Baseball

For the Houston Astros, 2010 offers a clean slate and a chance at making a run towards the post season; something they haven’t done in quite some time. But in order to make that run, there are several things the team must take into consideration and face.

For the past four years, the Astros have been flip flopping back and forth; struggling to maintain consecutive winning seasons, leaving fans to question and criticize more than they cheer and praise.

But despite the team being old and sometimes poorly managed—I’m talking to you Mr.

Just a few weeks after throwing off a mound for the first time, Brandon Webb threw 45 pitches yesterday in a bullpen session, according to MLB.com:

It was only a bullpen session, but the 45 pitches Brandon Webb threw on Thursday morning had the D-backs feeling good.

Average Draft Position (“ADP”) data available from websites like Mock Draft Central give a fairly accurate view of where players are expected to be drafted in similar format leagues.

Ah, but is that ADP number justified, or is the player getting far more credit than he deserves?

As astute fantasy players, that is what we need to assess—which players are the most undervalued and which players are the most overvalued, otherwise known as sleepers and busts.

Last year I started a series called “September Call-Ups.” The series highlighted some of the top rookies and prospects in baseball for 2009.

Some of the rookies I highlighted were Andrew McCutchen, Chris Coghlan, Buster Posey, and Tommy Hanson.

With a new season under way, I thought I would continue the series in 2010. The rookie class of 2010 figures to be just as good, if not better than in years past.

No surprise here given the economics of the situation:

Brett Wallace was dealt from the Cardinals to the A’s to the Blue Jays last year. After three solid seasons at Arizona State (.406 AVG, 193 R, 45 HR, 193 RBI, 31 SB in 643 AB), he was selected with the 13th pick in the 2008 draft.

Seven-and-a-half million dollars is a lot of money to pay to a relief pitcher who walked a career-high 4.98 batters per nine innings in the previous season.

That is especially true if the reliever in question also struck out a career-low 7.09 strikeouts per nine innings in that season.

Yet general manager Jim Hendry and the Chicago Cubs made just such an investment this winter when they inked left-handed hurler John Grabow to a two-year pact.

The popular sentiment of Giants fans these days seems to be this: bench Aaron Rowand and replace him with Andres Torres , who is better suited to hit leadoff than Rowand, the Giants' current candidate.

There are always warning signs to addiction.

Addicts often experience mental and emotional instability, changes in physical appearance, and a sudden rejection of family or friends.

Fans, then, are addicts.

First and foremost, we are fanatics, the root of the term “fan.” We cheer wildly in large groups of strangers for players most of us have never met. We dress up in costumes like children on Halloween to show our team pride.

And, for a brief few hours, we push away everything in our world that doesn't revolve around that day's game.

Friends, family, work?

What can the Chicago Cubs do for an encore in 2010?

2009 started off with the highest of expectations, but a season of hope and promise quickly turned into one of dismal performances and despair.

A team that was predicted to win the National League by most "experts" did not even qualify for the playoffs.

Their season was derailed by injuries early and often, and a manager, front office, and city of fans were left scratching their heads, wondering what the hell happened to a 97-win ball club.