1) Johan Santana, New York Mets: There's a reason every baseball fan in the world sat glued to the Santana trade this off-season--because he's still the best. He is a nasty lefty with unbelievable control. He played at an elite level in the stronger league, now as he plays in the NL East look for even more dominance. He'll face other pitchers instead of DH's so look for his ERA, wins, and number of strikeouts all to improve. There is a great possibility Santana could be on his way a 20 plus wins season and another Cy Young.
2) Jake Peavy, San Diego Padres: Last season when Santana had an off year, Jake Peavy proudly stood in as the most dominating pitcher in the majors. Peavy dominated opposing batters with a 3.53 K per BB ratio helping him earn his first Cy Young. On his way to a 19-6 record he led all starters in strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP. His 19 wins were tops in the National League, look for Peavy's hot streak to continue in to the 2008 season.
3) Erik Bedard, Seattle Mariners: It is possible that Bedard is a trendy pick after last season but let's put it this way--I'm giving him a shot to prove his value. He dominated the AL East last season (the best division in baseball in this writers' opinion) before being shelved in September with an oblique injury. With better run support in Seattle, and a more spacious park to throw in Bedard's statistics should only improve. Don't be turned off by his oblique injury because it's not arm related. He's not more valuable than Santana or Peavy but look for Bedard to sneak in to the late first early second round.
4) Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox: Odds are Beckett won't repeat last season's stunning performance, but with the run support he is given look for Beckett to win between 15-20 games. He's developed durability by pitching back-to-back 200 inning seasons, and his home run total was at an all time low last season. BUYER BEWARE: It's a toss-up between Beckett and Bedard take a good long look if you have the opportunity between these two.
5) Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks: Simply stated Webb has become a dominating force in the NL West. Statistically in 2007 Webb was better than in 2006 when he won the Cy Young. As long as Webb stays healthy and keeps his dominating sinker under control he will definitely be a top 5 pitcher.
Honorable Mentions: C.C. Sabathia, Ching Ming Wang, Carlos Zambrano, Roy Hallady, and Fausto Carmona are all worth spending an early round pick on.
This is the second installment in a three part Fantasy Baseball preview. Due up next time: The Starting line-up.
1 comment:
You write very well.
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