Opening Day is jam-done, so what have we learned?

Emilio Bonifacio is better suited for America’s Mid-West, cause he’s cookin’ up some speed.  He’ll be the number one waiver wire claim, almost certainly. Will it last? Does Speed Last in a Trailer Park? Does a Trailer Park Last in Tornado Alley?

The Baseball Cube has Bonifacio coming in at a 97 speed which, after looking through his 6 minor league seasons, means he’s stealing a base every three games or so.  His speed numbers took a huge hit in the 2008 season, but I coudln’t be bothered sifting through injury reports at this point.  Bonifacio’s Minor League Numbers are available here, if you’d like to break it down.

So the speed is no joke, but what about the Pitcher / Catcher combo he was running on all night.  Lannan’s a lefty, so I’m assuming he’s at least half-decent with his pick-off move.  How he is out of the stretch, who knows — I didn’t get to watch the game.

Jesus Flores is about a league-average to slightly above average, defensive catcher.  Flores has thrown out roughly 30 percent of base runners in the past two years, which is quite a solid number. He’s predicted to throw out roughly 24 percent of theives this year, which puts him right at league average.

So there were no “free” passes, from what I can gather having not watched the game.  However, Bonifacio’s main problem is getting his arse on-base. He’s predicted to hit only .260-.270, and get on-base around .315 by just about all of the prediction robots.

Florida likes to run, and Bonifacio will run, if he can just get on base.  What you should be focusing on, is Bonifacio batting lead-off.  If he continues to hit lead-off, then he’ll have some serious fantasy value.  With the amount of power hitting strike-out artists batting behind him in the line-up, I’d expect plenty of straight-steals and plenty o’ runs scored.

How long he can hold off Maybin, will determine Bonifacio’s true value.  In deep leagues, I’d pounce if he’s still around.  I’d imagine he would have got nabbed after Dirty Dallas McPherson’s release, if you’re in a deep league though.

If someone like Carlos Gomez, Elvis Andrus or Michael Bourn isn’t rostered in your league — You probably don’t want to rush out and grab Bonifacio.

In other news, Brandon Ryan got the start at second base for the Cardinals.  Skip Schumaker came in to pitch hit, and promptly stole a base.   This is probably more to due with Paul Maholm being a lefty than anything else (Ryan’s a righty, and Skip’s a leftie.)

If you have a waiver-wire claim in for Skip Schumaker as your second-baseman, I’d make sure to keep it active.  In Yahoo Leagues, Schumaker should be a second basemen a week from now.

Neither Justin Upton, nor Mark Reynolds were in the line-up today to face Righty Aaron Cook. Eric Byrnes filled in nicely, going 0-fer with 2 strike-outs. Tony Clark on the other hand, who played first with Chad Tracy moving to third, KILLED THE OMFG SMASH-KILLING OF THE BASEBALL. He and my most favourite of Lopez’s (including, but not limited to, George Lopez,) Felipe Lopez, smashed killed the ball for 2 HR each.  Both Clark and Lopez, did it batting both left handed, and right handed.

No other real surprises, except that Caesar Izturis owners are probably talking a whole-lotta shit right now after 1 HR and 5 total bases.

Blue Jays Win! Lind and Snider look great! 161 left.

Please, save yourself the trouble and don’t put too much time into your dynasty league catcher.  You’ll definitely fall into one of two groups: the haves, and the have-nots.  If you’re lucky enough to get Brian McCann, Matt Wieters, or Russell Martin, you’re set for the foreseeable future.

If you don’t get one of the big guys, don’t even bother with the catcher position and pick up the highest rated catcher in single-year leagues.  Bengie Molina isn’t a pretty option, but he’ll get the job done. It makes a lot more sense to draft Ramon Hernandez every year, than it does to keep someone like Kurt Suzuki, just in case he breaks out.

Matt Wieters, the number one prospect in baseball, is obviously in the player pool but none of the other young-impact catchers make the list.  There’s no Buster Posey, Carlos Santana, or Jesus Montero.  Your best bet for grabbing a youngin’ probably comes from the catching stable in Texas, both Max Ramirez and Taylor Teagarden are solid prospects.

The first group of catchers are all about 26 years old, excluding Wieters, so you really can’t go wrong.

C- 1B – 2B – SS – 3B – OF - SP – RP

1. Brian McCann – ATL Braves – The only one of the bunch without a noticeable flaw.

2. Joe Mauer – MIN Twins - Flaw: Bad Back

3. Geovany Soto – CHI Cubs - Flaw: Only One Year Under His Belt

4. Russell Martin – LA Dodgers - Flaw: Speed will abandon him

You could make an argument for those 4 going in any order you’d like. I think McCann’s power will persevere unlike Martin’s stolen base numbers.  Joe Mauer at second is risky business considering his back is in awful shape, but while Mauer’s GP won’t be consistent, his batting average should be. Depending on how the young Twins shape up, Mauer should improve with age.

5. Matt Wieters – BAL Orioles - Wieters doesn’t even have a job yet, but when you consider very few catchers will get kept you might as well take a risk.  Weiter is also a great draft + trade candidate, as his value will only go up once he reaches the big leagues.

6. Chris Iannetta – COL Rockies – Finally, a Colorado catcher that can hit. Ianetta’s young enough to improve for the next 3 or 4 years, and maintain steady output into his 30′s.

7. Dioner Navarro – TB Rays – Bit of a risky pick here as Navarro is anything but predictable.  The only thing keeping him ahead of Doumit and Martinez is position eligibility.

8. Victor Martinez – CLE Indians – At some point, he’ll be an everyday first basemen or dh.

9. Ryan Doumit – PIT Pirates - Doumit’s already played his fair share of games in the outfield, and I wouldn’t bank on him having catcher eligibility for more than a couple years.

10. Mike Napoli – LA Angels - Limited at-bats, Lots of power.

11. Jarrod Saltalamacchia – TEX Rangers - Don’t write him off yet.

12. Jeff Clement – SEA Mariners - Ditto.

13. Max Ramirez – TEX Rangers - If you do write off Salty..

14. Taylor Teagarden – TEX Rangers – Minors numbers aren’t as pretty as you’d expect.  Solid defender and he plays in Arlington, though.

