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 about to lose one of the best pitchers in baseball. Let's face it, with the economy in the tank for the rest of this calendar year, major league teams will be forced to cut costs. Roy Halladay makes a lot of money. The Blue Jays are going to be the worst team in the AL East (yes, they really will). People will stop attending games, and the Jays are going to have to deal him for about 30 cents on the dollar.
The Breakout
Everyone is flocking to Travis Snider, but I'm gonna let them do so. As I've outlined briefly in my version of New Studs on the Block, so many fantasy owners tend to look so forward to the next thing that they'll give up on one of the past "next big thing" guys far too early.
Adam Lind used to be a "next big thing," but now he's just window dressing to most. My question is why? He's only 25. He made strides last year toward becoming a quality major league hitter, and some solid power is present. He won't be competing for at-bats this season, so we should see the batting average (he's a .318 career minor league hitter) and power grow close to their full potential with Lind. We're talking about .300 with 20 homers and 80 RBI.
The Bust
The last time Vernon Wells paid dividends for fantasy owners was in 2006. Hell, he's already been injured this spring. Yet people still keep seeing that name and thinking they are about to find fantasy gold. He's already had injury issues this spring, and he doesn't really run much anymore. Frankly, I don't see his line as being a ton better than the one I projected for Lind. You think you can get them at about the same time in the draft? Good luck.
The Lineup
1. Marco Scutaro, SS
2. Aaron Hill, 2B
3. Alex Rios, RF
4. Vernon Wells, CF
5. Adam Lind, DH
6. Scott Rolen, 3B
7. Lyle Overbay, 1B
8. Travis Snider, LF
9. Rod Barajas, C
The Rotation
1. Roy Halladay
2. Jesse Litsch
3. David Purcey
4. Casey Janssen
5. Scott Richmond
Mike Maroth could figure into the mix as well. The timing for the long-term injuries to promising young hurlers Dustin McGowan and Shaun Marcum couldn't have come at a worse time. This rotation is in disarray without them -- especially if Halladay gets dealt midseason.
The Bullpen
CL - B.J. Ryan
SU - Scott Downs
SU - Jeremy Accardo
SU - Jesse Carlson
The Skinny
• There's a lot less to like in Canada than there used to be. The lineup only has three or four hitters worth owning in most mixed leagues, and Halladay and Ryan are the only pitchers who should be owned everywhere.
• Litsch is a promising youngster, much like McGowan and Marcum, but he's actually healthy. The only problem is you aren't gonna get strikeouts from him. He's never punched out a large amount, and last year he only sent 99 hitters back to the dugout in 176 innings. He should end up being a really helpful pitcher in terms of ERA and WHIP, but don't overpay -- we don't like non-strikeout pitchers.
• The preseason love for 21 year-old Snider (seriously, what a terrible way to spell this awesome last name) is plentiful. He shined nicely in his Septemeber call-up last season, after climbing all the way from high-A ball. All told, he hit 25 home runs on four different levels (including two in the bigs) in 2008. He should get the opportunity to grow into a quality major league hitter, but I'm expecting some growing pains. I mean, he only hit .262 in double-A. Don't take him before Lind.
• When the season begins, Rolen will only be 34 years-old. I say only, because it seems like he's 40, doesn't it? If he's totally healthy, we know he still has the ability to hit close to .300 with more than 25 bombs. Of course, we haven't seen that since 2004, which means he's a later-round gamble.
