Fantasy Baseball Advice

The Fantasy Baseball Hall of Fame in conjunction with Razzball.com, are electing the All-Star teams of the Fantasy Era. For every season from 1980 to today full 23 man rosters will be created and analyzed. We end the series today by looking at the 2004 through 2007 All Stars.

Year: 2004
First Time All Stars: 7 – Bobby Abreu, Adrian Beltre, Brad Lidge, Mark Loretta, Johan Santana, Ben Sheets, Michael Young
3 Time All Stars: 8 – Carlos Beltran, Eric Gagne, Vladimir Guerrero, Javy Lopez, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, Mariano Rivera, Ichiro Suzuki
5 Time All Stars: 3 – Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, Curt Schilling
10 Time All Stars: 3 – Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson
Future FBHOF’ers: 9 – Bonds, Clemens, Guerrero, Johnson, Pujols, Ramirez, Rodriguez, Santana, Schilling
Snubs: 4 – Melvin Mora (11.0), Todd Helton (10.6), Scott Rolen (10.5), Gary Sheffield (10.5)
16 Pt Season: 2 –Johnson (16.1), Santana (16.0)

This was a solid team whose success is built around one of the better pitching staffs that we’ve seen. The starting rotation is ranked 4th behind two wonderful seasons from Randy Johnson and Johan Santana, they each scored over 16 FBHOF points:

The rest of the staff each scored over 10 points each, with Ben Sheets being the best of the rest. While his win total was low at 12, his rate stats and strikeouts were excellent.

The relievers were vital as well. Brad Lidge, Eric Gagne, and Mariano Rivera struck out 337 batters between them and combined for an ERA of 2.01 and a WHIP of 0.97.

Offensively, the 2004 team is well below average, especially in the infield. Mark Loretta makes the team with FBHOF score well below respectability for All Star’s; his 8.9 value is the lowest mark since 1981 for a non-catcher.

After 14 all star appearances, this was Barry Bonds’ last team. He was very good again in 2004, drilling 45 HR and batting .362. Fellow legends Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling enjoyed their last great seasons along side him. Also worth mentioning are several other very good players who would never again make an All-Star team: Eric Gagne, Javy Lopez, Ivan Rodriguez, Jason Schmidt, and Miguel Tejada

On the other hand Michael Young and more importantly, Johan Santana, made their first All Star teams.

Positional Ranking Among the 28 Teams
C: 19th
IF: 24th
OF: 18th
SP: 4th
RP: 6th
Overall: 10th

Year: 2005
First Time All Stars: 10 – Jason Bay, Miguel Cabrera, Chris Carpenter, Chone Figgins, Derrek Lee, Victor Martinez, Joe Nathan, David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Dontrelle Willis
3 Time All Stars: 5 – Manny Ramirez, Mariano Rivera, Gary Sheffield, Alfonso Soriano, Billy Wagner
5 Time All Stars: 4 – Vladimir Guerrero, Pedro Martinez, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez
10 Time All Stars: 2 –
Future FBHOF’ers: 1 – Roger Clemens
Snubs: 4 – Mark Teixeira (13.2), Carl Crawford (10.7), Andruw Jones (10.7), Bobby Abreu (10.5)
16 Pt Season: 1 – Alex Rodriguez (17.1)

The only good thing about the 2005 team was its infield. Every other position was ranked 17th or worse, but Albert Pujols, Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Michael Young, Derrek Lee, and Chone Figgins made up the highest scoring infield ever. Rodriguez, Pujols, and Lee averaged 45 home runs between them; Soriano went 30/30; Young batted .331; and Figgins stole 62 bases.

The outfield was particularly poor with a last place ranking. The names were fundamentally sound – Bay, Miguel Cabrera, Vlad, Manny, and Sheff but none had a stellar season, as only Ramirez reached the 13 point plateau.

Pitching was decent by current 2008 standards but gone were the days of the high 200 or 300 strikeout pitchers, and so gone were the days of 15 or more pitching point seasons.

Also of note was the snub of Mark Teixeira. He hit 43 HR and drove in 144 runners but couldn’t crack into the starting lineup.