15. Kelly Shoppach – CLE Indians – Ditto Napoli.

16. Chris Snyder – ARI Diamondbacks

17. Angel Salome – MIL Brewers

18. Bengie Molina – SF Giants

19. Ramon Hernandez – CIN Reds

20. J.R. Towles – HOU Astros

21. Jesus Flores – WAS Nationals

22. A.J. Pierzynski – CHI White Sox

23. John Baker – FLA Marlins

24. Jorge Posada – NY Yankees

25. Ronny Paulino – FLA Marlins

26. Miguel Olivo – KC Royals

27. Nick Hundley – SD Padres

28. Kurt Suzuki – OAK Athletics

29. Jeff Mathis – LA Angels

30. Miguel Montero – ARI Diamondbacks

While I’ve listed these down to 30, I really don’t see any point in wasting a keeper spot on a mediocre catcher just because he’s under 25.  Obviously, when a Matt Wieters or Buster Posey comes along, you should pounce but the amount of FAIL that keeper-league catchers bring to the table is ungodly.

Furthermore, most of these catchers aren’t going to come into their own until their mid-twenties.

ESPN released their new fantasy baseball rankings for 2009 on Friday, March 13th.  The team at ESPN normally brings solid analysis and a half decent ranking system to the table but they tend to err on the side of caution.

In deep leagues, caution is your friend.  If you screw up in a deepleague, you’re left with Tony Pena Jr. manning a middle infield spot.  In a regular sized league, of up to 16-teams, caution is your enemy.  It makes sense to go out on a limb and grab Aaron Cunningham and hope for the best because if he falters; you can replace him easily enough.

Without further adieu, it’s time to examine their catcher rankings:

POS	OVR	Name	Team	POS	Mixed $	AL/NL $	MOV
1	47	Brian McCann	ATL	C	15	22
McCann sits atop almost all catcher rankings at this point, even though Atlanta seemingly has the worst offense of the bunch.
2	53	Russell Martin	LAD	C	13	21
Martin contributes steals, but at some point they’re going to drastically decline. Value’s still there in a potent LA line-up.
3	69	Geovany Soto	CHC	C	12	21
Soto may be in for a bit of a Sophomore slump. I wouldn’t expect drastic improvement
4	81	Joe Mauer	MIN	C	10	19
Mauer’s my favourite of the bunch, but missing camp will hurt. Drafting Mauer allows you to attain high SB / low AVG guys. You’re really going to have to follow his back pain, because if he starts missing time — he’ll fall below more than just Soto.
5	108	Ryan Doumit	PIT	C	7	17
Doumit has the job, but I doubt he catches all year. If he does catch all year, expect a second half drop-off. The Solid power and average numbers keep him in the top 6.
6	112	Victor Martinez	CLE	C	7	18
Martinez is primed for a bounce-back year as he says he’s healthy. If he’s healthy, he’s got the potential to match McCann category for category. If you can get Martinez between picks 100-110ish you’re golden.
7	131	Mike Napoli	LAA	C	6	16
Napoli appears to be missing a good chunk of spring training, and he may not be ready for the season. Drop him a spot, maybe too. Expect a regression in BA, as well. All the other stats should go up w/ increased playing time
8	150	Chris Iannetta	COL	C	5	14
Iannetta is a beast whose BA may drop him. I like him quite a bit, and expect him to perform in the Ryan Doumit range. Personally, I’d switch him and Napoli up.
9	171	Jorge Posada	NYY	C	3	15
Jorge’s way too high for my liking. He’s injury prone, old, and shouldn’t be getting AB at DH considering the Yankee depth. 120 GP is a stretch. A healthy season in that line-up makes him a top-5 catcher though.  Lots of Risk & Reward here.
10	179	Matt Wieters	BAL	C	2	14
Everything is pointing towards Wieters starting off in the minors, but Zaun can’t hold him off. A mini-slump to start off his Triple-A season wouldn’t surprise me, but he should get the call regardless.
11	184	Bengie Molina	SF	C	2	13
Molina wont repeat his 95 RBI season, and there’s no reason for him to be batting clean-up ever again. 45 Runs and 75 RBIs seem far more likely. He’s still a solid option, as Buster Posey is no threat at this point to his AB. You never know though, especially if Posey keeps smash-killing the ball — just kidding Giants fans, you’re stuck with Molina for another year or two.
12	188	Ramon Hernandez	CIN	C	2	13
Hernandez is the epitome of average, but a switch to the Great American Bandbox may help his numbers. 60 Runs with 75-80RBI is the ceiling, but that .250 AVG is going to hurt.
13	195	Kelly Shoppach	CLE	C	1	13
Shoppach strikes out a lot, but he also punishes the ball. The only question is where’s he going to play. He’ll get his AB when Martinez needs a rest, for sure. But how often will Martinez DH, or play 1B? What you think of Martinez will determine how highly you rank Shoppach. Keep in mind, if Shoppach only gets 350 AB he’s a legit 20HR hitter, and that .250-.260 average doesn’t hurt nearly as much over 350AB.
14	255	Jeff Clement	SEA	C/DH	$-	11
It’s Clements year to shine, but the signing of Griffey Jr. hurt. Clement was penciled in for almost all of the DH at-bats, but now he’ll have to play nice. Clement should still out-perform his value, and at this point it might make sense to take him over Molina, Hernandez AND Shoppach.
15	276	Chris Snyder	ARI	C	$-	9
Snyder’s one of my personal favourites, as his partner in crime: Miguel Montero. How many AB Snyder gets will largely determine his value, but I’d put him somewhere in the 10-12 Dollar range
16	277	A.J. Pierzynski	CHW	C	$-	10
I hate Pierzynski with a passion, but he’s consistent and probably worth more than 10 bucks. Drafting a guy like Pierzynski will allow you to reach on a prospect in the later rounds. 65Runs, 65 RBI and a .275 average make up the sum of this ass-hat’s value.
17	298	John Baker	FLA	C	$-	8
Baker’s moving up everyones list, and I approve. He strikes out a bit too much, but he walks enough to ease my concerns. He certainly won’t duplicate last year’s .375 BABIP, so expect a drop in BA. Closer to .275 than last year’s .299.
18	300	J.R. Towles	HOU	C	$-	8
Everyone’s going to forget about Towles, and while this may be a smidgen high – I like him. Realistically, if you can get Towles around here – you might as well jump. He’s got a bit more upside than a guy like Pierzynski or Snyder, but there’s the potential for another year of suck-age. Grab yourself a back-up plan if you go with Towles. He could easily enter the top-10 catchers by September, though.
19	302	Taylor Teagarden	TEX	C	$-	8
Teagarden vs. Salty…I have Salty higher. Teagarden’s the sexier choice, but I fear that fantasy “experts” are caught in the hype machine. Even if Teagarden wins the job outright, his eye and contact skills still need work.
20	304	Yadier Molina	STL	C	$-	8
Not sure what ESPN was thinking here: .275AVG and 50 of each R and RBI. You can get that elsewhere. Drop him in the rankings.  Nice enough line-up if Schumaker plays 2nd base though. Hrm…
21	342	Dioner Navarro	TAM	C	$-	8
…like right here: Navarro was hit or miss last year, but it’s not ridiculous to expect a .290 AVG, 55 R, 55RBI to go along with at least a few more HR than Molina.
22	343	Kurt Suzuki	OAK	C	$-	8
Suzuki is boring and should be shot. He does however get on base, and should score plenty of Runs for a catcher. He’s fine here-ish. I’m not sure why, but Suzuki is one of the few young guys I see drastically improving upon his skill-set in 2009.
23	349	Jesus Flores	WAS	C	$-	6
Oh Jesus, Flores is solid but I’m not sure what ESPN is drinking at this point. Flores strikes out too much, and has an awful BA. He does however have 15HR pop in his bat. When drafting a guy like Flores as your starter, you best be loading up on the James Loney / Conor Jackson breed of first basemen rather than the Adam LaRoche breed.
24	386	Brandon Inge	DET	C/3B	$-	7
Inge will find a spot to play, but this is too high. Stick Laird here and call it a day.
25	387	Jarrod Saltalamacchia	TEX	C	$-	7
Saltalamacchia really dropped, and I haven’t the slightest clue why. He hasn’t impressed in the Majors but he’s playing arguably the hardest position on the field. I peg break-out year, and Teagarden may steal AB but Salty’s still got top-12 catcher written all over him.
26	388	Miguel Olivo	KC	C/DH	$-	6
Olivo and Buck will be having one of those lovely open competitions. Olivo is solid, and I’d be willing to drop 7 or 8 bucks on him. I think he outproducing guys like Suzuki and Inge, probably Flores too. He has to get the AB though, which shouldn’t be hard considering Buck is one of the few backstops with a worse BA than Olivo.
27	391	Kenji Johjima	SEA	C	$-	6
I see no reason to own Johjima – you’ll have to overpay for his name. ESPN has hit the nail on the head with this one.
28	439	Gerald Laird	DET	C	$-	5
Laird seems to be far too low for my liking. Yes, Detroit will temper his power numbers but he can still rake, and for a 29 year old he still has “upside”. Would you be surprised if Laird hit .275 with 15 Homers? Because I wouldn’t be.
29	440	Rod Barajas	TOR	C	$-	5
We’re onto the guys with starting jobs now… Barajas has power, and Toronto has a half decent line-up when they’re all healthy. The 13-15HR are nice, but the .240 AVG really hurts.
30	442	Jason Varitek	BOS	C	$-	4
…if only leadership were a category in fantasy baseball.
31	444	Josh Bard	BOS	C	$-	4
I’d take Bard over ‘Tek, but neither has value. If your league has 16 teams, and 2 catcher spots there are better options here.
32	476	Nick Hundley	SD	C	$-	2
An option like Nick Hundley, you know he could be a steal and perform at least a 5 dollar value.
33	478	Jason Kendall	MIL	C	$-	2
…yup, he’s worth a buck or two.
34	482	Mike Rivera	MIL	C	$-	2
…uhh, he’s hurt and I’d rather have Salome!
35	484	Chris Coste	PHI	C	$-	2
There’s a log-jam in Philly, and personally I like Paulino the best but Coste may put up the best numbers.  Go with your gut at this point.
36	486	Miguel Montero	ARI	C	$-	1
The difference between Montero and Snyder is marginal in my books. If you think Snyder gets all the AB, these rankings are fine. Personally, I’d move both of these guys closer to the average.
37	487	Ronny Paulino	PHI	C	$-	1
I like his skill-set a lot and would draft him over the previous 4 or 5 guys.
38	489	Carlos Ruiz	PHI	C	$-	1
So many average catchers…Ruiz was getting the AB come play-off time but the other two catchers are both better fantasy catchers.
39	518	Jeff Mathis	LAA	C	$-	2
If Napoli starts the season on the DL, Mathis could be a steal. I’m high on Mathis to begin with, and I expect a very solid year. I expect him to outperform the Miguel Olivo’s of the world.
40	527	Ivan Rodriguez	FA	C	$-	$-
Okay, I understand the point of listing Pudge as the last available catcher but he’ll find a job. Put him somewhere in the mid-to-late teens and call it a day.

