Which fantasy baseball league do you prefer?

As of right now I am planning on being in 3 NL-Only auction leagues, 4 NL-Only draft leagues, and 1 AL/NL draft league. I am a born and raised St. Louis Cardinals fan and because of this I mostly keep up with the standings, stats, and fantasy impact of only the National League teams. I have come to enjoy the aspect of National League only leagues because it involves the strategy of dealing with extreme drop offs between the elite talent and the not-so-elite talent, no matter if you are bidding in an auction or drafting the players.

I think that it takes more time and preparation to compete in a single league format than it does a mixed league. You are dealing with only half the players and subsequently half the talent, as is the rest of the league. That is why it is never surprising to see someone reach for an elite player earlier than expected or to break the bank for a player whose position is scarce with fantasy value. Also, you must stay active on the waiver wire and with the trade market as talent is in short supply for every owner.

I will be continuing my ownership in 1 longstanding NL-Only auction league. This league includes keepers(2 or 3 year contracts), restricted free agents, and inflation from year to year. This is a live draft that is very time consuming, sometimes up to 8 hours, but the most enjoyable because of the preparation, strategy, and level of involvement. It always makes watching the baseball season mean that much more.

So, what is your preferred league of choice? AL, NL, mixed? Auction or draft? Roto or head-to-head?

Top 15 National League First Basemen

Over the next week and a half I'll cover positional rankings, dollar values, and auction strategies and tips. This afternoon we'll be covering the National League Only rankings for infielders with dollar values to be added shortly. These will all be based on leagues that I am involved with that use the National League Only, 12-team, $260 auction format.
Starting with the first basemen.

1. Albert Pujols

2. Ryan Howard

3. Lance Berkman

4. Prince Fielder

5. Adrian Gonzalez

6. Derrek Lee

7. Carlos Delgado

8. James Loney

9. Conor Jackson

10. Joey Votto

11. Adam LaRoche

12. Jorge Cantu

13. Pablo Sandoval

14. Todd Helton

15. Casey Kotchman

National League Free Agent Newcomers and Deserters

Free Agents signing to National League Teams:

Milton Bradley

Daniel Cabrera

Juan Castro

Alan Embree

Joey Gathright

Raul Ibanez

Trever Miller

Edgar Renteria

Francisco Rodriguez

David Ross

Ramon Vazquez

Free Agents going to that other league:

Angel Berroa

Russell Branyan

Pat Burrell

Brian Fuentes

Mark Hendrickson

Cesar Izturis

Jason Johnson

Joe Nelson

CC Sabathia

John Smoltz

Kerry Wood

There should be more free agent signings as we get closer to the beginning of February and Spring Training 2009 begins in Mid-February.

It's never too early...

To start looking at some stats and projections for next year. It is a good way of wasting some time during this long holiday week.

2009 ZIPS Team-By-Team Projections

2009 Marcel Projections

2009 Oliver Projections

You can also start to form your own projections and databases by following this great post on setting one up and building your own database.

What might be the best resource for new sabermetricians and their craft, The Baseball Databank

Let us not forget the reasons for sabermetrics, from David Grabiner's Sabermetric Manifesto:

Bill James defined sabermetrics as "the search for objective knowledge about baseball." Thus, sabermetrics attempts to answer objective questions about baseball, such as "which player on the Red Sox contributed the most to the team's offense?" or "How many home runs will Ken Griffey, Jr. hit next year?" It cannot deal with the subjective judgments which are also important to the game, such as "Who is your favorite player?"

2008 Free Agents

Sorted by position followed by the player's age.
Updates on Fridays as players are signed.

Catchers
Brad Ausmus (40)
Paul Bako (37)
Josh Bard (31)
Michael Barrett (32)
Gary Bennett (37)
Henry Blanco (37)
Johnny Estrada (33)
Sal Fasano (37)
Toby Hall (33)
Paul Lo Duca (37)
Adam Melhuse (37)
Chad Moeller (34)
Ivan Rodriguez (37)
David Ross (32)
Javier Valentin (33)
Jason Varitek (37)
Vance Wilson (36)
Gregg Zaun (38)

First Basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Miguel Cairo (35)
Sean Casey (34)
Tony Clark (37)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jason Giambi (38)
Eric Hinske (31)
Doug Mientkiewicz (35)
Kevin Millar (37)
Richie Sexson (34)
Mark Sweeney (39)
Mark Teixeira (29)
Daryle Ward (34)

Second Basemen
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Craig Counsell (38)
Ray Durham (37)
Damion Easley (39)
David Eckstein (34)
Mark Grudzielanek (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Orlando Hudson (31)
Tadahito Iguchi (34)
Jeff Kent (41)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Mark Loretta (37)
Ramon Martinez (36)
Pablo Ozuna (34)
Nick Punto (31)
Luis Rivas (29)

