AL-Only 4x4 Auction Values

Here are the Top 20 AL-Only draft values for a 4x4 format using Baseball Prospectus' Player Forecast Manager. I expect Scott Kazmir wouldn't go for $28 any longer, but that could just be the scaredy cat in me talking.

PLAYER	POS	$$$
Rodriguez Alex	3B	40
Sizemore Grady	CF	33
Roberts Brian	2B	32
Crawford Carl	LF	32
Sabathia C.c.	SP	32
Upton B.J.	3B	31
Ortiz David	DH	30
Kinsler Ian	2B	29
Kazmir Scott	SP	28
Putz J.J.	RP	27
Granderson Curtis	CF	26
Rivera Mariano	RP	26
Cabrera Miguel	3B	26
Hunter Torii	CF	26
Rios Alexis	RF	25
Figgins Chone	3B/CF	25
Beckett Josh	SP	25
Papelbon Jonathan	RP	25
Pena Carlos	1B	25

Mock Al-Only 4x4 Draft

I set-up a mock AL-Only 4x4 auction draft on Fantasy Auctioneer. I've never done this but if you want to practive click through and sign-up.

Here is the link.

Day 32 And Counting

There does not appear to be good AL- and NL-Only auction league values readily available. Using Baseball Prospectus' Player Forecast Manager, I calculated the NL-only values for a 4x4 non-keeper league. There is an option for inflation-adjusted ones for keeper leagues, but those are necessarily league specific.

If you want to see what those look like for a deep AL-only keeper league, go over to Fake Teams for an example.

PLAYER	POS	$$$
Santana Johan	SP	46
Reyes Jose	SS	42
Peavy Jake	SP	39
Soriano Alfonso	LF	36
Ramirez Hanley	SS	36
Braun Ryan	LF	35
Young Chris	CF	33
Smoltz John	SP	32
Wright David	3B	32
Holliday Matt	LF	30
Howard Ryan	1B	29
Webb Brandon	SP	29
Hamels Cole	SP	29
Rollins Jimmy	SS	28
Dunn Adam	LF	28
Pujols Albert	1B	27
Fielder Prince	1B	27
Hart Corey	RF	27
Beltran Carlos	CF	26
Harang Aaron	SP	25

AL-only 5x5 Rotisserie auction

There will always be challenges finding mock drafts in the traditional 4x4 format that Rotisserie baseball was founded on. The best I have been able to find is 5x5.

Here is an AL-only auction draft. With Joe Mauer available in my AL-only 4x4, I was curious to see how much this 2007 single-digit HR & SB catcher went for. The answer? $23.

Another catcher available in my AL-only league is Victor Martinez. He went for $30. Mauer may be about right in a 30+% inflation league like my AL-only, but VMart is going to go for more than $30.

CBSSports.com Analysts League (AL) - Draft prep: AL-only 5x5 Rotisserie auction

BaseballAmerica.com: Prospects: Rankings: Top 100 Prospects: Top 100 Prospects

BaseballAmerica.com: Prospects: Rankings: Top 100 Prospects: Top 100 Prospects: No. 1-20

They're up and not behind the subscriber wall. Joba Chamberlain comes in at #3 overall, and the Yankees want him to be a middle reliever. What if he stays in that role all season? Will the Rule of 30 prevent him from being a starter in 2009?

Rules-of-thumb followed rigidly is not a wise course.

Day 33 And Counting

Here are the NL outfields ranked by average ADP of the three starters. NOTE: Fukudome did not have an ADP so i assigned him one the equal of Ryan Freel.

