Overbay Traded to Toronto!
Lance's Fantasy World
Tidbits for Fantasy Baseball Geeks
Lance Pederson
It's time once again for whimsical aficionado's to lock themselves in their rooms and gaze at their computer screen while hundreds of tiny statistics give their brain its own flushed-out swirly.That's right, it's fantasy baseball time!
No doubt by now you've gone through the drawn-out process of carefully selecting your version of the ultimate fantasy baseball team. You picked the best players available during the first few rounds (which for some reason always seem to go the quickest) and your sleepers in the latter rounds. And by now, you've already waived half the team that you oh-so carefully selected. Don't worry; I'm in the same boat you are. But come on! Brian Roberts as the top fantasy player in baseball? Who is Brian Roberts? And guys like Todd Helton struggling? It already looks like it will be a whacky summer.
The first few weeks of the baseball season are always the most fun out of any fantasy sport. But it's the hardcore guru's that follow their teams until the end of September, who seemingly win their league by big numbers.
So for those who seem to have a case of A.D.D when it comes to the fantasy baseball season, don't worry, I'm here to make it a bit easier on you.
Throughout the baseball season I'll inform you on my Top 20 fantasy baseball players each week as well as other features that will help you solidify you fantasy squad, leading you to the top of your league and the rights to brag to your friends.
Here's a look at the top fantays players through the first three weeks of the regular season:
Top 20 Fantasy Baseball Players Hitters
1. Brian Roberts – Probably a guy who went during the middle rounds of your draft. Already a career high in home runs (7) and will hit for average and steal bases. Waiting for him to have a drop-off but it doesn’t look like that’s coming anytime soon.
2. Jeff Kent – The man is an RBI machine. Hits for a decent average. Won’t steal you any bases but will put up the power numbers for you. Hasn’t struck out much, either.
3. Miguel Tejada – Already has 23 RBIs on the year. Will get you points in every single fantasy category imaginable.
4. Torii Hunter – Kind of a sleeper this year. Leads the league in stolen bases with 10, which is a big reason why he’s at number 4.
5. Troy Glaus – Will have even better numbers once his teammates get on base. Has 6 home runs but only 17 RBIs.
6. Derek Lee – 8 doubles, four home runs, 17 RBIs on an average offensive ball club. One of many good first baseman in the majors.
7. Ichiro Suzuki – Always a fantasy stud. Hits for high average, steals bases and scores a lot of runs. His numbers are always consistent, too.
8. Manny Ramirez – Struggled early but had a home run surge and now has six along with 20 RBIs. Only downside is the strikeouts, but his slugging makes up for it.
9. Clint Barmes – A guy that probably wasn’t even drafted in your league. Has 32 hits including four home runs. Should be starting as your SS. Doesn’t strike out much.
10. Vladimir Guererro – His five home runs is actually a low total for him, as well as his 15 RBIs. But it’s early and those numbers will only improve for you, especially when the Angels snap out of their hitting slump.
Rounding out the Top 20 Hitters: 11. David Ortiz 12. Paul Konerko 13. Chipper Jones 14. Jose Guillen 15. Dmitri Young 16. Milton Bradley 17. Jason Lane 18. Jose Vidro 19. Cliff Floyd 20. Derek Jeter
On the Mend: Alex Rodriguez, Luis Gonzalez, Eric Hinske, Juan Encarnacion, Brady Clark, Miguel Cabrera.
Pitchers 1. Dontrelle Willis – A perfect 4-0 start that includes two complete game shutouts, which only adds extra fantasy value. Has just 21 K’s but compare that to only four walks and seven earned runs. I worry about Dontrelle, however, because he did the same thing last season and fell off after the All-Star break. But ride him until he falters.
2. Josh Beckett – Another Florida ace is 3-1 with a complete game shutout. You’ll notice that I favor the complete game/shutout type of pitchers. This way you know that the innings they will take up for your team will be quality ones.
3. Johan Santana – Has won 16 of his last 19 stats dating back to last year. Doesn’t need much run support and is second in the majors with 37 strike outs.
4. Jamie Moyer – Another perfect 4-0 and with 32 innings pitched, meaning he’s made 96 outs. Won’t strike out a ton of people but is a solid fourth or fifth man in your starting rotation.
5. Pedro Martinez – A perfect 2-0 with a complete game and leads the majors with 38 K’s. Doesn’t get much run support when he pitches but his fastball is back up to the mid-90’s. Some may have thought twice about drafting him early because of injuries, but for those who took a chance are getting their money’s worth.
Rounding out the Top 10 Pitchers: 6. Mark Prior 7. Randy Johnson 8. Roy Oswalt 9. Mark Buehrle 10. Jon Garland
On the Mend: Jake Peavy, Roy Halladay, Roger Clemens, Jason Marquis.
Pick 'em Up (pitchers): Brad Penny, Joel Piniero, Woody Williams, Sidney Ponson, Cliff Lee
Let ‘em Drop (Pitchers): Kevin Millwood, Brad Radke, Tom Glavine, Kenny Rogers
Pick 'em up (hitters): Preston Wilson, Justin Morneau, Dave Roberts, Chase Utley, Jason Bay,
Let ‘em Drop (hitters): Nomar Garciaparra, Magglio Ordonez, Jeff Bagwell, Aaron Boone, Cory Koskie