YanksRockMan
03-18-03, 09:27 PM
Projected Standings:
1. Evil Empire (Hitman23)-tie
2. Saxmania’s Swingers (Saxmania)-tie
3. 9 Angry Playaz (sanfrANSKY)
4. New York Squeaks (Soriambi)
5. The Larrupin Lous (Big_E)
6. Mattingly’s Hitmen (yanksagain)
_______________________________
Reported by YanksRockMan
Evil Empire:
C: Rodriguez, Ivan (.314-19-60, INJ)
1B: Klesko, Ryan (.300-29-95)
2B: Spivey, Junior (.301-16-78)
3B: Hillenbrand, Shea (.293-18-83)
SS: Garciaparra, Nomar (.310-24-120)
OF: Stewart, Shannon (.303-10-45)
OF: Cruz, Jose (.245-18-70)
OF: Patterson, Corey (.253-14-54)
Util: Johnson, Nick (.243-15-58)
Bench: Barrett, Michael (.263-12-49)
Bench: Kielty, Bobby (.291-12-46)
Bench: Vazquez, Ramon (.274-02-32)
Bench: Woodward, Chris (.276-13-45)
SP: Colon, Bartolo (20-8)
SP: Moyer, Jamie (13-8)
SP: Sabathia, C.C. (13-11)
SP: Hernandez, Livan (12-16)
SP: Redman, Mark (8-15)
RP: Guardado, Eddie (1-3, 45 SVs)
RP: Rodriguez, Felix (8-6)
RP: Timlin, Mike (4-6)
Infield:
Assuming they all play up to potential, or as well as last year, the Empires should presumably have a pretty grand season in retrospect to his solid infield. Led by star, Nomar Garciaparra, the talent does not run out. However, Shea Hillenbrand was extremely inconsistent in the second-half of the season. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez will be interesting to watch because of his offseason transition to the Florida Marlins. Klesko was purely a dominant player last year, and there is no doubt that he will repeat his 2002 production. Junior Spivey can be a valuable asset to the Evil Empires. His ability to steal bases and hit for average could be crucial if the Empires do end up in the playoffs. Good infield will carry this team a long way.
Grade: A-
Outfield
The outfield is arguably the weakest aspect of the Evil Empire organization. Shannon Stewart is the star of this outfield, which does not say much. He has speed, but his offense is not that great. Stewart’s average may be over .300, but his lack of power and knocking in runners may become deadly to the Empire’s bid for the playoffs. Jose Cruz, well, lets get something straight: 2002 was an off-year for Cruz. However, if Cruz does not return to his 2001 form where he was dominant, then there will be hardly any offense to carry the outfield. Corey Patterson was extremely inconsistent last year to start for any team. Patterson started out great, but ended in a fluke. Nonetheless, Patterson could quickly bounce back and have a great year for the Empires, or completely collapse and be the next fluky player. We should see….
Grade: C+ (If they did not have Stewart’s constant hitting, then it would tremendously drop)
Starting Rotation
The Evil Empire’s rotation of RHP Bartolo Colon, LHP Jamie Moyer, LHP C.C. Sabathia, RHP Livan Hernandez, and Mark Redman is pretty decent. Colon is a proven power pitcher who will strike many people out, but at the same time, he will surrender many home runs to the opposing teams. With Colon’s transition back to the American League, one will say that it will extremely help his dominating performance. He is definitely a 20 game winner again this year. Jamie Moyer has one negativity, which is that he is forty years old. However, since he throws the ball soft, his arm will not die out because of his age. I feel that Moyer has a good two years left. The other three pitchers in the rotation are all fairly inconsistent, but will perform well at times. Livan Hernandez started the 2002 year dominant, but finished horribly. C.C. Sabathia experienced the Sophomore Slump, supposedly, but is expectingly about to bounce back this year. Mark Redman is a quintessential guy to have in any team. Although he had a horrible year last year, his presence is surely felt. The Evil Empires have found themselves a solid starting rotation.
Grade: A-
Relief Pitching
Eddie, Eddie, Eddie! If you don’t know what I am talking about, I am talking about the best AL closer in 2002, Eddie Guardado. His 45 saves led the American League in saves, and was at least 15 more saves than the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera. Guardado is an extremely solid reliever, and was unstoppable last year. Why? He has great mechanics when pitching the ball. Boston’s Mike Timlin may receive the closer’s job next year, so it was a great pickup for them. Felix Rodriguez had an off year last year. ‘Nuff said!
Grade: B+
Utility
It is still uncertain that Nick Johnson will be the full-time DH for the New York Yankees. If he isn’t, because of the bench flexibility, the Empires could even place Ramon Vazquez as their utility man. Vazquez has a lot of speed.
Grade: B-
Final Notes- Their Bench is fairly solid, which will be extremely crucial if somebody in his roster gets hurt. They will have a great year, but the OF is not stable at all.
