April Shortstop Rankings

1.Jose Reyes-Could he get 100 SB's?-.354/2/20/30/18
2.Jimmy Rollins-.311/9/22/29/8
3.Hanley Ramirez-.352/4/7/28/8
4.Derek Jeter-.345/2/12/20/2
5.Miguel Tejada-.350/2/15/15/0
6.Carlos Guillen-.323/2/22/15/3
7.J.J.Hardy-Not proven enough to crack top 5-.333/8/26/20/0
8.Edgar Renteria-.331/4/17/22/2
9.Michael Young-.225/3/19/18/2
10.Jhonny Peralta-.245/6/22/14/1
11.Rafael Furcal-.233/0/6/14/3
12.Felipe Lopez-.266/0/3/11/5
13.Stephen Drew-.255/1/11/15/1
14.Orlando Cabrera-.276/14/20/4
15.Khalil Greene-.259/4/19/17/0

On the Bubble-Julio Lugo

April Third Base Rankings

1.Alex Rodriguez-No brainer-.366/14/37/32/2
2.Miguel Cabrera-.367/7/21/20
3.Aramis Ramirez-.289/6/18/14
4.B.J. Upton-Major shift up the ranks-.376/5/21/16/5
5.Chipper Jones-.304/10/22/26/0
6.Troy Glaus-.353/5/13/15/0
7.David Wright-He'll come around-.248/2/11/17/3
8.Chad Tracy-All he needs is more HR's-.292/1/12/18/0
9.Garrett Atkins-.270/2/14/12/2
10.Ryan Zimmerman-He has looked awful so far-.248/1/8/12/1
11.Melvin Mora-.246/5/18/17/2
12.Adrian Beltre-.255/4/17/15/2
13.Hank Blalock-.283/2/12/16/3
14.Eric Chavez-His hitting skills keep decreasing-.237/3/15/8/2
15.Mike Lowell-He will die down the stretch like in '06-.302/4/21/14/2

On the Bubble-Akinori Iwamura, Freddy Sanchez, Chone Figgins, Joe Crede

Rankings

The rest of the infield rankings will be done today, while OF and P rankings will be done during the week

April Second Base Rankings

1.Chase Utley-On pace for 78 doubles!-.300/5/25/21/3
2.Ian Kinsler-.281/9/24/19/4
3.Brandon Phillips-.260/5/18/15/6
4.Brian Roberts-Good scource of SB's-.272/1/7/20/12
5.Orlando Hudson-The "O" in O-Dawg nows means offense-.350/4/25/18/2
6.Aaron Hill-Surprising power thus far-.287/6/22/19/1
7.Marcus Giles-.321/2/16/19/4
8.Jeff Kent-.308/2/17/15/1
9.Rickie Weeks-Brewers pace setter-.252/5/13/26/6
10.Dan Uggla-.220/5/17/22/0
11.Placido Polanco-.361/1/15/19/1
12.Kelly Johnson-I am not sold-.320/5/17/26/3
13.Ray Durham-.287/2/17/17/3
14.Robinson Cano-Almost more K's(24) than hits(29)-.269/1/13/14/1
15.Jose Lopez-.288/4/12/14/0

On the Bubble-Julio Lugo, Tadahito Iguchi, Josh Barfield

April First Base/DH Rankings

1.Albert Pujols-Slow start means he'll be HUGE for rest of year-.274/6/17/13/0
2.Derek Lee-HR's will come-.416/2/21/22/2
3.David Ortiz-UTIL position keeps him from #2-.304/8/25/20/0
4.Travis Hafner-.316/6/19/17/0
5.Justin Morneau-.267/6/17/19/0
6.Jim Thome-On tear before injury-.340/5/10/12/0
7.Jason Giambi-AVG will drop and won't hit 40 HR's-.330/5/18/12/0
8.Adrian Gonzalez-Mexican beast-.298/8/28/17/0
9.Prince Fielder-Howard should pass him soon-.282/7/23/18/0
10.Ryan Howard-???-.198/4/17/11/0
11.Paul Konerko-.204/4/18/10/0
12.Nomar Garciapara-.298/1/20/20/1
13.Todd Helton-Loss of power has him way down-.390/2/20/17/0
14.Nick Swisher-.291/5/14/13/0
15.Mike Jacobs-.306/3/12/15/0

On the Bubble-Carlos Delgado, Adam LaRoche, Dan Johnson, Kevin Youkilis, Lyle Overbay, Frank Thomas

April Catcher Rankings

1.Joe Mauer-.353/1/14/18/3
2.Victor Martinez-.338/3/23/13/0
3.Brian McCann-.311/2/16/7/0
4.Russell Martin-Could be top catcher soon-.317/2/19/20/5
5.Jorge Posada-No signs of slowing down-.344/3/20/19/0
6.Johnny Estrada-.297/2/9/14/0
7. Kenji Johjima-.313/3/7/7/0
8.Michael Barrett-AVG will rise soon-.237/4/17/8/0
9.Ramon Hernandez-.250/1/10/3/0
10.Ivan Rodriguez-.255/3/15/11/0
11.Bengie Molina-Expect his stamina too drop shortly-.337/1/11/6/0
12.Ronny Paulino-AVG down, but power is up of late-.217/3/9/7/0
13.Paul Lo Duca-.267/2/11/12/0
14.John Buck-I don't think he'll be here long-.293/4/8/8/0
15.A.J. Pierzynski-.211/4/7/10/0

On the Bubble-Jason Vaitek, Josh Bard, Miguel Olivo, Carlos Ruiz

April Rankings

My April Rankings will be posted next by weekend-promise. Sorry I haven't posted for a while again, but I have been very busy lately during the week and I only have had limited time on the weekend, so to make rankings for each position in that limited time is hard. However, after May, I should be posting advice, tidbits, player highlights, and rankings daily. So keeping checking my blog and I hope its useful to your fantasy team.

Yahoo! Article

I wrote about my feelings towards the A's/Angels rivalry, but Tim Brown from Yahoo! Sports wrote his feelings too. Here's the link...

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ti-angelsas040607&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

What's in Disco's Ball(s)?

