2010 Fantasy Baseball Running Advice Thread

I have Uggla locked into a contract at $17. Iannetta is $5.

How the league works is we draft minor leaguers for $7 to $1 depending on the round. When they hit the bigs, they are worth $7 and you have them at that price for two seasons. In that third season you can either release them, keep them for another season at $7 or sign them to a long-term binding deal. For example, I had Prince for three extra seasons at $17 per. This is a deal because he is a $45-$50 hitter in this league.

This is Uggla's last season for me.

 

I avoid keeping catchers unless you can get one of the elite options. Of course, that is easy for me to say with Joe Mauer on two teams and Victor Martinez on the other.

I would definitely rather have Uggla at $17 in an NL-only league.

 

Basic yahoo league, 5 keepers. Trying to pick 5 from this group. Our league has already had e-mail discussions about rule changes, etc.

Ubaldo Jiminez
Edwin Jackson
Pablo Sandoval
Aaron Hill
Jose Reyes
Ryan Zimmerman
Jayson Werth
Carlos Gonzalez
Shin Soo Choo
Kendry Morales
Mark Reynolds (forgot to add him, somehow)

Got more guys, obviously, like Lance Berkman, but I'll be dropping them back in the draft pool. Any suggestions?

 

It's tough without an idea of who's going to be available - especially with pitching - but I'd take:
Sandoval, Morales, Reyes, Hill, Werth.

 

Zimmerman in a heartbeat over Werth.

I know Werth gives you steals, but Zimm is 24 or 25 and his best work is yet to come.

 

thanks guys. I like Zimmerman and Werth, and think Aaron Hill's year last year was a fluke. I'm a huge Jiminez fan, but may have to hope he doesn't get picked up.


AND - I'm an idiot. Forgot to add Mark Reynolds in there. I'll do that now.

 

Keeping Hill would be a tough decision if it was my call. He likely had a career year, but you'd have to stick with him after that, right?

I'd go with Sandoval, Morales, Reyes, Hill and Zimmerman. Carlos Gonzalez is intriguing, too ... he really came on the second half.

 

No luck at all trying to trade one of those third basemen? I'd be trying like heck to get some value for Sandoval, Reynolds or Zimmerman because I'd hate to cut any of them. You could easily argue that they are three of your top four players, along with Reyes.

 

last year it helped me that Sandoval had catcher eligibility. I don't think he will this year.

 

I think you have to keep Reynolds , Zimmerman and Reyes. My problem with Morales and Sandoval is they're both young and unproven long term. Werth's more of the veteran in a killer lineup that gives him big counting stats. Like Reynolds, though, he'll give you a ton of Ks and pretty low OBP, OPS potential, which are big in my keeper league. Package Reynolds and Zimmerman if possible for Chase Utley then you can take a risk on a Sandoval and Werth.

 

Last year, I went from being league champ to the basement (injuries, two additional teams and new scoring format). I'll be damned if I don't return to the playoffs this year. I'm a big believer in that your first four picks are a major indicator of how well you'll do (but not the ultimate say). Here are mine from the last three years:

• 2009 (fourth of 12): Jose Reyes, Ian Kinsler, Nick Markakis, Nate McLouth
• 2008 (ninth of 10): Jake Peavy, Ryan Braun, Robinson Cano, Russell Martin
• 2007 (eighth of 10): Chase Utley, Lance Berkman, Jason Bay, Garrett Atkins

Is there a major flaw in my drafting that I'm just not seeing? I usually try to go with position scarcity first, then pick up my outfielders and first basemen later. Should I abandon that philosophy and just go after whoever the hell I think will score the most points?

(scoring: 1 pt per base--i.e. 1B = 1, 2B = 2, etc...--, 1 per run, RBI, walk and steal, -1 for every caught stealing, -0.5 for every whiff. For pitching, 1 pt per inning and strikeout, 3 per save, 5 per quality start and win, 7 per complete game, -0.5 per walk and hit, -2 per earned run and blown save, -3 per loss)

 

My advice is to PM spnited with all of your roster questions. Man knows his baseball.