Saxmania Swingers:
C: LoDuca, Paul (.281-10-64)
1B: Huff, Aubrey (.313-23-59)(part-time starter in 2002)
2B: Walker, Todd (.299-11-64)
3B: Rolen, Scott (.267-31-100, 8 SB)
SS: Renteria, Edgar (.305-11-83, 22 SB)
OF: Berkman, Lance (.292-42-128)
OF: Dye, Jermaine (.252-24-86)
OF: Higginson, Bobby (.282-10-63)
Util: Giambi, Jeremy (.259-20-45)
Bench: Grieve, Ben (.251-19-64)
Bench: Blalock, Hank (.211-3-17)
SP: Mussina, Mike (18-10)
SP: Halladay, Roy (19-7)
SP: Burnett, A.J. (12-9)
SP: Penny, Brad (8-7)
SP: Marquis, Jason (8-9)
RP: Escobar, Kelvim (5-7, 38 SVs)
RP: Mendoza, Ramiro (8-4, 4 SVs)
RP: Quantrill, Paul (5-4, 1 SV)
Bench: Weber, Ben (7-2, 7 SVs)
Bench: Reynolds, Shane (3-6)
Infield
This infield is good, but no too great. Aubrey Huff still has a lot to prove, but he can probably be a great DH. However, he will platoon with new-signee of the Devil rays, 1B Travis Lee. Scott Rolen is the real deal, with his 31 home runs last year. After leaving Philadelphia, he was more than dominant. Thus, his fantasy points skyrocketed. He is a great asset to any team. In 2002, Edgar Renteria was one of the best shortstops in the game. His .305 proves to everyone that he is for real. It will certainly be interesting how many games Todd Walker will start with the Red Sox. C Paul LoDuca is one of the best all around catchers in the game. Not only can he catch, but he has played first base before. His offense is definitely above-average.
Grade: B+
Outfield
This outfield can be fairly intimidating to other teams, but there is no telling how Bobby Higginson will do. Higginson has a small amount of power, but the power numbers will be helped out by home-run hitting machine, Lance Berkman. Berkman has all the capability in reaching fifty home-runs, because he plays in the ultimate hitter’s park, Minute Maid Field. The only downside with Berkman is his lack of speed. Once in a while Berkman will steal a base, but hitting wise, he is the prototypical power-hitter. Jermaine Dye, even with an off-year, still managed 24 home runs. He will most likely bounce back strong in 2003, but nobody knows. Overall, this outfield is extremely great offensively.
Grade: A-
Starting Rotation
The Swingers have one of the best Starting Rotations in the NYYFans.com league. Led by Mike Mussina and Roy Halladay, the talent pool does not drop. He in addition has A.J. Burnett (who may have a monster 2003 year), Brad Penny (who I think will definitely bounce back from an injury-plagued 2002 season), and ever-improving Jason Marquis. Mike Mussina is a strike-out pitcher, who, when healthy, will have the greatest potential to be the best ace in the MLB. Roy Halladay was extremely good last year, and was the ace of the Toronto Blue Jays. A.J. Burnett had a fairly inconsistent year, which was plagued with several injuries in the end of the year. He still ended up with a career year, which could still be bettered up this year. Brad Penny will definitely bounce back extremely strong and Jason Marquis is the real deal.
Grade: A-
Relievers
The Swingers will have no problem in their relief, well, when pertaining to points. Kelvim Escobar slipped by everybody’s sight and Saxman drafted him fairly late. This was probably the best sleeper in the draft because of his 38 saves in 2002. Escobar has the complete package and understands the fundamentals in how to pitch. This kid is definitely a keeper. Ramiro Mendoza could become the closer for the Red Sox, and if he does, Mendoza would end up a great draft pick. Paul Quantrill is basically just a great set-up man in the bullpen. With all this said, even though the relief is swell, Escobar, Mendoza, and Quantrill are all inconsistent and irreliable.
Grade: B-
Utility
Jeremy Giambi is a valuable tool, but he is not a lock for any starting spot for the Boston Red Sox, even if his OBP was fairly high. Ben Grieve would be the backup Utility man, IMO, but it will depend on if Giambi will end up the starting DH.
Grade: C
Final Notes: This team is pretty well built around, but will the foundation last throughout the whole year? This is what the season is for..
