by toshiro » Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:30 pm
SS -- A '3' is generally a bad proposition, esp in Rogers Ctr. Pitching staffs get hammered there. I like Rollins better, then stick him at leadoff. Speed is as important if not moreso than onbase at leadoff. Plus, he's a lefty, which is worth about +5 pts in 2007 with all the XR righty pitchers.
For RF, is Gross available? He's a fine #2 hitter with speed, onbase and power and can platoon with the most excellent Sheff (w/his 50 pts onbase vs L). There aren't enough lefties in 2007 to justify Vlad (the set plays a lot like 2003 when all the lefties sucked). Plus, Vlad is just slow. He can't hold a candle to Soriano in the runs scored dept.
Haven't seen a lot of good things out of Berkman in 2007. I've found LaRoche to be a very solid hitter. Scott and Beltran should be enough onbase, you need some 'cleaners'. That would save some $$$ for pitching.
Dunno about Paulino. Ross would be amazing at Rogers (or any park for that matter).
Soriano is just a beast. Best #5 hitter in the league. I'd keep him. His individual numbers don't impress but he always rings it in w/tons of rbi AND runs.
A lineup like this would rock in Rogers:
Rollins
Gross
Scott
Beltran
Soriano
Laroche
Ensberg
Paulino
Kennedy
You'll need some good RPs to bail out your rotation in Rogers. Shields is the best!