In my Fantasy Baseball League we are allowed to keep 4 players(2 hitter, 2 pitchers) Who would you keep?

Question

Here are my top choices:

Hitters:
Ryan Howard/Vlad Guerrero/Carl Crawford/Ichiro

Pitchers:
Webb/Zambrano/Halladay/Harden

Let me know what you think.

Answer 1

Carlos Zambrano

...he just keeps getting better and better. His strikeout numbers and win numbers are going to be high and he has tons of run support behind him this season, so even his "off-games" can earn him a win.

Roy Halladay

....Doc Halladay is the second-best pitcher in baseball next to Santana. As long as he stays healthy he is also good for 16-20 wins, an ERA under 3.50 and he'll probably be near the 200+ strikeout plateau. Anyone would be a fool to let him go.

Vladimir Guerrero

...easily one of the most consistent outfielders is the game. He'll bring you a high average, hits, runs, home runs, RBIs and he'll even swipe plenty of bonus stolen bases.

Carl Crawford

...Crawford is a serious five-tool player. He'll swipe bags left and right, (aside from last season) he scores runs in bunches, he rips off extra base hits and he has some power to boot.

As far as the rest of the class goes...

Ryan Howard - He's had a couple of solid seasons, but I still worry that opposing NL pitchers are going to start pitching around him because the closest thing to protection behind Howard is Burrell and that's not gonna get it done. He also tends to clog up the base paths. I'd say go after a firstbaseman who offers a little more. (ie: Pujols, Delgado, Ortiz, Lee, Texieria, Morneau, etc)

Ichiro Suzuki - There's a lot to get from Ichiro in terms of average, stolen bases, hits, extra base hits and that's where things seem to drop off. He doesn't provide any real power or RBI numbers. Also Ichiro is the table-setter in Seattle, but the lineup behind him is not an imposing one and could leave him stranded on the bases more often than not.

Brandon Webb - He is coming off a huge season. He is still working his way to the apex of his career and it's hard not to think of him as one of the top seven fantasy pitchers in baseball this season, but you still have to factor in the fact that Zambrano and Halladay are two of the top four fantasy pitchers in baseball.

Rich Harden - Injury woes. He could either play a full-season and go 24-2 with a 2.84 ERA and 242 Ks and win a Cy Young or he could pitch four games and then spend the next four months on the DL. Until Harden can string together a couple of healthy and productive seasons he's always going to carry the tag of injury-case with him. (side note: Chris Carpenter had the same rep until he left Toronto and became a beast in St. Louis...it could happen with Harden too...)

Hope that helps...

Answer 2

The hitters I think are a no brainer. You should take:

Ryan Howard and Carl Crawford.

In most drafts, both players are first rounders, while Vlad is a second rounder and Ichiro could go as late as early third.
This is also the best combination of power and speed. I look at it this way with their projections:
Avg/HR/RBI/R/S
Howard .290/45/130/110/5
Crawford .310/20/80/100/50
Guerrero .300/30/110/100/15
Ichiro .330/10/60/110/40

With Howard and Crawford you will have the 5 categories covered a lot better than any other pair.

With pitchers I would go with Webb and Halladay just because Zambrano's WHIP sucks.

Answer 3

ooo great team. Also you didnt list the scoring so I cant say. All y picks are based on a standard 5x5 roto

Ichiro is in contract year, but he is aging.However, he is nothing but consisten.t That said, he is 34 and this being a keeper, I dont like him

Carl Crawford is nothing short of a stud. He is a AWESOME source of SBs, and his BA is above average. Also he is at a young 25. In 07, he could get .310 15 80 105 50. So that said he SHOULD be one of your keepers.

onto Vlad. He is probably the safest bet of the bunch, bring a lock for .325 30 100 100 10. However, the Angels did little to boost their offense. Also he has had injuries with his back, and with that big swing combined with his age, he could be in for trouble. So i woudltn keep Guerrero.

Finally, howard MUST be your keeper. He is under 30, and a stud. Not to mention he hits in a beastly lineup that will provide him with BILLIONS of RBI chances. The lefthanded slugger will decrease in production (and how can you not?), but still a beast. I think .290 45 135 110 0 isnt out of the question. He is definite keeper.

So Hitters-Keep Howard and Crawford, no Vlad or ichiro

For pitchers, obviiously no harden as he isnt close to those other 3. Now all those 3 are absolute studs, but I like Zambrano and Webb. Most because they pitch in the 2 weakest divisions in baseball and also in teh NL where they can plenty of ks, while halladay pitches in teh toughest division with 2 offensve powerhouses (yanks Sox). Also, webb is entering prime at 27 and zabrano is even younger. People have said zambrano mite get injured cuz of his workload but he showing no signs on fatigue.

So for pitchers-Keep Webb and Zabrano, have to say no to Halladay and Harden

Answer 4

Ryan Howard and Carl Crawford are the two hitters I would retain. Howard should hit 50+ this year, and Crawford could be 25/50 hrs/sb. Vlad is in a slow decline- he's not nearly as dominant as he used to be, and he's not getting any younger. Ichiro is solid, but Crawford offers more upside in the power categories.

As for the pitchers, Zambrano and Webb. Harden and Halladay are dealing with injuries, and generally NL pitchers put up better numbers than their AL counterparts.

Answer 5

Hitters:Ryan Howard and Vlad Guerrero

Pitchers:Carlos Zambrano and Roy Halladay

Answer 6

Okay... now that the novices have voiced their opinions, lol.. here's mine.

Hitters: Keep Ryan Howard for your RBI & HR locks, then.. keep Carl Crawford over Vlad & Ichiro, and here's why.. Vlad is injury prone, and Crawford affects sooooo many more stat categories than any of your other hitters listed. He is THEE premier player on your hit-squad.

Pitchers: I'd keep Webb & Halladay, but i'm sure that's a no-brainer. (Zambrano might have a better record with better hitting behind him, but ERA remains the same.)

Answer 7

I would go with Howard and Crawford. Howard is young and is going to give you HR and RBIs. I like Crawford because he gives you steals and decent numbers in HR. Vlad is a stud, but is tapering off.

Pitcher I would keep Zambrano because of his strikeouts, and with the Cubs having Soriano he should get a few more wins. Halladay over Webb and Harden because of the consistancy in wins year after year.

Answer 8

Howard and Vlad! These guys give you power, rbis, and runs. In Ichiro and Crawford you lose out on hits, average and stolen bases. If you can afford to keep your power look to find someone adapt to stealing bases! Pitching, I would take Halladay and Zambrano. Halladay is consistent and gets to play in the American league against Devil Rays, royals, . . . but he does play the Yanks and Sox often but recently he has been able to control even them. With the addition of Soriano and a healthy Lee look for Zambrano to push for 20 wins in that system!

Answer 9

Howard was the sleeper of last years draft. I know casue i proposely took him early telling everyone that i had the steal of the draft. Keep Howard / and Ichiro to balance out the hitting attack. Pitchers Halladay and Webb would be more consistent than Zambrano weight issues and Harden being able to stay healthy for a whole season. Plus Zambrano's a loose cannon, muy loco!

Answer 10

I'd keep Vlad and Howard on the hitters side.
I think Zambrano will have a big year, maybe even Cy Young. Keep Halladay too, he just signed a big contract, and he's very consistent.