The Official 2006 All Super Fantasy Sleeper Team

Just so we're all on the same page this is my super sleeper team for 2006. I define a sleeper as a player that for various reasons will cost signicantly less or be drafted much later than their projected value would seem to suggest. I would not suggest buying this entire team although I think anyone of these players will return much more value than you'll pay.

C - Miguel Oliva Marlins
C - Gerald Laird Rangers
1B - Jason Stokes Marlins
3B - Terry Tiffee Twins
CR - Adrian Gonzalez Padres
2B - Bobby Hill Padres
SS - J.J. Hardy Brewers
MI - Alberto Callaspo Diamondbacks
OF - Nathan McLouth Pirates
OF - John Rodriguez Cardinals
OF - Rondell White Twins
OF - Victor Diaz Mets
OF - Corey Hart Brewers
Utl - Kaz Matsui Mets
SP - Adam Wainwright Cardinals
SP - Rich Hill Cubs
SP - Scott Olson Marlins
SP - Dustin Nippert Diamondbacks
SP - Scott Baker Twins
SP - Edwin Jackson Devil Rays
SP - Shawn Estes Padres
RP - Shinji Mori Devil Rays
RP - Todd Coffey Reds
RP - Travis Bowyer Marlins

Preparing for the 2006 Fantasy Season (Part Three) - Building a Quality Farm System

Not every fantasy league utilizes a farm system but I do believe that any player in a keeper league will benefit from reading this article. This article will give you my views on how to build a fantasy farm system and the benefits of doing it in various ways. You might be surprised how the hype a player receives can effect a players value in his league regardless of his actual performance. A quality farm system can either provide you with the players necessary to create a fantasy league dynasty or give you the bait to annually trade for the pieces that will shoot you up the standings. READ ALL OF THE ARTICLE BELOW

Cameron Maybin has the potential to be not just the best prospect on the Tigers but entering the 2007 season he may be the best prospect in the American League assuming that players like Delmon Young, Brandon Wood and Alex Gordon graduate to their respective major league teams.

Building A Quality Fantasy Baseball Farm System

When it comes to minor leaguers fantasy league owners often fall into one of two camps. In Camp One we have the owner obsessed with

rookies and young players. This owner is usually so determined to own his favorite ROY candidates and top prospects that he'll often sacrifice winning. He does this by paying far too much for young and inexperienced players in the auction and by refusing to part with his favorite players even when that player might buy him a championship. I have absolutely no problems with this type of player they are often among the most knowledgeable baseball fans in your leagues. The owners in Camp Two are often the polar opposite. These guys will almost never roster a rookie or inexperienced player. When they are forced to make picks for their farm system they often do so with Baseball America's Top 100 prospects issue open in fron t of them. They may even cross off selected players directly on the pages.They pay little attention to their farm systems and will often part with their farm system picks and whatever minor leaguers they happen to roster with little regard as to their value. I have no problem with these owners either. This type of owner often finishes in the money and usually walk away from the auction with the best teams. I don't think I have to tell you that the best owners in fantasy leagues are in neither camp.

How Does a Strong Fantasy Farm System Help?

A strong farm system will help you win. If built correctly your farm system will provide your team with a steady source of emerging fantasy baseball stars and a constant supply of cheap players that can be moved in trades for expensive players or players with a more certain value. In a tough keeper league a strong farm system can be the difference between finishing in the money and actually winning it. We've all been (or we all hope to be) in that situation wherein we can taste a championship and all we need is a few more steals or saves. The problem is every player on your active roster with enough value to bring a closer or stolen base artist is also essential to your championship drive. Its that Delmon Young, BJ Upton or Felix Hernandez that will bring you the player you so desperately need. Or maybe those first three guys are too valuable to your roster of keepers next year maybe you can combine a lesser player on your active roster with a minor leaguer like Brian Anderson or Dustin Pedroia. Then imagine after the season when you're trying to put together a group of keepers that will allow you to compete. Maybe some owner in your league doesn't believe in the value of Jason Giambi or fears a steroid suspension. You could be all over that if you have depth in your farm system. Would Jason Bartlett and Ian Kinsler make your final cut of keepers? Maybe you can trade your extra depth to improve even further. You might not believe how easy it is to sell another owner on a $5 minor leaguer due to start at shortstop who might steal twenty bases. A strong farm system can make your already strong roster unstoppable.