Positional Ranking Among the 28 Teams
C: 25th
IF: 1st
OF: 28th
SP: 17th
RP: 17th
Overall: 18th

Year: 2006
First Time All Stars: 12 – Bronson Arroyo, Garrett Atkins, Jermaine Dye, Matt Holliday, Ryan Howard, Joe Mauer, Brian McCann, JJ Putz, Jose Reyes, Takashi Saito, Chase Utley, Brandon Webb
3 Time All Stars: 4 – Carlos Beltran, Derek Jeter, Johan Santana, Alfonso Soriano
5 Time All Stars: 2 – Vladimir Guerrero, Albert Pujols
10 Time All Stars: 1 –
Future FBHOF’ers: 2 – Guerrero, Pujols, Santana, John Smoltz
Snubs: 2 – Miguel Cabrera (11.4), Carlos Lee (11.3)
16 Pt Season: 1 – None

Unfortunately, the 2006 squad was very similar to the previous year’s version. Infielders were still the highest rated, but they dropped 9 slots in the standings as nobody picked up the slack of Alex Rodriguez and his 17.1 points in ’05.

The rest of the positions were about the same which results in an overall ranking of just 25th. When looking at the ’05 through ’07 period, an incredible total of 36 players made their all-star debuts.

Major League baseball was in the midst of a changing of the guard, from the all time fantasy greats of Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa, Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson (and more) over to the new age crew of Chase Utley, Matt Holliday, Ryan Howard, Johan Santana and in 2007 Hanley Ramirez and David Wright. Time will tell if the youngsters will eventually create a new golden age of fantasy baseball. If 2008 is any indication, they likely will.

Positional Ranking Among the 28 Teams
C: 20th
IF: 10th
OF: 27th
SP: 26th
RP: 11th
Overall: 25th

Year: 2007
First Time All Stars: 12 – Josh Beckett, Eric Byrnes, Prince Fielder, John Lackey, Carlos Lee, Russell Martin, Jake Peavy, Brandon Phillips, Hanley Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins, CC Sabathia, David Wright
3 Time All Stars: 4 – Joe Nathan, David Ortiz, Johan Santana, Ichiro Suzuki
5 Time All Stars: None
10 Time All Stars: 1 – Alex Rodriguez
Future FBHOF’ers: 2 – Rodriguez, Santana
Snubs: 1 – Chase Utley (10.1)
16 Pt Season: 1 – Alex Rodriguez (18.1)

I wasn’t planning a write-up on 2007 since it’s still considered a current event, but we should note the incredible season of Alex Rodriguez. There have been twenty four 50+ HR seasons during the fantasy era. Rodriguez is:

- One of six to bat .315 or better
- One of three accumulate 150 or more RBI
- One of two to score 140 or more runs
- The only person to get to 24 stolen bases.

It might be the most complete season by a player ever, fantasy or not.

Positional Ranking Among the 28 Teams
C: 11th
IF: 4th
OF: 25th
SP: 12th
RP: 12th
Overall: 13th

The Fantasy Baseball Hall of Fame in conjunction with Razzball.com, are electing the All-Star teams of the Fantasy Era. For every season from 1980 to today full 23 man rosters will be created and analyzed. In the second installment the 2001 through 2003 seasons are identified.

Year: 2001
First Time All Stars: 8 – Bret Boone, Keith Foulke, Freddy Garcia, Luis Gonzalez, Paul Lo Duca, Albert Pujols, Ichiro Suzuki, Javier Vazquez
3 Time All Stars: 3 – Robb Nen, Curt Schilling, Larry Walker
5 Time All Stars: 6 – Roberto Alomar, Randy Johnson, Chipper Jones, Mike Piazza, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa
10 Time All Stars: 2 – Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux
Future FBHOF’ers: 14 – Alomar, Bonds, Todd Helton, Johnson, Jones, Maddux, Piazza, Pujols, Rodriguez, Schilling, Sosa, Walker
Snubs: 2 – Vladimir Guerrero (11.6), Bobby Abreu (11.0)
16 Pt Season: 1 – Johnson (17.9)

2001 was the last hurrah for the fantasy all-stars. During the 1980’s no team reached the level of 10 Fantasy Baseball Hall of Famers on its roster. In the early 1990’s, the number FBHOF’ers per team rose steadily until maxing out at 14 in 1997 and 1998, and maintained this approximate level for the next three years. Now, in 2001, we find it’s the last team to take the field with double digit home FBHOF’ers.

Several all time greats made their last All-Star appearance: Roberto Alomar, Kevin Brown, Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, and Larry Walker had their last great season and only the addition of Albert Pujols helped off-set their losses.

This isn’t to say 2001 wasn’t a good team as both the infield and outfield were Top-10 material. Going around the diamond Todd Helton, Bret Boone, Alomar, Alex Rodriguez, Jones and Pujols averaged an astounding .330 with 120 R, 39 HR, and 126 RBI. The outfield was even better: .330 AVG, 126 R, 48 HR, 126 RBI, and 17 SB. The best of the lot was Sammy Sosa who batted .328, hit 64 HR, and drove in 160 RBI.

