- DO use your first round draft pick on SP Tim Lincecum with confidence if you prefer a dominant pitcher over a dominant hitter. Lincecum should continue to give you the Wins (15+), Ks (250+), ERA and WHIP to build an impressive pitching staff upon.
- DON'T draft SS Edgar Renteria. His numbers are on the steady decline since 2007 and you can do better, even in deep leagues. If he starts hot, he'll be there on the waiver wire for the picking.
- DO draft 1B/3B Pablo Sandoval as a third baseman. ESPN has him ranked as the 4th best at that position and 7th best at first base. His .330 BA, 25 HRs, 90 RBI are valuable to any roster.
- DON'T overlook RP Jeremy Affeldt if your league uses Holds. His numbers (33 Holds, 1.73 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 7.94 K/9) should regress a bit but still will be a top middle reliever option.
- DO grab SP Matt Cain in the top 100 picks. He's on the verge of 15 Wins with some very nice ratios (3.33 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 7.38 K/9).
- DON'T be afraid of SP Jonathan Sanchez's ugly career walk rate (4.7/9 IP) and WHIP (1.45). What he is going to bring is 10+ Wins and 9.3 K/9.
- DO expect CL Brian Wilson to be gone by the 10th round. He's a top 10 closer who brings you 10 K/9 stuff with an ERA (2.74) and WHIP (1.21) that will help rather than hurt.
Players I'd be willing to use a late-round pick on:
- 3B/OF Mark DeRosa (20 HR, 80 RBI, .275 BA)
- C Bengie Molina (15 HR, 75 RBI, .270 BA)
- 1B Aubrey Huff (20 HR, 70 RBI, .280 BA)
- C Buster Posey - Check out this quote from Baseball America, “Posey draws legitimate comparisons to Joe Mauer. He’s a pure hitter with terrific strike-zone awareness, and his clean, unfettered swing allows him to drive pitches from pole to pole.” He's still in camp and will be interesting to see if he makes the opening day roster.
