Fantasy

Hitters

Here’s a look at some players who got out of the gate early last year. It may be wise to target these players late in the draft and move them if they start hot again.

José López - Lopez’s three best career months for average are April, June, and May.

The 2009 Fantasy Draft for the keeper Grand Slam league in its 10th season came and went on Saturday, March 14. After the first seven rounds were completed with keepers being claimed, the real draft began.

Here's how the second free agent round played out:

1. (13 overall) NC Hair Pie Lovers selected David Price (SP, Tampa Bay)

The 2009 Fantasy Draft for the keeper Grand Slam league in its 10th season came and went on Saturday, March 14. After the first seven rounds were completed with keepers being claimed, the real draft began.

Here's how the first free agent round played out.

1) Screaming Eagles selected Adrian Gonzalez (1B, San Diego)

Round 5

Jonathan Papelbon is the best closer to own, end of story.  He plays for one of the three best teams in baseball, he strikes out people at a ridiculous rate, and his ERA has never been above 2.65. His saves have increased over the last three seasons, and given the talent on the Red Sox, he could top his 41 saves from last year.

Last night, I participated in my first fantasy baseball draft of 2009 in the "League of Awesomeness." I have to say I am very satisfied with the results. I had the seventh overall pick in the draft and my strategies going into the draft were:

In round 22, I drafted Jeff Francoeur.

Some laughed. Some questioned the call. However, as Francoeur sits in spring training with a .333 BA and a .389 OBP in 30 ABs.

I call my decision genius.

After batting just .239 in 2008, many consider Francoeur a star gone bad.

The fact is that he is a special guy. 

Francoeur has talent. He can hit. He can throw. He can track down fly balls. He has great ability. The problem is translating that into the game.

With MLB Opening Day quickly approaching, many questions must come to mind when preparing for your fantasy draft.

Should I draft A-Rod early and hope for a successful return?

What happens once the top five catchers are picked?

When should I draft a closer?

Who are the biggest sleepers in each position?

Is the draft the most important aspect in regards to winning my league?

Last week, I talked about the top 10 pitchers in the National League and, from a fantasy aspect, there are some pretty good arms worth taking early. Now, in part two, we will take a look at the choices the American League has to offer before diving into part three.

Part two could have been comprised of a myriad of names, but I feel these are the best overall choices in regard to performance, reliability, and health—key aspects to a pitcher's success.

• AL Central
• Baseball
• Chicago Sports
• Fantasy
• Minneapolis Sports
• Minnesota Twins
• MLB