Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Rounds 14-15

14-157 = Gio Gonzalez, SP, Athletics – Gonzalez is only 25, and if he lowers his walk rate, has a chance to crack 200 strikeouts.

14-158 = Vernon Wells, CF, Angles – Wells came to Anaheim from Toronto in what was viewed as the worst move of the off-season. Anywhere from pick 110 on isn’t a bad spot to bet on a guy who hopefully wants to provide his new employer with some vindication.

14-159 = John Axford, RP, Brewers – Axford racked up 76 strikeouts in 58 innings, and should find himself in more save situations thanks to the new additions to the Milwaukee pitching staff. I’d much rather draft Axford in the 13^th or 14^th round as opposed to Marmol or Rivera in the 6^th.

14-160 = Ryan Dempster, SP, Cubs – Even when the Cubs are in total disarray, Dempster always seems to finish with a sub-4.00 ERA and close to 200 strikeouts.

14-161 = John Danks, SP, White Sox – Danks is a volume pitcher. He doesn’t post a bunch of strikeouts per start, but he’s a great bet to finish the season with 210 innings.

14-162 = Craig Kimbrel, RP, Braves – Kimbrel isn’t guaranteed the closers gig in Atlanta, but thanks to his ridiculous strikeout rate (recorded over 14 strikeouts per nine innings in the minors, struck out 40 in 20.2 innings during his call-up at the end of 2010) he’s the favorite to earn the role. It’s a bit of a gamble to draft him this high as he isn’t assured of the closer’s role, but if he succeeds you’re getting a guy with a skill set that could place him in the top-5 of all closers in baseball. 

14-163 = Vladimir Guerrero, RF, Orioles – He’ll be a full-time DH for Baltimore (his performance in the field for Texas in the World Series was the end of his fielding career), which should go a long way in keeping him healthy. He’s a solid late round bargain for 25+ home runs and a solid batting average.

14-164 = Brian Matusz, SP, Orioles – One can point to Matusz’s second half numbers as reason for optimism going into 2011 (2.18 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 52 Ks in 62 innings). He has the talent to survive in the AL East.

14-165 = Mike Napoli, C-1B, Rangers – It’s unclear at this point how Napoli will get his at-bats, but I’m willing to bet he’ll finish with at least 400 by seasons end. That should be enough to give you 20 home runs.

14-166 = Ryan Franklin, RP, Cardinals – Not the sexiest guy to draft on your team, but he’ll get you close to 30 saves.

14-167 = Carlos Lee, 1B-LF, Astros – Lee had his worst season in the Majors last year. While there is the possibility of a bounce-back, Lee is best suited to be picked as one of your bench players that can fill in at first base and the outfield.

14-168 = Drew Storen, RP, Nationals – Similar to Kimbrel in the sense that he is not guaranteed the closer role at this point, but he has the best stuff of anyone in the Nationals’ bullpen. 

15-169 = Aaron Hill, 2B, Blue Jays – Hill was plagued all season by a .196 BABIP, which was 30 points lower than any other player in the majors. If that normalizes (league average is around .300), it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could post numbers close to what he put up in 2009.

15-170 = Brett Myers, SP, Astros – Myers thrived during his first year in Houston. It may be unrealistic to think he’ll throw 223 innings again, but he’s a solid pitcher to anchor the middle of your rotation.

15-171 = Jesus Montero, C, Yankees – Montero is our first player that isn’t guaranteed a spot on a major league roster to come off the board. Montero is ready to hit in the major leagues, but New York wants to develop his defense and his ability to manage a pitching staff. I’m willing to bet that Montero will be in the big leagues by June, whether he’s playing for the Yankees or not. If you miss out on one of the top catchers, take Montero and stash him on your roster until he’s called up.

15-172 = Javier Vazquez, SP-RP, Marlins – All numbers indicate that Vazquez is in severe decline (his average fastball velocity dropped 2 mph last season), but this is a good spot to see if getting out of Yankee Stadium will be all Vazquez needs to rediscover his mojo.

15-173 = David Aardsma, RP, Mariners – This pick was logged before I discovered Aardsma will be out until mid-April (aaaarrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhh!!! Get it, Aardsma, AAArgh, nevermind…). There’s no guaruantee he’ll return to the closer role when he returns, but we’re getting to the point where saves are hard to find. 

15-174 = C.J. Wilson, SP, Rangers – Wilson performed as well as could’ve been expected in his switch from the bullpen to a starting role in 2010. The only concern I have going forward with him is how his arm holds up after the heavy workload he carried during the season and the Rangers playoff run.

15-175 = Jordan Zimmerman, SP, Nationals – Zimmerman has bounced back nicely from Tommy John surgery in August of 2009. He has potential to deliver over a strike out per inning. Expect 160 solid innings out of him.

15-176 = Leo Nunez, RP, Marlins – Nunez record the second highest total of blown saves last season, but thanks to a lack of quality arms in the Florida bullpen, is still slated to pitch the ninth inning for the Marlins. If he were to lose his closing gig, he would lose all fantasy value.

15-177 = Edinson Volquez, SP, Reds – A great roll of the dice pick at this point in the draft, Volquez is capable of delivering over 200 strikeouts. He will also have plenty of opportunities for wins picking a for a solid Reds team. There are health concerns, but at this point in the draft there are no sure things.

15-178 = Ian Kennedy, SP, Diamondbacks – Kennedy delivered a 3.80 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in his first full season in the desert. He’s only 26, so he does have potential to improve on those stats.

15-179 = Madison Bumgarner, SP, Giants – Bumgarner’s performance in the playoffs (2.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP) will not be duplicated during a full season, but his exceptional control should keep his ERA under 4.

