MARDI GRAS MADNESS: Balls Out

This team will have to depend on bullpen help,
including the great Mariano Rivera.
(photo courtesy of Mike McCann)

Felipe M

Before I move on to the next team, I probably should explain a little something about this league.  Mardi Gras Madness began back in 2002 as a fantasy baseball keeper league.  Currently, we keep 7 players from the season before and hold an annual, 15-round draft.  Out of the 22 players in our roster, we need to start 9 hitters (C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF, CF, RF, DH) and 7 pitchers (any combination of SP and RP).  It is a  weekly, head-2-head, fantasy points league.  The team with the highest score at the end of a given week, wins that game.

The previous team I reviewed was Halladay Holiday. 

The next team we'll review finish the 2012 season with the best record and most points in the league, but was eliminated by yours truly:

EAST DIVISION—BALLS OUT (out of Southern California)

BATTING LINEUP

Like: Miguel Cabrera, Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton, David Wright, Robinson Cano, Jose Reyes; This team is stacked!  They also have Brian McCann waiting to come back from injury.  In the meantime, Alex Avila will take over duties at the backstop.  Even Melky Cabrera, who is a bust on many publications’ lists, can still come back from suspension and produce decent numbers this season.

Dislike: Recently acquired Mark Trumbo is a headache waiting to happen as his all-or-nothing approach might work, but in most weeks his strikeouts will lead to a lot of low scores on a weekly basis. 

Look Out For: MiguelSano is supposed to be the next Miguel Cabrera. 

BENCH: Vernon Wells might see his value increase a bit with the Yankees, but something tells me he won’t be on this squad for very long. 

PITCHING

Like: Jered Weaver is a great fit for this team, but he might have to carry the starters on his own. 

Dislike: Because of a high dependence on closers, the only other starters on this team are Mark Buehrle, Julio Teheran, and Tommy Hanson.  Buehrle pitches batting practice at times, Teheran, although had Braves staff marveling at his spring, is still a young, unpredictable pitcher, and Hanson’s walk rate will drive this team nuts.

Look Out For: DylanBundy has been getting hype all offseason long.  Also, look out for Ryan Madson as he should be ready sometime during the season and help this team rack up the saves.

Only a matter of time before Carlos Marmol's days
as a closer are over
(photo courtesy of Sharon P. Mancia)

BULLPEN: Because of Madson’s injury, this team went on and took my advice as they handcuffed him to Ernesto Frieri creating another satisfied customer.  Joe Nathan, despite my concerns, is still a solid closer.  Mariano Rivera is still the best in history.  Rafael Betancourt has proven himself as a dependable closer, but there’s rumors spreading that he will eventually become a contender’s setup man.  Carlos Marmol is terrible.

PREDICTION: Even for a fantasy team, this squad’s batting lineup is like some sort of Dream Team.  However, getting all of those top-tier position players forced this club to depend on closers to make up the majority of their pitching staff.  For every good closer, he went out and acquired shaky 9^th inning men with the only dependable SP, Weaver.  In our league’s history, depending on a pitching staff full of closers is a questionable proposition and might end up costing this squad a shot at repeating as league champions.  

More fantasy baseball is available here. 

CATCH!: 2013 Early Pre-Rankings--CF

How far down will Curtis Granderson drop on this list?

Felipe M

LF pre-rankings are available here. 

GREEN = on my keeper team.

TOP TIER

1. Andrew McCutchen: The time is now for "Cutch" to take over the top spot at CF after waiting patiently for his turn to arrive.  I don't even have to explain myself on this one.  With respect to Mike Trout's raw abilities and skills, McCutchen, at this stage of his career, is the more complete hitter and, therefore, occupies this year's top spot at center.  

2. Matt Kemp: With all due respect to Trout, it's hard to ignore a guy who is projected to produce an OPS of .907 (per ESPN).  By comparison, Trout is projected by the worldwide leader to obtain an OPS of .823.  

3. Mike Trout: There he is!  This year, Trout is projected to produce an OPS of, on average, .871.  He's also needs to work on his approach at the plate.  Perhaps if I were solely just concentrating on Roto-style ball, I would consider putting Trout at #1 (27 homers/48 steals), but I have to consider his unpolished discipline at the plate for the players who have to take strikeouts and on-base% into effect.  "Cutch" and Kemp are projected to have a higher on-base% for 2013.  

