Fantasy baseball draft myths & advice: Done or Dunn?

There might not be another player in fantasy baseball that has such wide-ranging opinions.There are those that believe that he is an absolute albatross.
That simply by drafting him, you damn your team to an eternal hell of enduring rather lengthy droughts in exchange for some homers.
You know I’m not one of those people. I won a title with Dunn last year and will happily draft him if I get the chance this year.
Convince me otherwise.

Convince you not to draft a guy you already said you would draft? Look, The Jon has respect for what Dunn does.
He just gets drafted to high in a spot that is usually reserved for secondary fantasy producers. Dunn is a third option at best because of his up and down weeks of consistency. The only consistency the guy has is unpredictability. If you are drafting a team from scratch, you really need to be committed to offense to get the guy and can count on a rag-tag bunch of pitchers to be your staff.

Here’s the deal:

He’s a champ, but still can’t post

Newspaperman and FreeSanJose wrote about their experiences of falling in love, because they love each other. If you were subjected to their banter for the past two weeks about fighting for the championship … you would understand why. This is the last installment of FreeSanJose and Newspaperman squaring off verbally against each other in the fantasy World Series. It didn’t turn out how The Jon envisioned. Instead of a straight-up mass of insults and barbs and one-upmanship, it turned out to a big lovefest. Newspaperman skipped around saying how great FreeSanJose and was the Pollyana we all know him to be. And what did FreeSanJose do? He let Newspaperman get away with this?

This site needs The Jon and FreeSanJose to face off for the title next season. Seeing how The Jon is in rebuilding mode, it doesn’t look like it will happen, but anything is better that Final Countdown and Al Gore videos. Amatuer … well, here we go.

Championship: The Final Countdown

This is it. The final weekend of the fantasy baseball season, and No Gimmicks Needed and The Terror Returns are neck and neck for the championship in TheBaseballStars League. Who will win it? Not even the owners of the two teams are sure.

No.1 takes a No.2 … or No. 1 takes on No. 2

Seeing how Newspaperman and FreeSanJose are in the World Series of our fantasy baseball league, The Jon knew it was time for Daniel-san to return. The Jon e-mailed Newspaperman and FreeSanJose about this idea of having them talk about their two-week matchup every day to save one of their championship runs for posterity. FreeSanJose insulted The Jon and Newspaperman started crying about how he is afraid FreeSanJose would soil his undergarments after a verbal barrage of abuse. You see what The Jon has to put up with?

But finally they agreed, and Daniel-san has a new friend and father figure in Mr. MiyaSanJose. Lets get down to business, shall we?

Things I wish I knew a week ago…

Is it possible to “own” a fantasy opponent? Normally, I’d say no. I mean, it’s not like the players know who they are playing and let’s face it, the best teams usually win. But after thumping Newspaperman yet again (it seems like I beat him whenever it matters most), and his use of a curious strategy, I’m starting to wonder if some owners start over-thinking certain opponents to their own detriment. So before I get into the meat of my post (and before Newspaperman can break it down himself) let me recap.

Things I wish I knew a week ago

There are certain players that have the ability to get so hot, it defies any rational explanation. Guys that will heat up and hit as good as the best players at their best, and then fall back to earth with such a thud it baffles the mind. From a fantasy perspective these players can seem almost useless.

Which brings us to our first item.

Jack MF Cust just received a shipment of corked bats. Since Monday, the man you have an unhealthy fascination with has gone 10-for-20 with five walks (.600 OBP) and three homers.

Draft Advice: First Base

First base is no longer a deep well in which to find power hitters. Gone are the days of the ballooned headed, yoked up statues that used to man the position with mediocrity and bomb 40-50 homers with regularity. Five years ago, almost every fantasy team had one at first base and utility. Today, there are barely 10 guys that are guaranteed producers at the position. The top players at this position are still guys to build an offense around. This is where you get your power. Lose out here and try to get some sleeper, and you will be behind before the season has even started. The top three guys will be gone by the first round. Pick up any of the other 10 in the next two rounds. Just don’t be left out because the drop off from the top is abrupt and steep.

1. Albert Pujols (49)
   
2. Prince Fielder (44)
3. Ryan Howard (42)

A major league screw up

Like thousands of fantasy junkies, I’ve been waiting for several months to buy a new fantasy magazine. I know it’s only January and the pickings are slim among the rags, but when you’re craving baseball, any decent magazine will do. I hit the store (a large book retailer) tonight and immediately saw five options …