9 Angry Playaz (DEFENDING MANTLE DIVISION CHAMPS)
C: Gil, Geronimo (.232-12-45)
1B: Giambi, Jason (.314-41-122)
2B: Kent, Jeff (.313-37-108)
3B: Chavez, Eric (.275-34-109)
SS: Mora, Melvin (.233-19-64, 16 SBs)
OF: Edmonds, Jim (.311-28-83)
OF: Jones, Jacque (.300-27-85)
OF: Wilkerson, Brad (.266-20-59)
Util: Delgado, Carlos (.277-33-108)
Bench: Long, Terrence (.240-16-67)
Bench: Bautista, Danny (.325-6-25)
SP: Wells, David (19-7)
SP: Padilla, Vicente (14-11)
SP: Byrd, Paul (17-11)
SP: Moss, Damian (12-6)
SP: Simontacchi, Jason (11-5)
RP: Rhodes, Arthur (10-4, 2 SVs)
RP: Groom, Buddy (3-2, 2 SVs)
RP: Romero, J.C. (9-2, 1 SV)
Bench: Tomko, Brett (10-10)
Bench: Farnsworth, Kyle (4-6)
Infield
The infield is fairly strong, with power-hitting Jason Giambi leading the crew. Jeff Kent will suffer a nice transition from the unfriendly home-run park, Pac Bell, to the best home-run hitting park, Minute Maid Park. This will boost his homer production, thus, an increase in valuable fantasy points. Eric Chavez already has proved to be a valuable player to keep in fantasy baseball. The only two people in the infield whom could possess nothing offensively are Melvin Mora and Gil.
Grade: B+
Outfield
With Jim Edmonds starting the year off on the DL, Brad Wilkerson and Jacque Jones will need to step it up offensively. Jones probably will have no problem doing so, but depending on 2nd year, Brad Wilkerson, may pose a few problems. However, once Edmonds comes back from the DL, this lineup may be a force to be reckoned with.
Grade: B
Starting Rotation
The 9 Angry Playaz’s rotation is fairly scary, but not extremely blowing all the other rotations out of the water. Wells still has back problems, and nobody knows if his performance will be affected by his recent controversial book. Vicente Padilla should be pitching well again this year, so that will help the Playaz out. Damian Moss and Jason Simontacchi are two fairly up-rising potentially great pitching prospects.
Grade: B+
Relievers
Their relieving combination of Buddy Groom, Arthur Rhodes, and J.C. Romero is at most decent. None of them will score much saves, if any at least, and since they are set-up men, nobody will know how good they will do this year. Romero had a great 2002 season, but will it hold up for 2003? Enough said..
Grade: C+
Utility
Having Carlos Delgado as your Utility man will do your team wonders. Delgado is a power hitter who will hit at least 35 home runs and 100 RBIs when healthy. He will be an instant force of offense for the Playaz.
Grade: A
Final Notes: The Playaz will have revenge in their mind, but momentum because they have much experience. They will either do real well, or collapse.
New York Squeaks:
C: Piazza, Mike
1B: Vaughn, Mo
2B: Bellhorn, Mark
3B: Lowell, Mike
SS: Boone, Aaron
OF: Burrell, Pat
OF: Ibañez, Raul
OF: Jordan, Brian
Util: Simon, Randall
Bench: Lawton, Matt
Bench: Tatis, Fernando
Bench: White, Rondell
SP: Zito, Barry
SP: Glavine, Tom
SP: Contreras, Jose
SP: Astacio, Pedro
SP: Ponson, Sidney
RP: Rivera, Mariano
RP: Williams, Mike
RP: Hammond, Chris
Bench: Looper, Braden
Infield
There are many uncertainties in this Infield, but there is one certain thing, that Mike Piazza will have his dominant offensive numbers again. Mo Vaughn supposedly had a conditioning program which was supposed to slim him down, but if Vaughn only conditioned and never practiced, his numbers will plummet. We all need to see if Mark Bellhorn’s 2003 season was just a fluke, or if he can live up to expectations. Mike Lowell will probably contribute with his hot bat, but he probably won’t be as lucky this season as he did last season. Aaron Boone can be streaky, but a really good baseball player.
Grade: B+
Outfield
The Squeaks are fairly set with their outfield, with Pat Burrell, Raul Ibañez, and Brian Jordan. Burrell is a up and coming star who has a lot of pop in his bat. Nobody in this earth knows whether Ibañez will live up to his 2002 stats. It will be hard, but managable for him if he keeps on working. Brian Jordan is aging, but he is still a fairly good outfielder.
Grade: B+
Starting Rotation
With Barry Zito as the New York Squeaks’ ace, they have formed a formidable rotation. However, because of the uncertainty if Contreras will make the Yankees as a starter, the manager is making a serious gamble. Tom Glavine will be interesting to watch this year, not because that he is good, but if Glavine can transit to the ferocious New York fanbase. Pedro Astacio and Sidney Ponson will be solid this year, but they will have nowhere the same result as Zito or even Glavine.
Grade: B-
Relievers
This is one of the best areas of the team. With two closers (Mariano Rivera and Mike Williams), they will receive a lot of points, but it won’t be as much as last season, when saves were counted with more value. The Squeaks also have Chris Hammond, who is a formidable set-up man behind Rivera with the Yankees.
Grade: B+
Utility
It is extremely interesting that the Squeak manager did not put Matt Lawton as the utility man instead of Randall Simon. Simon is a fairly good player, but he won’t start at first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Whereas, Lawton will start for Cleveland. If the manager decides to keep Simon there, the utility grade will lower.
Grade: C
Final Note: It will be interesting to see how their starting rotation will end up as. They have many power hitters, which includes the Mets’ Mo Vaughn.
