Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over. Meet the ...
Biggest offseason losers. At least that's what pessimists will try and tell you, anyway. The Braves -- and new GM Frank Wren -- seemingly made blunder after blunder in 2009, losing Rafael Furcal at the last minute, whiffing on A.J. Burnett, letting John Smoltz walk and failing to land Jake Peavy. But the reality is that Wren actually did a pretty darn good job assembling a talented squad that can certainly compete in the NL East in 2009. Oh, and they'll provide some nice fantasy value as well.
The Breakout
Tommy Hanson. There's a decent chance Hanson won't even see the light of MLB day, regardless of his Spring Training performance. But the reality is that without landing someone like Peavy or having a healthy Smoltz on the roster, the fifth spot in the rotation will belong to Jorge Campillo or Jo-Jo Reyes. And frankly, that's not good for anyone. Hanson could possibly be ready to pitch at the highest level right now -- he's certainly a future ace -- and if the Braves can start out hot but not manage to pull off a trade for a fifth starter, Hanson could end up being a late-round fantasy steal, especially in deeper leagues.
The Bust
Chipper Jones had an awesome 2008, no question about it. His year, without injuries or the Braves being non-contenders, was MVP-worthy. And Jones' season is having an impact on his draft value this year, which makes him prime to be a bust. Yes, he will probably perform at a high level this year, just because that's what he does. But at the same time, you can't reasonably count on him to be an elite third baseman, which is what you'll be doing if you draft him where you'll have to.
The Lineup
1. Josh Anderson, CF
2. Yunel Escobar, SS
3. Chipper Jones, 3B
4. Garrett Anderson, LF
5. Brian McCann, C
6. Jeff Francoeur, RF
7. Kelly Johnson, 2B
8. Casey Kotchman, 1B
The Rotation
1. Derek Lowe
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Jair Jurrjens
4. Kenshin Kawakami
5. Jorge Campillo
The Bullpen
CL - Mike Gonzalez
SU - Rafael Soriano
SU - Manny Acosta
The Skinny
• There's a lot to like about the 2009 version of the Atlanta Braves for fantasy purposes, particularly with the pitching staff. Lowe and Vazquez are fantastic options in all leagues (you can get them as SP2 or SP3s and they'll give you 200+ solid innings in return). Jurrjens has a ton of upside but he probably won't be as good as last year.
• McCann is the best catcher in bigs for fantasy purposes, bar none. Escobar is a very nice mid-round option at short. Kotchman has some upside and should prove to be a solid corner infielder pick or backup in the later rounds. You probably want to steer clear of the outfield, although Francoeur is going to outperform his draft day cost, simply because no one wants anything to do with him.
• In the bullpen, Gonzalez is going to get the early saves but there's no guarantee, at this stage, that he or Soriano stay healthy. Still, there are some wins/save opps here, so definitely grab them for upside.
