To get you ready for draft season, Fantasy FanHouse will be running through each major league team, covering lineups, rotations and sleeper/busts. Meet the ...
The freakin' Mets. Who else ya gonna meet, eh? Sorry. I wanted to come up with some kind of candy that looked great at first but once you got past the outer edge, you realized how not good it tasted, but I couldn't think of anything. And that might be the 2008 New York Mets. They have very, very, veryveryvery high expectations after bringing Johan Santana from Minnesota for peanuts, changing the face of a geriatric pitching staff that cost the Mets the post season in 2007. The offense boasts Jose Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran, but after that, it's essentially smoke/mirrors and name value. Don't get me wrong -- the good on this team, in fantasy terms, are really good. Wright, Reyes and Santana should go in the first round of every single fantasy draft and Beltran won't be far behind. But if you're planning on building your squad around the Mets role players -- the Moises Alous, the, yes, Carlos Delgados -- then you should probably think again.
The Breakout
It seems perilous to endorse Oliver Perez, but I've done stupider things (too many too even list an example, really.) You could argue that his first half hit rate was lucky, or that the second half spike in WHIP (1.16 to 1.49) is a disasterous sign. I wouldn't contest either, especially since I presented them here. However, I'm going to gamble (cheaply) on the fact that this left handed Hispanic, oftentimes brilliant, but mostly erratic gascan can turn it around. Why? Because there's another left handed, Hispanic, almost always brilliant strikeout artist named Johan -- who might be able to teach Ollie a thing or two about a changeup -- in town now. That's right. Johan's mentoring is going to lead to a monster year.
The Bust
Carlos Delgado, as I have mentioned, is old. Oh, I didn't mention that? Well, he is. And he's now a role player. For several years now, you might have heard that Delgado was an over-hyped version of Richie Sexson. And it's true. Only know he's injured and his power appears to have been sapped. Stay away. There are cheaper and better options at first base.
The Lineup
Jose Reyes, SS
Luis Castillo, 2B
David Wright, 3B
Carlos Beltran, CF
Carlos Delgado, 1B
Moises Alou, LF
Ryan Church, RF
Ramon Castro, C
The Rotation
Johan Santana, L
Pedro Martinez, R
John Maine, R
Oliver Perez, L
Orlando Hernandez, R
The Bullpen
Billy Wagner, CL
Aaron Heilman, SU
Duaner Sanchez, SU
The Skinny
In a little bit of fairness to the role players on this team, there's some good sleeper value. Pedro and Church could end up being worthwhile picks later in draft, and of course Perez has been mentioned. Maine fell apart in the second half of last year but should be a very good pitcher if he can get past that 150 mark on innings pitched without collapsing; still he probably won't be cheap on draft day. Wagner is going to get get saves, but he's aging and is overpriced in terms of a closer. Castillo is speed reliant and is old/no longer fast. Alou can't stay healthy. And as far as El Duque goes, well, steer clear Big Tuna.
