Target and Avoid Philadelphia Phillies

Target Domonic Brown

The once highly touted prospect is back on my radar this spring. The Phils signed Delmon Young this winter as a corner outfielder but Young’s micro fracture surgery could take much longer to heal than first reported. Due to this Brown will get a long look in spring training and should be the opening day LF.

Fix My Team

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Target & Avoid New York Mets

 

Target Matt Harvey

Not sure why people are not on The Harvey train. Looking at both his Minor League and MLB numbers this guy has every indicator of being a top tier SP in the near future. In 10 starts last year he put up 10.6 K/9 and a 2.73 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP. His career Minor League numbers are as spectacular.

I Love Flexibility...You Should Too

If you have been reading my site over the last couple of years you know my love of players with multi-position eligibility. They provide great flexibility to your roster. Whether you're making trades, working the waiver wire or playing the matchups in leagues that allow daily moves, having roster flexibility can go a long way in helping you maximize your team's production. You shouldn't reach for players based on their ability to play multiple positions, as talent and opportunity should ultimately win out, but it's something to be mindful of when planning and executing your draft-day strategy. With leagues ranging anywhere from 5-20 games played to be eligible at a position I went with 10 on this list.

CATCHERS

Ryan Doumit C (59), OF (22)

Joe Mauer C (74), 1B (30)

Mike Napoli C (72), 1B (28)

Buster Posey C (114), 1B (29)

Carlos Santana C (100), 1B (21)

1ST BASEMEN

Matt Carpenter 1B (44), 3B (33), OF (21)

Allen Craig 1B (91), OF (30)

Matt Downs 1B (25), 3B (18), OF (13)

Adrian Gonzalez 1B (115), OF (18)

Taylor Green 1B (18), 3B (13)

Corey Hart 1B (103), OF (53)

Eric Hinske 1B (15), OF (10)

Garrett Jones 1B (72), OF (66)

Casey McGehee 1B (85), 3B (21)

Brandon Moss 1B (55), OF (23)

Chris Parmelee 1B (38), OF (19)

Mark Reynolds 1B (108), 3B (15)

Juan Rivera 1B (54), OF (46)

Brandon Snyder 1B (11), OF (10)

Ty Wigginton 1B (71), 3B (22)

Michael Young 1B (41), 3B (25), 2B (16)

2ND BASEMEN

Dustin Ackley 2B (142), 1B (11)

Alexi Amarista 2B (52), OF (34), SS (12)

Robert Andino 2B (108), 3B (15)

Jamey Carroll 2B (66), 3B (44), SS (37)

Ronny Cedeno 2B (28), SS (27)

Daniel Descalso 2B (96), SS (26), 3B (22)

Danny Espinosa 2B (126), SS (36)

Ryan Flaherty 2B (28), OF (24), 3B (17)

Tyler Greene 2B (59), SS (43)

Josh Harrison 2B (28), SS (25), 3B (14), OF (13),

Orlando Hudson 2B (44), 3B (29)

Steve Lombardozzi 2B (51), OF (41), 3B (13)

Michael Martinez 2B (16), 3B (10)

Daniel Murphy 2B (138), 1B (12)

Omar Quintanilla 2B (34), SS (30)

Adam Rosales 2B (21), SS (11)

Ramon Santiago 2B (71), SS (20)

Skip Schumaker 2B (61), OF (24)

Marco Scutaro 2B (118), SS (27), 3B (15)

Justin Turner 2B (14), 1B (11), 3B (11), SS (10)

SHORTSTOPS

Willie Bloomquist SS (64), 3B (11)

Jonathan Herrera SS (42), 2B (19), 3B (13)

Elliot Johnson SS (100), 2B (13)

Andy Parrino SS (26), 2B (15)

Cliff Pennington SS (93), 2B (32)

Cody Ransom SS (48), 3B (35)

Eric Sogard SS (15), 3B (14)

Wilson Valdez SS (33), 2B (22), 3B (14)

3RD BASEMEN

Wilson Betemit 3B (75), 1B (15)

Eric Chavez 3B (64), 1B (10)

Pedro Ciriaco 3B (35), 2B (16), SS (12)

Luis Cruz 3B (54), SS (24)

Jason Donald 3B (12), SS (10)

Eduardo Escobar 3B (25), 2B (14), SS (10)

Todd Frazier 3B (73), 1B (39)

Jerry Hairston Jr. 3B (32), 2B (30), OF (18)

Maicer Izturis 3B (30), 2B (29), SS (26)

Adam Kennedy 3B (39), 2B (16)

Jeff Keppinger 3B (50), 1B (27), 2B (27)

Jose Lopez 3B (50), 1B (14)

Donnie Murphy 3B (22), 2B (13)

Chris Nelson 3B (92), 2B (21)

Jayson Nix 3B (29), 2B (13), OF (11)

Jordan Pacheco 3B (82), 1B (43)

Trevor Plouffe 3B (95), OF (17)

Nick Punto 3B (26), 2B (15)

