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November: a time for Fantasy Baseball
by Geoffrey Stein on November 19 2009
On Monday Nov. 2, Lawr Michaels from Creative Sports invited me to participate in a mock draft for the Fantasy Baseball Guide, a fine magazine that will be released in January.
The draft included 15 teams with 5x5 rotisserie scoring and 23 starting spots: one 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, MI, CI and DH, with two Cs, five OFs, and nine Ps (starting or relief).
Here is the team I drafted out of the No. 10 position.
Round 1, Pick 10: 1B Mark Teixeira, Yankees -- There is little downside with this pick, as I look for Teixeira to match or better his 2009 stat line, .292-39-122, next season. Year 1 of the huge contract worked out extremely well with stellar numbers and a World Series championship; the pressure won`t be nearly as great in 2010.
Round 2, Pick 6: SS Jimmy Rollins, Phillies -- 2009`s .250 batting average, .269 OBP and 31 steals has me a bit worried that Rollins is regressing some, but it was still too hard to pass up a 20-20 SS at this point.
Round 3, Pick 10: OF Jayson Werth, Phillies -- I was a little surprised to get Werth here since it was a 15-team league that starts five OFs. The batting average may hurt my squad, but he`ll more than make up for it in the other four categories.
Round 4, Pick 6: P Johan Santana, Mets -- The strikeout numbers are a bit worrisome, as Santana hasn`t averaged a punch out per inning in either of his two seasons in the National League. There`s no denying his potential, however, which made him too hard to pass up at this point.
Round 5, Pick 10: OF Andre Ethier, Dodgers -- It`s hard not to like Ethier`s past three seasons in the majors, as his home run, RBI and runs scored total has improved each year. His batting average wasn`t as good in 2009, however, which makes sense considering the improvement in the power categories.
Round 6, Pick 6: 1B Billy Butler, Royals -- Quietly, Butler hit .301-21-93 for a lowly Kansas City squad last season. He also smacked 51 doubles, which means it wouldn`t be a surprise to see the home run numbers improve once again in 2010.
Round 7, Pick 10: P Jake Peavy, White Sox -- Injuries and a trade to a much more hitter-friendly ballpark have taken some of the shine off Peavy, which explains while I was able to land him as my No. 2 hurler in the seventh-round. A gamble, for certain, but one worth taking with his almost unlimited ceiling.
Round 8, Pick 6: P Joakim Soria, Royals -- Two members of the Royals with my first eight selections is likely a death wish, but I wanted at least one stud closer. Soria`s stuff is nasty, which likely guarantees another season of 30-plus saves, a good number of strikeouts and an excellent ERA and WHIP.
Round 9, Pick 10: OF Nyjer Morgan, Nationals -- I had the need for speed, which made Morgan an easy selection here. This pick really has the chance to work out, as Morgan hit .351 and swiped 24 bases in 49 games with the Nationals before a season-ending injury.
Round 10, Pick 6: P Carlos Marmol, Cubs -- There will be no Kerry Wood or Kevin Gregg in the way this year, and I`m expecting a full season`s worth of saves from Marmol.
The draft included 15 teams with 5x5 rotisserie scoring and 23 starting spots: one 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, MI, CI and DH, with two Cs, five OFs, and nine Ps (starting or relief).
Here is the team I drafted out of the No. 10 position.
Round 1, Pick 10: 1B Mark Teixeira, Yankees -- There is little downside with this pick, as I look for Teixeira to match or better his 2009 stat line, .292-39-122, next season. Year 1 of the huge contract worked out extremely well with stellar numbers and a World Series championship; the pressure won`t be nearly as great in 2010.
Round 2, Pick 6: SS Jimmy Rollins, Phillies -- 2009`s .250 batting average, .269 OBP and 31 steals has me a bit worried that Rollins is regressing some, but it was still too hard to pass up a 20-20 SS at this point.
Round 3, Pick 10: OF Jayson Werth, Phillies -- I was a little surprised to get Werth here since it was a 15-team league that starts five OFs. The batting average may hurt my squad, but he`ll more than make up for it in the other four categories.
Round 4, Pick 6: P Johan Santana, Mets -- The strikeout numbers are a bit worrisome, as Santana hasn`t averaged a punch out per inning in either of his two seasons in the National League. There`s no denying his potential, however, which made him too hard to pass up at this point.
Round 5, Pick 10: OF Andre Ethier, Dodgers -- It`s hard not to like Ethier`s past three seasons in the majors, as his home run, RBI and runs scored total has improved each year. His batting average wasn`t as good in 2009, however, which makes sense considering the improvement in the power categories.
Round 6, Pick 6: 1B Billy Butler, Royals -- Quietly, Butler hit .301-21-93 for a lowly Kansas City squad last season. He also smacked 51 doubles, which means it wouldn`t be a surprise to see the home run numbers improve once again in 2010.
Round 7, Pick 10: P Jake Peavy, White Sox -- Injuries and a trade to a much more hitter-friendly ballpark have taken some of the shine off Peavy, which explains while I was able to land him as my No. 2 hurler in the seventh-round. A gamble, for certain, but one worth taking with his almost unlimited ceiling.
Round 8, Pick 6: P Joakim Soria, Royals -- Two members of the Royals with my first eight selections is likely a death wish, but I wanted at least one stud closer. Soria`s stuff is nasty, which likely guarantees another season of 30-plus saves, a good number of strikeouts and an excellent ERA and WHIP.
Round 9, Pick 10: OF Nyjer Morgan, Nationals -- I had the need for speed, which made Morgan an easy selection here. This pick really has the chance to work out, as Morgan hit .351 and swiped 24 bases in 49 games with the Nationals before a season-ending injury.
Round 10, Pick 6: P Carlos Marmol, Cubs -- There will be no Kerry Wood or Kevin Gregg in the way this year, and I`m expecting a full season`s worth of saves from Marmol.
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