Where Have You Gone?

Pablo Sandoval – San Francisco Giants: ESPN left him out due to his lack of playing time at catcher.  Pablo played 11 Games at backstop last year, and he might sneak in a few this year.  Examine your league settings

Humberto Quintero – Houston Astros: If Towles continues to struggle, Quintero should nab the job.  If Quintero nabs the job, expect somewhere between bad and awful.  Jason Castro appears to be the heir apparent, but he’s still at least a year away.

David Ross – Atlanta Braves: He plays behind Brian McCann, but there comes a point where it makes more sense to draft a solid back-up.  I like Ross, and I think he’ll get at least a couple hundred AB this year.

Angel Salome – Milwaukee Brewers: Jason Kendall aint that great, and Salome has shown promise throughout his minor-league career.  It might be asking too much from him to go from Double-A to the show, but after a little seasoning in AAA he might make the mid-season jump.  He’s a talented hitter, and definitely worth a look. His defense is definitely questionable, but if he breaks camp with the team and has catcher eligibility in your league — give ‘er tits.  I’d take a risk on Salome over Kndall, Bard, Varitek — type guys.

Castro & Schnieder – New York Mets: This is a problem, because the Mets have a stellar offense.  I’m not sure where these two fall, but their counting stats should be acceptable assuming one manages to get a 75% share of the AB.

Greg Zaun – Baltimore Orioles: While I’m a firm believer in the “Greg Zaun is the worst human being alive” school of thought, there’s no ignoring Zaun’s talent for sticking around on big league rosters.  Zaun’s managed to have himself a solid spring, and could be a very useful fill in for those waiting on a “catcher of the future”, like Teagarden or Wieters.

Henry Blanco – San Diego Padres: Nick Hundley is having a stellar spring training, but Blanco is still a solid option.  I had the pleasure of watching Blanco, and his overly greased mullet, propel Team Venezeuala past the USA in Round 1 of the World Baseball Classic. San Diego has an awful ballpark for hitters, but Blanco is still a half-decent option in deeper leagues.

The Mess That Is The Twins: Mike Redmond is not the answer, and depending on how long Joe Mauer is expected to be out,  it’s either an open competition or free agent time.  Rodriguez has been playing well in the WBC, but I’m sure he’s out of Minnesota’s price range.  Avoid this mess.

Final Take:

Joe Mauer’s a mess, but his time-table is up in the air.  Either avoid, or follow carefully. Very carefully.

Jeff Mathis could provide early season help.

