Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Starting Pitchers
The note on the relievers entry below also applies to this list. (Both lists contain some pitchers who both started and relieved in the majors last year.)
Serious oops: Somehow Danny Graves, who shouldn't even have been on the starters list, ended up being listed at No. 6! Sorry about that. It was an absolutely inexcusable mistake that is now fixed.
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Serious oops: Somehow Danny Graves, who shouldn't even have been on the starters list, ended up being listed at No. 6! Sorry about that. It was an absolutely inexcusable mistake that is now fixed.
Rank Player Team
1 Curt Schilling Bos
2 Mark Prior ChN
3 Roy Halladay Tor
4 Pedro Martinez Bos
5 Mike Mussina NYA
6 Roy Oswalt Hou
7 Tim Hudson Oak
8 Javier Vazquez NYA
9 Kevin Brown NYA
10 Esteban Loaiza ChA
11 Kerry Wood ChN
12 Barry Zito Oak
13 Randy Johnson Ari
14 Matt Morris StL
15 Mark Mulder Oak
16 Bartolo Colon Ana
17 Jason Schmidt SF
18 Johan Santana Min
19 Woody Williams StL
20 Greg Maddux ChN
21 Russ Ortiz Atl
22 Kevin Millwood Phi
23 Derek Lowe Bos
24 Mark Buehrle ChA
25 Randy Wolf Phi
26 Brandon Webb Ari
27 Joel Pineiro Sea
28 Andy Pettitte Hou
29 Hideo Nomo LA
30 Roger Clemens Hou
31 Vicente Padilla Phi
32 Jamie Moyer Sea
33 Dontrelle Willis Fla
34 Jose Contreras NYA
35 Freddy Garcia Sea
36 C.C. Sabathia Cle
37 Matt Clement ChN
38 Sidney Ponson Bal
39 Wade Miller Hou
40 Jarrod Washburn Ana
41 Brian Lawrence SD
42 Carlos Zambrano ChN
43 Livan Hernandez Mon
44 David Wells SD
45 Al Leiter NYN
46 Mike Hampton Atl
47 Josh Beckett Fla
48 Byung Hyun Kim Bos
49 Mark Redman Oak
50 Jon Lieber NYA
51 Jake Peavy SD
52 Jeff Weaver LA
53 John Thomson Atl
54 Jerome Williams SF
55 Ben Sheets Mil
56 Odalis Perez LA
57 Kyle Lohse Min
58 Steve Trachsel NYN
59 Brad Radke Min
60 Tom Glavine NYN
61 Rich Harden Oak
62 Eric Milton Phi
63 Tim Wakefield Bos
64 John Lackey Ana
65 Kip Wells Pit
66 Brad Penny Fla
67 Carl Pavano Fla
68 Kelvim Escobar Ana
69 Adam Eaton SD
70 Miguel Batista Tor
71 Jason Johnson Det
72 Cory Lidle Cin
73 Jon Garland ChA
74 Brett Myers Phi
75 Jeff Suppan StL
76 Ted Lilly Tor
77 Darrell May KC
78 Kurt Ainsworth Bal
79 Jae Weong Seo NYN
80 Brian Anderson KC
81 Tony Armas Jr. Mon
82 Ramon Ortiz Ana
83 Tomokazu Ohka Mon
84 Brandon Claussen Cin
85 Horacio Ramirez Atl
86 Tim Redding Hou
87 Brett Tomko SF
88 Kirk Rueter SF
89 A.J. Burnett Fla
90 Kris Benson Pit
91 Edwin Jackson LA
92 Rodrigo Lopez Bal
93 Cliff Lee Cle
94 Ryan Franklin Sea
95 Jeremi Gonzalez TB
96 Mike Maroth Det
97 Jeremy Bonderman Det
98 Kenny Rogers Tex
99 Pat Hentgen Tor
100 Jeremy Affeldt KC
101 Kazuhisa Ishii LA
102 Josh Fogg Pit
103 Paul Wilson Cin
104 Zach Day Mon
105 Rick Helling Min
106 Josh Towers Tor
107 Gil Meche Sea
108 Jason Davis Cle
109 Doug Waechter TB
110 Grant Balfour Min
111 Rafael Soriano Sea
112 Claudio Vargas Mon
113 Jason Jennings Col
114 Oliver Perez Pit
115 Scott Schoeneweis ChA
116 Jimmy Gobble KC
117 Eric DuBose Bal
118 Matt Kinney Mil
119 Rick Reed Pit
120 Elmer Dessens Ari
121 Wayne Franklin Mil
122 Bubba Nelson Atl
123 Nate Cornejo Det
124 Matt Riley Bal
125 Chin-Hui Tsao Col
126 Victor Zambrano TB
127 Shane Reynolds Ari
128 Chan Ho Park Tex
129 Denny Stark Col
130 Dustin Hermanson SF
131 Colby Lewis Tex
132 Aaron Harang Cin
133 Guillermo Mota LA
134 Joaquin Benoit Tex
135 Chris Carpenter StL
136 Scott Elarton Col
137 Sterling Hitchcock SD
138 R.A. Dickey Tex
139 Casey Fossum Ari
140 Jason Stanford Cle
141 Jim Brower SF
142 Jason Marquis StL
143 Darren Oliver Fla
144 Jimmy Haynes Cin
145 Orlando Hernandez NYA
146 Oscar Villarreal Ari
147 Jeremy Guthrie Cle
148 Pedro Astacio NYN
149 Jose Acevedo Cin
150 Wilson Alvarez LA
151 Kevin Appier KC
152 Ricardo Rodriguez Tex
153 Steve Sparks Ari
154 Jason Simontacchi StL
155 Shawn Estes Col
156 Darren Dreifort LA
157 Nate Robertson Det
158 Damian Moss TB
159 Joe Kennedy Col
160 Carlos Silva Min
161 Ismael Valdes SD
162 Jake Westbrook Cle
163 Dewon Brazelton TB
164 Travis Harper TB
165 Omar Daal Bal
166 Mark Hendrickson TB
167 Aaron Heilman NYN
168 Aaron Sele Ana
169 Doug Davis Mil
170 Salomon Torres Pit
171 Dan Wright ChA
172 Miguel Asencio KC
173 Scott Linebrink SD
174 Wes Obermueller Mil
175 Jeff Fassero Col
176 Scott Erickson NYN
Relievers
Well, that was a bit of a long break -- had a little road trip -- but I think I'm back in time to still be of some use to anyone who's banging around the 'net looking to get a look at as many sets of rankings as they can in order to be fully informed for their fantasy drafts. I haven't made any notes to this list, nor have I separated the list into tiers (same with the SP rankings, which are up next). Instead, I'll post thoughts about various pitchers on both lists over the next couple of days. For the moment remember that Padres relief pitcher Otsuka should be much higher on this list. He's only so far down because he has not yet pitched a real game in the majors. I expect much better things from Otsuka than from the Mets SS, Matsui.
