First Base
Spring Training Notes
Albert Pujols (R) STL
Ryan Howard PHI (L)
Prince Fielder (L) MIL
Mark Teixeira (S) ATL
Lance Berkman (S) HOU
Derrick Lee (R) CHC
Justin Morneau (L) MIN
Adrian Gonzalez (L) SDP
Carlos Pena (L) TB
Paul Konerko (R) CWS
David Ortiz (L) BOS
Todd Helton (L) COL
Travis Hafner (L) CLE
Casey Kotchman LAA
Adam LaRoche (L) PIT
Carlos Delgado (L) NYM
Carlos Guillen (S) CWS
Kevin Youkilis (R) BOS
Richie Sexson (R) SEA
Conor Jackson ARZ
Lyle Overbay TOR
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.
James Loney (L) LAD
Alex Gordon (L) KC
Ryan Garko CLE
Mike Jacobs FLA
He is still at the top of the fantasy daily draft board, but others are gaining on him. Raise your hand if you knew Pujols and Ryan Howard were both 28 years old. He is in his prime and can still improve his game, especially in the power department. St Louis had a terrible lineup around Pujols last year and he was constantly being pitched around collecting 99 walks. He has had a few health issues also, especially an elbow problem that you should keep an eye on this spring. He will be very expensive in daily draft contests. His slugging percentage dipped to .568 last year, but he still managed a .429 OBP. He also hits .300+ v. righthanders and lefthanders, so he will be a good option just about every day.
After a terrible April, he really figured it out. He has good support around him and plays in a good ballpark. Slugging average should hover right around .600, which is awesome in a daily draft league. His OBP should stay around .400. Howard won't be a daily option when facing lefthanded pitchers though, as he hit only .225 against them last year. Howard is also one of those guys you will have to pay attention to what site you are playing him on. If your favorite site subtracts points for strikeouts, you might be better off with other options.
32 years old. Most game sites are probably going to play Ortiz as a first baseman. For you guys in traditional leagues, he's just a DH. He had some knee problems, so keep an eye on that through spring training. Power was down a little but his slugging percentage was still .621 last year and his OBP was an incredible .445. Ortiz also hits .300+ v. RHP and LHP.
Fielder is another player you might have to bench on days when he is facing a tough LHP although he doesn't have as much trouble against them as Howard. He developed some great plate discipline last year as he went 49K/49BB in the second half. Unlike Howard, you don't have to worry as much about the K's from Fielder. 50 home runs from a 23 year old is amazing, but can he keep it going? I think he can and he should be a great daily option.
Contract year for Teixeira. He is 27 and in his prime and will be surrounded by a pretty good order in Atlanta. Teixeira missed nearly a month of the season last year and also had to deal with changing teams and leagues, so his stats don't quite compare to the other top first basemen. This may, however, be a blessing as you can probably get him a little cheaper than he should otherwise be, especially if other owners don't realize the reason for his lower overall stats.
32 years old. Berkman is dealing with a strained oblique right now and might be a little behind if he doesn't heal up quickly. It is a tough injury for a slugger to deal with. Berkman carries a good OBP and his slugging should stay somewhere around .550. He has some troubles against LHP and not much power at all against them, so he may not be an option on those matchup days.
32 years old. Lee may be moving to the cleanup spot in Chicago. He has a .300+ average against LHP and RHP. Lee doesn't steal many bases anymore, but he should score 100 and drive in 100+ while getting hits every day. His slugging percentage isn't as good as the guys above him on the board. 30 Home Runs is probably his ceiling.
26 years old. Morneau isn't going to be playable in a daily draft game on days when he faces LHP, as he hit .228 against them last year. He is playable otherwise though and looks to be moving to the cleanup spot in Minnesota. Hopefully, he can get some support so he doesn't get pitched around. His slugging and OBP are low though.
29 years old. 46 home runs in only 490 ab's. Slugging percentage of .627 with an OBP of .411 last year. Those are elite status numbers, but the odds of him repeating those is slim. He hits LHP and RHP about the same. He will pile up the strikeouts so keep that in mind depending on what site you are playing at. His average is going to come down also. He is just too much of a free swinger to repeat a .282 average. He will probably end up being one of those classic .260 power hitters with a lot of K's. Not Rob Deer bad, but still painful.
Konerko will probably have to sit most days against RHP, but he tears up LHP. Konerko is one of those guys who has never really gotten the respect he deserves. 30HR/100RBI every year with a .365 OBP and a .525 slugging percentage. And he is usaully available 6-7 rounds into a draft.
25 years old. Plays in a pitchers park but still put up 30HR/100RBI. Only 65 walks. Struck out 140 times, third behind Carlos Pena(142) and Ryan Howard (199) for 1st basemen. He is swinging the bat when he gets to the plate. His OBP is only around .350 and his slugging is .500.
34 years old. Helton is a sneaky daily draft player. He doesn't hit for power, but he can score points if you add up his runs scored, total bases, walks and rbi. He hits for average v. LHP and RHP. He will likely be batting 3rd in front of Matt Holliday, which is a pretty sweet spot to be in.
23 years old. Loney will hit for average and doesn't strike out that often. Dodger Stadium isn't a great place to hit for power, but Loney should end up with somewhere around 25 home runs. He closed out the year on fire, but let's see him do it for awhile this year before moving him up the draft board. He seems to hit LHP and RHP well. His real problem though is Joe Torre. Torre doesn't have much patience and he has Nomar Garciaparra sitting on the bench. If Loney doesn't come out hot, Torre may have a quick hook.
32 years old. He is dependable for power and the move to first base will definitely help his knees. He qualifies at shortstop for all you guys in traditional leagues. Guillen should be good for 20HR/90RBI in a good lineup. Should maintain a .360 OBP and a .500 SLG.
28 years old. LaRoche isn't as bad as he looked last year. He had an awful start that lasted a couple of months and hit .239 in the first half, but he had a great second half hitting .312. He should be good for 20HR/80RBI, which will be a steal for as low as he will go in most drafts.
35 years old. Maybe he has one more decent year left in him, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. His stats are on a steep slide. He is probably a guy that won't be played in a daily draft league until he shows that he still has something left.
Hey, a walk counts just as much as a single in daily draft fantasy baseball. Not much power for Youkilis, but he could scratch out 20 HR. He does hit for average and he keeps his OBP near .400. Slugging is a problem though as he has one of the lower percentages for a first baseman at .450.
33 years old. Much like Delgado, his numbers took a dive last year. His slugging hovered right around .400, which is just unacceptable for a first baseman. He also strikes out about 130 times a year. Sexson may have a bounce back year, but I wouldn't bet on it.
30 years old. Another DH only guy who will probably be classified at first base by the game sites. He didn't have a great year last year, but he has the ability to hit 25-30 home runs and drive in 100. Has good players around him.
24 years old. If you are in a traditional keeper league, you can draft Gordon, but if you are playing daily draft baseball, Gordon probably isn't going to be on any of your rosters until the second half of the year. He is still developing and may struggle, especially if pitchers find any holes in his swing.
Probably not going to be daily draft material except under ideal conditions: