Last week, I talked about the “no-plan plan”, the approach I use for new ottoneu leagues. But that plan isn’t nearly as effective for most players moving into year two or beyond. Some teams are rebuilding, starting almost from scratch, entering the auction with 30 open roster spots and $350 to spend, and for them, last week’s plan is a-ok.

But what about the majority who have 10-15 spots to fill and specific needs? I try to use my rankings to establish the holes in my team, assign dollars to fill those holes, and pick targets who I think can be nabbed for those dollars.

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Your voices have been heard. Tallying six big votes for the next pitcher to be Pod Projected was 2012 breakout starting pitcher, Jeff Samardzija. I owned him in all of my leagues last year after scooping him up post-draft during spring training and I know how to spell his name without looking it up! Impressive feat, I know. So what will the “Shark” do for an encore?

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Recent injury data

 • Lance Berkman is at 80% after two off season knee surgeries. The team wants him at 100% before he joins the team. He could easiliy miss at least a couple of weeks at the beginning of the season.

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We all know where the Angels play — no need to distinguish them from all the other Angels teams in baseball — and it’s likely that we know their front five, too. At least on day one. Because if there’s any team that’s likely to need their six, seventh, and even eighth starters, it’s the Angels.

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You might think that being “lucky” enough to write about the potentially dreadful Houston infield might be a source of consternation for me. Not quite! At least I get Jose Altuve, who is potentially the only obvious standard-league draftable player on the entire Astros roster outside of maybe Bud Norris and whomever ends up collecting what few saves there might be. Read the rest of this entry »

The Texas Rangers’ hopes for contention in the strong AL West depends on whether their starting pitching can take a step forward. The club enters the year with more uncertainty at the position than they’ve experienced in recent seasons. In the past, the team had enough depth at the position to survive a let-down or injury. With Colby Lewis and Neftali Feliz out until at least mid-season, the club could be in trouble if any of their top-five options falter.

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Last Thursday, fellow RotoGrapher Chris Cwik tried to make sense of Justin Ruggiano’s half a season breakout performance last year. Chris primarily focused on historical comparables and concluded that it is unlikely that Ruggiano will continue to enjoy above average offensive performance. Looking at historical comparables is a good idea and tells us that Ruggiano is indeed facing long odds. However, I want to take that analysis one step further and dive into Ruggiano’s specific skill set to determine whether he’ll experience a better fate than the majority of the group in Chris’ sample.

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After being one of the most productive relievers and setup men for several years (without really using a fastball) Sergio Romo and his incredible slider were finally slotted into the closing role at the end of last season. After 14 saves, a 1.79 ERA on the year and a World Series title, it’s safe to say it was a smooth and successful transition.

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The Dodgers pen just might be one of the more interesting in the league. For the second year in a row, their best reliever will not be opening the season as closer and they have three former top-30 fantasy pitchers “fighting” to be the long-reliever on a team of all-stars and massive contracts. Tremendous roster turnover (at least amongst the relief corps) might have been lacking during the offseason, but that doesn’t mean the pecking order doesn’t offer the potential for intrigue.

The closer:
Brandon League

The setup guys:
Kenley Jansen
Ronald Belisario

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When I look at the Seattle Mariners projected pitching rotation, the 1987 Chicago Bulls leap to mind. Except Felix Hernandez really doesn’t even have a Charles Oakley behind him. And I guess that makes Joe Saunders Dave Corzine. Two sentences and a digression already. The fact is, the Seattle Mariners have a bonafide star, and then they have what amount to a gaggle of #4 starters and then a handful of question marks.

I don’t need to tell you much about Felix Hernandez. I have a suspicion that this whole MRI-elbowgate thing relative to his record-setting contract might move him down a slot or two for the suspicious type. And yes, I’ll be curious about his velocity in Spring Training. But chances are, you’ll be able to comfortably hang your hat on The King to carry your staff should you be fortunate enough to procure his services. From there, it gets kind of interesting.

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