Fantasy Baseball

Spring Training games have finally started and there are finally box scores to look through! Unfortunately, the injuries keep on coming and we will be giving you all of the updates on them.  There is some good news among the walking wounded today though, as some pitchers look to be on the road to recovery.

Carlos Marmol brings an exceptional strikeout rate to the closers role.  There is no arguing that fact, but that shouldn’t cause us to overlook the warts that do come with selecting him. 

Can he be one of the elite closers in the game in 2011?  Absolutely, but there is also the chance that he completely falls flat.  Which will it be?  Let’s start by taking a look at his 2010 performance:

Michael Brantley’s 2010 curse may be your 2011 blessing.

The young speedster had a hell of a time getting into any sort of rhythm last season. He struggled out the gate and battled a string of ailments, including shoulder, hamstring and ankle injuries.

And to rub salt in the guy’s wounds, the Cleveland Indians demoted the kid twice. His April and July numbers were deplorable.

However, all of that could be a good thing for fantasy savvy GMs.

The headache was more like a jackhammer slamming around in my skull. I could barely walk, barely think, as I stumbled into Wal-Mart to find some relief. The first pain reducer I came to was Aleve. A 100-count bottle of 220 mg pain-fighting assistance.

I grabbed them, coughed up the $8.38 plus tax and popped a pill as soon as I got to the car.

Because they’re the Twins, people generally expect their rotation to come through as expected. 
But let's quickly run though their five projected starters:

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Much like Zack Greinke, Justin Verlander has given us three very different looks in the last three seasons.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Justin Morneau is very much like Prince Fielder, in that you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get.

Is speed something you look for late in your draft? 

Here are five guys who are generally available after Round 18 (meaning they have an ADP of 216 or above, according to Mock Draft Central), and I currently have them projected to steal at least 25 bases each. 

If you have the need for speed, these are certainly names worth targeting:

Jose Tabata – Pittsburgh Pirates

Spring training is upon us, and for baseball nuts like me, it's time to start scouting for fantasy baseball.  Whether you like the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees or even a random team like the Arizona Diamondbacks, there's no denying that fantasy baseball is tons of fun!  Soon, the trash-talking will be flying high in the draft room and new rivalries will be forged.

A lot of the shortstop talent is on the younger side, but how do players like Jimmy Rollins and Derek Jeter fit for those in keeper leagues?  Of course the rules of the league will determine things, but if it is a long-term keeper league, they certainly fall.

On the flip side, are there any younger players that should be on your radar?  Let’s take a look at how it all shakes out: