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: Tampa Rays

Longoria gets that loooong-term deal w/#Rays, & David Price looks on with envy. "Absolutely," Price says cbsprt.co/Wi12q9
— Scott Miller (@ScottMCBS) March 11, 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.   

To see our preview of the Texas Rangers, click here. 

Now let's take a quick look at the Tampa Rays: 

2013 PITCHING PROJECTIONS
Player	K/BB	K/9	BB/9	H/9	WHIP	HR/A
David Price	3.38	8.88	2.63	7.58	1.13	0.71
Jeff Niemann	2.38	7.01	2.95	8.19	1.24	0.89
Matt Moore	2.67	9.31	3.49	7.79	1.25	0.94
Jeremy Hellickson	2.22	6.97	3.14	8.17	1.26	1.02
Alex Cobb	2.13	6.80	3.19	8.48	1.30	0.78
Fernando Rodney	2.35	8.58	3.66	6.75	1.16	0.56

As you can see, the projections are ranked from lowest to highest WHIP.  Fernando Rodney is the projected closer. The main concern for Rodney is that his 2012 numbers were so unexpected when you consider the last few seasons prior to 2012, that it's hard to imagine him repeating those numbers in 2013.  Currently, I have him ranked ahead of Glen Perkins as a 2nd tier closer.  His K/9 is too low to consider him a top-notch closer and his BB/9 is identical to Kyuji Fujikawa's.  WHIP is also similar to the weird and wild Chris Perez.   However, Rodney is coming off a successful WBC appearance and says he's more than ready to go for the start of 2013.

If Chris Perez is an important part of your bullpen, your bullpen better not be important.
— jeffpearlman (@jeffpearlman) March 18, 2013

Currently, opening day starter, David Price is listed in my top 10 starting pitchers' list (for now).  His numbers are absolutely dominant.  There's a reason why he's the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner.  

Jeremy Hellickson is listed as the #2 starter as the Rays go lefty-righty for the first 4 spots of their rotation.  So far, he's had mixed results this spring.  His numbers don't look very impressive, but even though he's 26, he still has some untapped upside.  Then again, if Hellickson's name wasn't attached to his potential, he would basically be Jason Hammel. Owners will reach for the once, highly-touted prospect, but beware of the hype.

So far, Matt Moore has struggled with control this spring.  But the potential to dominate hitters, based on his K/9 and the fact that he will only be 24 this season, makes him worthy of the risk despite control issues that have haunted him since 2012.  Currently, Moore is right on the border between 2nd and 3rd tier pitcher, just ahead of fellow lefty, Gio Gonzalez.

Meanwhile, Alex Cobb has turned a successful finish to his 2012 campaign into a good spring so far.  1.30 WHIP makes him a risk to draft too early, but Cobb is a candidate to actually exceed his projections.  He is currently ranked between Matt Harvey and Brett Myers.

Jeff Niemann is still in a battle with the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona.  Both are having solid springs.  We all know what "Carmona" is capable of: low strikeout totals, lots of groundballs.  Some issues with control and command.  On the other hand, Niemann is all over the place.  He has history of low strikeout totals, mediocre K/BB, and giving up the long ball.  However, even though he's proven to have a hard time staying healthy, he's actually been improving in the last two seasons (sans the homerun rate in 2012).  Though he only made 8 starts, 2012 was actually a "success" as he improved his K/9 (8.1) and K/BB (2.83).  He also posted his lowest WHIP in his Major League career (1.10).  I've always had faith in Niemann and hopefully, if he wins that 5th spot, he can finally pitch like he's supposed to.  

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