My Fantasy Baseball Expansion Team (1 Viewer)

[Bobcat10]

For the expansion draft and free agent draft, plus additional info, here is the other thread: http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index...howtopic=351901

Again, this league expanded from 10 to 12 teams and incorporated a rather stupid expansion process.

Yahoo H2H league, daily lineups, min IP = 30.

Roster Positions: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, Util, SP, SP, SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, RP, RP, P, P, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, DL, DL, DL

Stat Categories Hitters: R, HR, RBI, SB, K, AVG, OPS

Stat Categories Pitchers: W, L, SV, K, HLD, ERA, WHIP

I'll keep my active roster here in the first post, along with any transaction details.

My Current Record: 34-31-5, 6th place

My Current Roster:

C - Ryan Doumit (OF)

1B - James Loney, Joey Votto (OF)

2B - Kelly Johnson

SS - Yunel Escobar (2B/3B)

3B - Ryan Zimmerman, Edwin Encarnacion

OF - Nick Swisher (1B), Gary Matthews Jr, Matt Kemp, Billy Butler (1B), Andre Ethier, Alexi Ramirez

SP - Michah Owings, Cliff Lee, Manny Parra, Gavin Floyd, Scott Olsen, Carlos Silva, Nick Adenhart, Max Scherzer, Homer Bailey, Gio Gonzalez, Franklin Morales

RP - Jon Rauch, Aaron Heilman, Tyler Walker, Renyel Pinto, Louis Ayala

DL - Henry Owens, Jake Westbrook

Transactions:

2/18/08 - Traded draft pick 1.4 in offseason league draft for Billy Butler + 1.10.

2/26/08 - 1.10 Gio Gonzalez and 2.03 Edwin Encarnación

3/24/08 - Added - Cliff Lee / Dropped - Brandon Jones

3/24/08 - Added - Jake Westbrook / IR - Owens

4/04/08 - Added - Alexi Ramirez / Dropped - Josh Fields

4/10/08 - Added - Manny Acosta / Dropped - Daniel Cabrera

4/14/08 - Added - Andre Ethier / Dropped - Felix Pie

4/14/08 - Added - Gavin Floyd / Dropped - Ian Stewart

4/19/08 - Added - Scott Olsen / Dropped - Placido Polanco

4/22/08 - Added - Carlos Silva / IR - Westbrook

4/25/08 - Added - Ryan Doumit / Dropped - Jason Varitek

4/26/08 - Added - Renyel Pinto / Dropped - Bob Howry

5/02/08 - Added - Max Scherzer / Dropped Adam LaRoche

5/02/08 - Added - Luis Ayala / Dropped - Matt Lindstrom

5/05/08 - Added - Tyler Walker / Dropped - Manny DelCarmen

5/06/08 - Added - Nick Adenhart / Dropped - Manny Acosta

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[Bobcat10]

To make my 2nd round pick in this two round draft I'll have to drop somebody. That shouldn't be hard, but who are your top 5 or so expendable players from this roster the way it's built?

 

[Bobcat10]

Top 25 free agent pitchers based on Yahoo ranking:

Troy Percival (TB - RP)

Jeremy Guthrie (Bal - SP,RP)

Gil Meche (KC - SP)

Randy Johnson (Ari - SP)

Hiroki Kuroda (LAD - SP)

Tom Glavine (Atl - SP)

Greg Maddux (SD - SP)

Chuck James (Atl - SP)

Boof Bonser (Min - SP)

Dave Bush (Mil - SP)

Russ Springer (StL - RP)

Peter Moylan (Atl - RP)

Rafael Pérez (Cle - RP)

Josh Johnson (Fla - SP)

Matt Guerrier (Min - RP)

Anibal Sánchez (Fla - SP)

Lee Gardner (Fla - RP)

Juan Cruz (Ari - RP)

Dennys Reyes (Min - RP)

Justin Duchscherer (Oak - RP)

Ricky Nolasco (Fla - SP)

Jesse Crain (Min - RP)

Ramón Ramírez (Col - RP)

Ehren Wassermann (CWS - RP)

Anthony Lerew (Atl - SP) DL

Others of note:

Edison Vólquez (Cin - SP)