Teagarden isn’t king yet, don’t sleep on Salty.

J.R. Towles is having major issues AGAIN, in spring training.

Clement should be a steal.

The fall-off from switching leagues should be negated by a friendlier ballpark when dealing with Ramon Hernandez.

Jorge Posada is old, real old — Approach with Caution.  Whoever catches for the Yankees will score a lot of runs, and drive in just as many.  Molina and Cervelli become viable options.

Ryan Doumit can’t catch a whole season, but he shouldn’t have too much trouble getting AB in the outfield.

Fantasy Baseball has its share of guys drafted in the late rounds, or picked up for a dollar that really pan out.  You’re generally not going to get anyone who absolutely kills it for a buck, or in the last round, unless you’re in a 10-12 team default league.  But here are some guy’s that’ll fill in nicely.

Minor Leaguers / Hot Prospects will have their own list, so they are excluded from this one.

Position Players

Anaheim Angels

Kendry Morales (1b) came over from Cuba in 2005 with a boatload of hype, and then proceeded to become spectacularly average.  The Fantasy World was abuzz just a few years ago about the Angels’ corner infielders, Dallas McPherson and Kendry Morales.  Then, they just stopped maturing, and when called up couldn’t produce.  None the less, Morales has had an incredible winterball season and obviously the talent is there.  Power hitting first basemen aren’t going to be gotten for a buck, but he’ll be cheaper come draft day.  Hopefully the Angels stay with Morales and resist the temptation to sign a first baseman.  Morales will produce and 25HR, 85RBI, 75R, and a .270 AVG seems reasonable.

Houston Astros

J.R. Towles (C) came into last year as the second hot catching prospect behind Soto. While Soto excelled as a major league backstop, Towles really shit the bed.  It Wouldn’t be out of the question to see Towles hit 15-20 HR, and Bill James has him hitting 17HR. Keep an eye on the starting Catcher’s job as Toby Hall was recently brought in to clean up the mess if Towles struggled.

Oakland Athletics

There’s going to be some value here, the problem is there are a lot of players around the same talent level fighting for jobs.

Ryan Sweeney (CF) wins the starting CF job, and has the possibility of going 15HR, 15SB.

Travis Buck (RF) has a tonne of talent, and flopped horribly last year.  He’s a top-tier young player that should develop power to go along with his solid batting eye.  As with all the stupid Athletics — Buck walks a lot and strikes out more.

Eric Patterson’s (OF /2B) AAA averages of .300+ have not translated well to the big leagues.  The Athletics acquired Patterson in the Harden deal, and will eventually end up with a solid player.  He’s got speed and, above all, second base eligibility.  If the Athletics can find a place for Patterson, he’ll be worth the dollar or two you’ll have to spend on him. His MLB strike-out rate isn’t a pretty sight though, so lets just hope he can drop it below 20%.

Daric Barton (1B) is yet another On Base Machine in the Oakland Athletics system.  He hit .347 in 84 PA in 2007, and then proceeded to stink up the joint (AAA and MLB) in 2008. Barton should have the inside gig on the first base job, with Jason Giambi as the DH.  If he continues to stink it up though; Giambi will move to first with Cust to DH which opens up the outfield for the two names above (Patterson or Buck).

Toronto Blue Jays

Travis Snider (OF / 1B) probably wont come as cheap as I’d like, but he should put up a solid rookie/sophmore season.  He came up for a cup of coffee in 2008, and impressed.  Generally listed among everyones top 10 MLB prospects, Snider is only 21 and has flown through the Jays system.  In limited action in 2008, he hit .300 with a couple dingers. There’s always the possibility the Jays start Snider off in the minors and keep him there for a good chunk, to save cash in the long run.  If Snider can keep ahold of the starting gig for the entire season, 20 HR aren’t out of the question.

While Snider may have more future potential, Adam Lind (OF) looks primed for a solid and productive 2009 campaign.  The Jays babied Lind quite a bit as he was coming through the system, and many Jays fans wanted Lind to stick with the big club a year earlier than he did.  Adam Lind has a realistic shot of hitting between .290 and .305 and, while his power numbers are sick-awesome, he should get to 20-25 HR on the season.  Lind brings incredible value to the table, and should be cheap come draft day.

Atlanta Braves

Josh Anderson(CF) will find a place to play in 2009, he’s gots-ta.  Anderson has quick-fast feet and should steal plenty of bases, cheaply.  He’ll hopefully get on-base somewhere between 33-35 percent of the time and could steal 35-40 bases this year if given the chance. Gregor Blanco and Brandon Jones sit ahead of him, both of which have hopes and dreams of their own.  Anderson should be able to snake the starting CF job away from Blanco.  Anderson’s one of my favourites going into the season.

Martin Prado (UTIL) is a second baseman by trade, but has filled in for Chipper Jones and will continue to fill in at third whenever Jones goes down.  While Prado doesn’t have a starting gig, he’s definitely someone to keep an eye on.  His .320 batting average last year was a result of a silly-stupid .360 BABIP but he appears to be a legitimate .290 – .300 hitter with not much else.  He gets on base, and has a good LD%.

Casey Kotchman will outperform his value, but by no means is he a sleeper.

Milwaukee Brewers

Bill Hall (3B) hit 290 in 2005, and everything was looking up. Then his strike out rates went as follows, presented with the corresponding averages: 2005 20 K%, .291  AVG, 2006 30 K%, .270 AVG, 2007 28 K%, .254 AVG, 2008 31 K%, .225 AVG.  To expect things from Hall is nutty, but if he can just manage to keep that bloody K percentage down to even 23-25%, he’ll be useful.

Anyone know if Alcides Escobar can play a solid third-base?

St. Louis Cardinals

Khalil Greene (SS). I like Greene this year, and I’m crazy for it.  It’s one of those doesn’t make sense gut feelings, that will either win you or lose you a fantasy league. Maybe he hits .260 and pulls his typical week with 5 HR, 4 Weeks with 0 HR type season.

David Freese (3B) went from three years of high and low A ball with the Padres to killing in triple A with the Cardinals.  Something smells fishy, but he’s listed as the guy behind Glaus.

Chicago Cubs

Mike Fontenot (2B) is the closest thing to a sleeper on this team, and who knows if he’ll out-perform his value.  He deserves to start over Aaron Miles, but weird shit happens in the windy city.  Keep an eye on this little situation.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Felipe Lopez (2B) will be filling the void at second left by Orlando Hudson, the O-Dog. I’m pretty high on Lopez, but he’s got some attitude issues.  Lopez probably makes my list of top 10 sleepers going into 2009. He should get down to business and put up some incredibly solid numbers.  He’s capable of batting .290 and stealing 30 or more bases, which cant be said for the other guys Melvin might think of batting atop the order. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lopez occupy the 1 or 2 hole, and reap the rewards of a solid Arizona Diamondbacks line-up.