The First Step is to Know the Rules of Your League

The rules in every league are different. In some leagues minor leaguers are all $10. In other leagues they may be $5. Still other leagues may use tiers with a first round pick costing $10 a second round player $5 and a third round player just $3. Before you can come up with the best strategy for your league you have to know the rules inside and out. How many minor leaguers can you have on your roster? As many as you like? What are the rules about activating minor leaguers? Do you have to activate a minor leaguer as soon as he's activated by his major league team? Can you hold him in your farm system the entire season without starting the clock on him? Some leagues let you carry an active minor leaguer for the whole season for free but make you declare him as one of your keepers if he makes the 25-man roster on opening day. Another rule to look into is which players qualify to be drafted. Can you pick a college player or a player from Japan or high school? Is anyone in the minor leagues eligible or must they still qualify as rookies? Can you activate a player from the minors as a shortstop even if they've previously played twenty games in the majors as a DH? If you can tailor your draft picks to fit your unique league rules you'll have an even greater chance of success.

Selecting the Right Players

When selecting your players in addittion to having a complete knowledge of your league rules there are several decisions and evaluations you must make:

• How long can you give any given player to develop? Every player is different. Some players shoot through the minors in less than a season and need never return. Another player might shoot through the minors and then struggle to stay in the majors. Still other players may take several years to advance to the major leagues. Your league rules may dictate how long you can give a player to rise to the majors. You also need to consider the state of your team and your keepable players. If you have a strong group of keepers and plenty of money to spend in the draft you might be able to wait on a few longer term minor leaguers. On the other hand you might have few keepers or little money to spend in that case you might want to draft guys that are likely to appear in the majors very soon. A player that is close to the majors is very valuable trade bait but can also give your team a mid-season shot in the arm.
• What does your team need to compete this year? Do you have strong pitching keeps but few batters? If so you may want to grab hitters that are close to the majors. A strong farm system can help you fill needs as the season progresses. Imagine if you needed a hitter last year and had Ryan Howard or Jeff Francouer in your farm system. You could've added them to your team or traded one or both of them for Pujols in the last year of his contract or an expensive but effective Todd Helton, or both. Did you need a closer? Maybe you had Bobby Jenks or Derrek Turnbow in your system. Steals? Wily Tavares could have helped. Starters? Chien-Ming Wang or Chris Capuano might have helped. I guarantee you in any given season a minor leaguer comes up that can help your team with whatever you might need to compete. Maybe you have a solid roster and just want players that will be worth a bunch in a trade. Maybe you're rebuilding this year, you might want to consider stock-piling picks if your league allows you to keep as many minor leaguers as you wish.
  
• What type of player does your league over value? Every league over values some type of player. It might be young players. It could be closers. It could be older veterans. I've even been in leagues where starting pitching was dramatically over valued. Picking the type of player your league is likely to over value could benefit you in more ways than one. You might have a far cheaper than usual version of that type of player or you might have some very desirable trade bait. Either way you win if you can add over valued players.
  
• What positions are weak in your league or in the majors in general? If there are no third basemen in your auction perhaps you should draft a third baseman close to the majors. Rather than pay top dollar for a Kevin Youkilis or Troy Glaus draft Alex Gordon or Andy Marte. If you think stolen bases will be hard to come by in your NL-only league perhaps its time to draft Marcus Saunders. The catching in the NL looks pretty pathetic this year it might be time to grab George Kottaras or Neil Walker.
  

How to Find the Right Players Before Everyone Else

First you need to decide how much time and money you're willing to invest in this. If you're in multiple high stakes leagues paying for subscriptions to great sites like Scout.com and Baseballamerica.com may be more than worth it. Neither site is that expensive when you consider just how much information you get access to on a daily basis. Scout.com is a great site. They have a site for every team in every major sport run by guys who do nothing but follow that team and evaluate its prospects. In addittion they provide scouting reports on college and high school players. Scout.com is a little more expensive but you also have the option of subscribing for a month at a time for about $8. A month might be enough time to get a glimpse at all the major league sites and pick out some very good players. If you can afford it every fan of baseball should subscribe to Baseball America. Just in case you don't know Baseball America is the only real magazine that covers exclusively baseball year round. They report on every aspect of the sport but they have a heavy emphasis on the minors and amatuer competitions which is exactly what you want to know about. It costs about $60 for a year long web-only subscription. It is worth it but I also understand those who don't want to pay that much to study up for their fantasy leagues. Getting both sites would probably cost you $140 a year but worth every penny. Don't ignore these sites because of the cost as both also provide the occassional free article that are always worth reading.

