First Fantasy - Blog Edition

First Fantasy - Stop Mocking Me! (ESPN Part Three)

Isringhausen went far too early. A broken-down closer on a bad team is worthy of this pick? I don’t get it. Delgado also went too early, as he’s on the extreme downside of his career. If you want 20 bombs, 85 RBI and a .250 average out of your first baseman, have at it boys, he’s all yours. Team 8 finally does something worthwhile in the Mauer pick, as he could easily be worth a Top 60 rank if he can avoid injury. As usual, I go for the upside in Young, Aside from Morneau and Cuddyer, there’s no proven produced in Minnesota, and that role will fall to Delmon. He’s another guy who’s a lock to go 20/20 while driving in around 90 runs and hitting .285. I’m absolutely fine with that at this stage of the draft, especially considering those are his low-end projections.

Some good and bad things going on here. Felix was easily the steal of the round, as he’ll put up similar numbers to Scott Kazmir, who went four rounds earlier. Renteria will do well in the stacked Detroit lineup, and getting him in the 12^th round is a great feather in the cap. Liriano is the darling of all drafters this spring, and if that surgically-repaired elbow holds up, will be a Top 15 player in 2008. He’s in my Top 100, and I’m more cautious about his elbow than most. Onto the bad, as Todd Jones, Pedro Martinez and Khalil Greene have no business going this early. Jones won’t even be the closer by June, Pedro’s got very little left in the tank, and Greene’s had one good season of what has so far been a disappointing career. These aren’t guys you reach for. If anything, you only consider them if they fall to you late in the draft. You have to put name recognition and team strength aside sometimes and look at individual performance. Trust me, I owned Jones last year. You don’t want that headache. There isn’t a Bayer big enough to cure it.

If anyone’s got a shot to be the next Cole Hamels, it’s Lincecum. Dubbed “The Franchise” by his teammates due to his immense talent, Lincecum will dominate hitters in 2008. His ceiling is almost limitless. I’ve got him as a Top 100 player, so anchoring my rotation with him and King Felix is perfect. I’ll say this once, though: Andruw Jones should NOT be drafted. If you think he’s going to do any better in Dodger blue, something’s wrong with you. As a former Jones owner in a keeper league, I know how tempting he can be. Do not do it. You’ll make yourself sick. Or cry. Let’s go with both. Especially not over a Top 100 guy like Victorino, who will hit 15 bombs and steal 40 bases while scoring massive runs in 2008. “The Flyin’ Hawaiian” is absolutely a guy you want on your roster, friends.

How could this have happened? How could Kendrick, the darling of all those “in the know” in fantasy, fall so far. Ignoring the fact that ESPN laughably has him ranked outside the Top 100, he fell even further than that! 14^th Round? Are you kidding me? Yeah, there’s no way I could pass on that. Since ESPN leagues feature Middle and Corner Infielders, putting Kendrick and his batting champ-level ability in my MI slot makes me giggle with happiness. Gallardo, Weeks, and Shields are all great picks here, as all have the chance to break out in a big way in 2008. Lugo is a risky pick, because I think prospect Jed Lowrie will be taking his job around the All-Star break as the Sawx continue their youth movement. Pierre really shouldn’t be an option in your outfield unless you’re drunk guy at closing time-desperate, and Willis just shouldn’t be on your team. The 5+ ERA he’s going to have will negate anything else positive he might contribute.

Climb about the bandwagon, kids, cause unless you have a swarm of creepy insects on hand, you’re not going to stop Joba this year. Chamberlain will be a starter this season for the Yankees, and may even begin the  year in their rotation. Sure, he likely won’t go over 160 IP, but if he plays even close to the level he did last year, those are going to be a jaw-dropping 160 innings. Plus I can change my team name to “Joba Fett’s Bounty Hunters” whenever I want. Added bonus! Hudson is a great pick here if he does anything near what he did in 2007. Lidge has injury concerns and I have concerns about Myers’ arm after last season’s starter-to-closer debacle, but both could end up being good values here. Swisher and Hill will certainly play better than a 15^th rounder, and Gordon should do the same.