The Larrupin Lous:
C: Kendall, Jason
1B: Spiezio, Scott
2B: Castillo, Luis
3B: Cirillo, Jeff
SS: Rollins, Jimmy
OF: Matsui, Hideki
OF: Jones, Andruw
OF: Wilson, Preston
Util: Fullmer, Brad
Bench: Kearns, Austin
Bench: Mientkiewicz, Doug
Bench: Gonzalez, Alex S.
Bench: Polanco, Polanco
SP: Johnson, Randy
SP: Morris, Matt
SP: Wells, Kip
SP: Thomson, John
SP: Lohse, Kyle
RP: Kim, Byung-Hyung
RP: Vizcaino, Luis
RP: Sauerback, Scott
Infield
Other than Luis Castillo, there isn’t really anybody who would be really good. Rollins is a threat because he can run, but his OBP kills his hitting. Jason Kendall needs to get used to hitting in his home ballpark, PNC Park, or else his career average will plummet steepily. Scott Spiezio is a streaky first baseman. He will hit well sometimes, then all of a sudden, go into a bad streak.
Grade: B
Outfield
Andruw Jones is undoubtably the best centerfielder in the majors, but he is the only proven outfielder in this current roster. Jones cannot carry the team. Hideki Matsui is prescribed to be the next great hitter, but if he does not produce here in the US, what would be good about his predictions? Wilson will benefit from hitting in Coors Field, but he needs to learn to strike out less. Overall, the outfield could be improved just a little.
Grade: B+
Starting Rotation
The Lous have one of the best 1-2 punch (Randy Johnson and Matt Morris), but after that, the talent declines fast. Kip Wells may be a good pitcher, but until Pittsburgh starts winning games for him, he will not collect many winning points still. We all know what Randy Johnson has done, so it is done with. Matt Morris could be the next Curt Schilling. He has the mechanics and discipline to be Schilling. John Thomson and Kyle Lohse both have a lot to prove in order to have me convinced that they will be great starters in the MLB.
Grade: A-
Relievers
If Byung-Hyung Kim becomes a starter, the Lous will have to immediately take him off their list of relievers, because of a fear of losing the ten points. If it happens, well, the relief pitching is umm…..screwed, sorry to say that. They should have at least picked up a couple of nice set-up men in winning teams who would have had many shots of closing a game if necessary.
Grade: C
Utility
Brad Fullmer is a good choice for the Utility man position. He is a starter with some pop in the bat.
Grade: B
Mattingly’s Hitmen:
C: Johnson, Charles
1B: Dunn, Adam
2B: Young, Eric
3B: Ramirez, Aramis
SS: Guzman, Christian
OF: Sosa, Sammy
OF: Ramirez, Manny
OF: Damon, Johnny
Util: Hunter, Torii
Bench: Randa, Joe
Bench: Giles, Marcus
Bench: Peña, Carlos
SP: Schmidt, Jason
SP: Clement, Matt
SP: Peavy, Jake
SP: Rusch, Glendon
SP: Wright, Dan
RP: Foulke, Keith
RP: Williamson, Scott
RP: Embree, Alan
Bench: MacDougal, Mike
Infield
Face it, this infield does not blow anybody out of the water. Adam Dunn is the only really good hitter here, and last year might have been a real fluke. Charles Johnson will be playing in Colorado (a great hitter’s ballpark), but if he does not connect with the ball, playing in Coors Field will mean nothing. Eric Young has been in the league for a while, and I believe that he is still fairly unproven and has not peaked. If Aramis Ramirez can return to his 2001 shape, then he will be a force to be reckoned with. If not, it’s just another roster spot to waste. Christian Guzman had a bad year last year, but I believe he will bounce back really strong.
Grade: B
Outfield
The Hitmen has compiled themselves an amazing outfield (Sosa, Manny, and Damon). However, Manny and Damon are both fairly injury prone, which leaves Sammy Sosa as the man to lead. Sosa could be past his prime this year. Nobody will know if he will reach the 60 home-run plateau anymore (he didn’t last year). Although it looks great on paper, there are a few question-marks.
Grade: B+
Starting Rotation
I do not want to offend anyone, but this starting rotation, I’m sorry, has no future. Matt Clement is the only decent starter. Jake Peavy is unproven, he may do well or fall. Jason Schmidt is someone nobody can ever depend on, because he can be an extremely streaky pitcher. I feel that Glendon Rusch and Dan Wright are just roster spots that were needed to fill out the rotation. If I were the manager, I would look into trading someone in the offense for a fairly decent ace/pitcher.
Grade: C
Relievers
With three potential closers in this team, it will save the Rotation from falling, well, a little. Foulke will thrive in Oakland because of the amount of wins that team will win. Scott Williamson will look great in the Great American Ballpark, and Alan Embree is the prime-candidate to win the closer job in Boston. Great relief core the manager has compiled!
Grade: B+
Utility
Torii Hunter is the man. He will do absolutely awesome as the Utility man, enough said.