Hanley Ramirez 3B (98), SS (57)

Ryan Roberts 3B (78), 2B (54)

Sean Rodriguez 3B (49), SS (47), 2B (37)

Kyle Seager 3B (138), 2B (18)

Kevin Youkilis 3B (111), 1B (26)

OUTFIELDERS

Jeff Baker OF (31), 1B (20)

Emilio Bonifacio OF (51), 2B (15)

Mike Carp OF (24), 1B (23)

Tyler Colvin OF (94), 1B (31)

Michael Cuddyer OF (74), 1B (26)

Chris Davis OF (41), 1B (38)

Greg Dobbs OF (37), 3B (36), 1B (18)

Mark DeRosa OF (16), 3B (11)

Chone Figgins OF (47), 3B (10)

Jesus Guzman OF (58), 1B (19)

Brent Lillibridge OF (35), 1B (23), SS (21), 3B (18)

Joe Mather OF (56), 3B (18)

John Mayberry OF (128), 1B (27)

Logan Morrison OF (59), 1B (21)

Laynce Nix OF (29), 1B (10)

Steve Pearce OF (36), 1B (19)

Martin Prado OF (119), 3B (25), SS (13), 2B (10)

Ryan Raburn OF (51), 2B (32)

Nick Swisher OF (109), 1B (41)

Mark Trumbo OF (97), 1B (21)

Ben Zobrist OF (71), 2B (58), SS (47)

Target & Avoid Houston Astros

Target Jose Veras

The Astros could go down as one of the worst teams of all time. I would put the over/under on wins at 52 this year. But with 52 wins someone needs to Save 20 of those and that brings in Jose Veras. With nearly 15 other RP being picked before him who will not get more than 5 Saves, Veras is the last Closer off the board and the 45^th RP being drafted.

Target & Avoid Seattle Mariners

Target Kendrys Morales

After missing the entire 2011 season, Morales returned for 134 games in 2012 and hit .273 with 22HR and 73 RBI for the Halos. We all remember his 2009 season in which he hit .306 with 34 HR and 108 RBI while going virtually undrafted that year. I feel this year will be a happy medium between those two seasons.

Target & Avoid Texas Rangers

 

Target Lance Berkman

Originally I wanted Nelson Cruz here but with the pending PED investigation I had to look elsewhere. And looking over the Rangers lineup there is no real value to current ADP. So the best value with the most upside is Lance Berkman.

Target & Avoid Los Angeles Angels

 

 

Target Peter Bourjos

With such a potent lineup the Angels have, the forgotten man is the speedy Peter Bourjos.  Bourjos was the hyped rookie before most had heard of Mike Trout. He is just 2 years removed from a 12HR 22SB season and now that he is 26 he is a little more mature and does not have to worry about playing time.

Target & Avoid Oakland A’s

Target Jarrod Parker

The young 24 year old had a stellar rookie campaign last year going 13-8 with a tremendous 3.47 ERA. His peripherals with a 7.5 K/9 is above average but he does tend to walk a few. So why did I select Parker as a target?

Top Outfielders for 13'

While there are a ton of quality OF's this year you always want balance from them. Speed/Power/Production.  You want at least 1 top 10 OF, especially in 5 OF formats.  When it’s time to start collecting OFs take the best available on the board. Do not try and get specific categories from your OF. Take quality and overall production every time. When drafting if you can pick up an OF in the top 10, then top 20, then top 30 ect you will dominate. Come trade deadline time you can move them for specific pieces you need. The projections after the break.

3B Rankings for 13'

 

Outside of Beltre and Ramirez, who are over 30, 3B can state it has some of the best young players at any position in baseball. 3B is good position to build your Dynasty League around.  Of course Miggy is in a class by himself and will outshine any other third baseman again this year and should be a top 3 overall pick. Picks 2, 3 and 4 I feel can be interchangeable. The rankings and explanations after the break.

SS Rankings for 13'

More than any other position, SS has the biggest injury concerns. Four out of the top five have had seasons over the last 3 where they missed considerable time. Tulo 115 games missed, Hanley 70, Reyes 126 and Rollins 74. Those types of losses can kill a season. Yet year after year they are projected as elites at their position. The reason being…they produce well beyond their competition when healthy.  Though none are worth over a $30 bid in auctions this year they will still not go cheap, and in snake drafts the elite should all go in rounds 2 & 3. Here are my projections.

2B Rankings for 13'

2B this year is relatively consistent, except for the elite Cano, followed by a trio of similar players who can produce 20/20 seasons. The rest have a real 3 category only appeal.  The only real strategy with 2B this is to get Cano in Rd 1 or Kinsler, Pedroia, or Zobrist by Rd3.

