Welcome to the first installment of a weekly series that I will be conducting. Please send in your questions each week to me at the winabango address that can be found on the right side bar. So let’s get to your questions for this week.

• Darren: With the first 2 or 3 rounds, do I draft the best available player or is there some order I should do? (Like 1B, 2B, 3B)

As far as positions go, there is no real order to select players this year. Each position tends to have 3-5 players that can easily be drafted in the first 3 rounds. I look at the type of player I want to select each round, and don’t base it off what position they play. For example, I draft two players that will give me a combination of speed and power, and one power bat in the first three rounds. In the 4^th round I will take another player that offers a combination, and then begin to look at my #1 starter in the 5^th. Get the type of players that you want in the first five rounds, and worry about filling in positions later.

• Jason: I play in an 8-team, 6×6 H2H league. We are the standard 5×5 with OBP and Holds. We used to play HRA, but changed to holds this season. Do you have any advice in determining RP value? I have done some research, and it appears that someone like Heath Bell in our format is more valuable than say a Papelbon or K-Rod b/c there are so few holds guys over 30 holds. Any thoughts or opinions?

Holds is a great category that gives middle relievers value. However, I would not rank any of them as high as the top closers. Saves are far more difficult to come by than a hold. Any middle reliever can get a hold by just facing one batter. The most valuable middle relievers are the 8^th inning pitchers with shaky or injury prone closers in front of them. Guys like Riske, Betancourt, and Broxton will get you the holds, and then also the tougher to come by save once the closer for that team is removed.

• Danielle: I’m trying to avoid keeping 2 pitchers since all keepers should be those you would pick in the 1st 5 rounds, and I hate grabbing a pitcher in the 1st 5 rounds let alone 2. I acquired both Peavy and Bedard at the end of the year in an attempt to go from 2nd to 1st. Trying to upgrade, haven’t got too many bites. Here is what I have been offered. Which deal should I do? Or should I do neither?

• Deal # 1: Trade Peavy for Berkman and Figgins (If I do this deal who are my new top 5)
• Deal #2: Trade Bedard for Markakis

I agree on not wanting to keep 2 pitchers, but I would not do either deal. You have 2 of the top 5 pitchers in baseball. Don’t give that up. Use your next five rounds to bolster your offense and you will be better off.

• Shane: 10 team, H2H, mixed, 18 man rosters; we keep ONE batter and ONE pitcher (cannot be from same round)

• 3 scenarios:
  KEEP Johan Santana (1st round) and Russ Martin (11th rd)
  KEEP Johan Santana (1st round) and Prince Fielder (9th rd)
  KEEP Jose Reyes (1st round) and ONE of the following Chris Young (SD) (7th), Huston Street (10th), Adam Wainwright (14th)
• Which keeper scenario do you do?

That is easy. Santana and Fielder. You get two first round picks with a 1^st and a 9^th. Keepers are all about value, and Fielder in the 9^th is too much value to pass. Never mind that Santana is the best pitcher in baseball.

• AJ: Can you give some insight regarding Connor Jackson as a sleeper candidate? I’m thinking about protecting him as a 16th round pick, and I was looking for your opinions on his chances in 2008.

I think Connor Jackson will be one of those players that every owner wished he thought to draft in the late rounds. His largest issue last year was consistent playing time. Tony Clark is no longer there and Chad Tracy is still hurt. A 16^th round pick would not be too terrible, but I have seen him go undrafted so many times in 12-team drafts. I would be real tempted to leave him unprotected, and try to get him in the 20^th round. However that is a gamble you may not want to take, since a 16^th round pick is such decent value.

• Martin: How big of a difference is there between the top tier catchers and the guys that will be available in the final rounds of a 10-team league. Should I hold off until the very end to get a catcher?

You will never find me drafting a catcher until the late rounds, even in a league where there are two catcher spots. There is a difference between V-Mart and Ronnie Paulino, but is not worth spending a 3^rd or 4^th round pick on V-Mart. Remember, Martin was a 14^th round pick last year, and McCann was not drafted two years ago.

• Mic: What are your opinions on drafting 3-4 elite SP in the early rounds of a H2H league in attempt to win all the pitching categories? What offensive cats would you focus on because you would have to sacrifice some in order to dominate the pitching cats?

I have a unique strategy in H2H that has worked every time. Kill them with pitching. Don’t take 3-4 Elite starters, but rather 1-2 elite ones. Then draft as many 2^nd and 3^rd tier starters as your bench will allow. Those starters can be acquired throughout the middle rounds, which will allow you to draft a strong offense as well as a strong pitching staff. As far as offensive players, draft as many players that will hit both homeruns and steal some bases.

• Chad: I am looking at my keepers for this year in my 18-team auction league (we dropped down a team this year). I am keeping a handful of bargain OF, M Bradley $6, DY $5, C. Quentin $5, WM Pena $4, and S Victorino $13. I also have H Kendrick for $5 and only one pitcher with B Bonser for $12. My only big-ticket guys are Adam LaRoche $19, J Rollins $33, and Pronk $34. I’m not really sure I should keep the DH. I might be able to get him back at a discount. Am I overpaying too much to keep him after last year? I really think he will perform like a $30+ guy, but should I pay him like it?

Pronk is an interesting player for this year. I agree that he will most likely perform at a $30+ value. A .290 batting average with 35 homeruns is not out of the question. However, I would throw him back into the auction pool, and see if you can get him back at a discount. If you get him back at $30 then you have $4 to spend elsewhere. Maybe you get him cheaper.