2011 Draft Prognosis

Ok, now that the fun has started, who is going to be basking in the sunshine and who may be ducking for cover in the summer thunderstorms. I will be looking at strengths and weaknesses of each team based on drafting position only, not final outcomes.

Hardballers: Getting Pujols at the top always helps a club, but Randy still had to draft well after a fairly easy decision. The team is balanced and has a quality infield. Like most of Randy's teams, this one will hit for average, get hits, and score runs. Decent in SB's. Starting pitching will get good number of K's with Scherzer, Jimenez, and Gonzalez. Weaknesses: Not a lot of glaring weak points for this club, but the team could use some more power. Had better hope Quentin stays healthy for majority of time. The back end of the starting rotation at pitchers 4 and 5 are suspect. I see some streaming in the future. Right now despite 4 relievers, only 2 can get saves. Should get a third.
Prognosis: Watch out for this team. Could be Randy's year to win it all!

Wooster Panties: Strengths are Hanley R., Kinsler, Holliday and Werth. Right behind are Carlos Santana and David Ortiz. Standout pitching in Sabathia and Carpenter. Good ERA on the pitching staff. Overall, this club is pretty average. You look at the numbers from last year and there is not much to jump up and get excited about, but yet there are some proven vets on this team. The big question is can the vets stay healthy? If so, then good things can happen. Speed is not there as a glaring weak spot, but most of everything is just middling stats for the most part.
Prognosis: Have I already mentioned "Average?"

Sultan of Swat: Sorry Chad, but am giving you a pass since you had the unfortunate mishap during the draft. Not fair to look at your club since you didn't draft yourself.

BASEMAN: Strengths are balance on offense with speed and power. Starters from 1-5 are solid as one looks at the ERA. Weaknesses: Need some bounce back years from Teixeira and Victorino with batting averages, Markakis to develop more power, and Wieters to live up to the hype. Relief pitching has 3 closers and one potential, but not household names. Who will be B-Man's D-Backs relievers this year?
Prognosis: BASEMAN will always be a thorn in the side. Teams always find a way.

Zonk: A definite strength is relief pitching and that is where I start. HMMMMM! Also like the starting staff's ERA led by Lincecum and Bucholz. Offensive stars are Votto, V-Mart, Ichiro, and Nelson Cruz. Weaknesses: Can this club stay healthy? Talk about some risks with Roberts, Aramis Ramirez, Beltran, and Sizemore. I would have loved this club 2-3 years ago, when these players could actually get out of bed in the morning.
Prognosis: This club would worry me throughout the season wondering when the next player is going to break down. Not a way to go for 6 months.

Stars: Strengths are again fielding an excellent offensive club. There is balance all the way around. Sandoval should have bounce back year, which makes the offense even more scary. Top 3 starters on the staff (Johnson, Greinke, and Hanson). How did Stars get all 3 of these guys? Weaknesses: No pop for Gardner and Andrus. I am reaching here everyone. Back end of rotation is shaky.
Prognosis: What do you expect? Another contending team for the title and a favorite with this club.

Uticans: Can you say Uticans and Starting pitching staff as a strength in the same sentence? Has one of the top staffs in the league with Hamels, Liriano, Haren, and Sanchez. Lots of K's! But, lots of BB's too. Even the pen is solid with Papelbon, Frankie Rodriguez, and Thornton. Lots of hits and batting average on offense with Mauer, a now healthy Morneau, Cargo, and Pence leading the way. Oh yeah, Jose Reyes may have a big year too for a contract year. Weaknesses: This team could use a little more power in HR and RBI dept. Chris Johnson and Aaron Hill are questions marks. Also, why 3 Astros drafted on offense? Someone has to hit for them. Better be those 3 players.
 Prognosis: Much improved team from last year. I think Kerm will be pleased with his pitching staff for once. This team can be sneaky good this year.

