Fantasy Baseball

This is one of the oddest years for fantasy baseball owners, as after the first three picks the first round is extremely wide open.  It wouldn’t be a stretch to see someone selected fifth or sixth in one draft, only to be selected in the early-to-mid second round in the next.  Therefore we are going to analyze all of the potential first-round picks, looking at their pros and cons to determine if they should be selected in the first round or left for later rounds.

Up first, let’s look at Ryan Howard.

In his first full MLB season, Casey McGehee exceeded all expectations.  Considering his minor league track record, it didn’t necessarily take much.  Hitting primarily in the fifth spot in the lineup, he posted the following line:

Since they traded Nomar Garciaparra at the 2004 trading deadline, the Boston Red Sox have had a revolving door at shortstop.  Marco Scutaro was the most recent attempt to fill the position, but the Red Sox have also tried Orlando Cabrera, Edgar Renteria and Julio Lugo, among others.

There were many surprising performances in 2010, but were any more shocking then Bruce Chen’s?  He’s been around the majors since 1998 and has very rarely proven to be close to a usable option for fantasy owners.  Last season was a different story, however, as he posted the following line:

12 Wins
140.1 Innings
4.17 ERA
1.38 WHIP
98 Strikeouts (6.3 K/9)
57 Walks (3.7 BB/9)
.256 BABIP

Selected in the first round of the 2007 draft by the Minnesota Twins, outfielder Ben Revere got his first taste of the Major Leagues in 2010 and could be in line to make an impact in 2011. 

The 22-year-old has shown tremendous speed since making his professional debut, and that could certainly make him an important cog in the Twins lineup.

Before we get into what he can bring to the table in 2011, let’s look at the numbers he posted at Double-A in 2010:

It feels like Howie Kendrick has been considered a potential sleeper for the past 10 years.  While it hasn’t quite been that long, as we enter 2011, his age 27 season, the time has finally come for Kendrick to either put up or shut up.

Known as a high-level average guy in the minor leagues, he has perpetually disappointed since making his debut.  Unfortunately for owners, 2010 was no exception:

The 2010 season saw a changing of the guard atop the second base rankings, with Robinson Cano overtaking Chase Utley in what has become an extremely deep position.  That was just one tough decision among many when it comes to our early rankings. 

Let’s take a look at how things currently look (and keep in mind that these will be updated throughout the offseason):

Prior to 2010 many people thought Billy Butler could take the next step in his development.  People hoped that the power, which was the one true drawback, would finally come around.  He had hit 21 home runs in 2009, with 51 doubles, so there was reason to be optimistic.

Unfortunately, he fell flat, regressing in both numbers:

Late last week the Tigers re-signed third baseman Brandon Inge to a two-year, $11.5 million contract (with an option for 2013).  He showed significant power in 2009, but the numbers just weren’t there last season:

The Reds got decent production from their catchers in 2010 with their trio of Ryan Hanigan, Ramon Hernandez and Corky Miller posting the following numbers: