Spring Training Notes
Catcher
Victor Martinez (S) CLE
Russell Martin (R) LAD
Jorge Posada (S) NYY
Brian McCann (L) ATL
Joe Mauer (L) MIN
Kenji Johjima (R) SEA
Bengie Molina (R) SF
Paul LoDuca (R) WAS
Jason Veritek (S) BOS
A.J. Pierzynski (L) CWS
Carlso Ruiz PHI
Ronnie Paulino (R) PIT
Josh Bard (S) SD
Ivan Rodriguez (R) DET
Fantasy Sports Handicapping will be providing notes throughout spring training on the fantasy players who will be most active in daily draft fantasy contests once the season starts. We will also throw in some notes on sleepers for you guys in traditional season long leagues. Our spring training notes are aimed at getting daily contest players familiar with the pool of players most used in daily cash games.
I have talked with some of the major sites about the stats they will use this year, but not every site has decided on their exact setups yet. The most common hitting statistics are RBIs, Singles, Doubles, Triples, Home Runs, Runs Scored, Stolen Bases, Walks and Strikeouts. Each site has different point allocations for each category. We will fine tune how we rank players as the season approaches.
I have talked with some of the major sites about the stats they will use this year, but not every site has decided on their exact setups yet. The most common hitting statistics are RBIs, Singles, Doubles, Triples, Home Runs, Runs Scored, Stolen Bases, Walks and Strikeouts. Each site has different point allocations for each category. We will fine tune how we rank players as the season approaches.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (S) TEX
Geovany Soto (R) CHC
Martinez should end up at the top of the daily draft fantasy board on most days and will be the most expensive catcher on the board. He is a switch hitter so you can play him just about everyday and he gets 550 ab's. He has good OBP and SLG numbers and should put up his 20HR/100RBI. Martinez is 29 years old.
Martin played in 151 games last year getting 540 ab's. He should get 140 games this year. He is a right handed batter and got 20 stolen bases in 07. He is only 24 years old, so he has some upside potential. Martin will likely get the top spot on the draft board over Martinez on days when he plays lefties, as he just kills left handed pitchers.
McCann had such a great debut in 06 that is was just hard to top those numbers and 07 seemed like a bit of a disappointment. But McCann is still just 24 years old and still improving. He and Mauer are the top rated lefties on the draft board. McCann should get his 500 ab's this year and put up 20HR/90RBI. Haven't seen a Braves lineup yet, so I'm not sure where he is going to bat. McCann is good against lefties and righties, so he is an option any day he is playing.
I'm not crazy about Posada this year, as he is getting up there in age at 36 years old. He was a top 3 daily fantasy catcher last season, but he had some really misleading stats and some great luck. His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was 63 points higher than his career average, which makes last year's .338 average very suspect. His walks and OBP are always good. I think he is going to be overpriced in daily draft games to start 08.
He says he feels better than he has in 2 years. Mauer missed more than 50 games last year with leg injuries and a hernia injury. Only 3 HR after the all star break. He is still only 24 years old and like McCann has a ton of upside. He is a lefty, but hits everyone well as evidenced by his past AL batting title so he will be playable almost any day he is on the field. Minnesota will probably try to keep him fresh, so he might be a difficult player to handicap with regard to his off days.
Pure contact hitter as he only walked 18 times and struck out 43 in 485 ab's. He doesn't excel in any category, but is solid in all. That consistency will make him a nice middle priced option on most days. Johjima is not one of the top 5 elite catchers but he is probably the #1 choice of the remaining middle of the pack.
After the top 6 catchers, you can just about flip a coin and take your pick. Daily Batter/Pitcher matchups will control the rest of the catcher daily draft board.
Molina had a decent year last year but at 33 years old, no Barry Bonds and a lingering quad injury, he might not be that great of a bet this year and he will definitely be overpriced in daily draft games to begin the season.
He is 36 years old coming off of left knee surgery in a terrible hitters park. Let someone else gamble on him.
Another 36 year old and his stats are deteriorating. Not sure how much more he has in the tank.
Got a new 2 year contract but might lose some LH ab's to Toby Hall
A 30 year old switch hitter who just kills left handed pitchers, but that can make him a good low priced option on some days.
36 years old, but like Pudge, probably has another serviceable year left.
Ruiz is the alter ego of Bard. He is a right handed hitter who can't hit lefthanded pitching. Go figure. He hit only .189 v. lefthanders but hit .282 v righthanders for an overall .259 average
Hit .218 in 349 ab v. right handed pitchers. He does kill lefties though hitting .407 in 108 at bats. He can make a good low priced option on days when he gets the right matchup.
The only thing I know for certain about Salty is that he is going to screw up my draft board margins every damn day. We got to do something with that name. Doesn't hit lefties very well and don't be surprised if he turns out to be one of a long line of overhyped Atlanta Brave rejects. The Atlanta hype machine is brilliant at creating an image and then trading it off for something of real value.
A lot of hype being placed on a kid with 54 at bats to his name. Let's see what develops in spring training.
Ramon Hernandez (R) BAL
John Buck (R) KC
Gregg Zaun (L) TOR
Dioner Navarro (S) TB
Kurt Suzuki (R) OAK
Chris Snyder (R) ARZ
J.R. Towles (R) HOU
David Ross (R) CIN
Jason Kendall (R) MIL
Yadier Molina (R) STL
Brian Schneider (L) NYM