Is this team in trouble?

[BeltranFebles]

c- Suzuki
1b- Guillen
2b - Cano
3b - Atkins
ss- Tulowitzki
lf- Soriano
cf- Sizemore
rf- Rios
dh - Hanley Ramirez

sp- Hamels, Smoltz, Lincecum, McGowan, Pettitte, Jimenez
rp- Soriano, Heilman, Beimel, Chulk, Hennessy

This is pre-waivers. My ballpark is Camden, with two US Cells and a Minute Maid in my division.
Will this team hit RH pitching? Any suggested lineups? Who is the most expendable of my hitters?

Thanks.

[the splinter]

I would say this team will score...but that they will be unable to catch any thing hit out of the batters box. Sizemore, Rios and Tulo are the only guys who can catch at all. This will hurt your already marginal staff bigtime....

a few suggestions.....

1. replace Cano with a glove...there are plenty of good 2's at 2b who can hit a bit this year.

2. Either/both Soriano or Atkins needs to be replaced with a better glove...my instinct says Soriano..maybe with a platoon that can lead off....Lofton and ????

3. replace your pen...they will get rocked in the division.

again...just some ideas...do with them what you may.

[scorehouse]

i would add a couple of players with higher obp. no good to have power with no one on base to drive in?

[RICHARDMILTER]

Except for RF,CF, and SS no one can field?????????????? I got news for you bra, that is half the team that can field! 3 out of 7 anyway! Take all advice with a very large grain of salt. Some guys refuse to play unless they have all 1s. That strategy is not the only strategy! But do what you like!

[BeltranFebles]

Thanks for the advice. It's not always possible to have 1's across the board. I am strong up the middle with Sizemore, Tulo and Mauer.

v.R
Sizemore - cf
Mauer -c
Pence - rf
Atkins - 3b
Guillen - 1b
Soriano - lf
HRamirez - dh
Cano - 2b
Tulowitzki - ss

v.L
Sizemore - cf
Cano - 2b
HRamirez - dh
Pence - rf
Guillen - 1b
Tulowitzki - ss
Soriano - lf
Atkins - 3b
Mauer - c

Sizemore is a 1, Tulo and Mauer - 2, Pence, Guillen and Cano - 3, Atkins and Soriano -4
Not ideal but I need the power Atkins and Soriano bring.

The staff is:
Smoltz, Hamels, Lincecum, McGowan, Hughes
Pen is:
Soriano, Heilman, Beimel, Peralta, Chulk, Hennessy.

I love Soriano's WHIP but that HR ratio scares me. Considering a few options at closer -- namely Valverde or Wagner. Debating whether to make a move. Anyone have any preference?

Also, anyone like Kelly Johnson over Robi Cano at 2b?

Thanks.

[JdEarly]

You're gonna have some issues with Mauer's injuries. Do you have a capable backup, at least? Can you provide a link to your team? I just think we'd be able to help you better if we could see more than just the starters and pitching staff.

Like rmilter said, take all suggestions with a grain of salt. This team was purchased with your money, correct? On the same note, rmilter said, more or less, "half of your team can field, do what you like." Doesn't sound like the most involved advice, I have to say.

I am not one of the people mentioned needing "all 1's," and to be honest, I don't know of anyone out there who requires that in order to play. Some people prefer strong defense because they're in a pitcher's park, where every run really matters. In your division, I think you might be able to get away with Atkins and Soriano in the same lineup - [i:a9dfa44d89]might[/i:a9dfa44d89]. Granted, I have yet to play with the new set, but my strategy has always been strong defense up the middle, with solid defense on the corners.

C- I like a 2 with a strong arm. A three with a really strong arm would be okay. I feel that spending money for a 1 at catcher might be a waste, unless they come with a monster bat as well.

1B/3B - In the previous set, I was okay with a 3 on defense at these positions, with a bat to compensate for the average defense. I even went with Miguel Cabrera, a 4e18 last year, at 3B because I felt his bat more than made up for his shortcomings in the field. That's just an example.

2B/SS - In these positions, I tend to go for strong defense, a 1 or 2, with good speed and OBP if possible. A good value (in my opinion) in the current set would be Omar Vizquel. He'll offer little to no offense, but he offers excellent defense at a premium position while allowing you to spend more money on a bat elsewhere.

CF - I try to get a 1, but am totally okay with a 2 with a good arm. Sizemore offers you great range out there, and a neutral (0) arm. I think he's a decent fit. In last year's set, I found Chris Duffy to be a great value as a 1 in CF for 1.74M.

LF/RF - I like to have defense in the corner outfield spots, because an error or a hit due to poor range could lead to a couple of runs based on the situation. In the link I am going to send you, I used Endy Chavez, a 1 in LF, and Magglio Ordonez, a 3 in RF. If you can find a real thumper in the corner outfield spots, and your DH spot is already taken, I would take a 4, provided that I think their bat will offset the glove.

Does that all make sense? I've also always found that speed and doubles match up pretty well, so that you can score runs without the longball. You pay a lot more for homers than you do for doubles or speed. As you'll see, I had Cabrera and his poor glove in the field, while I had Michael Young, a 3e14 SS at DH because of his batting average and doubles.

These are all just ideas. I don't know the current set all that well, but I figured maybe you could use some of my philosophy in building a team. As before, take it with a grain of salt. It works for me, though.

Link to a championship team:
http://members.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2007/team/team_other.html?user_id=20429

[BeltranFebles]

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=67779

Thanks JD. Here is a link to the team. I am very undecided about my bullpen.

