The FCC tried to stop it.
Activist groups called in with a massive amount of complaints.
Someone even tried to cut my brake lines (likely Eric Mack).
Despite the preventive measures, I'm back for another round of Dear Mr. Fantasy.
The Fantasy doctor is in the hizzouse! Well, while I work on my street flava, CBSSports.com is ready to deliver remedies to all that ails in the Fantasy world. Along with my colleague Scott White, we'll be answering your Fantasy Baseball questions all season. We're accepting all kinds of correspondence, even the beloved hate mail. Sigh.
And for all those interested, I'm still a Hanley (Ramirez) hater. You better recognize, son.
Without further adieu, let's get this party started! What, what.
(Coolness license just revoked. Sigh.)
Draft Day Hysteria
I have two questions about Alex Gordon and Evan Longoria. Who will be better this year and who will be better long-term? -- Michael Porath
MH: Gordon and Gordon. Kind of sounds like a law firm. It's time to forget about Gordon's 2007 season. Yes, he fell way short of expectations, but his track record is hard to ignore. He won College Baseball Player of the Year (Golden Spikes) in 2005 and followed it by winning Minor League Player of the Year (Baseball America) in 2006. Longoria did neither. Gordon dominated in his lone season of minor league ball. He hit .325 with 29 homers, 101 RBI, 39 doubles, 11 runs and 22 stolen bases in 130 Double-A games. Longoria has made several minor league stops the last two seasons, and while his numbers are good, he can't touch Gordon's numbers. His college numbers even lag behind Gordon's. The Kansas City third baseman's biggest problem as a rookie in 2007 was he felt too much pressure to perform. His teammates saw it and the opposition saw it. Gordon should have a more relaxed 2008 season under new manager Trey Hillman. We will finally see what the fuss is all about.
I am looking for advice on drafting in my Head-to-Head (mixed) baseball league. In football, for example, it is best to take a running back in the first round. What do you recommend for me in my first, second and third rounds in baseball? -- Jason Weeks, Bowie, Md.
MH: Hitters, hitters and more hitters. In a standard Fantasy league in 2007, the top 47 point-producers were hitters. The top pitcher was Jake Peavy, and he was the only pitcher to accumulate more than 500 points. My draft strategy in a mixed league has always been to target the big bats and wait on pitching. The earliest you should start looking at pitching is the third round, but even then, the elite bats still on the board are probably more valuable than a starting pitcher, who only plays every five days.
Since there is such a big discrepancy between the top four catchers (Victor Martinez, Russell Martin, Joe Mauer and Brian McCann) and the rest, do you think a good strategy is to try to draft a catcher at the end of the run of the top four? And if missed, wait until late? -- Chip Whitney, Solebury, Pa.
MH: Catcher has always been the Fantasy position that if you miss out on the elite, then waiting until the late rounds is always the preferred option. Also, it's really a top five because Jorge Posada is still among the elite Fantasy catchers. In a standard 10-team mixed league, all five mentioned above are being drafted in the first 10 rounds. The remaining catchers aren't going off the board until Round 14 or later.
Do you foresee Ian Kinsler overtaking Michael Young as the Rangers most valuable Fantasy player this season? Do you think Young will continue to shine or begin to decline? -- Jeff Eichhorst
MH: A lot of folks are jumping on the Kinsler bandwagon, but I'm a little hesitant. My biggest concern is that Kinsler has yet to stay healthy for an entire season. He has made less than 500 plate appearances in his first two seasons. Young has made 500-plus at-bats for six straight seasons and has more than 600 for the last five. Kinsler has great power potential and is improving with each season. Young took a step back in that department in 2007 (nine homers), but still hit .300 for the fifth straight season and drove in more than 90 RBI for the fourth straight season. I'm going to side with consistency in this matter and say Young remains the more valuable Ranger.
What will have to happen for Jonathan Broxton to take over the closer role for the Dodgers? -- Robert Bierkamp, Indianola, Iowa
MH: An injury to Takashi Saito. Broxton has a wicked arm. He can touch 100 on the radar gun and intimidate hitters. But the Dodgers have turned to Saito as their closer the last two seasons, and he has delivered. He has closed out 63 of 69 games and has posted a 1.77 ERA. The Dodgers would be ill-advised to mess with that kind of success.
Keeper Corner
I'm in a long-term, Head-to-Head keeper league. I must decide between keeping Nick Swisher or Chris B. Young (Arizona). Who would you suggest? -- Joe Taccarino, Ocean City, N.J.