Is it just me or are Los Angeles Angels/Oakland Athletics series the best to watch in all of MLB. I mean, New York Yankees versus the Red Sox is probably the better series since they are the greatest rivalries in all of sport and they usually are the top two teams in the AL. However, as an eastcoaster it is so much fun to enjoy a west coast game between the A's and Angels. Those teams are usually fighting all year for the AL West crown and the pitching is magnificent. Low scoring, pitching duels in series that can decide who wins the division, played amongst two rivals can make for great, fun baseball. On any given series you can have Harden face Lackey, Haren face Santana, and Blanton face Colon with people such as Ducherser (I think thats the spelling), Street, Shields, and K-Rod pitching. Plus, all that great pitching has to face hitters such as Vlad and Swisher. I mean, outside NYY/Boston, can you name one rivalry that is more fun to watch? NYM/Philly? LAD/San Fran? Cards/Cubs? The latter two rivalries were once good but have faded compared to the fun and enjoyable rivalry that is LAA/Oakland.

And what is up with my Yanks? They are doing everything they can to lose games. On Thursday they were beating Tampa until our pitchers decided to hold the 2007 NY City Walkathon and Jeter made his 2nd and 3rd errors of the season. Hopefully we can turn this around, because these early losses can hurt when you miss out on the playoffs by a game or two.

In other news, the Mets seem like they are the team to beat in the NL and I think it isn't too bold to predict a 100 win season for them and a trip to the World Series. Also, nice victory by Perez on Friday. I think he can put up a decent season in New York.

Patience is a Virtue

The first week of the fantasy season is nearing an end and I'm sure you or other managers in the league are adding and dropping players like crazy. Your sleeper pick may be stumbling or your closer may have a blown a game already (thanks Jorge Julio), while a back of the rotation FA pitcher may have had a great day. Well don't get sucked into the opening week transaction frenzy. Sure, if someone drops Jered Weaver, such as someone from http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/b1/58791, you can go grab, but don't impulse buy just because someone gets out of the gate slow. For the average batter, such as Shea Hillenbrand, wait a month or so to see if they have come out of their funk. If they haven't, start looking for FA's that you know for sure will be playing and producing in September and not a flameout like Chris Shelton in '06. For the star batter that is struggling, like Teixeira last year, you need to hold out on them until they start producing again, at which point you could even trade them so you get more value in return then you would have when the player was struggling. When it comes to SP, you need to be extra patient. There will always be some hot pitcher out there, who in April may outpitch a Carlos Zambrano, but then fall apart. Don't go grabbing Joe Smoe who is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA just because Haren got pounded the other day. For example, last year Carlos Zambrano struggled horribly in April last year and a manager in my league managed to drop him. I scooped him right up and he happened to almost win the Cy Young. As for RP, there are so many that you can afford to add/drop them more early and often then any other position because RP more than anyone else have ups and downs. For a month they might be hot, but then blow 4 saves in a week (look at Turnbow). That advice goes for RP on the hot seat especially. If Jorge Julio is struggling early, dump him for his replacement or a guy who looks like he will be a closer replacement on another team.

So heed this fantasy advice and don't fall into the trap that is first week add/dropping. It could ruin your season.

Player Highlights: Matt Murton

1.Matt Murton

Background:
Age-25
Position-LF
Playing Experience-3rd season
B/T-R/R
Current Spot in Batting Order-2 hole

Batting and Power: Matt is a solid contact/line-drive hitter who posseses strong gap power. He is also developing HR power and projects to hit 20-30 HR's in the near future. Matt also is exceptional at walking and taking pitches which makes him the perfect two hole hitter in a free swinging lineup. Murton is a strong hitter who makes contact, has growing power, and plate discipline.

Baserunning and Speed: Matt is an inteligent baserunner, however, he lacks ideal speed and plays in a lineup that already is getting its stolen base production from the batter in front of him. Expect about only 5 steals.

Biggest Asset: Plate Discipline
Biggest Weakness:Average HR power for a left fielder

2007 Fantasy Outlook: Matt is great 3rd OF play in some of the deeper fantasy baseball leagues. He is bound to get a good AVG with his great ability to put the bat on the ball. Also, hitting in front of A-Ram and Derek Lee should mean we should see an increase of runs scored from the 70 he got last year. Plus, growing power and hitting with Soriano in front of him, should let Matt reach the 20 HR and 80+ RBI plateau. For a guy who is not even being drafted in 14 team leagues, he is a steal in the late rounds of drafts.

What's to Come to Discoball

Throughout the 2007 MLB and fantasy season, the main spot for rankings on FBE (Discoball) will be releasing updated rankings of each position every 2 weeks or so.

I will also continue to let you know what's in my discoball and write some articles for your enjoyment (some pertaining to fantasy and some pertaining to reality).

Also, I will keep you updated on my FBE Writers League team and you can e-mail suggestions on who to start/bench or add/drop.

Plus, I will answer your questions or respond to your thoughts that you e-mail and I will highlight a certain player daily and tell you my analysis of their fantasy value.

Here's to you for a good 2007 fantasy season!

2007 MLB Predictions

Discoball’s 2007 MLB Predictions



AL East
1. New York Yankees(104-58)
2. Toronto Blue Jays(92-70)
3. Boston Red Sox(91-71)
4. Baltimore Orioles(76-86)
5. Tampa Bay Devil Rays(65-97)
AL Central
1. Chicago White Sox(96-66)
2. Detroit Tigers(95-68)[*]
3. Cleveland Indians(90-72)
4. Minnesota Twins(86-76)
5. Kansas City Royals(68-94)
AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels(95-67)
2. Oakland Athletics(94-68)
3. Texas Rangers(85-77)
4. Seattle Mariners(75-87)




PLAYOFF PICTURE

1-GAME Playoff
Detroit Tigers over Oakland Athletics

ALDS
New York Yankees over Detroit Tigers(3-2)
Los Angeles Angels over Chicago White Sox(3-2)

ALCS
New York Yankees over Los Angeles Angels(4-2)

American League Pennant Champions
New York Yankees(7-4)