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Rank Player
1 Eric Gagne
2 Billy Wagner
3 Octavio Dotel
4 Keith Foulke
5 John Smoltz
6 Mariano Rivera
7 Eddie Guardado
8 Arthur Rhodes
9 Trevor Hoffman
10 Joe Nathan
11 Armando Benitez
12 Joe Borowski
13 Ugueth Urbina
14 Danny Graves
15 Jason Isringhausen
16 Jorge Julio
17 Matt Mantei
18 Shawn Chacon
19 Troy Percival
20 Robb Nen
21 Braden Looper
22 Danny Kolb
23 Francisco Cordero
24 Danys Baez
25 Rocky Biddle
26 Bob Wickman
27 Aquilino Lopez
28 Billy Koch
29 Mike MacDougal
30 Edwin Jackson
31 Damaso Marte
32 Francisco Rodriguez
33 Jeremy Affeldt
34 Felix Rodriguez
35 Josh Towers
36 Jose Valverde
37 Tom Gordon
38 Doug Waechter
39 Grant Balfour
40 Rafael Soriano
41 Luis Ayala
42 Eric DuBose
43 Matt Riley
44 Chin-Hui Tsao
45 David Riske
46 Brad Lidge
47 Curt Leskanic
48 Dustin Hermanson
49 Colby Lewis
50 Shigetoshi Hasegawa
51 Aaron Harang
52 Guillermo Mota
53 Danny Patterson
54 LaTroy Hawkins
55 Joaquin Benoit
56 Justin Speier
57 Chris Carpenter
58 Sterling Hitchcock
59 Luis Vizcaino
60 R.A. Dickey
61 Scott Williamson
62 Casey Fossum
63 Ryan Wagner
64 Lance Carter
65 Jim Brower
66 Jason Marquis
67 Brian Fuentes
68 Darren Oliver
69 Orlando Hernandez
70 Fernando Rodney
71 Chad Bradford
72 Jose Mesa
73 Matt Herges
74 Juan Acevedo
75 Oscar Villarreal
76 Franklyn German
77 Rod Beck
78 Jeremy Guthrie
79 Julio Mateo
80 Tim Worrell
81 Mike Stanton
82 Pedro Astacio
83 Jose Acevedo
84 Wilson Alvarez
85 Kevin Appier
86 Ricardo Rodriguez
87 Kerry Ligtenberg
88 Chris Reitsma
89 Steve Sparks
90 Jason Simontacchi
91 Shawn Estes
92 Darren Dreifort
93 Nate Robertson
94 Javier Lopez
95 Jeff Nelson
96 Rheal Cormier
97 Damian Moss
98 Scott Sullivan
99 D.J. Carrasco
100 Joe Kennedy
101 Rafael Betancourt
102 Esteban Yan
103 Carlos Silva
104 Ismael Valdes
105 Mike Timlin
106 Jake Westbrook
107 Dewon Brazelton
108 Paul Shuey
109 Paul Quantrill
110 Travis Harper
111 Omar Daal
112 Chris Capuano
113 Mark Hendrickson
114 Kyle Farnsworth
115 Aaron Heilman
116 Ricardo Rincon
117 Justin Duchscherer
118 Kevin Correia
119 Steve Kline
120 Mike DeJean
121 Scot Shields
122 Mike Remlinger
123 Steve Reed
124 Aaron Sele
125 Doug Davis
126 Dave Weathers
127 Ron Villone
128 Jamie Walker
129 Salomon Torres
130 J.C. Romero
131 Jesse Crain
132 Scott Stewart
133 John Halama
134 Chris Hammond
135 Jesus Colome
136 Mike Williams
137 Chad Fox
138 Jeff Zimmerman
139 Antonio Alfonseca
140 Jose Jimenez
141 Kevin Gryboski
142 Ramiro Mendoza
143 Ben Weber
144 Juan Cruz
145 Joey Eischen
146 Stephen Randolph
147 Dan Wright
148 Buddy Groom
149 Leo Estrella
150 Juan Rincon
151 Felix Heredia
152 Miguel Asencio
153 Gabe White
154 Kiko Calero
155 Ricky Stone
156 Jay Witasick
157 Roberto Hernandez
158 Alan Embree
159 Scott Linebrink
160 Steve Karsay
161 Cal Eldred
162 Erasmo Ramirez
163 B.J. Ryan
164 Jim Mecir
165 Brian Boehringer
166 T.J. Tucker
167 Kevin Jarvis
168 Terry Adams
169 Valerio de los Santo
170 Will Cunnane
171 Dan Miceli
172 Chad Gaudin
173 Akinori Otsuka
174 Mike Koplove
175 Chris George
176 Armando Almanza
177 Brandon Lyon
178 Ray King
179 Juan Dominguez
180 Brendan Donnelly
181 Jack Cressend
182 Jason Grimsley
183 Shingo Takatsu
184 Antonio Osuna
185 Zach Greinke
186 Jung Bong
187 Amaury Telemaco
188 Jason Kershner
189 Rick Bauer
190 Nelson Figueroa
191 Glendon Rusch
192 Luis Martinez
193 Wes Obermueller
194 Adam Wainwright
195 Jeff D'Amico
196 Jeriome Robertson
197 Dan Haren
198 Andrew Good
199 Dave Burba
200 Dan Wheeler
201 Jeff Fassero
202 John Patterson
203 Al Levine
204 Todd Van Poppel
205 Jorge De La Rosa
206 Dave Veres
207 Michael Tejera
208 Trey Hodges
209 Jayson Durocher
210 Jason Boyd
211 Matt Anderson
212 Jorge Sosa
213 Scott Eyre
214 Ryan Madson
215 Terry Mulholland
216 Nate Bump
217 Grant Roberts
218 Scott Erickson
219 Tom Martin
220 Kris Wilson
221 Mark Guthrie
222 David Williams
223 Julian Tavarez
224 Bob File
225 Ben Howard
226 Wil Ledezma
227 Brian Reith
228 Ryan Vogelsong
229 Vladimir Nunez
230 Brian Shouse
231 Mike Gallo
232 Ryan Jensen
233 Brian Meadows
234 Jaret Wright
235 John Parrish
236 Jay Powell
237 John Riedling
238 Bronson Arroyo
239 Turk Wendell
240 Ryan Drese
241 Mickey Callaway
242 Rick White
243 Kelly Wunsch
244 Michael Neu
245 Mike Crudale
246 Kirk Saarloos
247 Brandon Duckworth
248 Aaron Cook
249 Mark Malaska
250 Kent Mercker
251 Brandon Villafuerte
252 Mike Lincoln
253 Blaine Neal
254 Joe Beimel
255 Edgar Gonzalez
256 Paul Abbott
257 Gary Knotts
258 Mike Myers
259 Jose Lima
260 Mike Jackson
261 Jose Santiago
262 Todd Ritchie
263 Randy Choate
264 Joe Valentine
265 Carlos Hernandez
266 Scott Strickland
267 Jaime Cerda
268 Duaner Sanchez
269 John Franco
270 Jason Christiansen
271 Jared Fernandez
272 Adam Bernero
273 Phil Norton
274 Mark Corey
275 Matt Roney
276 Chris Mears
277 Orber Moreno
278 Travis Phelps
279 Jeremy Griffiths
280 Brandon Backe
281 Bret Prinz
282 Shane Loux
283 Bud Smith
284 Chris Michalak
285 Rodney Myers
286 Rosman Garcia
287 Kevin Walker
288 Jason Anderson
289 Roy Corcoran
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Outfield
Guys to watch closely during spring training for either positive and negative signs on this list are Kearns, Dunn, Bradley, Bigbie, Matos, Redman, Bay, Cabrera, Mench, Jenkins, Burnitz, Griffey, Sosa (he's falling, baby), Wilkerson, Everett, Gibbons, Mora (you want him if he starts like he last season, because he'll be playing 3B for the Orioles), Luis Gonzalez, Juan Gonzalez, Walker ( he may make this a huge year), Podsednik (what did last season really tell us?), Drew (is this the year he stays healthy?), Dye, Craig Wilson (because he qualifies at catcher), and Jason Lane (what does he have to do get a job -- take out a hit on Craig Biggio?).
