Due to a series of unforeseeable circumstances, we are going to break from our Two on Two format and simply go around the room with three of us. Al from Bleed Cubbie Blue has joined Marc Hulet and me. You can find the previous Two on Two's below: AL Central AL West NL West Sully: Well guys, what do we think about the NL Central in 2008. Just like the American League Central, which pits Cleveland and Detroit as the only two teams one can really see winning it, in the NL Central we have Chicago and Milwaukee. I don't see Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Houston or even the consistently competitive St. Louis Cardinals mustering much of a threat to the Cubbies or the Brew Crew. Al: This is the first time in a while that the Cubs go into the season as, legitimately, the favorite to win their division.  read more »

A couple days I quipped that Albert Pujols will have a hard time driving in runs if SS Cesar Izturis were to hit in the #2 hole given the awfulness that is Cesar Izturis (258/302/315 in 2007 and 259/295/334 career). Beyond the snark, I wanted to see how various line-up spots around Pujols have produced compared with his RBI totals and whether last season's 103 RBIs can be reasonably expected to be unrepeatable.

Here are the slashstat results for the lead-off hitter, #2 and the clean-up hitter along with Albert Pujols results since 2002. (That is all ESPN had available.)

#1 AVG OBP SLG Pujols RBI 2002 268 331 342 127 2003 261 311 377 124 2004 293 335 377 123 2005 295 368 405 117 2006 280 335 366 137 2007 283 323 346 103           #2 AVG OBP SLG Pujols RBI 2002 272 330 392 127 2003 267 329 455 124 2004 279 350 473 123 2005 265 332 414 117 2006 271 338 426 137 2007 309 372 498 103           Pujols AVG OBP SLG Pujols RBI 2002 314 394 561 127 2003 359 439 667 124 2004 331 415 657 123 2005 330 430 609 117 2006 331 431 671 137 2007 327 429 568 103           #4 AVG OBP SLG Pujols RBI 2002 309 399 568 127 2003 301 396 569 124 2004 286 402 543 123 2005 274 376 494 117 2006 308 389 521 137 2007 246 320 386 103  read more »

I, too, feel that "value" should factor in when handing out fantasy baseball awards. That being said, here are my award winners: FANTASY MVP Albert Pujols - What this guy does with one good arm is amazing. I won't be passing over him next season. Dustin Pedroia - His ADP was 165. He currently leads the majors with 211 hits. Josh Hamilton - Another ADP of 165. What didn't he do right this year? Grady Sizemore/Hanley Ramirez - 33 HR/38 SB and 33 HR/35 SB respectively. Carlos Quentin - 36 HR/100 RBI from the virtually undrafted. FANTASY CY YOUNG Cliff Lee - He was so good this season, I wouldn't be surprised to see him win the AL MVP and Cy Young awards. Frankie Rodriguez - As unimportant as the save has become in real baseball, it is still fantasy baseball gold. Receiving 62 from one player is priceless. Mike Mussina - Possibly another 20 game winner who was largely undrafted. Tim Lincecum - Dominant! FANTASY ROOKIE Geovany Soto - Ranked the #3 catcher on ESPN and # 5 on Yahoo. Rarely does a rookie live up to the hype, let alone a rookie catcher. That's right Salty, I'm talking to you! Jacoby Ellsbury - .280/98/9/46/50 - I'll take that line from a rookie OFer any day. Evan Longoria - 27 homers in 120 games. Is 35 out of the question for 2009? FANTASY SLEEPERS - Look carefully at this list of players. There is tons of value available in the late rounds of drafts as well as on the waiver wire. Use the early rounds of your draft to go after proven talent. Cliff Lee/Carlos Quentin/Mike Mussina - Already mentioned. Aubrey Huff - Leads the majors with 82 extra-base hits. ADP of 348. Nate McLouth - He had 13 HR and 22 SB in 329 AB in 2007 but did anyone notice?  read more »

Continuing on with the week that was and is . . .  read more »

Albert Pujols convinced himself and voters what's worthy of the NL MVP award. The St. Louis star became a two-time winner Monday, outdistancing Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard in a result that's sure to renew a debate Pujols once raised himself: What qualifies as "most valuable"? Pujols won despite the Cardinals' fourth-place finish in the NL Central, the lowest spot for an NL MVP winner since...  read more »

With fantasy drafts getting underway, one of the top 1st round discussions is the placement of Cardinals' MVP candidate Albert Pujols.  Injuries have sapped the SB potential he showed in 2005 and have knocked him from the perch as the top player in fantasy baseball.  Now more rumors are swirling that could jeopardize his 2008.

In reaction to being included on a since-discredited list of players who would appear in the Mitchell Report, Albert told the media he will no longer play through injuries as he has for the past few seasons.  This has spawned the latest rumor about needing Tommy John surgery.

From MLBnewsonline.com:The hushed voice of KMOX sports reporter Kevin Wheeler has joined the whispers in St. Louis that Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols may be headed for a fall, not merely because Pujols has been playing with foot, leg and various other aches and pains in recent years but because far more serious trouble awaits him.  read more »

In between posting various iterations of prospect lists (John Sickels' book shipped yesterday so I am not close to finished!), I am begining to list players at the various their position-eligible positions for 2008 fantasy baseball auction drafts and assign dolalr values. These values represent nothing you will see anywhere else. As a result, i expect disagreement and disparagements of my fantasy acumen.

These are based on my draft experiences in AL- and NL-only 4x4 keeper leagues with 14- or 15-man protect lists and up to five minor league protects. Therefore, they must account for expected inflation. And by "expected", I mean a general sense based on past experiences. For example, last year Vladimir Guerrero and Dave Ortiz went for $46 in my AL-only and Jose Reyes went for $52 and Albert Pujols went for $46 in my NL-only.  read more »

Albert Pujols had elbow surgery Monday and the St. Louis Cardinals star is expected to be ready for spring training. The 2005 NL MVP underwent a 25-minute outpatient procedure to relieve nerve irritation in his right elbow, which had led to numbness, tingling in his ring finger and pinkie, weakness in his grip and pain along the inside of the forearm.

My first baseman rankings back in March, including round drafted:  read more »