RK	TM	PLAYER	ADP	PLAYER	ADP	PLAYER	ADP	AVG ADP
1	COL	Matt Holliday	5	Willy Taveras	83	Brad Hawpe	38	42
2	HOU	Carlos Lee	16	Michael Bourn	103	Hunter Pence	33	50.7
3	MLW	Ryan Braun	11	Mike Cameron	112	Corey Hart	32	51.7
4	LAD	Juan Pierre	51	Andruw Jones	46	Matt Kemp	62	53
5	AZ	Justin Upton	119	Chris Young	27	Eric Byrnes	24	56.7
6	CIN	Adam Dunn	23	Ryan Freel	163	Ken Griffey	72	86
7	PIT	Jason Bay	41	Nate McLouth	114	Xavier Nady	131	95.3
8	PHI	Pat Burrell	70	Shane Victorino	52	Geoff Jenkins	200	107.3
9	NYM	Moises Alou	109	Carlos Beltran	13	Ryan Church	207	109.7
10	CHC	Alfonso Soriano	8	Kosuke Fukudome	163	Felix Pie	214	128.3
11	FLA	Josh Willingham	100	Cameron Maybin	201	Jeremy Hermida	90	130.3
12	SF	Dave Roberts	169	Aaron Rowand	73	Randy Winn	161	134.3
13	ATL	Matt Diaz	143	Mark Kotsay	213	Jeff Francoeur	53	136.3
14	WAS	Wily Mo Pena	166	Lastings Milledge	183	Austin Kearns	155	168
15	STL	Rick Ankiel	123	Chris Duncan	133	Brian Barton	287	181
16	SD	Jim Edmonds	175	Scott Hairston	274	Brian Giles	234	227.7

Fantasy Sleeper - John Bowker

Giants outfield prospect one step from majors - San Jose Mercury News

Within this article is news of a possible Giants' sleeper, John Bowker. He hit 22 HRs playing for AA Norwich, 16 of which were hit away from the unfriendly confines of Dodd Stadium. With a season in the AAA Pacific League, do not be surprised to see Bowker amongst the top fantasy prospects intra-season.

There is also word that current favorite to start at 1B in San Fran, Dan Ortmeier, added 15 lbs of muscle working out with Rockies' RF Brad Hawpe. Hopefully, it doesn't sap his speed.

Day 34 And Counting

I use Mock Draft Central for my ADP information. Unfortunately, the fantasy baseball industry is dominated by 5x5 mixed leagues. However, there is some AL- and NL-only information. Here is are the best AL starting outfields for fantasy baseball.

RK	TM	PLAYER	ADP	PLAYER	ADP	PLAYER	ADP	AVG ADP
1	TB	Carl Crawford	3	B.J. Upton	8	Rocco Baldelli	92	34.3
2	LAA	Torii Hunter	29	Garret Anderson	87	Vladimir Guerrero	7	41
3	NYY	Johnny Damon	55	Bobby Abreu	17	Melky Cabrera	93	55
4	BOS	Manny Ramirez	14	Jacoby Ellsbury	62	J.D. Drew	107	61
5	DET	Curtis Granderson	9	Magglio Ordonez	16	Jacque Jones	172	65.7
6	TOR	Reed Johnson	158	Vernon Wells	34	Alex Rios	10	67.3
7	SEA	Ichiro Suzuki	6	Raul Ibanez	65	Brad Wilkerson	189	86.7
8	MIN	Delmon Young	53	Carlos Gomez	164	Michael Cuddyer	79	98.7
9	CSX	Jermaine Dye	45	Nick Swisher	42	Carlos Quentin	214	100.3
10	BAL	Nick Markakis	28	Luke Scott	168	Adam Jones	155	117
11	KC	Mark Teahen	124	David DeJesus	130	Jose Guillen	110	121.3
12	CLE	Grady Sizemore	4	David Dellucci	237	Franklin utierrez	145	128.7
13	TEX	Milton Bradley	163	Josh Hamilton	96	Marlon Byrd	188	149
14	OAK	Travis Buck	162	Jack Cust	149	Ryan weeney	264	191.7

Baseball Prospectus - Ross Detwiler

Baseball Prospectus | Articles | Every Given Sunday: A New Angel in the Outfield: "The Nationals are considering keeping left-hander Ross Detwiler, their first-round draft pick last year, on the major league roster as a reliever to start the season."

I've got a $1 or $2 set aside for him if true.

Day 35 And Counting

"Down On The Friday" also had Mike Rizzo, the Director of Player Development for the Washington Nationals as a guest. In addition to speaking highly of Collin Ballester (listed below), he also mentioned last year's 1st round pick Ross Detwiler.

He made a cameo last September with the Nats and do not be surprised to see him again in 2008. As a power lefty, he a a player that all fantasy leaguers should watch.

