Pick 'Em

McCann vs. Martin vs. Mauer:  Options of this sort come down to extreme preference.  Questions like these are the exact reason why I'm going to focus on the much tougher decisions in fantasy baseball: Who should be your last few picks in a draft?  McCann has the best power potential, Martin has the best stolen base number, and Mauer has the best batting average.  Depending on which you like and what you need will be how you make your decisions.  My pick is McCann because of his 3-4 category production, but nonetheless let's focus on the task at hand.

Catchers

Chris Iannetta vs. Ryan Doumit:  The differences between the two are power and average.  Iannetta is superior in the home run category while Doumit has the upper hand in average.  My thought is, in the bandbox that Iannetta plays in, he will trump Doumit in 3 out of the 5 categories, and is enough to give him the boost ahead of Doumit.  The 15 or 20 points in average that Doumit gives you will typically not make or break you, especially in a Rotisserie league.

1st Basemen

Conor Jackson vs. James Loney:  Besides the fact that Jackson also plays the OF position, I think that Jackson will have a far greater year in production.  These guys are typically ranked around the same, but I think Jackson has the better upside of the two picks.  It's not to say that I dislike Loney, but these NL West foes are both young up-and-comers at their respective positions.  As of today, I take Jackson about a round ahead of where Loney is going.

Shortstops

J.J. Hardy vs. Michael Young vs. Jhonny Peralta vs. Miguel Tejada:  Around fantasy circles Michael Young is always the first pick out of these guys, but why?  He does everything well and nothing spectacular.  Why not make your life easier as a fantasy manager and draft a guy who has the potential to hit 30 jacks in a given season?  J.J. Hardy is my pick out of these four to have the best fantasy season, with a very young and solid lineup, expect his numbers to be around .280 with 30 jacks and 85 RBI.  Rank:  Hardy, Peralta, Young, Tejada.  Unless you know you will be deficient in batting average (see: Dunn, Adam; Reynolds, Mark; Young, Chris B.), Young is probably not the best pick out of these four shortstops; although he will give you your best shot at a .300 average and 200 hits.

Outfielders

Torii Hunter vs. Raul Ibanez:  Why do people have the obsession with believing Torii Hunter is a fantasy stud?  In actuality, this is a player I don't want to touch with a 10-foot pole.  Unless robbing Barry Bonds in an All-Star game is one of your categories, Raul Ibanez is better at 4 of 5 categories.  While he may not be very flashy (or flashy at all), he is the definition of consistency, and falls into a perfect situation with a great lineup surrounding him and a great park to hit in.  You can find those 12 stolen bases that Hunter will beat Ibanez in somewhere else, just draft Martin over Mauer.  But with your pick if you're deciding between the two, take the former Royal and Mariner.

I hope this will answer a few of your most important questions relating to the wide world of fantasy baseball.

Until next time,

Peace, Love, and Fantasy