EVIL~! alkeiper

Its a bitch, because my AL fantasy team is dependant on the health of the Yankees' starters.

It is 1,250 innings.

Ok, lets take a look at the original post...... That line in bold is the one I argue with. Everyone faces bad pitchers, or faces clutch situations. Breaking them down either dilutes the available data, or is ultimately meaningless, only providing you information that you already knew. In most cases, a basic hitting line will provide you 90% of what you need to know about a player's ability or hit or pitch. Only Left/Right and Home/Road splits have any meaningful quality.

The A-Rod acquisition is overblown. You have to remember that they lost Alfonso Soriano AND Aaron Boone. Rodriguez doesn't make up for that. Yeah, what a shame that was. It IS a shame, because as it stands right now, your team is playing Enrique Wilson at second base. Wilson's the type of player the Detroit Tigers uses when one or two of their regualrs falls to injury. He doesn't deserve a starting job on ANY team, let alone one competing for a title. You can groan about Aaron Boone all you want, but he's not a bad player. Everyone has slumps. Some are just unfortunate to have them in the postseason. Boone can hit a little, he walks, steals bases, and unlike most recent Yankee infielders, he has this uncanny ability to pick up a groundball and deposit it in the first baseman's mitt. The Yankees are worse now than two months ago.

Blalock belongs higher on that list, as does Larson. Larson's got the potential to hammer the ball. I don't feel so sanguine about David Bell's hitting. Chavez is better than Rolen, in my view.

Keep an eye on Guillermo Quiroz. He hit 282/372/518 at Double A New Haven last season, at the age of 21. He should put in a year at AAA this season, and make the majors by 2005.

That's not really clutch hitting then. Just recognizing a player's weeknesses. A guy like Sanders would struggle against good pitching in the 1st inning with no one on base.

Thanks for joining. We've now got all 16 teams in our league, so registration is closed. The live draft is scheduled for Thursday, March 11. Hopefully I'll get it to work this time. Good luck to all involved.

I had LeCroy ranked highly because I liked his catcher eligibility, but with Pudge drafted he lost a lot of value. I think Phelps is ready to explode on the league. Dump Traber. He's out for the year. The hitting is good. Teixeira could really break out this year. Except for Myers and Olerud, all of those guys are on their way up. If Crede develops, he could become useful trade bait. That lineup looks really good. The pitchers could be good, but they're somewhat suspect. The lack of a closer could hurt. ERA might be a concern as well.

First off, Iits easy to throw around the "choke" label, but you have to remember that major league hitters fail 66% of the time. Choking is the norm. Second, I've yet to see clutch hitting as a measurable skill. Who are these infamous clutch hitters? Moreover, would you pinch hit a Miguel Cairo for a Gary Sheffield because one is "clutch" and the other isn't? That's my basic point. The idea of clutch hitting is adds no benefit to existing statistical analysis, or in-game strategy.

A lot of us will cycle starters in and out, so it won't make a difference.

You have to remember that the player pool is MUCH thinner in this league. While Jeremy Bonderman or Mike Maroth aren't worth shit in the H2H league, picking the right one can mean victory in this league.

Well, Spring Training kicked off today, as the St. Louis Cardinals battled the college team of Florida Atlantic, winning 10-1. Looking over the boxscore, I did a double take upon seeing Pagnozzi, catcher, but its not Tom. The Cardinals didn't throw any name pitchers out on the mound. When viewing spring training games, remember that they are just exhibitions. Pitchers in particular can be quite erratic. Don't panic. Spring training performances usually don't carry over into the regular season. The best part of viewing spring training games is catching a glimpse at some upcoming prospects your team may have. No serious analysis needed, just sit back and enjoy the action. Tomorrow, 1pm, ESPN: Mets v Dodgers

Thankfully I pre-ranked some 200 players.

Yep. Soriano is not a bad guy to have around at all. My only concern is that he starts in the pen. That shouldn't last.

I downloaded Netscape, and the draft test seems ok. So I should be in good shape for the SNKT draft, Tom's draft, and the NL draft. A reminder. There are two available slots remaining in the NL league. First come, first serve.

Al's draft strategy: Draft players who aren't injured or retired.

Treble, Joe Mays is out for the year.

The lineup looks good, albeit with DaVanon's limited playing time. Aubrey Huff is a hitting machine. Lots of homers and steals spread around. Good lineup. The pitching is a problem. Too many middle relief guys, and too few starters. Villone is no better than 7th on the M's depth chart. John Burkett......retired. You desperately need to find starting pitching.

Ok. Lets evaluate...... Playing time could become an issue with Eric Young and Craig Monroe. Having Dmitri Young helps as he is multi-position eligible. Erstad is an injury risk, but should be able to fill in at first. I like the flexibility of the hitting, but I would worry about depth. The rotation looks solid. No worries there. A great closer as well. Scot Shields is next in line if one the Angels' first five goes down. Timlin's a good middle reliever. Overall, not too bad, but I think team OBP might be a problem.

If you know me, you know I'll back up Bobby Crosby more than anyone on this forum. As an aside, put him one spot above Tejada for kicks.

Thanks a bunch Tom. With work lately, its been iffy as far as getting out exactly on time. With 7:30, I'll just make it home on time. Now if only I can get the draft application to work.....

Perhaps, but I wanted to create a real challenge. Besides, I kind of like trying to figure out who will have a real season between Grant Balfour, Matt Riley, and Jimmy Gobble. Most real teams have bad 5th starters as well.

I'm limiting my scope to baseball.

Ah Colby Lewis. Well, you have to remember he won't necessarily repeat those numbers. I think Colby is a good candidate for a rebound actually.