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Rank Player, Team Forecast
1 A. Pujols, StL
2 C. Beltran, KC
3 B. Bonds, SF dn?
4 V. Guerrero, Ana
5 V. Wells, Tor
6 P. Wilson, Col
7 G. Sheffield, NYY dn?
8 M. Ramirez, Bos
9 M. Ordonez, CWS up+
10 L. Berkman, Hou up+
11 B. Abreu, Phi
12 B. Giles, SD
13 S. Green, LA dn?
14 G. Anderson, Ana
15 S. Sosa, ChC dn-
16 C. Jones, Atl
17 A. Huff, TB
18 L. Gonzalez, Ari dn-
19 A. Jones, Atl dn-?
20 C. Lee, CWS
21 I. Suzuki, Sea
22 J. Edmonds, StL
23 L. Walker, Col up+??
24 M. Cameron, NYM
25 T. Nixon, Bos
26 R. Hidalgo, Hou
27 J. Damon, Bos
28 T. Hunter, Min
29 S. Podsednik, Mil dn?
30 R. Sanders, StL
31 H. Matsui, NYY
32 R. Baldelli, TB
33 J. Pierre, Fla
34 B. Williams, NYY
35 R. Mondesi, Pit dn-
36 J. Encarnacion, LA dn?
37 R. Winn, Sea
38 S. Finley, Ari
39 C. Floyd, NYM
40 P. Burrell, Phi up+
41 J. Cruz, TB
42 K. Lofton, ChC/Pit
43 S. Stewart, Min/Tor
44 M. Alou, ChC
45 J. Jones, Min
46 B. Wilkerson, Mon up?
47 G. Jenkins, Mil up?
48 J. Burnitz, Col up?
49 T. Salmon, Ana
50 C. Everett, Mtl
51 J. Payton, SD dn
52 J. Gibbons, Bal
53 A. Dunn, Cin up+
54 M. Bradley, Cle up+
55 R. Ibanez, KC dn-
56 J. Gerut, Cle
57 M. Grissom, SF
58 C. Biggio, Hou dn-
59 T. Long, Oak dn-
60 M. Lawton, Cle
61 R. White, Det up?
62 M. Mora, Bal
63 M. Byrd, Phi up
64 J. Jones, Min
65 C. Monroe, Det dn
66 R. Johnson, Tor
67 M. Tucker, SF dn-
68 J. Gonzalez, KC up+?
69 B. Higginson, Det
70 R. Cedeno, NYM
71 J. Drew, StL up+?
72 M. Kotsay, SD up?
73 E. Byrnes, Oak
74 A. Sanchez, Det/Mil
75 D. Erstad, Ana
76 F. Catalanotto, Tor
77 D. Roberts, LA
78 A. Kearns, Cin up++
79 C. Crawford, TB
80 J. DaVanon, Ana dn
81 J. Dye, Oak up+??
82 C. Patterson, ChC up+??
83 J. Guillen, Ana up?
84 K. Mench, Tex up
85 G. Matthews Jr., Atl
86 B. Jordan, Tex
87 M. Stairs, KC
88 B. Kielty, Oak
89 M. Cabrera, Fla
90 C. Wilson, Pit
91 A. Guiel, KC up?
92 L. Bigbie, Bal up
93 L. Matos, Bal up
94 T. Redman, Pit
95 J. Bay, Pit
96 J. Lane, Hou
97 K. Griffey Jr., Cin
98 J. Rivera, Mtl
99 R. Ludwick, Cle/Tex
100 C. Singleton, ? dn--
101 D. Mohr, SF dn
102 T. Perez, NYM
103 D. Glanville, Pit dn-
104 J. Macias, Mon
105 T. Hollandsworth, ChC dn
106 G. Kapler, Bos
107 K. Garcia, NYM
108 E. Chavez, Mon
109 E. Owens, Sea
110 E. Marrero, Atl
111 E. Perez, StL
112 R. Mackowiak, Pit
113 R. Calloway, Mon
114 X. Nady, SD up?
115 D. Bautista, Ari
116 C. Figgins, Ana
117 Q. McCracken, Sea dn-
118 R. Taylor, Cin
119 O. Palmeiro, Hou dn
120 T. Shinjo, NYM
121 B. Clark, Mil
122 D. Dellucci, Tex
123 L. Nix, Tex
124 C. Crisp, Cle
125 T. Goodwin, ChC
126 W. Magee, Col
127 B. Petrick, Det
128 B. Buchanan, SD
129 J. Hammonds, SF
130 P. Bergeron, Mon
131 A. Rowand, CWS
132 R. Freel, Cin
133 K. Robinson, StL
134 B. McMillon, Oak
135 W. Pena, Cin
136 G. Kingsale, SD
137 R. Gonzalez, NYM
138 B. Banks, Fla
139 R. Christenson, Fla
140 A. Rios, Fla
141 A. Piatt, TB
142 A. Torres, Det
143 J. Michaels, Phi
144 W. Harris, CWS
145 M. Cuddyer, Min
146 R. Reyes, Col
147 J. Duncan, NYM
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Shortstop Rankings
Instead of a lengthy preface to this list, I've added some short comments under the Forecast heading.
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Jim Thome and Gary Sheffield
According to Lee Sinins' ATM Report, Jim Thome doesn't need surgery on his broken finger and may be ready for Opening Day.
On Sheffield, Sinins has this to say: "Sheffield was examined this morning by a hand specialist in NY. While he has a torn ligament, he can play with it and is expected to return to the lineup later this week."
I've found Sinins to be a very reliable and informative source of news and analysis about baseball. And his sabermetric baseball encyclopedia cd-rom has been endorsed by Bill James.
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On Sheffield, Sinins has this to say: "Sheffield was examined this morning by a hand specialist in NY. While he has a torn ligament, he can play with it and is expected to return to the lineup later this week."
I've found Sinins to be a very reliable and informative source of news and analysis about baseball. And his sabermetric baseball encyclopedia cd-rom has been endorsed by Bill James.
Monday, March 08, 2004
(I don't know...) Third Base!
There are only two third basemen who can be considered as elite at their position coming into the '04 season. That could change quickly, though, as the two young Rangers who qualify at the postion in Yahoo leagues are both capable of slugging themselves into the first tier. Teixeira will probably only qualify at first in '05, where he will once again have to hit his way up the rankings. So take advantage of his eligibility at third while you can.