Shortstops
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Orlando Cabrera (34)
Alex Cintron (30)
Alex Cora (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
David Eckstein (34)
Adam Everett (32)
Rafael Furcal (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Chris Gomez (38)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Cesar Izturis (29)
Felipe Lopez (29)
Tomohiro Nioka (33)
Nick Punto (31)
Edgar Renteria (33)
Luis Rivas (29)
Juan Uribe (30)
Ramon Vazquez (32)

Third Basemen
Rich Aurilia (37)
Casey Blake (35)
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Aaron Boone (36)
Russell Branyan (33)
Craig Counsell (38)
Joe Crede (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Mike Lamb (33)
Mark Loretta (37)
Ramon Martinez (36)
Pablo Ozuna (34)
Juan Uribe (30)
Ramon Vazquez (32)

Left Fielders
Moises Alou (42)
Garret Anderson (37)
Milton Bradley (31)
Emil Brown (34)
Pat Burrell (32)
Adam Dunn (29)
Cliff Floyd (36)
Luis Gonzalez (41)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Raul Ibanez (37)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Kevin Mench (31)
Jason Michaels (33)
Craig Monroe (32)
Greg Norton (36)
Jay Payton (36)
Manny Ramirez (37)
Juan Rivera (30)
So Taguchi (39)

Center Fielders
Rocco Baldelli (27)
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Jim Edmonds (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Mark Kotsay (33)
Corey Patterson (29)
Scott Podsednik (33)
So Taguchi (39)

Right Fielders
Bobby Abreu (35)
Casey Blake (35)
Emil Brown (34)
Cliff Floyd (36)
Ken Griffey Jr. (39)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Jason Michaels (33)
Trot Nixon (35)
Brad Wilkerson (32

DHs
Milton Bradley (31)
Cliff Floyd (36)
Jason Giambi (38)
Mike Sweeney (35)
Frank Thomas (41)
Jose Vidro (34)

Starting Pitchers
Kris Benson (33)
A.J. Burnett (32)
Paul Byrd (38)
Roger Clemens (46)
Matt Clement (33)
Bartolo Colon (36)
Shawn Estes (36)
Josh Fogg (32)
Freddy Garcia (33)
Jon Garland (29)
Tom Glavine (43)
Mike Hampton (36)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Livan Hernandez (34)
Orlando Hernandez (43)
Jason Jennings (30)
Randy Johnson (45)
Kenshin Kawakami (34)
Jon Lieber (39)
Braden Looper (34)
Derek Lowe (36)
Greg Maddux (43)
Pedro Martinez (37)
Jamie Moyer (46)
Mark Mulder (31)
Mike Mussina (40)
John Parrish (31)
Carl Pavano (33)
Brad Penny (31)
Odalis Perez (32)
Oliver Perez (27)
Andy Pettitte (37)
Sidney Ponson (32)
Mark Prior (27)
Kenny Rogers (44)
Glendon Rusch (34)
C.C. Sabathia (28)
Curt Schilling (42)
Ben Sheets (30)
John Smoltz (42)
Koji Uehara (34)
Kip Wells (32)
Randy Wolf (32)

Closers
Chad Cordero (27)
Brian Fuentes (33)
Eric Gagne (33)
Eddie Guardado (38)
Trevor Hoffman (41)
Jason Isringhausen (36)
Brandon Lyon (29)
Francisco Rodriguez (27)
Kerry Wood (32)

Middle Relievers
Luis Ayala (31)
Joe Beimel (32)
Joe Borowski (38)
Doug Brocail (42)
Shawn Chacon (31)
Juan Cruz (30)
Elmer Dessens (37)
Brendan Donnelly (37)
Scott Elarton (33)
Alan Embree (39)
Kyle Farnsworth (33)
Casey Fossum (31)
Keith Foulke (35)
Chad Fox (38)
Tom Gordon (41)
Mark Hendrickson (35)
Matt Herges (39)
Bob Howry (35)
Jorge Julio (30)
Jon Lieber (39)
Mike Lincoln (34)
Jason Johnson (35)
Trever Miller (36)
Guillermo Mota (35)
Will Ohman (31)
Darren Oliver (38)
Chan Ho Park (36)
Horacio Ramirez (29)
Al Reyes (38)
Dennys Reyes (32)
Arthur Rhodes (39)
Juan Rincon (30)
Ricardo Rincon (39)
Glendon Rusch (34)
Rudy Seanez (40)
Brian Shouse (40)
Russ Springer (40)
Ken Takahashi (41)
Julian Tavarez (36)
Mike Timlin (43)
Ron Villone (39)
David Weathers (39)
Kip Wells (32)
Matt Wise (33)
Jamey Wright (34)

Top 20 Outfielders of 2008

1. Manny Ramirez

I want to write about how he was a distraction and detriment to the Red Sox and showed signs of laziness and disrespect for his profession. But it is just Manny being Manny. He may have single-handedly propelled the Dodgers in to the playoffs and is still a great hitter no matter what coast he plays on.

