http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/fantasy/article/how-ill-approach-picking-at-the-end-of-round-1-in-2009/

Thanks man, good reasoning.
The only reason I would even consider a 2b such as KJ is because all of the others worth owning will be gone. Utley wll be too expensive for me, Kinsler will be kept for 13, Phillips for 13, Al-ram for 5, Scrappy Doo for 8, Uggla for 10. I can’t see any of these guys being released.

So, Freddy Sanchez huh? Not a bad thought but going from owning Utley one year to a schmohawk the next leaves a bad taste in my mouth, not unlike my ex-wifes pancakes.

Lets hope Freddy wins the batting title again next year.

@Denys: If he’s healthy, agreed. That’s a big if right now.

Having drafted him in the 17th or somesuch, I suffered through two-thirds of a season with KJ in ’08. It was spirit-sapping (prob didn’t help having Renteria as well).

The day I dumped his sorry ass for Al-Ram was one of the happiest of my life.

I’m not a fan of Pedroia as a 2nd round pick but he did come up #44 in the Marcel-based Point Shares (http://razzball.com/2009-fantasy-baseball-rankings/2009-razzball-projected-point-shares-10-team-marcel/). He came out as the 2nd most valuable 2B compared to Utley but it’s all based on him getting a ton of runs (possible if he hits 1st, 2nd or 3rd), hitting .315 (possible), and maintaining 15-20 HRs.

I see him as I’ve seen Jeter over the years – I’d like him on my team but not worth the price.

Best value 2B in my eyes will be…..Freddy Sanchez!!! Basically hit .300/80/10/80 for 3 years prior to last year when he was dealing with a sore shoulder. Sucked in the first half but hit .346 in the 2nd half. If he’s healthy and hitting 2nd or 3rd, he’ll put up 80-90% of Pedroia’s #s and you can get him in the 20th round….

I may have to target KJ to play 2b.

last two season:

Dustin Pedroia : 297 games, .322/.378/.471 204r/25hr/133rbi/27s

Kelly Johnson: 297games, .282/.362/.451 177r/28hr/137rbi/20s

Where is Johnson going in drafts? Like 175 or something probably.

@Shogun: I’ve never liked Brandon Phillips but he’s suddenly become a bargain this year. I agree with you.

@big o: I did! I liked it, very bluesy. Felt like I should be smoking a spliff and working on the railroad. In the end, I’m more of a Ludacris guy.

@Eric W: Ha! I almost listed him as the 5th best, but my tentativeness on Alexei and my dislike for Brian Roberts made that impossible.

@IowaCubs: Rudy’s been preaching position scarcity is overrated since last year — (http://razzball.com/don%E2%80%99t-meddle-with-middling-middle-infielders-in-the-middle-rounds/)

@sean: You go ahead and preach yourself. Nice!

I hope he flops in 09

@bigO: The thinking I’ve seen splattered on in the interwebs is that Pedroia w/ upside is > Utley for 80% of the season.

While this thinking isn’t totally unreasonable, I think it SHOULD correlate in drafts to trying to snag Pedroia in the 5/6th round and getting equal value to someone’s pick of Utley in the 2nd, but it’s NOT happening in mock draft practice. Instead, the hype correlates to people trying to be the first to make the “expert” pick of the draft by snagging Pedroia in the second (er.. first, er.. third) round.

Pedroia is NOT the best 2B in the league; for my money, he’s not the best 2B in the AL. He is, however, a 5’6, balding, schmohawk cribbage addict who closes his eyes and swings out of his shoes in every AB. What’s not to love?

In his defense, he did have the greatest interaction with a security guard EVER:

“He was stopped at the players’ entrance at Coors Field in Denver during [The 2007] World Series against the Colorado Rockies. The security guard didn’t believe Pedroia was a player and shooed him away. Pedroia seethed. He produced his players’ ID card, and the security guard questioned whether it was legitimate.

Pedroia, unable to contain his rage any longer, dropped a subtle reminder, much to the delight of Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who tells the story.

‘He says, “You don’t know who I am? You don’t know who I am?”’ Francona says. ” ‘Ask Jeff f———- Francis who the f—- I am. I’m the guy who hit a bomb and just ended their f———- season.”"

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/redsox/2008-09-14-Pedroia_N.htm

Utley, Kinsler, Alexei and perhaps a tie between Pedroia and Uggla. Position scarcity is OVERRATED. You can get great numbers from drafting the best possible player on the board and balance your team out late in the draft.