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0It was the winter of 2002. The Anaheim Angels just won the franchise’s first World Series. Vlad Guerrero still had three working legs. And a speedster with the most improbable spelling of Shawn was the team’s tenth man. Seven years later, the Angels metaphorically moved the team to Los Angeles. Vlad runs like he’s auditioning for Murderball. And the world still tries to figure out why Chone doesn’t rhyme with phone. Luckily, the Angels unloaded Rex Hudler before Chone Figgins went to the Mariners. Otherwise, there would’ve been some real man-tears. (Jose Mota can keep his emotions in check.) So Figgins gets to take his 5 homer, 40 steal self up to the Pacific Northwest. Nothing really changes for him in fantasy. Maybe a few less runs being in a slightly weaker lineup. Figgy do what he do. What I really want to talk about is Brandon Wood for 2010 fantasy baseball.
Like a kid in Porky’s, Wood appears to have finally found an opening. He is an extreme hacker. Last year, Wood stuckout 19 times in 18 games. That’s not just a small sample size talking (size doesn’t matter, so I’ve said), but that’s more or less what we’re looking at with Wood. If he gets in 140 games, he’ll K around that many times. But who cares because the boy has pop. He should easily hit 20 homers with every day playing time. How much above that he goes will be the deciding factor on how valuable he will be. If he can get to 30 homers, he’ll be a late round steal in fantasy leagues. If he only gets 22 homers and hits .250, then he’s waiver wire fodder. Late in drafts, he’s worth taking a flier on for that upside. Another bright side, Wood can handle shortstop and Scioscia’s not afraid to move people around and play him there. Wood may already have eligibility in some leagues at short, but not all. At shortstop, he’s definitely worth a flier in mixed leagues. Best case scenario, Wood gets shortstop eligibility, hits 30 homers and keeps his average around .260. Most likely scenario, he hits .240 and clubs 20 homers at third base. Either way, Brandon Wood is worth a flier in 12 team or deeper mixed leagues and all AL-Only and keeper leagues.
He doesn’t get default SS elig? I know he had it last year..
where will figgins bat in that M’s line up?
3, 4, and 5
@Ray: He only had five games p;layed at short and 2 starts, so he lost that eligibility in a lot of leagues. Will depend on your league’s rules. Most leagues he’ll only have 3rd base.
@Tony: 2nd, unless they want to move Ichiro down.
@Ray: i’m betting in YAHOO he has it…. yahoo always seems to be pretty leniant, more so than other sites.
@Grey: ya i was thinking 2nd, ichiro about has to lead off…. those two back to back is going to be some major sb’s and runs…. i could almost see figgins 1st and ichiro 2nd since ichiro would then have someone to drive in or move up with all his hits…
@Tony: Yahoo’s 5 games started, so I don’t think so, unless there’s some kind of rule that if the player doesn’t have 5 games started anywhere than he gets all three positions. They are lenient.
Would make more sense to have Ichiro 2nd.
@Tony: Seattle? Who’s driving in all those runs?
@Tony: I love you man. Just think you are stretching on Figgins. A near career year last year; a contract year. LA scored 883 runs to Seattle’s 640 last year. Just think Figgins’ numbers have to come down this year.
@Simply Fred: HAHA i dont like figgins or ichiro, never have, too one dimensional…. and i dont know who will drive the runs in! ADAM JONES? Oh wait they traded him! Branyan? HA! Maybe Jose Lopez….
maybe if my indians and seattle combined they’d have a mediocre team?
maybe.
@Grey: Seattle SLIGHTLY weaker lineup:
SEA: .258/.,314/.402
LAA: .285/.350/.441
@Tony: Ha! The big fragu.
maybe they’ll just both get on and steal all the way around?
@Simply Fred: ya…. that team does have a weak offense, which is why i hate to draft king felix, great pitcher, NO HELP OFFENSIVELY….
i know wins are just one cat, but they make a fantasy baseballer feel good…
@Simply Fred: Well, that LAA lineup does have a career high Kendry and Figgy with Abreu and Vlad getting a year older. They’re better than the M’s, but 2009 isn’t representative of their offense.
@Simply Fred: I meant 2010 Angels will be slightly better than the 2010 Mariners. The 2009 Angels were obviously much better than the 2009 Mariners.
@Grey: Yes, master. Perusal of 2008 and 2007 shows slight difference between the two.
@Grey: You spent half of last season convincing me that any pitcher up against SEA’s weak lineup was a good play. That lesson apparently stuck.
2010, a new year.
@Simply Fred: I never said the M’s were good, I just said the Angels aren’t that great.
@Simply Fred: Got it. So, who leads off for LAA and picks fills in those steals of Figgins?
@Simply Fred: Scioscia runs everyone (except Vlad) so steals aren’t a problem for the Angels. My guess would be Aybar to lead off.
@Grey: Raise his fantasy value a bit?
Wait, the Halos ditched Rex Hudler?! Son of a…one of the best “it’s 1 AM on the East Coast and my eyes are barely still open, somebody entertain me and keep me awake while the Red Sox foul off 412 consecutive pitches” color guys you could possibly hope for…
Just a tremendous loss for aspiring brahs everywhere.
@Simply Fred: If it works out that way, but it could be Izturis or Kendrick or someone who’s not on the team right now.