Lopez played 13 G at SS, 13 G at 3B, 17 G in the OF, and 101 at 2B.  Check your league settings because Lopez could be the ultimate fill-in.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Do the Dodgers get a deal done for Manny Ramirez?  If not Juan Pierre (OF) might become a bit more attractive with his huge contract floating around. However, Pierre’s name may add a couple bucks to his actual price tag, which you might care to avoid. 40 SB from someone who wont kill your batting average is always nice though.

Blake DeWitt (2B / 3B) has the inside line on the second base job over Mark Loretta.  He doesn’t bring anything particularly sexy to the table, but the kid can play.  The second and third eligibility helps.  All and all nothing overwhelming in Dodger-land.

San Francisco Giants

Lots of Fun in Giants camp! Pablo Sandoval (3B, 1B, C) is everyones favorite sleeper for the entirty of Fantasy Baseball for 2009.  He’s not a sleeper anymore, but the kid can play and did play 11 games at Catcher, 12 at third base, and 17 at first.  It looks like he’ll be playing third this year, but check your league settings.  Nothing is more annoying than finding out someone isn’t eligible for a position.  If he’s eligible for catcher in your league, snatch him the hell up.

Emmanuel Burriss (SS / 2B) should win the job over Kelly Frandsen, maybe.  Along with Burriss, Eugenio Velez (2B) has a shot of snagging that opening.  Velez will bring you ridiculous SB, and could be solid but is going to have issues matching Burriss defensively.  It’ll be itneresting to see how this plays out, as both Burriss and Velez should be able to get you a bunch of SB, assuming they win the job.

Cleveland Indians

Matt Laporta (OF / 1B) will go with the rookie rankings but hopefully he plays this year for the big club.

The Indians have quite a few guys with room for improvement and maturity, yet none of them really classify as sleepers. Shin-Soo Choo (OF / RF) looks darn good and had quite the season in just under 100 games for the tribe last year. The .309 BA is nice, but the .373 BABIP is ridiculous. His Line Drive percentage is nice and pretty above 20%, but .373 is ridiculous.  He got lucky, but he can still go and hit 20+ HR for the tribe this year, and he does still have some speed in the tank (enough for 10SB? Maybe)

Keep an eye on Ben Francisco as well, the other corner outfielder.

The Entire Indians Infield (DeRosa, Cabrera, Peralta, and Garko) have the ability to eclipse their dollar value / draft round, in 2009.  Not sleepers, but worth a look. I’m especially high on Cabrera and Garko, as the other two have gotten their fair share of pre-season hype.

Seattle Mariners

What a waste-land.  I’m not a fan of the Mariners, at all. Everytime they come to Toronto, hoards of japanese people come out and scream their faces off at Kenji Johjima and Ichiro Suzuki.  They’re like rockstars, and the 16-22 year old Japanese girls that scream for them act like their white peers at an All American Rejects concert.

Jeff Clement (C) isn’t a sleeper, but he should outperform his draft stock.

Florida Marlins

Much better, the Florida Marlins have some sleepers. Jeremy Hermida (RF) has all the tools to be great, not just good — but GREAT.  Most fantasy owners get pissed off when they read about sleepers for a couple years, and they just never pan out. Hermida falls into this group, the post hype sleeper group. 2008′s 28 percent strike-out rate is a weeeeeeeee bit concerning, but sometimes you just gotta trust your eyes and go with that sweet sweet swing.

Cameron Maybin (OF) should be good, not quite yet though — He’ll be hanging out with LaPorta in the “rookies who can make a difference” room.

John Baker (C), Oh how I like thee.  His outlook looks good, and he’ll be great value in the last round or two of your draft — If he flops, which he could well do, just cut bait.  Otherwise, I’m fixin’ on predictin’ 350-400 AB to go with 15 HR

Dallas McPherson (3B) should be good but the hype machine is starting it’s engines, and with the ridiculous amount of homers he’s put up in the Minors the past couple years — the experts are remembering just how much they LOVED McPherson 5 years ago.

New York Mets

The Mets’ outfield other than Beltran looks to have a good bit of talent floating around it. I’m generally against listing sleepers from big market teams, as ESPN tends to showcase the hell out of them but Ryan Church (OF) has been solid, but not spectacular for sometime now, and other than a broken brain looks good. With Church, you might get 20 HR, a handful of steals, and a guarenteed .275 average.  He’s quite serviceable in deeper leagues. The 20-25% K rate is concerning, but if he’s adding power while doing it — I’ll take it.

Daniel Murphy (OF / 2B? / 3b?) could make a big impact in fantasy circles this year. His .386 BABIP last year inflated his stats, but he’s still only 24 years old. Murphy can play just about anywhere, but will start the season qualifying only as an OF.  There’s a chance with the right set of circumstances that he snags eligibility at 2B and/or 3B.  If he comes out of camp as the starting second baseman, he’s value is going to be solid as all hell. His LD rate was a stupid-silly 33 percent last year, which makes that .386 BABIP not so ridiculous and while his K rate was 20+ percent last year — he should drop it down below 20 (if minor league stats have any influence whatsoever on MLB stats). If Murphy can steal 10 bases, which he’s more than capable of, he’ll be useful in all but the most shallow of leagues. If you consider him a sleeper, Murphy is top 5.

Jeremy Reed (OF) came over from Seattle, and the talent’s there.  He hasn’t managed to put it together, and his top-prospect status is long gone. Maybe he’ll react well to being out of Seattle and begin putting up the numbers once expected of him.

Washington Nationals

Their outfield is stacked with former top prospects, absolutely stacked.  I’m not sure if it’ll ever gell considering the attitude that’s out there but:

Lastings Milledge (OF) was the chosen one in the Mets farm system for a few years before coming over to the Nats.  As with all New York prospects, the great ones are blown up way too big, and the smaller ones get lost in the shadows to become great players. Milledge does have the talent though, as he can easily steal 25 bases to go along with his developing power.  Last Years 14 HR season should be improved upon, actually all of his numbers should be improved upon. If he can keep his LD rate above 20, and his K rate below it — he could outperform the massive hype surrounding him..lets hope.  He’s not a one dollar sleeper, and you’ll have to pay to get him but the potential is there.

Elijah Dukes (RF / OF) has more power than Milledge, but also has more issues.  If Dukes has 15 wives and each wife has 2 children, and each child has 3 Daddies,  how many children is Dukes really the father of? Dukes has all the talent in the world and if everything goes well he could smash his draft day value. Read this carefully: Elijah Dukes could reasonably go 30HR and 30SB, with a .275BA given he reaches about 600PA.

