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Halpin chat recap: Who to keep next season?
| John Halpin Fantasy Baseball Chat | (09/30/2009) |
| 3:00 | John Halpin: Hi, folks. We'll get started in a minute. |
| 3:01 | FOX Fantasy: Afternoon everyone, and welcome to our LAST fantasy baseball chat of the year! John Halpin's gonna be your host today - as you may have seen already! - so pepper him with some championship week or keeper league questions..............NOW! |
| 3:04 | FOX Fantasy: Terrance in New Jersey's gonna start us off today...........Hey John, do you possibly see Zack Greinke and Scott Feldman having as good of seasons next year as they just had? Wondering if they're both worth keeping. |
| 3:05 | John Halpin: They're both worth keeping, Terrance, but one of these things is not like the other. Greinke is a bonafide ace, and you should hold on to him for dear life. I'd probably keep Feldman, but I think he'll regress, and if you can deal him to someone who thinks he's an ace, then it's probably a good idea. Feldman could be 2010's Armando Galarraga (check his 2008 and 2009 stats for reference). |
| 3:06 |   |
| 3:08 | FOX Fantasy: Greg's in San Antonio, and he has catcher issues........John, this has been a pretty bad season for catchers overall. Is there anyone besides Joe Mauer, Brian McCann and Matt Weiters who I should even care about drafting next season? |
| 3:09 | John Halpin: lots of people... |
| 3:10 | John Halpin: How about Jorge Posada again? |
| 3:11 | John Halpin: Buster Posey is probably going to start for the Giants - he could be a a good young pickup. |
| 3:13 | John Halpin: Finally, I think Chris Iannetta will bounce back after a down year. You can get him late. |
| 3:14 | FOX Fantasy: I'll add a quick follow up question to this and ask you how high you think Joe Mauer gtes drafted in your regular mixed leagues next year. |
| 3:15 | John Halpin: Excellent question... |
| 3:15 | John Halpin: I was just talking to my dad about this yesterday ... |
| 3:16 | Is Joe Mauer a first round draft pick next season? Yes ( 50% ) ( 50% ) |
| 3:17 | John Halpin: After Pujols, who would you HAVE to take ahead of Mauer? |
| 3:17 | John Halpin: Sizemore can't be trusted |
| 3:18 | John Halpin: Jose Reyes is a mess |
| 3:18 | FOX Fantasy: Hanley Ramirez?! |
| 3:18 | John Halpin: Oh, yeah - him |
| 3:18 | FOX Fantasy: Ryan Howard or Prince Fielder maybe? |
| 3:19 | John Halpin: My bad. But if Mauer hits .370 with 30 homers - who else? I haven't compiled rankings yet, but most of this year's first-rounders haven't lived up to the billing. |
| 3:19 | John Halpin: No on the first basemen - Mauer is a CATCHER hitting THREE SEVENTY! |
| 3:19 | John Halpin: He's definitely a first rounder - not sure how high yet. |
| 3:20 | FOX Fantasy: James in Houston wants to know more about this season........How about the last week here John? I need to know if there are any pitchers worth picking up for a money start right now? |
| 3:22 | John Halpin: Sunday - Homer Bailey against the Pirates. He has an ERA under 2.00 over his last 8 starts. I think he's finally figured it out. For next year, he'll be on everyone's hype train (again). |
| 3:22 | John Halpin: I grabbed Jason Hammel for tonight. Both are available in more than 90% of leagues |
| 3:24 | FOX Fantasy: Lance is in New York........A couple of '08 darlings - David Price and Joba Chamberlain - have been less than exciting this season. What kind of value do they have next year? |
| 3:24 | John Halpin: I think Price is going to be really, really good. He's been inconsistent this year, but he hasn't been in the majors for a full season yet. I'm really high on him. |
| 3:24 | John Halpin: SP3, with lots of upside. |
| 3:25 | John Halpin: As for Joba ... I don't know. He's been awful for two months. He seems to have the Nuke LaLoosh issue of a "million dollar arm and a five cent head." |
| 3:25 | John Halpin: I think he'll improve, but you never know. |
| 3:26 | John Halpin: SP4 in a mixed league for me. Less upside than Price, but still a bunch. |
| 3:26 | John Halpin: But maybe I'm a sucker. |
| 3:27 | FOX Fantasy: Noel in Chicago has a question about a couple young Cubs........John, I've been impressed by Micah Hoffpauier and Jake Fox at times this season. You see either of them getting more regular at-bats next year? |
| 3:28 | John Halpin: Yes for Fox. He's too good of a hitter to stay benched. Problem is, where does he play since he's such a butcher with the glove? I think they'll do their best to figure that out. |
| 3:30 | John Halpin: Not so much on Hoffpauir. He's 29 years old, and not that great anyway. Nah. |
| 3:31 | FOX Fantasy: Kevin in Charlotte wants to talk Phillies.........How high amongst OFs does Raul Ibanez go next year? He's almost always underrated in drafts. And does Cole Hamels bounce back to ace status? Or can he not be trusted that high? |