AMERICAN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS



MVP-Alex Rodriguez
Cy Young-Johan Santana
Rookie of Year-Diasuke Matsuzaka
Rolaids Relief Man-Mariano Rivera
Comeback Player of Year-Jonny Gomes
Hank Aaron-Travis Hafner
Manager of Year-Joe Torre


Gold Glove- Silver Slugger-
C-Joe Mauer C-Joe Mauer
1b-Doug Mientkiewicz 1b-Mark Teixeira
2b-Josh Barfield 2b-Robinson Cano
3b-Eric Chavez 3b-Alex Rodriguez
SS-Derek Jeter SS-Miguel Tejada
OF-Ichiro Suzuki OF-Vladimir Guerrero
OF-Vernon Wells OF-Carl Crawford
OF-Grady Sizemore OF-Grady Sizemore
P-Mike Mussina DH-Travis Hafner




NL East
1. New York Mets(94-78)
2. Philadelphia Phillies(93-70)[2]
3. Atlanta Braves(85-77)
4. Florida Marlins(80-82)
5. Washington Nationals(60-102)
NL Central
1. Milwaukee Brewers(88-74)
2. Chicago Cubs(86-76)
3. St. Louis Cardinals(83-79)
4. Houston Astros(81-81)
5. Cincinnati Reds(78-84)
6. Pittsburgh Pirates(74-88)
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers(94-68)
2. San Diego Padres(92-70)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks(87-75)
4. Colorado Rockies(76-86)
5. San Francisco Giants(75-85)








PLAYOFF PICTURE

1-Game Playoff
Philadelphia Phillies over San Diego Padres

ALDS
Los Angeles Dodgers over Philadelphia Phillies(3-2)
New York Mets over Milwaukee Brewers(3-1)

ALCS
Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Mets(4-2)

National League Pennant Champions
Los Angeles Dodgers(7-4)











NATIONAL LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS



MVP-Albert Pujols
Cy Young-Carlos Zambrano
Rookie of Year-Chris B. Young
Rolaids Relief Man-Trevor Hoffman
Comeback Player of Year-Randy Wolf
Hank Aaron-Jose Reyes
Manager of Year-Ned Yost



Gold Glove- Silver Slugger-
C-Johnny Estrada C-Brian McCann
1b-Derek Lee 1b-Albert Pujols
2b-Orlando Hudson 2b-Chase Utley
3b-Scott Rolen 3b-Miguel Cabrera
SS-Jimmy Rollins SS-Jose Reyes
OF-Andrew Jones OF-Carlos Beltran
OF-Aaron Rowand OF-Alfonso Soriano
OF-Eric Byrnes OF-Matt Holliday
P-Greg Maddux P-Carlos Zambrano



MID-SUMMER AND FALL CLASSIC RESULTS



All-Star Game
National League over American League(40-35-2)

World Series
New York Yankees over Los Angeles Dodgers(4-0)

World Series Champions
New York Yankees(11-4)















2007 MLB REGULAR SEASON POWER RANKINGS
1. New York Yankees 27. Pittsburgh Pirates
2. Chicago White Sox 28. Kansas City Royals
3. Los Angeles Angels 29. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
4. Detroit Tigers 30. Washington Nationals
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
6. New York Mets
7. Oakland Athletics
8. Philadelphia Phillies
9. San Diego Padres
10. Toronto Blue Jays
11. Boston Red Sox
12. Cleveland Indians
13. Milwaukee Brewers
14. Arizona Diamondbacks
15. Chicago Cubs
16. Minnesota Twins
17. Atlanta Braves
18. Texas Rangers
19. St. Louis Cardinals
20. Houston Astros
21. Florida Marlins
22. Cincinnati Reds
23. Baltimore Orioles
24. Colorado Rockies
25. Seattle Mariners
26. San Francisco Giants
[*] Wild Card Team
[2] Wild Card Team

DISCO IS BACK!!!

The Disco Demolition is over and the discoball is back (that was corny)! To all my readers, sorry I haven't posted anything for three weeks as I have been REAL busy this month. Don't worry though, as I will be posting often from here on out. Hopefully you won't hold my long absense against me and you will continue to read my rankings and what is in my discoball. Don't forget to email me questions on your team or suggestions on my rankings at...

coolcatdadio1@verizon.net

What's in Disco's Ball(s)?

Hey, "what's happenin',"? It's March 5th and baseball is back! Each team is still alive and has the goal of winning the World Series. Questions are still out on who will be this years Tigers or, flop, Indians. There is almost nothing better than beginning a new season and getting ready to ride your team wagon through high times and low times. Stars are trying to shake off the rust and no-names are trying to EARN a name. Who knows who will make the web gem of the year? Who knows who will make history this year? Who knows how much more A-Rod can be unfairly harassed by idiotic fans and writers? Who knows how many more cookies David Ortiz can handle? All I can say is let's get this season underway!

But not until my Yankees take home the Grape Fruit League crown. We are currently 5-0 with 3 comeback victories and we are riding high on great pitching from stars trying get back in the feel for things and minor leagues trying to impress. Damn, it was great to shut up the Iron Sheff today, with him going 0-2. Melky is looking great and so is Bret Gardner on the bases. Hughes had a bad couple of innings in the first game, but I am not concerned. Let's hope we keep on rolling through Spring Training, into the season, and take home the World Series crown as well!

Do you have something in your Disco Ball(s)? Do you have a question for me regaurding your fantasy team or advice for my team in the FBE Writer's League? Do you want to comment on my rankings? Do you hate my work and want to trash me? Well if so then please e-mail me at....

coolcatdadio1@verizon.net
I know you like that e-mail.

