New team: Waivers help needed!

[ANDYCOCHRANE]

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2005/team/team_other.html?user_id=28482

I am just about to do waivers and need help with my team. I am in a league with a Shea, Skydome and a Safeco, so looks like LHB will be needed. There are also 2 more Shea's in the league, 2 more Petco's, a Wrigley, Turner, Coors and Cellular. I am in Yankee. I was thinking of trying to get Guerro or Ortiz. I know Ortiz is better vs RHP but fancied his clutch ability. Any ideas are greatly appreciated either pre Waivers, they are this evening, or pre season, it starts in a week.

[hechojazz]

As Yankee is a balanced park, you're really free to design your team with more of an eye to your opponents' strengths and parks. You need more power in your hitting lineup - you've got a lot of defensive players that are nice, but get some good wood in there. Alou's obviously your DH-in-waiting, but you can dump him and add some more $$ to go for the biggest stick you can find. Most likely lots of lefties will be thrown at you in all those Sheas out there, so be careful about commiting to someone as righty-balanced as Ortiz as the centerpiece of your lineup. Definately stick with Guillen, and play him in RF - he's doing great for me, and that arm is good to have. As you've got three Sheas in your league, one in the division, all those left-balanced hitters will definately come in handy. The catching platoon is nice too.

You also have no credible backups for middle infield - see if you can snag Amazaga for .50. Together with Ventura you'll have the infield covered.

On pitching, watch out for Maddux in a lefty batting friendly park - I've got him doing well in Wrigley now, but on the road he can be a little scary. Try to pick up an extra starter balanced to the left who you can throw in now and then instead of Maddux, when the opposing lineup features a bunch of big lefty bats. Use the 4 *SP rotation otherwise. (Also regarding Maddux, he's got a terrible +7 hold rating for the opponent's baserunners - try to put pitchers with good hold ratings on either side of him in your rotation, to discourage teams from setting runners to be too aggressive).

For your pen, try to pick up a fairly even balanced R2 in the 1.5 - 2mil range to go with Moreno and Kolb. (Juan Cruz at 2.5mil would be terriffic if you can afford him). With those three, you can then get by with one or two mop up cheapies. Hope this helps!

[JOELKING]

Interesting comments.

However rule of thumb, NEVER build your team base on opponites, always build your team with your PARK. however, since your league is overwhelmed with shea, and more lefties favourite parks, you need some match-up pitchers in your ratation, I do recommend to have 4 starters and matchup starters, IF you can, otherwise, go with a balance starting rotation. and used it to match up with other parks, for example, if your playing in shea, throw some hard lefties, or rev righties if you need to.

Hitting, you really need a balance lineup, or like i just said above, matchups , but hitters. since your division is really more lefties, i would really consider more slanted to lefties bats then righties, also you do have alot money wasted in AROD, and vlad, I would consider one platoom for either vlad or arod( preferrly arod).

your SS, needs a serious upgrade, your 2nd base is solid, who is playing 3b? oh ya right arod, i would dump him since you have vlad. Gullien is interesting sometimes he does well, other times he sux realy bad, lefties parks he cant hit in. MHO, Freel is nice, could play almosy any position and good lead-off hitter. you do need a 1st baseman. catchers are ok. pitchering, that I wont really make much comment on.

I hope this help abit as well. Good luck.

[visick]

Try and grab Cliff Lee, Eric Dubose, Chris Capuano or even Washburn if he's available. Even Milton would be OK to throw in Shea.

[hechojazz]

I've got Guillen in Wrigley, so perhaps his numbers are a bit skewed since it is such a righty park, but there are two Sheas in other divisions and he has hit well there. He is balanced RE, and is actually hitting .023 higher against lefthanded pitching than against right. After 63 games he's had 242 ABs, hitting .306 with an OBP of .367 and is slugging to the tune of .508...12 HR and 45 RBI. 9 doubles, 2 triples and 15 walks, and he's had a 15 game hit streak. I've got him firmly penciled into the 4 hole behind Bonds against righties and lefties. Only one error in 63 games too. I'd keep him if I were you. At 4.92mil he's been a great value for me.

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2005/team/team_other.html?user_id=22621

And by the way - for .73 Andy Good has been a remarkably effective pitcher for me, mostly in relief with one spot start. He's an S5/R3 balanced RE. With 29IP he's got the best ERA and ratio (1.86 and .66) on my team! Very unexpected. He does have 3 BPHRs to the right and 2 to the left, but he's only given up 3 HRs in those 29 innings. Maybe the rolls have just been kind to me, but I'd see if you could pick him up too. Just a little more than my two cents I guess...