TM	POS	PLAYER
NYM	OF	Carlos Gomez
PHI	LHP	Josh Outman
ATL	OF	Josh Anderson
WAS	RHP	Collin Balester
FLA	RHP	Gaby Hernandez
CHC	C	Geovany Soto
MLW	LHP	Manny Parra
CIN	RHP	Homer Bailey
STL	RHP	Chris Perez
HOU	RHP	Felipe Paulino
PIT	1B/OF	Steve Pearce
LAD	3B	Andy Laroche
AZ	RHP	Max Scherzer
SD	3B	Chase Headley
COL	LHP	Franklin Morales
SF	OF	Nate Schierholtz

Day 36 And Counting

On his Friday XM Radio show, Down On The Farm Friday, John Sickels has the Rangers' Director of Player Development, Scott Servais, as a guest. Servais said something that should make all AL-only 4x4 players pay attention.

In a discussion on 2005 1st round pick John Mayberry Jr., Servais said the team expects him to be in the majors in the second half of this season. With 30 HR and 16 SB between High A and AA in 2007 and the Rangers' unsettled OF situation, Mayberry could be that second half injury replacement we all hope for.

With Al rookies in mind, he is a list of those by Baseball America from their 2008 Prospect Book.

TM	POS	PLAYER
NYY	RHP	Joba Chamberlain
BOS	OF	Jacoby Ellsbury
TOR	LHP	Dave Purcey
TB	3B	Evan Longoria
BAL	LHP	Troy Patton
DET	RHP	Yorman Bazardo
CLE	RHP	Masahide Kobayashi
CSX	LHP	Gio Gonzalez
KC	RHP	Luke Hochevar
MIN	RHP	Nick Blackburn
LAA	SS/3B	Brandon Wood
SEA	C	Jeff Clement
TEX	LHP	Luis Mendoza
OAK	1B	Daric Barton

Giants' Closer For This Year And Beyond?

Brian Wilson aims to pick up where he left off:

"Wilson, who turns 26 on March 16 and possesses the requisite assortment of hard stuff common to most closers, is viewed as a potential mainstay beyond this year."

If true, Wilson should be ticked upwards in keeper leagues.

Day 37 And Counting

I recently completed an NL-Only Mock Draft. Here are the results for the 1st two rounds.

Round	Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Team
R1	1	TradeJuanPierre	Hanley Ramirez	SS	FLA
R1	2	STARS	Jose Reyes	SS	NYM
R1	3	buzz Buzz	David Wright	3B	NYM
R1	4	It's Your Turn	Albert Pujols	1B	STL
R1	5	Salty F. Biscuits	Johan Santana	SP	NYM
R1	6	FireDustyBaker	Jimmy Rollins	SS	PHI
R1	7	Rajai Davis' Huskies	Matt Holliday	OF	COL
R1	8	The Natural Lights	Chase Utley	2B	PHI
R1	9	League Champs	Alfonso Soriano	OF	CHC
R1	10	sporks	Ryan Howard	1B	PHI
R1	11	yankeesuck	Brandon Phillips	2B	CIN
R1	12	Danny Bonaduce	Prince Fielder	1B	MIL
R2	13	Danny Bonaduce	Ryan Braun	3B	MIL
R2	14	yankeesuck	Carlos Lee	OF	HOU
R2	15	sporks	Carlos Beltran	OF	NYM
R2	16	League Champs	Jake Peavy	SP	SD
R2	17	The Natural Lights	Mark Teixeira	1B	ATL
R2	18	Rajai Davis' Huskies	Lance Berkman	1B	OF
R2	19	FireDustyBaker	Russell Martin	C	LA
R2	20	Salty F. Biscuits	Aramis Ramirez	3B	CHC
R2	21	It's Your Turn	Derrek Lee	1B	CHC
R2	22	buzz Buzz	Adam Dunn	OF	CIN
R2	23	STARS	Brandon Webb	SP	ARI
R2	24	TradeJuanPierre	Brian McCann	C	ATL

Day 38 And Counting

NL-Only SP Draft Values:

