February 2011

Fantasy Sleepers Position by Position: 2011

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Catcher- Mike Napoli:  The 29 year old, free-swinging Catcher has hit 20+ Home Runs in 3 straight years. However, his batting average has also plummeted the last 3 seasons, going from .273 in 2008 to just .238 in 2010. Going from Pitcher-Friendly Angel Stadium to Arlington should help both his average and Home Run numbers.

1st Base- Carlos Pena: After a horrific 2010 in which he hit .196 with only 28 Home Runs, look for him to bounce back in 2011. A new change of scenery combined with some windy days in Chicago that can blow balls out of the yard, will allow Carlos Pena a bounce back season.

2nd Base- Neil Walker: The 25 year old Bucs 2B who in 2010 batted .288 with 12 HR’s. Not many people see him as a front-line 2B, but with getting a ton of play time in Pittsburgh on a bad team could see him put up some big numbers at the top of that order.

Shortstop- Starlin Castro: The 20 year old phenom was in contention for a batting crown for a while and after his incredible debut, in which he drove in 7 runs, he did not disappoint. He batted .300 on the season long with 3 HR’s and 10 SB’s. Candidate for starting SS on your team? Maybe.

3rd Basemen- Casey McGehee: The 28 year old continues to get better. His Batting Average dropped last season, from .301 in 2009 to .285 in 2010, but he saw his HR’s jump from 16 to 23 and his RBI’s sky-rocket from 66 to 104.

Designated Hitter- Manny Ramirez: Who? That’s right. Assuming Manny can stay healthy for even most of 2011, we should see Manny Being Manny. “He’s old”, will be an excuse. But aside from injuries, he hit a very solid .298 last year. Sure his power has diminished, but for a late-round pick, why not?

Outfield-

#1. Mike Stanton: You’ve seen this future stars power, right? 22 Home Runs in just 359 AB’s last year with the Marlins as a mid-season call up. He is young and will have his struggles, but there is no denying his power.

#2. Drew Stubbs: Another young kid who has a rare combination of both speed and power. Last season, in very homer-friendly Cincinnati, he hit 22 Home Runs along with 30 SB’s. 30/30 someday? Possibly.

#3. Andrew McCutchen- My guy from last year, but he can hit for average, power, and has speed. .286 last year with 16 HR’s and 33 SB’s. Look for him to go 20/30 this season

Starting Pitching-

#1. Brandon Morrow: My Favorite sleeper this season. Why? Other than the fact he can throw in the upper- 90′s with a nasty slider, he is a K machine. If he can overcome his wildness, that 4.49 ERA from last season could go way down with a lot of K’s

#2. Aaron Harang: He has been pretty horrible the last few seasons. But, he is coming to Petco Park and we all know what affect that can have on a pitcher. Average to below-average pitchers can look good with the Padres due to the ocean breeze and deep dimensions. If he can stay away from the DL, he could have a solid season.

#3. Brett Anderson: “Hello, Mr Andersen” as Mr. Smith from the Matrix would say, but this Anderson is probably the best pitcher you have never heard of, maybe because he plays for Oakland. He is at the ripe age of 23 and maybe another reason he isn’t talked about his injuries. If he can overcome that, he has all the tools, posting a very good 2.80 ERA last season and pitching in Pitcher- Friendly Oakland

Closers:

#1. Andrew Bailey: The 2009 AL Rookie of the Year has never had a full season with an ERA above 1.84 and averaging over 9K per 9 innings overall in his career. Won’t have the highest total of saves, but he is an impressive young reliever.

#2. Chris Perez: Who? Perez was the closer for the terrible Indians last season, so you aren’t the only one who doesn’t know who he is. However with almost 9 k per 9 innings and an ERA of 1.71, he is hard to not take notice of. Can he keep it up in 2011? Worth a risk.

Looking back at Last Year’s Fantasy Sleeper

I wrote this April 3rd of last season:

Fantasy Player To Watch:Sleeper

Andrew McCutchen.

