Denard Dawg doesn’t seem to have a bad rap.  He has no rap.  Denard Span gets about as much press as fencing in the high school newspaper sports section.  Span’s in the shadow of everyone, not just his teammate, the 7-foot-1 Loek van Mil (who’s supposedly very TALLented).  Denard couldn’t even get hit on by a waitress at a pool bar.  No one wants the guy that barely gets 10 homers or 20 steals.  Like the reviews said for Mr.

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Some of you will be drafting your fantasy baseball teams over at ESPN and that’s cool.  I don’t mind their drafting and league setups.  Plus, they’re free.  If you don’t like your team, do like 98% of the other people at ESPN and abandon your team in May.  But when you’re drafting at ESPN, you’re confronted by their rankings.  It’s important to know what they’re saying, so you can exploit the rankings for your greater good.  I’m going off my top 100 for 2010 fantasy baseball and top 300.  So here’s some random turd nuggets from the ESPN 2010 fantasy baseball rankings:

Carl Crawford – 8 at ESPN, 19 here.  Before Miggy Cabrera, Tex, Longoria, Howard… Buh-but, Grey, isn’t 1st base deep?

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The duality of man:

It’s all Peaches and Herb when you can get the best out of both worlds. Well, fantasy baseball wise that’s either “Martin Prado” good or “Jerry Hairston” awkward. For fantasy pitching, a guy doesn’t necessarily become more draftable based on dual position, but I’m here to “learn” you something about spot starting from the RP spot.

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We all know Chone Figgins loves stealing 2nd base, but he might be starting early this year. After a brisk calisthenic session, Don Wakamatsu decided to try Figgy at 2nd base with Jose Lopez shifting to 3rd base.  The Mariners haven’t had this amount of speed at 2nd base since they faced David Eckstein and Ichiro moved up 50 steps.  Suddenly, Figgins’s Sparky Anklebiter power and top tier speed looks much better.  It would catapult him to the top 7 of the top 20 2nd basemen for 2010.  I’d rank him right after Cano and in a promising tier.  Going for steals at 2nd base wouldn’t hurt nearly as much at 3rd base.  But he’s not there yet and, frankly, I don’t think the move to 2nd is going to happen, barring an injury to Jose Lopez.  When you have players comfortable at their position, you don’t mess with it for s’s and g’s.  But since we’re going down this road, it helps Jose Lopez’s value too.  Not as much though.

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Milwaukee Brewers 2009 Minor League Review
Overall farm ranking via Baseball America (2009)
2009 (10) | 2008 (21) | 2007 (5) | 2006 (5) | 2005 (3) | 2004 (1)

Record of Major and Minor League Teams
MLB: [80 – 82] NL Central
AAA: [75 – 69] Pacific Coast League
AA: [63 – 75] Southern League
A+: [79 – 48] Florida League
A: [58-81] Midwest League
R: [25 – 31] Arizona League
R: [32 – 44] Pioneer League

The Run Down
In terms of rankings, 2008 was so low because they gave up some top chips to rent CC Sabathia for a couple of months.

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I’ve mentioned a few times in the course of the rankings about guys I’d actually own.  In the 2010 fantasy baseball top 100, I say there’s 20 guys I’d actually own.  I’ll even pull the quote for you.  In the F-Her blurb, I said, “If I were to only talk about the guys I would actually own, this top 100 may only be 20 guys long.”  See, I did say it!  So, I lied.  I’d own everyone in the top 100.  I’d own Lincecum, but he’d have to fall to me in the 3rd round; I’d own Mark Reynolds, but he’d have to be around in the 4th round; I’d own Mauer, but he’d have to be around pick 28.  And so on and so forth.  What I mean by there’s only 20 players I’d own is those are the only guys I could actually see myself getting in a draft considering where they’re being drafted and how I assemble a team.  I’d draft Nathan in the 90s, but his ADP is 75, so it doesn’t seem like it’s happening.  This also does not include the top 22 guys overall.  I’d own them all, except Lincecum.  Anyway, here’s the players from ranking 22 to 100 in the top 100 for 2010 fantasy baseball that I’d own:

24.

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The other day in the comments someone asked that I give some pairings for my first two rounds of the 2010 fantasy baseball drafts.  I was going to do this anyway (you’re not the boss of me!), but sometimes I need a gentle nudge in the right direction.  Not a noodge, thank you.  What I’m hoping to lay out to you is who do you draft 2nd if you’ve drafted so and so first.  I think it might be helpful to go through pairings for your 5 outfielders, all your middle and corner infielders and pitchers too.  We’ll go through those on another post.  For easy reference, the Royal We will be using the top 10 2010 fantasy baseball rankings and the top 20 2010 fantasy baseball rankings.  I’m going to assume you’re in a 12 team, 5×5, MI, CI, 5 OF, 1 Utility, 1 Catcher league.  Anyway, here’s some pairings for the first two rounds of 2010 fantasy baseball drafts:

Albert Pujols – Could really team him up with anyone, except another 1st baseman.  Preferably, I’d like to have Pujols and a 3rd baseman (Zimmerman).  Then on the turn you can grab an outfielder.  So Pujols, Zimmerman and Upton.  Yeah, that would be nice.

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Here, friend, are some catchers that I will be targeting at my 2010 fantasy drafts after the top options are gone.  I’m not going to get into the strategy of punting catchers.  Been there, half-drunkenly wrote that.  Click on the player’s name where applicable to  read more and see their 2010 projections.  This is a supplement to the top 20 catchers of 2010 fantasy baseball.  Anyway, here’s some catchers to target for 2010 fantasy baseball:

Ramon Hernandez – He’s unexciting3.  But so is losing your league.

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Last week, I participated in my first real draft.  I believe drafting the day pitchers and catchers report is a sign that you’ve lost your marbles.  So, when I heard this draft was for all the marbles, I figured those marbles will cancel each other out.  Nothing better than a good marble canceling to get the blood flowing.  And by blood flowing and marbles, I’m not talking Viagra or testicles, but you can continue to think that.  This team has a yet-to-be-determined nickname.  I’m thinking “Super Sizedmore.”  Or “Did A Coked-Up Tom Sizemore Draft This Team?” Or “Two Sizemores Too Big.”  Or I’ll just go to the fantasy baseball team name generator and let that think for me.  This team is very shallow.  Why ‘perts are drafting in such a shallow league?  No idea, I gave up trying to figure out the answer to that question for Lent.  The league is 12 team, no bench, 9 Ps, 5 OFs, MI, CI and one utility.  Anyway, here’s my first 2010 fantasy baseball team, done auction-style:

C:  Chris Iannetta — $5
C:  Carlos Ruiz — $1
1B: Carlos Pena — $17
2B:  Robinson Cano — $19
3B:  Ian Stewart — $9
SS:  Jose Reyes — $27
MI: Scott Sizemore — $1
CI:  Chipper Jones — $3
OF:  Justin Upton — $29
OF:  Curtis Granderson — $25
OF: Grady Sizemore — $24
OF:  Josh Hamilton — $15
OF:  Jason Heyward — $2
UT: Russell Branyan — $1
P:  Tim Lincecum — $29
P:  Zack Greinke — $24
P:  Chad Billingsley — $10
P:  Neftali Feliz — $1
P:  Joba Chamberlain — $1
P:  Marc Rzepczynski — $1
P:  Jose Valverde — $7
P:  Kerry Wood — $6
P:  Brandon Lyon — $3

My Outfield is Better Than Your Outfield

Um, yeah, it’s stacked.  I count 120 homers and 70 steals and that’s not including Jason Heyward, who I’ll probably drop.  ¿No queiro Heywardo?

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