Being the great guy that I am I will also provide a far cheaper alternative plan. While signing up for the two sites above will get you very very far if you're willing to work harder I can save you a lot of dough and get you a similar quality of information. The high stakes guys with lots of time may want to combine both plans which is the way I wish everyone could do it but it just isn't realistic for a lot of us.

Step One - Add the following sites to your bookmarks or favorites and check them everyday year round:

• www.minorleagueball.com - John Sickels runs this site and he knows the minor leagues as well as anyone. The people that comment on his various articles also tend to know their stuff and provide lots of relevant information.
• www.warmoctobernights.com - This blog run by Matt Jacovina provides the same sort of top ten prospect reports that Baseball America and other sites offer but its all free. Hell, there aren't even any ads to distract or annoy you. He truly knows his stuff and will often hip you to prospects that others are sleeping on.
  
• www.baseballanalysts.com - This site is similar to Baseball Prospectus (another great site worth paying to read) but without the air of superiority that can sometimes grate on the nerves. They provide regular articles on baseball, sabermetrics and prospects. They acknowledge the fantasy crowd as some of their most frequent fans and provide nice content in that context.
  
• www.rotojunkie.com - This site is awesome for several reasons. Anyone who plays fantasy should be checking into their forums on a daily basis as they have some of the smartest players and many acknowledged experts posting their thoughts on various players, strategy and baseball news. To top it all off Jason Collette is the site's minor league authority and provides many articles on players and teams that will help you immensely in preparing for your fantasy drafts.
  

Between all these sites you aren't likely to miss much that happens in the world of prospects. I do suggest you spend a little money. Invest in the Baseball America Prospect Book. This book provides all the top tens that you'll find on the site plus the next twenty prospects for each team. The book is available from just about every bookseller for about $20 and if you look real hard to sites like amazon.com you can find some really good deals. But don't stop here. If you really want to be the best you need to do some work on your own. When you find prospects that sound interesting on various sites go to www.thebaseballcube.com and look at their complete stats yourself. Everyone has their favorite criterion for judging the future of prospects. If you do the work I've assigned you you'll develop a method that works for you in no time (I'll provide you with my own special method in a future article - I've gotta keep you coming back for more).

Peace.

Spring Training Thus Far - Player Notes

Josh Beckett - Red Sox fans had better hope that Curt Schilling doesn't irritate Josh Beckett right out of Boston. Schilling seems to think of himself as a mentor for Josh Beckett. Beckett seemed to take it well but a season of it might start to get on his nerves. We know for a fact that Randy Johnson couldn't take much of Curt's constant blather.

Curt Schilling - If nothing else Red Sox fans can be grateful that Schilling feels ready for the season. In fact he claims he is no longer rehabbing but instead doing normal conditioning. "I'm ready to be good again", he said.

Francisco Liriano - Liriano, who is in competition with Scott Baker for the Twins' fifth starter job may hurt his chances if he competes in the World Baseball Classic as he plans (Dominican Republic). A less than stellar showing in the showcase could send him back to AAA or at least the bullpen. On the other hand a great showing in the classic could cement the job for him. Either way no one should underestimate the ability of Scott Baker. Baker was considered the better prospect before Liriano's rocket through the minors.

Kaz Matsui - The Mets gave Matsui's corner locker location to veteran Bret Boone. The chances of Boone beating out Matsui should be slim but its pretty obvious who the Mets want to have the job. I happen to think that Matsui if healthy will show us something this season of course the Mets have to give him the opportunity first.

Scott Olsen - The young Marlin lefty who missed the end of last season with elbow inflammation is feeling fine now. He was feeling fine after throwing all his pitches off a mound on Tuesday.