Josh Willingham (LF / OF) could get to 25 HR pretty easily, but keep in mind his BA isn’t pretty and he strikes out a hella-lot.

Jesus Flores (C) could be one to keep an eye on, but he’s not particularly a sleeper.

Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore and Mike Flanagan are doing a terrific job building their organization the right way — by fleecing other teams of their young talent.

Matt Weiters (C) cannot possibly be considered a sleeper, and he’ll join Laporta, Maybin, and Escobar in the Rookie Category.

Even Adam Jones (CF / OF), one of the nicest guys in baseball, isn’t particularly a sleeper.  He’ll improve upon his numbers of last year, and he’s a super prospect but you’ll probably have to pay some cash money to get him.  Jones has 20 HR pop in his bat as soon as this year, and on a team that loves to just go out and have fun — he should be fun to watch.  Throw in 10-15SB, and you’ve got yourself a ballplayer.

Felix Pie (LF / OF) will more than likely be a second half sleeper.  It may be worth it to draft him, but I’d wait a few months before grabbing him.  If your league is shallow, feel free to grab the speedy young OF whom the Cubs gave the Orioles for essentially nothing.  If he’s allowed to run free, expect a cheap source of stolen bases.

San Diego Padres

I’m not sure where I stand on Chase Headley (OF / 3B?). The Kid has all of the talent in the world, but is it too soon? Chase strikes out too damn much, 31.4% K Rate! but when he does hit the ball he’s a line-drive machine, 25% LD! The Homers aren’t there, but he’ll grow into it eventually — He’s a sleeper, but not one i’d like to have on my team unless I’ve got balls of steel. If Kouzmanoff gets hurt and Headley can move to third, we’ve got a whole new ball-game.

Edgar Gonzalez (2B) might be worth a look if not for that pesky David Eckstein.

Philadelphia Phillies

World Champs don’t produce sleepers.

Raul Ibanez (OF) might be worth a long, long, look though.  He’s no world champ — but he is a .290 hitter with power, who’s numbers have been skewed by Seattle’s awful ballpark.

Who know’s how he’ll adjust to NL pitching after 10 years in the AL, but he’s worth a very very long look.  He wont come for a buck, but i bet he outperforms his cost by at least 3 to 5 dollars.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Rookie Outfielders Andrew McCutchen (OF), Steve Pearce(OF), Jose Tabata(OF) could all make a difference in your fantasy league this year depending on its size.  They’re getting hucked into the Rookie category. I was thinking of putting Pearce here, but it’s easier to put him with the other two star prospects.

Really only Andy LaRoche (3B) sticks out as someone I’d genuinely like to have on my roster.  While Freddy Sanchez (2B) could put up a solid batting average, he’s too hit or miss.

Andy’s brother Adam LaRoche (1B) is primed for a breakout year but is in no way a sleeper.

Texas Rangers

Elvis Andrus (SS) can boogey, and he’s won the starting shortstop gig. The Rangers were wise to sign Omar Vizquel (SS) just incase.  Andrus gets thrown in with the other rookies later, to a lesser extent.

Anyone in the Texas Line-Up should produce solid numbers, as Arlington is a  bloody Band-Box.

Take David Murphy (OF) if he takes the LF job, and all signs point to yessir — he’ll put up stellar numbers.

Chris Davis (1B / 3B) lost his position as a sleeper the day he was born, so please dont ask.

Tampa Bay Rays

I cant seem to find a sleeper here; eveyrone on their squad should probably perform up to par. Ben Zobrist (OF / SS) qualifies at shortstop and could well snag the right field job, but I still woulnd’t count on that many AB. His power seemingly came out of nowhere and with a 13% LD rate and a corresponding .255 BABIP, things dont look particularly solid moving forward. He’s got a solid walk rate (13%) which negates most of his 20% strike-out rate.  Hrmm, it’s interesting.

Matt Joyce (OF) who’s penciled in ahead of Zobrist at RF could provide you with solid power numbers to go with a beautifully awesome .260 AVG. Joyce strikes out about a quarter to a third of the time, but he’s a true masher. Against righties Joyce should put up solid numbers, and maybe your league undervalues him.

If you can get Joyce on the cheap, you’ll be incredibly happy as he’ll put up great numbers.  Just dont over-pay, mind you — what is overpaying for 30HR in 500 AB?

Keep his name on your cheat sheet and snag him if the time is right.

Boston Red Sox

There’s no sleepers on this team, who are we kidding. If Ortiz gets dead, Rocco Baldelli (OF / DH) should put up solid numbers.

Cincinatti Reds

Jay Bruce (OF) is a sleeper, sort of — I tend to think he’ll be overvalued come draft day but there’s no way to dismiss his raw talent.  He’ll be thrown in with the rookies as he compares best to them.

I like Jerry Hairston Jr (OF / SS) to be a solid source of steals for your middle infield, assuming he can hold off newly arrived masher Johnny Gomes (OF). If Gomes can get himself 350 AB, he seems to hit 20HR.  If he can land a full time gig, expect those numbers to go up in the Great American Bandbox. Striking out 30% of the time isn’t optimal, but if the HR come with it — The Reds will take it.

The whole Reds’ team should play well, with Encarnacion putting up a few more dollars than he’s worth along with Brandon Phillips.  There’s no reason to not take a Red this year.

Colorado Rockies

You’ve gotta take anyone with talent pretty serious in Colorado.

Ian Stewart (2b? / 3b?) has entered the hype machine and as of January, Garrett Atkins is in LF?? Stewart’s not a sleeper, but he should produce and strike out given playing time.

Carlos Gonzalez (OF) the 243 tooled player acquired in the Holliday deal should rake given the chance.  I have him in my top 5 sleepers.  The man swings at everything, in the zone or outside of it and he strikes out too damn much but whatever.

Sometimes swinging at everything works — oh wait, you have to make contact when you swing at everything? Shit.  Gonzalez is still in my top 5.

Kansas City Royals

Mark Teahen (OF / 2B) is a solid player, and a half decent corner outfielder.  He is not a Second Basemen, but if the Royals switch him to second base as the rumours indicate — he may well be useful. Optimally, Teahan would gain second base eligibility and then return to the outfield but we’ll see. Teahan had a down year last year, and he’s still striking out at a 23% clip — so buyer beware.

Big Fat Billy Butler (1B / DH) and Kila Ka’Ailhue (1B / DH) along with Mike Jacobs (1B) should all see time.  Butler was everyones favourite sleeper last year, and Jacobs can just straight up mash. 25 to 30 homers seems about right for Jacobs, considering all things — but you’ll lose out on the counting stats. Ka’Ailhue should be interesting — i’m not sure if he’s a sleeper at this point or not, but boy can he hit.

