Keep Hope Alive

I was looking at the 2008 roster of the Busch Leaguers. There are a few nice pieces, but it is clear that a rebuilding program will be required. It’s always fascinating to watch our league’s finest fantasy master manage through the lean times. This will be such a year.

I say this because there is not a single long-term bargain in his system. This looks like his keeper list:

3B – Garrett Atkins 19/08C
Great player, getting better, but it’s the last year of contract

SS – Hanley Ramirez 11/08
BABI’s best keeper, but he’s got to go to at least 21/10. There is a lot of value there, and he is the basis of the Busch Leaguers going forward.

MI – Jimmy Rollins 43/09
The Doc isn’t sure he’ll keep Rollins, but I’m going to guess he will. With Ramirez, he’s already got almost enough stolen bases, and he provides power as well. He’s fine, coming off a career year, but he’s fully priced.

2B – Jeff Kent 22/09
I’m starting to think he’s a keeper. He had 20 homers and 36 doubles, and he hit .347 in the last half of the season. He’s fully priced, but he’s still a legitimate hitter.

OF -- Mike Bourn 6/08X
They say he’s starting in centerfield. Houston’s CF at the beginning of last year didn’t work out so well. We don’t really know if Bourn can hit major league pitching, but apparently we’ll find out pretty quickly. He’s in the final year of his contract.

SP – Tom Gorzelanny 7/09
That was a nice pick last year. He's not exactly a staff anchor, though.

I think that’s it. He’s got Ethier at $13, but he’s going to be a platoon player this season at best. That’s 6 players for $99, including no closers and only one starting pitcher.

There are also a couple of farm players.

Dexter Fowler – He’s a 22 year old speedy outfielder who played at Hi A last season. He’s at least 2 years away.

Brent Lillibridge – He stole 40 bags at AA and AAA last year. He can hit a little and has a little pop. He’s not listed anywhere on the Braves’ depth chart, but it seems he’s ready to play.

I’m sure we can expect him to have $9 for his last 7 spots, 6 pitchers and a backup catcher. It should be entertaining.

In looking at Bourn and the Houston depth chart for this analysis, I realized that the Astros have completely rebuilt their starting lineup in two years. Only Lance Berkman was on the Astros in 2005. Their depth chart for 2008:

C – J.R. Towles
1B – Lance Berkman
2B – Kaz Matsui
SS – Miguel Tejada
3B – Ty Wigginton
LF – Carlos Lee
CF – Michael Bourn
RF – Hunter Pence

The Giants don’t have any pieces to throw around the league in trade, but it’s nice to see that another old team was able to put together an offense that isn’t terribly embarrassing. Keep hope alive!