Sleeper Round Up

This is just a quick list of some guys to keep an eye on over the next season. These guys are going at various points in the draft, but a sleeper is defined as a player that can give you significantly better value than where he is drafted. In the case of a snake round, 2-3 rounds or in an auction league about 7 or 8 dollars.

Here are some of my favorite Sleepers:

R. Baldelli – Now that he’s healthy he is a 20/20 candidate
A. Rios – Will provide speed from OF
P. Fielder – 40 HR candidate
N. Johnson – Will be out 2-3 months but upon return could still hit 15 HR
A. Gonzalez – Should bat .300 and could hit 35 HR
F. Lopez – 2B eligible and 40+ SB from 2B is gold
D. Young - Along with Baldelli, a 20/20 candidate
A. Gordon – Should make team out of camp, if he does he will be early ROY candidate
C. Billingsley – Great SP to round out your rotation.
A. Wainwright – Closed out the WS, he has the experience and the mentality
R. Hill – Had amazing September, with full season he is 200 strike out candidate
S. Olsen – The Best of the Marlins SP crop…only one I expect to maintain stats
A. Reyes – WS experience, should create power combo with Wainwright for years to come
R. Johnson – Don’t let the ERA of 5 fool you, he was much better.
M. Prior – If he is finally healthy, he will be gold late in the draft
K. Wood – Could be Cubs closer by mid june
N. Markakis – 15 HR last year, expect over 20 this year.
C. James - Was dynamite for ATL last year, can he repeat?
J. Sowers - Was solid in MLB debut season.
M. Garza - ROY canidate if he plays full season
F. Hernandez - Getting drafted high, could be top 5 round pick next year.
J. Broxton - could close for LAD by end of year
A. Otsuka - was good for TEX last year, Gagne is still big ?

Please note, this is in no way a full list but it should give you a good idea of some guys to highlight on your list. As always, open to comments: stew0610@ameritech.net

Baseball: Statistical Oddities

It is finally here! Part one of my HUGE article on statistics in baseball is now available here. It will also be available via lennymelnickfantasybaseball.com. You should definately check it out and I would love any feedback that you have. Part two should be available sometime soon.

Rankings!

UPDATE: RANKINGS IN EXCEL FORMAT FOR TOP 250 AND POSITIONAL RANKINGS ARE AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD BY REQUEST: HERE AND HERE, RESPECTIVLY.

The MLB Front Office top 250 and positional rankings have been released! I was going to release the positional rankings by position, but in favor of time and organization, I have decided to release them all at once. They can be found here on one simple web page that is easy to read and can be printed to best fit your draft day needs. In addition the top 250 can be found here along with the top players from some other blogs all averaged together to get an ultimate rankings list! Remeber to take the overall rankings with a grain of salt. Some people are ranked akwardly when averaged because one person is really high or really low on the person. But it is certainly a good draft tool. Also in that list you can find positional breakdown by clicking the links at the very bottom of your screen as compared to other writers. I hope you find these draft tools helpful and as always, direct all questions and comments to: stew0610@ameritech.net. I always like hearing from readers.

I will continue my top 25 countdown to #1. Hopefully the rest will be up by tomorrow but it may run onto Monday.

#10: D. Ortiz – BOS DH

#10: Big Papi

He’s Big Papi, what else is there to say. What other names could we have for him: Mr. Clutch? BoTown Bomber? God? No matter what you want to call him, he is a machine. He won’t get you any SB and he doesn’t play any position but DH, but the guy can jack ‘em, and that’s all that matters. He's the kind of guy where the opposing catchers are asking for an autograph while hes batting.

Catcher: "Can I have your autograph"

Big Papi: "One second..."

Anouncer: "Going, Going, Gone!"

Big Papi after crossing home plate: "Here you go"

Ok, enough, heres a little bit more about God himself: He's 31 and his HR have been going up since 2000. That makes me wonder: Is 60 HR possible? If he can hit 60 people won't even care that he's only a DH. He will be the #1 pick over pujols. He won't get you any SB but his AVG won't kill you either.

One reason not to take him: No speed and no eligibilty. Sound familiar? I said the same thing for Hafner, and thats because those are the only flaws in the HR slugging DHs.

One reason to take him: He's Big Papi to most of the world and he's God to the city of Boston, because he's Mr. Clutch and he jacks a HR every third game.

#11: L. Berkman – HOU OF

#11: L. Berkman

When Berkman struggles...it usually is the bats fault! (see above) When it comes to NL value, Berkman aka “Mini- Pujols” is always, well, second to only Pujols in almost every category it seems. He is getting older but his numbers haven’t really taken much of a hit. He can provide you top 10 value and is certainly someone to consider if you have a late pick in the first round of any size draft. Berkman will also benefit from the recent acquisition of Carlos Lee.

Here's a little about Lance: 45 Hr, .315 AVG whats not to like? Unfortunatly, it hasn't always been that way. Lance has been fairly inconsistant over the course of his career. I always find it interesting to see how much they are owned on ESPN, in mixed leagues, he is owned in 99.9 percent of leagues. Begging the question: .1% where are you?

One reason not to take him: Inconsistancy. Last year was his first year above 40 HR since 2002. Lack of speed is also a concern: he has never had more than 10 SB. But If he's going to give me 40+ HR I can live with non speed from him.

One reason to take him: His numbers last year were superb and with the aquisition of Carlos Lee he will be hitting in an even better lineup!

#12: C. Lee – HOU OF

#12: C. Lee

C. Lee has always seemed like a misfit, mainly because he can’t really play the OF. After being traded from Milwaukee to Texas last year, he really excelled. Now he has returned to the NL Central so he can beat up on the mediocre Brewers pitching staff. He will offer you speed and power and while he probably won’t be able to repeat last year, he has a shot at it. He isn’t your typical top 15 pick because there isn’t anything to “sexy” about him, but he is worth it.

Here's a little more about Carlos: Last year was easily his career year, only the second time in his career that he has batted over .300. It was also a career high in SB and HR. However, his HR totals have been going up his whole career which begs the question: At age 30 can he break the 40 HR mark for the first time in his career?

One reason not to take him: So many questions! Can he maintain his HR and SB from last year? Can he break the 40 HR rate? Can he stay above .300? If yes, he will be a top 15 pick in EVERY SINGLE EXPERT'S mind next year, if not he will fall out of the top 25.

One reason to take him: Like mentioned before, his HR have been going up his whole career so this may finally be the year he breaks 40 HR. In addition, he is now playing for Houston which has a better lineup than any lineup he ever played with in Milwaukee.

#13: V. Guerrero – LAA OF

#13: V. Guerrero

Guerrero is now on the decline in his career but he is still a force to be reckoned with. It was only last year, after all, that he was a top 5 pick in most leagues. He has now fallen to #13 but he will certainly provide you good value here. But be warned, he doesn’t offer you much upside, so if you want upside you may want to nab Sizemore instead.