$30+	Johan Santana	Jake Peavy	Brandon Webb
$23-29	Dan Haren	John Smoltz	Carlos Zambrano	Aaron Harang
	Roy Oswalt
$15-22	Ian Snell	Brad Penny	Chris Young	Cole Hamels
	Ted Lilly	Rich Hill	John Maine	Oliver Perez
	Pedro Martinez	Brett Myers
$8-$14	Ben Sheets	Adam Wainwright	Jeff Francis	Matt Cain
	Tim Lincecum	Derek Lowe	Chad Billingsley	Tom Gorzelany
	Yovanni Gallardo	Tim Hudson	Tom Glavine	Randy Johnson
	Greg Maddux
$1-7	Shawn Hill	Scott Olsen	Wandy Rodriguez	Homer Bailey
	Sergio Mitre	Andrew Miller	Manny Parra	Bronson Arroyo
	Franklin Morales	Barry Zito	Kevin Correia	Micah Owings
	Jeff Suppan	Orlando Hernandez	Jamie Moyer	Kyle Kendrick

Five Things You Don't Know About Me

To continue the meme started by Brock for Broglio, here are five things you do not know about me.

1. I listen to hours of XM Radio everyday. My ten A presets are MLB Homeplate, XM Sports Nation, da Boneyard, Fox News, XM Comedy, The Rhyme, The 80s, Fox News Talk, Top 20 on 20 and ESPN Radio. The B and C presets are all the MLB Play-By-Play stations.

2. Of the three books I've read since X-mas, only Ken Follet's The Pillars of Earth is worth mentioning. I'm currently trying to read Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism but find it much deeper than I can get into with fantasy baseball upon us.

3. The four TV shows I watch each week are Lost, Celebrity Rehab, Brett Michael's Rock of Love II and Scot Baio is 46 - and Pregnant! When regular programing resumes, I'll add The Office and 30 Rock, likely on the internet, and HBO's Big Love. Watching sports doesn't count.

4. When I think of fantasy analysis, I recall the professor from my Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management class who said if Wall Street's model doesn't give the result it wants, Wall St. just change it until it does. Player projections are often like that.

5. UCONN basketball rules!

I tag Fantasy Baseball Mafia

Day 40 And Counting

AL-Only SP Draft Values:

$30+	Josh Beckett	Erik Bedard
$23-29	Roy Halladay	Scott Kazmir	Justin Verlander	CC Sabathia
	John Lackey	Daisuke Matzusaka	Felix Hernandez
$15-22	Chien-Ming Wang	Gil Meche	Francisco Liriano	AJ Burnett
	James Shields	Jeremy Bonderman	Fausto Carmona	Javier Vazquez
	Kelvim Escobar	Dontrell Willis
$8-$14	Jeremy Guthrie	Mark Beurhle	Joe Blanton	Andy Pettitte
	Zach Greinke	Phil Hughes	Dustin McGowan	Matt Garza
	Jon Garland	Joba Chamberlain	Clay Buchholz	Jon Lester
	Shaun Marcum	Jered Weaver
$1-7	Kevin Millwood	Daniel Cabrera	Scott Baker	Vincente Padilla
	Rich Hardin	Tim Wakefield	Troy Patton	Jake Westbrook
	Jose Contreras	Brian Bannister	Jarrod Washburn	Brandon McCarthy
	Chad Gaudin	Ian Kennedy	Lenny Di Nardo	Andy Sonnastine
	Kenny Rogers	Nate Robertson	Kevin Slowey	Boof Bonser
	Miguel Batista	Carlos Silva

Day 41 And Counting

NL-Only Back-Up Closer Draft values

$8-$14	Jon Rauch	Bobby Howry	Carlos Marmol	Jonathan Broxton
	Tony Pena
$1-7	Aaron Heilman	Tom Gordon	Pete Moylan	Matt Linstrom
	Derek Turnbow	Dave Riske	Dave Weathers	Russ Springer
	Oscar Villareal	Damaso Marte	Chad Qualls	Heath Bell
	Tyler Walker	Brad Hennessey	Brian Fuentes

Best Fantasy Baseball Team Names

Here are the finalists. Click over to Fake Teams to vote.