4. Josh Hamilton: Projected to have better power production than Trout, Hamilton is even less disciplined at the plate than Trout and also comes with plenty of baggage (injuries, off-the-field issues, etc.).  However, new team with established stars on the club should make him a happier, even more productive hitter. 

SECOND TIER

5. Bryce Harper: Could possibly be a 25/25 guy, but, like Trout, he needs to improve his discipline at the plate.  Harper is still developing his game despite making an All-Star appearance and winning Rookie of the Year honors.  That's a scary thought to have a player that's established like Harper, yet is still in the process of improving to greater heights.  

6. Adam Jones: I gave up on Jones a long time ago.  Even as his power finally developed as promised, it's hard to ignore his terrible discipline at the plate.  However, his adequate contact rate helps him get on base and provide a very heatlhy batting average.  He'll also throw in 15 stolen bases.

Yoenis Cespedes turned out to be as good as advertised.

7. Yoenis Cespedes: I attempted to draft Cespedes in the draft last year, but he went one spot ahead of me in the 6th round (which really is the 13th round in our league after taking into account the 7 keepers one must keep).  He can easily be a 25/25 player at his best in 2013 and his adequate contact rate keeps him at a steady batting average.  If he can imrpove on his discipline, he can easily be an elite player at his position. 

8. Jacoby Ellsbury: He can easily be an elite player with his speed/power combo, but injuries have forced owners to look elsewhere for healthier alternatives.  ESPN is calling his injuries "fluky," but a player that plays hard like Ellsbury needs to understand how to pace himself as well.  There's a thin line between being a "hustling" player and being "Eric Byrnes"--a guy who just goes at full speed just for the sake of showing his manager that he can go full speed at all times.  Ellsbury is not a scrub like Byrnes.  But he does need to be healthy to produce and be on the field to produce the monster numbers that we know he can attain.  

9. Curtis Granderson: I was ready to relegate Granderson into THIRD TIER status, but it's very hard to drop him out of the top 10 at the position.  I despise the fact that he has terrible plate discipline and strikeout totals, but sometimes those counting stats are so impressive, that all other stats that gauge a player's contact/hit, and patience can be thrown out the window.  As long as Granderson plays at Yankee Stadium, we can forgive him for being a quasi-all-or-nothing hitter.  He is projected to miss the enitre month of May.

10. B.J. Upton: And then there's the overrated Upton.  The counting stats are great, but even Roto players will be pulling their hair at his awful batting average.  His low contact rate, poor discipline, and laughable on-base% would make him practically useless in Head-2-Head/Points' leagues if it wasn't for the fact that his 30/30 capabilities can provide for an explosive outburst of production from time to time.  

THIRD TIER

The rest of the field: 

• Austin Jackson (with a terrible approach at the plate and a high strikeout rate, how he is able to project to have a .348 on-base% is beyond me)
• Desmond Jennings (still needs to figure it out at the plate, but when he gets on base, he can fly)
• Alejandro De Aza (adequate contact rate and can actually get on-base and provide 25+ stolen bases and 10+ homeruns).
• Angel Pagan (modest on-base% is made up by good discipline and contact rate. Can get you 30 stolen bases)
• Shane Victorino (age and decrease in production is a concern, but still a solid play with a projected respectable on-base% of .337 and 28 steals).
• Dexter Fowler (potential 15/15 player, but very impatient at the plate. Projected OPS of .812 is not too shabby though)
• Michael Bourn (adequate contact rate will help him achieve projection of 45 stolen bases)
• Carlos Gomez (15/30 player, but terrible on-base skills will hurt in both Roto and Points' leagues alike)
• Coco Crisp (decent patience and contact skills will should mean an improved batting average and on-base% alike. Power seems to be waning, but is still a good source of steals)

Keep an eye on:

• Adam Eaton (Until I see that he has "officially" won a starting spot, I'm not moving him from this spot).
• Ben Revere (can rack up the steals, and contact rate plus speed makes him a tough out despite low on-base%)
• Drew Stubbs (Roto leagues only)

All photos courtesy of Mike McCann's Field of Fotos.

More MLB content is available here.

CATCH!: 2013 Early Pre-Rankings--LF

New uniform, but Hamilton still packs that same, sweet-swingin' bat of his.
And he also comes with a lot of baggage.
(photo courtesy of Mike McCann's Field of Fotos)

Felipe M

To view our 3B pre-rankings, click here. 