Grade: A
1. Evil Empire (Hitman23)-tie
2. Saxmania’s Swingers (Saxmania)-tie
3. 9 Angry Playaz (sanfrANSKY)
4. New York Squeaks (Soriambi)
5. The Larrupin Lous (Big_E)
6. Mattingly’s Hitmen (yanksagain)
_______________________________
Reported by YanksRockMan
Evil Empire:
C: Rodriguez, Ivan (.314-19-60, INJ)
1B: Klesko, Ryan (.300-29-95)
2B: Spivey, Junior (.301-16-78)
3B: Hillenbrand, Shea (.293-18-83)
SS: Garciaparra, Nomar (.310-24-120)
OF: Stewart, Shannon (.303-10-45)
OF: Cruz, Jose (.245-18-70)
OF: Patterson, Corey (.253-14-54)
Util: Johnson, Nick (.243-15-58)
Bench: Barrett, Michael (.263-12-49)
Bench: Kielty, Bobby (.291-12-46)
Bench: Vazquez, Ramon (.274-02-32)
Bench: Woodward, Chris (.276-13-45)
SP: Colon, Bartolo (20-8)
SP: Moyer, Jamie (13-8)
SP: Sabathia, C.C. (13-11)
SP: Hernandez, Livan (12-16)
SP: Redman, Mark (8-15)
RP: Guardado, Eddie (1-3, 45 SVs)
RP: Rodriguez, Felix (8-6)
RP: Timlin, Mike (4-6)
Infield:
Assuming they all play up to potential, or as well as last year, the Empires should presumably have a pretty grand season in retrospect to his solid infield. Led by star, Nomar Garciaparra, the talent does not run out. However, Shea Hillenbrand was extremely inconsistent in the second-half of the season. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez will be interesting to watch because of his offseason transition to the Florida Marlins. Klesko was purely a dominant player last year, and there is no doubt that he will repeat his 2002 production. Junior Spivey can be a valuable asset to the Evil Empires. His ability to steal bases and hit for average could be crucial if the Empires do end up in the playoffs. Good infield will carry this team a long way.
Grade: A-
Outfield
The outfield is arguably the weakest aspect of the Evil Empire organization. Shannon Stewart is the star of this outfield, which does not say much. He has speed, but his offense is not that great. Stewart’s average may be over .300, but his lack of power and knocking in runners may become deadly to the Empire’s bid for the playoffs. Jose Cruz, well, lets get something straight: 2002 was an off-year for Cruz. However, if Cruz does not return to his 2001 form where he was dominant, then there will be hardly any offense to carry the outfield. Corey Patterson was extremely inconsistent last year to start for any team. Patterson started out great, but ended in a fluke. Nonetheless, Patterson could quickly bounce back and have a great year for the Empires, or completely collapse and be the next fluky player. We should see….
Grade: C+ (If they did not have Stewart’s constant hitting, then it would tremendously drop)
Starting Rotation
The Evil Empire’s rotation of RHP Bartolo Colon, LHP Jamie Moyer, LHP C.C. Sabathia, RHP Livan Hernandez, and Mark Redman is pretty decent. Colon is a proven power pitcher who will strike many people out, but at the same time, he will surrender many home runs to the opposing teams. With Colon’s transition back to the American League, one will say that it will extremely help his dominating performance. He is definitely a 20 game winner again this year. Jamie Moyer has one negativity, which is that he is forty years old. However, since he throws the ball soft, his arm will not die out because of his age. I feel that Moyer has a good two years left. The other three pitchers in the rotation are all fairly inconsistent, but will perform well at times. Livan Hernandez started the 2002 year dominant, but finished horribly. C.C. Sabathia experienced the Sophomore Slump, supposedly, but is expectingly about to bounce back this year. Mark Redman is a quintessential guy to have in any team. Although he had a horrible year last year, his presence is surely felt. The Evil Empires have found themselves a solid starting rotation.
Grade: A-
Relief Pitching
Eddie, Eddie, Eddie! If you don’t know what I am talking about, I am talking about the best AL closer in 2002, Eddie Guardado. His 45 saves led the American League in saves, and was at least 15 more saves than the Yankees’ Mariano Rivera. Guardado is an extremely solid reliever, and was unstoppable last year. Why? He has great mechanics when pitching the ball. Boston’s Mike Timlin may receive the closer’s job next year, so it was a great pickup for them. Felix Rodriguez had an off year last year. ‘Nuff said!
Grade: B+
Utility
It is still uncertain that Nick Johnson will be the full-time DH for the New York Yankees. If he isn’t, because of the bench flexibility, the Empires could even place Ramon Vazquez as their utility man. Vazquez has a lot of speed.
Grade: B-
Final Notes- Their Bench is fairly solid, which will be extremely crucial if somebody in his roster gets hurt. They will have a great year, but the OF is not stable at all.
