Fantasy Baseball

Casey McGehee is a player whose value could vary a great deal depending on who you talk to.

One thing is for sure, fantasy owners of Prince Fielder last year are certainly well aware of McGehee’s ability to scoop up base-runners and bring them home.  In 2010 Mcgehee drove in 104 runs while his more notable counterpart Fielder, had just 83.

Jacob Turner, RHP, Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers right-hander Jacob Turner, 20, is on a Porcello-like fast track to the big leagues.

However, with Phil Coke grasping a hammerlock on the fifth starter spot, Turner will begin 2011 in AA Erie. Nevertheless, the organization is infatuated with his top-of-the-rotation potential.

I live for this, for MLB,

for every inning of sanctity.

For every pitch, for each at-bat,

revering the talent beyond the stats.

I live for the scent of old leather mitts,

I live for the cadence of the walk-off base hit.

I live for the moment when winter gives way,

to the unmatched thrill of Opening Day.

I live for this, the stadium stands,

fusing the hope of breathless fans.

Finding strikeouts late in your draft is not something that is particularly easy to do.  Generally, one of the reasons pitchers fall on draft day is because they lack in one area (most notably, no upside in strikeouts).  However, there are a few pitchers out there who could significantly help you in the category.  Here are five pitchers who are being picked after No. 216, on average, and I have projected to strikeout at least 170 batters in 2011.

Derek Jeter is an 11-time All-Star, five-time World Series champion, five-time Gold Glover, four-time Silver Slugger and the 2000 World Series MVP.

No doubt about it, Derek Jeter is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and the greatest Yankee shortstop of all time. Jeter will continue to hit at the top of the Yankee lineup.

So, what has the Yankee captain done for me to consider him a bust?

Shortstop is a perennial black hole in fantasy baseball.

If you are not lucky enough to have one of the Top Five picks, then you will miss out on Hanley Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzki in most leagues. These two are certifiable fantasy studs and they play shortstop on top of that. After these two players go, the position thins out and becomes an uncertain abyss.

If you play in a standard 5×5 format, you can view our rankings by clicking here. 

If you play in a league that uses OBP instead of average, things change fairly significantly. Who moves up? Who moves down? 

Let’s take a look:

Neil Walker is a player that many fantasy owners have seemingly fallen in love with. 

Obviously, they don’t view him as a top option, but as a fallback choice should they miss out on their chosen target. 

My question is, exactly what is it that has people so excited?

First of all, just look at his 2010 production:

There is a saying in fantasy sports—Your league can’t be won in the first round but it can definitely be lost.

Think about this past football season for example. Drafting Maurice Jones-Drew in the first round allows you to keep pace but finding the Arian Fosters and Brandon Lloyds late allows you to outproduce your opponent’s later round picks which leads to victory.

Carl Crawford was on your wishlist, but you couldn’t get you mitts on him? Don’t worry. He’s not the only player capable of stealing a ton of bases this year. Here are some players you can add to get a nice boost in that category. Average Draft Positions are from Mock Draft Central.