Dallas McPherson - McPherson seems to have dropped off the planet due to his injury plagued 2005 season. He seems to have lost any chance at the full time third base job to Chone Figgins. Instead McPherson will get some time at first and designated hitter. Don't forget about him. When Garrett Anderson lands on the DL you'll be glad to have McPherson stashed away in reserve.

Michael Megrew - Megrew was a selection in this winter's Rule V draft. Megrew had Tommy John Surgery in 2004. He feels 100% healthy and now feels as if he just needs to get his velocity back. Megrew could turn into something but he'll need to successfully stay on the major league roster the entire season, on the Marlins that might just be possible.

Josh Willingham - Josh will get lots of on the job training this spring. The Marlins want him to be an acceptable catcher so he can play at least a few games behind the plate as well as in left and at first. Even if he doesn't catch he'll be worthwhile getting the majority of his at-bats from left field.

Kendry Morales - Manager Mike Scioscia believes it would be a stretch to see Morales break camp with the big league team. Scioscia believes Morales has an explosive bat with 30-homer potential, but has things he still needs to work on before he can hit major league pitching. He's probably right but I don't think Kendry is far from major league success. Even Scioscia believes its mostly about gaining experience.

Jim Thome - Thome is another vet coming off serious injury problems last season who is now claiming to be just fine. back injuries are tricky. You never know when they'll creep back into your life. Big Jim Thome will probably be okay this year but don't pay for the completely healthy version until you see him moving well with your own eyes.

Kerry Wood - Wood isn't ready to throw off a mound just yet. he'll likely start the season on the DL. If all goes well he'll be back by May.

Eric Gagne - Gagne also claims to be 100% healthy and says he'll be in his old form by summer. "There is no doubt" he said, "No doubt at all that I'm going to go out and do my job. I know that for a fact."

Barry Bonds - He might retire. he might not. Don't pay any attention to what he says. Instead pay attention to how he moves and how often he plays. If he looks normal draft him.

Adrian Beltre - Beltre will be the starting third baseman for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. According to Dominican Republic manager Manny Acta, Beltre was one of the first to sign up for duty.

Pedro Martinez - Pedro has been testing out his new custom shoes, which are designed to protect his ailing toe. Pedro acknowledges that the toe may keep him from participating in the World Baseball Classic. The Mets are being supportive of Pedro's desire to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the WBC probably because they know getting Pedro angry won't help anything. The Mets say Pedro can pitch on the toe as it is but fear that if the toe really pains him he may alter his delivery and hurt his arm as a result. Omar Minaya pointed out that all players who participate in the WBC are fully insured.

Billy Wagner - Wagner was feeling queasy on Monday and was unable to throw off a mound. he went home with a stomach virus. Apparently his kids had been sick with it all week.

Scott Rolen - Scott Rolen had his surgically repaired shoulder examined Saturday by the Reds medical examiner Dr. Tim Kreunchek, who also performed the operation. Although the results were not made public the Cardinals seemed encouraged by Rolen's long tossing session in the outfield on Monday.

Andruw Jones - Jones isn't content with his 50 homer season in 2005. he wants to exceed it this year by being more consistent. He wants to hit for a higher average. i don't put anything past this guy. He's got all the tools.

Andy Tracy - Tracy was traded from the Indians to the Orioles the other day. Tracy has some power but don't make anything out of this. Tracy mike be okay off the bench but he'll have no fantasy value. I'm really only listing it because it was a trade made during spring training.

Gary Sheffield - Brian Cashman in an attempt to control a potential problem announced to Gary Sheffield that barring anything unusual the Yankees would be picking up his $13MM option for the 2007 season.

Greg Maddux - Greg Maddux mentioned his next potential contract as a motivational factor this season. When guys like Maddux are motivated (especially by money) don't bet against a big season.

Josh Hancock - Josh was releaseed for being 17lbs overweight. Did anyone really care?

Mark Prior - Prior is once again behind the other pitchers in Cubs camp. In the last two years he's pitched in only one regular spring game. Prior suffered from a throat infection this winter that required him to go the emergency room. he has yet to throw from a mound this spring. The Cubs are making noise about putting on a slower more methodical rehab program this spring. I guess it can't hurt. The Cubs really need Prior to stay a part of the rotation this season if they hope to have a prayer of contention.

