Manny

Holy Shit! If the Dodgers lose the series it surely won't be because of the efforts of one Manny Ramirez. He is absolutely locked in and is trying to drag the team into the World Series.

So far, he is hitting .500 (11/22) with 3HRs, 9RBIs, and 10BBs in the post-season.

This performance will surely push him higher in the 2009 drafts. Please don't be fooled though. He should be drafted as a early 5th to early 6th rounder.

NLCS

After two quick games the Phillies are half way to making an appearance in the World Series while the Dodgers, led by Manny, are left wondering what happened to their momentum while trying to see if they can make this series interesting.

The NLCS has a few players you should keep an eye on for the 2009 fantasy season draft.

Brad Lidge just converted his 2nd save in the NLCS and it seems like he will never give up a lead...ever! After recovering from injuries and also the Pujols HR, it seems Lidge is back on top of his game and is ready for elite closer status. Ok, he is up their with the best closers in the game but make sure you don't over play for him in the 2009 draft. He is having a career year and has the ability to hold down a bullpen but in my eyes he is still not in the same league as Papelbon, F-Rod, Joe Nathan, and Soria. If Lidge has a rediculous post-season watch for people to draft him higher than his true value.

Ryan Howard is not doing anything but walking back to the dug-out. He is batting a nice .000 in two games in the NLCS. Don't worry about him, he's s slugger and can easily go off for 5HR's in the next 2/3 games.

Chad Billingsley was hammered in game 2 of the NLCS but this is not going to affect his 2009 draft position, a 9-12 round pick. He should be your 2nd SP for next year.

Clayton Kershaw is throwing some post-season innings and I think this is great for his mental state and overall experience. This is a pitcher you need to keep an eye on. After exploding onto the scene this year and making a #1 waiver priority in ALL leagues, this guy is primed for a strong 2009 season. He has the stuff, just needs the confidence from himself and his team. He is a lock for a draft pick next year but make sure to draft him in the late rounds, watch people who draft him early because they are gambling.

Manny is being Manny.

ALCS Rays?!?!

If I told you at the start of training camp that the Rays, yes the Tampa Bay Rays, would be 4 wins away from the World Series I guarantee you would have told me I was smoking/snorting something illegal in most parts of the world.

But as we speak the Rays are on their way to the ALCS to play their division rivals the Boston Red Sox. Again, who has the best division in baseball...the AL EAST is just loaded with talented teams. I am very excited to watch some baseball between these two teams.

On the fantasy side, make sure to keep an eye out for Pena, Longoria, Iwamura, and Upton. I didn't even mention Crawford. These Rays can produce.

Look for more information concerning fantasy implications throughout the ALCS.

CC Sabathia

The season is finally over for CC Sabathia and now comes the greatest time in the year for him and his agent, FREE AGENCY!! In the off-season Sabathia will garner plenty of attention from the big salary teams and maybe even a few small market teams might throw something in just to show their fans they "tried" to land the big fish.

The problem I see with Sabathia is the tremendous workload he took on this season. He pitched a total of 253 innings in the regular season and another 3.2 innings in the playoffs. Simple math and that comes out to be 256.2 innings pitched in 2008. 256.2?!?!?! holy shit, that's a lot of innings and you still haven't added in the really high pitch counts he threw during those innnings. During his stretch with the Brewers he basically threw 110-130 every game.

Over his entire career this guy has been a work horse and has found a way to stay off the DL. Since 2001 he has pitched at least 180.1 innings and peaked at 241 last season. So, I guess the added 15.2 innings isn't huge but in my eyes this has to take a toll.

I know there is an argument between traditional guys and current guys with respect to the innings. The traditional coming with the old guys use to pitch 300 innings every year and didn't worry about a pitch count while the "newbies" baby their pitchers. I kind of lean towards babying them by watching their pitch counts, especially early in the year. Anyways, this talk belongs in another post.

Fantasy baseball information time. People should be drafting Sabathia as a 2nd/3rd rounder next year. BUT, I would be a little skeptical on his performane just because of his added workload over the past two season. But again, there are special guys out there, for example Roy Halladay. If it wasn't for all those freak injuries he would be throwing 30 starts every year as well. Draft him because if you don't someone else will because anchoring your rotation with Sabathia isn't the worst thing in the world.

Rich Harden

On and off again injured Rich Harden finished his 2008 season with 148 regular season innings and 4.1 playoff innings, which comes to a total of 152.1 innings pitched. This is great news because he has not reached this since 2004 when he threw 189.2 innings.

After looking over his stats for his entire career I am still scared shitless when it comes to Harden. I will never draft him, unless he is available during the last few rounds, because there is always the possibility he will only give me 20 innings because of injuries. I am absolutely thrilled he was able to throw 152.1 innings this year but will this be a normal thing from now on? Will he be able to throw every 5th day? Will he be able to stay healthy for an entire year? Does he have management that will take the chance and let him throw 100+ pitches every outing?

There are too many questions when it comes to Harden and that is why I would suggest not drafting in the 2009 fantasy season unless it is a complete bargain, last few rounds. In my eyes, I always let Harden become someone elses problem. Don't let this season blind you and make you a believer because one single season means nothing.

Why not make him a dominating 2 inning closer? There are so many questions surrounding Harden that it just makes no sense in my mind to draft him.

Bay and Drew

Jason Bay and JD Drew of the Red Sox seem to be making headlines on a daily basis. This is the kind of news that haunts many new and seasoned fantasy owners into thinking they are worth a high draft pick.