Jair Jurrjens (Atl - SP)

Philip Humber (Min - P)

Garrett Olson (Bal - SP)

Felipe Paulino (Hou - SP)

Gio Gonzalez (Oak - SP)

Carlos Villanueva (Mil - SP,RP)

Scott Linebrink (CWS - RP)

Mike Mussina (NYY - SP)

Carlos Silva (Sea - SP)

Miguel Batista (Sea - SP)

Jeremy Sowers (Cle - SP)

Cliff Lee (Cle - SP)

Adam Miller, Johnny Cueto, Eric Hurley, David Price, Clayton Kershaw, Nick Adenhart, Will Inman, Jacob McGee, Wade Davis - not in Yahoo yet, therefore not eligible.

 

[Bobcat10]

Top 50 hitters per Yahoo ranking:

Kosuke ####udome (ChC - OF)

Frank Thomas (Tor - Util)

Edwin Encarnación (Cin - 3B)

Ryan Garko (Cle - 1B)

Garret Anderson (LAA - OF)

Kazuo Matsui (Hou - 2B)

Jeff Kent (LAD - 2B)

Khalil Greene (SD - SS)

A.J. Pierzynski (CWS - C)

Felipe López

Mike Cameron (Mil - OF)

Rocco Baldelli (TB - OF) DL

Julio Lugo (Bos - SS)

Kevin Kouzmanoff (SD - 3B)

J.D. Drew (Bos - OF)

Jason Giambi (NYY - 1B)

Michael Bourn (Hou - OF)

Aaron Hill (Tor - 2B)

Ryan Theriot (ChC - 2B,SS)

Rick Ankiel (StL - OF)

Akinori Iwamura (TB - 3B)

Casey Kotchman (LAA - 1B)

Luis Castillo (NYM - 2B)

José Guillén (KC - OF)

Moisés Alou (NYM - OF)

Coco Crisp (Bos - OF)

Reggie Willits (LAA - OF)

Jason Bartlett (TB - SS)

Paul Lo Duca (Was - C)

Tadahito Iguchi (SD - 2B)

Mark Reynolds (Ari - 3B)

Aubrey Huff (Bal - 1B,3B)

David DeJesús (KC - OF)

Dmitri Young (Was - 1B)

Nate McLouth (Pit - OF)

Ronny Paulino (Pit - C)

Mark Ellis (Oak - 2B)

Mike Jacobs (Fla - 1B)

Lyle Overbay (Tor - 1B)

Joe Crede (CWS - 3B)

Yadier Molina (StL - C)

Andre Ethier (LAD - OF)

Yuniesky Betancourt (Sea - SS)

Xavier Nady (Pit - OF)

John Buck (KC - C)

Melvin Mora (Bal - 3B)

Ryan Freel (Cin - 3B,OF)

Wily Mo Peña (Was - OF)

Ryan Doumit (Pit - C,OF)

Travis Buck (Oak - OF)

Jason Kubel (Min - OF)

Others of note:

Kurt Suzuki (Oak - C)

Ryan Sweeney (Oak - OF)

Joe Koshansky (Col - 1B)

Shelley Duncan (NYY - OF)

Franklin Gutiérrez (Cle - OF)

Jerry Owens (CWS - OF)

Adam Lind (Tor - OF)

Carlos Quentin (CWS - OF)

Carlos Gomez (MIN - OF)

Andrew McCutchen, Jed Lowrie, Reid Brignac, Neil Walker, Matt LaPorta, Matt Wieters - not in Yahoo yet, therefore not eligible.

 

[Eephus]

There are some decent hitters left but the available pitchers look like ####

 

[Bobcat10]

To make my 2nd round pick in this two round draft I'll have to drop somebody. That shouldn't be hard, but who are your top 5 or so expendable players from this roster the way it's built?

No thoughts?Might as well post the two round draft here for information purposes:Round 1: 1 - Jay Bruce 2 - Geovany Soto 3 - Colby Rasmus 4 - Kosuke ####udome 5 - Troy Percival 6 - Hiroki Kuroda7 - Kevin Kouzmanoff 8 - Jose Guillen 9 - Carlos Gomez 10- my pick - Gio Gonzalez11 - Randy Johnson12 - Phil Humber Round 2: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - my pick5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10- 11 - 12 -

 

[Kevin Ashcraft]

I would say your top expendables are.