Pre-season Closer Rankings

1.Francisco Rodriguez-His K's put him ahead of Mo-1.73/98/47/1.10
2.Joe Nathan-Are you serious with WHIP?-1.58/95/36/0.79
3.Mariano Rivera-"Enter Sandman"-1.80/55/34/0.96
4.B.J. Ryan-1.37/86/38/0.86
5.Billy Wagner-2.24/94/40/1.11
6.Trevor Hoffman-Consistent, but low K's-2.14/50/46/0.97
7.Huston Street-I see a big year coming-3.31/67/37/1.09
8.Chad Cordero-Saves will drop with bad Nat's team-3.19/69/29/1.10
9.Chris Ray-I foresee a solid, yet quiet year-2.73/51/33/1.09
10.Bobby Jenks-4.00/80/41/1.39
11.J.J. Putz-In '05 he had 15 less K's than IP. In '06 he had 26 more K's than IP. I see more of an '05 form-2.30/104/36/0.92
12.Tom Gordon-Watch for September fatigue-3.34/68/34/1.26
13.Francisco Cordero-High WHIP-3.70/84/22/1.35
14.Brad Lidge-He is a mystery this year-5.28/104/32/1.40
15.Eric Gagne-Still has it if healthy-0.00/3/1/0.50
16.Brian Fuentes-3.44/73/30/1.16
17.Takashi Saito-2.07/107/24/0.91
18.Taylor Tankerlsey-I see a strong year from him, where he keeps job all season-2.85/46/3/1.44
19.Jason Isringhausen-3.55/52/33/1.46
20.Todd Jones-As long as they win, his job is safe-3.94/28/37/1.27
21.Salomon Torres-3.28/72/12/1.46
22.Joe Borowski-Who would replace him?-3.75/64/36/1.38
23.Octavio Dotel-Job is safe if he gets back to pre-Tommy John self-10.80/7/0/2.90
24.Armando Benetiz-3.52/31/17/1.57
25.Bob Wickman-Will be dealt with Gonzalez and Soriano in Braves pen-2.67/42/33/1.23
26.Jose Valverde-Will lose job or platoon-5.84/69/18/1.46
27.Ryan Dempster-He will be praying for Wood's annual DL vacation-4.80/67/24/1.51
28.Boston Closer Situation-Every option is not equipped for role except Papelbon-Candidates:Piniero, Hansen, Timlin, Delcarmen
29.Mike Stanton-3.99/48/8/1.39
30.Seth McClung-Why ever draft a Tampa closer?-6.29/59/6/1.83

Closer Rankings here at last!!!

I have finished my closer rankings and the reason I choose to do closer and setup man/relief pitcher rankings is because combined, there are so many RP and the list would be way to long. The 4 stats I will be showing for CL and SU/RP will be ERA, K, S, and WHIP. Enjoy the rankings and hopefully they will sway a pick you may make in an upcoming draft!

Pre-season Starting Pitcher Rankings

1.Johan Santana-No brainer here-19/2.77/245/1.00
2.Chris Carpenter-15/3.09/184/1.07
3.Carlos Zambrano-High K's, High WHIP-16/3.41/210/1.29
4.Roy Oswalt-15/2.98/166/1.17
5.Brandon Webb-16/3.10/178/1.13
6.Jake Jeavy-He will bounce back in W and ERA column-11/4.09/215/1.23
7.Roy Halladay-Low K's drop him a few spots-16/3.19/132/1.10
8.Ben Sheets-Injuries restrict him to this spot-6/3.82/116/1.09
9.John Smoltz-16/3.49/211/1.19
10.Brett Myers-Self Proclaimed "wife-beater"-12/3.91/189/1.30
11.C.C. Sabathia-I see a strong, healthy year-12/3.22/172/1.17
12.Scott Kazmir-Watch out for the shoulder-10/3.24/163/1.27
13.Rich Harden-4/4.24/49/1.22
14.Chris Young-11/3.46/164/1.13
15.Dontrelle Willis-Which Willis shows:'05 or '06-12/3.87/160/1.42
16.Justin Verlander-Minor sophmore slump-17/3.63/124/1.33
17.Jeremy Bonderman-14/4.08/202/1.30
18.John Lackey-13/3.56/190/1.26
19.Aaron Harang-16/3.76/216/1.27
20.Matt Cain-13/4.15/187/1.28
21.Daisuke Matsuzaka-We will see how good he is depending on adjustments made on his second go-around with teams-No playing Experience
22.Curt Schilling-AVOID:Out of shape-15/3.97/183/1.22
23.Bronson Arroyo-Only concern is small home park-14/3.29/184/1.19
24.Cole Hamels-9/4.08/145/1.25
25.Felix Hernandez-12/4.52/176/1.34
26.Jered Wever-I expect drop-off-11/2.56/105/1.03
27.Jason Schmidt-11/3.59/180/1.26
28.Barry Zito-Should not be highest paid SP...-16/3.83/151/1.40
29.Rich Hill-Hype gets him this spot-6/4.17/90/1.23
30.Andy Pettitte-Returns to old NY self-14/4.20/178/1.44
31.Erik Bedard-15/3.76/171/1.35
32.Dan Haren-14/4.12/176/1.21
33.*Chris Capuano*-11/4.03/174/1.25
34.Derek Lowe-16/3.63/123/1.27
35.A.J. Burnett-10/3.98/118/1.30
36.Josh Johnson-Watch out for injuries-12/3.10/133/1.30
37.*Ervin Santana*-Will be in July trade talk-16/4.28/141/1.23
38.Mike Mussina-Good stats for in '06 for an old moose-15/3.51/172/1.11 39.Brad Penny-16/4.33/148/1.38
40.*John Patterson*Pitches in spacious RFK-1/4.43/42/1.11
41.Josh Beckett-Got owned by AL East-16/5.01/158/1.29
42.Dave Bush-12/4.41/166/1.14
43.Chien-Ming Wang-Best sinkerballer, worst at K's-19/3.63/76/1.31
44.Randy Johnson-Watch out for back-17/5.00/172/1.24
45.Jonathon Papelbon-4/0.92/75/0.78
46.Anibal Sanchez-May regress some-10/2.83/72/1.19
47.*Chuck James*-11/3.78/91/1.24
48.*Mark Buehrle*-He is playing for a contract and will return to '05 form. I put him here since he will fall this late somehow-12/4.99/98/1.45 49.Adam Wainwright-How will he fare as a SP?-2/3.12/72/1.15
50.Scott Olsen-12/4.04/166/1.30

Others to Watch For:*John Maine*, Freddy Garcia, Zach Duke, Jason Jennings, Randy Wolf, Jon Garland, *Cliff Lee*, *Daniel Cabrera*, and *Oliver Perez*.

