One thing that bothered me about this past baseball season is the amount teams that went broke mid summer. I can’t understand it. Most top players will never run out of money. I don’t know if it is lack of game plan or they panic over a particular player that paints some teams in a corner. On the other side of the fence, I see too many teams that never spend enough money. Every team has different needs and there will be time to make some aggressive moves.

It's been awhile since I've been in the batter's box. Well sort of....I did my first ever WCFB mock draft. I actually had some butterflies when the gate opened. The clock for the draft was set at one minute. For a online draft, a minute is very fast and you didn't have a lot time to search the player cue. The draft was made up of players who are in the fantasy baseball industry and a few high stakes players.

The Red Sox don't look like the offensive power house of past years, but they will be loaded at starting pitching. The starting lineup has a chance to put up some runs, but David Ortiz has to find a way to be the elite hitter he once was.

The Yankees will be the favorites to win the World Series again this year. They traded for Curtis Granderson and Javier Vazquez in the off season. Granderson will enjoy the short right field porch as he hit 28 homers against righted handed pitching last season. He's a pull hitter and Yankee stadium will be the perfect park for him. They signed Nick Johnson to play DH. Johnny Damon is still a free agent, but he could end up play in New York again this season if he's willing to take less money.

I spent last summer in San Diego. I remember sitting in the stands behind home plate. There was a lady sitting behind me that was so excited about Tony Gwynn Jr. and David Eckstein being on the team. I told her both players were stiffs and the Padres were wasting time putting them in their lineup. They were better off giving at bat to younger players and let them develop at the major league level. She gave me the old story of we only have a $35 million dollar payroll and we can't compete with ...

The Dodgers have a rising super star in Matt Kemp. Last year Joe Torre didn't have a lot of faith in Kemp as he was batting way down the Dodgers lineup early in the year. For Kemp to be a 1st round selection this season, he really needs to hit in the top of LA's lineup. Los Angelos will score runs. James Loney and Andre Ethier are professional bats that haven't peaked yet. The Russell Martin decline last season is a concern. You hope steroids weren't the reason for his success in the past. ...

The Tigers look to be changing gears after signing Miguel Cabrera last season. Detroit made a big trade trying to get a younger talented pitching staff. They acquired Max Scherzer and Dan Schlereth from Arizona for Edwin Jackson. The starting lineup has a lot of question marks. They are too right handed. Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen are in their mid 30's and starting to show a steep decline in their performance. Other than Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, this team doesn't have a lot ...

If the Indians starting lineup is healthy, it might be able to score some runs. Grady Sizemore is returning from an elbow problem and surgery to repair an unstable abdominal wall. Travis Hafner hasn't been great since 2006. He's had shoulder surgery in 2008 and it appears he wasn't a 100% last season. Matt LaPorta had arthroscopic hip surgery in October. The recovery time is four to six months. He probably won't be ready to start the season. Cleveland's stud catching prospect Carlos Santana ...

On February 18th I completed my second draft of the year. The format was fifteen teams and picking thirty players. I got the 8th pick; a good spot should any runs start. My strategy going in was to get a balanced team, with at least one closer or maybe two depending on how the draft goes. I also like to keep an eye on my batting average, especially early in the draft. My plan is to get at least two or three stud pitchers in the first eight rounds. A stud pitcher in my mind is defined as a guy ...

The Mets might have more question entering the season than Alex Trebek in a night of Jeopardy. Carlos Beltran had a mysterious knee surgery in early January. The Mets are claiming they didn't approve of the procedure. Beltran will miss 8 to 12 weeks. Jose Reyes had surgery to repair a torn hamstring tendon in October. Just the sound of the surgery will make you question his ability to steal bases in the future. Reyes needs no negative news in spring training and he has to be stealing bases with ...

Starting pitching is the hardest part of fantasy baseball. In the high stakes arena, it is even tougher. You can't fix a draft day problem through trading. If you go pitching strong at the draft, you might leave yourself weak in offense. Is it easier to find a top bat or top pitcher on the wire? The most common thought process I hear is: I want to wait on pitching and build my offense first. Ah...only if it was that easy! Every plan will have success over time, but will you be consistent with ...

As we build our teams for the upcoming high stakes season, we have a tough job deciding whether or not some of the upcoming talent is for real. Every fantasy season will have a group of young players who could help you if they are ready to make a step forward this season. If they aren’t and you draft them early, it could be a long season. Some players may have more talent, but their major league team might not be in a position to allow them to play every day. You need to evaluate any possible ...

The Reds have some intriguing players. The most surprising thing about the team is Scott Rolen. I could see adding a veteran player, but they signed him to a two year extension through 2012. Juan Francisco looks like the 3B of the future and he could be ready to make the jump sometime this year. He's a free swinger who has shown some improvement in strikeouts, but his lack of patients will hurt his development in the majors. Most of Cinci's talent is in house. They signed hot Cuban defector ...