Try to Grab
1. Matt Wieters C- A clone of Joe Mauer. Fantastic batter, is being handed the starting job in Baltimore and should be there for years to come. Draft him in your first minor league round, or trade major league picks to get the first pick.
2. Angel Salome C- After that leg injury that Jason Kendall sustained, he went from possible Hall-of-Famer to an awful batter. His only benefit is that he doesn't strike out, and somehow played good defense in 2008 after two years of some of the worst in the league. Angel Salome will take his job soon enough, and then you have a catcher that won a batting title at AA...
3. Adrian Cardenas 2B- A very decent, no name second baseman. If Trey Hillman has any sense whatsoever, and I know that he does, he will start Cardenas at second in 2009 and watch him blossom into Freddy Sanchez.
4. Erick Aybar SS- A great bargain as a low end starter or a high end back up. At a thin position he can provide a .300 batting average, 20 sb's and some runs.
5. Clayton Kershaw SP- Its no secret that this guy is the next Peavy, yet he still manages to slip beyond the 3rd or 4th round in most leagues. Grab him now, and watch him dominate the weak hitting NL West.
6. Travis Buck DH/OF- After post concussion syndrome, Buck had a slow recovery in 2009 but still managed to heat up in September. For a disappointing year, Buck was on pace for 25-3o home runs. He's good. He can hit for average and for power. With Matt Holliday in the lineup he'll get some fastballs too.
7. Jose Lopez 2B- At a thin position, a guy that doesn't strike out, hits at about .300 and cranks a Jeterly number of home runs is incredibly valuable. You can probably swipe him in the middle rounds.
8. John Danks SP- This guy has quickly become an elite starting pitcher and he's still young. If you need a frontline starter at a lower than 1st-3rd round price, he's your guy.
9. Chris Duncan OF- Everyone has forgotten about Duncan after two injury plagued seasons. Believe me when I say Duncan still has power! He still is capable of putting up Thome-like numbers, and he has a hold on the starting LF spot in St. Louis.
10. Daniel Murphy 2B/OF- The Mets have grown tired of Luis Castillo's sucking, and he's certainly not getting any faster, or better at making contact. They've all but handed Murphy the job on a silver platter-- he should do well for a guy that'll go undrafted in most leagues.
11. Elijah Dukes OF- Elijah is a criminal, and isn't the most likeable ballplayer out there. However, even playing for the Nationals, Dukes could easily put up 20-20 numbers and be a number 1 or 2 outfielder.
12. Brent Lillibridge SS- Okay, Lillibridge is a stretch, but if you're without a SS or if you're looking for a backup, Lillibridge is a solid option. In deeper leagues, a young David Eckstein for absolutely no cost is at least helpful.
13. Dana Eveland SP- Eveland finally came into his own last year with the Athletics. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, but with a better offense behind him in 2009, 15 wins and a low 4.00 ERA is a very reasonable expectation. He'll be cheap.
14. Jason Werth OF- Although he was one of the primary pieces that led the Phillies to a championship, Werth has gone relatively unnoticed by most non-Philly fans. 20-25 hr's and 15-20 sb's is definitely a reasonable expectation for Werth.
15. J.R. Towles C- Deemed Houston's future a year ago, Towles failed miserably in the bigs hitting well below the "Mendoza Line". Still, Towles has the potential to hit 20 homers and bat near .300. Once again, the starting job will be his to lose. Because of his awful numbers in 2008, he'll be a cheap pick-up.
16. Howie Kendrick- Already possessing a batting title from his days in the minor leagues, Kendrick may very well earn one in the majors some day. Although he NEVER walks, he makes a lot of contact and has the potential to hit .330 and steal 20 bases.
17. Carlos Gonzalez- The friendly Coors Field will bolster Gonzalez's power numbers. He's a very good prospect, will be competing for the a starting OF spot in the spring and has the potential to be a top 20 OF.
18. Sean Rodriguez INF- An under-the-radar A-Rod (with less contact ability) Rodriguez was overshadowed by Brandon Wood for most of his prospect-career. His mammoth power at SS/2B make him an extremely intriguing player to stash on your bench. Be ready for the day he takes over a starting job in the Angel's infield.