**sleeper...*rookie

SP Rankings!!!

I finally have gotten my SP rankings complete and I am ready to post 'em here. Since there are so many SP, I did the top 50 since in an average 5x5 12 team league, there are 2 SP spots, 2 P spots, and at least 1 bench spot for a SP. So since you will probably have 4 SP on your team, 4x12=48. The stats I will post next to each SP will be the 4 stats they get you in a standard 5x5 league: W, ERA, K, WHIP. And finally, I am watching Godfather 2 as I post this, so I leave you some fantasy baseball advice: "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."

What's in Disco's Ball(s)?

Hey, what's goin' on big dawgs? As I stated in my first post, I will be dissecting one of my fantasy teams this year, to help show you what to do and what not to do with your fantasy teams, in order to win the 'Ship. Remember, email me suggestions reguarding my team and rankings! Moreover, I will have my SP and RP rankings by the end of the week.

The team I will be dissecting will be my team in the FBE Writer's League, where 13 of FBE's writers are participating to see who is really the best writer. My team is Discoball and I will put a link the league on my links side bar. Monday, February 26 was the draft and this is how I did (drafting in the 11 position out of 13)....

Round 1(11)-Lance Berkman-This pick was step one in my "Berkman Manuever"
Round 2(16)-Grady Sizemore-I finished my manuever by drafting an OF. I plan on using Berky as an OF, so I now have 2 great OF and I can draft a solid 1b late
Round 3(37)-Miguel Tejada- Was best SS left with Hanley, Jeter, and J-Roll gone
Round 4(42)-Robinson Cano-This pick solidified my MI
Round 5(63)-Mariano Rivera-All I need to say is Enter Sandman
Round 6(68)-C.C. Sabathia-I believe he will be good this year and top tier SP's were already gone
Round 7(89)-Corey Patterson-I finished off my OF with a guy who will get me SB's with Grady and has good upside
Round 8(94)-Dan Haren-Good WHIP in first two seasons and Chris Young went right before him
Round 9(115)-Chris Ray-With him I have 2 solid closers, so I am feeling good here
Round 10(120)-Ervin Santana-I'm not a big fan of this pick, but I needed SP and he was the best there
Round 11(141)-I wanted to get Edwin E. later, but he was drafted early, so I got Tracy and I expect good things
Round 12(146)-Lyle Overbay-You know what you will get with Overbay and the "get" is pretty good...probably .300/20/80/80/5
Round 13(167)-Mark Buehrle-He is in a contract year and '06 was an anomaly in his young, outstanding career
Round 14(172)-Nomar Garciaparra-I now have good 1b depth which will help me in trades...I just pray Nomar stays healthy
Round 15(193)-Russell Martin-I wanted to get Estrada later, but there was no I wanted in any position besides Martin
Round 16(198)-Taylor Tankersley-I got my 3rd closer while people were drafting regular RP...I guess they forgot about him-he is a great sleeper
Round 17(219)-Rafael Soriano-All closers were gone now, so I went with a guy will get me K's
Round 18(224)-Jonny Gomes-If he rebounds, he is a solid OF backup
Round 19(245)-I am disgusted by his WHIP, but I mean, he did start the All-Star Game!
Round 20(250)-Kevin Millwood-To win, you need more than the required # of SP, thus the reason I took Millwood
Round 21(271)-Wilson Betemit-He has great flex and can shine with playing time, plus he has been falling really late in drafts
Round 22(276)-Cliff Lee-If he goes back to '05 form at the ripe age of 29, this is a steal
Round 23(297)-Johnny Estrada-I maximize my team by taking 2 strong players, at a weak position and it won't hurt to drop him
Round 24(302)Craig Monroe-A guy with 92 RBI's fell to pick 302! Plus, utlimate backup Rich Aurilia was just taken
Round 25(323)Brandon League-Duaner Sanchez was just taken, so I settled for League who will sport good stats outside K's

What's in Disco's Ball(s)?

What's up everybody? I got some new audio in my profile-a clip from the movie Office Space and you will be laughing your head off, even if you haven't seen the best comedy ever. Also, even though I haven't unvailed my SP and RP rankings, I am going to nominate my favorite sleeper from each position I have unvailed so far. So let's get started with C and work our way up to OF.

C-Ronny Paulino...I believe this guy is a great buy in the late rounds of the draft. He won't get you the RBI's or HR's of a McCann or Posada, but he will produce enough to be a solid start. Ronny will hit for a .300+ AVG which can help you if you have a Swisher or Dunn on your team. Also, with the Bucs improved lineup, his RBI and runs will improve from his '06 season.

1b-Mike Jacobs...Mike was supposed to be the biggest power hitter on a young Marlins team last year but stumbled out of the gate and was overshadowed by Uggla and Ramirez. However, he still managed 20 HR's and 77 RBI's. I feel he will be underlooked by opposing pitchers this season causing him to breakout for a very realistic 30 HR+ season and 100+RBI's (expect AVG to be under .275 though).

2b-Jorge Cantu...This guy might be my favorite sleeper of all. People look at his bismal '06 season and so far he hasn't been drafted until later rounds. However, I feel last year he was worn out from the Mexican Winter League and the WBC. Plus he suffered through serious injuries. I am still looking at his '05 season where hit .300, had 28 HR's and 110+ RBI's! Now that he is healthy I believe he will come close to achieving his 2005 success with 20+ HR's and 85+ RBI's. Good for a second basemen.

3b-Edwin Encarnacion...He came into last season highly touted and he didn't disappoint. He hit 15 HR's and 72 RBI's in limited time due to an injury. I feel that if he continues to develop, he should hit almost 25 HR's and 90+ RBI's in his small home park. Plus, he seems to be going a few rounds after the first and second tier players.

SS-Stephen Drew...He performed great last year and is expected to only get better. He could be steal in the mid rounds of a 25 round draft if he lives up to expectations.