Here's a little bit more about Vlad: What he will give you is an AVG over .300, 30+ HR and 10+ SB. Those are very solid numbers. What he won't offer you are numbers much better than that. He is on the downfall of his career at age 31 and it looks like is 40 HR days are over, but you never know.

One reason not to take him: He doesn't have a lot of upside. He hasn't hit over 40 HR since 2000 and he hasn't had more than 20 SB since 2002 when he had 40! He was at one point in his career a 40/40 threat but he never quite reached that mark and those days are long ago.

One reason to take him: Consistancy. You know what you are getting from him and he has a superb average to go along with his decent HR and SB numbers. There is always the chance he could nab you 20 bases as well.

Q&A

I recently had the chance to talk to an old friend I used to play fantasy baseball with. He had a question for me regarding a new league he joined. The league we had played in together was head to head and he had just joined a roto league and wanted to know how to adjust his strategy.

Q: "I just joined a few rotos this year and was wondering if u wanted to give me some advice?"

A: I'd say thats its basically the same as head to head so your drafting strategy shouldnt change that much, but, in head to head leagues, there is an emphisis on getting star power while in roto leagues there is an emphisis on balance. This is why: In head to head leagues you have to beat try to win categories every week in order to beat your opponent, however in roto if you finish third in the league in every category over the course of the season, you will most likely win. So all in all, you're drafting strategy should not change that much but make sure you draft a very balanced team and a deep team. That talent off the bench is going to be very valuable.

I hope that helped! Do you have a question? Email me at: stew0610@ameritech.net and I will be happy to answer it for you!

#14: M. Cabrera – FLA 3B

#14: M. Cabrera

Cabrera is a slightly less speed (but much higher AVG) version of David Wright. It does not appear that he has become the leader Wright has but I caution you to not buy into the New York media too much. Cabrera can do it all, over his career he has batted in numerous positions because of his versatility and has also played numerous positions. It appears he is at 3B to stay despite the troubles the Marlins have in the OF. Look for this guy to have another monster year and cash in with a long term contract, even if its not with the Marlins.

Here's a little bit more about Cabrera: Him and David Wright are pretty comporable players value wise. Each has their strengths and Cabreras are clearly his average and his slightly more proven power. He has hit 33 HR twice in his career (a 4 year career). He certainly has a ton of upside, especially in such a growing Marlins lineup. If he could get the protection that Wright has he would beat Wright out by quite a bit more.

One reason not to take him: In this position, you may opt to choose Wright to get the Speed that he provides, or you may go in a totally different direction and draft Hafner. Any of these picks are reasonable. Infact, in a two UTIL league, I would suggest drafting Hafner here.

One reason to take him: Upside, Upside, Upside. He is one of the most valuable players in keeper and dynasty leagues. He went second overall in the Official MLB Front Office League.

#15: D. Wright – NYM 3B

#15: D. Wright

Wright is the Mets version of Jeter, he is a hell of a team leader, and he is also a hell of a baseball player. It is amazing to think that at such a young age a player can step up as a leader in the club house and on the field, especially with the veteran talent on the Mets. Wright has a lot to offer you if you decide to draft him, he is wise (and talented) beyond his years.

Here's a little bit more about Wright: His 2005 and 2006 campaigns were very similar but he's only 24 and I think this guy will keep growing. He was a 25 HR/20 SB player last year and I think eventually he will be a 30/25 player...possibly even better! I think next year could be the year. But 20 SB is a little bit more reasonable.

One reason not to take him: Really the only reason I see not to take him is because 3B is so deep or because you would rather opt for Travis Hafner, if you have multiple Util positions. Otherwise, Wright is a solid pick.

One reason to take him: There is not really any chance for regression unless he gets injured so theres certainly not a lot of risk. There is also a ton of upside. He's only 24! I can't stress that enough.

#16: T. Hafner – CLE DH

#16: T. Hafner

It is no coincidence that two Indians appear in the top 25. The Indians have so much young talent and they are going to be good, as I said before. Anyway, Hafner’s numbers are good enough for top 10 considerations, if he didn’t only have DH eligibility. If he can finally put together a complete healthy season, he will be a monster. Next year look for him up with D. Ortiz as the two top DHs in the league will both probably go in the top 15 in every draft.

Here's a little bit more about Travis: Since his entrance into the league, his HR have been significantly on the rise. He has had trouble putting together a full season but if he can he will certainly be a 50 HR player. He has also batted over .300 for the past 3 years. Keep an eye on him for sure because he says he wants to play a game a week at 1B this year so next year he may have 1B eligibility in which case he would be a top 5 pick most likely.

One reason not to take him: No speed and no eligibility. In addition, he has had trouble staying healthy but he still hit 40 HR. If he's healthy watch out!

One Reason to take him: The man is a machine and he may gain 1B eligibility at some point this season! If he does he automatically jumps up the board. If he gets eligibility and stays healthy all season he will be a top 5 pick next year.

#17: G. Sizemore – CLE OF

#17: G. Sizemore

Sizemore is a stud on the rise in a team whose young core of players is going to excel, sooner rather than later. If everyone can stay healthy the Indians are my pick to overtake the Twins and the rest of the Al Central. But that’s not the point, Sizemore is ready to blossom and come next year don’t be surprised to see him in the top 10. The stars may just align for this young man this year.

Here's a little bit more about Grady: Last year was his 3rd year in the league but hes still only 24! His stats were very comprable the past two years except for a fairly big rise in power and strike outs. The link between Power and Strike Outs can be found through out the major leagues and is something I will talk about in my baseball statistics article that will be running later this week. He should continue his rise to the top this year as the Cleveland Team gets better.

One reason not to take him: His pure numbers from last year probably do not warrant this pick, however his potential is unbelievable. He could be a top 10 pick next year or he could be out of the top 30. This will be an important year for his fantasy value. If you are looking for a sure thing, Grady is probably not your guy.

One reason to take him: This guy is going to be a stud, in my opinion, sooner rather than later. He will be a 25/25 player most likely next year and eventually could become a 30/30 player. That kind of pure skill is hard to argue with, grab this high upside guy and you won't regret it, especially in a keeper league.

#18: D. Jeter – NYY SS

#18: D. Jeter

Derek is like the captain of all of baseball. You either love him or you hate him. You either like him or A-Rod…or if you don’t live in New York, both of them. However, you can’t Deny Jeter’s contributions in fantasy baseball. He consistently has a high average to go along with enough HR and SB to keep your fantasy team thriving. The man is Mr. Consistency and he had his career year last year. You can expect a small dip in his numbers but nothing below his career norm which is still quite high.

Here's a little more about Derek: Over his 11 year career, he has hit below .300 only 4 times and only once has he hit below .290 which was during his rookie season. He will consitantly hit between 10-25 HR and steal 20-30 bases. He has played his entire 11 year career with the Yankees, moving from leadoff to batting second when Damon arrived on the scene last year, despite the fact that the numbers make Jeter a better leadoff man.