1. Brandon Jones/Pie - your choice...you have some OF depth.

2. D. Cabrera

3. Delcarmen - He may get a handful of saves to rest Papelbon but predicting those will be tough

4. Sonnanstine

You have a chance to really get some help in your rotation...that is what I would think you would look long and hard at some of those young kids you have and think about upgrading there.

 

[Bobcat10]

I would say your top expendables are.1. Brandon Jones/Pie - your choice...you have some OF depth.2. D. Cabrera3. Delcarmen - He may get a handful of saves to rest Papelbon but predicting those will be tough4. SonnanstineYou have a chance to really get some help in your rotation...that is what I would think you would look long and hard at some of those young kids you have and think about upgrading there.

I was thinking Brandon Jones and Sonnanstine too. I'll give Cabrera a chance early just to see what he's got this year, you never know. But the O's are gonna be bad.As for Delcarmen, I'm looking for him to get me holds and a few innings per week. I'm thinking I can compete in holds/era/whip/L as long as I'm hitting my 30 innings. I actually need one more reliever, I'll grab one when Owens goes to the DL.Are you saying you'd shop around Bailey and Morales for more established pitching? I don't really plan on competing this year, I'm not sure what that would do for me.Of the FA's out there, more hitters stick out than pitchers, and that's not what I need. I like Garko even though I have plenty of 1B. I might just have to grab two of Volquez/Humber/Jair/Gio and see what happens, just don't know which ones yet. I'm also going to have to watch the adds closely this year and use my waiver priorities (can't fall lower than 4th waiver all season).

 

[Eephus]

I don't think you can honestly say you plan to compete in WHIP and then go ahead and keep Daniel Cabrera. He probably will be better than last year and definitely won't lose 19 games again, but the Kool-Aid has worn off for me--Cabrera will always be a WHIP killer. I sure I'm not the only roto owner who's wondered why the O's don't try him as a closer if only to contain his WHIP damage.

Pitching is going to be a problem. You could try to LIMA it on the cheap but at some point you'll need some consistent SP. I don't project any of the four rookies you mentioned as an ace. I'm not a huge fan of any of the rookies you've mentioned. None project as #1 or #2 starters IMHO. If they develop and stay healthy, they might turn into Gil Meche in four years. Good for them and their families but not so much for fantasy owners. Volquez probably has the most upside of the four, although I don't know much about Gio Gonzalez.

The other option is to stick with value, stockpile bats and hope to flip them for arms later. Man, those pitchers suck.

 

[Sammy3469]

I don't think you can honestly say you plan to compete in WHIP and then go ahead and keep Daniel Cabrera. He probably will be better than last year and definitely won't lose 19 games again, but the Kool-Aid has worn off for me--Cabrera will always be a WHIP killer. I sure I'm not the only roto owner who's wondered why the O's don't try him as a closer if only to contain his WHIP damage.

Pitching is going to be a problem. You could try to LIMA it on the cheap but at some point you'll need some consistent SP. I don't project any of the four rookies you mentioned as an ace. I'm not a huge fan of any of the rookies you've mentioned. None project as #1 or #2 starters IMHO. If they develop and stay healthy, they might turn into Gil Meche in four years. Good for them and their families but not so much for fantasy owners. Volquez probably has the most upside of the four, although I don't know much about Gio Gonzalez.

The other option is to stick with value, stockpile bats and hope to flip them for arms later. Man, those pitchers suck.

Gio has a tad more upside since he's not as wild.I know you don't need a 3B, but any of Encarnacion, Reynolds, or Kouzmanoff are probably the 3 BPA after Gio. I'm also decently high on Travis Buck.

 

[Bobcat10]

1st page bump.

Round 1 complete.

Trying to trade Polanco to two teams that are weak at 2B (one doesn't even have a 2B rostered).

Thinking Garko, EE or Greene with this pick.

 

[Bobcat10]

What order would you put the youngsters that are not in Yahoo yet? Cueto, Adenhart and A. Ramirez...anyone else? I like Adenhart...but don't know much about Ramirez.

