It's Fantasy Time!

Only 36 days until opening day!

With spring training games just around the corner the familiar giddiness of the anticipated season ahead is starting to kick in. After spending the last two seasons taking in the games from Southern California it will be interesting to observe things from the East Coast this year.

Last year was my first foray into fantasy baseball. It's a great way to follow individual performances of players from all 30 teams and I learned a lot. Now with all my rookie-drafting mistakes behind me I've decided to manage three teams this season and try out three different variations on the fantasy rules and presentation.

Well, the draft for my public, head-to-head league at MLB.com has come and gone. And I've got Ryan Howard at first! The 2006 NL MVP and 2005 Rookie of the Year was my #2 most sought player and it seemed unlikely that I could land him with only the seventh pick overall. My other "super star" player would have to be Carl Crawford. Well, he would be a super star if he played in a larger market (or for a better team).

Here's the team: OrixBlueWave

Catcher: Brian McCann (ATL) bench - Ronny Paulino (PIT)
First Base: Ryan Howard (PHI)
Second Base: Luis Castillo (MIN) bench - Aaron Hill (TOR)
Third Base: Adrian Beltre (SEA) bench - Mark Teahen (KC)
Shortstop: Carlos Guillen (DET) bench - Aaron Hill (TOR)
Outfield: Carl Crawford (TB) bench - Chris Duffy (PIT)
Outfield: Micheal Cuddyer (MIN) bench - Nick Markakis (BAL)
Outfield: Juan Pierre (LAD)

Pitching: Philadelphia Phillies bench - Toronto Blue Jays

MLB fantasy leagues do an interesting thing with pitching where you have to select an entire team's pitching staff as opposed to drafting individuals. As a pitching obsessed fan I was skeptical about this aspect. But it might work out for head-to-head competition where a team's overall win/loss record (and team ERA, WHIP, etc.) becomes a factor. It makes sense to pick a team one expects to win their division to maximize their pitching stats and I think this is going to be the Phillies' year. I'm thrilled to have Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Freddie Garcia, Tom Gordon and the rest pitching for my fantasy world. In the first week I'll be matching up against the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff. That could be interesting.

I expect to do extremely well with stolen bases - Pierre, Castillo and Duffy are big base stealers. Duffy's 26 stolen bases against only 1 caught stealing in just 84 games last year makes him an interesting prospect - though I'd like to see that hitting average climb a bit before making him a regular starter. The risk here is that these guys don't put up big power numbers or knock in many RBIs.

If there's an anticipated weakness it will be power at the plate as I'm relying heavily on Howard and Crawford to hit the long balls. Several players have the potential to have a big year: Guillen, Beltre, Markakis, Teahen, etc. But they are all a gamble on my part and I'm running shallow at 2nd and 3rd if these guys falter. Let's go BlueWave!