MLB.com Notes

[Gregory Pratt]

I've bolded the things that were interesting to me. (I know it's about your fantasy team but there are real nifty things in it, too.)

 

Many fantasy fans prefer to stock their rosters full of players from their favorite team, as opposed to players who make a living playing for a feared rival. Wouldn't you rather go through the season checking Paul Konerko's stats every night, instead of a player from another American League Central team?

If competing for a title feels empty without having a bunch of White Sox on your team, here are 10 guys to focus on come draft day:

 

1. Paul Konerko | 1B | $26

White Sox mainstay Paul Konerko is like clockwork with his .290-30-100 seasons, but there are several like him, including teammate Jim Thome. What sets Konerko apart? His age -- 30, in his prime. His lineup -- he hits behind Jermaine Dye and Thome, so 115-120 RBIs will follow. His durability -- he's averaged more than 149 games played over the last eight years. Most importantly? His breakout potential. The streaky slugger has always hit for average, but in 2006, he hit .336 or better in April, June, August and September and just .234 in May and July. If this is the year Konerko finds consistency, he'll be a stud. At the very least, he's a steady pick.

 

2. Jim Thome | DH | $26

Don't call it a comeback: After an abysmal 2005, the burly left-handed bomber returned to the form that helped him hit 30-plus homers every year from 1996-2004. Nestled in the cleanup spot between Dye and Konerko, Thome slammed more than 40 homers for the fifth time in the past six seasons while hitting for his best average since 2002. His power production slowed down a little after a hot start, and there's risk involved given that he turns 37 in August and had elbow surgery last year. But he's the full-time DH, and if he stays healthy, another 40-homer season is in store.

 

3. Jermaine Dye | OF | $25

Face it: not even Dye himself could have predicted the sort of Pujols-esque output he had in 2006. After all, it isn't every season that a 32-year-old veteran suddenly bursts forth with a career-high 1.006 OPS. Batting in a fierce White Sox lineup that features Thome and Konerko helped his cause, as did a clean bill of health. The flipside of that coin is that Dye's price tag is sure to be inflated and thus less appealing in 2007. His '06 plate skills aren't all that divergent from his career levels, so let others chase last year's aberration.

 

4. Bobby Jenks | RP | $22

Second only to Francisco Rodriguez in saves last season with 41, Bobby Jenks showed that his 2005 debut wasn't a fluke. The hard-throwing right-hander may not give you the lowest ERA for a top-tier closer, but if he can record at least 35 saves, he's well worth the extra runs -- and walks -- he allows. Jenks has the ability to blow away opponents with a fastball that consistently hits 100 mph and keeps a breaking curveball as well as a slider in his arsenal -- all of which led to that stellar 91.1 percent save conversion rate last year, good for fourth in the Majors behind Joe Nathan, K-Rod and Mariano Rivera.

 

5. Joe Crede | 3B | $15

Building on the success of his strong 2005 playoffs, Crede broke through in 2006 with the best regular season of his young career, setting career highs in batting average, homers, RBIs and runs. Although he doesn't walk much, averaging only 30 bases on balls over his four full seasons, Crede makes excellent contact, as evidenced by his modest total of 58 strikeouts last season. His stats aren't overly inflated by hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field, as he posted a .816 OPS on the road compared to an .841 mark at home, and he hits righties (.817 OPS) and lefties (.848 OPS) equally well. Crede turns only 28 this season and should have more years like 2006 in his future.

 

6. Javier Vazquez | SP | $13

Vazquez is closer to the form of his glory days in Montreal than might be apparent from his numbers. He's struck out better than eight batters per nine innings in each of the last two seasons, during which he's seen his ERA inflated by some poor fortune. He changed his release point a bit in the second half and posted five double-digit strikeout games. It would not shock at all if he dropped his ERA a run this year to under 4.00. A tad fewer balls drop in here, some better bullpen work there, and his numbers could take a nice leap forward. It's unusual to call a pitcher with his kind of track record a "sleeper," but he'll be undervalued this year.

 

7. Tadahito Iguchi | 2B | $10

Iguchi proved to be a reliable and cost-effective second base option in 2006, posting numbers that were virtually identical to those he put up in his rookie season of 2005. Though he didn't fare too well on the road (.249-6-26), Iguchi more than made up for it with excellent production at U.S. Cellular Field (.313-12-41). At 32, Iguchi isn't likely to become the 20-20 player he was in Japan, nor is he likely to be anything less than the one we've seen the past two years -- especially in light of the improved plate discipline he displayed in the second half of last season. Expect the mirror image to reflect itself yet again in 2007.

