We had a thread like this last year. lets see some bold predictions in here.

I think Michael Bourn of the astros is going to shoot up peoples draft boards in the OF next year. Should be a great source of sbs and if he gets playing time runs as well. The OF is a little crowded but if he gets consistent lead off time he will produce.

What's that old saying oh yeah, you can't steal first base.

Whomper will finish 16th in HOTD again.

Chris Duncan will be in the top-5 in HRs this season. And he'll top 100 RBI.

maine will win 18 games for mets

Josh Hamilton of rangers will hit 25 homreuns and drive in over 80 runs and hit over .285

Pedro feliz of phillies will hit 30 hr

edwin encarnacion of reds will hit 30 hr & drive in 90 + runs

I agree. I had him real high on my pre-draft projections this year.

Come on, go on limb won't ya.

Hamilton hit 19 dongers and .292 last year
Maine won 15 last year


Feliz has hit around 20 the last 3 years , probably not going much higher unless he juices but I'll accept this as a nice pick if he goes over 30.

Encarnasion I'll also give ya if he does hit 30 bombs.

I don't have any. I'm not up on the youngsters.

Mark Teahen of the Royals will be a sleeper this year. Will play outfield and first base this year. Projection is .300, 25 homers, and 85 rbi.

There is a real good chance he gets a lot of time at 1B. Especially if Gathright keeps playing well into the season. Teahen at first, Billy Butler at DH, and Gathright in left.

Good young bunch wrong sleeper. Gathright steals 35+ bases this year, if he gats the playing time.

But his BA and OPS will limit his attractiveness in fantasy.

He's almost always on and off the waiver wire in larger leagues due to the fact you can mark him down for 20/80 every season.

Exactly - he is marginal even in a league with over 320 drafted players. That's due to his streakiness and his poor BA / OPS.

The Dodgers' Andre Ethier will take over for Juan Pierre in left field in the first month of the season.

He'll hit .330 with 30 hr's and 100 rbi's.

This is what should happen, but Torre loves old vets.

Pods will steal 20 or more--have no idea which team he will finally be playing with for now it's Colorado

Agreed. The Dodgers struggle with a lack of power though....we'll see.
He did bench Bernie Williams though.

As someone who watched him play last year as a Phil.....he needs to learn how to hit a breaking pitch. Brooootal.

Until he can be more consistent at the plate, he'll never get more than 300 ABs in a given season.

A role player at best.

he'll be closer to 30 than 20, especially hitting 6th with Utely, Howard and Burrell in front of him. Especially hitting in CBP.

and don't be surprised to see him in the neighborhood of 90-100 RBIs.

I think there is more quality young starting pitching in fantasy drafts then there has ever been before. McGowan, Maine, Billingsley, Snell, Shields, and Hughes are all guys going after that top tier of starters who could easily outperform some of the guys being taken ahead of them. All of whom l see cracking the 15 win, 180 K mark this year.

This season more than ever it pays to load up on bats early on in drafts and fill out your rotation in the mid to later rounds.

Good call.

I have NEVER got the #1 pick in ANY fantasy baseball draft (about 8 years' worth of leagues) and this year, I got the #1 pick in BOTH of my leagues (well, i'm in an RBI-only league which I'm not counting for this discussion). Obviously took A-rod in my first league (16 team, H2H). My 12-team roto league drafts on Sunday......... I'd be an idiot to take anyone but A-rod there, yeah?

Edit: Oh yeah... the reason I'm replying to this post inparticular... I employed a pretty unique strategy in my 16-team H2H league (taking two stud SPs after A-rod), then taking two stud closers to lock down saves and help with ERA/WHIP. In my roto league, I'm going a completely different way... none of the guys in my league will read this so I can just come right out and say it......... I'm going to draft nothing but offense for 8-9 rounds... build my offense... and then in the middle rounds, grab a couple of capable closers and a couple of up-and-coming SPs. I look at it this way.... SPs give you stats once (or twice, at most) per week. Offensive players give you stats for an entire week. That said, you need the most consistent, studly stats from the guys that actually play the most in a given week.

Felix Hernandez, 18+ wins, 250+ k's, sub 1.1 whip, sub 3.2 era.

That was my HOTD strategy this year too......except it fell apart in round seven when by far the best value on the board, IMO, was an SP.

You argue a good point. Except for roto, even though offensive players play daily compared to pitchers once or twice a week. Pitcher stats still are 50% of your score same as offensive. I do just the opposite in H2H I go mostly offensive with 8th to 15th rounders for my pitchers(except for when you draft Santana in the first, then you got to go P). In roto you need a solid stud SP and closer to anchor your staff for era/whip and saves. you wait to long and you are looking at mid pack in P cats. Roto is such a different beast than H2H.

LOS ANGELES -- Andre Ethier won the Dodgers' starting left-field job from veteran Juan Pierre and will start Opening Day vs. the Giants on Monday, Los Angeles manager Joe Torre announced Sunday.
"I just feel I want to start that way and see," said Torre. "He had an outstanding spring. Sometimes you don't make enough of Spring Training, sometimes you make too much of it. I'm curious. I want to see more. He's had a number of home runs, he's hit off left-handers and right-handers."

Got him in the 19th round of my 14 team league.

My outfield is Alex Rios, Hunter Pence, Josh Hamilton, Raul Ibanez, Ethier, and Matt Diaz. I think I've got lots of upside and didn't pay too much for anyone except Rios, who I got one pick after Manny went at the end of the 3rd round.

Not that I'm a rocket surgeon or anything, but my strategy almost invariably is to go hitter-pitcher all the way through the draft. We have inning requirements though too, so even the setup guys get picked up.

Hmph. Contrary to what I read just about everywhere, Duncan sat against a lefty today and looks to only start vs. righties. Some scrub named Schumaker (granted, he is a fellow Gaucho) got the start in LF and led off. Looks like he'll do the leading off against righties as well, but will be in RF.

Duncan still has plenty of pop and will hopefully start hitting lefties better.

0-4 today.

2009

You gotta love Ryan Spilborghs getting the full load in CF this year for the Rockies....I can see this guy hitting 20-30 homeruns with a .300 + BA and 100 RBI's....He is a big time steal in any fantasy league this year.

I also like Jay Bruce....He looked like a stone cold stud last year comming out the gates....He finished with 21 homeruns 52 RBI's .250 BA....I think he can be one of the top fantasy OF's this year if he can become more patient at the plate and reduce his strikeouts...Easily a 30 HR hitter.

Got Spilborghs in my deep league in a late round. . .can't see him getting 100 RBI's from the leadoff spot (if that's where he's going to wind up).

Also got Bruce in a shallow league. . .secksy!!

I have no idea who Emilio Bonifacio is, but I now own him in both of my leagues. Looks like a stud after 2 games. . . .

He is ripping it....and he's not even thru 2 games yet....but lets not get out of control...he is playing the nationals.

I picked up Nelson Cruz in one of my league and I'm extremely happy with the results so far. Hitting in the middle of a solid Rangers lineup, he might put up big numbers.

I was a year early on Bourn. While he isnt a stud he certainly is becoming a very solid fantasy baseball OF

I have him in my 10 teamer.

My predictions:

Going to have a great second half:

Soriano
Rollins
Dunn

Going to with the 2nd half never started:

Kershaw
Zobrist
Cain

Gonna slide down in the standings:

Tigers

Gonna jump up in the standings:

Marlins