Keepers: Cole Hamels 10, Nick Swisher 11, Harang 14 Street 15 Pick: 17 Blue Chips: None Best Pick: Blalock 7 Worst: Kinsler 6 Underrated: Either Overrated: Prince Fielder Not on my team: Kinsler Not on any team: Bard Rotation: Harang, Hamels, Willis, Garcia, Blanton Closers: 1.5 Avg Finish: 9.5 Titles: 0
2006 #1: Carlos Beltran 2006 #18: Gavin Floyd
Overview
Having posted two finishes in the lower middle, Elliott is hoping three young arms will help him rebound. There are many questions as to whether they can perform over the course of a full season.
What Went Right?
Harang has come out of no where to become a solid pitcher. Cole Hamels turned into a strike out machine in the second half and should be a keeper for years to come. Either shows good potential in the outfield provided he can get the playing time. Blalock’s power should return, but his OBP is still a concern. . O He could have slipped a few rounds. Street is a solid closer. Tejada remains a top tier run producer, but his power numbers are no longer exceptional. Konerko has yet to break into the top tier of first basemen, his numbers suggest otherwise. Loewen is a good sleeper with a high k's/9 rate.
What Went Wrong?
Tejada is no longer a first round pick. Prince Fielder was a reach, unless he can put up Ryan Howard numbers. Elliott bought heavily into the Kinsler hype, a sixth round pick. He may be a good player, but has yet to put up the numbers to separate him from the Ray Durham’s of the world. While it is important to fill out the roster with regard to second basemen and shortstops, but Elliott did not receive enough value for the picks he spent.
Offense
Where's the beef? With over half the power production coming from only two players, Elliott will need to find alternate sources. One spot may be Blalock who must improve upon his fourteen homeruns from the corner last year. Another player looking to rebound from a sub par '06 is Coco Crisp. Breaking his hand threw the year in the toilet and he has since been dropped to ninth in the order. HE remains Elliott's lone source of speed and not that much. Prince Fielder continues his development into a fantasy stud as he tries to avoid a sophomore slide. Many prognosticators are high on Andre Either. For good reason as he as the ability to develop into a solid twenty homerun, fifteen steal player.
Pitching
The bulk of the pitchers are carried over from 2006. Harang and Hamels should add a four hundred strikeout punch to the staff. A nice kick, but they need to improve their era's and whip. After a Cy Young 2005, Willis has fallen from grace. Winning only twelve games and going to jail. Blanton continued Elliot's trend of pitchers on the slide, but he has good keeper potential. The remainder of the staff is filled out by Garcia, who is a consistent producer and wild card Loewen. The majority of the closing duties will fall upon Hudson Street. A wait and see approach has to be taken with Lidge.
Overall
Elliott envisions career years and strong rebounds from most of his team. That will happen when most of your picks are reaches. Look for Elliott to jump from the lower middle to the middle middle.