OF-Jonny Gomes...I am loving Jonny Gomes this year. In '05 he dazzled fans with his arsenal of bombs while maintaining a .283 AVG. Last April he got off to a hot start before suffering an EXTREMELY bum shoulder that ruined his season. Now that he is healthy I see a great season in store for him where he can get 30+ bombs and alot of doubles. Plus, with a good Rays lineup, he should get his share of runs and RBI's. He is also walking alot, which helps negate his strikeout problem.

Pre-season Outfield Rankings

1.Vladimir Guerrero-Ultimate Consistency-.329/33/116/92/15
2.Alfonso Soriano-Helps with SB's, hurts with K's-.277/46/95/119/41
3.Carlos Beltran-.275/41/116/127/18
4.Lance Berkman-.315/45/136/95/3
5.Manny Ramirez-.321/35/102/79/0
6.Carl Crawford-SB's trump Sizemore's better power-.305/18/77/89/58
7.Grady Sizemore-.290/28/76/134/22
8.Carlos Lee-Short Porch but BAD knees-.300/37/116/102/19
9.Matt Holliday-.326/34/114/119/10
10.Jason Bay-Solid early-mid round pick-.286/35/109/101/11
11.Ichiro Suzuki-Could hit 40 HR if he wanted-.322/9/49/110/45
12.Andrew Jones-If he had AVG, he's #1 OF-.262/41/129/107/4
13.Vernon Wells-.303/32/106/91/17
14.Jermaine Dye-Injury Concern and aging-.315/44/120/103/7
15.Hideki Matsui-.302/8/29/32/1
16.Alex Rios-Too popular for sleeper status-.302/17/82/68/15
17.Bobby Abreu-.297/15/107/98/30
18.Johnny Damon-.285/24/80/115/25
19.Chone Figgins-Not a good OF option-.267/9/62/93/52
20.Adam Dunn-Pathetic AVG drops him to 20!-.234/40/92/99/7
21.Rocco Baldelli-.302/16/57/59/10
22.Gary Sheffield-Line-drive power hurt by Comerca-.298/6/25/22/5
23.Magglio Ordonez-.298/24/104/82/1
24.Raul Ibanez-.289/33/123/103/2
25.Torii Hunter-Injury Concern-.278/31/98/86/12
26.Nick Swisher-AVG hurts is rankings-.254/35/95/106/1
27.Jeff Francoeur-If not in 5x5 league, stay away-.260/29/103/83/1
28.Nick Markakis-.291/16/62/72/2
29.Michael Cuddyer-One year wonder?-.284/24/109/102/6
30.Ken Griffey Jr.-Injuries kept him from Aaron-.252/27/72/62/0
31.Dave Roberts-Great late round pick for SB's-.293/2/44/80/49
32.Pat Burrell-On final leash with fans in Philly-.258/29/95/80/0
33.J.D. Drew-.283/20/100/84/
34.Gary Matthews Jr.-.313/19/79/102/10
35.Josh Willingham-.277/26/74/62/2
36.*Jonny Gomes*-Bum shoulder ruined his season-.216/20/59/53/1
37.*Craig Monroe*-Late bloomer-.255/28/92/89/2
38.Austin Kearns-.264/24/86/86/9
39.Mike Cameron-.268/22/83/88/25
40.Eric Byrnes-Which Byrnes showss-05 or 06?-.267/26/79/82/25
41.Carlos Quentin-.253/9/32/23/1
42.*Matt Murton*-Can have solid and quiet season-.297/13/62/70/5
43.Andre Ethier-Durability concerns with 06 burnout-.308/11/55/50/5
44.*Shane Victorino*-.287/6/46/70/4
45.Coco Crisp-.264/8/36/58/22
46.Curtis Granderson-.260/19/68/90/8
47.Aubrey Huff-.267/21/66/57/0
48.Garrett Anderson-.280/17/85/63/1
49.Moises Alou-A golden oldie-.301/22/74/52/2
50.*David DeJesus*-Solid backup option-.295/8/56/83/6

**sleeper

Outfield Rankings on the way!!!

Since there are so many OF's, I am just going to get the average amount of teams in a league (12) multiplied by the 3 OF spots and 1 bench spot for an OF on a team. Since 12x4=48, I will round my OF rankings to the top 50. I hope they are useful to you in your drafts.

New Audio Clip

I have a new audio clip in my profile of Howard Dean's "Byah" rant, that was famously made fun of on "Chappelle Show The Lost Episodes". Also, don't forget you can e-mail me regarding your opinion of my rankings and with what's in your ball(s). Finally, I will have my OF, SP, and RP pre-season rankings done shortly.

Email me at...
coolcatdadio1@verizon.net

What's in Disco's Ball(s)?

The 2007 fantasy baseball season is right around corner and if you're looking for a fun, competitive, and active league, then join my Yahoo! league. The ID# is 968 and the password is dogsled. It's a roto league with 14-20 members. The stats are R, AVG, HR, RBI, SB and W, SV, HLD, K, ERA. The positions are C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, Util, 5 SP, 5 RP, 6 bench, and 5 DL. The only requirements are you that you are active all year and your team name has a city in it, i.e., Philadelphia Storm or San Diego Surf (as to prevent the yo mamas and twwjwj, team names). The draft is currently Saturday, March 3, but that will probably be pushed back. I hope to see you in my league soon.

