MARDI GRAS MADNESS: Halladay Holiday

Felipe M

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CENTRAL DIVISION—HALLADAY HOLIDAY (from Ontario, Canada)

BATTING LINEUP

Like: As I’ve explained before, I really like JoeMauer.  I’m also expecting a bounce-back year from Adrian Gonzalez.  JoshHamilton might be at ease this season as he leaves the pressure-cooker knows as the Texas Rangers, to the laid-back, stress-free Angels as he doesn’t have to be the main guy in the lineup any longer.

Player	Team	Pos	BB/K	AB/K	AB/HR	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
Josh Hamilton	Anaheim	LF/CF	0.39	4.06	16.72	0.350	0.533	0.882	7

Dislike: Is there more annoying player than Brett Lawrie in terms of real life and fantasy production?  And even though he will be playing DH, Justin Morneau smells more like a “homer” pick than a suitable hitter in fantasy baseball at this moment of his career.  Another “homer” pick, Emilio Bonifacio, might rack up the steals, but his low on-base% and poor approach at the plate is just a poor combination in a points’ league.  As much as I want to like Justin Upton, I’m not convinced that he will put his fantasy club over-the-top. 

Look Out For: JasonKipnis is a spark-plug at 2B.  He can steal 20+ bases and hit for 15+. 

BENCH: The team, inexplicably, has two 2B on the club: Daniel Murphy and Neil Walker.  Eventually, Curtis Granderson will take over CF, but will it be too late?

PITCHING

Like: The team’s namesake, Roy Halladay is one of the most durable and effective starters in today’s game.  The rest of the staff looks like my team from the past: Jake Peavy, Brandon Morrow, Josh Johnson.  They also have Cy Young Award winner, David Price.

Player	Team	K/BB	K/9	BB/9	H/9	WHIP	HR/A
Roy Halladay	Philadelphia	5.18	7.84	1.51	8.47	1.11	0.89
David Price	Tampa	3.38	8.88	2.63	7.58	1.13	0.71
Brandon Morrow	Toronto	2.83	8.90	3.15	8.08	1.25	1.02
Josh Johnson	Toronto	2.75	8.03	2.92	7.79	1.19	0.60

Dislike: The rest of the pitching staff is stacked with relievers.  See below.

Look Out For: I was ready to pick up Gerrit Cole and insert him into my Minor League slot, but noticed that he was all ready on this team.  Armed with a fastball that can run up to 100mph, as soon as he gets called up, he will provide even more depth to this club.

BULLPEN: He took my advice on handcuffing Casey Janssen with Sergio Santos.  He also picked up Sergio Romo who has a history of injuries, but proved himself as a legit closer in 2012.  Unfortunately, he also picked up set up RP, Kenley Jansen and struggling rookie, Bruce Rondon; he has yet to be officially named the closer in Detroit. 

PREDICTION: Out of all the owners in our draft on Sunday, Halladay Holiday struggled the most as they were victims of the shoddy, draft module on Sunday night.  Still, he did a good job in setting up a decent batting lineup to support what can potentially be a formidable pitching staff.  Unfortunately, this team looks more like a roto-league or a head-to-head roto-style league.  We don’t give points for holds.  And saves are unpredictable to depend on.  It might end up costing him a playoff spot in 2013. 

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