One reason not to take him: He won't hit you 40 HR or steal you 50 Bases. What he will do is provide a consistant source for you all season and provide a high AVG. He should have about 100 RBI and 120 Runs. Last year was a huge jump in RBI (97 compared to 70 the year before) due to his move to the #2 spot and as long as Jeter stays healthy, he should repeat his RBI and Run numbers.

One reason to take him: Jeter is consistant. That is the best word to describe him. His month by month low in BA was .293 (excluding 1 Regular season game in October). He just doesn't really slump. He is a machine.

#19: H. Ramirez - FLA SS

#19: H. Ramirez

I found a couple great shots of Hanley fielding but I decided to use this one because Hanley is a batter. He batted lead off for the Marlins last year and will again bat lead off this year, however, the teams long term plans include having Hanley batting 3rd or possibly even 4th. You know what that means -- his power potential hasn't even been tapped yet, and he hit 17 HR. He also stole 51 bags and while I think it would be hard to repeat last years numbers. I don't see any reason that 20/40 is out of the question.

Here's a little bit more about Hanley: He came to FLA in the trade that sent Josh Beckett to Boston. Seems like a good deal for FLA up to this point. He was NL Rookie of the Year last year in a very tough rookie class. He is owned in 99.5% of all ESPN leagues, I'm still trying to figure out what world the other .5% are living on. This guy is a beast, for lack of a better term.

One reason not to take him: It would be hard to repeat last years numbers and I wouldn't die of shock if he ended up with a 10 HR, 40 SB stat line, but that is his low end and it is still fairly solid. Basically, it is one of the more risky picks you could make here but I think that it will work out well.

One reason to take him: The NL Rookie of the year should have improving power, as mentioned earlier. I think ultimatly he could turn into a 30 HR/50 SB threat. The man is a machine that shouldn't be tested. He can beat you so many ways.

#20: M. Ramirez - BOS OF

#20: M. Ramirez

Yeah, hes pointing at you. You know why? Because despite all the trouble he causes Boston, everyone still supports him! The latest in the Manny saga is not showing up to Spring Training on time. Reportedly, his mother had surgery or something but it hasn't been proven yet. He was set to attend a car show but backed out after it leaked into the media. But the plain and simple fact is, he produces, and thats enough for me.

Heres a little bit more about Manny: Last year he hit 35 HR and batted .321, all while missing the end of the season due to injury. Since 1998 his lowest HR total was 33, and that came in 2002 when he only played in 120 games. Over those same years hes only batted below .300 twice, and in his career he's only batted below .300 4 times, 2 of which came when he played for CLE and only played in 22 and 91 games respectivly. Basically, Manny is Mr. Consistant. He may throw in the side show, but you know he will always produce. The only thing he won't toss into the ring is SB, but thats not that big a deal.

One reason not to take him: Um...no SB? This guy is a machine. He is 34 but hasn't shown any signs of letting up. Look forward to another great season from Manny if you draft him.

One reason to take him: Manny is Manny, enough said.

Pre-Season Schedule

The time has come once again, its crunch time. That's why, here at MLB Front Office, we are going to be offering even more premium content in the comming weeks. The whole big party will be kicked off this weekend with the release of more content than any one man can handle. This weekend, MLB Front Office will be finishing its release of its top 25 players. Why so fast you ask? Because we understand that your drafts do not happen two days before the season starts, they happen NOW! So in order to provide you with the best content, our top 25 will be released THIS WEEKEND, with no dip in quality either! But thats not all, also being released this weekend will be MLB Front Office's positional rankings! Every position, every player worth drafting, everything you could need! But we won't stop there. Also being released this weekend will be MLB Front Office's top 250 players! Thats right 2-5-0! This will be released along with the ranking of other FBE writers in order to provide YOU with the best rankings on the net. Oh, and we're not even close to done! Sometime this week, I will release part 1 of 2 of my massive article on Statistical Oddities in Baseball. That is a hell of an article! Also this weekend, I will be working on my 1 man mock draft. All 25 rounds of mock draft mayhem, the catch? I will be drafting against only myself! I will also be working on part 2 of my Baseball Stastics article which should be released sometime next week.

Here is a look at what MLB Front Office will be offering up until the start of the Baseball Season:

Feb 26 - Mar 4: Sleeper Week

- All my top sleepers

- players to avoid

- sleeper mania article

Mar 5 - Mar 11: Keeper Week

- Keeper Strategy

- "The Stock Market"

- Favorite Keepers

- Players to drop

- Q & A

Mar 12 - Mar 18: Prospect Week

- Prospect Bios

- Deep Deep Prospects

- Ranking Minor League System

- Top 50 Prospects

Mar 19 - Mar 25: Spring Training Extravaganza

- Key Battles

- Trade Rumors

- Biggest Movers

- HUGE SURPRISE!!!!!!!

Mar 25 - Mar 31: Offseason Wrap-up

- Biggest Fantasy Moves

- Battle Results

- Momentum?!?

- Opening Day Starters

- Opening Day Predictions

- What it all means

- Weak 1 strong/weak plays

- PLAY BALL!!!!!

Now who else besides MLB Front Office is going to bring you all of that and more?!? The Answer: No One! Thats because MLB Front Office is a one of a kind Blog. As always, feel free to email questions, comments, complaints etc. to: stew0610@ameritech and I will respond in a timely fasion.

New Feature

The Writers of Fantasy Baseball Express will be offering a new feature for your viewing pleasure. Coming soon will be a compilation of most of the writers rankings so you can look in one place to see all the rankings! No more looking at all the other blogs to see how they stack up to MLB FRONT OFFICE's rankings. It's all going to be in one place! I will post more on this as it develops a little bit further.

Thanks for your patience while I have limited computer access, the blog will be back to normal starting on tuesday!

Limited Computer Access

I'm sorry for the lack of updates recently. I have been with limited internet access for the weekend. Normal updates will return on tuesday. Meanwhile, please take a look at some of the other Fantasy Baseball Express writers and look forward to my return on tuesday. It was nice to know that people are actually following my blog because I got emails from a couple of people.

In addition, I will be signing up for the FBE Writers league and will be doing analysis on that draft after its completion.

I'll see (or write) to all of you on tuesday! Feel free to email me questions and I will try and get out timely answers.

The Big Time!

Woohoo! MLB Front Office is expanding, fast! I just wanted to update you on a couple of things that you may see coming up. Along with the links that you will see on the right hand side (I add more every day), MLB Front Office is working on a partnership with a number of different websites. I'm having ongoing conversation with Lenny Melnick of lennymelnickfantasybaseball.com, Mark Haverty of sportsblurb.com, and Keithe Morton of thefantasydraft.com. I am very excited for where this blog could go.

In addition, you will notice some new features on the right hand side. There is now a contact me link, a link to the official MLB Front Office dynasty league and a news feed from espn.com that contains all the latest and fast breaking news in the MLB.

