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. 

MAKING THE PITCH: Atlanta Braves

#Braves Hudson on first outing of spring:: "Didn’t blow anything out, didn’t limp off the mound. So that’s always a good day.”
— David O'Brien (@ajcbraves) February 22, 2013

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. 

For our review of the Arizona Diamondbacks, click here. 

We'll take a look at the Atlanta Braves today.

PROBABLE STARTING ROTATION

1. Kris Medlen
• Good: Has been compared to Greg Maddux. Impressive down the stretch in 2012.  His projected numbers scream "ELITE!"
• Bad: Very small sample size to go with.  Medlen is 28, so he's not a young phenom.  Questions loom regarding projected numbers being fact or fiction.
2. Tim Hudson
• Good: You know exactly what you're getting from Hudson at this point of his career.  He pitches to contact, and highly depends on defense to get him through his starts, but will not hurt himself by allowing too many hits or homers.  His BB/9 is a low 2.68.  
• Bad: Very low K/9 of 5.86.  He will turn 38 in July.
3. Mike Minor
• Good: K/9 of 8.31. Keeps walks and hits to a minimum.  Pitched great in the 2nd half of 2012.
• Bad: Homerun rate is a bit high (1.19), but as mentioned, hard to tell if this is a pattern with Minor, or if he can streamline late success from last season into 2013.
4. Paul Maholm
• Good: Might be a better pitcher than Hudson with a little bit of luck.  He has a slightly, higher H/9 (8.81) and HR/9 (.79) than the veteran Hudson.  6.20 K/9 is not too shabby.
• Bad: WHIP of 1.26 might hurt Roto-leaguers, but it might drop if he can somehow limit the base-hits he gives up.
5. Julio Teheran
• Good: Has been described as the next Pedro Martinez. Will be given every chance to break camp as the 5th starter.  So far, has pitched better this spring than in 2012.  Solid K/9 of 6.45.  
• Bad: Projections show a K/BB of 1.65 and a H/9 of 8.83, which inflates his WHIP to 1.42.  He's still worth a flier to fill out the rest of your rotation on potential alone.

CLOSER

1. Craig Kimbrel
• Good: Might be the best closer in baseball.  He's near unhittable, especially when it comes to home runs.  K/BB of 5.22 and a K/9 of 15.88 (incredibly high!).   He's expected to have a WHIP of 1.06. 
• Bad: Very tough to figure out any weakness for this guy.  Perhaps the fact that hard-throwing teammate, Jonny Venters, can supplant him if Kimbrel stumbles.  However, the Braves are "listening" to offers from other teams for Venters.  

FANTASY ADVICE

The Braves have themselves a solid pitching staff.  They won't hurt themselves with too many mistakes and can keep their walks in checks.  Even the young, unproven Teheran is an intriguing option if he continues to impress in spring training.  

Oh yes; this list isn't even mentioning Brandon Beachy who should be back by late June or sooner.  Just be careful in overvaluing these guys.  Minor, Teheran, and Medlen are young and still unproven and may fall short of their projections.  Conversely, however, the opposite also holds true; they may super-exceed their projections this season as well.  

More MLB content is available here.  

MAKING THE PITCH: Arizona Diamondbacks

Kennedy will start on Opening Day for D-backs on.si.com/YtdkL4
— SI MLB (@si_mlb) February 25, 2013

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.

For our review on the Angels' pitching staff, click here. 

We'll take a look at the Arizona Diamondbacks.  

PROBABLE STARTING ROTATION

1. Ian Kennedy
• Good: Has ability to strikeout hitters and keeps walks to a minimum (3.26 K/BB). Very durable pitcher.
• Bad: WHIP of 1.25 is too high for a starting pitcher who's supposed to be an "Ace."  
2. Trevor Cahill
• Good: Cheap source of strikeouts (K/9 6.71) and won't hurt you with the long ball.
• Bad: He is still a "pitch-to-contact" hurler.  The problem comes with a 3.24 BB/9 which is a tolerable number, but aggregate that with his H/9 (8.55) and it equals to an unforgiving WHIP of 1.31.
3. Brandon McCarthy
• Good: 3.57 K/BB is really good considering he won't strike out a lot of batters.  No concerns about his control either (1.71 BB/9) and like Cahill, he won't hurt you with the homer runs allowed.
• Bad: Unfortunately, like Cahill, he's depends a lot more on his defense to get him outs.  That dependency means a high H/9 of 9.11.
4. Wade Miley
• Good: Pretty similar numbers to McCarthy, but with a better chance of getting more K's.
• Bad: Just like McCarthy, however, he depends on contact to get him through innings, which makes for a H/9 projection of 8.91.
5. Tyler Skaggs
• Good: Is getting  a legit shot to break camp on the Big League roster as the D'backs try to justify shipping Trevor Bauer to Cleveland. Potential to post a respectable K/9 of 7.36.
• Bad: Despite the raw potential, he's still a young pitcher trying to figure out the Majors.  Projections suggest an approximate BB/9 of 3.68 and H/9 8.69 which should result in a high WHIP of 1.38.  

CLOSER

1. J.J. Putz
• Good: Might not be a big name, but when Putz is healthy and on his 'A' game, he's near-dominant when he gets the ball in the 9th.  K/BB of 5.82 is just sick.  Better than Craig Kimbrel's projected K/BB (5.22).
• Bad: Elbow and back issues from last season is a slight concern.  He'll be 37 this year.

FANTASY ADVICE

The D'backs stockpiled on starting pitchers that can keep the walks to a minimum, but also have unspectacular strikeout potential along with a need to pitch to contact: contact that results in a lot of base hits and rising WHIP.  Ian Kennedy is a safe bet, but should not be depended to be the ace of your pitching staff.  McCarthy, Miley can be trusted in the middle of your rotation and even Cahill has value at the backend of your team's rotation/spot starter.

As far as Putz goes, unless another injury slows him down this spring, even at his advanced age, he's still a legit closer (see Mariano Rivera) and should be drafted as your #1 source for saves.  

More MLB content is available here.