Expert League Results: RotoCommunity.com's AL-only

Last night I participated in the 12-team, AL-only portion of RotoCommunity.com's Triple Crown Leagues. It was a fun auction with a great group of owners from the following fantasy baseball sites:

CBSSports.com - Al Melchior
FantasyPhenoms.com - Jason Sarney
FantasyPros911.com - Anthony Catanzaro
OpenSports.com - David Gonos
RotoCommunity.com - Dave Gawron, and Jon Schuman
RotoExperts.com - Tim McCullough
SportingNews.com - George Winkler
SportsGrumblings.com - Andy Brunn
WorldFantasyGames.com - Brad Yoho
AdvancedFantasyBaseball.com - Jon Williams (This guy is good...)

Check out the rosters:
Regular Guy Gilroy
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Castro, Ramon A. C CHW	$1	C,U
C	Napoli, Mike C ANA	$18	C,U
1B	Pena, Carlos 1B TB	$25	1B,CI,U
2B	Zobrist, Ben 2B TB	$26	2B,MI,OF,U
3B	Figgins, Chone 3B SEA	$23	3B,CI,U
SS	Aybar, Erick SS ANA	$12	MI,SS,U
MI	Ellis, Mark 2B OAK	$4	2B,MI,U
CI	Fields, Josh D. 3B KC	$1	3B,CI,U
OF	Cust, Jack LF OAK	$4	OF,U
OF	LaPorta, Matt LF CLE	$11	OF,U
OF	Taylor, Michael LF OAK	$3	OF,U
OF	Suzuki, Ichiro RF SEA	$30	OF,U
OF	Span, Denard CF MIN	$17	OF,U
U	Scott, Luke LF BAL	$6	OF,U
P	Rivera, Mariano RP NYY	$28	P
P	McCarthy, Brandon SP TEX	$1	P
P	Uehara, Koji SP BAL	$1	P
P	Cahill, Trevor SP OAK	$5	P
P	Robertson, David RP NYY	$1	P
P	Feldman, Scott SP TEX	$7	P
P	Hernandez, Felix SP SEA	$34	P
P	League, Brandon RP SEA	$1	P
P	Wheeler, Dan RP TB	$1	P
RES	Arrieta, Jake SP BAL	$	P
RES	Jones, Jacque RF MIN	$	OF,U
RES	Smoak, Justin 1B TEX	$	1B,CI,U
RES	Kapler, Gabe RF TB	$	OF,U
RES	Hernandez, David SP BAL	$	P
RES	Bowden, Michael RP BOS	$	P
FantasyPhenoms Sarney
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Santana, Carlos C CLE	$1	C,U
C	Teagarden, Taylor C TEX	$4	C,U
1B	Morales, Kendry 1B ANA	$31	1B,CI,U
2B	Kinsler, Ian 2B TEX	$31	2B,MI,U
3B	Fox, Jake 3B OAK	$4	3B,CI,OF,U
SS	Aviles, Mike SS KC	$6	MI,SS,U
MI	Izturis, Cesar SS BAL	$2	MI,SS,U
CI	Encarnacion, Edwin 3B TOR	$7	3B,CI,U
OF	Byrnes, Eric LF SEA	$4	OF,U
OF	Sweeney, Ryan RF OAK	$4	OF,U
OF	Jones, Adam CF BAL	$24	OF,U
OF	Cuddyer, Michael RF MIN	$25	1B,CI,OF,U
OF	Joyce, Matt RF TB	$5	OF,U
U	Guerrero, Vladimir DH TEX	$13	U
P	Gonzalez, Gio SP OAK	$2	P
P	Scherzer, Max SP DET	$16	P
P	Tejeda, Robinson SP KC	$3	P
P	Matusz, Brian SP BAL	$10	P
P	Vazquez, Javier SP NYY	$26	P
P	Frasor, Jason RP TOR	$5	P
P	Gregg, Kevin RP TOR	$8	P
P	Anderson, Brett SP OAK	$24	P
P	Bedard, Erik SP SEA	$5	P
RES	Shields, Scot RP ANA	$	P
RES	Crede, Joe 3B MIN	$	3B,CI,U
RES	Snell, Ian SP SEA	$	P
RES	Thomas, Clete RF DET	$	OF,U
RES	Thames, Marcus LF NYY	$	OF,U
RES	Washburn, Jarrod SP DET	$	P
OpenSports Gonos
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Saltalamacchia, Jarrod C TEX	$6	C,U
C	Varitek, Jason C BOS	$3	C,U
1B	Johnson, Nick 1B NYY	$14	1B,CI,U
2B	Aybar, Willy 2B TB	$4	1B,2B,CI,MI,U
3B	Rodriguez, Alex 3B NYY	$43	3B,CI,U
SS	Hardy, J.J. SS MIN	$15	MI,SS,U
MI	Lillibridge, Brent 2B CHW	$1	2B,MI,U
CI	Garko, Ryan 1B SEA	$1	1B,CI,U
OF	Quentin, Carlos LF CHW	$21	OF,U
OF	Markakis, Nick RF BAL	$26	OF,U
OF	Gardner, Brett CF NYY	$11	OF,U
OF	Gutierrez, Franklin CF SEA	$18	OF,U
OF	Young, Delmon LF MIN	$11	OF,U
U	Thome, Jim DH MIN	$4	U
P	Shields, James SP TB	$16	P
P	Fuentes, Brian RP ANA	$15	P
P	Kazmir, Scott SP ANA	$20	P
P	Crain, Jesse RP MIN	$1	P
P	Saunders, Joe SP ANA	$6	P
P	Mijares, Jose RP MIN	$1	P
P	Morrow, Brandon SP TOR	$9	P
P	Balfour, Grant RP TB	$2	P
P	Buehrle, Mark SP CHW	$9	P
RES	Okajima, Hideki RP BOS	$	P
RES	Perry, Ryan RP DET	$	P
RES	Willis, Dontrelle SP DET	$	P
RES	Lowrie, Jed SS BOS	$	MI,SS,U
RES	O'Day, Darren RP TEX	$	P
RES	Carlson, Jesse RP TOR	$	P
SportingNews
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Mathis, Jeff C ANA	$1	C,U
C	Posada, Jorge C NYY	$14	C,U
1B	Davis, Chris 1B TEX	$17	1B,CI,U
2B	Roberts, Brian 2B BAL	$24	2B,MI,U
3B	Inge, Brandon 3B DET	$10	3B,CI,U
SS	Jeter, Derek SS NYY	$28	MI,SS,U
MI	Nix, Jayson 2B CHW	$1	2B,MI,U
CI	Blalock, Hank 1B TB	$4	1B,CI,U
OF	Guillen, Jose RF KC	$1	OF,U
OF	Gross, Gabe RF OAK	$1	OF,U
OF	Pie, Felix LF BAL	$1	OF,U
OF	Abreu, Bobby RF ANA	$22	OF,U
OF	Kubel, Jason LF MIN	$19	OF,U
U	Kotchman, Casey 1B SEA	$1	1B,CI,U
P	Meche, Gil SP KC	$1	P
P	Weaver, Jered SP ANA	$20	P
P	Cecil, Brett SP TOR	$1	P
P	Sabathia, CC SP NYY	$34	P
P	Papelbon, Jonathan RP BOS	$29	P
P	Wakefield, Tim SP BOS	$1	P
P	Francisco, Frank RP TEX	$14	P
P	Romero, Ricky SP TOR	$4	P
P	Slowey, Kevin SP MIN	$12	P
RES	Marte, Damaso RP NYY	$	P
RES	Breslow, Craig A. RP OAK	$	P
RES	Oliver, Darren RP TEX	$	P
RES	Robertson, Nate SP DET	$	P
RES	Coke, Phil RP DET	$	P
RES	Putz, J.J. RP CHW	$	P
WorldFantasyGames
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Mauer, Joe C MIN	$39	C,U
C	Flowers, Tyler C CHW	$1	C,U
1B	Overbay, Lyle 1B TOR	$6	1B,CI,U
2B	Cano, Robinson 2B NYY	$32	2B,MI,U
3B	Peralta, Jhonny 3B CLE	$15	3B,CI,MI,SS,U
SS	Bartlett, Jason SS TB	$24	MI,SS,U
MI	Betancourt, Yuniesky SS KC	$1	MI,SS,U
CI	Lowell, Mike 3B BOS	$1	3B,CI,U
OF	Dye, Jermaine RF CHW	$1	OF,U
OF	Davis, Rajai CF OAK	$14	OF,U
OF	Brantley, Michael CF CLE	$6	OF,U
OF	Bradley, Milton LF SEA	$8	OF,U
OF	Hamilton, Josh CF TEX	$28	OF,U
U	Hafner, Travis DH CLE	$6	U
P	Aardsma, David RP SEA	$18	P
P	Johnson, Jim R. RP BAL	$1	P
P	Price, David SP TB	$15	P
P	Hunter, Tommy SP TEX	$3	P
P	Wuertz, Michael RP OAK	$2	P
P	Matsuzaka, Daisuke SP BOS	$11	P
P	Lee, Cliff SP SEA	$22	P
P	Devine, Joey RP OAK	$1	P
P	Guerrier, Matt RP MIN	$3	P
RES	Delcarmen, Manny RP BOS	$	P
RES	Kilby, Brad RP OAK	$	P
RES	Ramirez, Wilkin LF DET	$	OF,U
RES	Wells, Casper RF DET	$	OF,U
RES	Sipp, Tony RP CLE	$	P
RES	Ni, Fu-Te RP DET	$	P
CBS Melchior
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Laird, Gerald C DET	$2	C,U
C	Moore, Adam C SEA	$8	C,U
1B	Youkilis, Kevin 1B BOS	$40	1B,3B,CI,U
2B	Callaspo, Alberto 2B KC	$7	2B,MI,U
3B	Kouzmanoff, Kevin 3B OAK	$15	3B,CI,U
SS	Gonzalez, Alex SS TOR	$2	MI,SS,U
MI	Wilson, Jack SS SEA	$1	MI,SS,U
CI	Harris, Brendan 3B MIN	$1	3B,CI,MI,SS,U
OF	Cameron, Mike CF BOS	$8	OF,U
OF	Choo, Shin-Soo RF CLE	$30	OF,U
OF	Maier, Mitch CF KC	$1	OF,U
OF	Hall, Bill 3B BOS	$1	3B,CI,OF,U
OF	Sizemore, Grady CF CLE	$35	OF,U
U	Matsui, Hideki DH ANA	$10	U
P	Jenks, Bobby RP CHW	$13	P
P	Braden, Dallas SP OAK	$2	P
P	Pineiro, Joel SP ANA	$2	P
P	Danks, John SP CHW	$17	P
P	Perez, Chris RP CLE	$10	P
P	Greinke, Zack SP KC	$30	P
P	Guthrie, Jeremy SP BAL	$1	P
P	Beckett, Josh SP BOS	$23	P
P	Garcia, Freddy An. SP CHW	$1	P
RES	Crowe, Trevor LF CLE	$	OF,U
RES	Huff, David SP CLE	$	P
RES	Osuna, Edgar SP KC	$	P
RES	Rosales, Adam 3B OAK	$	3B,CI,U
RES	Rondon, Hector SP CLE	$	P
RES	Kelley, Shawn RP SEA	$	P
FantasyPros911 Catanzaro
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Martinez, Victor C BOS	$27	1B,C,CI,U
C	Shoppach, Kelly C TB	$6	C,U
1B	Konerko, Paul 1B CHW	$16	1B,CI,U
2B	Kendrick, Howard 2B ANA	$14	2B,MI,U
3B	Wigginton, Ty 3B BAL	$3	1B,3B,CI,U
SS	Pennington, Cliff SS OAK	$8	MI,SS,U
MI	Sizemore, Scott 2B DET	$12	2B,MI,U
CI	Chavez, Eric 3B OAK	$1	3B,CI,U
OF	Cruz, Nelson R. RF TEX	$31	OF,U
OF	Pierre, Juan LF CHW	$15	OF,U
OF	Raburn, Ryan LF DET	$5	OF,U
OF	Bloomquist, Willie SS KC	$3	MI,OF,SS,U
OF	Rivera, Juan L. LF ANA	$17	OF,U
U	Griffey, Ken DH SEA	$1	U
P	Gonzalez, Mike RP BAL	$13	P
P	Rzepczynski, Marc SP TOR	$2	P
P	Verlander, Justin SP DET	$30	P
P	Hochevar, Luke SP KC	$2	P
P	Lewis, Colby RP TEX	$2	P
P	Floyd, Gavin SP CHW	$14	P
P	Buchholz, Clay SP BOS	$13	P
P	Valverde, Jose RP DET	$19	P
P	Pavano, Carl SP MIN	$6	P
RES	Larish, Jeff 1B DET	$	1B,CI,U
RES	Lowe, Mark RP SEA	$	P
RES	Patterson, Eric LF OAK	$	OF,U
RES	Marte, Andy 1B CLE	$	1B,CI,U
RES	Viciedo, Dayan 3B CHW	$	3B,CI,U
RES	Mazzaro, Vin SP OAK	$	P
RotoCommunity Schuman
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Wieters, Matt C BAL	$22	C,U
C	Marson, Lou C CLE	$4	C,U
1B	Atkins, Garrett 3B BAL	$4	1B,3B,CI,U
2B	Lopez, Jose 2B SEA	$22	2B,MI,U
3B	Longoria, Evan 3B TB	$41	3B,CI,U
SS	Scutaro, Marco SS BOS	$12	MI,SS,U
MI	Rodriguez, Sean 2B TB	$7	2B,MI,U
CI	Carter, Chris C. 1B OAK	$1	1B,CI,U
OF	Hunter, Torii CF ANA	$19	OF,U
OF	Podsednik, Scott LF KC	$8	OF,U
OF	Winn, Randy LF NYY	$2	OF,U
OF	Snider, Travis LF TOR	$9	OF,U
OF	Ordonez, Magglio RF DET	$10	OF,U
U	Jones, Andruw DH CHW	$1	U
P	Davis, Wade SP TB	$5	P
P	Garza, Matt SP TB	$19	P
P	Pettitte, Andy SP NYY	$8	P
P	Rowland-Smith, Ryan SP SEA	$2	P
P	Duchscherer, Justin SP OAK	$1	P
P	Soria, Joakim RP KC	$23	P
P	Hughes, Phil SP NYY	$9	P
P	Porcello, Rick SP DET	$13	P
P	Burnett, A.J. SP NYY	$18	P
RES	Willits, Reggie LF ANA	$	OF,U
RES	Casilla, Alexi 2B MIN	$	2B,MI,U
RES	Powell, Landon C OAK	$	C,U
RES	Wallace, Brett 3B TOR	$	3B,CI,U
RES	Smith, Joe RP CLE	$	P
RES	Ramirez, Ramon RP BOS	$	P
RotoExperts McCullough
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Buck, John C TOR	$5	C,U
C	Navarro, Dioner C TB	$5	C,U
1B	Barton, Daric 1B OAK	$2	1B,CI,U
2B	Getz, Chris 2B KC	$6	2B,MI,U
3B	Gordon, Alex 3B KC	$10	3B,CI,U
SS	Tejada, Miguel SS BAL	$15	MI,SS,U
MI	Ramirez, Alexei SS CHW	$21	MI,SS,U
CI	Beltre, Adrian 3B BOS	$17	3B,CI,U
OF	Crawford, Carl LF TB	$39	OF,U
OF	Jackson, Austin CF DET	$8	OF,U
OF	Murphy, David LF TEX	$4	OF,U
OF	Granderson, Curtis CF NYY	$28	OF,U
OF	Borbon, Julio CF TEX	$15	OF,U
U	Ruiz, Randy DH TOR	$3	U
P	Lester, Jon SP BOS	$32	P
P	Peavy, Jake SP CHW	$24	P
P	Westbrook, Jake SP CLE	$1	P
P	Downs, Scott RP TOR	$1	P
P	Neshek, Pat RP MIN	$2	P
P	Feliz, Neftali RP TEX	$11	P
P	Zumaya, Joel RP DET	$1	P
P	Tillman, Chris SP BAL	$8	P
P	Thornton, Matt RP CHW	$2	P
RES	Perez, Fernando CF TB	$	OF,U
RES	Ziegler, Brad RP OAK	$	P
RES	Fister, Doug W. SP SEA	$	P
RES	Sonnanstine, Andy SP TB	$	P
RES	Johnson, Rob C SEA	$	C,U
RES	Jepsen, Kevin RP ANA	$	P
RotoCommunity Gawron
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Pierzynski, A.J. C CHW	$10	C,U
C	Suzuki, Kurt C OAK	$17	C,U
1B	Morneau, Justin 1B MIN	$30	1B,CI,U
2B	Hill, Aaron 2B TOR	$26	2B,MI,U
3B	Young, Michael 3B TEX	$22	3B,CI,U
SS	Cabrera, Asdrubal SS CLE	$20	2B,MI,SS,U
MI	Izturis, Maicer 2B ANA	$7	2B,MI,SS,U
CI	Bautista, Jose A. LF TOR	$3	3B,CI,OF,U
OF	Rios, Alex CF CHW	$20	OF,U
OF	Drew, J.D. RF BOS	$7	OF,U
OF	Damon, Johnny LF DET	$13	OF,U
OF	Wells, Vernon CF TOR	$14	OF,U
OF	Teahen, Mark 3B CHW	$8	3B,CI,OF,U
U	DeJesus, David LF KC	$8	OF,U
P	Carmona, Fausto SP CLE	$2	P
P	Niemann, Jeff SP TB	$7	P
P	Marcum, Shaun SP TOR	$6	P
P	Blackburn, Nick SP MIN	$1	P
P	Millwood, Kevin SP BAL	$1	P
P	Santana, Ervin SP ANA	$3	P
P	Baker, Scott SP MIN	$17	P
P	Bailey, Andrew RP OAK	$16	P
P	Bergesen, Brad SP BAL	$2	P
RES	Cruz, Juan RP KC	$	P
RES	Saunders, Michael LF SEA	$	OF,U
RES	Tazawa, Junichi SP BOS	$	P
RES	Santiago, Ramon SS DET	$	2B,MI,SS,U
RES	Avila, Alex C DET	$	C,U
RES	Hudson, Daniel SP CHW	$	P
Advanced FB Williams
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Pena, Brayan C KC	$1	C,U
C	Treanor, Matt C TEX	$1	C,U
1B	Butler, Billy 1B KC	$28	1B,CI,U
2B	Pedroia, Dustin 2B BOS	$30	2B,MI,U
3B	Beckham, Gordon 3B CHW	$28	3B,CI,U
SS	Andrus, Elvis SS TEX	$24	MI,SS,U
MI	Valbuena, Luis 2B CLE	$9	2B,MI,SS,U
CI	Branyan, Russell 1B CLE	$8	1B,CI,U
OF	Guillen, Carlos LF DET	$5	OF,U
OF	Ankiel, Rick CF KC	$3	OF,U
OF	Ellsbury, Jacoby CF BOS	$34	OF,U
OF	Reimold, Nolan LF BAL	$18	OF,U
OF	Hermida, Jeremy RF BOS	$1	OF,U
U	Ortiz, David DH BOS	$14	U
P	Carrasco, Carlos SP CLE	$1	P
P	Harden, Rich SP TEX	$13	P
P	Rodney, Fernando RP ANA	$4	P
P	Rauch, Jon RP MIN	$6	P
P	Sheets, Ben SP OAK	$9	P
P	Harrison, Matt SP TEX	$1	P
P	Bonderman, Jeremy RP DET	$1	P
P	Lackey, John SP BOS	$20	P
P	Aceves, Alfredo RP NYY	$1	P
RES	Evans, Terry LF ANA	$	OF,U
RES	Valencia, Danny 3B MIN	$	3B,CI,U
RES	Drabek, Kyle SP TOR	$	P
RES	Everett, Adam SS DET	$	MI,SS,U
RES	McCoy, Mike 2B TOR	$	2B,MI,U
RES	Hellickson, Jeremy SP TB	$	P
SportsGrumblings Brunn
Pos	Player	Salary	Elig
C	Kendall, Jason C KC	$1	C,U
C	Ramirez, Max C TEX	$1	C,U
1B	Cabrera, Miguel 1B DET	$38	1B,CI,U
2B	Hudson, Orlando 2B MIN	$10	2B,MI,U
3B	Wood, Brandon 3B ANA	$15	3B,CI,U
SS	Punto, Nick 2B MIN	$1	2B,MI,SS,U
MI	Brignac, Reid SS TB	$1	MI,SS,U
CI	Teixeira, Mark 1B NYY	$41	1B,CI,U
OF	Upton, B.J. CF TB	$28	OF,U
OF	Crisp, Coco CF OAK	$9	OF,U
OF	Lind, Adam LF TOR	$31	OF,U
OF	Jennings, Desmond CF TB	$1	OF,U
OF	Swisher, Nick RF NYY	$19	1B,CI,OF,U
U	Burrell, Pat DH TB	$2	U
P	Holland, Derek SP TEX	$5	P
P	Masterson, Justin SP CLE	$12	P
P	Wilson, C.J. RP TEX	$1	P
P	Chamberlain, Joba SP NYY	$6	P
P	Howell, J.P. RP TB	$2	P
P	Liriano, Francisco SP MIN	$13	P
P	Bard, Daniel RP BOS	$2	P
P	Soriano, Rafael RP TB	$16	P
P	Wood, Kerry RP CLE	$5	P
RES	Pena, Tony A. RP CHW	$	P
RES	Ackley, Dustin 1B SEA	$	1B,CI,U
RES	Laffey, Aaron SP CLE	$	P
RES	Montero, Jesus C NYY	$	C,U
RES	Arencibia, J.P. C TOR	$	C,U
RES	Bannister, Brian SP KC	$	P

Fantasy Picks- The Lineup- Tonight!

I received news of this the other day, I think a lot of you may be interested.

Hi,

Last minute reminder - The Lineup, a new original series and interactive fantasy game that will determine the best baseball players in the history of New York, premieres TONIGHT at 10:30pm ET and I would love if you could let your readers know! They can play the fantasy game online before the show and try to predict who they think the judges will pick!

The Lineup: New York’s All-Time Best Baseball Players - http://www.msg.com/lineup/

Thanks!
- Katie

A Few Good Sleepers and Three Good Interviews

Photo from fOTOGLIF

My day job (which unfortunately is not writing this blog) has been kicking my ass the last couple of months. I have no time to do anything and I am exhausted by the time stumble into the house. But this isn't that kind of blog. I mention all that because I need another day on the Sleeper Teams to be happy with the article. I know its already a couple of weeks late so I've decided to give you a preview of a few players in the article. You'll notice I provide much more information about the players than I did last few years. I hope you enjoy this preview, the real thing should be published on Thursday at the latest.

But before we get to those sleepers, here are links to a few great interviews you should definitely check out:

Marc Carig of the Star Ledger interviews Former Padres GM, Kevin Towers.

John Sickles interviews Mark Newman, Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations for the New York Yankees.

C. Trent Rosecrans of CNati.com delivers a two-part interview of Bill James. and Part Two

OF – Hunter Pence, Houston Astros – Pence has had small but steady improvements in his walk rates the last three seasons. He cut his strikeout rate in 2009 and improved his plate discipline by swinging at fewer pitches outside of the strike zone. I would love to see him hit more line drives. He is also 27 with experience if you like that old theory. It fits in this case because I think we are about to see a career year from Pence.

3B – Mark Teahen, Chicago White Sox – Back at third base where he started the White Sox are hoping that Teahen can recapture what he seemed to lose being shuffled around the infield and outfield with the Royals. He has the talent to be an above average player. He has a brand new opportunity; he only needs to take advantage. The change in ballparks helps too. Though his new home tends to help more with home run hitting than batting average.

CR – Brandon Wood, Los Angeles Angels – I get annoyed with the Angels all the time. They have these great prospects and they make them wait much longer than seems necessary to earn a major league job. But maybe I should get over it. When they needed Erick Aybar to play regularly, he was ready. Juan Rivera (I know a Yankees prospect) was also ready when needed. Kendry Morales was ready when needed. They traded for Scott Kazmir who was having the worst season of his career and suddenly he was ready as well. Now, they seem to think Brandon Wood is ready to become their full time third baseman. I agree. He has reduced his massive strikeouts totals to a reasonable level. The power is still there to hit 25-35 homeruns a season on a consistent basis. I love him.

UTL/DH – Jesus Montero, New York Yankees – There is little hype around Jesus Montero becoming the 2010 Rookie of the Year. This is primarily due to Jorge Posada filling the catcher position (and Monetero’s need for continued development there) and Nick Johnson’s arrival as the new designated hitter. If Johnson requires a stint on the disabled list (as has often been the case), it would probably herald the arrival of Jesus Montero to the major leagues. It is only a matter of time. Then we will see a Mike Piazza, Carlos Delgado level of talent hit the majors.

Fantasyland - Watch the Documentary Film for Free!

I wrote about he book Fantasyland: A Sportswriter's Obsessive Bid to Win the World's Most Ruthless Fantasy Baseball when it came out a few years ago. It is a great book and it deserves a place on the bookshelf of any fantasy sports fan. I was given he privilege of watching the film a little earlier than the release and I can tell you that it is very well done. The production is excellent. The progression of the storyline keeps you extremely interested. Will he really try to make a trade while his wife delivers a baby? Will he be divorced at the end of the film? I worry that the non-initiated will get the wrong idea about what the average fantasy sports fan is like. However, I suggest that everyone head over to SnagFilms.com and watch the free movie.

Or just watch it right here...





From the site:

Based on the bestselling book by Sam Walker, Fantasyland, directed by Stephen Palgon, traces a single season in the expert baseball league Tout Wars. But this wasn’t any ordinary season. This season an outsider, a fan, a non expert, would compete against the greatest minds in fantasy baseball including the founder of Tout Wars and one of the icons of the industry Ron Shandler. To compete against the experts, Jed Latkin, a financial analyst from New York is willing to do anything and everything in his quest to win Tout Wars. Jed is more than just a fantasy baseball player, he puts the “fanatic” in fantasy.

In order to beat the experts Jed attempts to play fantasy for real and hits the road to meet, motivate and plead with actual Major League Baseball players to perform well for his squad the Jedi Knights. He presents players like Gary Sheffield, Justin Verlander, Carl Crawford, JJ Putz, Ichiro with team jerseys in hopes of inspiring his players to lead the Jedi Knights to the top of the Tout Wars standings.

Fantasyland is NOT a film about statistics but rather a glimpse into the world of fantasy sports and the personalities, characters and stories that make up this billion dollar industry. It is a journey with Jed Latkin, one of the most wild and crazy, obsessed fantasy sports players you will ever meet.

Fantasyland is produced by Wonderland Sound and Vision and Endgame Entertainment.

Joe Nathan Considering Surgery and Other Bits

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Minnesota Twins closer, Joe Nathan, has a significant tear in his right elbow's ulnar collateral ligament. This is the type of injury that usually requires Tommy John Surgery. The Twins and Nathan are choosing to explore rehab and strengthening the surrounding muscles before committing to the operation which would certainly end Nathan's 2010 season and put his 2011 season in jeopardy. I have serious doubts that the surgery will work. I am not a doctor but we've seen this situation before and it almost never works out.

This news certainly sucks for those that have already drafted Nathan (not to mention Nathan himself and the Twins). The question on most fantasy-oriented minds is who will replace Nathan as closer while he is rehabbing/recovering. There are two options. The most popular choice at the moment is Jon Rauch, who has closer stuff and has closed before for short periods with the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks. The other option is Matt Guerrier who has been a very effective reliever (even if a little lucky in 2009) for the Twins.

I like both options. I believe the Twins will make Jon Rauch as their first choice because of his prior experience. He does have a bit of an injury history however. So picking up Guerrier as insurance or as a late round/low cost saves option makes a lot of sense. Jon Rauch will provide you with typical closer stats - strikeouts in bunches and quality ratios. Guerrier will cost less and could potentially provide even better ratios but the strikeouts will not be as impressive.