Ageless One: What stands out to me is power up and down the lineup, which is unlike teams of old for Mike. Very surprised to see this kind of makeup on his team. Weaver and Oswalt are a good 1-2 punch on the frontline of the rotation. Needs Weeks, Huff, and Hart to produce like they did last year and that will make this team real tough. Weaknesses: Need McClouth and B.J. Upton to pick it up! If Weeks goes down, Huff comes back to earth, and Hart slumps, then could be a long season. Question marks abound on this club. Fernando Rodney as closer. This is the best the Halos have in the 9th??? Give me a break! This guy is liable to walk 3 straight batters with no outs and get out of the inning though to save a game, so who knows? Just hard to live with him.
Prognosis: Very hard team to figure out. There are so many possibilities. So, I will go middle of the pack.

Fear the Beard: Love the outfield and speed on this team. Heyward, McCutcheon, and Crawford is a deadly combination for the aforementioned speed and runs. Like Ageless this isn't a team reminiscent of Timmy's past ones. Also, tons of starting pitching depth. Weaknesses: The opposite of speed is obviously power, which is what this team lacks. Also, on offense, there is no depth whatsoever. Morales is out for some time at the start of the year.
Prognosis: For this team to be taken seriously there has to be some balance. I think Timmy will straighten that out in time.

Tennessee Hitters: Tommy absolutely loaded up on offense as it is kind of scary and may be Tommy's best team yet! Getting Braun and Adrian Gonzalez in the first two rounds really isn't fair. Plus with Prado at second and Beltre at third, then the potential for weekly fireworks is likely. Beltre will hit in Texas even if this isn't a contract year. Speed in Rajai Davis, Jimmy Rollins, and Angel Pagan, what is not to like? Stanton can also bust out the power stick anytime too. Weaknesses: Pitching is decent, but not a weekly threat. Let's just say better hope to beat Tommy here because most weeks the offense will go to him in points. Needs more relief.
  Prognosis: Hitters continues his assault on trying to get a league title!

Champions: Well, how does our league winner look this year? There is definitely some thump on the squad this year unlike last. Homeruns and RBI's are plentiful. And of course, Champs has thrown a little speed into the mix as well. The pitching staff is led of course by Halladay and Lee. Do they play for the Phillies? Who is going to beat Champs weekly in BB's? Usually teams do not have a decided advantage here, but outside of Jaime Garcia at 64 BB's, the next highest is 37 by Carl Pavano who pitched 221 innings. Not fair Ed, not fair. Solid relief pitching. Weaknesses: Despite the power on offense, there is not much in the way of runs and hits. I do think the offense is better than last year however. But, I also think the pitching is not as strong even with Halladay and Lee. Some soft tossers, who won't help much in strikeouts, so here is where to get a point.

Prognosis: Champs really won with pitching last year and the hitting got hot at the end of the year. Had arguably the best pitching of all-time (I would challenge that with my squad of Greinke, Lincecum, and Jimenez however). If Utley comes back, which is a big "IF", then this team can contend in the upper half. Without Utley, a repeat performance of last season is highly unlikely. Sorry Ed, nothing personal after losing to you in the title, but callling em' as I see em.'

Caz Creek: I really want to write Squirrels, but will abide by your new name, although Squirrels is the preferred choice. Picking 12th can be tricky, but Juan got Wright and Hamilton with those picks. Let's start there as strengths. Posey, Rasmus, and Stubbs have huge upside. Look for improved years from them. Very strong relief in Feliz and Bell! Two of the best! Combination of Verlander and Lester are two of the best on the frontline. Weaknesses: Question marks at 1B, SS, and bench? Even though there are solid players with upside, there is still not enough proven experience on the club overall. Lots of young players with still talent to prove. For instance, I like Gaby Sanchez, but not as a starting 1B. Nishioka or Brignac at short? Is it Matusz, Romero, or Hudson's time yet?
Prognosis: Better have young guns play over their heads. Just too many players not ready to produce as top fantasy players yet. Hope you enjoyed the 2011

Prognosis from BASEMAN!