Final Numbers: 102/37/121/3/.332

2. Matt Holliday

A drop in power is a negative but a rise in steals and still hitting 25 bombs at a .321 clip is mighty fine. I would worry if he is traded out of Colorado, those home/road splits can not be ignored.

Final Numbers: 107/25/88/28/.321

3. Carlos Beltran

He may have found a place to prosper with other people around him being superstars (Wright, Reyes), the pressure is off. Him being a 25/25 player seems to be his pedigree. But people are always expecting more out of him, its up to you, either he is overrated or underrated

Final Numbers: 116/27/112/25/.284

4. Ryan Ludwick

Hello Ryan Ludwick, and where did you come from? 37 HRs and 113 RBIs was a welcome surprise to all Cardinals fans. Can he repeat in 2009? Well that can be discussed in a later post.

Final Numbers: 104/37/113/4/.299

5. Nate McLouth

The last man standing of the Pirates players that are worth drafting. Should develop more SB potential and may break 30/30 next year, but as the Bucs go, he may be shipped eventually someplace else.

Final Numbers: 113/26/94/23/.276

6. Matt Kemp

Victirino but with more power.

Final Numbers: 93/18/76/35/.290

7. Shane Victorino

Kemp but with less power.

Final Numbers: 102/14/58/36/.293

8. Carlos Lee

Lee was a stud and was putting together an MVP season until he broke his pinky finger. El Caballo missed most of August and all of September, but is still a fantasy stud that has put up 28 HRs in 6 of the last 7 seasons.

Final Numbers: 61/28/100/4/.314

9. Alfonso Soriano

Soriano has yet to play a full season in Chicago and has yet to live up to the high expectations of fantasy owners. Sharp decline in both short seasons, and put it this way he had 46 steals in his last season in DC with Chicago he has 38 steals total in 2 years.

Final Numbers: 76/29/75/19/.280

10. Andre Ethier

Ethier should hope that Manny stays with the Dodgers, as hitting behind him was just what he needed to supplant himself as an everyday player over Juan Pierre and some Jones guy from Europe.

Final Numbers: 90/20/77/6/.305

11. Randy Winn

Yawn, but 25 steals and a .300 average is nice as long as he is your 3^rd or 4^th outfielder.

Final Numbers: 84/10/64/25/.306

12. Corey Hart

We can only hope that most of his doubles become HRs and he can get that average back up to the .280-.290 range.

Final Numbers: 76/20/91/23/.268

13. Joey Votto

Looks like Votto has established himself as the everyday 1^st baseman for the Reds. Lets hope those strikeouts can come under control and he becomes a huge power source at the Great American Homerun Factory.

Final Numbers: 69/24/84/7/.297

14. Conor Jackson

Conor is a decent option, he won’t hurt you but he doesn’t help much either. The steals and average is nice but a drop in power is a bad sign.

Final Numbers: 87/12/75/10/.300

15. Jayson Werth

He might be a 20/20 player for years to come but he has to stop swinging at everything. He should know that the club record for strikeouts will probably be owned by a guy named Ryan for years to come. Might be very potent if they hit him in the 2^nd spot in the lineup.

Final Numbers: 73/24/67/20/.273

16. Hunter Pence

The Hunter bandwagon was a salivating mob that couldn’t wait to get their hands on a potential 30/20 player, and boy were they disappointed. Almost a 50 point drop in average and over 100 strikeouts does not look good, but he is still young and might be able to develop into a 25/15 player with a .285 average.

Final Numbers: 78/25/83/11/.269

17. Brad Hawpe

Declined in every category except steals, from 0 to 2, great. I thought Coors was supposed to help power hitters not hurt them. He might be in decline for awhile if the Rockies decide to ship out their large contract players and leave their lineup with less protection (Holliday).

Final Numbers: 69/25/85/2/.283

18. Chris Young

Complete decline and 165 strikeouts gives us a great reason to draft Brad Hawpe.

Final Numbers: 85/22/85/14/.248

19. Pat Burrell

Welcome to the new Philly Rollercoaster! Some months hitting .326 and .304, some months hitting .227 and .181. It’s a bumpy ride but on a yearly basis he might be as dependable as Carlos Lee.

Final Numbers: 74/33/86/0/.250

20. Brian Giles

The most boring .306 hitter ever.

Final Numbers: 81/12/63/2/.306

Hump Day Links

So what does the worst franchise in baseball do for their team...
New Landscaping

How did your team perform with regards to how much they get paid?
Salary vs. Performance

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