I still see people drafting Blalock, sometimes even as a starter and it dumbfounds me.

If you can get a top 50 player for Soto, I’d almost certainly make the trade, excluding only a few guys that I’m not crazy about. I’d target a top hitter who will be better in 2009 than he was in 2008, think Matt Kemp, Alfonso Soriano, BJ Upton, etc.

Speaking of catchers, I grabbed Soto in a late round last season in my keeper league and obviously enjoyed the numbers he brought to the position. At the same time, I feel even though he should be able to put up well-above-average catcher numbers for another few seasons, they are still pretty average numbers when compared to good corner OFs and 1B/3B types. So, assuming he goes into ’09 really overrated, should I look to deal Soto either leading up to my draft in March or sometime in early April while his value is still high? I know it would depend on the return I’d get, but I imagine that an over-eager manager would trade a top 50 fantasy player for Soto pretty easily. Anybody specifically to target?

1) Exercise regiment – Leg thrusts and twisting your arm in a bucket of rice
2) Wrestling calves and rookies to the ground
3) Simulation games where each pitcher throws 200 pitches against a barn.
4) All hitters and pitchers must take part in brushback pitch drill.
5) Simulated pitching mound brawls (takedown – two points!)

I like Teabagger. That’s not bad.

@Van Hammersly: Nice, now they just need to lose Salty or have Blalock go down with an injury.

I think Nolan Ryan should bulldog a pitcher in the farm system to change their last name to Scone or Crumpet to create the most fancypants battery ever….(bettering Nideo Homo to Piazza)