1. Itchy Buchholz
2. Ask the Court for Clemensy
3. Murderer's Roto
4. If I Olney Had A Brain
5. Always Wear Clean Hunter Pence

Day 42 And Counting

AL-Only Back-up Closers Draft values

$8-$14	Joba Chamberlain	BJ Ryan	Al Reyes	Rafael Betancourt
	Octavio Dotel	Pat Neshek	Scot Shields	Brandon Morrow
	Alan Embree
$1-7	Hideki Okajima	Manny Delcarmen	Kyle Farnsworth	Fernando Rodney
	Greg Aquino	Jamie Walker	Masahide Kobayashi	Yasuhiko Yabuto
	Matt Guerrier	Joaquin Benoit	Eddie Guardado

Day 43 And Counting

NL-Only Closer Draft Values:

$35+	None
$26-34	Takashi Saito	Jose Valverde	Jason Isringhausen	Francisco Cordero
	Billy Wagner	Trevor Hoffman
$18-25	Manny Corpas	Matt Capps	Kevin Gregg	Chad Cordero
	Brad Lidge	Rafael Soriano
$8-$17	Brian Wilson	Brandon Lyons	Kerry Wood	Eric Gagne

Day 44 And Counting

AL-Only Closer Draft Values:

$35+	Mariano Rivera	Jon Papelbon	Joe Nathan	Francisco Rodriguez
	JJ Putz
$26-34	Bobby Jenks	Huston Street
$18-25	Todd Jones	Joe Borowski	Joakim Soria
$8-$17	Jeremy Accardo	CJ Wilson	Troy Percival	George Sherrill

The Chicago Cubs Closer?

End game: Finding a closer :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Cubs: "''We'll have one guy,'' he said Wednesday. ''By the end of spring training, no question. Probably three-quarters of the way through spring training, we'll have one guy. We've got people here that are very capable of getting it done.''"

The candidates are Bobby Howry, Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood. My guess is in that order, but the Cubbies did sign Wood to a one-year deal with games finished clauses.

Day 45 And Counting

NL-Only OF Draft Values:

$30+	Carlos Beltran	Alphonso Soriano	Ryan Braun	Carlos Lee	Lance Berkman
	Matt Holliday
$23-29	Jeff Francouer	Corey Hart	Adam Dunn	Hunter Pence	Jason Bay
	Chris Young	Shane Victorino	Ryan Freel	Michael Bourn	Juan Pierre
	Andruw Jones	Matt Kemp	Eric Byrnes	Willy Tavares	Brad Hawpe
$15-22	Pat Burrell	Wily Mo Pena	Lastings Milledge	Austin Kearns	Josh Willingham
	Cameron Maybin	Jeremy Hermida	Kosuke Fukudome	Bill Hall	Mike Cameron
	Ken Griffey	Rick Ankiel	Colby Rasmus	Nate McLouth	Justin Upton
	Dave Roberts	Aaron Rowand	Randy Winn
$8-$14	Moises Alou	Ryan Church	Geoff Jenkins	Matt Diaz	Chris Duncan
	Matt Murton	Felix Pie	Xavier Nady	Jim Edmonds	Brian Giles
	Scott Hairston	Andre Ethier	Josh Anderson
$1-7	Andre Ethier	Delwyn Young	Fred Lewis	Rajai Davis	Elijah Dukes
	Jeff Salazar	Chris Burke	Nayjer Morgan	Steven Pearce	Alfredo Almazaga
	Jeff DaVanon	Ryan Ludwick	Brian Barton	Luis Gonzalez	Jayson Werth
	Ryan Spillborghs	Jeff Baker	Endy Chavez

Sleeper Back-Up Closer: Manny Delcarmen

Boston Red Sox - Twist regarding turn as Tavarez in Red Sox fifth starter mix - The Boston Globe: "Like last season, when the Sox tried to limit the wear and tear on Papelbon's shoulder, there will be days when the closer is off-duty. In 2007, most of those chances went to Hideki Okajima, but with the emergence of Manny Delcarmen toward the end of the season (2.05 ERA in 44 innings in 2007), the Sox are considering bumping up their reliance on him, especially in key roles."

Manny Delcarmen is on my list of sleeper back-up closers. Most fantasy players will focus on Hideki Okajima and his successful rookie season, but I have concern about the league catching-up to the old guy and see Delcarmen as next in line behind Papelbon.

