I’m probably wrong, and I can see the hypocrisy with Young, but my defense is that I worry more about pitchers who have past arm troubles (and way overworked) than I do guys dealing with other ailments. Of course, with his big frame, the back thing is something to take seriously.

I hear ya regarding King Felix. And I say yes. He will for sure this season. It’s the only year I haven’t drafted him!

Totally agree that the AL West is there for the taking. But Beane should just deal Blanton and go all in for the rebuild mode.

Jim Thome is getting sooo disrespected. Sure, he’ll probably miss 20 games and is only DH-eligible, but check out his power numbers over the past two years. I’d rather a guy who hits 35 homers in 400 at-bats than someone who stays healthy and hits 35 homers in 600 ABs. Seems logical, but people don’t draft like that.

Just tell me this is the year King Felix takes THE LEAP. I’m starting to get tired of waiting. It feels like he must be going on 30 by now.

I also have to say I love reading articles about the Giants these days…high humor. They want offense but aren’t willing to give up any pitching. I can’t believe a deal hasn’t gotten done with all those blue-chippers they have that are blocked by studs on the big-league team! I’m just bummed Beaned couldn’t pull off the Blanton for Cueto/Votto deal that was allegedly discussed…that would have possibly made this the best rebuidling off-season ever, and I still think the A’s have an outside chance at .500. Hell, if the Halo’s pitchers keep falling apart, the A’s could even compete (come on, is Bedard really going to pitch 200 innings? and really, can any team with Vidro as the regular DH be taken remotely seriously?).

My one re-draft league draft is this weekend…any thoughts on a couple old guys being undervalued in that format? I’m thinking Tori Hunter, and maybe some Frank Thomas/Jim Thome types later?

Patterson just got released…shocking. Health is always an issue, but it’s kind of tough to release someone with ace potential.

Josh Beckett had never thrown 200 innings before 2006. CC Sabathia had never thrown 200 before last season. None of Bedard’s injuries have been arm related. The guy fanned 10.9 batters per 9 innings last year pitching in the toughest division in baseball. Now he moves to a better ballpark and way easier division. We shall see, but I can respect your opinion that it’s better to be safe early and avoid someone who hasn’t exhibited the skill of staying healthy for a full season.

Beckett has similar durability concerns – never with the arm. Although since he showed up this spring looking like he was 7 months pregnant I guess this back issue does need to be monitored. Is he the greatest postseason pitcher ever? He’s legit.

Also, I do still like King Felix. No one has that strikeout ability AND G/F ratio. I hear ya regarding pitch selection, but he’s going to be special.

I’m with ya on Bonderman and Price’s prospects for this season.

I think you should draft pitchers based on ability. i.e. the ability to K, limit walks and limit HRs. Things like wins (and even ERA, to an extent) are largely out of their control, but it’s also a lot of random occurrences. Last year Mo Rivera received the fewest amount of save opps in all of baseball. Sometimes a pitcher from the same team can lead the league in run support while a teammate is dead last in run support.

That said, this Giants offense could be historically bad and might need to be viewed on an entirely different plain. I’ll probably end up regretting having Cain/Lincecum on so many of my teams.

Randy Wolf and Daniel Cabrera are the exactly the type of guys you should be taking late round fliers on. Sure, there’s a 90 percent chance they flame out and you are dropping them after April, but there’s also considerable upside. Wolf was dominant through the first two months last year before the injury, and now he’s moving to the best pitcher’s park in the game.

D-Cab is showing signs of maturity this spring, and while it’s unlikely he discovers command, we are still talking about someone with top-5 stuff in baseball.

Shouldn’t 13th pick get 1st waiver position, etc?

I don’t know if you were joking, but if not, Good Bonderman is a myth, the reality is far darker. The guy has NEVER finished a season strong, doesn’t have a wide array of pitches, and is prone to severe torchings even in a huge park. He is so far from a Top-20 pitcher it’s not even funny. I don’t have him Top-40, personally. Don’t get me wrong, I understand where you’re coming from–the persistent myth that he’s some kind of staff ace is shared by many in the fantasy community, and this has afforded me some good deals. Just this offseason, I dealt Mauer (whom I basically view as Freddy Sanchez with ‘C’ eligibility’) and Felix (too hittable, I’m just tired of his antics…..maybe I’ll get him back when he learns that he can throw something besides a fastball down the middle for his first pitch against every single batter) for Rollins (hells yeah) and Bonderman. There was some minor resistance from other guys in the league who saw what I was up to, but I defeated their arguments by simply pointing out that Bonderman had an ERA north of 5.00 and therefore must be crap. Then, a week later, I dealt Bonderman and Upton for Ortiz and Bedard, which again pissed people off, but now I said that Bonderman started the year 10-1 and only crashed at the end b/c he had an elbow injury he didn’t bother to tell his team about, which was sufficient to mollify the league then. Hahahaha. I doubt there is another crappy SP5-level performer I could possibly have pulled such a stunt with, and it perfectly encapsulates his Jekyll & Hyde nature. The guy is not getting better, the numbers don’t support that position. The only reason to like him is a nebulous, unfounded belief that he should be good. I think some people felt that way about Wings after the Beatles broke up, but it didn’t change the fact they still sucked.

I love Price, but I can’t see a call-up this year unless the Rays are in real playoff contention. There are at least three guys ahead of him in line (Neimann, Davis and McGee) for now, and bringing him up before next May will dick with his service clock, probably causing them to lose his rights a full year earlier than they otherwise would have. They are way, way too cheap to run that risk.

As for Beckett, please. Care to take a look at his ‘06 stats? Speaking of ERAs north of 5.00…. One year does not an ace make, and we’re talking about a guy who is every bit as injury-prone as Bedard, with perhaps 2/3 of the K ability. He has NEVER touched 200 in his career; Bedard, prior to being shut down, was on pace for a Big Unit-esque brush with three hundo. The difference between a 200 ceiling and a 300 ceiling is massive, it’s like getting an extra active pitching slot vis-a-vis your peers and being allowed to squeeze Jonathan Broxton into it for free. You cannot undersell that.