Pre-season Short Stop Rankings

1.Jose Reyes-.300/19/81/122/64
2.Derek Jeter-Gets #1 spot if he had steals like Reyes-.343/14/98/118/34
3.Miguel Tejada-.330/24/100/99/6
4.Hanley Ramirez-Developing power-.292/17/59/119/51
5.Michael Young-.314/14/103/93/7
6.Jimmy Rollins-Don't expect similar power stats-.277/25/83/127/36
7.Carlos Guillen-.320/19/85/100/20
8.Rafael Furcal-.300/15/63/113/37
9.Edgar Renteria-.293/14/70/100/17
10.Felipe Lopez-.274/11/52/98/44
11.Bill Hall-Expect 20 HR's, but a low AVG-.270/35/85/101/8
12.Orlando Cabrera-.282/9/72/95/27
13.Jhonny Peralta-I see a bounceback year for him-.257/13/68/84/0
14.*Stephen Drew*-.316/5/23/27/2
15.Yuniesky Betancourt-.289/8/47/68/11
16.Wilson Betemit-.263/18/53/49/3
17.Julio Lugo-.278/12/37/69/24
18.Jason Bartlett-Doesn't have enough power-.309/2/32/44/10
19.Juan Uribe-Off-fields issues may be of concern-.235/21/71/53/1
20.Bobby Crosby-Always hurt and horrible % stats-.229/9/40/42/8
21.J.J. Hardy-.242/5/14/13/1
22.Omar Vizquel-.295/4/58/88/24
23.David Eckstein-.292/2/23/68/7
24.Khalil Greene-Hasn't grown since rookie year-.245/15/55/56/5
25.Jack Wilson-.273/8/35/70/4
26.Troy Tulowitzki-.240/1/6/15/3
27.Royce Clayton-.258/2/40/49/14
28.Cezar Izturis-Injuries have slowed him alot-.245/1/18/14/1
29.Angel Berroa-Can you believe he was ROY once?-.234/9/54/45/3
30.Ben Zobrist-.224/2/18/10/2
31.Alex Gonzalez-.255/9/50/48/1
32.Adam Everett-.239/6/59/52/9
33.Cristian Guzman-DNP

What's in Disco's Ball(s)?

This week, there are several things on mind. First, is the Bernie Williams situation.
As a Yankee fan, it is painful to see a legend and future HOF'er, lose his skills and role on the team due to age. However, Brian Cashmoney is making the right choice to let him go. Bernie still has some pop left, but his arm and fielding skills have dried up. Teams will run on Bernnie all day and he can't cover ground anymore. Melky is the far better OF backup choice. Also, he can't DH since the Yanks have Giambi DH'ing to upgrade their defense to help out A-Rod's throwing issues and the ground-baller Wang. But, can you imagine Bernie in south beach or in a Ranger uniform? The only 2 options that are good for the Yanks is that Bernie decides to retire or an injury or transaction occurs that opens up roster space for Bernie. Either way, Bernie is #51 in our programs, and #1 in our hearts (and that goes for all you beantowners).

Also, the Devil Rays, er, "Rays", are at it again. Supposedly, after the 2008 season Tampa Bay is dropping "Devil" from its name. Plus, they are getting a new uniform consisting of blue and yellow (probably so Crawford can look like lightning when he runs). However, the owner and G.M. decided not to unviel a team that can win more than 70 games a season.

Office Space is the best movie ever. If you haven't seen it I recomend it and don't be surprised to see me using some of its quotes in my posts.

If the "Hey" song doesn't get you pumped up, you are not human.

Pre-Season Third Base Rankings

1.Alex Rodriguez-Produces in every stat-.290/35/121/113/15
2.Miguel Cabrera-.339/26/114/112/9
3.David Wright-.311/26/116/96/20
4.Aramis Ramirez-.291/38/119/93/2
5.Garrett Atkins-I like this pick alot-.329/29/120/117/4
6.Ryan Zimmerman-.287/20/110/84/11
7.Chone Figgins-Good for flex and sb's-.267/9/62/93/52
8.Troy Glaus-Has power to be ranked higher-.252/38/104/105/3
9.Chipper Jones-.324/26/86/87/6
10.Scott Rolen-Watch out for shoulder-.296/22/95/94/7
11.Chad Tracy-.281/20/80/91/5
12.Joe Crede-Been hot since 05 playoffs-.283/30/94/76/0
13.Hank Blalock-Will bounce back-.266/16/89/76/1
14.Eric Chavez-Same as Blalock-.241/22/72/74/3
15.Adrian Beltre-.268/25/89/88/11
16.*Edwin Encarnacion*-.276/15/72/60/6
17.Melvin Mora-.274/16/83/96/11
18.Mark Teahen-.290/18/69/70/10
19.Freddy Snchez-.344/6/85/85/3
20.Aubrey Huff-.267/21/66/57/0
21.*Wilson Betemit*-.263/18/53/49/3
22.Alex Gordon*-Beasted NCAA and minors...No playing experience
23.Akinori Iwamura*-No playing experience
24.B.J. Upton-Time for him to put up or shut up-.246/1/10/20/11
25.Andy Marte-.226/5/23/20/0
26.Kevin Kouzmanoff-.214/3/11/4/0
27.Brandon Inge-.253/27/83/83/7
28.Mike Lowell-.284/20/80/79/2
29.Pedro Feliz-Horrible OBP and OPS-.244/22/98/75/1
30.Wes Helms-.329/10/47/30/0
31.Corey Koskie-.261/12/33/29/1

**sleeper...*rookie

Pre-season Second Base Rankings

1.Chase Utley-Imagine if hustle was a stat-.302/32/102/131/15
2.Robinson Cano-.342/15/78/62/5
3.Brian Roberts -.286/10/55/85/36
4.Dan Uggla-Expect a dropoff-.282/27/90/105/6
5.Rickie Weeks-.279/8/34/73/19
6.*Ian Kinsler* -.286/14/55/65/11
7.Felipe Lopez-.274/11/52/98/44
8.Jeff Kent-.292/14/68/61/1
9.*Jorge Cantu*-You can grab him late-.249/14/62/40/1
10.Brandon Phillips-.276/17/75/65/25
11.Julio Lugo-.278/12/37/69/24
12.Howie Kendrick-.284/4/30/25/6
13.Josh Barfield-.280/13/58/72/21
14.Tadahito Iguchi-.281/18/67/97/11
15.Jose Lopez-.282/10/79/78/5
16.Orland Hudson-.287/15/67/87/9
17.Marcus Giles-.262/11/60/87/10
18.Luis Castillo-Only if you need sb's-.296/3/49/84/25
19.*Aaron Hill*-.291/6/50/70/5
20.Ray Durham-.293/26/93/79/7
21.Placido Polanco-.295/4/52/58/1
22.Jose Castillo-.253/14/65/54/6
23.Mark DeRosa-.296/13/74/78/4
24.Jamey Carroll-.300/4/36/84/10
25.Jose Vidro-.289/7/47/52/1
26.Craig Biggio-May be fueled in quest for 3000-.246/21/62/79/3
27.Mark Grudzielanek-.297/7/52/85/3
28.Mark Ellis-.249/11/52/64/4
29.Jose Valentin-.271/18/62/56/6
30.Adam Kennedy-.273/4/55/50/16
31.Kelly Johsnon-Missed Season with INJ
32.Ronnie Belliard-How is he not on a team?-.272/13/67/63/2