The candidates to close are Soriano OR Capps, Wagner, Valverde, Street or Corpas or a player to be named by the masses.

Thanks.

[JdEarly]

Okay, I can give you a position by position analysis of what I think of your team. Again, take it with a grain of salt.

Pitching: I think that in terms of fantasy teams, you've got one heck of a pitching staff. For the purpose of Strat, though, I wouldn't be comfortable with it. Here are my main concerns...

1. In a park slanted to favor right handed batters, I wouldn't have my most expensive starter be left handed... unless his name was Johan Santana. Hamels can get the strikeouts, and he'd be a nice #1 or #2 in a pitcher's park, but in Camden I see him giving up a lot of bombs that your team might not be able to recover from.

2. Rafael Soriano is in the same boat with the homers. He's got a 'HOMERUN' on a 5 roll against left handed batters. I fear that could lose you at least a couple of games on walk-offs. Other than that, he looks like a very good piece in your bullpen. I'd do what I could to pick up a top flight closer, but I'm not sure what the pricing is in this set.

3. Maybe a left hander who can both start and relieve would be a good addition to your staff. You've got one left handed starter and one left handed reliever. Granted, your park is slanted towards right handers, but you won't be playing every game there. You could wind up wishing you hand an extra lefty hanging around.

Your offense looks decent enough to me, but again, I do have my concerns.

C- Joe Mauer has an excellent card. If he posts 600 at bats like a regular player, you could reasonably expect 40-45 doubles and a batting average near .300. Not too shabby for a catcher, if you ask me. On the other hand, he's got an injury rating of 4, which means you're likely to get a heavy dose of Gerald Laird and his .224 batting average while Mauer soaks in the trainer's ice bucket with his 4.71M salary. A scary proposition. While Mauer's batting average increases with two out and RISP, Laird's goes down. There are an awful lot of players on your roster like this (low clutch performance).

1B- Carlos Guillen, who could hit 35 doubles and 20 homers with a batting average near .300 and one error every twenty games doesn't seem like a bad option to me. He'll run a little bit, too, which I always view as a bonus. My only issue with Guillen would be his low clutch.

2B- Robinson Cano is an offensive force, make no mistake. Reminds me of Carlos Guillen, without the stolen bases. Unfortunately, he's not a defensive whiz and I don't think his offense will be enough to offset his errors. Just my opinion. Also low clutch. An idea, if you're okay with a 3 at 2B, might be to just go ahead and start Theriot there while moving Cano's money around to make improvements elsewhere. With Theriot, you've got stolen bases, the ability to bunt and hit & run, and half as many errors as Cano. Just a thought. Theriot also has a positive clutch rating.

3B- Garrett Atkins could be a nice run producer for your club. With his slant towards being better against right handed pitching, that should fit well in Camden. He's a poor fielder with a poor clutch rating, but I think he'll be fine.

SS- Good defense, good bat for a shortstop, ability to bunt or hit & run when needed... this guy can mash or play small ball. I really like Tulo's card.

LF- Alfonso Soriano is going to be a sore spot in your outfield all season long, but he's slanted against right handers and should benefit from playing in Camden. Not too bad. His glove and OBP leave a lot to be desired, but the speed he gives you offsets that a little bit. Also poor clutch. I hope you get more than 70 RBI for the 33 homers he hit for Chicago in '07.

CF- Grady Sizemore offers great range in center, top end speed on the bases, and the ability to swipe some bags for you. Put all that with the extra base hits he brings to the table, and I really like the way he could fit in your lineup. Like Soriano, he batted leadoff much of the season so his RBI totals were low - this leads to poor clutch numbers in Strat.

RF- In right, you've got Pence and Cabrera. Pence offers high batting average, decent pop, and the ability to swipe a few bags (a recurring theme on this team, I like it!). He also brings the added baggage of high injury rates, which scares me. Cabrera should be an adequte replacement with Pence injured. If Pence is healthy, Cabrera offers a nice late inning defensive replacement for Soriano. He fits your squad nicely.

DH- Hanley Ramirez. Poor defense hidden at the DH spot. Check. Poor clutch will be hidden by batting leadoff, second, or third. Check. Everything else is incredible. HANLEY!!!

Bench/unmentioned- Julio Lugo, at .50M, makes for a very nice pinch runner. He offers no value as a starter, but as a pinch runner I don't think he will dissappoint you. The presence of Tulo at short will keep Lugo's glove off the field all season. Nice player to have around in your situation.

I like this team, it's not too shabby. My biggest change, although many people might disagree with me, would be to drop Cano, start Theriot (batting ninth, like a second leadoff hitter), and use the savings to upgrade the bullpen. In a righty slanted park, you've currently got a lot of players who will, more than likely, bat left handed an awful lot of the time (Cano, Guillen, Mauer, Sizemore, Cabrera) Beyond that, other than being a little bit scared by the injury ratings on Mauer and Pence, I really think you could make some noise.

I hope that helps.

[durantjerry]

I agree with most of JD's observations. Best pitcher ideally s/b RH. Maybe Hoffman for closer if available. I would also dump Cano. Maybe a cheaper guy with a glove and a lefty slant so he could bat ninth vs RHP's and 2nd vs LHP's like Cano. Your lineup vs RHP's is strong enough without Cano. I would use the cash to upgrade pitching. Maybe a real good RH set up to help Hoffman, as your starters are kind of weak.

[durantjerry]

How about Lorretta @ 2B?