I would also like to appologize for the lack of content today. I spent the day working on an article that I am developing about statistical oddities in baseball. This article will probably appear on lennymelnickfantasybaseball.com as well as possibly the other two websites I mentioned, and of course, it will appear here. To make up for the lack of content, I figured I'd give you a little sneak peak:

"Fantasy Baseball is one of the fastest growing enterprises in the United States. Why? Because baseball has the most statistic obsessed fan base of any professional sport. In what other sport would people first research the Day and Night game splits for a player and than calculate the number of Day vs. Night games the player will play the following year and how it will affect his numbers (ok – maybe I just have too much free time)? However ridiculous some statistics may be, there are others that are a necessary part to understanding where value lies in fantasy baseball and also to finding the sleepers and the underrated players. To some these statistics may seem daunting; to others they are just a part of the annual research process. This article will attempt to demonstrate, first what each statistic is and second how it can be used to keep you in the money."

That is just the first paragraph of what will probably end up being a four page article on statistics in baseball. If you are curious as to the rest of the article, you will just have to check back here in the coming days. Also don't forget to check out the websites I mentioned above.

Last but certainly not least, I'd like to extend a special invitation to all of you to check out The Waiver Wire. The Waiver Wire was also featured on Roto Authority in its earliest days, as was MLB Front Office. It is a very unique blog targeted to a very specific audience: Each day, the blog will identify a starting pitcher and a relief pitcher who they expect to perform well that day and are available in at least 50% of Yahoo public fantasy baseball leagues. The Waiver wire will explain why the player was chosen, and at the end of the season, they will see how they did over the course of the season.At the end of the season, The Waiver Wire will donate 1/4 of whatever they earn from the ads on the site to 'Save The Children'. It's a great cause and a great blog. Check it out!

Expert Draft Tonite

There is an expert draft tonite at mock draft central, it is definately worth checking out. You can watch the draft live via this link. It is a very impressive list of people including reps from Sports Illustrated and Yahoo!. I will not be participating in the draft but I will be there making comments and asking questions for the duration of the draft. You may here a plug or two for MLB Front Office in there so if you hear me, (I may be listed as MLB Front Office, Brad Stewart, or greenbaydude1232) make a shout out to the rest of the people about how great my blog is (just kidding...kind of). There will be analysis of the draft available on here sometime later this week. The draft starts at 7 CST.

In Other Baseball News...

From now on, every Sunday I am going to be putting out an article about the Baseball News from the past week that might affect your fantasy team. Since I didn't put one out last Sunday, the first one will appear today, on a Tuesday, instead.

The Bigs news this week is that Orioles SP Kris Benson is out for the year with a torn rotator cuff. Benson is seeking another opinion from a different doctor but come on, a tear is a tear. This is unfortunate for Benson because it will probably result in the Orioles not picking up his 7.5 million dollar option for next season, but it shouldn't have much fantasy impact as Benson is not being drafted in very many leagues. The Orioles signed Steve Trachsel to replace him in the rotation but he doesn't have significant fantasy value either. If you are looking for a sleeper pick in a very deep league or a keeper league, this may open up a job for Hayden Penn.

In other news, Carlos Zambrano said in a TV interview that if the Cubs don't sign him to a long term deal before the season starts he will leave the Cubs after the season ends. He doesn't say exactly what he means by long term deal but he did reference the contract Barry Zito got earlier this year. It seems unlikely to me that, considering the money the Cubs have tossed around this offseaon, Zambrano isn't given an extension. However, if he does not resign and the Cubs are not in the playoff hunt come the trade deadline, he could be dealt to a contender. If he does not sign, he said he would still play full strength for the Cubs this year but, if he does not sign, look for a little dip in his performance. This is definately something to keep an eye on.

There are also rumors floating around that Mariono Rivera could and would leave the Yankees in 2008. The New York media immediately took that to mean that he would go to the Red Sox. No matter how obsurd that immediate conclusion is, it would seem to me that if that seems like a bigger possibility, the Yankees would probably resign him to keep him away from Boston. Possbily a sign and trade deal could be worked out with another team. It does seem like if Rivera is pitching like he did last year, however, he will be resigned. The yankees has a number of internal options they could use but my guess is they are waiting to see what happens with Fransisco Rodriguez's contract. The Red Sox would provide good leverage for Mo to use with the Yankees, if it comes to that.

Other quick hits:

- Joe Mauer signed a 4 year/33 mil $ deal

- Bernie Williams will not accept the Yankees minor league offer and apparently has turned down guaranteed offers from other teams, it seems like he really wants to stay a Yankee.

- Armando Benitez is still on the trading block, but will need to prove he is healthy first.

- Mets sign Chan Ho Park

- Bronson Arroyo re-ups with Cinci through 2010 with a club option for 2011.

- Aaron Harang also re-signs with Cinci through 2010 with a club option for 2011. His deal is worth 36.5 MM including the option.

- Brett Myers got a 3 year extension from the Phillies.

- The Atlanta Braves were finally sold by Time Warner to Liberty Media, pending league approval. Maybe this will mean a larger pay role for the Braves and possibly an Andruw Jones extension?!?

#21: M. Teixeira - TEX 1B

#21: M. Teixeira

Mark was a 1st rounder in almost every draft last year, but boy did he have a bad year a la Beltran 2 years ago. Most experts are predicting a bounceback for him this year and I agree. Due to the fact that he had a unusually bad year last year, looking only at his stats from last year can not help you at all for your draft. However, looking at the history behind the player will prove to be very beneficial and if your leaguemates are uninformed, you may be able to grab this guy in the 3rd round.

Heres a little bit more about Mark: Last year Teixeira hit 33 home runs to complement a .282 BA. Not terrible stats but not Mark Teixeira stats either. In 2005, Mark Topped 40 HR and a .300 AVG to go along with 144 RBI and 112 Runs. Now those are Mark Teixeira numbers. I wouldn't be surprised to see 40 HR, .290 AVG, 125 RBI and 105 Runs. Mark won't produce anything from the speed aspect but that isn't a big deal.

One reason to take him: Mark should rebound pretty nicely from last year as I mentioned above. One reason that I firmly believe this is that if you watch some game film from last season you will see that an unusual number of balls of Marks are bouncing off the fence or going over the fence in foul territory. This leads me to believe that the power is still there and he was merely unlucky last year. With a little hard work he should be back to form.

One reason not to take him: His numbers from last year do not warrant this position in the top 25 so there is a little bit of risk involved in this pick. If you would rather stick with a safer bet this early in the draft than Teixeira is not your guy.

Some New Friends...

In an attempt to help MLB Front Office blossom to its full potential, I have spent this morning sending out emails to various fantasy baseball websites looking for some mutual advertising agreements. I have heard back from a couple and you will see there links on the right hand side. I am still waiting to hear back from many that I sent email's out to but I don't expect to hear back from all of them, as I am sure to most this tiny blog does not help their cause largely enough to give me the time of day. This is where I need your help! By telling your friends and your friends telling their friends, this fantasy website can get enough daily page visits to get the attention of these larger websites and in turn get even more attention on the global fantasy sports level.

