Category: Fantasy Baseball (Page 45 of 48)

The calendar is about to flip to March, which means it’s time to start thinking about two things: NCAA hoops and fantasy baseball.

So what’s on your mind? Struggling with some keeper decisions, or wondering when it’s safe to take Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Randy Johnson? Maybe you want someone to tell you you’re crazy for thinking Michael Young is a better bet at short than Miguel Tejada, or that this is the year Mark Prior wins 20 and strikes out 220.

Sleepers, keepers, drafts, busts, rookies, risks; whatever fantasy baseball questions you’ve got, post them here and we’ll give you our thoughts.

And remember: Opening Day is April 2!

A lot of people are wondering why the Orioles were so eager to get Kris Benson from the Mets. (Incidentally, even more may be wondering why the Mets were so eager to get failed closer Jorge Julio in return.) Benson’s not bad, but when he was selected first overall by the Pirates in 1996, it’s safe to assume they expected more than ‘not bad.’

Well, for those who haven’t noticed, the Orioles have a new pitching coach, a guy named Leo Mazzone. And if someobody can flip a switch with Benson and turn all that talent into consistent results, it’s Mazzone:

[Benson] throws in the low 90’s and works with both a slider and a curveball, an arsenal tailor-made for new pitching coach Leo Mazzone.

Give the Orioles credit: They’ve rejected every offer for potential stud SP Erik Bedard this winter and now they’ve added a dependable veteran to the front of the rotation. It’s up to Mazzone now. Don’t be surprised if Benson wins 17 games with a 3.40 ERA this year. Don’t be surprised if Bedard shows everyone why Baltimore refused to trade him. Don’t be surprised if Bruce Chen, who worked under Mazzone in Atlanta, and Rodrigo Lopez deliver career years.

With Mazzone guiding that pitching staff, the Orioles suddenly look like a sneaky dangerous team. B-12 Palmeiro is gone, Ramon Hernandez and Kevin Millar have been added, and Miguel Tejada is still around. And don’t underestimate the Corey Patterson addition. Despite the results with the Cubs, Patterson’s got a ton of talent and he’s still just 26. Hopefully Sam Perlozzo doesn’t make the same mistake Dusty Baker made and bat Patterson leadoff or second. Keep the pressure off by batting him sixth or seventh and see what happens.

But it all starts with the pitching. Kris Benson isn’t a superstar and this trade’s not going to profoundly affect the race in the AL East, but it’ll probably have more of an effect than most people think.

Just saw a bit on Rotoworld about the Cubs and Orioles discussing a swap of Miguel Tejada for Mark Prior. Now, I love Mark Prior (one of my former coworkers was so fascinated with the boy’s calves that it bordered on creepy), and I think he’s a fabulous pitcher with just the right amount of mean to be an all-time great. But I think I speak for all Cubs fans when I say: Make that trade!

Pierre, Jones, Lee, Miggy, Aramis, Murton, Barrett. Sweet mercy. That is a potent lineup, right there. The sticking blocks seem to be in the additional players, as the Cubs want lefty Erik Bedard and the O’s want raw five-tool prospect Felix Pie. So Mr. Hendry and Mr. Angelos (I know he’s not the GM, but he’s still running everything), let me broker this deal for you both. Jim, send Prior, shortstop Ronny Cedeno, Corey Patterson and pitcher Angel Guzman to Baltimore. Peter, simply send us Tejada and Bedard. Cedeno is ready to play in the bigs, and the O’s get two good to great pitchers, not to mention a player who could blossom into a star with a change of scenery. Everybody wins.

There is big time pressure on the Cubs to at least make an attempt to win it all next year. If they pull this trade off, it will be a hell of a start. Do it, Jim. Cubs Nation is counting on you.

Red Sox Nation is likely planning a public burning at Government Center this morning after news leaked that Johnny Damon switched teams, taking a deal from the Yankees for four years and $52 million. They’re going to turn on him just like they turned on Nomar. They’ll call him a lousy bum, a traitor.

Which is, of course, nonsense. ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd nailed it this morning on his radio show The Herd. Boston wears its players out. If they hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to win a game, a fan will still say, “Well, what about last week, when you popped out to end the game?” New York, on the other hand, treats its players like stars. Is it any wonder why so many players go from Boston to New York, but very few go from New York to Boston? It makes me laugh to think that there was once talk of Derek Jeter playing for the Red Sox. Never in a million years would Jeter play for Boston.

Now that this deal is done, expect the Manny talk to heat up some more. You know he’s looking at that depleted offense and thinking, “Aye, carumba!”