Saxmania Swingers:
C: LoDuca, Paul (.281-10-64)
1B: Huff, Aubrey (.313-23-59)(part-time starter in 2002)
2B: Walker, Todd (.299-11-64)
3B: Rolen, Scott (.267-31-100, 8 SB)
SS: Renteria, Edgar (.305-11-83, 22 SB)
OF: Berkman, Lance (.292-42-128)
OF: Dye, Jermaine (.252-24-86)
OF: Higginson, Bobby (.282-10-63)
Util: Giambi, Jeremy (.259-20-45)
Bench: Grieve, Ben (.251-19-64)
Bench: Blalock, Hank (.211-3-17)
SP: Mussina, Mike (18-10)
SP: Halladay, Roy (19-7)
SP: Burnett, A.J. (12-9)
SP: Penny, Brad (8-7)
SP: Marquis, Jason (8-9)
RP: Escobar, Kelvim (5-7, 38 SVs)
RP: Mendoza, Ramiro (8-4, 4 SVs)
RP: Quantrill, Paul (5-4, 1 SV)
Bench: Weber, Ben (7-2, 7 SVs)
Bench: Reynolds, Shane (3-6)
Infield
This infield is good, but no too great. Aubrey Huff still has a lot to prove, but he can probably be a great DH. However, he will platoon with new-signee of the Devil rays, 1B Travis Lee. Scott Rolen is the real deal, with his 31 home runs last year. After leaving Philadelphia, he was more than dominant. Thus, his fantasy points skyrocketed. He is a great asset to any team. In 2002, Edgar Renteria was one of the best shortstops in the game. His .305 proves to everyone that he is for real. It will certainly be interesting how many games Todd Walker will start with the Red Sox. C Paul LoDuca is one of the best all around catchers in the game. Not only can he catch, but he has played first base before. His offense is definitely above-average.
Grade: B+
Outfield
This outfield can be fairly intimidating to other teams, but there is no telling how Bobby Higginson will do. Higginson has a small amount of power, but the power numbers will be helped out by home-run hitting machine, Lance Berkman. Berkman has all the capability in reaching fifty home-runs, because he plays in the ultimate hitter’s park, Minute Maid Field. The only downside with Berkman is his lack of speed. Once in a while Berkman will steal a base, but hitting wise, he is the prototypical power-hitter. Jermaine Dye, even with an off-year, still managed 24 home runs. He will most likely bounce back strong in 2003, but nobody knows. Overall, this outfield is extremely great offensively.
Grade: A-
Starting Rotation
The Swingers have one of the best Starting Rotations in the NYYFans.com league. Led by Mike Mussina and Roy Halladay, the talent pool does not drop. He in addition has A.J. Burnett (who may have a monster 2003 year), Brad Penny (who I think will definitely bounce back from an injury-plagued 2002 season), and ever-improving Jason Marquis. Mike Mussina is a strike-out pitcher, who, when healthy, will have the greatest potential to be the best ace in the MLB. Roy Halladay was extremely good last year, and was the ace of the Toronto Blue Jays. A.J. Burnett had a fairly inconsistent year, which was plagued with several injuries in the end of the year. He still ended up with a career year, which could still be bettered up this year. Brad Penny will definitely bounce back extremely strong and Jason Marquis is the real deal.
Grade: A-
Relievers
The Swingers will have no problem in their relief, well, when pertaining to points. Kelvim Escobar slipped by everybody’s sight and Saxman drafted him fairly late. This was probably the best sleeper in the draft because of his 38 saves in 2002. Escobar has the complete package and understands the fundamentals in how to pitch. This kid is definitely a keeper. Ramiro Mendoza could become the closer for the Red Sox, and if he does, Mendoza would end up a great draft pick. Paul Quantrill is basically just a great set-up man in the bullpen. With all this said, even though the relief is swell, Escobar, Mendoza, and Quantrill are all inconsistent and irreliable.
Grade: B-
Utility
Jeremy Giambi is a valuable tool, but he is not a lock for any starting spot for the Boston Red Sox, even if his OBP was fairly high. Ben Grieve would be the backup Utility man, IMO, but it will depend on if Giambi will end up the starting DH.
Grade: C
Final Notes: This team is pretty well built around, but will the foundation last throughout the whole year? This is what the season is for..
