MARDI GRAS MADNESS: Texas Sooner

Felipe M

I continue to preview my head-2-head fantasy points' baseball keeper league.  The last team reviewed was team Halladay Holiday. 

Up next is a strong contender for the 2013 league championship.

CENTRAL DIVISION—TEXAS SOONER (out of Texas)

BATTING LINEUP

Like: I make no secret as to how much I like Ben Zobrist’s game: patience, pop, and versatility made him a much, sought-after commodity in drafts this season.  Aramis Ramirez, despite concerns with age and boom-and-bust tendencies, still makes him a legit option at the hot corner.  I also like Freddie Freeman’s game and I expect big things from him in 2013.  Shin-Soo Choo also came in this year with many concerns, but a new environment in a new league should be the remedy to make Choo a relevant name in fantasy.

2013 Hitting Projections
Player	Team	Pos	BB/K	AB/K	AB/HR	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
Ben Zobrist	Tampa	2B/SS/RF	0.81	5.07	29.45	0.373	0.462	0.835	16
Aramis Ramirez	Milwaukee	3B	0.56	7.08	21.24	0.346	0.506	0.852	4
Freddie Freeman	Atlanta	1B	0.49	4.35	21.65	0.359	0.484	0.843	3

Dislike: Ichiro Suzuki and Austin Jackson in the starting OF might prove to be an Achilles’ heel.  I’m also not a fan of starting two SS’s.  Bad enough that the enigmatic Starlin Castro is slotted at that position, but Elvis Andrus was not born to be a fantasy, DH hitter. 

Look Out For: There’s a few names to mention here: Currently, Mike Napoli is starting at Catcher, but Mariners’ prospect, Mike Zunino might get called up sooner than many of us think as he begins his baseball career at Triple-A.  Jackie Bradley has been highly hyped this spring and is on the verge of making the Red Sox opening day squad.  Finally, Pablo Sandoval has elbow issues, but if he overcomes the injury, he can provide much needed offensive power that the Sooner is currently lacking at the moment.

BENCH: The only other player to mention is Carlos Correa, the #1 pick in the 2012 draft.  He will start his career in Class-A.  Might be a while.

PITCHING

Like: Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg: what more can I say?  Check out their stats below.

2013 Pitching Projections
Player	Team	K/BB	K/9	BB/9	H/9	WHIP	HR/A
Justin Verlander	Detroit	3.93	9.23	2.35	7.31	1.07	0.77
Stephen Strasburg	Washington	4.42	10.91	2.47	7.27	1.08	0.79

Other pitchers worth noting: Homer Bailey as he seems to finally be refined enough to be an adequate pitcher in fantasy leagues.  Not a stud like he was expected to be, but he’s legit enough to warrant a spot; Anibal Sanchez and Mike Minor are excellent in support of Verlander and Strasburg.  Even C.J. Wilson will bring something to the table despite the low BB/9.  And having A.J. Burnett and Matt Harrison at the backend of the rotation is insane.  Not really a fan of Harrison, but as a spot starter in a points’ league, he is definitely a luxury.  This could possibly be the best starting staff in the league.

Dislike: Not a fan of Glen Perkins.  His low K/9 makes him an underwhelming choice for a closer.  Also, of all the closers out there, he has the 8^th worst, HR/9 rate.  Wei-Yin Chen—I’ve been preaching all spring: beware of this guy!  He is prone to give up plenty of long balls and a high 1.28 WHIP makes him not worth the headache that he will provide you.  But on a deep rotation like this, he may be worth the gamble, but considering the issues on offense that this team has, I would highly consider dropping Chen for a hitter.

Bullpen: Not only does this team have the two best right-handed pitchers in the game, but they also have the best closer in Craig Kimbrel.  He’s near automatic in the 9^th inning and almost unhittable. 

PREDICTION: The pitching staff is loaded and enough to carry the team to a championship.  The offense is lacking a consistent source of power and it might cost them late in the season, but it might be steady enough to prove to be adequate for much of the season.  They definitely need to find an upgrade for LF and CF and it might cost them in a title run, but a strong pitching staff has proven to be just enough to win a league title.  A better offense would increase their chances.  

More fantasy baseball is available here. 

CATCH!: 2013 Early Pre-Rankings--3B

Will Longoria stay healthy this season?
(photo courtesy of Mike McCann's Field of Fotos)

Felipe M

Catchers can be seen, here.

1B are located here.

2B are available here. 

SS are ready to view here. 

TOP TIER

1. Miguel Cabrera: MVP, Triple-Crown Winner: what more can be said?

2. Adrian Beltre: He will be 34 this year.  He can still rake, however. Should be good for another 30/100 season.

3. David Wright: Mr. Met is a solid player to have at this position.  He can even steal 15+ bases.  The difference between him and Beltre is that the latter has slightly better contact skills.

4. Evan Longoria: So young and full of talent.  If only he could stay healthy.  If he does stay healthy, you can expect a 30/100 season, .300 average, and a .935 OPS.

5. Ryan Zimmerman: Just like Longoria, Zimmerman is starting to get a reputation of being injury-proned.  However, when healthy, he can provide plenty of power and just enough contact on the ball to help with the batting average.

SECOND TIER

6. Aramis Ramirez: At 35, we know what we're getting in Ramirez.  He also has a reputation for being a slow-starter and/or a player who seems to produce the most when the pressure is off of him.  He can be very productive, nonetheless.

7. Chase Headley: Last year, around this time, many projected Headly to hit 10 homeruns,   SLG% .392, and an OPS of .742.  He ended up with 30 homers, SLG% .498, and produce an OPS of .875.  I don't think he'll go on that power surge again, but Petco is supposed to move in their fences.  He is also good for 15 stolen bases.  20/90 and .820 OPS is more realistic.

8. Brett Lawrie: A lot of publications have Lawrie in this slot, but be forewarned: he's still undergoing development.  A lot of the hype comes from his untapped potential and 20/20 projections, but he still is undisciplined at the plate and had a groundball rate of 51% in 2012.   He does provide solid contact skills, but needs to provide more power. 

9. Hanley Ramirez: We've mentioned how much of a headache Hanley can be on our SS list.  Depending on what you need, he can still be a 25/25 player, but provides relatively low on-base% and OPS.

10. Pablo Sandoval: The World Series MVP will be on high demand in most drafts this year.  However, there are some concerns with this "Panda": injuries, playing for the Giants and their massive ballpark, and his weight.  Despite those concerns, Sandoval is only 26 and ready to enter his prime years and has the ability to hist 25+ homers and provide massive OPS.  

11. Martin Prado: Probably the "safest" player on the list: he's versatile, garners lots of at bats, and has great patience at the plate, and superior contact skills.  He won't provide much power, but he does have on-base skills and can still be a 15/15 player.

THIRD TIER

The rest of the field:

• Kevin Youkilis
• David Freese
• Todd Frazier
• Kyle Seager
• Will Middlebrooks
• Michael Young
• Mike Moustakas
• Manny Machado

Keep an eye on:

• Lonnie Chisenhall
• Matt Dominguez
• Nolan Arenado

More MLB content is available here.