 

8. Scott Podsednik | OF | $9

In Podsednik's case, 2004 is history. Gone are the days of 60-70 steals, as the White Sox leadoff man has seen his stolen base success rate drop from 84.3 percent in 2004 to 72 percent in '05 to 67.8 percent a season ago. After being thrown out with more regularity, Podsednik's opportunities were scaled back by manager Ozzie Guillen and he finished with just 11 steals in the second half of '06. Should that trend continue, it's not difficult to envision even fewer swipes from the 30-year-old in 2007, especially since his struggles against left-handers may limit his starts, as they did in September 2006. His downward-trending production isn't encouraging.

 

9. Mark Buehrle | SP | $8

After racking up 230-plus innings for four years in a row, Buehrle finally faced some minor injury trouble last year and endured a stretch of more than a month during which it appeared he was tipping his pitches and getting hit hard. For a guy who made his living hitting his spots, Buehrle appeared to lose his location for good portions of the year. He was absolutely torched as the season went on, posting a 7.00-plus ERA in the second half of the season. His strikeout rate was also the lowest it has been in five seasons. He will rebound somewhat and should post improved and serviceable numbers, but someone in your league will pay or draft him based on his prior seasons, and that may be a tad too high. There is still a good chance he'll be just an innings eater again. Perhaps all those pitches in his early 20s finally caught up with him.

 

10. A.J. Pierzynski | C | $7

Pierzynski enjoyed what was arguably his best big-league campaign in 2006. He smashed 16 homers, amassed 64 RBIs, set a career high with 65 runs scored and increased his average 38 points to .295. Though he's not the most patient hitter (22 walks in 543 plate appearances last year), Pierzynski makes good contact and is a perennial threat to push .300. His production has more or less stabilized over the past five seasons, but at 30, he might have a career year left in him, especially in the potent White Sox lineup. Expect a .290 average with 15 homers and 60 RBIs in 2007.

[daa84]

the vazquez stuff is legit...easily had the best peripherals of any of our pitchers last year, and toward the end of the year his ERA and success started to reflect taht more and more....im glad we dumped freddy isntead of him, but i know im in the minority on that one

[witesoxfan]

the vazquez stuff is legit...easily had the best peripherals of any of our pitchers last year, and toward the end of the year his ERA and success started to reflect taht more and more....im glad we dumped freddy isntead of him, but i know im in the minority on that one

 

You shouldn't be if you are. You flat out don't give up on a guy after 1 season, atleast one with the stuff Vazquez has.

 

Freddy was great for the Sox, and he helped lead them to a World Series victory, but his stuff was deteoriating and he has just 1 year left on his contract. It was really a no-brainer (even though I wasn't completely against trading him at the start of the offseason)

[DrunkBomber]

There isnt anything close to MLB ready on the roster to challenge Vazquezs spot so we know hes gonna get the innings.

[Vance Law]

the vazquez stuff is legit...easily had the best peripherals of any of our pitchers last year, and toward the end of the year his ERA and success started to reflect taht more and more....im glad we dumped freddy isntead of him, but i know im in the minority on that one

 

I agree with you.

[mmmmmbeeer]

Why is Pods even on this list? Seems he should have been replaced by the Count or Jonny G, guys that actually have some fantasy value.

 

Good read nonetheless, I like what they had to say about Paulie and Vaz.

[knightni]

Stolen bases are at a premium in fantasy baseball.

[Steve9347]

the vazquez stuff is legit...easily had the best peripherals of any of our pitchers last year, and toward the end of the year his ERA and success started to reflect taht more and more....im glad we dumped freddy isntead of him, but i know im in the minority on that one

 

I was always in the mindset that dealing Freddy was a better idea that Vasquez. If the Count can stay healthy, Jose Contreras-Javier Vasquez is a mean 1-2 punch...

[SoxFan562004]

Thanks for the post, good read.

 

Everytime I read stuff about PK, I realize what a deal his contract has ended up being. With his age and his production, the Sox did well with that.

 

I also think A.J. will be a solid fantasy player this year. Keeping in mind he's a catcher, his numbers are good, and my hope is with a legit back-up catcher, he may have less ABs, but more consistent numbers.