9 Angry Playaz (DEFENDING MANTLE DIVISION CHAMPS)
C: Gil, Geronimo (.232-12-45)
1B: Giambi, Jason (.314-41-122)
2B: Kent, Jeff (.313-37-108)
3B: Chavez, Eric (.275-34-109)
SS: Mora, Melvin (.233-19-64, 16 SBs)
OF: Edmonds, Jim (.311-28-83)
OF: Jones, Jacque (.300-27-85)
OF: Wilkerson, Brad (.266-20-59)
Util: Delgado, Carlos (.277-33-108)
Bench: Long, Terrence (.240-16-67)
Bench: Bautista, Danny (.325-6-25)
SP: Wells, David (19-7)
SP: Padilla, Vicente (14-11)
SP: Byrd, Paul (17-11)
SP: Moss, Damian (12-6)
SP: Simontacchi, Jason (11-5)
RP: Rhodes, Arthur (10-4, 2 SVs)
RP: Groom, Buddy (3-2, 2 SVs)
RP: Romero, J.C. (9-2, 1 SV)
Bench: Tomko, Brett (10-10)
Bench: Farnsworth, Kyle (4-6)
Infield
The infield is fairly strong, with power-hitting Jason Giambi leading the crew. Jeff Kent will suffer a nice transition from the unfriendly home-run park, Pac Bell, to the best home-run hitting park, Minute Maid Park. This will boost his homer production, thus, an increase in valuable fantasy points. Eric Chavez already has proved to be a valuable player to keep in fantasy baseball. The only two people in the infield whom could possess nothing offensively are Melvin Mora and Gil.
Grade: B+
Outfield
With Jim Edmonds starting the year off on the DL, Brad Wilkerson and Jacque Jones will need to step it up offensively. Jones probably will have no problem doing so, but depending on 2nd year, Brad Wilkerson, may pose a few problems. However, once Edmonds comes back from the DL, this lineup may be a force to be reckoned with.
Grade: B
Starting Rotation
The 9 Angry Playaz’s rotation is fairly scary, but not extremely blowing all the other rotations out of the water. Wells still has back problems, and nobody knows if his performance will be affected by his recent controversial book. Vicente Padilla should be pitching well again this year, so that will help the Playaz out. Damian Moss and Jason Simontacchi are two fairly up-rising potentially great pitching prospects.
Grade: B+
Relievers
Their relieving combination of Buddy Groom, Arthur Rhodes, and J.C. Romero is at most decent. None of them will score much saves, if any at least, and since they are set-up men, nobody will know how good they will do this year. Romero had a great 2002 season, but will it hold up for 2003? Enough said..
Grade: C+
Utility
Having Carlos Delgado as your Utility man will do your team wonders. Delgado is a power hitter who will hit at least 35 home runs and 100 RBIs when healthy. He will be an instant force of offense for the Playaz.
Grade: A
Final Notes: The Playaz will have revenge in their mind, but momentum because they have much experience. They will either do real well, or collapse.
New York Squeaks:
C: Piazza, Mike
1B: Vaughn, Mo
2B: Bellhorn, Mark
3B: Lowell, Mike
SS: Boone, Aaron
OF: Burrell, Pat
OF: Ibañez, Raul
OF: Jordan, Brian
Util: Simon, Randall
Bench: Lawton, Matt
Bench: Tatis, Fernando
Bench: White, Rondell
SP: Zito, Barry
SP: Glavine, Tom
SP: Contreras, Jose
SP: Astacio, Pedro
SP: Ponson, Sidney
RP: Rivera, Mariano
RP: Williams, Mike
RP: Hammond, Chris
Bench: Looper, Braden
Infield
There are many uncertainties in this Infield, but there is one certain thing, that Mike Piazza will have his dominant offensive numbers again. Mo Vaughn supposedly had a conditioning program which was supposed to slim him down, but if Vaughn only conditioned and never practiced, his numbers will plummet. We all need to see if Mark Bellhorn’s 2003 season was just a fluke, or if he can live up to expectations. Mike Lowell will probably contribute with his hot bat, but he probably won’t be as lucky this season as he did last season. Aaron Boone can be streaky, but a really good baseball player.
Grade: B+
Outfield
The Squeaks are fairly set with their outfield, with Pat Burrell, Raul Ibañez, and Brian Jordan. Burrell is a up and coming star who has a lot of pop in his bat. Nobody in this earth knows whether Ibañez will live up to his 2002 stats. It will be hard, but managable for him if he keeps on working. Brian Jordan is aging, but he is still a fairly good outfielder.
Grade: B+
Starting Rotation
With Barry Zito as the New York Squeaks’ ace, they have formed a formidable rotation. However, because of the uncertainty if Contreras will make the Yankees as a starter, the manager is making a serious gamble. Tom Glavine will be interesting to watch this year, not because that he is good, but if Glavine can transit to the ferocious New York fanbase. Pedro Astacio and Sidney Ponson will be solid this year, but they will have nowhere the same result as Zito or even Glavine.
Grade: B-
Relievers
This is one of the best areas of the team. With two closers (Mariano Rivera and Mike Williams), they will receive a lot of points, but it won’t be as much as last season, when saves were counted with more value. The Squeaks also have Chris Hammond, who is a formidable set-up man behind Rivera with the Yankees.
Grade: B+
Utility
It is extremely interesting that the Squeak manager did not put Matt Lawton as the utility man instead of Randall Simon. Simon is a fairly good player, but he won’t start at first base for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Whereas, Lawton will start for Cleveland. If the manager decides to keep Simon there, the utility grade will lower.
Grade: C
Final Note: It will be interesting to see how their starting rotation will end up as. They have many power hitters, which includes the Mets’ Mo Vaughn.
