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Fantasy Baseball » Hitters
Hits: 125  0 |
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Positives/Upside:
Kubel was excellent last season, chalking up sterling numbers in HR, avg and RBI. The Twins improved their line-up this season, so Kubel could see an improvement in his noticeably low run total (73 in 2009). .300-80-30-105-0 in 560 AB |
Negatives/Downside:
Doesn't offer any speed and could lose some playing time if Thome ever catches fire. .275-70-23-95-0 in 500 AB |
Analysis:
Kubel is starting to show the promise which made him one of Minnesota's top prospects just a few years back. He'll split time at DH with Jim Thome and will play the rest of the games in the OF. He's now entering his prime and should make a really nice OF3 or OF4 for any fantasy team. .285-75-25-100-0 in 530 AB |
| Recommended Draft Position: 122 |
Recommendation: Buy at cost |
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Fantasy Baseball » Hitters
Hits: 78 0 |
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Positives/Upside:
Damon will rack up some steals at the top of the Tigers line-up and should still score a decent amount of runs. He's a career .288 hitter and should provide some help there, too. .285-95-18-70-20 in 550 AB |
Negatives/Downside:
He's no longer playing in New York, which not only gave him line-up protection, but a stadium that was set up to his strengths. .270-80-10-55-10 in 480 AB |
Analysis:
Damon's 2009 resurgence may be lost to time now that he's in Detorit and out of the bandbox that is the new Yankee Stadium. Playing in an inferior Tigers line-up will direct impact the amount RBI and runs he'll produce. Without the short porch in right-field, look for a dip in his power totals too. He'll still provide some speed and average help, but don't expect another top-40 season out of him. .275-90-15-65-15 in 530 AB |
| Recommended Draft Position: 130 |
Recommendation: Only at a discount |
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Fantasy Baseball » Hitters
Hits: 76 0 |
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Positives/Upside:
After an absolutely horrendous start, Ortiz turned things around and proved that he is not quite done yet. Clearly his days of being a star are over, but Papi is still a reliable source of big numbers in the power categories. His 28 homeruns and 99 RBI last season are nothing to sneeze at. |
Negatives/Downside:
He has become injury prone and prone to long slumps. In other words, he's getting old. He is no longer capable of being anything more than a source of fairly cheap homeruns and RBI. His average has dropped almost 100 points the past two seasons, and doesn't seem likely to climb too much in 2010. |
Analysis:
If in the mid rounds you are in dire need of some power, Ortiz can provide it. However, his average will likely hurt you, and it seems inevitable that it all ends in spectacular crash and burn style for Big Papi. If you do draft/buy him, you'd better hope the wheels don't come off in 2010. .265-75-25-90-0 in 460 at bats |
| Recommended Draft Position: 198 |
Recommendation: Only at a discount |
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Fantasy Baseball » Hitters
Hits: 101 0 |
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Positives/Upside:
Over a full 162 games Matsui will be an above average player in runs, average, RBI, and HR. Hitting in the middle of a speedy Angels line-up Matsui will have the change to drive in close to 100 runs. |
Negatives/Downside:
Durability and age. Matsui will be the primary DH in LA and that should help keep his injuries under wraps for a little while, but any DL stint will cost him more games than some of the younger Angels` players. |
Analysis:
If Hideki Matsui can stay healthy, he'll knock in 90+ runs and hit 25 HR in the middle of this line-up. He'll only qualify at DH, which massively hurts his value, but he can be a cheap source of power coming out of your utility spot. |
| Recommended Draft Position: 255 |
Recommendation: Go the extra dollar |
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Fantasy Baseball » Hitters
Hits: 74 0 |
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Positives/Upside:
Even in an off year with terrible team, Cust was able to garner .240-88-25-70-4. 513ABs which aside from the average is usable in pretty much any league. If Kurt Suzuki can repeat his fine year with Ryan Sweeney and Daric Baton getting on base the way they did the second half, Cust could post some numbers. .250-90-30-80-4. 550ABs |
Negatives/Downside:
Another year older and the strikeouts are still dangerously high. Hitters like this fall off the table very quickly and Cust now faces competition for playing time. .235-60-23-55-1. 425ABs |
Analysis:
Cust, the one-and-a-half dimensional slugger was allowed to test the free agent market before being brought back to the Athletics this spring. It was an odd piece of theatre with the glut of older sluggers on the market with no obvious defensive position, Cust attracted little interest and came back to the A's but only after the A's had acquired Jake Fox from the Cubs. Fox is a younger Cust, with impressive minor league credentials, a defensive liability where he is on the field and some questions as to whether he can hit for average.
Cust did what he basically does every year, which is strikeout too much, hit for power and get on base. You know it is bad when you strike out worse than one-in-three, yet improve of your career best by five points.
There's no real reason to expect anything different, but perhpas a little less of it with Jake Fox on board. .240-75-25-70-1. 450ABs |
| Recommended Draft Position: 290 |
Recommendation: Buy at cost |
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Fantasy Baseball » Hitters
Hits: 63 0 |
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Positives/Upside:
Playing DH full time and now playing in Texas could propel Vladdy back to the 20-25 HR range. He could challenge 80+ RBI in this line-up as well. |
Negatives/Downside:
His average has gone down four straight seasons and should continue that trend in 2010. He won't steal bases anymore and this lack of speed may also deflate his run totals. |
Analysis:
etting to play at DH will only do Vladdy favors -- his knees may be the only ones in baseball that can rival Ken Griffey’s for lack of cartilage. Guerrero still has some pop left in his bat, but everything that used to make him a fantasy superstar (the average, the steals) are gone. Don’t get duped by name recognition. |
| Recommended Draft Position: 142 |
Recommendation: Only at a discount |
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Fantasy Baseball » Hitters
Hits: 93 0 |
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Positives/Upside:
Power. Scott's power should lead to a nice total in HR and RBI. In deeper leagues, Scott can really help you late in drafts. |
Negatives/Downside:
Playing time and average. Scott struggles to find everyday at-bats, and even when he does, he enjoys striking out most of the time. |
Analysis:
If Luke Scott can see regular playing time at DH, he'll challenge 30 HR. He'll hit .250ish but won't kill you in R or RBI. He's a nice, cheap power add in a deeper leagues. |
| Recommended Draft Position: 307 |
Recommendation: Buy at cost |
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Fantasy Baseball » Hitters
Hits: 75 0 |
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Positives/Upside:
As a 31-year old rookie, Ruiz showed a flare for the long ball. If he can find regular at-bats, he could be an excellent, cheap source of power. |
Negatives/Downside:
Playing time. Ruiz will start the year coming off the bench, which basically kills his value. |
Analysis:
If the hulking Randy Ruiz can replace Lyle Overbay at first base sometime this season, he could slug 25 HR, but he'll start the year in a bench role. Keep an eye on his situation as the season progresses. |
| Recommended Draft Position: 615 |
Recommendation: Buy at cost |
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