The second tier is also volatile, as Koskie, Hinske and Ensberg are capable of moving up quickly while Mike Lowell could fall out of it. Lowell is scheduled to get an MRI on his throwing elbow this week. Apparently he hyper-extended the elbow on a relay throw to the plate at Colorado last August and it bothered him right through to the end of the World Series. He says it bothers him more when he throws than when he hits.... I say don't touch him if you can get one of the other first 10 guys on the list below.
In the third tier, I'm iffy about Mueller. I'd consider taking Sean Burroughs ahead of him, although the news that Phil Nevin has already hurt the shoulder he dislocated during spring training last season gives me second thoughts about a Padres offence that I thought might make a serious run in the NL West.
Joe Crede is the best of the bunch below Burroughs. Keep an eye on Vinny Castilla and Garret Atkins. Vinny might squeeze one last decent year out of playing half his games in Coors. He's still a decent glove man by all accounts, so even if he isn't making like a poor man's [cough] Bill Mueller [cough], the Rockies may keep him in the lineup. If Atkins ends up at third for the Rockies, give serious thought to picking him. He has a little pop and may develop more.
Once the season starts, you might consider picking up Tony Batista if he shows signs of heating up around the time Expos head Puerto Rico. But don't draft him if you have any love for your team's batting average.
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The second tier is also volatile, as Koskie, Hinske and Ensberg are capable of moving up quickly while Mike Lowell could fall out of it. Lowell is scheduled to get an MRI on his throwing elbow this week. Apparently he hyper-extended the elbow on a relay throw to the plate at Colorado last August and it bothered him right through to the end of the World Series. He says it bothers him more when he throws than when he hits.... I say don't touch him if you can get one of the other first 10 guys on the list below.
In the third tier, I'm iffy about Mueller. I'd consider taking Sean Burroughs ahead of him, although the news that Phil Nevin has already hurt the shoulder he dislocated during spring training last season gives me second thoughts about a Padres offence that I thought might make a serious run in the NL West.
Joe Crede is the best of the bunch below Burroughs. Keep an eye on Vinny Castilla and Garret Atkins. Vinny might squeeze one last decent year out of playing half his games in Coors. He's still a decent glove man by all accounts, so even if he isn't making like a poor man's [cough] Bill Mueller [cough], the Rockies may keep him in the lineup. If Atkins ends up at third for the Rockies, give serious thought to picking him. He has a little pop and may develop more.
Once the season starts, you might consider picking up Tony Batista if he shows signs of heating up around the time Expos head Puerto Rico. But don't draft him if you have any love for your team's batting average.
Rank Player, Team Forecast
1 S. Rolen, StL
2 E. Chavez, Oak
3 M. Lowell, Fla dn
4 M. Teixeira, Tex up+
5 H. Blalock, Tex up+
6 A. Ramirez, Ch N
7 T. Glaus, Ana
8 C. Koskie, Min up?
9 E. Hinske, Tor up+
10 M. Ensberg, Hou up+
11 B. Mueller, Bos dn-?
12 S. Burroughs, SD up+
13 J. Crede, CWS up?
14 T. Batista, Mtl dn-
15 C. Blake, Cle
16 J. Randa, KC
17 A. Beltre, LA
18 V. Castilla, Atl up?
19 E. Alfonzo, SF
20 W. Helms, Mil
21 G. Atkins, Col up+?
22 J. Hernandez, LA dn-
23 R. Ventura, LA
24 T. Wigginton, NYM
25 T. Zeile, NYY
26 D. Bell, Phi
27 C. Stynes, Pit
28 G. Blum, TB
29 A. Boone, ??
30 C. Counsell, Mil
31 E. Munson, Det
32 M. Bellhorn, Bos
33 J. Cirillo, SD
34 S. Halter, Ana
35 D. Rolls, TB
36 J. Sandberg, TB
37 P. Feliz, SF
38 G. Norton, Det
39 F. Tatis, TB
40 T. Perez, Phi
41 D. Easley, Fla
42 J. Carroll, Mon
43 L. Merloni, Cle
44 R. Coomer, LA
45 D. Sadler, Ariz
Sunday, March 07, 2004
First base update
The Jim Thome broken finger may drop him out of the first tier for drafting purposes. Keep an eye on the progress of his recovery and talk up the broken finger to your fellow managers as draft day nears. You may be able to steal a first tier 1B if you can plant enough seeds of doubt. Be sure to mention Thome's age (he'll be 34 in August), and his history of back problems.