Look at it this way. If 50 readers tell two of their friends and in turn those two friends tell two of their friends, we know have 350 people (I think - haha). Imagine now if you post a message about MLB FRONT OFFICE in your league and then each person in your league posts a message in all their other leagues etc. etc. I know it is a far fetched dream but the results would be out of this world.

Please take the time to tell your friends and your league about MLB Front Office so this little blog can grow and grow into a fully blown, efficiently operating website with multiple fantasy experts writing just for you!

In addition, I'd just like to remind anyone that if you have any fantasy baseball questions, feel free to email me at: stew0610@ameritech.net and you may even be featured in a blog article!

If you enjoy MLB Front Office...

If you enjoy MLB Front Office you may also enjoy two new blogs that I've exchanged links with Roto Authority and Fantasy Baseball Island. Fantasy Baseball Island is another affiliate of Fantasy Baseball Express. Links to both these websites can be found on the right side panel.

Anyway, I just wanted to touch in and let all of you know about these two great blogs and also wanted to let you know that the reason there is no new information up today is because I spent the day doing a little research for the competition at rotohog.com. If you haven't checked it out yet you need to! You could win up to 100,000 and have the title of the Best Fantasy Baseball Player in the WORLD! I will be doing a couple of articles over the course of the season on my team in this league, so check it out and sign up while you still can. They will stop accepting after 100,000 people so hurry! The Fantasy Man has his own "league" set up through them that I am in so check it out.

Also, if you run a credible and informative blog and would like to exchange links please contact me via email at: stew0610@ameritech.net

Mock Talk 2.0

UPDATE: I was reviewing some of the notes managers left me on Mock Draft Central and one guy (I don't know who it was) had Mark Prior in the last round of the draft listed as my worst pick of the draft. I'm sorry but I needed to post this because to me a guy who has 3.00 ERA upside is hardly a bad pick with the last overall pick. If he is injured again, I drop him and move on, no loss to me. I think at the end of the draft MARK PRIOR is a fantastic pick. You heard it here first!

Ok, so maybe I'm a little obsessive but I wanted to solve the 3b mystery, so I did another mock draft Sunday morning. This time my strategy went awry a little bit but my team ended up pretty good. That just goes to show that if you really know what you're doing you'll end up ok. How do you learn to know what you're doing? Well by reading my blog of course! Anyway, I'm not going to go into as much detail as last time but I have some good insights.

I'm writing this as I'm drafting so we'll see what happens. Anyway, the first pick that shocked me was Howie Kendrick going in the 3rd round. The general consensus in the draft room was that it would have been a good pick, 10 rounds later! I agree.

Then Scott Rolen went in the 6th round which really scared me. But there wasn't a 3b run like last time which was reassuring. Zimmerman than went in the 9th round and I grabbed Chipper in the 10th. Remember that this is only a 10 team draft instead of a 12 team draft. So I'd say that if you wait til like the 7th or 8th round in a 12 team draft you should be ok for 3B.

A couple of quick hit notes on my team:

I grabbed Carlos Guillen after I missed out on both Hanley Ramirez and Michael Young. I passed on Hanley to take Holliday because I felt like I needed a top notch OF based on who was going.

I got a lot of my favorite sleepers in this draft: Rocco Baldelli, Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez and Rich Hill.

I snagged Chien-Ming Wang in the 13th which may have been a bit early but I had so many top strikeout guys already that I felt I could sacrifice the strikouts on him.

I stook with my strategy of draft Closers, Catchers, and Second Base late and it worked out well for me with Kinsler at 2nd, Russell Martin at Catcher and Bob Wickman and Jason Isringhausen closing for me.

The biggest flaw in my team is certainly my speed which I really didn't notice until it was too late. I wanted to grab Dave Roberts at the end to come off the bench and get a couple steals but I missed out on him.

It was a very shallow draft so a lot of the sleepers that I usually draft went undrafted but I was pretty happy with it over all, minus my glaring need for speed.

I was reviewing the draft results and honestly nothing really jumped off the page at me which is a little disapointing but I'd say the biggest thing I gained from this is a better feeling of the 3B position. Although Rolen went early again in this draft, the rest of the guys lasted a bit longer so that's reassuring. I'm now planning on taking 3B in the 8-10th round of a ten man league and the 7-9th round of a 12 man league.

Take a look at the draft results using the link at the top of the article and get back to me with any feedback! Thanks!

#22: Matt Holliday - OF COL

#22: Matt Holliday

When I see the name Matt Holliday, the first thing I think of is Jason Bay. Jason Bay had all the hype going into last season and after this season he has fallen out of my top 25, although I almost put him in. So what makes me think that Holliday won't suffer the same fate? Well first off Holliday plays in a much better lineup. He has guys like Garrett Atkins and Todd Helton hitting with him while Bay didn't have anyone last year. The second thing is Coors Field. I understand that the Coors Field last year wasn't as much of a hitters park as it usually is because the Rockies starting preparing the baseballs differently to take some of the pop out of them. Last year, Coors was the 11th best park for hitters but, the MLB is talking about standardizing the rules for baseball preperation in which case Coors would jolt back to the top.

Enough about Coors, here's a little bit more about Matt: Matt has been in the MLB for three years now, every year his HR have been going up. He had 14 in '04, 19 in '05, and 34 in '06. To some people that big jump may scare people off but I think that had Matt played the same amount of games he played in '04 and '05 his HR total would have been in the 28-30 range instead of 34. I think this guy is the real deal, and to be honest I don't know why you should think differently. Coors did not aid his HR total last year, there were 10 parks better for hitters! He did hit better at home than away but this is the case for a lot of batters who play at other parks. His AVG against lefties and righties is almost equal but all but 4 of his HR came against righties! I'm a fan of Holliday and I could see him higher on some people's boards but I'm playing it safe on this one, after learning from Jason Bay.

One reason to take him: Matt is young and is probably only going to get better. His AVG was fantastic last year and I think while it may go down a little, it certainly won't drop below .300. His power should keep increasing and I don't think 40 HR is out of the question.

One reason not to take him: We saw what happened with Jason Bay. Don't get me wrong Bay had a great season last year, but he just didn't have the season we all expected him to. Holliday is younger than Bay so in the end I think Holliday will be a better player but next year Holliday may struggle for a while now that pitchers know who he is.

Mock Talk 1.0

Ok so as promised, I have the results from the mock draft that I did earlier today at MDC (Mock Draft Central). You can find the results here. Feel free to post any comments you would like in the comments section or via email at: stew0610@ameritech.net. I announced to everyone prior to the draft that I would be using the results for this purpose so there was no problems if anyone saw this. My team obviously is MLB Front Office. I'm not going to go over all of the picks but here are some of the highlights, surprises etc. etc.

First starting with my picks:

R1 P6 Johan Santana SP
This was my target pick all along. So I was happy to get him here.

