Sizemore vs. McLouth

In order to land Sizemore on your team you will need to use a top 1st round draft pick to do so. According to Mock Draft Central's average draft position (ADP), Sizemore is going #6 overall in 5X5 mixed leagues. I really don't think he is worth the pick when you can land Nate McLouth at #59 and the fact that you have to pass on Cabrera and Braun as well to get him. Let's look at last season's numbers and 2009 projections from BaseballHq.com:

2008
Sizemore:
AVG: .268 HR:33 RBI: 90 SB: 38 R:101

McLouth:
AVG: .276 HR:26 RBI: 94 SB: 23 R:113

2009 (Projections from Baseball HQ)
Sizemore:
AVG: .275 HR:28 RBI: 88 SB: 30 R:103

McLouth:
AVG: .282 HR:27 RBI: 98 SB: 19 R:102

The only category that Sizemore has an advantage is SBs and they are much easier to fill late in the draft as it a cumulative category unlike batting average which is a ratio over 600 ABs for these guys. I highly suggest that that you skip on Sizemore (who is out of the WBC due to a groin) and go with Cabrera or Braun and target McLouth in the 4-5th round. I am not saying that McLouth will be more valuable or score more total points then Sizemore but in relation to where they are getting drafted, McLouth is the better value. The only warning on McLouth is that his numbers dipped slightly in the 2H after Nady and Bay were traded and some wonder that he has no protection in the line-up. The Pirates have McCutchen, Moss, Pearce, and Pedro Alvarez which could provide some protection for McLouth in the near future.

Other News:
Johan may miss Opening Day with sorness in left elbow

WFAN interview with Mets top Prospect Fernado Martinez

WFAN interview with Mets top pitching prospect Jonathan Neise

Article about Marlins top catching prospect Kyle Skipworth

Player Spotlight: Elvis Andrus

Elvis Andrus was born is Maraacay, Venezula. He bats and throws from the right side and is listed as 6'0 and 185 lbs. He was signed by the Atlanta Braves as a non-drafted free agent on Jan.26, 2005

The Rangers are so confident in Elvis Andrus that they moved gold glove SS Michael Young to 3B and Hank Blalock to DH. Andrus is a shakeydefender as he committed 32 errors last season in 109 games as Young has only committed 81 errors in 787 games at SS. They brought in Omar Visquel to teach this young lad how to catch the damn ball and toss it over to 1B. His biggest asset is his speed but he gets caught stealing a ton (maybe they should bring in Rickey Henderson).

In 2006 he hit .265 with 3 HRs, 50 RBI, scored 67 runs, and compiled a poor OPS of .681. He had 23 SBS but was caught 15 times (60.5%).

In 2007 he hit .257 with 5 HRs, 49 RBI, scored 78 runs, and posted a .673 OPS. He had 40 SBs and was caught 15 times (72.7%).

In 2008 he had his best season hitting .295 with 4 HRs, 65 RBIs, scored 82 runs, and had an improved OPS of .713. He did swipe 53 bags in 69 attempts (76.8%)

He seems to be getting better on the bases as he rose through the ranks and gained experience, but in 2008 Winter Ball he only stole 6 bags in 10 attempts in 50 games. In my opinion, he projects like Jason Bartlett with a little more speed. The question is how much opportunity will he get to run with that line up with a stadium that plays like a little league park?

Other News:

MLB.com discussing prospects in Spring training
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200902043797922

MLB.com discussing prospects in WBC
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200902253963187

MLB.com on Wieters
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200901223763510

2009 Spring Training Begins

With Spring Training starting, I thought it would be a great time to start posting on the blog. I plan on posting 3-4 times a week until the season starts and then I will pick up the pace. I have sent some emails around to popular websites attempting to get this blog added as a link on a major site (I will keep you updated). This winter I participated in a auction 6x6 league that had a 20 round minor league draft following the auction. I will detail each round and the best/worst picks as the other owners seemed very knowledgeable about Minor League players. I have added a link to the sidebar, Prospect Tube, which has You Tube clips on all the top High School/Minor League players. In the coming weeks I will be updating the play of the top prospects in Spring Training, providing list of the top prospects by position from a fantasy perspective, looking ahead to the 2009 amateur draft, providing player spotlights (which are detailed segments on a player), profiling the upcoming college baseball season, looking at how some of the top prospects finished 2008, and much more. If you have any suggestions please send an email.