15-180 = Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B-SS, Twins – I wouldn’t know who this guy is if he walked into my living room right now with a t-shirt that said, “Hi, my name is Tsuyoshi Nishioka.” What I do know is he’s going to start the year batting 2^nd for one of the best offenses in the American League. Even if he only hits .275 he’ll have a chance to score 100 runs. (EDITORS NOTE: Nishioka is eligible at shortstop in Yahoo leagues, but not ESPN fantasy leagues)

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (1/22-1/24)

10. NASCAR Adopts New Points System

            Because America was demanding it. Surely a new points system will save NASCAR’s sagging attendance and television ratings. I don’t know about you, but when I’ve been watching a NASCAR race over the last 20 years, I’ve said aloud countless times, “Boy, wouldn’t NASCAR be great if they changed the way they awarded driver points? That would be swell!”

            NASCAR just can’t get out of its own way anymore. Ever since the 2004 season (the first year of their playoff system, and the height of the sports popularity), it’s been a steady downhill fall ever since. The collapse of the economy was a major factor, as NASCAR is the most corporate driven sports league in America. It’s hard to find a business willing to pony up six figures to plaster their corporate logo all over the side of a racecar. The other lesser-known part of this is that corporations were responsible for the bulk of ticket purchases. I used to go to the Cup races at Loudon every year because my Dad used to get free tickets from an auto parts company. Couple that with the flying brick they call a racecar and bland personalities (there’s a reason Nike had zero interest in signing Jimmie Johnson to an endorsement deal. And he’s won the last five championships), and you have a sport that is at a serious crossroads.  

(READER ALERT: I cracked a joke in my fake e-mail response column about how I wouldn’t post a NASCAR preview, but I think I have to do it. I grew up with NASCAR (my Dad used to work on a race team in the Northeast back in the late 70s/early 80s), so I think I’m pot committed to do it. I don’t care if no one reads it. As a matter of fact, I should probably encourage you not to read it.)

9. Bar in St. Paul Roasts a 180-Pound Bear During NFC Championship Game

            Next year when the Cowboys play Philadelphia, I would like to capture an eagle and cook it in a crock-pot all day after reading this story. You know, if eagles weren’t endangered species or anything.

8. Evgeni Nabokov Refuses to Report to New York Islanders

            I’ll agree with Nabokov on the point that it’s pretty weird that the team with the worst record in the NHL would attempt to add a 35-year old goalie with only 3 months left in the season. At this point, they should just try to bottom out and go for the 1^st overall pick. We’ll see if Nabokov ends up in Detroit (the team that originally signed him) after all, or some other contender (Colorado should take a look. Their goaltending has been awful this year).

7. Kobe Bryant Calls Denver Nuggets’ Fans “Idiots”

            Aggressive move by a guy who still hears about his rape trial eight years ago every time he plays at Denver. Even Lebron James has to respect how brazen Kobe’s defense of Carmelo Anthony was.  

6. Texas Ends Kansas’ 69-Game Home Winning Streak

            The inclusion of this event at #6 is a very weak attempt on my part to show that I’ve followed college basketball so my March Madness columns in a month and half sound sort of credible. Or as credible as a column can be on a blog called “No Credentials At All.” I think I’ve watched 15 minutes of college basketball all year, but then again, isn’t that true for 75% of people who end up filling out brackets? I couldn’t tell you a damn thing about San Diego State other than they are undefeated and ranked in the top 10. I can’t wait until March when everyone pretends they are college basketball experts.

5. Keith Olbermann Quits

            I wish he could bring every other left/right wing television host along with him, and then go back to hosting “Sportscenter”. Because that’s what he was best at.

4. Toronto Blue Jays Trade Vernon Wells to Angels

            Congratulations to the Angels for knocking the Washington Nationals off of the

top spot for most ridiculous move of the off-season. They weren’t willing to pony up an extra $3 million to match Boston’s offer to Carl Crawford, but they’ll trade a couple of guys to acquire an outfielder who is three years older, not as productive, and makes more money than they would’ve had to pay Crawford? Huh?

3. Tampa Bay Rays Sign Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon

            I’ve heard rumors that they plan on also signing Kevin Millar and Mark Bellhorn. If they can also bring Trot Nixon into the fold, watch out.

2. Green Bay Packers Survive Chicago Rally, Win NFC Championship

            What a sloppy game. Watching Caleb Hanie kind of felt like I was watching myself play basketball. There were a whole lot of “what the hell” plays he made (the interception he through to Green Bay’s B.J. Raji, who weighs 335 pounds. How do you not see a guy that big?), and an equal number of “how the hell did he” throws (the ones to Johnny Knox to set up the first Bears touchdown, and his TD pass to Earl Bennett). That’s probably why he’s a 3^rd string quarterback.

            Speaking of my basketball game (because I know tons of you care about it), last Monday was my most up and down performance yet. On two successive plays, I ran into my own teammates while they were driving to the basket (one of them I decided to cut to the basket right when he started driving, the other I was trying to set a pick right as my teammate started dribbling right at me. That’s what you get for trying to help out). Shortly after, I hit a Rondo-esque runner in the lane (I’m not sure how I even penetrated into the lane, I’m pretty sure it was an accident) and then a 25-footer. My game is more up and down than Mark Sanchez’s ability to throw the ball to an open receiver.

1. Steelers Go Up 24-0, Hang On Against Jets

            You could say that the Jets lost by the length of their baby toe. You could also say that they had to put their foot in their own mouth after the game was over. You could also say that nothing cures athlete’s foot like tough actin’ Tinactin, but that wouldn’t be very relevant.

            I was pretty surprised how easily Pittsburgh ran the ball on the Jets. If Pittsburgh can have similar success against Green Bay, I like them to win their 7^th Super Bowl.