Fantasy Baseball 2008

Jacoby Ellsbury | OF | Boston Red Sox | AL
So maybe Johnny Pesky overstated himself when he dubbed Ellsbury the next Ted Williams, but look for Ellsbury to build on what he did last year, (oh, and in case you missed that, he hit .353 in 33 regular season games and hit .438 in the World Series). Look for Ellsbury to solidify himself at the lead off spot, hit for average, steal bases, and score a lot of runs. And as for the spring training competition in center field, the incumbent Coco Crisp has shown very little, slowed by a sore groin and root canal surgery, and will likely be traded.

Phil Hughes | SP | New York Yankees | AL
Yankee fans have been hearing about Phil Hughes for more than 2 years now. People forget that Hughes arrived a year early last year as he was supposed to spend the whole season in the minors. The Yankees starting pitching problems forced him up in May and he immediately suffered a hamstring injury in his second start (while working on a no hitter). Hughes has been in Tampa throwing since January and is the farthest along of any Yankees starter so far in camp. He has all his pitches working as he did during his stellar appearance against Cleveland last October when he had finally regained all the strength in his legs after the hamstring injury. People forget that less than 12 months ago Hughes was a much higher rated prospect than Joba Chamberlain. He will also only be moderately affected by an innings limit in the 160 range. Look for Hughes to be in the 15 win range this season and provide an excellent source of K’s and WHIP.

Ubaldo Jiménez | SP | Colorado Rockies | NL
Jiménez figures to be the 3rd starter in the Rockies rotation in 2008. In 15 starts in 2007 Jiménez posted an impressive .228 BAA and 7.4 K per 9IP. While Coors field still causes people to shy away from Rockies pitchers, it isn’t the same disaster for pitchers that it once was. Jiménez actually had an ERA over a full run better at home than on the road in 2007. From a fantasy standpoint Jiménez is the perfect guy to pickup in the later rounds of your draft. He has shown he can produce at the big league level and he no doubt will be off of many people’s radar because of the no longer relevant “Coors effect”. He’ll be a good source of Ks and his ERA and WHIP are not going to hurt you and if he continues to develop like most scouts believe he could wind up being a steal while holding down the 3rd or 4th starter spot on your fantasy staff.

Nick Swisher | OF | Chicago White Sox | AL
Swisher has been on the cusp of a breakout for a couple years now. One of the stars of Moneyball has never gotten his average above .265 but he is still a solid source of OPS, R, HR and RBI. Also do not underestimate the change from pitcher friendly Oakland to a more hitter friendly Chicago.

Johnny Damon | OF, DH
Bobby Abreu | OF
Jason Giambi | 1B, DH
New York Yankees | AL
All 3 fit into the same category to various degrees. All have admitted to being out of shape during the first few months of last season. All have said (and it has shown so far) that they have worked out all winter and are in the best shape they have been in years. Giambi and Abreu are in contract years and both (especially Abreu) can still cash in on one more big contract. Look for Abreu to not have his early season slide. Look for Giambi to get most of the teams ABs at DH as Matsui is still hobbled by his knee injury. And look for Abreu and especially Damon to run a lot more under new manager Joe Girardi’s aggressive NL style of play. All are good values from where they are being drafted on average and will provide better than expected production in 2008.

Ryan Garko | 1B | Cleveland Indians | AL
In only 484 ABs last year Garko hit .289 with 21 HRs. He looks to be firmly entrenched as the teams 5th hitter and will be a nice consistent source of Rs, HRs and RBIs throughout the year. His AVG and OPS are also above average.

James Loney | 1B | Los Angeles Dodgers | NL
In only 344 ABs in 2007 Loney hit for a .331AVG with 15HRs and 67RBIs. Loney figures to hit 5th in the Dodgers lineup so he will have plenty of opportunities to continue his production from a year ago. Loney is currently being drafted after the likes of Todd Helton, Alex Gordon and Carlos Pena and has more upside than all three of those players. So do yourself a favor if you don’t end up with a tier first baseman and hold off a few picks and take Loney. He (along with Ryan Garko) is a guy that can be taken later in a draft and has the potential to give you early round production.

