Fantasy Baseball

It was a magical season for Tim Hudson, who had pitched just 42.1 innings in 2009 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2008.  His numbers were fine in that span (3.61 ERA, 1.46 WHIP), but no one knew exactly what to expect in his first full year back.  Hudson performed better than anyone could’ve expected, posting the following line:

17 Wins
228.2 Innings
2.83 ERA
1.15 WHIP
139 Strikeouts (5.47 K/9)
74 Walks (2.91 BB/9)
.250 BABIP

It seems that everyone, at some point, references the “Good Ol’ Days.” Like how gas was 50 cents a gallon in the good old days, and how a loaf of bread was a nickel.

Of course, no one really ever points out that hourly income was a lot less in those days, too. And that proportionally, we aren’t as far off as what we make it seem in our minds.

To successfully draft your closers in fantasy baseball, I suggest you consider my fantasy football philosophy to drafting a kicker.

You see, the best fantasy kickers aren’t always the best real-life kickers. They typically are not found on the team with the most high-powered offense, either. That is because kickers get most of their value when the offense sputters and they have additional field goal opportunities.

Same concept can be used on closers in baseball.

The closers with the most saves in 2010?

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.

Andrew McCutchen followed up his promising 2009 rookie campaign with 16 HRs, 33 steals and a .286 batting average last year for the Pirates.

We all know the argument between Albert Pujols and Hanley Ramirez, battling it out for the No. 1 and 2 spots in fantasy drafts around the world this year.  Can you really lose with either of those guys, though? 

But every fantasy baseball draft is also surrounded by some hype about who is going to be the new kid on the block. You never want to be behind the curve, but you also never want to overpay for a player when there’s value left on the table. 

When thinking of pitching rotations with a lot of depth, the Phillies, Red Sox and Giants are—rightfully so—the first teams to come to mind. However, one could argue that the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation is underrated and belongs in that discussion.

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.

When evaluating Ian Kinsler, it’s important to understand how good he is, and how disappointing he’s been.

Carlos Lee’s days of 30+ home run seem like a distant memory.

In fact, his HR totals have been in the decline since 2006:

2006: 37
2007: 32
2008: 28
2009: 26
2010: 24

While two dozen home runs are nothing to sneeze at, they are not the mark of an elite power hitter anymore. Lee will turn 35 in June, so a return to 30 HR territory seems unlikely.

His power wasn’t the only thing to go in 2010 for Carlos Lee. His streak of four consecutive .300+ seasons came to a crashing end.

Rafael Furcal opened the 2010 season on fire, hitting .333 with 51 R in 243 AB prior to the All-Star Break. 

Of course, as a consistent theme over the past few years, Furcal was limited to just 26 AB in May. Matters got even worse after the break, with just 140 AB including only seven in August. 

Injuries to his lower back and hamstring were the issues in 2010 and, considering his speed is one of his biggest assets, you have to be concerned.

Tier 1: Evan Longoria
To me, there is one first round third baseman and that is Longoria.  In 2010 he showed that he could bring the total package to the table, adding stolen bases (15) and a near .300 average (.294) to an already impressive package.  While the power faded a little bit, at 25-years old it is not hard to imagine him returning to the 30 HR level.   Throw in 100/100 potential and what is there not to like?