Aramis Ramirez - Ramirez was visibly slimmer coming into camp this year. Ramirez has expressed an interest in playing in the WBC but seems to be leaning towards sticking in Cubs camp. He is still apparently recovering from his injury problems and wants to put his health and the Cubs before the WBC. What a great guy.

Erubiel Durazo - Durazo signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. He had ligament replacement surgery in July. he should nicely complicate the DH position for Texas.

Peace.

Preparing-For-the-2006-Fantasy-Season-Part-Two

Felipe Lopez probably came cheap in 2005 and makes a great keeper.

If you followed the direction given in Part One of Preparing for thr 2006 Fantasy Season you have a grasp on two things. The talent on your roster and its general worth to others in your league and what sort of talent the other teams in your league are holding. With this information you're armed to take the next step.

Trading to Increase the Talent Level of Your Keepers

In order to trade effectively you must always have three things in mind:

1. The strengths and weaknesses of your present group of keepers. This means you know the dollar value of your players for the next season (an approximate level if you haven't found projections you like or prepared your own). The positions where you have good talent you can keep and the positions where you don't have good value. You also want a general idea of the auction value of your keepers. You need this information so that you don't trade away more value than you mean to trade and so you know how much value you should expect in return.
2. The needs, strengths and weaknesses of the team who holds the player you've targeted. It is never to your long-term advantage to rip off another team. While you should target the players that best suit your needs you also need to keep in mind the needs of the team you're dealing with. If at all possible you want to offer your opponent players he needs. If you can't actually offer what a team needs you should be sure to offer significant value in return. You should always consider whether or not you'd do the same trade if you were in the shoes of your opponent. It isn't always necessary that you would do the trade in reverse but you must be able to see why your opponent would do the trade and what value they'll receive in return.
   
3. How the trade effects your talent level, your draft budget and your draft strategy. Before making any trade you should have at least a general idea of your draft or auction strategy and how the player or players you're seeking fit into that plan. You want to be sure that you are getting a player or players that will actually help develop your strategy rather than just adding players at good values. For example, Mark Buerle at $22 may be a great deal in your league but if your strategy is basically LIMA (Low Investment Mound Aces) you'll actually be wrecking your own plan. In the same league Hideki Matsui at $24 may not be a great bargain but its a player that will actually fit into your plan and that is your primary goal.

Before you make any deals you should rank your keepers in order of value. You want to know which players fit best into your strategy and which should be traded if at all possible. If you can keep eight players and you have twelve quality keepers then #'s 8,9,10,11 and 12 become the players you'd most like to trade. If you can't improve over your eighth keeper then you shouldn't attempt to trade but rare is the occassion where you can't trade and make yourself better. Also, if you've somehow ended up with four great second basemen trading at least one of those should be a priority.

Here are three tips for making trading easy:

1. Don't bother with lowball offers. Lowball offers are insulting. When your opponent becomes insulted two things happen. He wants to get the better of you and he becomes resistant to your efforts to trade with him no matter how reasonable your subsequent offers become. A good way to judge is to measure the amount of profit your end of the trade provides against the amount of profit on your opponent's end. Don't offer any trades that are more than 10% in your advantage.
   
2. Make offers your opponent can actually accept. While you're offering fair value consider if your opponent can actually fit the players onto his roster of keepers. You maybe able to offer your opponent six players with a profit of $30 total for a one player who is $30 undervalue but your opponent gets nothing out of this deal but clogged roster spots. Also, don't offer your opponent a corner if he already has three corners that are obviously better values. Taking your opponents needs into consideration will always make trading easier.
3. Don't be afraid to overpay if you can do it safely. If you have an abundance of quality keepers and cannot use them all in fair trades, overpaying to get a player that may not have been available otherwise is a very acceptable if underused tactic. Just take care that you don't make your leaguemate a better deal than necessary or that making the trade makes your opponent's roster stronger than yours. When you will obviously have to overpay it may be wise to make your first offer one that cannot be refused because it is so obviously in his favor.

I apologize about the large gap between posts lately. Real life intervened and made posting difficult. But I should be back on a regular schedule from this point forward. Thanks for sticking around. Peace.

The Marlins Trade Luis Castillo to the Twins

MLB.com has the story:

First reported by ESPN's Peter Gammons, the 30-year-old Castillo is heading to Minnesota for hard-throwing reliever Travis Bowyer and Scott Tyler, who can start or relieve.

Castillo is the latest big-salary player to be dealt by the Marlins, who are streamlining their payroll now that their stadium efforts in downtown Miami have fallen through.

Fantasy Impact:

Castillo's arival will push Cuddyer into a battle for right field with Kubel and Ford. It pushes Punto to the bench. GM Ryan seems to want Cuddyer to win a spot but thus far he has failed to keep the job for an entire year. We'll also have to watch how this affects the lineup. Will Castillo move up to leadoff or will he stay in the #2 spot this time behind Shannon Stewart? Joe Mauer should benefit by finally having someone to drive home. This is especially true if the Twins sign Mike Piazza or Frank Thomas as has been rumored. Looks like the Twins are finally going to put together a lineup to go with their great pitching.

Rookies and Young Players to Watch: New York Yankees

(man, did I mess up on this one...)

The Yankees aren't often a team you to for rookies or young guys. The New York roster is usually filled with superstars like Alex Rodriguez and Randy Johnson. Last year two young players had a huge impact on the Yankees: Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang. The one obvious spot where a Yankees prospect could have gotten a huge opportunity was center field but the Yankees filled that hole with yet another superstar, Johnny Damon. There don't appear to be any obvious openings for a youngster to win a starting position or even a rotation spot. The Yankees should however make good use of young players on their bench and in the bullpen. For those of you drafting farm players the Yankee farm system is improving and players like Philip Hughes and Jose Tabata could rise quickly thru the ranks. The depth at AAA and AA is not great but Brian Cashman made moves that should provide reasonable insurance in case of injuries. The players listed below probably won't be fantasy superstars (although the potential is there) but should make solid late round picks or end-game acquisitions.

Andy Phillips: Phillips probably won't be a great hitter in the majors but he does have power. He's primarily a first baseman but he has spent time at second and third. Right now it looks pretty good that Phillips will play first when Giambi is at DH. Giambi will do his best to avoid too many at-bats as the DH because for some reason he can't focus at the plate when he doesn't also play the field at least thats what the stats tell us. Some have speculated that Bernie Williams will get at-bats at firstbase but I think thats pretty unlikely. Williams will get the majority of DH at-bats and the occassional appearance as a pinch hitter but very little time in the field. Just taking a guess at how much Giambi will be able to play the field suggests to me that Phillips will be good for 200-300 at-bats assuming he doesn't completely suck. In mixed leagues that probably won't be worth much but deep AL-only leagues will probably find the 8-12 homers (if he stays on the roster all year) very useful.

Kevin Thompson:Will the Yankees carry 11 or 12 pitchers in 2006? I'm hoping that Thompson makes the team either way. Thompson should be the Yankees forth outfielder this year but if the Yankees carry 12 pitchers Joe Torre's warpped sense of loyalty may convince him to carryy Bubba Crosby instead (with 11 pitchers they both make the team). Thompson is younger and a superior hitter to Crosby and a better fielder as well. He can play all three outfield positions. He had 64 extra-base hits between AAA Columbus and AA Trenton in 2005. He also stole 43 bases. Sounds a lot more useful than Bubba Crosby to me and i think the Yankees agree.

Tyler Clippard and Jose Veras:There isn't room for this pair on the projected 25-man roster. Clippard is a legit Yankee prospect. He throws hard and has decent control. He is a very good strikeout pitcher. Clippard will likely be the first Yankee prospect called up in case of an injury. Jose Veras isn't really a prospect but he was the closer for AAA Oklahoma in 2005 and the closer for Escogido Lions in the Dominican Winter League where he pitched well. He strikesout a lot of batters his main problem is the base on balls but he could fill a hole in a lot of major league bullpens.

Chien-Ming Wang: Wang made quite an impact on Yankee fans last year and apparently on the Yankee brass as well. The Yankees refused to include Wang in their many different trade discussions this winter but his name came up often. Some forecasters may be frightened off by his extremely low strikout rate in the majors in 2005. I'm not. His strikoue rate has been consistently around 6/9IP in the minors and at times has been higher. My real concern is his lack of experience as a professional. The Yankees and most fans seem to see him as a starter but I think he'd be larger asset in the bullpen. His ability to limit homeruns and get groundballs is perfect for a set-up man. I don't see it happening. The real reason I list him here is to caution against paying too much for him. He should be a decent pitcher but drafting him as if he'll win 20 games in the New York Yankee rotation would be a serious error. Just like everyone else on these lists he's better drafted in the late rounds or bought during the end-game of your auction.