19. Brandon Jones OF- Jones will be making a sincere push for a starting OF job in Atlanta. A tools guy without a glaring strength, Jones looks like a very solid player. Adam Jones type numbers are very possible.
20. Adam Laroche 1B- This guy gets a whole lot of lip from the press for absolutely no reason. Always expected to be a disappointment, Laroche has consistently proved his critics wrong. With a Beer League lineup around him Laroche still puts up a good batting average, 25 homeruns and 80 rbi's yearly.
Stay Away From
1. Carlos Gomez- After being marked as the Santana-trade-guy this burner has a lot of hype surrounding him, but a leadoff hitter that strikes out 150 times a season has a scary (bad scary) future if he doesn't develop some patience.
2. Manny Ramirez- If you're in a keeper league don't be fooled by Ramirez's insane numbers in 2008. Ramirez was in his contract year, and knew that if he stepped it up and shut up he'd get a good contract. He's old and lazy--making him very risky.
3. Dan Uggla- Although second is a thin position, Uggla is a very risky pick. His strikeout numbers are disturbing, his batting average makes Cesar Izturis look decent, and his slumps kill fantasy teams. After a good first half, Uggla made 3 errors in the All Star game and then proceeded to slump badly in the second half. Don't trust him.
4. Carlos Delgado 1B- This guy was an automatic out with men on base for most of his career with the Mets. Sure, last year he put up good numbers recently, but one can only wonder about his motivation. A cleanup hitter who bats .200 (or below) with men on base is definitely a cleanup hitter you should stay away from.
5. Bobby Abreu- Away from the friendly right field wall at Yankee stadium, and without being sandwiched between Jeter and Arod, Abreu's future doesn't look too promising. 100 rbi's? Never again. 20 HR's? No way.
6. Alexi Casilla- Casilla was solid in 2008. Still, he played well beyond his potential and probably won't match his numbers from 2008 in 2009. If you can get him for cheap, then he's not a bad pickup.
7. A.J. Burnett- This guy is abominable. He takes weeks, even months off all to often and doesn't seem to care about pitching when he's not in a contract year. He'll be pitching for the Yankees, true, but will he actually pitch all that much?
8. Ryan Church- Post concussion syndrome has scrambled Church's brains. He's never been much more than a very good platoon player, and likely won't be anything special next year.
9. Ian Kennedy- Do I really need to explain why you should stay away from Kennedy? He has Little League stuff, poor control and resembles Kei Igawa more than Mike Mussina. He won't be in the rotation for 2009 and doesn't have the stuff to be a reliever. Even if he was either, hitters would use him for batting practice. On top of his lousy AAAA stuff, he's also an extremely arrogant and unlikeable guy.
10. Chris Young, OF- He and Reynolds are strikeout machines without too much upside left. Although he does have good power, his contact ability is poor and his strikeouts will kill his productivity.
11. Austin Jackson- Overhyped, overrated-- pick a label. Jackson has potential, especially on defense, however the savior he's projected to be is highly unlikely.
12. Fernando Martinez- Sure he's young, but he's not worth a first round MiLB pick while guys like Alvarez, Wieters, Snider, Cahill, LaPorta, Rasmus, Parker and Carrasco are around. He'll be a mark Kotsay (prior to the back problems).
13. Ike Davis- It may be too early to really tell what Davis is going to turn into, but so far the switch from metal bat to wooden stick has completely sapped Davis' homerun. A potato masher in college, Davis didn't hit a single homerun in nearly 250 at bats in low A ball last year. Big guys who can't run and can't drive the ball usually don't last long in the minor leagues. No matter what Baseball America says, disagree with them-- he is garbage.
14. Jason Varitek- Varitek, affectionately called "'Tek" by his teammates has been an aweful catcher for the Red Sox over the last two seasons. Why? Its no mystery, hes getting old, and getting old and playing catcher don't mix. He still gets the "he may not hit but he calls a good game and leads the team treatment" but he REALLY doesn't hit except for a few meaningless homeruns here or there. His glove and his ability to "call a game" still don't make up for his poor bat. He has really never been anything special on the defensive side of the plate. Deep down, he really can't be that shocked that the Red Sox aren't jumping to re-sign him. Call it a career already, 'Tek.
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