@Tarasco’sSecretStash: Yeah, hopefully he lands on his feet somewhere. I really think he’d be a nice fit in Japan.
2010 Mini-Donkey award goes to Brandon Wood. Promise. Oh, ok, maybe just will have similar value from where he could be drafted. That is, if all the baseball “insiders” don’t continuously hype him like Wieters was last year.
@Stephen: I have a better Mini Donkey award recipient, but I’m not sure I want to reveal it yet. Probably obvious if you think about it.
@Grey: I have a guess, and I think you sorta hinted about it in an article a week or so ago – Kyle Blanks? He is more like Adam Dunn is now (aka, no speed). Anyway, I am looking forward to whom you’re going to give that award to.
@Grey: Can something be obvious if you have to think about it?
And no, I haven’t figured out who it is.
Obviously.
@Stephen: @Steve: Not Blanks. This is fun though. Guess this year’s Mini Donkey Award.
Davis.
Not Rajai.
Chris Davis!(?)
@Steve: i like where your head’s at.
@brett: I like the ready availability of stats on the internet
@brett: @Steve: Nah, not Davis. Too obvious. Insert winking emoticon.
Shit. between this and the Edwin Jackson trade rumors, i’m not getting anything done today.
Stewart.
@Steve: Bingo.
Ah, good call. Is he guaranteed a job though?
@Grey: A possible $5 keeper for me…
@brett: Reynolds wasn’t guaranteed a job last preseason. Stewart should play and he has 2nd base eligibility.
@Steve: You should probably be able to draft him back for $5, so depends if you have room.
@Grey: I actually just asked a keeper question in the forums (re: Votto), but feel free to weigh in on Stewart there too.
@Steve: I asked what other 1st basemen will be available?
I think Tiger should look at a career in baseball.
He’d be a beast in OBP leagues because he doesn’t strike out very often.
@Steve: Oofa!
@Grey: Brad Penney to the Cards, good pickup for my guys. Do anything for his fantasy value?
@BigFatHippo: Not really for fantasy, but that is nice for the Cards. Should be a solid number three to four. I imagine he’ll be an okay number five fantasy starter with some slight upside.
@Grey: Alas, this doesn’t bode well for the Holliday sweepstakes……..
Cards said if they couldn’t sign him, they’d look at free agent pitchers. Mo should have shopped on E-Bay!
My guess, Holliday walks and the Cards sign DeRosa and stick him in left.
@BigFatHippo: I don’t think Holliday’s coming back to the Cards. Sorry. I think he’ll be a Met, Yankee or Angel.
@Grey:
the biggest crime is that
neither cargo
nor street
will be returning
to the A ‘s .
@big o: Might wanna flip the calender over, those guys have been gone.
@Grey:
holliday
trail of tears
@big o: Yeah, Holliday was always a rental. Wasn’t a great deal to begin with. I think Beane’s lost his way a bit.
@Grey: They wanted another Mark McGuire trade. Boras interfered.
@GopherDay: Prolly….
I’m mock drafting right now. Might have the best team ever assembled.
@Grey: Guessing you didn’t take Big Papi in the 7th this year, then.
@Steve: Don’t think I’ve owned him in a few years.
@Grey: My wife would be justified in asking why I don’t have as good a memory for slightly more important things:
http://razzball.com/my-2nd-fantasy-baseball-draft-of-2009/
@Grey: No hurry on this, since you are drafting. Not quite sure how to figure Stubbs.
42 GP at Cincinatti: .267/.323/.439/
107 GP at Louisville: .268/.360/.713
What’s the deal with the Edwin Jackson to the Snakes talk?
Also, anyone want to set up a slow mock over the next week? I remember we did a couple of these last winter at MDC
@Simply Fred: edit: (punched midway)
avg/obp/slg/ops
Cinc: .267/.323/.439/.762
L: .268/.353/.360/.713
The big thing 8 HRs in 42 GP at Cincy; 3 in 107 at Louisville
10SB at C; 46SB
I think you posted something already that it is the steals not the HRs that should transfer. ???
A projected line?
@Steve: I have the same ridiculous memory. I knew what you were talkign about, but, yeah, didn’t go with him this time.
@Simply Fred: Lambda, I just asked the ‘perts what they thought of him. I think he’s a flash in the pan. Others thought he was for real. Steals are steals though. They’ll be there.
@Grey: Good man. Is this one for immediate public consumption or embargoed until pre-season?
@Steve: I’ll write a post for Thursday. Dane Cook is drafting with us, I think. I really have no idea.
@ all
since you’re all so curious ,
i went ahead
and tapped into grey’s mock .
all i can say is
for sure , he drafted
franklin gutierrez .
stay tuned .
@big o: where’s that mock?
@Grey: Thank’s for asking! Lambda with the master–good! (unless we are both confused,
)
@Simply Fred: It was at Mock Draft Central. I didn’t take The Big FraGU; Big O’s making a joke.
@Grey: Big O make a joke? I guess it’s possible.:-)
@Grey:
no joke .
i wudda made book on it .
guess i’ll have to wait
like everybody else .
broke and
non-psychic .
@big o: Ask Cavey why he’s drafting two catchers in the 7th and 8th rounds in a one-catcher league in his #7 mock.
@Simply Fred: Util of course! Or for mock draft trade value…