The Larrupin Lous:
C: Kendall, Jason
1B: Spiezio, Scott
2B: Castillo, Luis
3B: Cirillo, Jeff
SS: Rollins, Jimmy
OF: Matsui, Hideki
OF: Jones, Andruw
OF: Wilson, Preston
Util: Fullmer, Brad
Bench: Kearns, Austin
Bench: Mientkiewicz, Doug
Bench: Gonzalez, Alex S.
Bench: Polanco, Polanco
SP: Johnson, Randy
SP: Morris, Matt
SP: Wells, Kip
SP: Thomson, John
SP: Lohse, Kyle
RP: Kim, Byung-Hyung
RP: Vizcaino, Luis
RP: Sauerback, Scott
Infield
Other than Luis Castillo, there isn’t really anybody who would be really good. Rollins is a threat because he can run, but his OBP kills his hitting. Jason Kendall needs to get used to hitting in his home ballpark, PNC Park, or else his career average will plummet steepily. Scott Spiezio is a streaky first baseman. He will hit well sometimes, then all of a sudden, go into a bad streak.
Grade: B
Outfield
Andruw Jones is undoubtably the best centerfielder in the majors, but he is the only proven outfielder in this current roster. Jones cannot carry the team. Hideki Matsui is prescribed to be the next great hitter, but if he does not produce here in the US, what would be good about his predictions? Wilson will benefit from hitting in Coors Field, but he needs to learn to strike out less. Overall, the outfield could be improved just a little.
Grade: B+
Starting Rotation
The Lous have one of the best 1-2 punch (Randy Johnson and Matt Morris), but after that, the talent declines fast. Kip Wells may be a good pitcher, but until Pittsburgh starts winning games for him, he will not collect many winning points still. We all know what Randy Johnson has done, so it is done with. Matt Morris could be the next Curt Schilling. He has the mechanics and discipline to be Schilling. John Thomson and Kyle Lohse both have a lot to prove in order to have me convinced that they will be great starters in the MLB.
Grade: A-
Relievers
If Byung-Hyung Kim becomes a starter, the Lous will have to immediately take him off their list of relievers, because of a fear of losing the ten points. If it happens, well, the relief pitching is umm…..screwed, sorry to say that. They should have at least picked up a couple of nice set-up men in winning teams who would have had many shots of closing a game if necessary.
Grade: C
Utility
Brad Fullmer is a good choice for the Utility man position. He is a starter with some pop in the bat.
Grade: B
Mattingly’s Hitmen:
C: Johnson, Charles
1B: Dunn, Adam
2B: Young, Eric
3B: Ramirez, Aramis
SS: Guzman, Christian
OF: Sosa, Sammy
OF: Ramirez, Manny
OF: Damon, Johnny
Util: Hunter, Torii
Bench: Randa, Joe
Bench: Giles, Marcus
Bench: Peña, Carlos
SP: Schmidt, Jason
SP: Clement, Matt
SP: Peavy, Jake
SP: Rusch, Glendon
SP: Wright, Dan
RP: Foulke, Keith
RP: Williamson, Scott
RP: Embree, Alan
Bench: MacDougal, Mike
Infield
Face it, this infield does not blow anybody out of the water. Adam Dunn is the only really good hitter here, and last year might have been a real fluke. Charles Johnson will be playing in Colorado (a great hitter’s ballpark), but if he does not connect with the ball, playing in Coors Field will mean nothing. Eric Young has been in the league for a while, and I believe that he is still fairly unproven and has not peaked. If Aramis Ramirez can return to his 2001 shape, then he will be a force to be reckoned with. If not, it’s just another roster spot to waste. Christian Guzman had a bad year last year, but I believe he will bounce back really strong.
Grade: B
Outfield
The Hitmen has compiled themselves an amazing outfield (Sosa, Manny, and Damon). However, Manny and Damon are both fairly injury prone, which leaves Sammy Sosa as the man to lead. Sosa could be past his prime this year. Nobody will know if he will reach the 60 home-run plateau anymore (he didn’t last year). Although it looks great on paper, there are a few question-marks.
Grade: B+
Starting Rotation
I do not want to offend anyone, but this starting rotation, I’m sorry, has no future. Matt Clement is the only decent starter. Jake Peavy is unproven, he may do well or fall. Jason Schmidt is someone nobody can ever depend on, because he can be an extremely streaky pitcher. I feel that Glendon Rusch and Dan Wright are just roster spots that were needed to fill out the rotation. If I were the manager, I would look into trading someone in the offense for a fairly decent ace/pitcher.
Grade: C
Relievers
With three potential closers in this team, it will save the Rotation from falling, well, a little. Foulke will thrive in Oakland because of the amount of wins that team will win. Scott Williamson will look great in the Great American Ballpark, and Alan Embree is the prime-candidate to win the closer job in Boston. Great relief core the manager has compiled!
Grade: B+
Utility
Torii Hunter is the man. He will do absolutely awesome as the Utility man, enough said.
Grade: A