**sleeper

Pre-season First Base/DH Rankings

1.Albert Pujols-less k's and higher avg than Howard-.331/49/137/119/7
2.Ryan Howard-.313/58/149/104/0
3.Travis Hafner-.308/42/117/100/0
4.David Ortiz-Cookie monster in disguise?-.287/54/137/115/1
5.Lance Berkman-Good flex-.315/45/136/95/3
6.Mark Teixeira-.282/33/110/99/2
7.Justin Morneau-.321/34/130/97/3
8.Derek Lee-Will get RBI's in potent lineup-.286/8/30/30/8
9.Paul Konerko-.313/35/113/97/1
10.Jim Thome-.288/42/109/108/0
11.Jason Giambi-Monster OBP-.253/37/113/92/2
12.Richie Sexson-Ugly average-.264/34/107/75/1
13.Carlos Delgado-.265/38/114/89/0
14.Adam LaRoche-Short porch compared to Turner-.285/32/90/89/0
15. Prince Fielder-.271/28/81/82/7
16.Adrian Gonzalez-.304/24/82/83/0
17.Lyle Overbay-.312/22/92/82/5
18.Todd Helton-.302/15/81/94/3
19.Nomar Garciapara-.303/20/93/82/3
20.Nick Swisher-AVG makes you vomit-.254/35/95/106/1
21.Nick Johnson-May lose job to Lance Broadway-.290/23/77/100/10
22.*Ryan Shealy*-.277/7/37/31/1
23.Ryan Garko-.292/7/45/28/0
24.*Mike Jacobs*-.262/20/77/54/3
25.Conor Jackson-.291/15/79/75/1
26.Kevin Youkilis-.279/13/72/100/5
27.Frank Thomas-.270/39/114/77/0
28.*Billy Butler*-If called up, he will shine
29.Rich Aurilia-.300/23/70/61/3
30.Shea Hillenbrand-.277/21/68/73/1
31.Dan Johnson-.234/9/37/30/0
32.Lance Broadway*-No Playing Experience
33.Casey Kotchman-.152/1/6/6/0
34.Doug Mientkiewicz-.283/4/43/37/3

**sleeper...*rookie

What's in Disco's Ball(s)?

Baseball is my favorite sport. I like football, but I have an amazing passion for the game of baseball. It's goofballs, like the author of the following article, that get my blood flowing...http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/sports/16565008.htm

Pre-season Catcher Rankings

1. Joe Mauer- Avg and growing power-.347/13/84/86/8
2.Victor Martinez-.316/16/93/82/0
3.Brian McCann-.333/24/93/61/2
4.Russell Martin- Great, young stud-.282/10/65/65/10
5.Jorge Posada- Growing old, but very consistent-.277/23/93/65/3
6.Michael Barrett-.307/16/53/54/0
7.Kenji Johjima.291/18/76/61/3
8.Ivan Rodriguez- Losing power, but still is solid-.300/13/69/74/8
9.Ramon Hernandez-.275/23/91/66/1
10.Johnny Estrada- Great mid-late round pick-.302/11/71/43/0
11.Paul Lo Duca-.318/5/49/80/3
12.*Ronny Paulino*- May lose starts to Doumit-.310/6/55/37/0
13.Jason Varitek-.238/12/55/46/1
14.A.J. Pierzynski-.295/16/64/65/1
15.Bengie Molina- Good stats, but doesn't start enough-.284/19/57/44
16. Chris Ianetta*- Highly touted rookie
17.Yadier Molina-.216/6/49/29/1
18.*Gerald Laird*- Will play in a Texas sandbox-.296/7/22/46/3
19.Dioneer Navarro-.254/6/28/28/2
20.Miguel Olivo-.263/16/58/52/2
21.Mike Napoli-.228/16/42/47/2
22.Josh Bard-With full-time job expect drop off-.333/9/40/30/1
23.John Buck-.245/11/50/37/0
24.Jason Kendall-Where are his glory days in Pittsburgh?-.295/1/50/76/11
25.David Ross-.255/21/52/37/0
26.Brian Schneider-.256/4/55/30/2
27.Javy Lopez-.251/8/35/36/0
28.Gregg Zaun-.272/12/40/39/0
39.Miguel Montero*-.250/0/3/0/0
30.Brad Aumus-.230/2/39/37/3

**sleeper...*rookie

Welcome to Discoball, courtesy of FBE

Hello, I am Disco, the newest writer for Fantasy Baseball Express. I am an avid Yankees fan, but I do love the Pirates some. I have participated in fantasy baseball for a few years and I am glad to be able to voice my opinion to a wide audience.
My column will feature frequently updated rankings of each position. However, I would love for you to e-mail me with any thoughts you have on my rankings.
Also, I will use a portion of my blog to share my thoughts on situations going on in MLB, whether its trade talk, web gems, or another Joe Torre bonehead pitching change.
Finally, I will be dissecting one of my fantasy baseball teams throughout the season. Each week I will update you on how my team is doing and any transactions I am involved in. By doing so, hopefully you will learn what it takes to be a winner in fantasy baseball, or, possibly, what you shouldn't do (like trade Ryan Howard for Giambi, but lets not talk about that). And you can e-mail me with suggestions, whether it be what player I should add or if I should accept a certain trade.
I hope you will like my column and here's to a good 2007 MLB season in fantasy and reality. And, check out my profile once in awhile for hilarious audio clips.mailto:coolcatdadio1@verizon.net