R2 P7 Grady Sizemore OF

I wanted to get Carlos Lee here but settling for Sizemore doesn't upset me too much.
R3 P6 Hanley Ramirez SS
This was also my target pick so up to here the draft was going pretty well.
R4 P7 Carlos Zambrano SP

Having both Zambrano and Santana is lethal.
R5 P6 Jake Peavy SP

I wanted Johnny Damon here but he was taken and Peavy was the best overall player left in my opinion.
R6 P7 Prince Fielder 1B
I love this guy. 40 HR is not out of the question.
R7 P6 Joe Crede 3B

This was the pick that really screwed me up. I wanted Baldelli here but Zimmerman, Rolen and Jones went and I felt like I need to take a 3b.
R8 P7 Brett Myers SP

I actually didn't mean to take him here but I'm not too upset about it. Lots of very high K guys just like I like it.
R9 P6 Delmon Young OF

Probably wouldn't have taken him here if I had gotten Baldelli but he has a ton of upside.
R10 P7 Adrian Gonzalez 1B

I really like this guy too. Not quite the upside of Fielder but in one of my two UTIL spots he's money.
R11 P6 Nick Markakis OF
This may be a bit early but I was struggling for OF.
R12 P7 Michael Cuddyer 1B, OF

Kind of neutral on this pick. It is too early but he was the best available bat in my opinion.
R13 P6 Adam Wainwright SP

I've often seen Reyes projected above Wainwright but I think Wainwright has the better mentality to suceed.

Well those are the top 13 picks I made and you can see the rest via the link at the beginning of the article. Basically the trend for the rest of the draft was high upside players, especially pitchers. I totally believe that the draft is not made in the beginning of the draft but rather in the middle and the end. Anyone can pick pujols, santana, or any of the other top picks, but finding the hidden gem is the secret. If anyone has any questions about the end of the end of the draft feel free to email me (stew0610@ameritech.net) or comment and I'll respond.

Now onto some other picks I like and dislike from other managers:

One thing that really killed me was how early 3B went compared to when I thought they would go. I'm not sure if it is a shift in opinion of these players or if it was just this draft, I'll have to do a little more research but Scott Rolen going in the 6th round really hurt me.

Akinori Otsuka went really early, I think that he is still worth a pick but he isn't even the favorite for the closer role! We'll have to wait and see what Gagne does but I think this will be a waste of a pick. I just have a good feeling for Gagne.

Wolves took Chien-Ming Wang in the 11th round and I'm not against this pick if you have some other high strikeout guys to make up for it. I considered taking him as well but only because I had so many top strikeout guys. Wang's Wins are incredible but make sure you get some high strikeout guys like Aaron Harang or Brett Myers.

Tom Gordon in the 7th round? Are you kidding me? What do you think the difference between Solomon Torres and Tom Gordon is going to be...maybe 5-10 SV and half an ERA point? Well guess what, I nabed Solomon Torres in the 17th. 10 Rounds Later!

A couple of teams chose to go the route of waiting for starters and it worked out ok for them, not great. I still think it is necessary to grab atleast one guy you know you can count on for a great year so you can take a high risk, high reward pick later on.

One thing I didn't like from many of the teams was the idea of taking some of the veterans later on in the draft. I went the route of taking high reward guys and I think that's really the only way to go. If one of those guys makes it as big as his potential, it is going to be better than all of the other guys picks.

Paul Konerko in the 3rd round are you kidding me? It would not shock me if Adrian Gonzalez and Paul Konerko had similar numbers this year and Prince Fielder could easily have better numbers. I got Fielder in the 6th and Gonzalez in the 10th! Todd Helton in the 6th is also a waste of a pick. 1 Beast of a pick: Conor Jackson in the 22nd, Congrats Wookies! Conor Jackson could even outperform Helton...not likely but I wouldn't die of shock.

Ok well those are some of my quick hits on the mock draft I did earlier. A couple general things I noticed:

1. Closers are going way too early. Wait and grab them later, or even of the waiver wire.

2. 3B went a lot earlier than I expected, I'll look into that and get back to you.

3. Don't waste picks on 1b early in the draft, they'll be available later.

4. 2B will be available late.

5. Lots of C that offer minimal numbers. Don't waste a pick on one of the top 3, it doesn't give you that big an advantage.

Basically, a lot of the things I've noticed before but I might have to adjust my strategy if this 3B trend keeps up!

#23: Jimmy Rollins - SS PHI

#23 - Jimmy Rollins

So, I'm a lot higher on him than the Fantasy Man obviously. But I love this guys numbers. They are very good and he could probably improve on them. He hits in a pretty dangerous lineup that includes two first round fantasy picks: Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. I think it could even be argued that by pure numbers alone he could go even higher but the large number of other SS that have fairly similar numbers push him down to this spot. In any case, you're going to be happy with what you get from this guy.

Here's a little bit more about Jimmy: Last season, Rollins had a season high in HR by 11 but I don't see any reason that the power would go back down. I think that he might drop to maybe 20 HR instead of 25 but I think it'll stay higher than any previous season. Rollins doesn't hit lefties great -- unless they throw him a fastball (when he hits .307) but he still managed to bat .277 last season so if he can improve his leftie hitting that should be able to go up to .290 next season. Jimmy also had that nice hitting streak last season.

One reason to pick him: SS is a pretty deep position but all the SS go in the top 5 rounds and if you don't grab one then you're in trouble. After Rollins goes there is probably going to be quite a run on SS so beware of that if you decide not to take him.

One reason to not pick him: There are a lot of SS with fairly similar stats so maybe you can wait a round and get a fairly comporable SS. In addition his .277 average is pretty low for this early in the draft, but I think that might come up a little bit. He's been all over the board over his career in AVG and has never been over .300 but I don't think .290 is out of the question.

Looking Ahead...

I hope you've been enjoying the beginning of my top 25. I should have number 23 up today and perhaps I'll get up one of my favorite sleepers as well! But while you're waiting for that I figured I would let you know what else I have planned. In addition to the one man mock draft which I am ecstatic about, I've got a few more things bouncing around in my head:

1st off, I'd like to let you all know that I will be participating in a mock draft at MDC later today. It's not an expert draft by any stretch of the imagination but do any of you participate in expert drafts? I don't think so. Thats what makes it so great. It's how people actually draft! This will be like my 10th mock draft this offseason (yes I am a little crazy) but I figured I would post up some stuff about it later. A little analysis on my own team and my favorite and least favorite picks of the draft. So look out for that in the next couple days.

In addition, I came up with a pretty cool Idea for an article while I was doing a little research of my own. I was taking a look at some of my favorite players to see what round I would need to take them in to guarantee I got them when this idea hit me: I think I'm going to go through some of the mock drafts that I've done and compare with the ADP (average draft position) to see what kind of value my picks get. If I drafted them more than 10 picks later than the ADP then its a win, if I drafted them more than 10 picks before the ADP its a lose because that mean's I probably could have gotten them in the next round. So this will show what guys I'm probably a little too high on. Whether or not it will change my opinion I don't know but I figured I would put it out there.