Ka’Ailhue would have been a huge addition to any team if not for the Mike Jacobs trade, and maybe he’ll still contribute to a lesser extent. Maybe the youngster can sit down with Jacobs and explain to him why it’s beneficial to Walk almost as much, if not more, than you strike out.  Everything is there except playing time.

Alberto Collaspo (2B) just as a side note, i really like Alberto Collapso and whenever playing Baseball Mogul 2007? I made sure to add him to my team — he always got good around 2009.  Computers rule!

Detroit Tigers

Nothing seems to pop out about the Tigers. Maybe Gerald Laird (C) away from Texas? No thanks. Nice line-up though.

Minnesota Twins

Alexi Casilla (2B) isn’t a sleeper but should put up solid stats. If people start snoozing on Delmon Young (OF), this might be the year.  I’d be more than willing to take a risk on Young, banking that he finally put stuff together in his head.  Young’s got all the talent in the world but like so many of these uber-talented top-prospects, maybe his work ethic isn’t quite there.  I’m not going to predict 20 HR for Young, but you should know incredibly early in the season whether or not he’s going to continue grounding balls harmlessly into the outfield.

Nick Puntu (UTIL / Everywhere) should also contribute.

Chicago White Sox

Should be interesting.  Josh Fields (3B) can’t stay healthy and hasn’t shown he can hit, yet. If Jerry Owens (OF) takes the CF job he should be a huge source of steals and more than likely Runs — if he can get on base at a decent clip.

I’m a big fan of super utility man Wilson Betemit (1B/3B/14G @ SS) but whether or not he gets playing time is a different story. His strike out rate is an ugly 25%, but I’d still give him a chance.

New York Yankees

Welcome to the hype-machine. Robinson Cano (2B) will bounce back but the only real sleeper here is Nick Swisher (1B / OF), who could well be dealt.

Swisher hit .219 last year, which is awful. Swisher generally doesn’t hit that well, and expecting more than .260 is goofy but boy does he walk. Expect a nice little return to the .375 range for Swishers OBP, and he’ll regain his .840 OPS form.

Swisher was apparently one of the most unlucky players in 2008, and many are predicting a rebound.

Very rarely do you see a players LD rate go up, while his BABIP dips 50 pts. If Swisher can find a way to get full time playing time, he’s a top 5 sleeper. I just don’t know how he does that in a crowded Yankees outfield — mind you, it’s a crowded AGING Yankees outfield.

The Catcher position is a mess this year, and you really have to decide what you need from your Catcher this year.  There are more than a couple options there; You can grab 20 Steals, 20 HR, a Great Average, and Solid RBI and Runs, just not in the same player.

I hate ranking catchers, as I generally screw it up — not because I mis-predict their output, I’m just incapable of putting the guy with 70RBI, over the guy with 55 RBI.

Anyways, go ahead and read the write-ups to find out where I stand.

1. Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer or Russell Martin, the choice is yours.  Mauer comes with about the risk you’d expect from a starting catcher, with regards to injury. Martin probably has a slightly better than average chance of staying healthy.

Mauer’s probably going to give you what you expect, and it’s best to start with his batting average.  A lot of the time, if you draft a bad starting catcher it’s actually more harmful to your roster than helpful. While they’ll pile up 40 or 50 RBI and R, they’ll kill your average in the process.

With Mauer healthy, you can at least guarantee a .300+ average and high-eighties Runs and RBI.  Homers, as always, will be around 10.  Personally, I think this is a bit more valuable than Martin’s SB.

2. Russell Martin

Martin is clearly 1b than 2.  The only thing that separates Martin from Mauer is about 40 pts batting average, and his position in the line-up.

Martin could easily put up as many R and RBI this year, as Mauer did last.  If he does so, he leap frogs Mauer with ease.  Even if Martin can get to 90R and 80RBI, his 5 more HR and 15 more SB, is more than worth the decrease in BA. Just a couple years ago, Martin put up 87 of each Runs and RBI — so its definitely possible in that Dodgers offense.

I dont think you can count on the SB, however. Twenty or so seems likely a reachable number, but all it takes is a minor injury for Martin to stop running.

3. Brian McCann

McCann is solid across the board. It wouldn’t be surprising to see McCann put 100RBI this year, to go with 70 R, 20 HR, and a .300 average.

McCann may slip below Soto due to the ROY-hype, but McCann has a very solid claim for the  number 1 spot.

McCann will probably bring the best value out of the top 4 or 5 catchers, draft him.

4. Geovany Soto

Soto was on everyone’s sleeper lists last year, and even on the cover of the Bill James Handbook, or Baseball Prospectus, or one of those diddies.

He clearly didn’t disappoint, and he should continue to mature and put up solid numbers.  I’d imagine a slight increase across the board, as expected with an increase in AB.

24 Homers, 70 R, 85 RBI, .280 Average, and a steal — yes, after years of never putting up a steal in the Minors, I’m figuring Soto is going to steal second base, sometime in mid-june.

5. Ryan Doumit

Nice Power, and now a full-time gig. He’s just gotta stay healthy. Doumit used to be one of the guys that split AB, but was still more useful than most of the catchers because he carried a nice BA.

This year, he’ll continue his tear and possibly jump a spot or two in these rankings — he’s that good.  Doumit will eventually move out of the Catcher position, but as long as he has eligibility, he’s a great pick.

6. Chris Iannetta

Why not? Iannetta has been a solid prospect for  some time now, and it’s about bloody time he steps up to the plate.  Last year’s numbers were pretty nice, and rosterable — but he was splitting AB with Yorvit Torrealba.

This year, I’d imagine he’d get to at least 450 AB, which should bring with it some solid numbers.  The OPS of .895 shows a lot of ‘dat ‘dere potential.

22 HR, 75R, 75RBI, .260AVG, and maybe a stolen base or two.

7. Mike Napoli

Did Napoli really hit 20 HR in 227 AB? Any Catcher that has a .960 OPS is a damn good bet for a break-out season.

Jeff Mathis was supposed to be super-prospect, and then the powder keg that is Mike Napoli just started tearing stuff up.

Napoli will continue to split time with Mathis, I’d imagine. But he should have at least 350AB this year, or possibly more.  Adjust accordingly.

8. Victor Martinez

Holy Crap, I bet Martinez owners are cheesed at him.  I guess we can chalk last year up to Injuries, as great hitters don’t become awful hitters, overnight.

There are reasons why people use 3-year averages to determine a players value, good reasons.

