5 Outfielders to Watch in the 2010 Fantasy Baseball Season

In preparation for the 2010 fantasy baseball season I've found 5 interesting outfielders that bare a closer look. Here they are listed in the order of their average draft position.

Matt Kemp, 7 - Kemp has been coming along for a few years and although he may have some upside left 7 overall seems a little too steep for me. He has a shot at 30/30 with a .300 BA but his R+RBI combo only projects out to 200. Really good but a little light at this point in the draft. Definitely someone to grab if he falls out of the top 10 but don't reach assuming there is more upside to be had.

Jason Bay, 23 - 2 seasons ago many speculated that Bay was finished. While he has rebounded it's hard to tell what he'll do in Citi Field. If the Mets lineup can get healthy 225+ R+RBI seems doable. His .280ish BA is nothing to get excited about but he's good for a dozen steals. It's Bay's HRs that will establish his return on investment. If he ends up in the low 20s it could cripple your fantasy baseball season. But if he cracks 30+ HRs he'll easily be worth the 23rd overall pick. In other words, he has a chance to be worth the price, but there are no guarantees.

Nick Markakis, 48 - Markakis was a rising star on a team that offered very little in the way of a supporting cast. At age 26 he's seen his HR and SB totals decline for 3 straight years. 30/30 may never happen but Markakis will bat in the heart of the lineup and is a lock to hit right around .300. As he continues to mature the Os seem intent on improving the team around him. As such I sense a nice bounce back year. His floor is stable but the upside is a BA well above .300, 25+ HRs, and 225+ R+RBIs with a dozen SBs for style points. Grab him with confidence anytime after pick 30.

Carols Lee, 68 - Although the power dropped a little bit the 33 year old still has plenty left and will post a solid .300 BA in the heart of the Astros lineup. Carlos Lee is longer a center piece player but probably still good enough to be a #1 OF on most fantasy baseball teams. He'll post elite numbers in at least 3 categories and is worth a pick anytime after 50.


Alex Rios, 106 - If you're still waiting for the Alex Rios breakout season that ship has sailed. That said I think he's a great buy-low player on draft day. There's a very good chance Rios will top a .290 BA again and make he's usual run at 20/20. Don't pick Rios for what once might have been but take advantage of the fact that most have soured on the once elite prospect. He'll be a decent #2 or great #3 outfielder worth consideration after pick 70.

Pick up a copy of the 2010 Baseball Forecaster (Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster)

Fantasy Baseball Keeper List

Now that the Boston Red Sox have won the World Series it’s time to get serious about next year’s fantasy baseball team. I won one of my fantasy baseball leagues this year (got high of the week in NFBC but fell short otherwise) so I’m pretty well stacked.

Here are the 5 that I’m leaning toward:

Ryan Braun 3B $1
Hunter Pence OF $1
Jose Valverde RP $1
Tim Lincecum (“The Franchise”) SP $1
Yovani Gallardo SP $1

I also have Kelvin Escobar $1, BJ Upton $9, Oliver Perez $1, Joakim Soria $1, and Manny Corpas $1. The Fantasy 411 advised me to keep BJ Upton in lieu of Lincecum or Gallardo but I can’t bring myself to give one of them up and I like the extra $8 on draft day.

Looking for T206 HOFer for Fantasy Baseball Winnings

I won the first best out of 3 playoff series and tied up the championship series 1 to 1 in one of my fantasy baseball leagues. In anticipation of a nice payday I’m looking to get a nicer than usual T206 card. I like buying baseball cards better than blowing winnings on something like a TV because the card is an asset that will appreciate over time. I checked eBay and have some cards in mind: John McGraw, Cy Young, Walter Johnson (portrait, I already have his other card), Tris Speaker, Christy Mathewson, and Nap Lajoie.

Buy T206 baseball cards with Hall of Famers on eBay!

NFBC Fantasy Baseball Bump from Trade Deadline!

My NFBC fantasy baseball team just got a bump at the trade deadline. Nothing major but with 15 teams per league and 25 man rosters, the player pool in the NFBC is super thin - the cumulative effect should add up to something significant.

Morgan Ensberg – designated for assignment by Houston but reportedly will go to the Twins, he’s been killing us at third base all year and his best baseball is behind him but any increase in playing time will be huge
Luis Castillo – going to the Mets is great, might go from ~20 SB guy to 30-35 SB second baseman, for a 300 hitter that’s real solid
Jarrod Saltalamacchia – (longest last name in MLB history) supposed get a huge bump in playing time going to Texas, the NFBC requires 2 starting catchers so this is a big gain

Fantasy baseball is a total grind this time of year but the bumps in all 3 of these starters should make for a nice push toward the end. We’re definitely out of the $100,000 grand prize but we could score some cash by coming in second or third in our league.