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 ...
Team that decided not to spend big bucks in the offseason. Reversing course from the normal offseason spending spree in New England, the Red Sox team headed into 2009 looks remarkably similar to last year's squad. You'll recognize all nine hitters in the starting lineup and a majority of the starting rotation. Key acquisitions were made in the bullpen, bringing Takashi Saito from the Dodgers and Ramon Ramirez from the Royals. John Smoltz will look weird without a Braves uniform, but should make a major contribution to the pitching staff when he returns from shoulder surgery. And if Brad Penny can return from injuries to his 2007 form, he should provide a nice spark to the rotation as well.
The Breakout
The Red Sox enjoyed breakout seasons in '08 from Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury. David Ortiz, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek are all trying to reemerge and return to past form. There just aren't too many options on this ball club for breakouts. This roster is made up of a group of established players, health issues aside, that all are going to give you just about what you expect.
If you held a gun to my head and told me to pick someone, I could come up with two players who have the potential to improve on last years numbers. Jacoby Ellsbury could bring his stolen base total higher in 2009. Especially if his on-base percentage goes up. And Jason Bay could bring more power to the table; his fly ball numbers are rising along with his HR/F ratio.
The Bust
J.D. Drew has all the potential in the world to be an elite fantasy outfielder. Unfortunately, there isn't enough duct tape on earth to keep his body from falling apart. The Red Sox brought in Rocco Baldelli in the offseason as a fourth outfielder, but his injury history is as bad as Drew's. Mark Kotsay is currently sidelined until at least May. The entire right field Red Sox depth chart could be a bust this season.
I wouldn't be surprised if these guys lived in plastic bubbles when they weren't on the field.
The Lineup
1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
5. Jason Bay, LF
6. Mike Lowell, 3B
7. J.D. Drew, RF
8. Jed Lowrie / Julio Lugo, SS
9. Jason Varitek, C
Lowrie stepped in at shortstop last season after Lugo's defensive woes and torn quad muscle opened the door. The job seems to be Lowrie's to lose, but any kind of stumbling out of the gate or defensive missteps could open the door for Lugo to grab his job back, or for a shared time situation, which would kill both players' fantasy value.
The Rotation
1. Josh Beckett
2. Jon Lester
3. Daisuke Matsuzaka
4. Brad Penny
5. Tim Wakefield
Clay Buchholz and Justin Masterson will be around to provide spot starts and injury relief all season. Either could slip into a starting role if a long-term situation arose. John Smoltz won't be hurried back to the lineup but will be greatly welcomed when he is healthy -- sometime in June.
The Bullpen
CL - Jonathan Papelbon
SU - Takashi Saito
SU - Manny Delcarmen
SU - Ramon Ramirez
The Skinny
• This lineup can really mash the ball, and they are definitely going to score tons of runs. Expect the top portion of the lineup to score at will and the middle part of the lineup to drive in runs with the frequency of Lindsay Lohan tabloid appearances.
• As good as the hitters on this team are, the team's best asset might just be the bullpen. Papelbon is the best closer in the game and Saito, Okajima, Ramirez and Delcarmen are top-notch setup men who tend to overpower and dominate hitters.
• Dustin Pedroia sits in third place on a lot of fantasy second base lists and I want to say that's just ridiculous. His numbers are just as good as Ian Kinsler's and he doesn't have the injury history that the Texas second-sacker does. Pedroia is currently healthy, which is more than you can say for Chase Utley. Pedroia should be the first second baseman taken in fantasy drafts in 2009. His power is legit, his hitting skills are real and he's got pesky speed.
• David Ortiz's injury-plagued season only produced 23 home runs in 2008, a seven-season low. But, he did blast six home runs in the final month of 2008, which goes a long way toward proving that his wrist is healthy and he's ready to start smacking the ball again. Expect 35+ homers out of "Big Papi" in 2009.
