4-37 = Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas Rangers
You’re
not going to get any homers, but he’s the safest source of steals the shortstop
position has to offer.
4-38 = Zach Greinke, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
Advanced
metrics indicate that Greinke is a fantastic buy-low candidate (if a pick
within the fourth or fifth rounds can be considered “buy-low”). Redraft league
participants should consider the merits of taking Greinke as your staff ace two
rounds later than you would have to take Felix Hernandez.
4-39 = Brett Lawrie, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
Lawrie
has all the raw tools to succeed, it’s just a matter of if he can live up to
the hype or not. In a redraft league, he’s probably not worth the risk of using
such a high pick on him.
4-40 = Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs
Castro
is a hitting machine, and an up tick in the stolen base department could make
him a second round pick at this time next year.
4-41 = Stephen Strasburg, SP, Washington Nationals
The
only thing that will keep Strasburg from finishing the season as a top-5
fantasy pitcher will be the Nationals limiting his innings.
4-42 = Dan Haren, SP, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Haren
is a notorious fast starter/poor finisher (that’s what she said), but the
addition of Mr. Pujols should generate an extra win or two or three.
4-43 = Matt Holiday, LF, St. Louis Cardinals
Those
of you worried about Holiday’s ability to anchor the Cardinals lineup should
remember that he was the best hitter on a Rockies team that went to the World
Series in 2007.
4-44 = Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Washington Nationals
I’ve
owned Zimmerman twice, and I think he spent a combined 753 games on the DL.
He’s a nice player when he’s healthy, but for the life of me I can’t figure out
why Washington would pay him $100 million.
4-45 = Carlos Santana, C-1B, Cleveland Indians
Displaying
arguably the most advanced plate approach of any young player in the game last
season, Santana is due for a fairly substantial increase from his 2011 batting
average, which also has the potential to translate into 30 dingers.
4-46 = Ryan Braun, LF, Milwaukee Brewers
Keep
in mind that at the time I made these picks, Braun was facing a 50 game
suspension, and I still had him at 46. It’s a little concerning losing Prince
Fielder’s bat behind him, but Braun is too talented to slip out of the top-10.
I would take him with the third pick if I had the chance in a redraft league
today.
4-47 = David Price, SP, Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
If
you’re into nerd stats, Price’s 12-13 2011 season was actually better than his
19-6 campaign in 2010. Even in the AL East, Price has the talent to deliver
top-5 stats.
4-48 = Alex Rodriguez, 3B, New York Yankees
I’m
not touching A-Rod with a ten-foot pole unless my draft is in the sixth round
and I’m still in need of a third baseman, but some idiot is going to draft him
earlier than that.
5-49 = Matt Cain, SP, San Francisco Giants
Boring?
Yes. Effective? Yes again. Thank the post-steroids era for making this guy a
fifth round pick.
5-50 = Ben Zobrist, 2B-RF, Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
Fantasy
baseball’s version of a Swiss army knife, Zobrist does a little bit of
everything. A great pick at this point in the draft to anchor your middle
infield.
5-51 = Paul Konerko, 1B, Chicago White Sox
One
of the few non-steroids aided first basemen to remain effective in his mid-30s,
Konerko is the man to target if you miss out on the big time first basemen in
the first two rounds.
5-52 = Jon Lester, SP, Boston Red Sox
I’ll
let the “experts” at ESPN fill this space. Here is what they have to say about
Lester saying he wants to right the wrongs of 2011 and have a great 2012.
Lester was the first involved party to come clean about
the aforementioned fried chicken and beer controversy and was very contrite,
and implied he would make good in 2012. Normally, this can be brushed off as
player-speak, but when the player is a cancer survivor, the words have more
credibility.
Uh, okay.
5-53 = Michael Young, 1B-2B-3B, Texas Rangers
One of baseball’s most underrated hitters, Young’s position flexibility makes him a valuable asset for any fantasy team.
5-54 = Yovani Gallardo, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
The
second Brewers pitcher taken in our mock that nerd stats indicate is a breakout
candidate. Gallardo’s price tag is even cheaper than Greinke’s, which makes him
a potential championship-swinging player in redraft leagues. At 26, Gallardo is
poised to have a Cy Young caliber season.
5-55 = Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies
Age
is catching up to him, but his place in the middle of the Phillies lineup still
makes him one of the best options at second base.
5-56 = Mike Napoli, C-1B, Texas Rangers
Don’t
bank on Napoli batting over .300 again (his .344 BABIP in 2011 is completely
unsustainable), but even if he drops to .250 his increased at-bats could lead
to 35+ dingers. It’s hard to argue with anyone who would make him the first
catcher off the board.
5-57 = Dan Uggla, 2B, Atlanta Braves
The
batting average can be scary, and he’s prone to prolonged slumps, but there
isn’t a better source of home runs from a second baseman not named Robinson
Cano in baseball.
5-58 = Brandon Phillips, 2B, Cincinnati Reds
Brandon
Phillips is like the Matt Cain of second baseman. He’s not sexy, but he gets
the job done.
5-59 = Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals
The
day that Eric Hosmer improves his fly ball rate will be the day that Eric
Hosmer rules the universe. Like Brett Lawrie, Hosmer’s a risky proposition in
redraft leagues with this high of a pick.
5-60 = James Shields, SP, Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays
Shields was No Credentials favorite pitcher who most
likely went after round 20 in fantasy drafts in 2011. He was on both of my
fantasy teams last season, and delivered a pretty good Roy Halladay impression.
Many skeptics believe that 2011 was a fluke, but nerd stats back up the case
that Shields is capable of having another solid campaign in 2012. He’s going as
late as the eighth round in some leagues, which is absolutely absurd. Go move
Shields up your draft cheat sheet as soon as you close this browser.
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