There are a few other options worth a buck at the end of your auction or a reserve round pick - Pat Neshek, Jesse Crain, and Jose Mijares. All three have great stuff with different things keeping them from being ideal options. Neshek is coming off Tommy John Surgery and pitchers usually require at least a few months on the mound before they rediscover their former stuff (if they ever do). Jesse Crain isn't the fireballing closer candidate he used to be but is still an effective reliever and his name has been linked with closer opportunities before. Jose Mijares certainly has the stuff but is the only (certain) lefty in the pen and lacks experience.

UPDATE: The Advanced Fantasy Baseball Community Leagues
The response to the AFBCL has been overwhelming. There are a few owners who have been sent invitations who have not yet accepted. I plan to give them another day or so to accept before I give their spots away. There seems to be enough interest to have a second league, though I'm not certain about prizes just yet. If you are interested but figured all the spots were filled go ahead and send me an e-mail expressing your interest. If you have already sent one, no need to send another, I'll assume you are for now.

The All Sleeper Teams Are Coming This Weekend
The fifth annual All Sleeper Teams article will be released this weekend. This is the most packed edition yet. There are more sleeper teams (categories) and dozens and dozens of sleepers with longer write-ups than in past years. You do not want to miss this piece before your draft or auction so be certain to sign up for e-mails or the RSS Feed, links are available in the sidebar on the main page of the blog.

The Advanced Fantasy Baseball Community League

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Are you looking for another fantasy league? The Advanced Fantasy Baseball Community League is now open for business. It is a 20 team league with deep rosters. This should be a challenge for owners of all experience levels. The Snake Draft is set for Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 3:00 PM ET.

The league will be free but the top six owners will receive Amazon.com Gift Cards. First Place will receive $100, second place $50, and third place $25. The three through six spots will receive $10 cards. If you are interested send an e-mail to Jon@AdvancedFantasyBaseball.com and I'll send you an invitation.

Matt LaPorta VS Michael Brantley

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If he had managed to stay healthy Matt LaPorta would probably be entrenched either in left field or at first base. In fact until the Indians signed Russell Branyan, LaPorta was the consensus starter at first base and Michael Brantley looked like a near lock to man left field for the tribe. Most writers are now speculating that Brantley and LaPorta are now competing for just one spot on the major league roster, with the most likely scenario being LaPorta in left field and Brantley in triple-A. I am not as positive that is the case, though I have no inside information. But applying some logic this is what I'm thinking:

1. Both Michael Brantley and Matt LaPorta seem to be in Cleveland's long term plans. So delaying either player from establishing himself in the majors seems counter-productive.

2. Russell Branyan has some injury concerns which may limit his playing time. Enough concerns that Brantley or LaPorta could potentially receive enough at-bats to justify a spot on the major league roster ahead of Trevor Crowe or Austin Kearns.

3. Based on the most recent results and scouting reports, the trio of Brantley, LaPorta, and Branyan is bound to be more productive than Kearns, Crowe and just one of the younger players.

4. LaPorta is coming off hip and toe surgeries and there exists the possibility that Brantley will outplay him this spring. In that case, would not the Indians send LaPorta to the minors instead of Brantley?

I was somewhat surprised to learn that (at least in the majors in admittedly small sample sizes) Matt LaPorta was the better defensive player. Brantley had a UZR/150 of 5.8 in left field, and -49.3 in center field. LaPorta had a 8.9 UZR/150 at first base, and -8.7 in left field but 15.4 in right field. It probably isn't much of a consideration for the Indians at this point but I think its interesting at least.

Matt LaPorta appears to have solid but unspectacular power. He combines what I would call 20-30 homerun power with solid but again unspectacular plate discipline. I would place his ceiling as a player somewhere around Nick Markakis and his floor at Matt Diaz. From that you can infer that I believe he is a solid major league player, the question is only how good can he be.

From Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta speaking of Matt LaPorta:

"He's going to get 500 at-bats, if he's healthy," manager Manny Acta said. "That's what's important here."

Michael Brantley has had solid walk rates and good contact numbers throughout his minor league career. He does not hit for power but has very good speed on the bases and is capable of stealing 30-40 bases in a season. Cleveland doesn't appear to be very high on him but he deserves more respect. Especially when the alternative is Austin Kearns.