New at 2009 - little help from the veterans?

[cslip4]

I have not had a strat team for a few years and my first 2009 teams have not done well - looking for some help from the vets - league BP avg is 9.7 LH 9.9 RH - thanks for the advice

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/stratomatic/team/team_other.html?user_id=289885

[AeroDave10]

Overall, not too bad, but definitely a few shake-ups needed.

Hitting:
I'd look to drop the Phillies (Rollins, Victorino, and Werth), and possibly drop/trade Youkilis. I'd pick up Ethier (RF), Granderson (CF), and Brendan Ryan (SS), with an extra BAL L platoon partner in the OF (Evans, Johnson, Young?). Ryan will need a 1-1.5M backup, too.

Pitching:

Starters are ok. I'd pick up Laffey instead of Harrison to spot start and pitch in long relief. You need a closer. Drop Jamey Wright and pick up Carlos Marmol. I'd also pick up a righty specialist (Ziegler?) over Saito or Okajima.


I didn't do the math, but this may leave you with some more cash. Make sure you are putting a lot of money out on the field and leaving as little as possible sitting on the bench every game. It looks like you've done a good job of that so far. Good luck!

[cslip4]

Thanks for the input -any suggestions on a 3b - if I cut Youklis I may go with Blake and put the $ elsewhere

[AeroDave10]

[quote:bcf8ab9230="cslip4"]Thanks for the input -any suggestions on a 3b - if I cut Youkilis I may go with Blake and put the $ elsewhere[/quote:bcf8ab9230]

I would not suggest using Youkilis at 3B. I know it's tempting because he is decent there, but his best position is 1B, and so you are wasting money by putting him at 3B. Blake may be a decent option, but I'd also look to make a trade for someone (Prado, Young, Rolen).

[mfsleeze]

Personally I think you are overdoing the ballpark setup a bit. You should definitely set up your team to support your park, but you've gone all the way. I can't see how you can be a competitive team on the road unless your opponents are clueless. A couple cheap high LH balance starters will shut down that lineup. 2 of the 3 other teams in your division already have 2 LH starters each who are tough on lefties, and I assume they'll have more once they see what you've got.

Agree with AeroDave on Rollins, Victorino and Werth (too BP-dependent even though he's great vs LH). Look for guys with high BA and natural HR vs LHP to balance out your lineup, as Morneau, Dunn and Utley is a good LH core. Kubel also may not be great value for you, depending on how may RHP you will see (50/50 would be my guess at least in your division). But if you get a couple decent RH hitters he may be worth holding.

Pitching wise, I think you are in good shape.

[cslip4]

Thanks -is Ethier a better option than Kubel and platoon him with Kapler? Also, I could drop Rollins and go with Barlett which upgrades the offense?

[AeroDave10]

Why not have Ethier (RF) AND Kubel (LF)?

Bartlett may not fit as well in your division, though you obviously need to spend big somewhere if you drop Youkilis. He makes a great #2 hitter to balance in between a bunch of lefties.

[MARCPELLETIER]

I think Rollins is a great value. For the same price, Rollins alone (over 680PAs, no need of backup) is certainly a better option than Ryan + 1.5M back-up, at least in my book. Barrett is also a good option, but if you wonder where to spend the extra 9M, I would look for 3b and catcher before considering Rollins for Barrett. With the starting pitching rotation you have (no pitcher with positive holds), you don't need to spend on a catcher with a nice arm. I would rather go for an catcher with good onbase. Rolen and Martin would be my choice for 10M (9M + Laird) if I had an unlimited access to free agents.

[AeroDave10]

Use this website to look at the Free Agents available in other leagues: http://strato.berce.us/ ... Just go to the ATGIII link and you'll have to type in the six digit team/league ID found at the end of the link, in this case 289885.

Rolen is not currently available, but Martin is. He or Montero may be good choices for a catcher upgrade.

[cslip4]

Ok picked Martin - now have about 6 mil left - need a 3b and struck out on all trades - here who's out there:

Youkilis, Kevin BOS '09 R 3B 2e12 491 36 27 94 77 7 .305 .413 .548 2 1R 9.24M
Salazar, Oscar SD '09 R 3B 4e37 139 8 5 25 14 0 .302 .364 .496 1 3L 7.33M
Rodriguez, Alex NYY '09 R 3B 3e13 444 17 30 100 80 14 .286 .402 .532 3 E 6.36M
Blake, Casey LAD '09 R 3B 3e13 485 25 18 79 63 3 .280 .363 .468 1 3L 5.87M
Ramirez, Aramis CHC '09 R 3B 4e21 306 14 15 65 28 2 .317 .389 .516 4 3L 5.09M
McGehee, Casey MIL '09 R 3B 4e35 355 20 16 66 34 0 .301 .360 .499 1 1R 4.68M
Uribe, Juan SF '09 R 3B 3e18 398 26 16 55 25 3 .289 .329 .495 1 1R 4.17M
Beckham, Gordon CHW '09 R 3B 3e23 378 28 14 63 41 7 .270 .347 .460 1 1L 3.99M
Callaspo, Alberto KC '09 S 3B 4e6 576 41 11 73 52 2 .300 .356 .457 1 4L 3.87M
Kouzmanoff, Kevin SD '09 R 3B 2e5 529 31 18 88 27 1 .255 .302 .420 1 3L 3.63M
Belliard, Ronnie LAD '09 R 3B 3e15 264 14 10 39 20 3 .277 .325 .451 1 1L 3.43M
Harris, Willie WAS '09 L 3B 4e44 323 18 7 27 57 11 .235 .364 .393 2 3R 3.33M
Cantu, Jorge FLA '09 R 3B 4e29 585 42 16 100 47 3 .289 .345 .443 1 2L 3.23M
Hinske, Eric NYY '09 L 3B 4e15 190 12 8 25 27 1 .242 .348 .432 1 1R 3.03M
Counsell, Craig MIL '09 L 3B 3e22 404 22 4 39 42 3 .285 .357 .408 1 1R 3.01M