH)
- Peavy
- Danks (LH)
- Floyd
- Garcia
Bench:
- Castro c
- Vizquel if
- Nix if
- Kotsay 1b/of
Bullpen:
- Santos
- Williams (LH)
- Pena
- Linebrink
- Putz
- Thorton (LH)
- Jenks (closer)
Catcher: A.J. Pierzynski isn’t going to win any popularity contests away from the south side, but they love him in White Sox territory. Pierzynski will play in 130 games, get into a couple scuffles, and come up with some clutch hits. It is his contract year so he will have a bit more motivation to produce as the White Sox ponder re-signing him after 2010 or eventually going with prospect Tyler Flowers.
Infield: Alexei Ramirez will look to rebound from a frustrating ’09 and Gordon Beckham will be his double-play partner. Beckham played third base for the Sox last season but Mark Teahen was brought in to man the hot corner. Teahen and Konerko are fairly consistent at the plate but neither are great middle of the lineup hitters. Dayan Viciedo is a top prospect at the corners and will most likely take over one of those spots in 2011.
Outfield: This is an interesting group. Juan Pierre moves back into an everyday role and will set the table. Alex Rios’ poor play in Toronto got him traded to Chicago mid-season and he hit .199 with his new team. Rios is costing the Sox a ton of money and needs to at least get back to his ’07 form to be worth it. Carlos Quentin came out of nowhere in ’08 to drive in 100 runs in only 130 games. Foot injuries kept him off the field for long stretches of time last year and the White Sox need his power in order to compete in the division. Andruw Jones will battle Mark Kotsay for time in the outfield and at DH.
Rotation: This is one of the strongest groups in baseball. If Peavy can stay healthy, there’s no reason he shouldn’t get 15+ wins. Lefty Mark Buerhle will get his 30 starts while fellow southpaw John Danks will continue to progress in only his 4th Major League season. Gavin Floyd has been either good or bad, with very little grey area in between. A good showing from Floyd will take pressure off Freddy Garcia. Jhonny Nunez will pitch in the Bigs at some point this season as well.
Bullpen: Despite frequent trade rumors, Jenks will be back to close for the Sox in 2010. As for setup men, the Sox have a competitive advantage over many teams. On the other side of town, for example, the Cubs will be relying on youngsters Esmailin Caridad, Jeff Stevens, and Jeff Samardzija to pitch a lot of important innings. The White Sox, on the other hand, will have veteran righties Scott Linebrink, Tony Pena, and newcomer J.J. Putz along with hard throwing lefty Matt Thorton. One of the final spots could go to Sergio Santos who is another hard thrower.
2010: The White Sox have a strong pitching staff but their offense will hold them back. The lineup has a bunch of guys who will hit like Mark Teahen- including Mr. Teahen himself! By that, I mean they have a lot of guys who will hit 15 homers, drive in 60 and hit .260. That isn’t a dynamic lineup. Gordon Beckham is a very good player but will have a lot of pressure to repeat his rookie success. The White Sox will beat out the Tigers in the race for second place but Ozzie Guillen’s team will not make the playoffs.
Fantasy Preview: 3rd Base
This is quite possibly the deepest class when it comes to star production. A-Rod still leads the pack but there are some young franchise players who have the talent to be perrenial All-Stars. There will be plenty of production to go around and waiting to grab a third baseman in later rounds shouldn’t hurt you too badly.
The Elite:
- Alex Rodriguez NYY- Rodriguez missed time at the beginning of the year and still had 30 HRs and 100 RBIs. He’s a slugger with a lifetime .390 OBP and can still steal some bases.
- Evan Longoria TB- His first full season in the Bigs led to 33 HRs and 113 RBIs. Longo scored 100 runs and hit 44 doubles, despite lots of strikeouts.
- Pablo Sandoval SF- The Kung Fu Panda will again challenge for a batting title. His power will continue to grow and he doesn’t strikeout. Sandoval just needs the guys in front of him to get on-base.
In the running: David Wright NYM, Ryan Zimmerman WAS, Mark Reynolds ARI
Sleepers:
- Miguel Tejada BAL- Miggy’s power isn’t what it once was, but he is still gets his extra base hits and comes through in the clutch. Tejada will be batting next to guys like Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Matt Weiters… You get the idea. He will qualify for third base shortly after opening day.
- Aramis Ramirez CHC- When A-Ram is healthy, he is a top 5 third baseman. In only 82 games last season, Ramirez drove in 65 and hit 15 HR. His OBP has risen in each of the last three years to a career-high .389 last season.
- Kevin Kouzmanoff OAK- Kouzmanoff is not a superstar, but he’s a solid RBI hitter. He was over-shadowed by Adrian Gonzalez in San Diego but now moves on to Oakland. Kouz has had 80 RBIs in each of the last two years and could improve his HR totals now that he’s away from PETCO Park.
Caution:
- David Wright NYM- Wright could very easily move back up to “The Elite” category but here’s why I moved him down to the “Caution” level. A move to Citi Field and injuries to the rest of the lineup helped bring his HRs down by 23 and his RBIs down by 52. That’s a lot. As far as I know, the Mets are still going to play half their games in Citi Field and Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are already missing time.