Since I play in a league that requires to draft a LF, CF, and RF, I thought I would rank the outfield in this manner.  

TOP TIER

1. Ryan Braun: Another year of PED allegations is haunting yet another offseason for Braun.  However, until there is something more concrete, apropos to possible punishment by the Commissioner's Office, there simply is no reason to drop Braun from the top spot.
2. Mike Trout: Phenom extraordinaire, Trout has proven to live up to the hype that was bestowed upon him last season.  Would like to see him improve his approach at the plate, but the raw projections are predicting another huge year for the young Angel.
3. Carlos Gonzalez: Injury concerns are always a concern for CarGo, but he's only 27 and is ready to enter his prime of his career.  Just like Trout, would like to see more patience at the plate, but his raw numbers alone, along with his age, are good enough to place him in this tier.
4. Josh Hamilton: Well, let's see: wrong side of 30, injury-prone outfielder, bad 2012, second half, choked in the postseason, and there's always that chance that he can be easily swayed to revert back to a dark past (alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.).  Nevertheless, when he has all of those issues under control, the guy can definitely rake.  However, as one will notice, he's not even the best LF on his own team.

SECOND TIER

5. Matt Holliday: Just like Hamilton, Holliday can still rake, but unlike Hamilton, he's proven to be a gamer as he has been able to play through a variety of injuries that would derail an average player.  However, at 33,  those injuries might be catching up to him.  Add to the fact that he struck out more times than ever in 2012 and his BB:K was it's lowest since 2007 and I just feel obligated to warn you, the reader, to be wary of this guy.  However, he's a "safe risk" to have on your team, but  a risk nonetheless.  If I were stuck in a situation where Holliday was the best player available in my slot, I would highly likely go after a younger, up-and-coming player at that position to hand-cuff with Holliday.
6. Yoenis Cespedes: Cespedes proved to be a major factor last season with the Oakland A's. He could threaten to have a 20/20 season in 2013, but the potential, raw, power numbers that he can produce is enough of a reason to draft this player.
7. Alex Gordon: Gordon has turned around his career after it looked like he would become a "bust" for the Kansas City Royals.  His raw, counting stats are nothing to brag about, but a respectable contact rate to go along with a projected OPS between .820-.840 makes Gordon a solid pick at this position.
8. Martin Prado: Like mentioned before for the 3B, there is nothing flashy about Prado, but what he lacks in power, he more than makes up for it in versatility, superb contact rate, and a stout patience at the plate. 
9. Josh Willingham: His power is never in question as he has proven to possess ample amounts of it at three, different, pitcher-friendly  ballparks.  Age is a concern as he recently turned 34 years-old and injuries are magnified with Willingham; more than the other 30+ year-olds who've had a history of injuries.  However, when healthy, Willingham is a legit source of power of the 30/100 variety.

THIRD TIER

The rest of the field:

• Desmond Jennings (who can put up good, solid numbers, but low on-base% and OPS means many slumps and struggles.
• Melky Cabrera (PED use)
• Mark Trumbo (even in the OF, there are better options than this strike-zone illiterate)
• Brett Gardner (speed, but no power)
• Shane Victorino (age, decrease in production)
• Jason Kubel (age, decrease in production)
• Carl Crawford (injuries, dramatic decrease in production)
• Michael Morse (power, strikes out too much, jury is still out)
• Carlos Quentin (power, but injury concerns)
• Logan Morrison (power, but injury concerns)
• David Murphy (solid numbers, but in platoon system)
• Ichiro Suzuki (speed, but lacks power, age has sapped his contact rate)
• Juan Pierre (speed, but lacks power, age concerns)
• Ryan Ludwick (power, but age concerns)
• Lucas Duda (good potential, but awful on defense)

As you can see, the Third Tier at LF is larger than the other positions, but doesn't provide greater depth at the position, per se.  It offers a good mix of power and speed, but for a lot of these players, except for Jennings, the attributes are always exclusive from each other.  There are a lot of question marks with all of these players, but at their best, they can become solid players.  At their worst, they can cost you the season. Choose wisely.

Keep an eye on:

• Starling Marte (until I see that he's been officially named the starting LF for the Pittsburgh Pirates, I'm not ready to move him up to the Third Tier yet.  And even so, he will struggle mightily in 2013).
• Matt Joyce (in daily leagues when he's hitting against right-handers)
• Jonny Gomes (in daily leagues when he's hitting against lefties)

More fantasy baseball content is available here.