Randy Johnson, with 17.9 FBHOF points, made up for what was otherwise a mediocre starting rotation. He won 21 games and struck out 372 batters, the third highest mark since the beginning of the 20th century.

In a famous 7 game set, the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series. Gonzalez, Johnson, and Schilling represented the victors. Mike Mussina and Mariano Rivera the losers.

Positional Ranking Among the 28 Teams
C: 21st
IF: 6th
OF: 7th
SP: 16th
RP: 25th
Overall: 16th

Year: 2002
First Time All Stars: 14 – Carlos Beltran, Lance Berkman, Eric Gagne, Jason Giambi, Byung-Hyun Kim, Billy Koch, Derek Lowe, Magglio Ordonez, Roy Oswalt, Jorge Posada, Alfonso Soriano, Miguel Tejada, Jim Thome, and Barry Zito
3 Time All Stars: 1 – Vladimir Guerrero
5 Time All Stars: 4 – Pedro Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa
10 Time All Stars: 1 – Barry Bonds
Future FBHOF’ers: 9 – Bonds, Guerrero, Johnson, Martinez, Piazza, Albert Pujols, Rodriguez, Schilling, Sosa
Snubs: 2 – Jeff Kent (11.0), Shawn Green (10.7)
16 Pt Season: 1 – Johnson (18.1)

No stars, no problem.

14 first time All-Stars make up a large portion of the 2002 squad, yet this team was among the best of the fantasy era, ranking 6th overall. The key for was their formidable starting rotation, led by another great season from Randy Johnson. He owns the best consecutive two year score all time, compiling 36 FBHOF points in 2001 ad 2002. Fellow starters Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez were excellent as well, combining for 43 W, 555 K, 0.96 WHIP, and a 2.81 ERA.

For the second year in row, the infield was superb. Jason Giambi was near his peak, hitting 41 HR and driving in 122; Albert Pujols batted .314 and drove in 122; Rodriguez enjoyed his 57 HR, 142 RBI year; Miguel Tejada had 131 RBI and 34 HR; and Jim Thome hit 52 out of the park.

Saying goodbye were Mike Piazza and Sammy Sosa. In 2002 the Anaheim Angels edged out the San Francisco Giants 4 games to 3 in the World Series. Barry Bonds was the lone representative for the fantasy all-stars.

Positional Ranking Among the 28 Teams
C: 26th
IF: 5th
OF: 17th
SP: 3rd
RP: 16th
Overall: 6th

Year: 2003
First Time All Stars: 9 – Carlos Delgado, Roy Halladay, Tim Hudson, Esteban Loaiza, Javy Lopez, Mark Prior, Scott Rolen, Jason Schmidt, Vernon Wells
3 Time All Stars: 2 – Todd Helton, Albert Pujols
5 Time All Stars: 2 – Pedro Martinez, Alex Rodriguez
10 Time All Stars: 1 – Barry Bonds
Future FBHOF’ers: 13 – Bonds, Helton, Martinez, Pujols, Manny Ramirez, Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield
Snubs: 2 – Nomar Garciaparra (11.5), Edgar Renteria (11.4)
16 Pt Season: 1 – Pujols (17.2)

This was a solid year, with all positions with the exception of starting pitcher, solidly above average. The most impressive aspect of the 2003 team was the relief corps, which ranked 5th. This is the best ranking given to closers since the days of 120 inning seasons from the early 1980’s.

Eric Gagne led all relievers with 9.1 FBHOF points, the highest mark of what we’ll call the modern closing era. He was unhittable posting a 0.69 WHIP and 1.20 ERA in 82 innings. He also struck out 137 and saved 55 games. Joining him in the pen is Keith Foulke (0.89 WHIP, 2.09 ERA, 43 Sv) and Billy Wagner (0.87 WHIP, 1.78 ERA, 44 K). Foulke dazzled fantasy owners with 9 wins as well.

Albert Pujols was rated best on the team. It was his finest fantasy season as he raised his batting average to .359 while maintaining his usual run production numbers, in this case 137 R, 43 HR, and 124 RBI. Gary Sheffield gets little credit when compared to his contemporaries, but he could mash. His .330 AVG with 126 R, 39 HR, 132 RBI, and 18 SB added up to 15.9 FBHOF points, second most on the team.

Also of note was Javy Lopez and his 43 HR and 109 RBI out of the catcher position. It was the 6th best single season for a catcher. Mark Prior teased us all with his only great season – 18 W, 1.10 WHIP, 2.43 ERA, and 245 K.

The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games. Florida had no fantasy All Stars; the Yanks had one, Alfonso Soriano.

Positional Ranking Among the 28 Teams
C: 10th
IF: 13th
OF: 10th
SP: 19th
RP: 5th
Overall: 8th