2010 Fantasy Baseball Running Advice Thread

I'm still considering removing Manny for Quentin, but I'm leaning toward Jackson, too. He faded late, but the ability is there and the switch to the NL should help.

 

One of my favorite things about fantasy baseball is taking fliers on prospects/young MLB players near the end. That said, who do you like as late-round sleepers?

I can see myself taking Homer Bailey, Kyle Blanks, Travis Snider and a few others in the final round or two.

 

I like Bailey, too. His velocity was up last year and he really looked like he was finally putting it all together late.

I'm not sure if Carlos Gonzalez even counts as taking a flier because he is on so many sleeper lists, but he may slip through in some leagues. Jaon Heyward is another one. The Braves seem like they might be ready to let him start from opening day and he is a fantastic talent.

 

I drafted Travis Snider last year, then released him during the first week of the season to pick up Adam Lind. That worked out OK.

 

I drafted Snider in the 23rd round last year. The guy after me picked up Lind. FML

Also, I saw ESPN's mock draft and was wondering if anyone else sees Matt Kemp as a first-rounder? He's good and all, but a top 10-or-12? Not quite sure.

 

You could name the 30/30 threats in MLB on one hand. He came four homers shy of that with a .300 average last season. The only reason I wouldn't consider him in the first round - and this is me playing devil's advocate - is because there's lots of quality outfielders to choose from. Although you could say the same thing about Pujols and first base.

I think he's a no-brainer first rounder.

 

I'm in a 12-team keeper league where we can keep 4-6 guys. I've got Felix Hernandez as my No. 1 pitcher, but is Rick Porcello a definite keeper? He's only 21, but the strikeout numbers (89 in 170.2 IP) --- which weren't great his one year in the minors, either --- are a bit worrisome to me.

 

Definitely a keeper for ratios and wins. He'll never be a strikeout guy. Had 72 in 125 High-A innings before joining Detroit. He's a ground-ball guy, but could change later on. Most people don't remember that Halladay never had a high strikeout rate until 2008.

 

Yeah, I think it was 3-4 years before Ben Sheets really became a strikeout guy as well ...

 

Not quite the same thing. Halladay's K rate went from slightly above average (6-7 per 9 innings) to fantastic (though he did have problems missing bats in the minors). Sheets did the same thing (except he was pretty good in the minors)

Porcello is a completely different animal. His strikeout rates aren't just unimpressive, they are downright problematic. That said, he's so good at everything else that I'd still keep him.

 

Porcello was eighth among MLB pitchers with min. of 140 IP in groundball/flyball ratio: http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/pitching/_/sort/groundToFlyRatio/type/expanded-2/minip/140

His K/9 rate was pretty bad (4.69). I think an "average" starter should usually sit somewhere between 6 and 7, although secondary skills, like inducing ground balls, obviously makes up for it.

That said, even Chien-Ming Wang eventually got his K rate to above 6 last season. So I'd imagine Porcello will get there with time. He's still filling out, after all.

 

Depends who else you have. I don't think of him as somebody I would keep if I only have 4-6 spots. What are your options?