Fantasy Baseball

Okay, call me crazy, but I know I'm right...  

San Diego Padres closer Huston Street will be the late-round fantasy draft closer of the year.

Well, that is if he can stay healthy for a full season.

Have you drafted your fantasy team yet?  

If you haven't, there are sure a lot of fantastic third base options in this year's draft.

Miguel Cabrera, David Wright, Adrian Beltre, Evan Longoria and Hanley Ramirez; with so many options at third base, it's tough this year to decide at what order in the draft you should add your third baseman. 

Here's my early top-60 listing of outfielders heading into exhibition play, with an emphasis on 5x5 roto leagues.

This position will likely produce baseball's largest number of four- and five-category studs by season's end.

But that star power still cannot obscure the uncertainty of taking inexperienced young players or injury-riddled veterans later in the draft, or household names that will invariably fall short of last year's amped-up stats.

Hopefully, this listing will eliminate some of the draft-day doubt and consternation that come with the territory.

One of my most tried and true draft strategies is to wait as long as possible before drafting my fantasy catcher.

Without question, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey will be the first backstop drafted this year. In fact, he's a borderline first-round pick using average draft position (ADP) data from Mock Draft Central, as he's currently the 13th overall pick, on average, in their mock drafts.

The fate of fantasy baseball teams can change with a few good sleeper picks.

One of those picks for many owners (including myself) last season was Chris Sale—the relief pitcher turned ace. Before the season started it was unclear if Sale would even be in the rotation, but he finished in the Cy Young conversation when the book closed on 2012.

All it takes is one pick in the later round to strike fantasy gold. Here are three pitchers who are poised to shine and are under the radar of most fantasy owners.

The following countdown details my early top 35 first basemen heading into exhibition play, with an emphasis on 5x5 roto leagues.

Generally speaking, I favor power-average-speed guys over one-dimensional sluggers who rely on their immense but sporadic power to get through a given season.

I'm also a sucker for positional versatility, which may explain why Joe Mauer, Buster Posey and Victor Martinez warrant special mention here.

Enjoy the show!

Fantasy Baseball's No. 1 overall pick is as highly coveted as it is debated.

Though Mike Trout's flash-fried jump to elite status has further clouded the debate for the first pick, for all intents and purposes, it's a three-man race between Trout, Ryan Braun and Miguel Cabrera.

While there's really no wrong choice, the question of the right choice still remains.

We all know guys like Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout will be the most sought-after fantasy baseball players in 2013, but as most successful fantasy owners know, it's the unheralded, under-the-radar finds that usually culminate in a league championship.

Whether the reason is a change of scenery, more experience in the big leagues or finally getting healthy, the following three players are poised for monster seasons in 2013.

Let's meet the candidates.

Choosing the right name can make even the worst fantasy baseball season memorable.

Nothing's worse than seeing an owner choose the same recycled name over and over again, or simply going for the low-hanging fruit and picking something that lost originality years ago. Jeters Never Prosper was clever the first time you heard it. Then you heard it again and again and again, and it lost the originality it once had.

Most fantasy baseball owners enter the draft focused on getting a franchise hitter. Somebody like Ryan Braun, Miguel Cabrera or Mike Trout who can pace an offense. While that's sound strategy, it's crucial to land a staff ace, as well.

Since the opening round is usually heavy on hitters, the top-tier pitchers often last into the second round. At that point, owners have a decision to make. Pair their top hitter with another slugger like Giancarlo Stanton or start building a pitching staff.