Comments on: 2009 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Top 10

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:45:36 +0000

I pick #5 in a 5X5 H2H where each category win counts as a point in the final standings. Meaning the goal isn’t just to win weeks, but to win as many categories over the course of the season as possible — win a week 6-4 and your rival wins 10-0, your rival is 4 games ahead of you in the standings. We use OBP instead of AVG, and we use SB-CS and SV-BS. So IMO steals and saves are LESS valuable in this circumstance since you can rely on luck quite often to win those categories.

Do you think I’m off base in thinking Ryan Howard is a great pick at #5? Over a Cabrera/Braun/Sizemore type?

By: Grey

Grey — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:43:35 +0000

@Falcon: I personally like to be able to take two guys back to back. Picks 12/13 are much better than 1 and 24, obviously, but I think better than 4 and 20 too. I also like to be able to take the first two starters of another tier or first two closers of lower teir, i.e., I like to start runs in a draft. It's about where you feel comfortable though so I don't think there's a right and wrong answer.

By: Falcon

Falcon — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:38:50 +0000

Arriving fashionably late to this thread, but am intrigued. Personally, I hate having back to back picks (IE spot 1 or 12). Am I off base here?

My reasoning is that from spot 8, I have good information about the other managers’ lineups. If I need a SS, and Peralta is available in the 8th round – I check the 9-12 managers lineups. If they all have SS’s, I snag Votto and wait for Peralta in the 9th round while feeding the dog some peanut butter.

This is just an example – in the mock I did that in, some dude drafted Daniel Murphy in the 6th to the chorus of ridicule.

Bottom Line: Does the ability to gather information give the outer-inner draft order spots (like that?) more value? I am talking spots 4,5,8,9 in a 12 team league.

By: Martin

Martin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 01:17:11 +0000

I have the 5th pick in my draft. DAMN

By: Grey

Grey — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:22:32 +0000

@Josh: Thanks for the heads up! Fixed.

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:16:57 +0000

Just nit-picking, but with dropping A-rod, MCAB now begins the tier of “I really hope I don’t have to pick 5th overall. This shizz gets dicey.”

By: Jimmy ray

Jimmy ray — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:29:28 +0000

As far as A-rod goes you have to ask yourself ” was that an off year or the start of his decline…was it punk” 5th would be the earliest I would take A-rod

By: Grey

Grey — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:43:04 +0000

@Jeff: The listed 210 is Ks. Though he may pitch less innings this year because of the bullpen additions.

By: Jeff1

Jeff1 — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:38:38 +0000

Why do you think that Santana will pitch fewer innings this year? He hasn’t been bellow 210 since 2003 when he only pitched 158 innings.

By: Rudy Gamble

Rudy Gamble — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:44:45 +0000

@Rob: I'd make that deal too except I wouldn't drop Hart for Pence. Don't you have a SP you can drop if you want to keep Pence?

By: Grey

Grey — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:31:26 +0000

@Rob: It's not lopsided, but I think you gotta make that deal.

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 04:22:00 +0000

I was just offered Johan and Hunter Pence for BJ Upton in a 12 team keeper. We keep 12 guys. I would drop Corey Hart if I decided to keep Pence. Is Upton’s long term upside too high to deal him, or is he close enough to Pence in value that I’d be foolish to turn down Johan? Thanks.

By: big o

big o — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:26:55 +0000

as soon as paypal unfreezes my account , i’m buying you another small pina colada …. though i’d feel better if you drank gin , or scotch .

By: big o

big o — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:20:36 +0000

my god .
that was my 100th comment .

seems like i should have gotten to this point in my life sooner than i did.

did i ever tell you about my favorite reverend jim story from the old tv show… taxi ?

By: big o

big o — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:14:37 +0000

@Grey:
ok.
i’ll finally get it.
never again will i choose hanley ramirez with the 1st pick of any draft , mock or real .
from this moment forward , i acknowledge that a-rod is the only true #1 player in fantasy baseball …. and real baseball (as we know it to be portrayed) , as well.

while other “intangibles” may cause me to rather have another ballplayer on my team , to chose anything but the strongest opening move would place me in a positional disadvantage from the start.

i don’t feel any better , having said that.
but it needed to be said.

