Sample Page for the 2002 Guide
The catcher’s position was the worst in the majors last year in terms of offensive productivity. The top 20 catchers combined to hit a scary .253 average, with 13 homers and just 50 RBI’s. In 4th grader terms… Get your catcher early or don’t get one until round 12.
At the catcher’s position, you have The Big Three (Ivan, Piazza, and Lo Duca) and The Big Drop (everyone else). Lo Duca came on to the scene as a rookie last year and tore up the National League. He finished the season at .320 with 25 homers and even a 2(-1)e3 rating at catcher. Toss in a (+ 4) rating in the clutch and he’s a player!! Piazza must be relegated to the DH spot. Piazza might have been in that second tier if it wasn’t for his outstanding offensive season. That (+3) arm is death in strato. My grand mother, who is crippled, needs crutches to get around, and only has one good eye, can steal off Piazza. That’s ugly!! Everyone else is in the next tier. Charlie Johnson lost his “1” status…. again another flaw in Strato’s rating system, but it’s those quirks that make the game interesting. The second tier guys are Johnson, Posada, Lopez, Kendall, and Leiberthal. Again, these guys can be had in rounds 3-5. They are not first round picks!!
Anyone who lands Barry Bonds will be in for the year of a lifetime. The man hit 72 homers!!!! He had the best offensive season in 76 years. His card is so nasty I might just give him a free pass anytime he comes up to bat. He has 20.3 (clean) for homers vs. righties and 13.5 (clean) for homers against lefties. He has 90 total bases against righty pitchers. The card is worth framing for any die-hard strato fan. Barry Bonds had such a great year... he got his own paragraph on my guide!! Hahahaa.
Edmonds, Manny, Sosa, Gonzales, Berkman, Guerrero, Bonds, Griffey, Abreu, and Jones are all in the second tier. There are so many good outfielders this year that your priority should be on the positions like catcher, short, and second. Of all these second tier guys, Sosa, Berkman, and Gonzales stand out the most. These guys are all Bonafide Studs!! Junior’s stock is falling faster then Monica did on President Clinton. His defense, onbase, AB’s, and even slugging are at all time lows. Toss in his downgrade in range from a 1 to a 2 and he’s a big question mark. This one time lock for Cooperstown has been lost in the shuffle.
I told you last year “Erstad had shitty second half numbers…. So buyers beware!!”, as predicted… you saw his struggles. I’d snag the centerfielders first, in any draft, over the other outfielders. Right fielders are a dime a dozen along with first and third baseman. When I am looking at outfielders, defense, average hitting, and speed on the bases are the focal points. Your power positions are usually third, first, DH, and right field. What makes guys like Ichiro and Abreu so valuable is their ability to bat in the .320 range or higher, and to steal and make things happen when they reach base. With so many defensive ball parks this year, you should consider looking for guys who hit for a higher average and steal in the middle rounds, then to grab that slugger early.