For the rest of our MLB content, click here. 

CF rankings are available here. 

2012 MLB PROSPECT REVIEW: #10-6

The next Miguel Cabrera is somewhere on this list.  But who could it be?
(photo courtesy of Mike McCann's Field of Fotos). 

Felipe M

10. Miguel Sano--3B--Minnesota Twins

• 2012 Outlook: "Might not be ready until 2013 and only 18.  Struggles with strikeouts, but might be the next Miguel Cabrera."
• 2012 Achievements: #1 Minnesota Twins' prospect along with Best Power Hitter and Infield Arm; #2 Midwest League Prospect and Best Infield Arm in league.
• Conclusion: Interestingly enough, Sano has also been compared to Giancarlo Stanton. Unfortunately, for many Twins' and fantasy fans alike, Sano is probably a long way from contributing in the big leagues.  Also, he needs to improve on his defense as he committed 42 errors at 3B.  Career minor league numbers are impressive, but keep in mind that he has yet to play above Lo-A ball.  He also needs to improve his plate approach (BB:K of .45).  He'll turn 20 in May.

9. Mike Trout--OF--Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Trout might have lost the battle to Cabrera in the MVP
voting, but heated discussions between baseball
traditionalists and "stats' geeks" ensued.
(photo courtesy of Mike McCann's Field of Fotos). 

• 2012 Outlook: "A future star.  If one of the regulars goes down, he's probably 1st player to be called up in 2012."
• 2012 Achievements: AL Rookie of the Year; 2nd place in AL MVP voting.
• Conclusion: Age and questionable, past prospects in the Angels' organization dropped Trout to #9 on the list.  His impressive Minor League numbers streamlined very well in the Majors last season.  He might be the best player in fantasy baseball this year as well.  Despite not winning the MVP this year, he did gain a lot of high reverence from the SABR community and was picked as the MVP in a lot of advanced, baseball stats' websites.  He is currently penciled in as the Angels' LF in 2013.  

8. Danny Hultzen--SP--Seattle Mariners

• 2012 Outlook: "Looked sharp in 2011 Arizona Fall League and might help in the Big Leagues, later in 2012."
• 2012 Achievements: #3 Prospect in Mariners' system.  #4 and #7 Prospect in Souther and Pacific Coast League, respectively.  Best Change Up in Southern League and in Mariners' system.
• Conclusion: So what do you do to a highly-touted prospect with all the skills and tools in the world? You force him to start his first year of pro ball in Double-A: not Rookie, Lo-A, but Double-A!  Let that sink in for a bit...He dominated Double-A, but struggled once he arrived in Triple-A so he might have to prove himself in the Minors, although there is talks that he might break spring training camp on the Mariners' roster, but all signs point to Hultzen arriving by mid-season, at best.  His Minor League numbers are as followed: WHIP 1.31; H/9 6.3; BB/9 5.4; K/99.9; K/BB 1.81.  

7. Shelby Miller--SP--St. Louis Cardinals

Will Shelby Miller pitch in this ballpark for the duration of
the 2013 season?
(photo courtesy of Felipe M).

• 2012 Outlook: "Dominated in Minors. Could be called up by mid-season."
• 2012 Achievements: #6 Prospect in Pacific Coast League. Pitched 6 games for the Cards, making one start.
• Conclusion: 2012, Triple-A numbers: WHIP 1.38; H/9 9.1; HR/9 1.6; BB/9 3.3; K/9 10.5; K/BB 3.20.  There's talk out of spring training that Miller might make the Cardinals' roster as a relief pitcher, but with the recent injury to Chris Carpenter, Miller might compete for starter role after all.  Should be interesting to see what the Cards do with the young pitcher, either way.  

6. Nolan Arenado--3B--Colorado Rockies

• 2012 Outlook: "Contact/Power combo, only Casey Blake is in his way.  A future star."
• 2012 Achievements: #8 in Texas League and League's best defensive 3B; Rockies' Best Defensive Infielder and Infield Arm, and Best Hitter for Average.
• Conclusion: Arenado struggled a bit last season in Double-A, but finished the campaign strong.  Stats: .285/.337/.428/.766 B:K .67.  Arenado is a longshot to break with the Rockies out of spring training, but is certainly in the mix to compete for the Rockies' 3B position.  Nevertheless, he looks to be a mid-season call up, at best for 2013. 

Prospects #15-11 are available here.

Top 5 is available here.