Day 46 And Counting

AL-Only Draft Values:

$30+	Bobby Abreu	Alex Rios	Manny Ramirez	Carl Crawford	BJ Upton
	Curtis Granderson	Grady Sizemore	Vlad Guerrero	Ichiro Suzuki	Nick Markakis
$23-29	Torii Hunter	Johnny Damon	Hideki Matsui	Vernon Wells	Magglio Ordonez
	Jermaine Dye	Nick Swisher	Delmon Young	Josh Hamilton	Mike Cuddyer
	Raul Ibanez	Jose Guillen
$15-22	Jacoby Ellsbury	Adam Jones	Rocco Baldelli	Billy Butler	Carlos Gomez
	JD Drew	Gary Matthews	Jack Cust
$8-$14	Melky Cabrera	Carlos Gonzalez	Mark Teahen	Dave DeJesus	Jason Kubel
	Garrett Anderson	Wladimir Balentien	Milton Bradley	Marlon Byrd	Travis Buck
	Franklin Gutierrez	Ryan Sweeney	Coco Crisp	Carlos Quentin	Jerry Owens
	Jonny Gomes	Reggie Willits	Brad Wilkerson
$1-7	Reed Johnson	Emil Brown	Ben Francisco	Luke Scott	Jacques Jones
	Emil Brown	Frank Catalonotto	Chris Denofria	Marcus Thames	Dave Dellucci
	Nelson Cruz	Matt Stairs	Adam Lind

Day 47 And Counting

NL-only 3B Values:

$30+	David Wright	Ryan Braun
$23-29	Chipper Jones	Ryan Zimmerman	Aramis Ramirez	Garrett Atkins
$15-22	Pedro Feliz	Bill Hall	Edward Encarnacion	Troy Glaus
	Ty Wigginton	Kevin Kouzmanoff
$8-$14	Jose Bautista	Andy LaRoche	Chad Tracy	Mark Reynolds
$1-7	Jose Castillo	Dallas MacPherson	Alfredo Amazaga	Jeff Keppinger
	Mark Loretta	Nomar Garciaparra	Kevin Frandsen

Lastings Milledge or Takashi Saito?

USATODAY.com Chat Transcript:

"Port Chester, NY: Salaries things being equal, who would you rather have in an NL-only 4x4 league for the next two seasons, Lastings Milledge or Takashi Saito? For just 2008?

Steve Gardner: It's easy to overlook the fact that Saito turns 38 this week because he's only been in MLB for a couple seasons. I'd take my chances with Milledge over the next two seasons, but with the adjustment period he'll have in Washington (and the lack of a definite starting spot) I'd go with Saito for this season only. The Dodgers could be ready to turn the closer job over to Jonathan Broxton or Jonathan Meloan in 2009."

Day 48 And Counting

AL-only 3B Values:

$30+	Alex Rodriguez	Miguel Cabrera	Chone Figgins
$23-29	Mike Lowell	Adrian Beltre
$15-22	Scott Rolen	Evan Longoria	Josh Fields	Alex Gordon
	Hank Blalock
$8-$14	Akinori Iwamura	Melvin Mora	Casey Blake	Joe Crede
	Mike Lamb	Eric Chavez
$1-7	Andy Marte	Brandon Wood

The Texas Rangers Closer

Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News told Chuck Wilson on XM Radio's "Baseball Beat" that the Rangers really want lefty C.J Wilson to become the closer. When asked about Eddie Guardado, Grant replied the Rangers want him to mentor Wilson to make him a better closer but do not necessarily want Guardado to be that closer.

Day 49 And Counting

Do you want to be stuck choosing amongst the $1-7 tier for your starting SS?

AL SS Draft Values:

$30+	None
$23-29	Derek Jeter	Michael Young	Carlos Guillen
$15-22	Julio Lugo	Edgar Renteria	Jhonny Peralta	Orlando Cabrera
$8-$14	Jason Bartlett	Yusi Betancourt
$1-7	David Eckstein	Tony Pena	Adam Everett	Bobby Crosby
	Luis Hernandez	Erick Aybar	Macier Izturis

The New Baltimore Closer Is....

MacPhail's rebuilding blocks -- baltimoresun.com: "While Orioles manager Dave Trembley has already notified [George] Sherrill that he would like him to be the team's closer this year..."

From a draft after-thought LOOGY to a $20+ draftee. Only in America!