Top Ranked 1B 13'

1B this year is definitely the deepest position in Fantasy Baseball. It was last year that a dozen different 1B hit over 25 HR in addition to 7 having over a 100 RBI season. This year I am putting 17 players with 1B eligibility (that’s 20 games in my projections) to have over 25 or more HR with only 4 going over the century mark in RBI. This is a transition position where we see old vets declining like Howard, Konerko, and Morneau and then the 2^nd and 3^rd year players like Rizzo, Davis, Freeman and Trumbo with different counting stat concerns. This is also a year where some managers might try and put one of the C/1B types in their 1B or CI slot. Though I do not recommend it. Overall your strategy should be get one of the top 4 1B on draft day.

Corey's Take: Stros, Royals & Halos

By Corey R. Cunningham

Houston Astros

The newest team to the American League, the Astros, has a lot to do in order to even be close to finishing .500 rather than being competitive. Bo Porter will have his work cut out for him as the new manager of the team will need to place the best players on the field. There is no positive outlook here to the team, as the best player might be starting pitcher Bud Norris. There is a lot of disappointing prospects on this team from Brett Wallace to Fernando Martinez. The positive side to the defense is perhaps up the middle of the diamond, having Jed Lowrie and Jose Altuve. Altuve had a career year last year, and Lowrie had some ups and downs. Look for Altuve to be a round 12-15 player this year in deep leagues, as he does add some value for speed, runs and batting average. Altuve may not see any improvement in his numbers from the 2012 season, as they move to which I think is a tougher division than the NL Central. I can see Altuve producing 75 R, 20 SB, and a .285 batting average. The Astros will have the worst record in the league this year, being new to the American League and having to play against the Rangers, and the Angels, which I consider two of the top 5 most powerful offensive teams in the MLB. No one on this roster stands out to me more than SP Bud Norris, who might go 10-16 with a 3.44 ERA. Norris could go in round 7-10 pending on the league you play in.

 

Kansas City Royals

The Royals are a team I cannot figure out completely. The farm system they have or should I say had, was top notch, with a bright future ahead of them. This off season they made a trade which brought mixed reviews, when they traded for SP James Shields of the Rays, and traded away top minor league prospect Wil Meyers, who was said to be the ‘real deal’. It is hard to say what the mentality is of the Royals, and by the looks of that trade, I would read it as a win now mode type deal, however, I think they needed Meyers and Odorizzi to ‘win now’. The Royals can be an above .500 team, and they do have all the pieces if they can click together. 1B Eric Hosmer hit his sophomore slump in 2012, and looks to rebound in 2013. Hosmer could go in rounds 6-10, look for a .285 BA, 25 HR, 85 RBI type season, and I look the same for 3B Mike Moustakas. The weakest link in my opinion on this team is the starting rotation. James Shields is fine, but a No 1 SP, I am not sure about, and then to follow him you have Ervin Santana and Jeremy Guthrie who are No 5 starters at best in this league now. These guys will give you 10 W max, and that’s not good for your 2 and 3 starters. I look for the Royals to finish .500 this year, and wash out with the trade, and see Wil Meyers and Jake Odorizzi become superstars for the Rays, with the Royals kicking themselves. Meyers will be drafted this year in deep fantasy leagues, as I can see a September call up perhaps, if not then in 2014 he will see major league action. If you are in first year dynasty league, grab this guy up ASAP, as when it comes to your team, it is never too early to draft a player.

 

Los Angeles Angels

This team should and will be a World Series favorite in 2013. The big signings of the 2011 off season, on top of the big signing of OF Josh Hamilton of 2012 off season makes this team on paper a 100 plus win team. Look for the Angels to have the most players off the draft boards in the early rounds with Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Jered Weaver, and Josh Hamilton going in the first two rounds of a 10 team league. Trout should be hit .300 with 20 HR, 75 RBI, 90 R, and 35 SB. Puljos should reach another year of .300 BA, 30 HR, and 100 RBI with Josh Hamilton matching his numbers. I see Jered Weaver being this years AL CY Young winner, as he was my favorite last year. Weaver could have the chance to become a 25 game winner in the league, especially with the Astros joining the AL west this year. No new faces on the roster for the Angels, yet three new pitchers, Jason Vargas, Joe Blanton and Tommy Hanson will fill out the 3-5 holes. All these pitchers can each win 12 plus games with no issue with this high powered offensive lineup.

Top 20 Catchers 13'

I'm going to list this years rankings with projections and an Auction value for mixed Leagues.

These rankings are not intended to give value to either 1 or 2 catchers formats and if you draft a catcher before the draft hits pick 100 in single catcher formats you are a fool. Catchers can be had (with value) with your last pick. Personally I have filled my entire bench before drafting a catcher in 1 C formats. Just remember catchers selected early end up in the bottom 20 at year’s end (McCann and Montero) then those not drafted or near bottom end up top 5 (Pierzynski and Rosario) So be warned, do not take all Catcher ranking as crucial as other positions. You can definitely win your league with a poor performing Catcher.

Target & Avoid: Detroit Tigers

 

Target Victor Martinez

Martinez might be the forgotten Catcher come draft day. After missing the entire 12’ season with a micro-fracture knee injury he will return to hit 5^th in the Tiger’s line-up playing mostly as their primary DH.