I have #4 waiver, but I can not fall below #4 waiver all this year. So anytime I use it, whether I'm 1-4, I never fall lower than 4.

I will be tageting all these guys and dropping some of the dead weight from the roster in the OP.

Whatcha got......

 

[Eephus]

Adenhart was a more highly regarded prospect until last year but it appears that Cueto has passed him. Cueto had great minor league peripherals, much better than Adenhart who put up a 1.46 WHIP in AA. At this point, Adenhart looks he'll be a MLB inning-eater, which is more valuable in real life than in rotisserie.

Ramirez is a mystery without any US minor league numbers to project. He's an intriguing bundle of skills though. Your league doesn't have a MI slot, which diminishes his value a bit.

 

[Bobcat10]

Record after week 1: 4-8-2

Missed out on Cueto as the #1 waiver team used it on him obviously. My waiver position is now #3 and I have good reason to believe the current #1 is waiting for Kershaw. Looks like David Price is my top target after Kershaw, not sure after that.

I did manage to get Alexi Ramirez off waivers (since I was sitting at #4 and I cannot fall below #4 all year, I used that advantage to snag him). I was hoping one of the top 3 would bite, but they did not. I dropped Fields (I regret this already, although Crede is playing huge) and he was immediately picked up after he cleared waivers.

I've also decided to cut bait with Daniel Cabrera. I should be able to make the inning limit with what I've picked up (Westbrook and Lee). If not, who cares at this point.

Not many good (young) FA's out there. Has Edwin Jackson turned the corner? Dana Eveland is there.

Any thoughts? Let 'em rip.

 

[Bobcat10]

16-21-5, 8th place, 3 games out of 6th.

Competing, but my record is helped by the pounding I just gave the other expansion team (9-3-2).

Took fliers on Floyd and Olsen. We'll see how they progress.

 

[Bobcat10]

34-31-5, good for 6th place....3 games ahead of 7th place and 4 games behind 2nd place.

Scherzer and Adenhart added to the core group of young pitchers.

Even with all my minor leaguers and youngsters, I've still managed to be in 6th place at this point. Owings and Lee have been huge along with some timely hitting. Not sure how long that can last, but it's been fun following this team.

 

[Bobcat10]

11th place finish in the standings, 9th place finish overall based on playoffs.

In the consolation bracket, I beat the 10th seed, lost to the 7th seed, then beat the 9th seed....non of which were the other expansion team.

Looks like I made some strides on my roster. Bolded players were not on opening day roster, lots of turnover here. The only guy I regret dropping was Ian Stewart.

Opening Day Roster:

C - Jason Varitek

1B - James Loney, Adam LaRoche, Joey Votto (OF)

2B - Kelly Johnson, Placido Polanco

SS - Yunel Escobar (2B/3B)

3B - Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Stewart, Josh Fields (OF), Edwin Encarnación

OF - Nick Swisher (1B), Gary Matthews Jr, Matt Kemp, Brandon Jones, Felix Pie

SP - Homer Bailey, Michah Owings, Daniel Cabrera, Franklin Morales, Manny Parra, Andy Sonnanstine, Gio González

RP - Jon Rauch, Bob Howry, Matt Lindstrom, Manny Delcarmen, Aaron Heilman, Henry Owens (DL)

Closing Day Roster:

C - Ryan Doumit (OF), Kelly Shoppach

1B - James Loney

2B - Kelly Johnson, Alexi Ramirez (OF/SS)

SS - Yunel Escobar (2B/3B)

3B - Ryan Zimmerman, Edwin Encarnación, Mat Gamel

OF - Matt Kemp, Shin-Soo Choo, Andre Ethier, Billy Butler (1B), Joey Votto (1B)

SP - Max Scherzer (RP), David Price, Manny Parra (RP), Kevin Slowey, Gavin Floyd (RP), Jesse Litsch, Gio González, Andrew Miller (RP), Ian Snell, Nick Adenhart

RP - Chris Pérez, Matt Thornton, Brandon Morrow (SP), Jensen Lewis

DL - Jake Westbrook, John Smoltz