Cincinnati Reds

It’s insanity. That’s what fantasy football is when it comes to the playoffs. Jonathan Stewart and Jerome Harrison become huge fantasy steals in the final two games, and studs that you’ve depending on all season like Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers clam up and shut down early, even in blowout wins. At least Chris Johnson has continued to be magical every week.

I forget how bizarre it really becomes until it’s this time of year again.

Every year, I choose two MLB teams, one in each league, and hop onto their bandwagons in March.  Now, I do not confuse my loyalties, as I always remain a Rays and Braves fan, but bandwagon teams make the season more fun.  This year, I have hopped onto the bandwagons of Cincinnati and Seattle.

(For the record, I had hopped onto Seattle's bandwagon after the Chone Figgins signing, before the Cliff Lee trade.)

Maybe Albert Haynesworth hates Greg Blache , and maybe he’s exactly right to require a better system by which the Redskins can wreak havoc. And yes, maybe $100 million dollars should buy him a little more input on how to improve a system that is pretty darn good.

But even if the Redskins’ defensive scheme was the worst in the league, is it a stretch to ask one of the best defensive players in the league toiling in it to suck it up and roll with the punches?

Grabbed with the seventh overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft, Yonder Alonso is the face of the Reds minor league system.  And for good reason.  The kid can flat-out hit a baseball.

Alonso is another left-handed bat hoping to make an already lefty laden lineup.  His 6'3", 215 pound frame is reminiscent of another Reds' first baseman...fan favorite, Sean "The Mayor" Casey.

It is time for the final field position to be graded for the 2009 campaign.

Ryan Hanigan, who did catch most of the games this past season, is now on the grading block. In actuality he almost caught twice as many as the “big money” catcher Ramon Hernandez managed to play only 50 games behind the plate.

Aaron Harang was once considered a top option for fantasy owners, after posting back-to-back 200+ strikeout seasons with ERAs under 3.80. 

Then, without warning, things went south in 2008.  Injuries helped to sabotage him, as did his inability to get batters out consistently.

In the past two seasons, opponents have hit .280 or better against him.  His strikeouts have come down.  His home runs allowed are up.  His wins are almost nonexistent.

Let’s take a look at his line from last season:

In the offseason, much is made of the comings and goings of established major league players in free agency.

But many often overlook the same thing happening in the minor leagues.

In the "Recapping Minor League Free Agent Losses" series, I'll be looking at what, if anything, each team is losing at the minor league levels.

I'm not going to bother covering every player, because not all of them are very important and I have little to say about many of them. I'll just be touching on those who I think could be of value to another team in free agency.

When Francisco Cordero left the Brewers after the 2007, he was an elite reliever no matter where you looked in his stats.

His 44 saves, 2.98 ERA, 2.24 FIP, 2.82 xFIP, 2.12 tRA, and 2.70 True ERA all confirmed that Cordero was excellent in 2007.

These same stats all pointed to a 2008 downturn for Cordero. Some (34 saves; 3.33 ERA) didn't indicate the precipitous decline of others (3.77 FIP; 3.98 xFIP; 4.35 tRA; 4.56 True ERA), however. Whatever the case, Cordero seemed to be in decline.

So, the Redskins would have us believe that because they got a flighty, minority assistant coach to conduct a token interview for a not-yet-vacant head coaching gig , they aren’t a racist organization.

Please.

In the early going, Joey Votto has an ADP of 26.39, going late in the second round or early in the third round of fantasy drafts.  That’s before fellow first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, and Justin Morneau.  That’s before any starting pitcher outside of Tim Lincecum.  That’s before Justin Upton.  The question is, should he be targeted that early in drafts?