MH: The move to the Windy City for Swisher will be exciting. He is finally going to get the protection he deserves and perhaps produce a 30-homer, 100-RBI season for the first time in his career. But in a long-term keeper league, the smart move would be to hold onto Young. Here is a guy that hit 32 homers in his first MLB season. He struggled with consistency as he produced a .237 average and drove in 68 runs. But he stole 27 bases and there is a chance he will eventually slide down the lineup to hit third or fourth. It's hard to bypass a guy that will one day fill the stat sheet.
I'm in a standard (Head-to-Head) long-term keeper league. I have Roy Oswalt and Jered Weaver. In your opinion which one do I keep? -- Mike Moran
MH: I'm as big an Oswalt fan as anyone out there. The guy exudes consistency even though he has played on some bad teams. He has managed 10 or more wins for his first seven seasons and has managed 15-plus wins four times. He has never had an ERA higher than 3.49 and averages 167 strikeouts per season. Also, his career 1.20 WHIP is outstanding. After all that, I came very close to suggesting Weaver based on potential, but I will stick with Oswalt. Weaver didn't get a fair shake last season because of arm/shoulder problems. He made 28 starts while pitching 161 innings, but posted a 3.91 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. He hardly looked like the rookie pitcher who went 11-2 with a 2.56 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 2006. Oh yeah, he also had 105 strikeouts in 123 innings. There is no denying that Weaver has more potential, but Oswalt still has history on his side. He hasn't dealt with major arm problems. He has pitched more than 200 innings for four straight seasons. And he resides in the pitcher-friendly NL, as opposed to the hitter-heavy AL.
I'm in a keeper league and wondering who I should keep: SP Chris R. Young, SP Tim Lincecum, SP Yovani Gallardo, SP Jeff Francis, 3B Ryan Braun, C Brian McCann, 2B Dan Uggla and OF Melky Cabrera. I have to keep five of them. What do you think is the best way for me to go? -- John M. Mattera
MH: Young, Lincecum, Gallardo, Braun and McCann. I like Braun and McCann because you will be keeping top five players at their position. Young has progressed each season he has been in the majors and strikes out nearly a batter per inning. Lincecum is a star in the making and another pitcher that can post favorable strikeout totals. Gallardo might miss the first few weeks of the season because of knee surgery, but the good news is that he doesn't have arm problems. As long as he doesn't rush back, he should return to the fireballer we all saw last season. He has great long-term potential.
Down on the Farm
What is the status on OF Trevor Crowe of the Indians? I am in an AL-only auction league where we have a four-round minor league draft. If you have farm players from the previous season not called up prior to Sept. 1, you can keep these players and give up your lowest pick for each player you retain. I will have the ninth, 12th, 29th and 32nd pick and contemplating keeping the rights to Crowe. Is Crowe worth keeping? -- Dave Schmidt
MH: I'm really on the fence about Crowe. The Indians drafted him with the 14th pick of the 2005 draft out of Arizona. They were hoping to fast track him through the minors, but it has been a slow process. A natural center fielder, the Indians realized he wouldn't play that position in the majors because of Grady Sizemore. They thought a move to second base would be ideal since Crowe played there back in high school. The experiment was a disaster and was called off in 2006. The biggest toll it took on Crowe was at the plate. He's had three different stints at Double-A, with the low coming in 2007. He hit .259 with five homers and 50 RBI. He did steal 28 bases. He rebounded in winter ball with a .289 average, two homers, seven RBI and three stolen bases in 10 games. He is projected to start at Triple-A in 2008. He is being compared to Jacoby Ellsbury, except Crowe has more power. He could one day bat third or fourth, but the Indians are just hoping he is more consistent at the plate. He is only 24-years-old, but will need to make great strides in 2008. There are so many unknown variables with Crowe right now; you can probably find a better prospect to stash.
Out of Colby Rasmus, Jay Bruce or Evan Longoria, which young prospect would you draft? -- Cliff Howitz, Arlington, Texas
MH: This is the second time that I'm going to pass on Longoria. I think he is a great talent and will be a solid third baseman for the Rays, but I like Bruce out of these three choices. It's kind of frustrating to see Reds manager Dusty Baker not get excited about this kid. Baker is from the old school and likes the prototypical leadoff hitter and center fielder. Bruce is far from that. He has offered to hit leadoff, but would be more suited to bat fourth or fifth. Just look at his numbers. He combined to hit .319 with 46 doubles, eight triples, 26 homers and 89 RBI through three minor league stops in 2007. He might not open the season with Cincinnati, but should be up at some point in 2008. The fact that Cincinnati plays in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the majors just adds to Bruce's value.
You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Dear Mr. Fantasy in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we do not guarantee personal responses or answers to all questions.
