2013 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Rounds 6-7

6-51 = Brett Lawrie, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays
ESPN Projections = .280, 17 HRs, 65 RBIs, 86 Rs, 19 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 8^th Rounds
          Lawrie looked significantly more impressive during his brief call-up in 2011 than he did during his first full season in the bigs. He’ll need to improve upon his 51% groundball rate to deliver a 20-20 season.
                       
6-52 = Allen Craig, 1B-OF, St. Louis Cardinals
ESPN Projections = .296, 25 HRs, 103 RBIs, 87 Rs, 4 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 6^th Rounds
            If Craig could somehow stay healthy, he’d be a lock for top-15 fantasy production. Unfortunately, he’s missed roughly a quarter of his games due to injury during his pro career.
                      
6-53 = Jason Kipnis, 2B, Cleveland Indians
ESPN Projections = .257, 15 HRs, 70 RBIs, 90 Rs, 25 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 6^th Round
            He’ll never steal 30+ bases again, but you won’t complain if Kipnis raises his home run total to 20.
                       
6-54 = Roy Halladay, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
ESPN Projections = 15 Ws, 3.25 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 176 Ks
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 7^th Rounds
            One down year has not destroyed No Credentials faith in Halladay.
                     
6-55 = Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas Rangers
ESPN Projections = .274, 3 HRs, 57 RBIs, 90 Rs, 32 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 6^th through 7^th Rounds
            With the loss of Josh Hamilton, I fully expect Texas to give Andrus the green light on the base paths much more this season. If he stays out of the tattoo parlor, he could crack 40 for the first time.
                       
6-56 = Adam Wainwright, SP, St. Louis Cardinals
ESPN Projections = 16 Ws, 3.32 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 197 Ks
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 7^th Rounds
            I’m not sure if Wainwright will ever be as effective as he was before Tommy John surgery, but this is the appropriate point in the draft to find out.
                       
6-57 = Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Chicago Cubs
ESPN Projections = .268, 27 HRs, 95 RBIs, 85 Rs, 6 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 8^th Rounds
            Another guy that you shouldn’t get to excited about on draft day (don’t call his name in the third round, or bid too much in an auction), Rizzo is a prime example of why you could skip out on the top few first basemen in the first round.
                       
6-58 = Mat Latos, SP, Cincinnati Reds
ESPN Projections = 15 Ws, 3.32 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 197 Ks
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 7^th Rounds
            No Credentials fully expects Latos to make the leap to “ace” status during his second season in Cincinnati. This is a guy I want on as many fantasy teams as possible.
                       
6-59 = B.J. Upton, OF, Atlanta Braves
ESPN Projections = .245, 23 HRs, 77 RBIs, 84 Rs, 31 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 8^th Rounds
            I’m not a fan of guys that routinely hit below .250, but there aren’t many power-speed combo players like Upton.
           
6-60 = Gio Gonzalez, SP, Washington Nationals
ESPN Projections = 19 Ws, 3.09 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 208 Ks
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 4^th through 6^th Rounds
            Gonzalez hasn’t been suspended yet for his connection to the steroids ring in Florida, but that hasn’t stopped me from scooting him down my draft board a bit. He’ll need to deliver a “I don’t give a shit” season like Ryan Braun did last year for me to trust his ability to deal with steroid allegations.
           
7-61 = Carlos Santana, C-1B, Cleveland Indians
ESPN Projections = .257, 26 HRs, 87 RBIs, 81 Rs, 5 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 6^th through 7^th Rounds
            Santana’s disciplined plate approach will eventually lead to a top-ranked fantasy season at catcher for him, but I’m not sure if we can sign off on it happening this year.
                       
7-62 = Ben Zobrist, 2B-SS-OF, Tampa Bay Rays
ESPN Projections = .269, 19 HRs, 82 RBIs, 91 Rs, 17 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 6^th through 8^th Rounds
            One of the few players whose value goes beyond the stats he can post. Zobrist’s ability to cover both middle infield spots is worth an extra round or two.
                      
7-63 = Desmond Jennings, OF, Tampa Bay Rays
ESPN Projections = .252, 15 HRs, 54 RBIs, 98 Rs, 36 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 7^th through 9^th Rounds
            Jennings tanked in the first half of last season, but a strong second half gives me reason to believe that he will be a catalyst at the top of the Rays’ lineup this season. If he could drag his average up to .270, we could be talking about a 50 steal season.
                       
7-64 = Johnny Cueto, SP, Cincinnati Reds
ESPN Projections = 18 Ws, 3.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 169 Ks
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 7^th Rounds
            Of all the “ace” caliber pitchers that didn’t deliver close to a strikeout per inning last season, Cueto is the least likely to regress.
           
7-65 = Brandon Phillips, 2B, Cincinnati Reds
ESPN Projections = .285, 18 HRs, 76 RBIs, 93 Rs, 15 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 6^th through 7^th Rounds
            Phillips isn’t exciting to own, but reliability at second base doesn’t grow on trees.
                      
7-66 = Chris Sale, SP, Chicago White Sox
ESPN Projections = 15 Ws, 3.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 203 Ks
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 8^th Rounds
            For me, he’s the shakiest starting pitcher we’ve picked so far, as his 1.33 WHIP in the second half of last season could be a better indication of the pitcher he actually is.

 



 
7-67 = Pablo Sandoval, 3B, San Francisco Giants
ESPN Projections = .309, 23 HRs, 90 RBIs, 80 Rs, 3 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 6^th through 8^th Rounds
            Don’t let his Ruth-esque October last year fool you. Sandoval is a player prone to injuries, and is completely dependant on his BABIP due to the fact that he barely walks. You could argue that he could end up with anywhere from 10 to 35 home runs this season.
                       
7-68 = R.A. Dickey, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
ESPN Projections = 17 Ws, 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 176 Ks
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 8^th Rounds
            We have no data on what happens when a knuckleballer wins the Cy Young and then changes leagues the following year, so I’m going conservative with Dickey this season and letting someone else draft him.
                       
7-69 = Michael Bourn, OF, Cleveland Indians
ESPN Projections = .268, 5 HRs, 49 RBIs, 89 Rs, 43 SBs
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 6^th through 8^th Rounds
            One of the elite base stealers in the game, Bourn could take his running to new heights as a member of the Indians. Remember, they gave Jason Kipnis (a moderately fast white guy) the green light to steal 31 bases in 2012.
           
7-70 = C.C. Sabathia, SP, New York Yankees
ESPN Projections = 17 Ws, 3.39 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 213 Ks
No Credentials Appropriate Range of Taking Him = 5^th through 7^th Rounds
            There’s a zero percent chance Sabathia falls to pick 70 in your fantasy draft. More than likely, he’ll go somewhere in the late fifth to early sixth. However, there are too many red flags for Sabathia this year to warrant making him the ace of my fantasy staff. For one, theirs a decent chance that the Yankees will stink, driving down Sabathia’s win totals (wins are a fluky stat, but Sabathia has been the most reliable producer of them over the past four years). He hit the DL last August because of an elbow problem, which is scary when you consider that he’s thrown more innings than any other MLB pitcher on Earth over the past five years. Throw in his body type (big guys rarely age well unless steroids are involved), and we are looking at a cliff at some point down the road for Sabathia’s career. I’m not guaranteeing it will happen this year, but I don’t want him stuck on my roster when it does.

 

Click here if you missed Rounds 4-5

Click here if you missed  Rounds 2-3
Click here if you missed Round 1

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (12/16-12/18)

PROGRAMMING NOTE: I participated in a 30 round fantasy basketball draft last night (in other words, a draft that was 10 or 15 rounds too long), so we’re keeping the analysis of each subject to a sentence or two (unless I decide to write longer about something, which I can do because it’s my blog, but you know that already). As always, there will be a link posted so you can read up on each headline if you missed it over the weekend.

10. Phillies Sign Jimmy Rollins For 3 Years, $33 Million

            The performance of Derek Jeter last season proves that when you have the chance to lock up an aging shortstop that’s in decline, you do it. Oh wait…

9. Routine Physical Potentially Saves Jeff Green’s Life

            This space hasn’t had a story that puts sports in perspective for a while.

8. Lions Mount Huge Comeback, Steal $35 From No Credentials Sportsbook Account

            As someone who may or may not have wagered on the Raiders money-line Sunday, I wish Suh’s suspension were three games instead of two.

7. Reds Acquire Mat Latos From San Diego

            “Experts” seem to believe San Diego won this trade (they did pick up two potential mainstays of their lineup for years to come, a future closer candidate, and a starter who is just three years removed from an All-Star Game appearance), but I love this move for both sides. The NL Central is very winnable in 2012, so kudos to the Reds for having the stones to go out and get an ace.

6. Drew Brees Goes Bonkers

            Brees’ fantasy owners must’ve felt like doing a rendition of the final stage of the Tour de France after his monster day.

5. Giants Choke at Home Against Redskins

            Combined with Tony Romo leading the Cowboys to victory Saturday night, this was a rare weekend in December for a Dallas fan to be excited.

4. Colts Win a Game For Some Reason

            Here are the updated “Suck for Luck” standings after Indianapolis inexplicably decided to win against Tennessee.

1.      Colts

            2.      Rams
            3.      Vikings

3. Chiefs End Packers Run at Perfection

            Somewhere out there, Don Shula and the rest of the surviving members of the 1972 Dolphins are very happy after Kansas City improbably knocked off Green Bay. The Packers could be in a world of trouble if Greg Jennings isn’t back for the divisional round of the playoffs.
       
2. New England Patriots Defy God, His QB, Broncos
            Don’t be surprised if Brady and/or Belichick are hit by lightning tomorrow as punishment for pounding Tim Tebow and the Broncos into oblivion.
         
1. My Son Gets His First Haircut
            Considering how he freaks out every time we try to brush his teeth, this was a huge win for the Muir household. My son’s hair looked like a cross between Gene Wilder and a used cue tip before we finally broke down and got it trimmed.