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Second Base
Update (Mar. 9): Apparently Damian Jackson is pencilled in as the 2B and lead-off guy in Colorado. If that's the case, I guess you gotta move him up your draft list as he'll be hitting in front of Helton, Wilson and Walker. Don't move him up too far, though, because apparently Royce Clayton is playing SS and batting second. Also somewhere in the background of the Rockies' 2B picture is Jose Ortiz. What are ya gonna do? Watch and see who ends up with the job on Opening day.
Notes: The two Baltimore 2B's, Hairston and Roberts, could both be higher on this list; move Roberts up for now, since he'll be the starter when the season opens because of Hairston's broken finger. If Hairston comes back strong, one of the two will traded during the season, and will be a fine pickup for any fantasy team in need of speed.
Guys to keep an eye on are Aaron Miles in Colorado and Chase Utley in Philly. If either of them show signs of life, snap 'em up; especially Miles if he's moved to the first or second spot in the Rockies order. Another one is Mark Bellhorn in Boston (whom I haven't even ranked). If he finds his 2002 bat, you should see him the lineup on most days that Derek Lowe or Byung-Hung Kim are not on the mound for the Sox. If Bellhorn hits well enough to get regular playing time he should perform around the level of the lower 2nd-tier to high 3rd-tier 2B's.
The tiers are divided by horizontal spaces. The forecast notes are the same as in the 1B rankings below.
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Notes: The two Baltimore 2B's, Hairston and Roberts, could both be higher on this list; move Roberts up for now, since he'll be the starter when the season opens because of Hairston's broken finger. If Hairston comes back strong, one of the two will traded during the season, and will be a fine pickup for any fantasy team in need of speed.
Guys to keep an eye on are Aaron Miles in Colorado and Chase Utley in Philly. If either of them show signs of life, snap 'em up; especially Miles if he's moved to the first or second spot in the Rockies order. Another one is Mark Bellhorn in Boston (whom I haven't even ranked). If he finds his 2002 bat, you should see him the lineup on most days that Derek Lowe or Byung-Hung Kim are not on the mound for the Sox. If Bellhorn hits well enough to get regular playing time he should perform around the level of the lower 2nd-tier to high 3rd-tier 2B's.
The tiers are divided by horizontal spaces. The forecast notes are the same as in the 1B rankings below.
Rank Player Forecast
1 A. Soriano, Tex
2 B. Boone, Sea dn
3 J. Kent, Hou
4 J. Vidro, Mon up+
5 M. Giles, Atl
6 M. Young, Tex up+
7 L. Castillo, Fla
8 R. Durham, SF
9 A. Kennedy, Ana up
10 D. Jimenez, Cin
11 T. Walker, Chi N dn
12 R. Alomar, Ariz
13 E. Young, Tex dn-
14 P. Polanco, Phi up
15 M. Anderson, TB
16 J. Spivey, Mil
17 D. Relaford, KC
18 L. Rivas, Min
19 M. Grudzielanek, ChC dn
20 M. Ellis, Oak
21 M. Loretta, SD up+?
22 F. Vina, Det up?
23 A. Miles, Col up(+?)
24 K. Ginter, Mil
25 J. Hairston Jr., Bal up+?
26 B. Roberts, Bal up+
27 O. Hudson, Tor up+
28 B. Hart, StL
29 M. Kata, Ari
30 R. Belliard, Cle
31 F. Menechino, Oak
32 J. Cabrera, LA
33 B. Abernathy, Det
34 C. Gomez, Tor
35 D. Jackson, Col
36 B. Phillips, Cle
37 A. Cora, LA
38 P. Reese, Bos
39 B. Butler, Col
40 R. Martinez, SF
41 C. Febles, KC
42 A. Nunez, Fla up
43 J. Ortiz, Col
44 M. Cairo, StL
45 J. Reboulet,
46 M. DeRosa, Atl
47 D. Berg, Tor
48 C. Baerga, Ariz
49 J. McEwing, NYM
50 J. Castro, Cin
51 B. Hill, Pit
52 D. Hocking, Min
53 W. Morris, Pit
54 J. McDonald, Cle
55 B. Gil, Ana
56 C. Utley, Phi up?
57 A. Perez, TB
Saturday, March 06, 2004
Paul Konerko
I suppose anyone reading this has noticed that Paul Konerko, viewed as a solid 2nd tier fantasy 1B going into the 2003 season, is ranked well below the 2nd tier for 2004. And you already know the reason for that drop -- Konerko sucked at the plate last year (except for July and August when he averaged passable numbers in all 5 categories) , and dragged more than one fantasy owner down with him. So what happened to him, and is he worth bothering with in 12 team leagues this year?
What happened seems to be pretty simple, actually. I looked at his '03 stats month by month. Konerko had some bad luck at the plate early in the season when the hits weren't falling in for him. I looked his numbers for the seasons from 1999-2003, and last year's line tells me that after the bad luck he lost confidence in his swing, started taking more pitches, walking more and striking out less. When he did swing, he was either tentative or trying to be too fine and to guide the ball off the bat. The result was a drop in power which was reflected in batting average and on-base percentage as wells as in slugging percentage. You can see it for yourself in the numbers at the bottom of this post.
Is Konerko worth drafting this year? He should be, because the guy can hit. It all depends on whether or not he's regained his confidence. Watch him during spring training, read the box scores. If he's taking big swings and has some mighty strikeouts, and he's driving the ball for doubles and a few homers when he makes contact, feel free to draft him with the bottom of the second tier. If he's still using the bat as a white cane, avoid him.
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What happened seems to be pretty simple, actually. I looked at his '03 stats month by month. Konerko had some bad luck at the plate early in the season when the hits weren't falling in for him. I looked his numbers for the seasons from 1999-2003, and last year's line tells me that after the bad luck he lost confidence in his swing, started taking more pitches, walking more and striking out less. When he did swing, he was either tentative or trying to be too fine and to guide the ball off the bat. The result was a drop in power which was reflected in batting average and on-base percentage as wells as in slugging percentage. You can see it for yourself in the numbers at the bottom of this post.
Is Konerko worth drafting this year? He should be, because the guy can hit. It all depends on whether or not he's regained his confidence. Watch him during spring training, read the box scores. If he's taking big swings and has some mighty strikeouts, and he's driving the ball for doubles and a few homers when he makes contact, feel free to draft him with the bottom of the second tier. If he's still using the bat as a white cane, avoid him.
Season TPA H 2B 3B HR BB SO bb/pa k/pa bb rate k rate
1999 564 151 31 4 24 45 68 0.080 0.121 12.533 8.294
2000 586 156 31 1 21 47 72 0.080 0.123 12.468 8.139
2001 650 164 35 0 32 54 89 0.083 0.137 12.037 7.303
2002 630 173 30 0 27 44 72 0.070 0.114 14.318 8.750
2003 495 104 19 0 18 43 50 0.087 0.101 11.512 9.900
total 2925 748 146 5 122 233 351 0.080 0.120 12.554 8.333
Season h/pa 2b/pa 3b/pa hr/pa h rate 2b rate 3b rate hr rate xbh/pa xbh rate Avg OBP
1999 0.268 0.055 0.007 0.043 3.735 18.194 141.0 23.500 0.391 9.559 0.294 0.352
2000 0.266 0.053 0.002 0.036 3.756 18.903 586.0 27.905 0.340 11.057 0.298 0.363
2001 0.252 0.054 0.000 0.049 3.963 18.571 20.313 0.409 9.701 0.282 0.349
2002 0.275 0.048 0.000 0.043 3.642 21.000 23.333 0.329 11.053 0.304 0.359
2003 0.210 0.038 0.000 0.036 4.760 26.053 27.500 0.356 13.378 0.234 0.305
total 0.256 0.050 0.002 0.042 3.910 20.034 585.0 23.975 0.365 10.714 0.282 0.346
First base Rankings
Okay, what we have here are players eligible at first base who might conceivably be of some use to you this season. The rankings are based on their perfomance over the last three seasons, except for Mark Teixeira and Nick Johnson. I've moved them up because of their extreme potential (Hafner's also been moved up, though his upside is nowhere near as high as the other two). I've separated these guys into the first tier, the second tier, and the rest. Giambi falls out of my first tier because of his knee and eye problems last season. The forecast column is my subjective expectation of how these guys will perform during the 2004 season relative to their position on this list. No comment is no change. Up is minor movement. Up+ means I think these guys could move into the next tier (the two ?'s reflect my level of confidence in the +). Dn is down, dn- the bottom falling out (if it hasn't already).
Note: Brad Fullmer's absence from this list is an oversight. He played 19 games at first last year and does qualify at first base in Yahoo leagues. I'd rank him ahead of Olerud and Conine, though I expect Johnson and Teixeira will outhit him.
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Note: Brad Fullmer's absence from this list is an oversight. He played 19 games at first last year and does qualify at first base in Yahoo leagues. I'd rank him ahead of Olerud and Conine, though I expect Johnson and Teixeira will outhit him.
Monday, March 01, 2004
Draft Strategy
When going into a fantasy draft, it's always best to have an idea of some specific goals. "Best player available with each pick" is a good, but broad, pursuit, and can leave you with holes to fill and weaknesses for your opponents to exploit. Also, if you're anything like me, it also leaves you vulnerable to fool yourself into making brash decisions. Like the time last season I took Ichiro with the first pick of the 3rd round because I suddenly panicked due to OBP being included in the league and my not having taken that into account on my draft board. And he's not even a great OBP guy!
The lesson I learned from that, as well as from another draft I did last season with somewhat more success, is that you want to identify a couple of very specific and detail-oriented things you want to accomplish in the draft. Using that draft as a basis for the discussion, I will cleverly disguise horn-tooting as a list of fantasy draft pointers.
The best place to start is by identifying your own strengths. Where do you think you measure ahead of the competition? In last year's AL-only draft I was pretty sure I could pick out a group of sleeping outfielders that could be drafted late but would still produce at a high level. What position or area are you most familiar with? Take advantage of it.
Look closely at your league's structure. Are there any uncommon stats being counted? Anywhere you can focus to outmanage your fellow team owners? What position is the thinnest? Move those guys up your board accordingly.
Watch your opponents' teams as they draft. Any obvious holes? If you have a spare pick or two, draft to fill your opponents' holes, then hold them over the fire in post-draft trades.
Especially in deeper leagues, once you have a basic concept, the dominoes will start to fall into place as you develop an overall strategy. My entire draft in the AL-only league last season was based on the basic concept that I could hold off on drafting any outfielders until real late; I chose to make my infield my top priority and to try to pick up one stud pitcher early. I think I drafted 8th out of 9, and I took Chavez and then Garciappara with my first two picks and Hudson and Todd Walker in rounds 3 and 4. Everybody else is piling on the high-profile sluggers and aces. I ended up having a pretty huge problem on the pitching side -- I ended up taking Rodrigo Lopez as my #2 (ugh) -- but the rest of my strategy worked to perfection. I chose Trot Nixon, Vernon Wells, and Aubrey Huff as my starting OFs and I dominated the offensive categories for most of the season due to the combination of those three guys all having breakout years together with my infield's consistent production.
The reason I talk about that is because 1) I'm still rather proud of myself, and 2) I hope to be able to duplicate that success in the future by focusing on what I did right. Okay, so Danys Baez wasn't the closing machine I envisioned and I got real lucky with Mike MacDougal (that reminds me of another point to make), but the point stands: figure out where you're already ahead of the game and press your advantage.
And this is universally true: Draft closers late. Last year guys like MacDougal and Baez were going in the 20s. Pick up three guys like that and I guarantee that at least one will be a stud closer. In 2002 it was Guardado and Mike Williams -- guys that were available in the 20s in virtually every draft that put up top-5 numbers. On your closer draft board, make sure you get 3 out of the group you have ranked between 20-25 and you'll thank me.
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The lesson I learned from that, as well as from another draft I did last season with somewhat more success, is that you want to identify a couple of very specific and detail-oriented things you want to accomplish in the draft. Using that draft as a basis for the discussion, I will cleverly disguise horn-tooting as a list of fantasy draft pointers.
Especially in deeper leagues, once you have a basic concept, the dominoes will start to fall into place as you develop an overall strategy. My entire draft in the AL-only league last season was based on the basic concept that I could hold off on drafting any outfielders until real late; I chose to make my infield my top priority and to try to pick up one stud pitcher early. I think I drafted 8th out of 9, and I took Chavez and then Garciappara with my first two picks and Hudson and Todd Walker in rounds 3 and 4. Everybody else is piling on the high-profile sluggers and aces. I ended up having a pretty huge problem on the pitching side -- I ended up taking Rodrigo Lopez as my #2 (ugh) -- but the rest of my strategy worked to perfection. I chose Trot Nixon, Vernon Wells, and Aubrey Huff as my starting OFs and I dominated the offensive categories for most of the season due to the combination of those three guys all having breakout years together with my infield's consistent production.