Day 50 And Counting

NL 2B Draft Prices:

$30+	Chase Utley	Brandon Phillips
$23-29	Dan Uggla	Richie Weeks
$15-22	Kelly Johnson	Mark DeRosa	Kaz Matsui	Orlando Hudson
$8-$14	Luis Castillo	Freddie Sanchez	Jeff Kent	Tadahito Iguchi
	Ray Durham
$1-7	Rafael Belliard	Adam Kennedy	Jayson Nix	Marcus Giles
	Jeff Baker	Ian Stewart

Best Fantasy Baseball Team Names Contest

At Fake Teams, there is a best fantasy baseball team names contest that just started. The tenative prizes for the best three are Baseball Prospectus' 2008 baseball guide.

Even if you do not enter, it is a great resource for finding clever names that may last longer than your 2008 fantasy baseball chances.

Day 51 And Counting

These are a lot better than the AL 1B. I believe the meme of the mighty AL are about to fall.

NL 1B Draft Prices:

$30+	Ryan Howard	Mark Teixeira	Prince Fielder	Lance Berkman
	Albert Pujols
$23-29	Derrek Lee	Adrian Gonzalez
$15-22	Carlos Delgado	Adam LaRoche	James Loney	Conor Jackson
	Todd Helton
$8-$14	Dmitri Young	Mike Jacobs	Dan Ortmeier
$1-7	Nick Johnson	Scott Hatteberg	Joey Votto	Rich Aurilia

NL-Only Mock Draft

For those interested, I have set up an NL-only mock draft. It is called Raygu's 2008 NL-Only Fantasy Baseball Draft . It will be held on Tuesday February 12th at 9:15PM EST.

You will need to set-up a free acount at Mock Draft Central if you have not already. Once that is done, you can enter with the password "faketeams".

FWIW, I have never particpated in an NL-only snake draft so I am interested to see how well I can adapt on the fly and to see what strategies I can learn with the benefits of hindsight.

Day 52 And Counting

AL 1B Draft Prices:

$30+	None
$23-29	Carlos Pena	Carlos Guillen	Paul Konerko	Justin Morneau
	Nick Swisher
$15-22	Kevin Youkilis	Lyle Overbay	Ryan Garko	Casey Kotchman
	Richie Sexson	Jarrod Saltalamacchia
$8-$14	Kevin Millar	Daric Barton
$1-7	Shelly Duncan	Jason Lane	Morgan Ensberg	Ben Broussard
	Ross Gload	Ryan Shealy	Dan Johnson

Free 2008 Fantasy Baseball Projections

Rotoauthority.com is giving away Free 2008 fantasy baseball projections designed for standard mixed-leagues (12-team, non-keeper, 5x5). Last season, I had them and was very impressed.

Click through to get it.

Day 53 And Counting

NL 1B Draft Prices:

$30+	Ryan Howard	Mark Teixeira	Prince Fielder	Lance Berkman
	Albert Pujols
$23-29	Derrek Lee	Adrian Gonzalez
$15-22	Carlos Delgado	Adam LaRoche	James Loney	Conor Jackson
	Todd Helton
$8-$14	Dmitri Young	Mike Jacobs	Dan Ortmeier
$1-7	Nick Johnson	Scott Hatteberg	Joey Votto	Rich Aurilia

Day 54 And Counting

AL Catcher Values:

$30+	None
$23-29	Victor Martinez
$15-22	Jorge Posada	Joe Mauer	Kenji Johjima
	Jerrod Saltalamacchia
$8-$14	Jason Varitek	Dioner Navarro	Ramon Hernandez	Gerald Laird
	AJ Peirzynski	Kurt Suzuki	Ivan Rodriguez
$1-7	Greg Zaun	Rod Barajas	Mark Redmond	Jeff Mathis
	Brandon Inge	Kelly Shoppach	Toby Hall	Miguel Olivo

Day 55 And Counting

Thus begins my expected draft day dollar values for NL-only 4x4 keeper leagues!

