Houston Astros
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It's been a big off-season for Houston. They've gone quickly through Billy Wagner, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Dan Wheeler, and now look to Jose Valverde to bring some stability to the position. They no longer have the Killer B's, but they have a solid foundation with Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, and Roy Oswalt. Fantasy-wise, if not baseball-wise, this should be a strong team.
Lineup:
Thoughts...
I'm a big fan of both Berkman and Lee. Run the numbers on Berkman and you'll find an interesting statistical anomaly - he performs significantly better in even-numbered years. This makes him even more attractive, and the multi-position eligibility never hurts. Lee is absolutely consistent, something that I think is very underrated in fantasy. Pence also gives you 20/20 potential in the outfield; I will be very interested to see what he does with a full season.
Their pitching staff is overall a mess. Oswalt has fallen from grace and is now a number 2 starter in fantasy. He's been in a statistical decline for the past couple seasons (falling strikeout numbers and win totals) but nonetheless I would take him as a number 2. Other than him and Valverde, I don't see an Astro pitcher worth touching. They aren't great and playing in such a hitter-friendly ballpark really hurts.
I have nothing bad to say about JR Towles. He is universally expected to go 10/10 or 15/15, which is excellent from a catcher (keep in mind you can probably get him 20 rounds after Russell Martin). If only he weren't batting in the 8th spot...
Everything I read places Tejada at .300 with 25 HR and 100 RBI in Minute Maid Park. With Berkman and Lee behind him, he'll definitely be scoring runs. I'm a little uneasy about the possibility of him doing jail time in midseason, but he goes pretty late and could get you some great value if you miss out on Reyes, Ramirez, and Rollins.
Finally, keep an eye on Bourn and Matsui. As far as I know, both usually go undrafted. If you're in round 20 looking at a team well-stocked with power, these guys could fill out a roster nicely and both could get you a lot of cheap steals. I'm big on targeting specific guys that fill needs in late rounds of a draft, and these are two I will watch closely at the end of drafts and throughout April as the season begins.
It's been a big off-season for Houston. They've gone quickly through Billy Wagner, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Dan Wheeler, and now look to Jose Valverde to bring some stability to the position. They no longer have the Killer B's, but they have a solid foundation with Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, and Roy Oswalt. Fantasy-wise, if not baseball-wise, this should be a strong team.
Lineup:
- CF Michael Bourn
- 2B Kaz Matsui
- SS Miguel Tejada
- 1B Lance Berkman
- LF Carlos Lee
- RF Hunter Pence
- 3B Ty Wigginton
- C JR Towles
- Roy Oswalt
- Wandy Rodriguez
- Brandon Backe
- Felipe Paulino
- Woody Williams
Thoughts...
I'm a big fan of both Berkman and Lee. Run the numbers on Berkman and you'll find an interesting statistical anomaly - he performs significantly better in even-numbered years. This makes him even more attractive, and the multi-position eligibility never hurts. Lee is absolutely consistent, something that I think is very underrated in fantasy. Pence also gives you 20/20 potential in the outfield; I will be very interested to see what he does with a full season.
Their pitching staff is overall a mess. Oswalt has fallen from grace and is now a number 2 starter in fantasy. He's been in a statistical decline for the past couple seasons (falling strikeout numbers and win totals) but nonetheless I would take him as a number 2. Other than him and Valverde, I don't see an Astro pitcher worth touching. They aren't great and playing in such a hitter-friendly ballpark really hurts.
I have nothing bad to say about JR Towles. He is universally expected to go 10/10 or 15/15, which is excellent from a catcher (keep in mind you can probably get him 20 rounds after Russell Martin). If only he weren't batting in the 8th spot...
Everything I read places Tejada at .300 with 25 HR and 100 RBI in Minute Maid Park. With Berkman and Lee behind him, he'll definitely be scoring runs. I'm a little uneasy about the possibility of him doing jail time in midseason, but he goes pretty late and could get you some great value if you miss out on Reyes, Ramirez, and Rollins.
Finally, keep an eye on Bourn and Matsui. As far as I know, both usually go undrafted. If you're in round 20 looking at a team well-stocked with power, these guys could fill out a roster nicely and both could get you a lot of cheap steals. I'm big on targeting specific guys that fill needs in late rounds of a draft, and these are two I will watch closely at the end of drafts and throughout April as the season begins.
Labels: Team Analyses
posted by Pete Abbate at
11:20 PM
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