I’m wondering if there is anyone in particular I should look out for in my upcoming fantasy baseball draft. What I mean is, it seems that many of the guys who have unexpectedly monster years always follow an intense training regimen in the off-season (Bret Boone last year for example). From what I hear, Jeremy Giambi worked out like a madman in the offseason and dropped a ton of weight. Nomar is a workout fanatic and may have a great comeback year, and I hear Pedro has put some bulk on as well. Anyone else to keep an eye on?
Roy Oswalt; Josh Beckett; Brandon Duckworth; Jose Ortiz (now a Rockie!!); Todd Ziele (now a Rockie!!); Carlos Beltran (a legit 30/30 guy);Bud Smith; Pedro Astacio (no longer a Rockie!!); Mo Vaughn (people may have forgot about him); Rick Ankiel (its worth a gamble); Sean Burroughs (ROY)…thats all I can think of off the top of my head…I may have some more later!
I’m familiar w. all these guys. I’m in a keeper league and Oswalt is kept, and I had Beltran but I traded him (got a little impatient). What I’m looking for specifically are the guys who really dedicated themselves to a serious workout regimen in the off-season that the others may not know about. Scott, what do you think about K. Wood? I could keep him for $10 (7x5 league w. $100 salary cap, 15 teams), but none of the books seem to be real high on him. Think I could throw him back out in the auction pool and get him cheaper? I could also keep Juan Pierre for $6, or Ben Sheets for $2.
Id have to say josh beckett and roy oswalt. Also Todd Hollandsworth may be available. Remember he was hurt for most of last year but was averaging 3.5 fp per game before he got hurt. And he plays in Colorado. Also Smoltz as a closer. And billy koch is now the closer for the A’s who might have the best staff in baseball. My keepers in one of my leagues were Bonds, Matt Morris, Troy Percival, and Pujols. Get as much pitching as possible. You can always trade them away later.
Being a Marlins fan, I am excited about Beckett. The problem is he’s probably going to go for quite a bit even though he’s a rookie. If I could get him for a buck (will never happen) or even $2, I could have him and Brad Penny ($2 keeper). I kept Dumpster…I mean Dempster last year and he killed my WHIP and ERA. I think Billy Koch could be good too…I already have Bob Wickman kept for $2 so if I could get him cheap for my other closer that would be sweet. I also like Farnsworth (depending on what the Cubbies decide to do) and the guy from Detroit, Anderson. I have to ask again though…who are the guys that worked really hard in their off-season conditioning (a la Bret Boone last year) that I might be able to steal at my auction?
Good calls on Beckett and Hollandsworth. I saw Beckett pitch a few times in Portland (including a no-hitter), and he’s got a great future ahead of him. You also ought to look into Joel Pineiro. Tony Clark is having a good spring, and he’ll have a good opportunity to knock in runs hitting behind Nomar, Trot, and Manny. Matt Anderson is a good call, although Detroit will probably suck. By the way, Pedro’s size increase is definitely noticeable; I heard he went from 155 to the 170-175 range. Jose Ortiz is worth a shot considering he plays at Coors. I’m sure that I’ll think of more later…
I think Sheets for $2 is a steal. He looks like the real deal. $10 for Woods seems ok…but if others are buying into what the mags are saying, you might be able to pick him up cheaper; I guess it depends on how the people in your league are…we have one guy who is gay for Woods and would kill his team just to have him. Piere is not a bad option either, but you have to look out for that sophmore slump…
As far as who has worked out the most, I have not heard of anyone other than those who have been mentioned. Jeremey Giambi may be a good pick, he had a nice second half last year.
I am not realy into fantasy ball but I will tell ya who is gonna have big years. Drew is gonna have a big year, Soriano is gonna go 30/30 easy, Clark will have a big year behind Manny (after yet another slow start, so don’t panic), a big sleeper will be Nick Johnson in N.Y. he will hit .300+ drive in 100+ and score 100+ he’ll probably have 30+hrs also. If you can get Karsey cheap get him, if anything happens to Rivera he’ll get alot of save opps. Anyway those are my picks, good luck.
Another guy I just thought of (who is not that big of a secret) is Adam Dunn. The kid is a freak…6’6" 240#. Also, there is another guy in the Reds organization…Austin Kearns (6’4" 210). He will probably be a late season call up, but he was ranked higher than Dunn last year before he got hurt. (I live in Dayton and have seen both these guys play A ball).
i agree soriano is a good pic but i dont know if he is a 30/30 guy. does he have that kind of power?
I too think Sheets is a great buy at that price, but I can’t understand why so few of the mags are so down on him. Before his shoulder started acting up, he was just making batters look silly. Every pitcher at some point has been/is an injury risk. If Sheets is healthy he will be a stud despite poor run support. Probably won’t be a big strikeout artist though. I’d take a chance on the Reds’ OFers if the price isn’t too steep, and it likely may be with Dunn. I could probably get Kearns for $1. Soriano is being kept. I had a chance to get him last year in a trade…I already have Rollins though. I like Drew too. Injuries aside, he’s solid across the board. If I don’t keep Wood, I’m going to go for Mussina or Hudson. The Unit’s age scares me, and with 15 teams and our $100 cap it’s likely gonna take high $20’s to get him. I’d just assume spend on hitting. I also want to make a run at Beckett and Mark Prior for keepers. Everyone’s raving about Prior so far.
What league are yall in? I go with sandbox and like it above any other that ive ever used. It is very simple and has some cool extras.
I just do a local league where I live. 15 teams and $200 entry fee. Lots of bonus payouts in addition to the top five placings. Not real keen on the national ones since it’s easy to get raped on tranny fees. Sports Fanatics has an okay national league…pick one guy out of each box (12 boxes) and 1 pt. for each hit, run and RBI. Nothing fancy, but simple.
What do you guys think about taking a gamble on Pedro, or can the Unit put up one more great year? I need a K artist to balance out my lineup. I’m keeping Penny and Sheets, and I know Sheets isn’t going to put up a lot of strikeouts. I’ve decided to throw Wood back in the auction pool and see how much it’ll take to reacquire him. I’m trying not to exceed 30 percent of my salary cap on pitching. I need six pitchers (two relievers and four starters), and I have Wickman kept for $2, and Sheets and Penny for $2. Salary cap is $100. Do I go for a big gun like Unit and a young gun like Beckett, or do I shoot for two good but not great arms? I can guarantee it’s gonna take $25 at least to get Unit. Other big names available are Mussina, Maddux, Hudson, Garcia, and Zito.
I would definitely take a chance on Pedro. And the big Unit is a given. Hes got a few more good years left. I heard Pedro is up about 20 lbs