Here are reasons why one of these guys should find himself in a high draft pick while the other should still be drafted lower in the draft.

Starting with JD Drew, we see he has had a nice 2008 season with 109 games played hitting 19HRs and driving in 64 all while batting a solid .280AVG. People will look at his numbers and think it was fairly impressive but if any smart fantasy owner should realize is this player shouldn't be making a spot on fantasy teams early in drafts. This is the kind of player that will cost you a fantasy championship if you draft him too high. The big number that is telling of his downfall is the games played. This guy simply can not stay healthy for an entire season. If you look at this overall statistics throughout his career you will see that he has never played in more than 146 games in a single year. In ten years of full time play he has logged 5 seasons with under 109 games played. The next 5 range from 135 games played to 146. He just isn't durable. For all the hype this guy gets from his fat contracts and his appearances in the headlines, he isn't a legit OF in fantasy land. He should be drafted as a 3rd/4th OF in mixed leagues.

Moving onto the Canadian Jason Bay. This former 4th/5th rounder in fantasy drafts from 2005-2006 should make a run back to this type of draft position. He has proven in the past he can stay healthy and play on a daily basis while putting big numbers. It seems Bay has found a nice home in Boston and it now seems he will provide the Red Sox with a nice bat that can give fantasy owners a comfortable feeling when drafting him in the late 3th to 6th rounds in 2009. Look for people to reach a little on this player but remember, don't go reaching too far for him. He has the pop to give you power and also chip in 8-10SBs but he won't give you the numbers for a second round player.

Tampa Bay

The Rays, in their first playoff appearance, are making a name for themselves and fast. They are leading the Central Division Champs two games to none in a short 5-game ALDS.

Here are a few things to take note of for the 2009 Fantasy Season.

Evan Longoria is showing he is not just a regular season performer but a post season hero as well. He is currently batting .571 with 4hits which includes 2HRs. Look for his value to sky-rocket next year if he continues his successful post-season. If the Rays make the ALCS or even the World Series other fantasy owners will start to recognize his Longoria's ability to crush the ball.

Rocco Baldelli is back and has quietly put himself back on some hardcore fantasy player's radars. After another setback in spring training from a mitocondrial disorder that landed him on the 60-Day DL he has come back to provide the Rays with some pop off the bench. Owners should make sure his name is on your draft sheets, if he continues to stay healthy, because Baldelli might be that sleeper that can bring you some hitting stats (.275-.285AVG, 15-25HRs, 75-100RBIs, and throw a hand full of steals in as well). The only thing holding him back is his injuries. If he can stay healthy most owners can grab him near the end of the 2009 fantasy draft as a 4th/5th outfielder.

Manny Ramirez

Well, the Dodgers and Torre seem to be pretty happy with the acquisition of Manny. This guy can plain out hit. He is the purest baseball hitter in baseball and when he is happy he can literally carry an entire 60-man roster on his back.

In the 2008 playoffs he is hitting .500 with 2HR's, 3RBI's, and 2BB's. If his hitting continues, which it seems like he will, pitchers will most likely add to his BB total.

BTW...does anyone remember my prediction on March 26, 2008 about Manny's season numbers? Well if you just tuned in here is the link to my old post.

My Prediction - .303, 37HRs, 120RBIs, and 101Rs.
Actual 2008 Season Stats - .332, 37HRs, 121RBIs, and 102Rs.

The only category where I was a little off was his .332 AVG. But I was off by only 1RBI and 1R.

Ms. Cleo eat your heart out!!!

Final Day

The 2008 Fantasy Baseball Season is coming to a close and I apologize for not keeping up to date with my posts compared to the beginning of the season. The past couple of months have been super busy and coming to the computer and spending enough time to provide an insightful and productive post was just not going to happen.

I hope the posts during the first half of the season really helped some fantasy owners and maybe even set a foundation for the rest of the season, every category can be one by only one Run, RBI, or Save. The lesson is and will always be, "Everyday and every stat counts!"

As I look forward there is the MLB play-offs and of course the off-season which will provide fantasy owners plenty of time to think and re-calculate their 2009 plan.

I will continue to find time to post, hopefully 1 or 2 posts a week, during the off-season to provide some information about players and their future with fantasy owners.

So, for those of you who are celebrating a win, Congratulations. For those who are still battling into the final day of the season, Good Luck. And for the ones who were out and lost a chance at the championship, there is always next year. Remember, it is never too early to start thinking about draft positions and strategy for the next season.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to come over here and read my thoughts and ideas about Fantasy Baseball. I thoroughly enjoyed posting, when I did, so please stay tuned for more updates in the upcoming months. I promise that posts will be on a schedule and more importantly a predictable schedule.

Just a tidbit of information. I am in the midst of finishing 3rd in both leagues I am in with a slight chance of 2nd in both leagues.

V-Mart

It took 58 games and 207 at-bats but Victor Martinez of the Indians has finally hit his first home run of the 2008 season. For owners of V-Mart this has been a terrible year especially since he was expected to hit 20HRs and drive in around 90-100.

Those who drafted him high and/or had him as a keeper may have lost this year just because of this production or lack of. By drafting him high you gave up the chance of drafting other players, same goes for having him as a keeper.

If he can put up 6-10HRs this month he might be able to keep himself in the lineup as the full-time DH because with the way Shoppach has been hitting, it would be nearly impossible to take Shoppach out of the lineup.