I was called crazy when i drafted him in the
middle rounds, but I believe he has the potential to turn some heads.
Last season he batted .286 with 12 Hr, 54 RBI and 22 SB. Those numbers
arent exactly all-star material, but this young phenom has potential. He
may be overlooked with Hayward being brought up for Atlanta, but this
kid could turn some heads. He was the only person in the majors last
season to have a 3 HR game and a 3 SB game. He has good power and very
good speed. He could steal 50-60 bases for the Bucs and hit 20-30 HR. He
is an electric type of player and he doesn’t get the respect he
deserves because he plays in Pittsburgh. Don’t take this kid that early,
but if he is still around in the 5th to 7th rounds, i say take him, he
could be an all-star this season and you will not regret taking
McCutchen.”

So while 50-60 SB’s is a little excessive, he did hit 16 HR’s and had 33 SB’s along with a .286 BA and 56 RBI, so overall, he was a pretty good fantasy choice last season.

Padres Lineup, Pitching Rotation,Statistic Predictions

1. Jason Bartlett: .275, 7 HR’s, 45 RBI’s, 22 SB’s
2. Orlando Hudson: .272, 6 HR’s, 55 RBI’s, 7 SB’s
3. Chase Headley: .268, 15 HR’s, 70 RBI’s, 12 SB’s
4. Ryan Ludwick: .265, 21 HR’s, 83 RBI’s, 1 SB’s
5. Brad Hawpe: .260, 17 HR’s, 75 RBI’s, 1 SB’s
6. Will Venable: .255, 16 HR’s, 60 RBI’s, 27 SB’s
7. Nick Hundley: .254, 14 HR’s, 50 RBI’s, 3 SB’s
8. Cameron Maybin: .263, 15 HR’s, 55 RBI’s, 17 SB’s

Bench:

Jorge Cantu: .280, 12 HR’s, 60 RBI’s, 2 SB’s
Chris Denorfia: .260, 6 HR’s, 44 RBI’s, 7 SB’s
Everth Cabrera: .230, 3 HR’s, 20 RBI’s, 15 SB’s
Aaron Cunningham: .275, 4 HR’s, 30 RBI’s, 6 SB’s
Gregg Zaun: .257, 2 HR’s, 25 RBI’s, 0 SB’s
Eric Patterson: .240, 3 HR’s, 20 RBI’s, 8 SB’s
Rob Johnson: .210, 3 HR’s, 15 RBI’s, 0 SB’s

Rotation:

1. Mat Latos: 18-11, 2.90 ERA
2. Clayton Richard: 13-11, 3.45 ERA
3. Tim Stauffer: 12-10, 3.36 ERA
4. Aaron Harang: 12-12, 4.25 ERA
5. Cory Luebke: 7-8, 4.17 ERA
6. Wade LeBlanc: 8-8, 4.45 ERA

Bullpen:

CL Heath Bell: 2-4, 2.15 ERA, 44 Saves
SU Mike Adams: 5-2, 1.95 ERA, 2 Saves
SU Luke Gregerson: 3-5, 2.98 ERA, 1 Save
MR Ernesto Frieri: 4-2, 3.35 ERA
MR Joe Thatcher: 2-0, 1.99 ERA
MR Chad Qualls: 4-4, 3.65 ERA
MR Randy Flores: 1-0, 3.20 ERA
LR/SP Dustin Moseley: 5-6, 4.05 ERA

CL-Closer
SU-Setup Man
MR- Middle Reliever
LR- Long Reliever
SP- Starting Pitcher

10 Bold Predictions for 2011

Last year I was wrong on pretty much all of my predictions, so here we go again.

1. The San Diego Padres will win 90 games….again. This time they will make the playoffs
2. The Washington Nationals will finish ahead of the Braves in the NL East
3. The Padres will finally hit for the cycle or pitch a no-hitter this season
4. Jose Bautista will hit under 25 home runs
5. Matt Cain will become the best pitcher on the Giants, Lincecum will struggle as he did last year.
6. Manny Ramirez will struggle before being put on the DL for the rest of the season, ending his career.
7. Adrian Gonzalez will hit 50 home runs
8. Cliff Lee will have an ERA over 3.50
9. Heath Bell will not be traded at the All-Star Break
10. Neither the Red Sox or Phillies will make the World Series

It Has Been a While

Let’s get this blog going
again.

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