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We continue on in this series with the Cardinals and Brewers. Interesting, this is the first time we disagree on only not one, but two players!
FB365: Cardinals
Looking for a cheap source of power? How does .265-.270 and 30-35 HR’s sound in the 17th round? That’s what you can get if you draft my “guy to have in 2009″ Rick Ankiel. While Ankiel does come with some concerns over health, there is no doubt in his power. His AB/HR was 15.6 in 2007 and 16.5 in 2008. Take the 16.3 AB/HR rate from last season, apply it to 550 AB’s and you get about 34 HR’s. Apply it to 600 AB’s and you get about 37 HR’s. While the AVG may not reach much above .270, that’s the same type of production (if not better) projected from Carlos Pena who is being drafted an astounding 12 rounds earlier. Pena has never reached over 490 AB’s in a season. All things equal, if I had to choose 550 AB’s from either Pena or Ankiel, I’d take Ankiel 10 times out of 10.
Speaking of cheap power, Troy Glaus provided that last season. However, it was announced late last month that Glaus would be out for 12 weeks due to shoulder surgery. Knowing this, fantasy baseball mock drafters have let Glaus drop from an ADP of round 17 to round 22. Even when Glaus comes back in mid to late April, he’ll have had no spring training and very few minor league AB’s. Add that on top of the fact that the surgery was on his right shoulder, his throwing shoulder and the shoulder that provides the power behind a right handed swing. His AVG was destined to come down from .270 anyway. I’m not convinced, given his injury history and this current shoulder problem, that he will be 100% for much of the 2009 season. I’d rather take my chances on a guy like Billy Butler or Kevin Kouzmanoff, who are being drafted around the same time.
Brett Greenfield, fantasyphenoms.com: Cardinals
My guy to have in 2009 is Adam Wainwright. Wainwright is the most reliable starter on this team. He’s given three straight seasons with an ERA below 3.70 and last year went 11-3 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He’s perfectly healthy this year and can be had in rounds 13-15. He may not strike out a ton of batters, but he can be a reliable #4 SP for your team.
My guy not to have in 2009 is Rick Ankiel. The former pitcher strikes out roughly 25% of the time he’s up, which led to…READ MORE
Filed under: Looking to 09