I'm also planning an article on balancing your team, not only for all stat categories but for risk and within categories. Well I don't want to give to much away so you'll just have to check back later for it.

Also remember to keep an eye on my blog at all times during the countdown to #1! And after that I'll start a little something on top prospects.

#24 Ichiro - SEA OF

#24 - Ichiro

Two things jump out at me right away. The first thing is that Ichiro is one of those guys that only has one name. If PECOTA took this into account when finding comps, Ichiro would probably be linked to some famous people. A couple off the top of my head: Madonna, Sher, and Jesus. Ichiro's birth certificate for some reason calls him Ichiro Suzuki but somewhere between Japan and the United States his last name was lost. Perhaps because no one wanted to link him to the cars. The second thing that jumps out at me is that picture. God damn, who convinced him to pose for that. I'm sure all his "homeboys" back in Japan loved that picture and I bet his "fam" loved it even more. Theres a great article by Jim Caple at ESPN if you want to know a little more about Ichiro but now I'm moving onto the facts.

Anyway, Heres a little more about Ichiro: Ichiro is a hitting machine. He is almost perfect in all areas. He hits lefties and righties equally as well and hits almost all pitches with great skill. He hasn't hit below .300 since coming to the major leagues in 2001. Infact, he hasn't hit below .300 since his rookie year in 1993 in Japan. He stole 45 SB last year, the most since his 1st year in the major leagues when he stole 56. The other 4 years in the major's he stole between 30 and 35 bases so anywhere between 30 and 50 SB is quite possible next year. He doesn't hit a lot of homeruns but he usually ends up with about 10 over the course of the season. He hasn't had less than 200 hits at all in the MLB and he has never had less than 100 runs. One word to describe Ichiro: Consistant.

One reason to take him: When you are drafting in the 1st 3 rounds the one thing you want is to know what you are getting. You know exactly what you are getting with ichiro. 10 HR, 30 + SB, .300 + AVG, 100 + Runs and 50 + RBIs. If Ichiro hit exactly 10 HR, 3o SB, .300 AVG, 100 Runs, 50 RBIs that would be his worst season in the majors and it would still warrent a pretty high pick. There is very little to worry about when drafting him.

One reason to not take him: His low power contributions from the OF will require you to make up that power in another position. You may need to take a bat instead of a pitcher a little later on in the draft but let me tell you, you will not be disapointed with what Ichiro brings to the table, unless you lose by a handful of HRs.

Stay tuned for the #23 and one of my favorite sleepers!

#25: Chris Carpenter - STL SP

#25: Chris Carpenter

I have debated over this spot quite a lot. I changed it multiple times to include the likes of players like Jason Bay, Aramis Ramirez, and Derrek Lee but I eventually settled on Chris Carpenter after reading a nice article over at Rotoworld about position scarcity and ADP. The basic points the article were that a) to let the power only sluggers slide and draft more for position scarcity in the early rounds and draft a third tier 1b and OF later on (this is something I have been preaching all offseason) and b) that starting pitchers are ridiculously undervalued in mock drafts that have been going on. I understand how deep the SP is this year, you don’t have to preach that to me but Carpenter is the clear cut #2 starter and is worthy of this spot. His ADP so far is 30, and I would be ecstatic if I could get this guy in the third round.

Here’s a little bit about Chris: Chris is 31 years old and he bats and throws right. He is the ace of a young and questionable Cardinal’s staff that most likely will include both of the Cardinal’s most highly touted prospects Anthony Reyes and Adam Wainwright. Carpenter was a Dave Duncan Project, and his only good years have come in the past 3 years with the Cardinals. Prior to 2004 his lowest single season ERA was 4.10 in 2001 with the Blue Jays. He missed the entire 2003 season due to injury but hasn’t really shown signs of the injury since then.

One reason to take him: There is not much risk in taking Chris even though he has an iffy past as his last three years have been nothing short of superb. Over the last three years he has posted ERAs of 3.46, 2.83, and 3.09 with strikeout totals over 150 all three years and over 200 during his Cy Young year in 2005.

One reason not to take him: His IP total of 221.2 IP last year was the 2nd highest in his career only behind his 2005 total of 241.2. He hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down but if there is one downside to this pick its fear of a slump due to the large number of innings.

A Little Housekeeping...

Hey Guys! I'm still getting used to the blogspot.com setup so bare with me through the early bumps and bruises. I noticed yesterday that I submitted a blog without a title, I promise that won't happen again. Anyway, I've been thinking up some great stuff for you guys today and I will begin tomorrow with #25 on my top 25 list. During the time that I am putting this all out there, I will also throw in some of my favorite sleepers and some players to avoid. A little Warning on the top 25 list. The list is of the talent in the draft not necessarily where I would take them. Does that even make sense? The answer is yes. Every drafter (is that a word?), develops his own strategy during the draft. So my strategy might lead me to take the player that is ranked #15 over the player that is ranked #13 or #14, if the player that is #15 fits into my strategy better (ex. he plays a more scarce position or he hits for better balance). And you thought I was going to give away part of my top 25 to explain that didn't you! Nope, you're going to have to check in daily to see who is next. I should have the next number up every day. Somedays I may even put two up in one day! Ah...the suspense is killing me!

Also while I'm doing all of this, I am going to be including some feature articles (probably will be put up over the weekends). I understand that you're drafts are quickly approaching so I am trying to get it all out as fast as possible. One thing I am really excited to share with you guys is a one man mock draft! That's right, I will be doing a whole draft all by myself, to help you and I prepare for the draft by showing you how I would draft from every single spot in the draft. I have done a ton of mock drafts already and have a ton of research so it will be fun to put it all to use in that way.

Anyway, that is what you have to look forward. Drumroll please!

And #25 is...

Oh well, I guess you'll have to wait 'til tomorrow.

Position Scarcity Rankings

Update: Ah I got a title in there!

As promised, here are my Position by Position Scarcity Rankings. They are not written in any order below so you’ll have to read the analysis to find out how I rank them. I hope you enjoy, and if anyone has any questions or comments feel free to add a comment to the blog by way of the link below the blog or to email me at: stew0610@ameritech.net. I’d love to know if I’ve picked up any readers yet, so hit me up even to just say I read what you had to say! Well enough chit chat…here goes:


Catcher: Catcher is one of the scarcest position. There are only 3 catchers that are worth taking in a draft above round 15 (Mauer, Martinez, Mccann), in a 25 round draft. However, after the top 3, there are many decent catchers that can be taken in later rounds. This list includes: Barrett, Johjima, Hernandez and these three can often be had after round 15. If worst comes to worst, you can snag a guy in the last round to just fill the spot because no one will really be getting much production from this position.
Final Analysis: Pass on the top 3 Catchers, there is enough talent left after round 15 that it’s not worth sacrificing a top pick that could be used to draft talent at a more needed position.


