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Fantasy Skipper: Players to target in 2009 drafts - Red Sox
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Having the end of the fantasy baseball season upon us, it is important to note some incredible seasons from the baseball community. Seeing as how the actual MLB playoffs are here, the order of article release will be: The American League playoff teams, the National League playoff teams, and then the remaining MLB teams in whatever fashionable order I see fit, more or less because I have that luxury.
I'll pick two players (either positional or pitcher) that had a crucial impact this year, with the focus on fantasy impact. Some will be more notable than others, and maybe not always the most recognizable player from each team.
Due to my hometown love of Boston (and the fact that I am a HUGE Red Sox fan), I will be starting with them. The two most obvious would be the second baseman and his partner in crime at both corners: Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis.
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Pedroia, or “Caballito” (meaning ‘Little Pony’), had a season for the ages by a 2-bagger. He batted anywhere from leadoff to cleanup, scoring 118 runs, tied the league lead with 213 hits (54 doubles, 17 HR’s), with 83 RBI's and increasing his AVG to .326 from the previous ROOKIE campaign, which was still great at .317. He increased his walks by a slight margin to 50 and came up just shy of tripling his steals from seven in '07 to 20 this year. In 653 at-bats, he only struck out 52 times. That's a sick average of once every 12.5 ABs, roughly one punch-out every three games. That’s other-worldly… well, maybe not that level, but I’m allowed to think so. He continued to trend upward the last two months, so much so that he made a case for AL MVP. Having 100+ runs, 45 doubles, and 20/20 HR/SB totals are not at all out of the question.
Along with him, Kevin Youkilis was the driving force in the middle of the Sox lineup. With 'Big Papi' having somewhat of a down year, Mike Lowell suffering from a few oblique injuries, and the deadline deal that sent Manny Ramirez packing to Mannywood Hollywood, 'Yooooooouuuuk' had 100+ RBI's (115 to be exact) for the first time in his career, holding a .312 AVG. He also managed 91 runs scored, on 29 HR’s (up from his previous high of 16 last year) and 35+ doubles for the third straight season. His walks have decreased slightly from year to year, but his OBP has maintained steady at about .385-.390, meaning he is still hitting the ball crisp and his vision couldn't be any clearer. His power numbers have gone up for the third straight year, and are a symbol of things to come... expect at least 20+ HR’s, 90 runs, 100 RBI's, and a .300 AVG (think Garrett Atkins) for years. This makes him especially valuable in leagues with more than just standard 5x5 scoring.
With their combined efforts equaling 209 runs, 198 RBI's, 97 doubles, 46 HR's, and a .319 batting average, both will be high on the draft board next year and will be valuable assets to any fantasy team. Needless to say, they should be keepers at their respective positions, if your league allows for it.
Also, keep an eye on Jed Lowrie in the postseason. It should be an early indicator of what to expect next year.
The Mouth, signing off.
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