Not UGLY…but the GOOD and the BAD- part 2

Let’s look at where most players fall in rounds 6-10. Some drafts may have them there and some not.

GOOD-BAD-

GOOD- Aaron Harang . The always undervalued Harang is about the 14th starting pitcher selected in most drafts.. You can expect another 15-plus wins and 200-plus strikeouts for this soon to be 30-year-old.

BAD- Ian Kinsler- I really like Kinsler and think he could develop into a top five second baseman, possibly as early as 2008, but he barely cracked the .260 mark in 2007 and hit nearly half of his home runs in one month (April). It should also be noted that he only hit .215 away from the hitter friendly confines of Rangers Ballpark. Even in a keeper, round six is too early for Kinsler.

GOOD-BAD

GOOD-  Brian McCann  At only 24, I think McCann is capable of 25 home runs and 100 RBIs in the very near future.

BAD- Nick Swisher  Many fantasy owners seem to be enamored with Swisher’s recent trade to the White Sox and while his stats could very well improve in the hitter friendly U.S. Cellular Field, he will likely never hit for a good average (.251 in three plus seasons) and his walk ratio, his bread and butter, dropped nearly 100% in the second half of last season.

Second-tier closers begin going off the board in this round.

Best Pick: Joe Nathan   While 2007 was Nathan’s first season in Minnesota in which he posted a WHIP over one, he is still a top tier closer and should be drafted similarly to the likes of Jonathan Papelbon, Francisco Rodriguez and JJ Putz; rather than Mariano Rivera and Billy Wagner.

BAD-  Gary Sheffield   While Sheffield seemed untouchable for three months in 2007, he will be 39 this season and needs to be downgraded in keeper leagues because of this. It should also be noted that Sheffield hasn’t topped 500 at bats in a season since 2005.

GOOD-BAD

GOOD- Rafael Furcal   Many fantasy owners forget that Furcal was injured early last season and really never quite recovered. He will be healthy for 2008 and will add a nice bit of power and a considerable amount of speed to your roster.

BAD- Ben Sheets    Sheets has always been a high risk/high reward-type pitcher and this is no less the case here in a keeper. I think the risk is higher than the reward when you pass up young pitchers like Fausto Carmona  and Yovani Gallardo.

GOOD-BAD

GOOD- Delmon Young   One of the better steals in this draft. This former top prospect maintained a quality batting average in 2007 and batted in over 90 runners with Tampa Bay. He’s in Minnesota now, a team rebuilding with young talent, and he is an important piece of that puzzle.

BAD-  Brad Penny   Two young pitchers, Yovani Gallardo and Rich Hill should get drafted earlier than Penny.  But if you insist on taking a pitcher you’ll love for the first three months of the season and then wonder where he went after the All-Star Break.

PART 3 next