1B: 1B is one of the deeper positions. If an elite 1B falls to you, by all means take him (you will see more in a later blog) but you can get a solid sleeper like Adrian Gonzalez or possibly even Prince Fielder in the 7th-10th round.
Final Analysis: The one thing I can not stress enough is to not buy into a name just because of the name. One guy to stay away from this year is Todd Helton. I think that Adrian Gonzalez or Nick Johnson can put up equal to better talent at a far less price.


2B: Second base is surprisingly deep this year. However, after Chase Utley, the 2nd Baseman start to blend together. There are some guys that stick out like Chone Figgins but overall there are a lot of very similar players. My strategy is to wait until the 15th-20th round to draft a 2b and you can usually snag a guy like Ian Kinsler, Tadahito Iguchi, or Josh Barfield.
Final Analysis: My overall conclusion is to not use a 5th-7th round pick to grab a guy like Brian Roberts. In addition, one warning on this strategy: In a keeper league/dynasty league, 2b tend to go higher because of the young average age of these players. Don’t buy into this hype but you will have to bend a little to get a decent 2b. In addition, 1 player to watch for: Felipe Lopez. He is only eligible at SS right now but he will be the starting 2b for the Nationals come opening day so about 1 week into the fantasy season (depending on eligibility rules) he will be eligible at 2b and from a 2b his speed is dynamite.


3B: Third Base is extremely deep. There is a ton of talent at the top (A-Rod, Wright, Cabrera) and I wouldn’t hesitate to take these guys just because they are 3b but in my book they get bumped down just a nudge because come rounds 10-15 there are still guys like Rolen, Crede, Glaus, and C. Jones available. I’ve even seen Zimmerman fall into the 10th round.
Final Analysis: I’m waiting on a 3B and using my extra top pick to bolster my starting rotation or add another OF (depending on how many OF are needed). I have even found myself selecting back to back 3B in the 10-15th round out of those 4 or 5 guys listed above and using one as my UTIL or CI because they have quite a bit of value that low. 30 HR-35 HR from a 10th-15th round pick is good value.

SS: SS is the one position that at all costs must be taken early. After about the 5th round you will find yourself having a tough time finding a good SS that is still around. Pretty much after the 5th round you are down to guys like Edgar Renteria and Felipe Lopez. I mentioned Lopez as a solid 2b above but for a SS his average is a little too low for me. A guy like Hanley Ramirez or Michael Young is good value in the 3rd round and they will probably still be around so go ahead and grab one.
Final Analysis: I will go more in-depth into the draft strategy I have developed in a different blog but for the moment, I will just say that I think that SS is the most necessary top 5 round pick you can make.


OF: OF is very deep with young breakout candidates (ala Delmon Young, Nick Markakis etc.) but when you need to take your OF really depends on the number of OF that you need to roster. I suggest taking an OF with one of your top 3 picks and then you can probably wait until like the 6th or 7th round to take another one. But, if you need 5 OF you need to take your 2nd OF a little earlier. OF is a very important position to know the breakout candidates in, especially in a 5 OF league.
Final Analysis: I like having atleast 1 elite OF because because of the depth in OF usually in the 3rd round there is still some 2nd round value left. One guy that I like in drafts this year is Jermaine Dye, I agree with most experts who say he will regress but this guy is being beaten on so much this year that he is being left on the board longer than he should be. In the 4th or 5th round don’t be afraid to grab this guy.


SP: Starting Pitching is deeper than it has ever been thanks in large part to the extraordinary number of breakout stud rookies last year. However, I think that getting a star SP is definitely the way to go. At first, I was among those who thought that a rotation could be built completely in the latter rounds and the earlier pick could be used to bolster the offense but after a couple of mock drafts and years of experience, I have come to the conclusion that atleast one pitcher that can be counted on for good numbers is a necessity.
Final Analysis: I am all for taking the young guys in the 15th-25th rounds to round out the rotation but the more risk you take at the back end, the more stability you need in the front end.


RP (SV): There are essentially 20-25 closers in the league that have a draftable amount of fantasy value. Of those closers, less than 10 have extremely high job security. That is why it is my strong belief that waiting on closers in the draft is the way to go. It is not worth using a high draft pick on a closer to get an extra 5 saves. Because of the job security issue, if you play the waiver wire right, you can grab a guy when the current closer falls out of favor.
Final Analysis: Wait on closers, if you must, grab one at the end of the 1st closer run but don’t waste a round 5 pick to grab the very best. Avoid starting the closer runs at all costs because they only hurt people. Decent closers can be found at the end of the draft, just make sure if one of your guys falls out of favor you are on top of the backup on the wire.


RP (HLD): Holds are becoming a more and more popular stat to use, especially in deep keeper and dynasty leagues. If a league uses holds, most likely it is in place of WHIP. The definition of a hold is somewhat tricky, a simplified definition can be found here but there are some exceptions to this definition. In general, because all middle relievers and setup men can get holds, it is a very deep position so wait until the end of the draft.
Final Analysis: When people are trading middle relievers, they often try to spin it off as being equal to saves for a cheaper price. Do not fall for this trick, while they are equal stats, Closers are more reliable to come into a game and many many guys on the waiver wire can pick you up a couple holds if need be.


I hope you guys enjoyed it and found it insightful. I am going to start going through some sleepers and my top 25 with a couple other things in there so check back every day to see what is new! Make sure you bookmark not only fantasybaseballexpress.com but also this blog so you can stay up to date with everything. I know it’s only a small part of Fantasy Baseball Express but I have high aspirations and I hope eventually to get enough of a following to be able to expand and add some sweet features.

MLB Front Office Blog

Welcome to MLB Front Office Blog! I'm just starting up this blog so I hope you enjoy. I am not a professional writer but I have been playing fantasy baseball for a long time and I am currently the comish of the MLB Front Office Dynasty League featured on fantasybaseballexpress.com. We are currently drafting and you can check out the draft by going to freewebs.com/mlbfrontoffice/draft.htm or you can check out the main page by going to freewebs.com/mlbfrontoffice I am the Chicago Cubs and mikey is the Los Angeles Dodgers. If you have any questions about the league feel free to email me any questions at: stew0610@ameritech.net but enough about that! I am hear to provide my insights into the game of fantasy baseball. And yes, after all the arguments and all the stress over fantasy baseball it is just a game! But to many it is not just a game it is a passion and for me, thats why I am writing for you all! Honestly though, I bet you're bored out of your mind by now so before I lose all of you before I even start, let me tell you what you can look forward to:

• Position by Position scarcity rankings (and what that means for your draft strategy)
• My favorite sleepers by position
• Top 25 Overall
• Top 25 Prospects
• Top Picks by position
• Mock 1st 3 rounds of a draft
• Analyzing and criticizing (or praising) the Fantasy Man
• Answer to Questions from readers
• AND MUCH MORE!

So as you can see, I have plenty of stuff planned out for this blog and I'm hoping to make it as interactive as possible. If you post a comment, I'll post my response or if you'd rather, you can email me at: stew0610@ameritech.net and I'll get back to you THE SAME DAY guaranteed! Look forward to the next blog coming soon about position scarcity!