Even if Martinez goes out and puts up 20 HR, 80 RBI, 70 R, and hits .280 — He’s going to be incredibly useful.  There is a hell of a lot of potential for another 30HR, 100RBI season though.

It just comes down to injuries, not just his but, the other Indians as well.  Shoppach is going to get AB, at which point Martinez is going to be moved to first or DH, which are currently occupied by Garko and Hafner, respectively.

9. Bengie Molina

Quantity over Quality.

I dislike Molina quite a bit, and he wont come close to 95RBI again.  Well, I guess he could if he continues to bat clean-up.

Ugh, stupid Molinas. Yes, he’ll perform. To what extend, depends on where he ends up batting.

10. Kelly Shoppach

Shoppach filled in amazingly for an injured Victor Martinez last year.  The Cleveland Indians really need to find at-bats for Shoppach this coming year.

Shoppach will hit home runs, but he’ll also strike-out a whole hell of a lot.

Go ahead and move Shoppach down if you look at the Indians depth chart and can’t find At-Bats for him.

11. Chris Synder

I like Snyder, he’s a solid player.  If he gets 450-500 AB, he’ll produce like a top 10 Catcher. However, Miguel Montero is also a great young catching prospect who’ll end up stealing at-bats from Snyder.

Even at 450 AB, Snyder should be able to get to around 20HR, and 60 R, with 70 RBI and a .250+ average

12. Pablo Sandoval

Everyone’s favorite sleeper, Pablo Sandoval.  He’d be a bit higher, if he’d played more than 11 Games.

Make sure to check your league settings for position eligibility, as 11 games oftentimes just wont get it done.  With Sandoval pretty much entrenched at third, it’ll take a while for him to regain catcher eligibility — if he regains it at all.

13. Dioner Navarro

Navarro is solid, and still has some growing to do.  I choose life: 60 RBI, 60 R, 13HR, and a 300 average.

14. Matt Wieters

Stupid Greg Zaun, like seriously. I hated Greg Zaun in Toronto, and if he starts stealing Wieters’ AB in Baltimore, the fantasy community will lynch him

Draft Wieters and everyone will think you’re smart.  Draft Wieters without a back-up plan, and you’ll regret it.

With that said, Wieters is about as Major League ready as you can get.

15. Jeff Clement

Clement proved all he had to prove in the Minors, and the only thing holding him back was ownerships love of AZNs.

Who’s ownership you ask? Well, it’s Nintendo.  Maybe that’s why Johjima is starting all the time, and cashing that 7 million dollar per year contract.

Clement should do well this year, assuming he  gets starter AB. Lets just hope that Clement can get himself at least 400AB this year, and if he does — he’ll produce.

16. Ramon Hernandez

Everyone’s favorite Latin Lover. I’m not sure how the Reds are going to play out in 2009, but Hernandez is pretty much set as the Reds’ starting catcher.

Hernandez might be a great pick-up a few months into the season or a late round pick, that you can take the wait-and-see approach.

18 Homers, is a solid, realistic expectation, which is nice.

17. A.J. Pierzynski

Noted Douche-Bag, A.J. Pierzynski.  He’ll produce, but there’s absolutely nothing sexy about it.  Expect quite possibly the exact same numbers, right down to at-bats and plate-appearances.

18. Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Texas has a herd of quality young catching prospects, and it looks like Saltalamacchia has a head-start on the starting gig.

Taylor Teagarden looks like he’ll be the number two, and he has all the talent to leap-frog Salty, if given a shot. I’m very interesteted to watch how this plays out, as Salty is getting down to his last shot before he loses his “sure-fire” prospect label.

Some experts have already tossed him onto the scrap heap, but I still tend to think he’s going to be an above average Major League catcher.

Max Ramirez, the third in Texas’ list of  “cant-miss” catching prospects will more than likely end up playing the majority of the year in the Minors, but he’s worth a massive, major, maximum look in Keeper Leagues.

19. Someone’s going to get moved here, just not sure who.

20. Jorge Posada

I refer to both Posada and Cantu, as George.  It’s funnier that way, eventhough saying Whore-Hey is great.

IR-regardless, If Posada plays he’ll put up solid R and RBI numbers with a 270 average.  All the good stuff is gone, but playing in that Yankees line-up makes everyone relevant.

Even Jose Molina, maybe.

21. Miguel Olivo

Olivo is solid, and if he can put up 15 HR with 10 SB he’ll be relevant in the fantasy community. I really like the looks of this super-young Royals team, and they’ll go on some runs where they beat the big boys.

Of course, playing in the Central they’re going to get smashed on most days, but so-it-goes.

John Buck was just resigned, so Olivo wont get full-time at-bats but he’ll definitely up it from the 306 of last year.

22. J.R Towles

Post-Hype Sleeper. Towles was bad, really bad, last year. However, you don’t hit .300 at every minor league level, only to become a .140 hitter in the big leagues.

Towles will get better, much better.  12-15 Homers will go with a starting gig, and the kid can steal more than a couple bases.  While 10 SB may be out of reach, he’ll definitely add a hand full.

Even at an atrocious LD% of 11, his BABIP of .157 just screams bad luck.  If you decide to wait on a catcher, Towles might be a beautiful sleeper.

23. John Baker

John Baker, my favourite catcher, in 2009. Generally when you float around in triple-a for three years, you’re not going to have a bust-out year.

Anyways, his OPS of .840 may only be in 200 AB, but he should produce. Whenever you see an average of .299 that gets bumped up 100 points when you calculate OBP, you’re onto something.

Sleeper? Yes, Please.  He’s got the gig in Florida.

24. Brandon Inge

Looks like he’ll be playing every day at third base, while Carlos Guillen moves to left field.  I’m not sure why it’s not the other way, but Inge played 60 Games at Catcher last year and might be someone to keep an eye on.

25. Jesus Flores

Proved to be useful for at least a few stints last year.  He’s got the Gig, and his BA wont kill you dead.  He’s still young enough to improve (24), so definitely keep an eye out.

26. Kurt Suzuki

Lots of AB, not much production.  Decent enough average to keep your catcher position from killing you.  There are a lot of boom/bust type guys that i’d choose over Suzuki.

If you want someone consistant, just go ahead and slot Suzuki at about 15th overall.

The Best of The Rest

27. Gerald Laird – I’m moving him up once spring training rolls around. He has the power to knock out 15-20, it just depends on playing time — which it looks like he has as of January, 2009.

28. Jason Varitek – The Captain.

29. Jason Kendall – Really, not all that useful. At all.

30. Rod Barajas – End with a Blue Jay.

[ Mauer Photo by keith allison / flickr ]