Robinson Cano: I'm conflicted on Cano's potential. I've read enough comparisons to Soriano to be hopeful but I honestly don't see it. Cano hit a lot of doubles last year and since he doesn't really have spectacular speed I have to assume that shows he does have some legit power potential. He doesn't have much in the way of plate discipline but Soriano has greater power and speed to help compensate for his own lack. He also seems resistent to accepting the Yankee (Joe Torre) way of doing things. Robinson Cano has already had a few negative stories written about him. This more than my lack of faith in his potential is why I was one of the few Yankee writers willing to move him for a quality center fielder. Draft Cano looking for a repeat of 2005 and you may be disappointed. I'd expect him to hit around .270/.320/.425 with around ten homeruns. That isn't a terrible prediction for him but the thing to remember is he's more likely to decline than improve in 2006.

Rookies and Young Players to Watch: Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have dramatically improved their farm system over the last few years. They have a nice collection of position players and a stunning number of superior pitching prospects. 2006 may be the year that the Red Sox actually work the first wave of prospects onto the major league roster. As with the last group of young players we reviewed please understand that the players listed aren't necessarily fantasy studs (although that potential is there). The players listed should be considered potential bargains and great end-game and late round picks. The idea of the strategy is that young players make better roster filler than the more famous veteran players. Most publications will have you avoiding rookies and young players but I think the key is to incorporate them properly into your roster. Okay, here are the young players to watch on the Red Sox:

Kevin Youkilis: Youkilis has been hanging around for a few years without much opportunity to contribute. this should be his break-out year. KY is a master at drawing walks. He has decent power although not nearly what we've come to expect from a first baseman. He hasn't hit for a great average lately either but I believe thats a result of inconsistent at-bats. The common perception may be that Youkilis is destined for another year on the bench because of the recent signing of JT Snow. Snow is an excellent defensive first baseman but is a decent platoon hitter at best. The Red Sox will give Snow at-bats but Youkilis should get around 500 at-bats between appearances at first, third and DH. UPSIDE: .300/100/20/80/2 from the second spot in the order.

Andy Marte: Its almost embarassing how easily the Red Sox dumped their $40MM flop in Edgar Renteria for one of the best prospects in baseball. There has been speculation that Marte is suffering from a serious elbow injury. This has been denied by bothe the Braves and Red Sox. The injury story is just a desperate search for an explanation of how the Red Sox out manuevered other teams and saved talent while increasing their talent level. The big question is what the Red Sox plan to do with Marte. Since his acquisition he's been included in almost every Red Sox trade rumor. My gut feeling is the Red Sox traded for marte to play him at third base. Mike Lowell is presently considered by most the Red Sox starter. One of these guys will be moved before the season starts. Its certainly possible that Marte could be used in the outfield but he really doesn't have the foot speed necessary for a permanent switch. Marte is going to be an awesome power hitter. he probably isn't much better than a .280 hitter but he shouldn't be terrible at any aspect of hitting. If by chance he ends up sitting on the Red Sox bench snatch him up as your CI or UTL for cheap or with a late round pick. You won't regret it. Its time for Marte to shine and soon.

Jonathan Papelbon: Papelbon may start the year as a reliever but he won't stay there. Papelbon is too good a pitcher to waste in a middle relief role. He'll likely be priced as a middle reliever but you should draft him as a starter and a good one. He's been compared to Roger Clemens and while that may be overstating things he will be really good. He should add 150 to 200 strikeouts depending on his role. I see him developing as a solid innings eater who provides strikeouts and wins as long as he stays on a good hitting team like the Red Sox.

Jon Lester: Lester will likely start at AAA but he's even better than Papelbon. Lester is a number one type starter and i don't say that lightly. He's a powerful lefty starter who gets strikeouts and allows few hits. If you can find a way to roster him you should. I think he'll end up just as good as Felix Hernandez who I consider to be the best pitching prospect to come along in decades. Roster Lester any way you can and you won't regret it.

Look for a review of the D'Backs and Yankee young players very very soon.