Analyzing Fantasy Baseball's Third Round

We’ve already discussed Rounds One (click here to view) and Round Two (click here to view) of your fantasy draft.  So, naturally, next in line is Round Three, which when put together with the other two, gives you a look at how I rank the Top 36 players on the board. 

Let’s take a look:

1. Matt Holliday - Oakland Athletics
2. Tim Lincecum - San Francisco Giants
3. Alex Rodriguez - New York Yankees
4. Brandon Phillips - Cincinnati Reds
5. Alex Rios - Toronto Blue Jays
6. Carl Crawford - Tampa Bay Rays
7. Adrian Gonzalez - San Diego Padres
8. Jason Bay - Boston Red Sox
9. Matt Kemp - Los Angeles Dodgers
10. Brandon Webb - Arizona Diamondbacks
11. Dustin Pedroia - Boston Red Sox
12. Carlos Quentin - Chicago White Sox

Notes

• Holliday and Lincecum were the two players who missed out on the second round, but just barely. Both are borderline Top 24 players and have the potential to fly up these rankings by season’s end.
• Alex Rodriguez is a tough player to slot in, but for me I can’t drop him any lower then this. He’s just too good of a player and with word of him possibly rejoining the team shortly (though unlikely), there is hope that he is going to return after missing just four to six weeks of the season. I know he’s a risk...A huge risk, but one worth taking. How often can you say that five months of one player is better then six of another?
• I know Alex Rios seems high, but I put him at No. 10 of my updated OF rankings (click here to view), so this is where he slots in.
• I just couldn’t leave Webb off the list. He pitches in one of the worst divisions in baseball, which certainly helps. If it had not been for a poor stretch (19 ER over 13.2 IP), he likely would have taken home the Cy Young in ‘08, with his 22 wins. Obviously, I wouldn’t expect him to repeat the wins, but the peripherals are just as impressive. His career worst ERA is 3.59. How many pitchers can say that?
• Adrian Gonzalez is a player who just produces, despite people consistently believing he’s going to fall flat. I know, the ballpark is a pitchers paradise and the line-up is a nightmare, but those things have been in place the past two seasons and have not had a negative effect on him in the least. I’d continue to draft him with confidence.
• While I could see the catchers going late in the third round, for me they fall just a little bit short. I know it’s a scarce position, but there are just too many players that I’d rather draft to simply push them up this far. In the fourth round, I’m buying it, just not before.
• Dustin Pedroia is an extremely talented player, but as I’ve discussed before (click here to view), I think he’s just a bit overrated. I have serious questions surrounding if his power and speed are repeatable and think a decline is in order. I could see selecting him in the third round, he just wouldn’t be among my top choices.
• Matt Kemp has the chance to have a monster season and could make the owner that gets him extremely happy. While the speed could decline (thanks to hitting in front of Manny Ramirez), his still a player that I’d covet.

So, there you have it. Obviously, this is not a perfect list and should not be taken as that I would simply go down the list and draft. It would depend on how the rest of the draft flowed, and a little fluctuation could be in order due to positional needs.

Still, it gives you a good idea of how I’d rank the Top 36 players, so what do you think?  Who do you agree with?  Disagree?  Who should not have been left off?

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED AT WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM