Arizona Diamondbacks - Preview
Feb 12th, 2007 by winabango
Over the next few weeks I will be spending time looking at each lineup trying to find the best collection of fantasy baseball value for your team. Today I will be taking a look at a surprising good Arizona team. It should be noted that Arizona boasts the most offensive ballpark in baseball. With very good hitting for both right-handed batters and left-handed batters, and an excellent HR rate for lefties, this a park that will make you think twice about playing one of your shaky pitchers in it. With that being said, here is what their roster can bring to your team:
Top 3 players:
- Brandon Webb, SP - Excellent ground ball pitcher with a ratio of 4.06 and an strong K/9 rate of 6.82. Both are qualities needed to pitch in this offensive ballpark.
- Chad Tracy, 3B - Entering the magical age 27 season and has hit 20 or more HR’s each of the last two season. Roto Authority is projecting .270 AVE, 24 HR, 95 RBI, 87 runs. Good value to grab in the 17th or 18th round.
- Stephen Drew, SS - Another late round steal (18th) at a traditionally shallow position. Can hit for good average and hit 15-20 HR this year. At only 24, he is a great pickup for deep keeper leagues.
Top Prospect:
Chris Young, OF - Great young player with 20/20 potential. Roto Authority has him hitting 24 HR with 18 steals. ZIPS projects 29 HR with 15 steals. Definitely worth a late round pick in keeper leagues.
Breakout Player:
Conor Jackson, 1B - Shows all the makings of a .300 hitter with 20-25 HR potential. May be a risky pick, but can be picked up in the 20th round in 12-team leagues
Player to Avoid in your draft:
Randy Johnson, SP - Even at age 43 some people think that he can produce this year. ZIPS has him pitching over 200 innings. I personally think that you should let someone else take him, and get better overall value with the same pick. Other pitchers being taken in near Johnson include Chris Capuano, Josh Johnson, and Josh Beckett.
Not on everyones list, but should be:
Carlos Quentin, OF - Had an over .500 slugging percentage in Triple-A, and also posted a .571 slugging percentage during his September call-up. Now that Green and Gonzalez are gone, he should receive plenty of playing time.
High Risk / High Reward:
Jose Valverde, RP - Fully capable of posting 35 saves with a K/9 rate over 10 and a K/BB ratio of over 3. The flip side is the control issues that plagued him last year and earned him a trip back to Triple-A last year. Take him late and reap the rewards, but do not fall in love with him.