- Adrian Beltre BOS- In 449 at-bast, Beltre failed to reach double-digits in homeruns. His RBIs were down to 44. Will a change of scenery help him rebound or will he continue his decline?
- Chipper Jones ATL- Chipper played in his most games since 2003 but failed to reach 20 HRs for the first time in his career (besides 1993 when he played in 8 games). Jones will put up a good AVG and OBP but for the second year in a row he had decreases in runs, hits, doubles, HRs, RBIs, and SLG.
Fantasy Preview: 2nd Base
The elite guys in this category are not as plentiful spots like first and third base. Many of the middle tier second basemen provide virtually the same offensive output. If you’re unable to land one of the few elite guys at this position, waiting until later in the draft and going for a sleeper may be the best route.
The Elite:
- Chase Utley PHI- Utley has been the best second baseman in Major League Baseball since his first full season in 2005 when he had 105 RBIs. Last year he had career highs in walks and stolen bases while still hitting 31 homers.
- Robinson Cano NYY- Cano doesn’t get much attention with the presence of A-Rod, Tex, and Jeter in the same lineup, which is part of the reason he is so under-rated. After a down 2008, Cano bounced back to his usual form while scoring 103 times and hitting a career high 25 home runs. Yankee stadium boosts his power production and fantasy owners can take advantage of that.
- Ian Kinsler TEX- Kinsler did not play as well as most expected in 2009 but still had career highs in HR, RBIs, and stolen bases. The emergence of Julio Borbon in the leadoff spot will give Kinsler the chance to drive in even more runs. Kinsler is hindered because he has yet to put together a completely healthy season.
- In the running: Aaron Hill TOR, Brian Roberts BAL, Gordon Beckham CHW (Beckham will qualify for second base shortly after Opening Day)
Sleepers:
- Orlando Hudson MIN- Many forget that Hudson was an All-Star for the Dodgers last season before injuries derailed his second half. Signing with the Twins enhanced his fantasy value as he will be hitting in front of Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel.
- Rickie Weeks MIL- Rickie carried the Brewers in the month of April last season. Before he got hurt, Weeks was on pace to absolutely shatter his career highs in home runs and RBIs.
- Martin Prado ATL- With Kelly Johnson now in Arizona, Martin Prado will get the full-time duty at second base in Atlanta. Prado has always been able to get onbase but last year he added gap power to his game.
Caution:
- Freddy Sanchez SF- Many people still remember Sanchez for his NL batting title in 2006. He still hits for a fine average but has regressed in all aspects of run production every year since 2006.
- Alberto Callaspo KC- Callaspo is in a rough situation. His fantasy numbers were great last year but his dreadful defense has his starting spot in jeopardy. Callaspo could still be a good pick if he beats out Chris Getz during spring training, but, as of right now, that’s a big ‘if’.
- Skip Schumaker STL- The addition of Felipe Lopez will help the team win games but will also hurt the fantasy values of Skip Schumaker, David Freese, and Julio Lugo (if he had any to begin). Lopez will play all over but his best position is second base where he will get the starts against tough lefties. Schumaker is still a solid player, but the platoon situation is something to consider before your fantasy draft.
Fantasy Preview: 1st Base
Spring training games have already started which means Opening Day is close. Another season that is currently getting under-way is Fantasy Baseball. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll write up my position-by-position preview to help prepare you for the pursuit of the ever important bragging rights. First on the list are the first basemen, led by superstar Albert Pujols.
The Elite:
- Albert Pujols STL- He continues to build on an already legendary career as his HR, RBIs, and SLG have all increased each of the past three years.
- Mark Teixeira NYY- Teixeira impressed in his first year with the Yanks. 100-plus runs and 100-plus RBIs are a near lock with his career .923 OPS.
- Miguel Cabrera DET- The Johnny Damon acquisition should only give Cabrera more chances to drive in runs.
- In the running: Adrian Gonzalez SD, Ryan Howard PHI, Prince Fielder MIL
Sleepers:
- James Loney LAD- He is often forgot about due to low HR totals, but in his 4 year career Loney has a .295 AVG and two 90 RBI seasons. If his power comes through, Loney will becom a very valuable player.
- Billy Butler KC- Playing in the spacious Kauffman Stadium doesn’t help his power production, but KC’s lineup is improved and he showed progress last year.
- Adam LaRoche ARI- LaRoche will be available late in the draft and is someone you shouldn’t forget about. He’ll put up his usual 35 doubles, 25 HR, and 85 RBIs.
Caution:
- Garrett Atkins BAL- Atkins will play first base in Baltimore but has been in a steady decline for three years. He bottomed out in ’09 with 9 HR and a .226 AVG.
- Garrett Jones PIT- Jones came on strong as a rookie and even had some ROY consideration. I expect him to come back down to earth after his stunning .938 OPS in ’09. Jones’ strikeout rate is also unfavorable.
- Lance Berkman HOU- Something must be in the water in Houston as Berkman and Roy Oswalt are already talking retirement. Berkman’s 2009 was below expectations and he seems to have lost his edge at the plate. He won’t be horrible but he is no longer a first tier first baseman.
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