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 ...
Humidor! Seriously, didn't you hear that Colorado now stores their baseballs in a humidor and Coors Field is no longer a hitter's park? If someone in your league really believes that, just let them. You'll know the truth -- which is that Coors Field bore witness to the third most runs scored and third most home runs in baseball last year. In 2007? Third in runs, fifth in home runs. You can't just negate thin air with a cigar-housing device. It's a hitter's park, and it's consistently one of the most hitter-friendly.
The Breakout
Chris Iannetta began his breakout as a quality fantasy catcher last season, and he's set to continue becoming an elite hitting backstop in 2009. Two years ago hard-core fantasy players pined over the young Rockies catcher, and he severely disappointed them. In 2008, though, we started to see glimpses of the power potential he possesses.
Iannetta his 18 home runs and drove in 65 runs in just 333 at-bats last year. His batting average wasn't great (.264), but he has a career .303 minor league average. The good signs were Iannetta's .390 on-base percentage -- a sign he knows the strike zone well -- and his power. As he gains more valuable experience, the 26 year-old (he turns 26 on the third day of the season) will improve across the board. You're looking at a guy just getting close to his prime, and he houses .300-30-85 potential.
The Bust
Huston Street is being drafted ahead of Chad Qualls, Frank Francisco, and Chris Perez. All of those three will outproduce him this season. The former rookie of the year took significant steps backward last season, to the point that the A's removed him from the closer role. Now he's departing a pitcher's park and moving into one of the most favorable hitter's havens in all of the majors.
It's true Street is still very young -- he turns 26 in early August -- but there a lots of unknown variables here. He's inexperienced in the thin Colorado air, it's possible he's traded to another team this year (where he may be relegated to setup duty), and Manny Corpas is waiting in the wings. Corpas had a bad 2008, but he's young himself and has successfully closed in Colorado before.
The Lineup
1. Ryan Spillborghs, CF
2. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
3. Todd Helton, 1B
4. Garrett Atkins, 3B
5. Brad Hawpe, RF
6. Chris Iannetta, C
7. Left Fielder*
8. Clint Barmes, 2B
*The replacement for Matt Holliday will be determined in Spring Training. Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Murton, Scott Podsednik, Dan Ortmeier, Seth Smith, and Ian Stewart all have a shot. Stewart could also get time at third base, should Helton not be fully recovered from injury -- meaning Atkins would shift across the diamond.
The Rotation
1. Aaron Cook
2. Ubaldo Jimenez
3. Jorge De La Rosa
4. Jason Marquis
5. Greg Smith
The Bullpen
CL - Huston Street
SU - Manny Corpas
SU - Taylor Buchholz
The Skinny
• We've already expressed our love for Tulowitzki elsewhere in the draft kit, but I'll reiterate that he's an absolute steal as the eighth shortstop in current ADP.
• The entire mess in the outfield (left and center) should be avoided with the exception of Stewart, because he's a solid prospect who will find ways to get into the lineup. He's a late-round pick in NL-only leagues, with the potential to bust through should he win the left-field job, or see Atkins or Helton to go down injured.
• Deep NL-only league players should keep their eyes on Dexter Fowler. As detailed in our Better Know a Prospect series, he's destined to patrol center in Coors Field for years. It's only a matter of time before he gets the call, and it could happen as soon as August.
• With an ADP among starting pitchers of 42, Cook appears to be pretty overvalued. He won 16 games last year and put together a 3.96 ERA. The problem is that he gave up an astounding 236 hits in 211 1/3 innings, which means he was very fortunate to keep that ERA below 4.00. In addition to shattering his career high in wins (his previous high was 9), he set a career high in strikeouts -- with a measily 96. Do you really want to pay for a guy who can't strikeout 100 batters in 200 innings, just because he might win 13 games and keep his ERA around 4.00? Plus, he's in the middle of his prime (30 years-old), so it's doubtful there is any room for extra improvement. I'll pass.
• On the other hand, Jimenez won 12 games, had a similar ERA, and struck out 172 batters. The downside is that he's shown serious control problems, but he's only 25 years-old and last year was his first full season in the bigs. His 66 ADP among starting pitchers means he's being taken nearly 100 overall picks after Cook. Please. I'll take Jimenez anyday.
• Finally, if Murton wins the left-field job (he won't), don't buy into him. He sucks.