| 3:33 | John Halpin: Good question on Ibanez. He is old, but pretty good. Between 15-20 on the outfield list maybe? 30 HRs definitely possible, especially if no bloggers hint that he's a PED user like this year. |
| 3:33 | John Halpin: Yes on Hamels bouncing back. Are there really 12 starters you'd take ahead of him? I think he'll be fine, though he does have some injury history. |
| 3:34 | John Halpin: I added that last sentence because I don't want you getting too excited about anyone (except Mauer). |
| 3:36 | FOX Fantasy: Andrew's in Yellowstone Park, which is a first for us........John, I've been a lifelong A's fan, and I finally see some real talent on this team again. Who are the highest rated A's I can pick up next season in my draft? Is Rajai Davis the next Carl Crawford? |
| 3:37 | John Halpin: More like the next Tom Goodwin. Five points if you remember him. |
| 3:38 | John Halpin: Davis' one talent is basestealing. He might hit for a decent average, but Crawford is a much better, more reliable hitter. With that said, there's something to be said for speed demons if you need one. Knowing the A's, they'll trade Davis to a team that thinks he's the next Crawford. |
| 3:39 |  |
| 3:39 | John Halpin: If you get points for good Scrabble names, then draft Davis. |
| 3:39 | John Halpin: What is a "J" worth, anyway? |
| 3:40 | FOX Fantasy: Peter comes to us from Youngstown........What's the deal with Manny Ramirez? What am I supposed to think of him next season? |
| 3:41 | John Halpin: I didn't like him coming into this season, so I'll be pessimistic again. |
| 3:42 | John Halpin: I know the PED thing was a fluke, but Manny has now played less than 135 games in 3 of the last 4 years. He's also 37 years old. He can still really hit, but he'll find a reason to miss 30 games. I'll be staying away. |
| 3:43 | FOX Fantasy: Where does Matt Kemp rank for you? Is he a top 10 player next year? Maybe even the No. 1 outfielder?!? |
| 3:44 | John Halpin: I like that question a lot. Hold on ... |
| 3:45 | John Halpin: This might sound weird, but Kemp could be in a battle with Justin Upton for the top spot, though you could make an argument for Sizemore as well. |
| 3:46 | John Halpin: Kemp is a stud. Still young too, so no reason why he can't go 30-30. Too bad he plays in Dodger Stadium, or his numbers would be better. |
| 3:47 | FOX Fantasy: Where's Ryan Braun in that mix? |
| 3:47 | John Halpin: I'm moving my man crush to the other Upton, by the way. |
| 3:48 | John Halpin: Ryan Braun is in the mix as well, Guy Looking Over My Shoulder. Kemp-Braun-Upton-Sizemore, in order. Happy? |
| 3:48 | FOX Fantasy: Hahaha, who ever could you be referring to!?! |
| 3:49 | John Halpin: You're my conscience. Thanks. |
| 3:50 | FOX Fantasy: Let's move on, shall we?! Bruce in Riverside has a rookie question.........John, I've been hearing about Cameron Maybin for about 2-3 years now. Is he ready for 150 games yet? And can he be as good as Andrew McCutchen in '10? |
| 3:52 | John Halpin: Not quite, but there's a catch. I like McCutchen, but he's probably not as good as he was when he first got called up. Maybin stopped running and hitting for power this season, and I'm not sure what's wrong. Draft Maybin as a speed guy, and hope for more, but don't expect it. Expect 15 HRs/35 SBs from McCutchen. |
| 3:53 | FOX Fantasy: Only time for a couple more everybody........... |
| 3:55 | FOX Fantasy: David's in Georgia........How am I supposed to draft Mark Reynolds next year? Is he legitimately the No. 1 third baseman now? And yes, that means higher than A-Rod. |
| 3:55 | John Halpin: This one is going to bend my brain into a pretzel. |
| 3:57 | John Halpin: I like Reynolds, but I think his .263 BA is going to dip - a .340 batting average on balls in play helped it. If it's .245, for instance, that really hurts. |
| 3:58 | John Halpin: Reynolds is probably No. 3 at 3B for me, but I'd probably avoid him because you'd get no upside drafting him there, and plenty of downside exists. A-Rod will be No. 1 for me, with Longoria No. 2. I feel like they're more dependable. |
| 3:59 | John Halpin: Quick, who has the highest OPS among MLB third basemen? Guy Over My Shoulder, what's your answer? |
| 3:59 | FOX Fantasy: I'll go with Chone Figgins?! |
| 3:59 | John Halpin: Pablo Sandoval! |
| 4:00 | FOX Fantasy: I love it |
| 4:01 | John Halpin: That's all for today - thanks for coming to all the chats this season. I'll be writing weekly baseball columns throughout the offseason, and ramp up with more in late January/early February. Enjoy the playoffs, and follow me on Twitter at @jhalpin37! |
| 4:01 | FOX Fantasy: And keep tuning in every Tuesday and Thursday at 3pm EST/12pm PST for out fantasy football chats with Mike Harmon, John Juhasz and Roger Rotter. |
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