MARDI GRAS MADNESS: Houston Steelers

Felipe M

We continue on our reviews for our fantasy baseball league, Mardi Gras Madness.  Please take some time to read about the Texas Power Drinkers. 

Next up is yet another team that hails from the largest state in the continental U.S.

WEST DIVISION--Houston Steelers (guessing from Houston, TX)

BATTING LINEUP

Like: Joey Votto is one of my personal favorite players.  I traded Votto to this team a few years ago for Ian Kinsler as I was looking for somebody at 2B to replace Chase Utley.  Tough trade to perform, but one that I felt I needed to do (I guessed it worked since I was the league runner-up last season).  One of the most dangerous hitters in the Majors, he is truly a fun player to watch at the plate.  And most of you know, by now, that Evan Longoria is one of my favorite players at 3B. Both Votto and Longoria will have to carry this team on offense for the majority of 2013.

Dislike: Josh Rutledge should not be starting in any Big League ballclub.  Don’t be fooled by most “experts” who declared his 2012 campaign as a “breakout year.”  Terrible plate discipline and a .306 on-base% does not make for a formidable fantasy player. And as much as I like Josh Reddick’s tenacity as a player, he is simply not a starting OF in fantasy right now.  The same can be said about Hunter Pence, who depends more on luck and hustle than actual skill.  Finally, Dayan Viciedo has the tools to be a really good hitter in the Majors, but outside of power, he has shown very little of anything else.  He’s had a really good spring so far, but it remains to be seen if he can streamline that success into the regular season.  Viciedo should be given a wait-and-see approach instead of being this team’s starting DH.  

2013 Hitting Projections
Player	Team	Pos	BB/K	AB/K	AB/HR	OBP	SLG	OPS	SB
Josh Reddick	Oakland	RF	0.38	4.38	22.60	0.314	0.458	0.773	8
Hunter Pence	San Francisco	RF	0.41	4.74	28.50	0.330	0.436	0.767	8
Dayan Viciedo	White Sox	LF	0.28	4.49	22.19	0.321	0.451	0.772	1

Look Out For: Reports out of Spring Training are mostly positive for Wilin Rosario, who needed to show improvements in his swing and defense coming into this season.  If his improvements are legit, he can be a real steal at the position.  Time is running out for Dustin Ackley, who at one point in his young career was bestowed as the next Chase Utley at his position.  Clearly, it’s a make or break year for Ackley as he’s had very little success during his time in the Majors. And as down as I was about Lorenzo Cain during the offseason, he had a very successful spring where he was putting a pounding on the ball.  Cain has been hyped up since making it to the Royals.  If Cain can live up to that hype, this team is looking pretty good for 2013.

Bench: There is no bench to speak of as the Steelers have overstocked on pitching.

PITCHING

Like: I’m a huge fan of Yu Darvish as I thought he should have been given the privilege to start Opening Day this season.  Also on the staff is Clayton Kershaw. Another lefty on the staff is Jonathon Niese who is the Mets’ #1 starter.  And if Yovani Gallardo can continue to drop his BB/9, then this team is looking like an intimidating foursome.  That’s not all, however: Jaime Garcia, Shelby Miller, Hyun-Jin Ryu provides this squad with good depth as well.

Dislike: Just not a big fan of Trevor Cahill as his pitch-to-contact style is marred by a high WHIP.  Instead of wasting a roster spot for Cahill, the team could’ve added depth to their batting lineup.

Bullpen: He was ready to start the season after the WBC, but Fernando Rodney does have a few concerns, mainly the 10^th worst BB/9 among closers.  But when he has everything working properly, he can be near unhittable in the 9^th inning.  Also coming out of the bullpen is Aroldis Chapman and his 100mph fastball. 

2013 Pitching Projections
Player	Team	K/BB	K/9	BB/9	H/9	WHIP	HR/9
Jon Niese	Mets	3.63	6.65	1.83	9.21	1.23	0.81
Yovani Gallardo	Milwaukee	2.90	9.18	3.16	7.93	1.23	1.11
Juan Nicasio	Colorado	3.24	8.13	2.51	8.62	1.24	1.15
Jose Quintana	White Sox	1.90	5.79	3.05	9.47	1.39	1.00

Look Out For: There’s a few candidates that make the list here: TylerSkaggs is part of a trio of young, pitching prospects that will be forever linked to each other (Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole are the other pitchers).  In stunning fashion, Jose Fernandez did indeed make the Big League club as the Marlins, because of injuries, had no choice, but to add him to the rotation.  Fernandez is the top prospect in the organization, per Baseball Prospectus.  Shelby Miller belongs on this list of young hurlers as well, but I’m really high on Miller’s ability.  

Also worth watching is Juan Nicasio as many think that he’ll be able to pitch like he did in 2011—if not, better.  Finally, Jose Quintana may not be the pitcher who we think he is as many publications are really high on this SP.  Quintana, projected to be a mediocre pitcher in 2013, has impressed many with his spring performance and have cited his minor league numbers as a sign of hope. 

PREDICTION: The pitching might be good enough to help this team make a playoff push, but the lack of depth in their batting lineup might be this team’s ultimate doom in 2013.  I just don’t understand the need to stockpile with 13 pitchers when it looks like 9 or 10 pitchers would suffice.  They are depending on too many gambles on offense and that’s just not the way to build a winner.

More fantasy baseball is available here. 

Check out the rest of the Mardi Gras Madness teams here. 

MAKING THE PITCH: Los Angeles Dodgers

Felipe M

We take a look at the projected starting rotations and closer situations of every MLB team.  Of course, this will come from a fantasy perspective.  All cited stats are based on 2013 projections. 

We marveled at how loaded the St. Louis Cardinals' pitching staff was.

The Los Angeles Dodgers also have depth, but in a different kind of way.  

2013 Pitching Projections
Player	Team	K/BB	K/9	BB/9	H/9	WHIP	HR/9
Zack Greinke	Los Angeles	3.89	8.83	2.27	7.47	1.08	0.83
Clayton Kershaw	Los Angeles	3.70	9.28	2.51	7.05	1.06	0.60
Hyun-Jin Ryu	Los Angeles	3.17	8.31	2.62	8.80	1.27	0.89
Josh Beckett	Los Angeles	2.84	7.68	2.70	8.79	1.28	1.01
Chad Billingsley	Los Angeles	2.30	7.53	3.27	8.56	1.32	0.71
Brandon League	Los Angeles	2.13	6.75	3.18	8.34	1.28	0.53

Clayton Kershaw is the best left-handed starting pitcher and the 2nd best overall pitcher coming into the 2013 season.  What more do you want to know?

The Korean southpaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu had himself a very productive spring, but it remains to be seen how he will produce and endure in the Big Leagues.  Predicting Major League success from pitchers coming from Japan, Korea, or other parts in Asia has often been a difficult task.  Ryu, however, seems to have a good, pitching repertoire.  Plus he's only 26 so perhaps his projections are not too far to reach.  I cautiously listed him as a 3rd Tier pitcher, behind Miguel Gonzalez.  He might be worth the risk if you decide to draft him ahead of other 3rd Tier pitchers like Homer Bailey, Jeremy Hellickson, and Joe Blanton.  

Josh Beckett is the pitcher that follows Ryu on the starting pitchers' list.  Even if Beckett can attain the projected stats, that's still not a bad season out of him.  Especially when you consider how disastrous he was last year.  

Chad Billingsley has seen very little action this spring because of a bruised right index finger.  There's even a risk of him starting the year on the DL.  A concern for a guy who failed to start in more than 30 games last year for the first time since 2007.  However, if he stays healthy, despite the high WHIP, he can still be a serviceable pitcher in fantasy leagues.  Walks will drive you nuts, but considering he posted a BB/9 of +4 in 2011, his projected BB/9 is actually an improvement from the righty who has struggled in that aspect throughout his career.

Speaking of injuries, Zack Greinke seems to be at 50/50 to start the season on time.  He is questionable as he's recovering from elbow inflammation.  Other recent reports indicate that he will be ready, so stay tuned.  When Greinke is healthy, he's definitely a top 10 pitcher.

The closer situation is a mess as the Dodgers will be going with Brandon League, but based on his projections, he may not be the right option for the job.  Out of all the current closers, League has the 4th worst K/BB.  Many think it's only a matter of time before Kenley Jansen will take over. Jansen has been compared to Craig Kimbrel--the best closer in baseball.  You might want to handcuff these two or roll the dice with Jansen if you need saves and are banking on the idea that League won't last long in that role.  This is a situation to keep a close eye on as the season progresses.

Finally, the Dodgers are definitely deep in pitching, but not necessarily in a good way as they all have issues that prevented them from being on the starting rotation.  Injuries to Greinke and Billingsley brings hope to these pitchers so it's worth listing them:

• Currently, Chris Capuano is listed as the #5 starter, but he comes with durability issues, advanced age, a disappointing finish in 2012, and is prone to giving up a lot of homeruns.
• Aaron Harang 
• Ted Lilly
• Both pitchers are getting up there in age and have seen some production decrease in the last few seasons or so.  Plus the Dodgers would prefer if they'd stay in the bullpen.
• Numerous pitching prospects, including Zach Lee. 

So as you can see, the Dodgers have depth in terms of pitchers that can step in and do the job, but they are not overwhelmingly, amazing options to place on a fantasy team.  They will have to wait for an injury to get their chance.

More MLB content is available here.