Billy Butler | DH | Kansas City Royals | AL
Butler was called up towards the middle to end of last season and was a useful fantasy player down the stretch. He has virtually no competition for the Royals DH gig with Mike Sweeney out of the picture and will have every opportunity to put up consistent numbers with this season. Look for Butler to hit .290 this year with 20HR, 80R and 90RBI which for a later round 1B/DH pick is very serviceable (especially for AL only leagues).

Delmon Young | OF | Minnesota Twins | AL
Young has a new outlook on his baseball career vowing to be more focused and happier in Minnesota. While still a young player the change of scenery will server Delmon well as the Twins are committed to him as a future source of run production in the middle of their lineup.

Geovany Soto | C | Chicago Cubs | NL
Sleepers are all about potential and it doesn’t get any better than Soto. He is locked in as the Cubs primary backstop and if he repeats even a portion of his combined numbers between the minors and big leagues in 2007 of .365AVG, 29HRs and 117RBIs he will find his way to the middle of the Cubs lineup in no time. Soto is currently ranked around the likes of Jason Varitek and A.J. Pierzynksi but both those guys have about one tenth the upside that Soto does. Expect him to climb into the top tier of offensive catchers in 2008 and will be a nice later round grab in fantasy drafts that will allow you to avoid the catcher waiver wire game this season.

Francisco Liriano | SP | Minnesota Twins | AL
No doubt Liriano will appear on numerous sleeper lists this year but with reason. He won’t be drafted as highly as guys like Erik Bedard, John Lackey and maybe even James Shields and Daisuke Matsuzaka. But a year removed from arm surgery Liriano will be the ace of the Twins staff and has the potential to regain his status as a top 5 fantasy performer. You don’t win fantasy leagues without taking a few chances and what is better than having your 3rd or 4th overall pitching selection having the potential of a 1st or 2nd round pick?

Mike Mussina | SP | New York Yankees | AL
Yes Mussina is old. Yes Mussina had a disappointing 2007 season. Yes he has trouble hitting 90MPH on the radar gun. But here is what to like about Mussina. He is in a contract year and can still cash in for one last contract. He is pretty much guaranteed to start the whole season as the other 3 guys he is competing with all have IP limits this season. And he is pretty much guaranteed to get great run support (with 6 runs per game not out of the question) all season. Look for Mussina to approach 13-15 wins with an ERA in the low 4s and respectable K and WHIP numbers. While he cannot anchor a staff anymore he is someone who should not be overlooked as a nice lower draft pick that can give you production throughout the season.

Dan Haren | SP | Arizona Diamondbacks | AL
Haren had a monster first half last year and while he fell off a bit by September he still had one of the best years of any starting pitcher in 2007. While he was certainly aided by a pitcher friendly park in Oakland he will be equally aided by moving to a weaker NL and having NL hitters getting familiar with him. He’s not a sleeper in the traditional sense since most people expect him to have another outstanding season but if I’m choosing between Haren and other top shelf pitchers in the same class, I’m going with Haren.

Raúl Ibanez | OF | Seattle Mariners | AL
Ibanez will probably appear on only one sleeper this list year and that is ours (but that’s why you pay the big bucks for our site, right?). Granted Ibanez has most likely peaked from a production standpoint but at the same time he is still in the middle of his prime and is consistently under the radar in fantasy. You can basically pencil Ibanez in for .290AVG, 90R, 25HR and 100RBI which while certainly not top 10 for outfielders is still great production. Not to mention that Ibanez can typically be had in Rounds 8-12 he is a bargain as a 2nd or 3rd outfielder. It is also worth noting, for those of you in head-to-head leagues, that Ibanez has some of the most consistent stats in the game month to month which is very important in baseball where anyone can disappear for a week or two.

Ryan Zimmerman | 3B | Washington Nationals | NL
Two years ago Zimmerman broke onto the scene with an excellent rookie campaign. His average dipped slightly last year but his R, HR and RBI remained mostly the same. Look for Zimmerman to become a household name in his third full season in the big leagues and be one of the few bright spots in what will be another disappointing season for the Nationals.

Robinson Cano | 2B | New York Yankees | AL
Fresh off breaking a Yankees trend and signing a long-term deal before reaching free agency, Cano is poised to have his finest professional year. He proved to be their most reliable hitter down the stretch last year and you can bet new manager Joe Girardi will get Cano into the top 5 in this lineup as he has none of Joe Torre’s loyalty to the aging veterans. Look for Cano to be around .320AVG, 100R, 25HR, 100RBI this season.