By: Pops

Pops — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:28:15 +0000

Anxious to check out the rest of the top twenty. I’m also curious to see if you can possibly top the Madonna vagina party joke. High comedy.

By: Denys

Denys — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:28:26 +0000

really? Santana @ 10? you’re losing it Grey.

By: Russ

Russ — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:22:45 +0000

@Grey: That's where I've been leaning. @Steve: Great points. I just feel like I'm not making the most out of my opportunity to choose my own spot by going last. I realize it's only last once, but I think you know what I mean.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:16:32 +0000

@Russ: Ha! It does feel strange taking team-mates back to back (as it were), but those two are about as good as it gets. Great production (esp from your 2B) and you're not really reaching for either of them.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:14:56 +0000

@Steve: Ah, gotcha. @sean: I can envision that world. It happened between 1999 and 2002. It took people hitting 70 HRs a year though. @Eric W: Yeah! Just leave Arod alone with his old lady. @rob: I was talking about Lowe being a groundball pitcher not Santana (who's obviously not a GB pitcher). @Russ: You want the 5th pick this year in non-keepers.

By: Russ

Russ — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:11:53 +0000

@Steve: So is this just a phobia of mine or does anyone else get nervous taking teammates rounds 1-2? two years ago i got burned taking sizemore/hafner, last year it was braun/fielder...howard/utley makes me nervous, but that's because i'm not that great at fantasy yet. (note that i was 11/12 the first year and 10/13 the next).

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:08:57 +0000

@Russ: Yeah - sometimes you can get Howard + Utley (or Utley + Howard) which is a pretty nice way to start things off. Tex can (and probably should) fall to there too.

By: Russ

Russ — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:06:19 +0000

@Steve: Thanks Steve. I've always loved the end of the snake. I like having the back-to-back picks. Hmm...

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:04:13 +0000

@Russ: In the mocks I have done, top 5 or #12 have been best.

By: Russ

Russ — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:59:53 +0000

Hey. So, I get to pick my draft spot (reward for finishing fourth last year, just after the money). I like the 6 hole (12 team league) because it’s right in the middle, but it seems like after the top five, it’s a crap-shoot.

Any ideas?

By: rob

rob — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:20:10 +0000

I don’t know much about the new ballpark, but Johan has seen some recent deflation in his numbers, and that concerns me a LOT. I’m not so sure I would feel comfortable with him at Coors field, as suggested.

If Citifield or whatever it’s called (it’ll change in a few years anyway, so why remember) turns out to be a hitters’ ballpark, Santana may be in trouble — not deserving of the #1.

I read something that says that right-center is deeper in the new ballpark, so I guess pundits feel it is more of a pitchers’ park than the last.

For Santana owners’ sakes, I hope the pundits are right.

By: Eric W

Eric W — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:12:48 +0000

YES Arod is the #1 player he is going to put up monster numbers this year 07 style. not because he has tex backing him up but because he is going to have no pressure all the media and fans are going to be focused on cc tex and burnet just the way he likes it.

By: sean

sean — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:06:33 +0000

@IACubs: do you think this forces the Mets to resign Oli Perez?

@Grey: I’m on board with the top ten, especially ARod at 1. I can’t envision a world where someone looks at 100/35+/115/15/.300 guaranteed and passes. I think Johan is a welcome addition to the top ten. Even though we agree about not drafting him there, he’s the only pitcher that I think has a chance of returning first-round value.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:02:12 +0000

@Grey: Pretty much, Was actually referencing my and Hippo's first-round picks in the Commenters' Draft.

By: Grey

Grey — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:03:14 +0000

@IowaCubs: Because he's a groundball pitcher (when he's going well), I think his value stays pretty much the same almost anywhere he goes. He's one of the few who I wouldn't even mind in Coors.