NL Catcher Values:

$30+	None
$23-29	Russ Martin	Brian McCann
$15-22	Benji Molina
$8-$14	Carlos Ruiz	Paul LoDuca	Geovany Soto	Dave Ross
	Ronny Paulino	Miguel Montero	Josh Bard
$1-7	Brian Schneider	Ramon Castro	Johnny Estrada	Jason Kendall
	Yadier Molina	JR Towles	Ryan Doumit	Chris Snyder
	Micheal Barrett	Chris Iannetta	Eliezer lfonzo

Day 56 And Counting

Expect fantasy baseball chatter to pick-up considerably over the next week or so leading into pitchers & catchers reporting on February 14th. Jeff Erickson' XM Radio show returns on Monday, and Nate Silver has just released his 2008 PECOTA projections.

These will now enter the realm of fact as we move towards Draft Day 2008. Here are a couple of interesting ones.

STL OF Rick Ankiel: 30 HR/101 RBI/.257 AVG
MIN OF Delmon Young: 17 HR/84 RBI/14 SB/.294 AVG

NYY P Joba Chamberlain: 3.39 ERA/ 1.24 WHIP/ 162 Ks in 145.7 IP
TB SP Scott Kazmir: 3.58 ERA/ 1.29 WHIP/ 194 Ks in 189.3 IP

Day 57 And Counting

Courtesy of Baseball America's Prospect Blog, here are a list of the left-handers in the 2008 Prospect Book with the highest measured speed. NOTE: "#" injured for 2007 or scheduled to miss 2008 due to injury.

PITCHER	TEAM	AGE	MPH	K/9	BB/9	IP	LEVEL
Aaron Poreda	CWS	20	100	9.3	1.9	46	R
Clayton Kershaw	LAD	19	99	12.0	4.9	122	LoA/AA
Franklin Morales	COL	21	98	7.4	4.6	113	AA/AAA
Jake McGee	TB	21	98	11.3	3.3	140	HiA/AA
Madison Bumgarner	SF	18	97	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Kasey Kiker	TEX	19	97	10.5	3.8	96	LoA
Gio Gonzalez	OAK	21	96	11.1	3.4	150	AA
Sean West#	FLA	21	96	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Scott Elbert#	LAD	22	96	15.4	6.4	14	AA
Ross Detwiler	WAS	21	96	7.6	3.2	33	R/HiA

Day 58 And Counting

On the same day Keith Law released his Top 100 prospects, Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein released his. The better news is BP and ESPN have made their Top 100's available to non-subscribers.

Here is are some notable prospects from BP's list that could have some 2008 value. The ones at the top get most of the attention, but, as you move further down the list, there are some big time sleepers.

1. Jay Bruce, of, Reds
2. Clay Buchholz, rhp, Red Sox
3. Evan Longoria, 3b, Rays
4. Joba Chamberlain, rhp, Yankees
5. Clayton Kershaw, lhp, Dodgers
8. Colby Rasmus, of, Cardinals
9. Homer Bailey, rhp, Reds
10. Cameron Maybin, of, Marlins
12. Matt Wieters, c, Orioles
13. Franklin Morales, lhp, Rockies
14. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Dodgers
15. Wade Davis, rhp, Rays
16. Jacoby Ellsbury, of, Red Sox
17. Jordan Schafer, of, Braves
21. Joey Votto, 1b, Reds
22. Daric Barton, 1b, Athletics
23. Chase Headley, 3b, Padres
24. Andrew McCutchen, of, Pirates
26. Carlos Gonzalez, of, Athletics
27. Nick Adenhart, rhp, Angels
32. Chin-Lung Hu, ss, Dodgers
33. Jeff Clement, c, Mariners
34. Ian Kennedy, rhp, Yankees
35. Ross Detwiler, rhp, Nationals
37. Geovany Soto, c, Cubs
38. Brandon Wood, 3b/ss, Angels
39. Matt Antonelli, 2b, Padres
42. Manny Parra, lhp, Brewers
43. Steven Pearce, 1b, Pirates
49. Eric Hurley, rhp, Rangers
52. Adam Miller, rhp, Indians
54. J.R. Towles, c, Astros
57. Jed Lowrie, ss, Red Sox
63. Brent Lillibridge, ss, Braves
65. Carlos Gomez, of, Twins
69. Chris Perez, rhp, Cardinals
70. Brandon Jones, of, Braves
72. Luke Hochevar, rhp, Royals
91. Casey Weathers, rhp, Rockies
93. Wladimir Balentien, of, Mariners
94. Neil Walker, 3b, Pirates