The reason I talk about that is because 1) I'm still rather proud of myself, and 2) I hope to be able to duplicate that success in the future by focusing on what I did right. Okay, so Danys Baez wasn't the closing machine I envisioned and I got real lucky with Mike MacDougal (that reminds me of another point to make), but the point stands: figure out where you're already ahead of the game and press your advantage.
Pitching focus: AL West
Man, has it really been this long? Gotta get on this.
So it looks like John's more of a stathead than I am; I understand that stuff and love to read pretty technical statistical analysis but doing actual work with the numbers myself tends to fall under my personal category of 'too much work.' Which, as you get to know me better, you'll find tends to pretty closely approach all-encompassing.
But enough about me. Let's talk baseball. I'll leave the scientifical ranking-style stuff to John for now; my first thought was to do some quick hits on a team-by-team basis, starting with a focus on the pitching staff. It's a start, anyway, and I don't wanna fall too far behind on content in here. I'll go division by division, I think, and see where that leads me.
Starting here at home with the AL West. A lot to cover here, and a lot of changes in direction.
The Oakland Athletics will maintain their dominance on the mound. 1-3 they can go toe to toe with anybody, and 1-5 they're only rivalled by Boston. I'll come clean with an embarrassing fact here and tell you that last year my one single ironclad no-doubt-about-this-one preseason prediction was that the White Sox would win the AL Central by 10 games or more (as a matter of fact, I'm fairly sure that I had a bet with somebody or other about this on the sdmb (I also had one about Jamie Moyer which I was also wrong about), but I won't be the one to go dig that up). I've got another one coming on right now.
Tim Hudson will be a strong Cy Young contender in 2004. Top 4 in the voting, easily. He's going to have a huge year. Game for game in 2003 he was as good as or better than anybody in the league, and was a horrible victim of bad luck and poor run support that cost him, literally, 5 wins or more (and on a personal note, if he had gotten the same support in his starts as his rotation-mates did in the first half, I'd have run away with that AL-only league from the getgo). People talk about the Big Three, but Hudson will emerge as the clear ace of the crew this season.
I'm worried about Barry Zito. I've heard that his velocity (not his forte to begin with) is down and his curveball isn't as demoralizing to hitters as it once was. He tailed off quite a bit at the end of 2003 and wasn't as effective as you'd hope in the playoffs. I see a dropoff coming for him.
I could say the same about Mark Mulder. A lot of questions remain for me about his bizarre hip fracture or whatever it was that sidelined him around August of last year. We'll see if he can return to form.
Mark Redman is underrated. And is almost certainly among the top #4 starters in the majors, if not the best himself. He should thrive in this environment (and in the spaaacious Oakland Coliseum).
Rich Harden is supposedly for real. I don't think we've seen enough yet to know for sure, but he was certainly a success at AAA. Being given the fifth starter role in his second season with those rotation-mates is fairly low-pressure, but then again he'll start a lot of games where giving up 4 runs will be enough to earn him an L, and this team may be in the do-or-die year for the Beane era. We'll see how he handles it, but physically he certainly seems to have the weapons he needs. One mark in his favor from a fantasy perspective is that Ken Macha is saying Harden won't get the typical 5th starter treatment; he'll pitch all his scheduled starts.
Chad Bradford has been getting a lot of publicity lately. It's beyond me why the A's thought they needed to pay Arthur Rhodes to close games for them when they've got this guy in the wings because he'll command closer money before too long anyway, so why not groom him for the role and bump his value? I'm not familiar with his contract status so maybe that's where the answer lies. But take it from me, he will continue to baffle hitters whether he's setting up or closing -- and I have a hunch he'll be doing a good bit of the latter in 2004.
The aforementioned Arthur Rhodes just isn't that great. Okay, lefty closer, but his splits are actually pretty even and he doesn't have that nasty out pitch that you look for. He's going to be asked to protect a lot of short leads and I'm not sure how well he's going to do outside of the setup role... The A's are stacked with lefties out of the pen, also...
Like Ricardo Rincon, who for some reason I thought was out of Oakland this season but is still listed with them on their team site. He's good, and if Inherited Runners Scoring is counted in your league, mark him up there at the top of your list.
The Anaheim Angels made some big splashes in the offseason with a couple of high-profile rotation acquisitions to add to their steamy collection of young arms.
Before I say anything else I need to point out their addition by subtraction -- they've acquired enough starters to finally push Aaron Sele off the depth chart. Do not draft this guy.
I've always liked Bartolo Colon. With this kind of lineup behind him you've gotta love the guy to go for 20 wins, and he's always capable of striking out 200. I guess there are fitness questions, but he wears his weight well and has never seemed to get slow down the stretch. Off the top of my head he's an easy top-10 AL starter. I've got my reservations that he's going to save this team's season, though.
Speaking of reservations, that's what I'm hereby christening Kelvim "reservations" Escobar. His numbers were pretty good in the Toronto rotation last year, but in a very limited sample size, and they're paying him top dollar. I'd hold off on him in your draft, or better yet just say "hmm" when he's inevitably snapped up by one of your overeager draftmates who already took Jeter and Sheffield too early and is now desperate for pitching in the 5th round to take him and leave it at that.
On the other hand, I like Jarrod Washburn to quietly put together another excellent season. I get the sense about this guy that he likes to pitch in relative obscurity, and as an incumbent on a team where all the focus will be on the newcomers I think he will thrive. Great sleeper, if you can call him that.
John Lackey and Ramon Ortiz both have a lot of potential, and either could easily turn out to win 17 or so at a sub-3.50 clip. Ortiz in particular has the ability to strike out about 9 per 9. These two are like my Jon Garland/Dan Wright twofer from last season except they're younger. Okay, and better.
Troy Percival is old. Somebody will snap him up way too soon and overpay for his saves. I'm not sure he's as reliable as he once was, except in the sense that he can be relied on to miss about a month all together with visits to the DL. The Angels can easily afford to miss him (on the diamond anyway, on the ledger sheet he's making what, $7m this year? yeesh), but you probably can't.
Not, that is, unless you also have a couple of guys like Brendan Donnelly, Ben Weber, and Francisco Rodriguez on your roster. All three of these guys are easily worth a flyer in a deep, AL-only, or saves-intensive league, as they all have a strong shot to save 10 this season or substantially more if anything goes wrong. Even without the saves they're all superb setup guys that will keep your cumulative stats down and your counting stats up, far outdistancing 90% of the starters out there on an inning-by-inning basis.
The Seattle Mariners only have a couple of pitchers that I like, and they're not the guys that are making money.
I maintain that Freddy Garcia just needs one more peek behind the curtain to totally blow up. I know we all noticed how desperately the M's wanted to move him somewhere, anywhere this offseason. I think they know what the rest of us only suspect. It's fork time in Freddy Garciaville. Do not draft this guy.
Same goes for Jamie Moyer. I won't put it in such strong terms, since he started last year's ASG and all, but he smacks of Kurt Warner Syndrome to me and I'd lay odds that the expiration date on his deal is fast approaching if not past.
Joel Pineiro and Gil Meche are both serious pitchers, though. I expect good things out of both of these guys, both this season and well into the future. I'm marking them both down as very solid mid-range sleepers (well, whether they're sleeping or not depends on your competition of course).
Kaz Sasaki is gone, and everybody in Marinerland is breathing a deep sigh of relief (well, everybody excepting anybody in their front office, because the Mariners front office is insane).
I just breathe a sigh of resignation that they brought in Everyday Eddie Guardado to close in his stead. How good does Shigetoshi Hasegawa have to be, and for how long, before he gets some recognition? The guy is unfadeable. And Guardado's modest success since he defaulted into the closer role in Minnesota brings him the payday? Bah. You've gotta draft Guardado just because he'll get the save opps, but salt away Hasegawa for a rainy day just in case. Oh yeah, and because of his 1.50 ERA and 1.08 WHIP last season. He doesn't strike anybody out, but he'll give you some nice innings.
Also, supposedly, in the mix to close in 2004 are Rafael Soriano and Julio Mateo. Two more guys to keep an eye on late in your draft, they've both got talent and flesh out what I think is easily the other best bullpen in the AL, along with Anaheim's.
Annnnd then we've got the Texas Rangers. They are in bad, bad shape on this side of the ball. As usual.
I mean, while it's sad when your two best pitchers are John Thomson and Ismael Valdes, it's so much sadder when they're both gone a season later -- Thomson to slot in as Atlanta's #3, maybe #4 starter, and Valdes to hang around San Diego and set a good example for David Wells.
To replace them Texas signed -- sigh -- Kenny Rogers (need I say it -- don't draft this guy) and thuggish ruggish Jeff Nelson, who should be above average in his setup role and will probably parlay his Hitler-but-blond mustache into a half-dozen saves to boot.
Lone bright spot -- Francisco Cordero looked very good down the stretch as their closer last year, but who knows how many opps he'll get in 2004.
(okay, second possible bright spot -- if they can sign on one more tired and overpaid journeyman in the Rogers mold, that means Chan Ho Park doesn't have to start).
That took longer than I thought. I'm eager to get into the rest of the divisions but I've got to get to sleep. Let's quickly review what we've learned:
2004 AL West SP rankings (subject to change):
1. Hudson
2. Colon
3. Mulder
4. Zito
5. Washburn
6. Redman
7. Moyer
8. Escobar
9. Harden
10. Pineiro (Meche is real close; so is Ortiz)
(and even with only 4 teams, and the Rangers not counting, you could easily put that group up against any other division's top 10)
2004 AL West CL rankings
1. Guardado (though it pains me to do it)
2. Cordero
3. Rhodes
4. Percival
5. Bradford/Donnelly
2004 AL West RP rankings
1. Bradford/Donnelly
2. Weber
3-7. Hasegawa, R. Soriano, F. Rodriguez, Mateo, Nelson
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So it looks like John's more of a stathead than I am; I understand that stuff and love to read pretty technical statistical analysis but doing actual work with the numbers myself tends to fall under my personal category of 'too much work.' Which, as you get to know me better, you'll find tends to pretty closely approach all-encompassing.
But enough about me. Let's talk baseball. I'll leave the scientifical ranking-style stuff to John for now; my first thought was to do some quick hits on a team-by-team basis, starting with a focus on the pitching staff. It's a start, anyway, and I don't wanna fall too far behind on content in here. I'll go division by division, I think, and see where that leads me.
Starting here at home with the AL West. A lot to cover here, and a lot of changes in direction.
The Oakland Athletics will maintain their dominance on the mound. 1-3 they can go toe to toe with anybody, and 1-5 they're only rivalled by Boston. I'll come clean with an embarrassing fact here and tell you that last year my one single ironclad no-doubt-about-this-one preseason prediction was that the White Sox would win the AL Central by 10 games or more (as a matter of fact, I'm fairly sure that I had a bet with somebody or other about this on the sdmb (I also had one about Jamie Moyer which I was also wrong about), but I won't be the one to go dig that up). I've got another one coming on right now.
I could say the same about Mark Mulder. A lot of questions remain for me about his bizarre hip fracture or whatever it was that sidelined him around August of last year. We'll see if he can return to form.
The Anaheim Angels made some big splashes in the offseason with a couple of high-profile rotation acquisitions to add to their steamy collection of young arms.
The Seattle Mariners only have a couple of pitchers that I like, and they're not the guys that are making money.
Annnnd then we've got the Texas Rangers. They are in bad, bad shape on this side of the ball. As usual.
(okay, second possible bright spot -- if they can sign on one more tired and overpaid journeyman in the Rogers mold, that means Chan Ho Park doesn't have to start).
That took longer than I thought. I'm eager to get into the rest of the divisions but I've got to get to sleep. Let's quickly review what we've learned:
2004 AL West SP rankings (subject to change):
1. Hudson
2. Colon
3. Mulder
4. Zito
5. Washburn
6. Redman
7. Moyer
8. Escobar
9. Harden
10. Pineiro (Meche is real close; so is Ortiz)
(and even with only 4 teams, and the Rangers not counting, you could easily put that group up against any other division's top 10)
2004 AL West CL rankings
1. Guardado (though it pains me to do it)
2. Cordero
3. Rhodes
4. Percival
5. Bradford/Donnelly
2004 AL West RP rankings
1. Bradford/Donnelly
2. Weber
3-7. Hasegawa, R. Soriano, F. Rodriguez, Mateo, Nelson
