RomoBall Fantasy Preview - Third Edition (21-30)

Fantasy championships aren’t won in the first three rounds, but they are lost there. Over the first two rounds we have done our best to minimize risk, knowing we can’t afford a bust with one of our top two picks. In the third round, we are still in search of write-it-down guys that are sure to produce at-worst passable stats, but we also open up our board to slightly riskier, high-ceiling players looking to vault themselves back into elite territory in 2012.


21. Evan Longoria, 3B – TB. Evan Longoria firmly reestablishes the ‘n’ in 2012. After putting in complete seasons in ’09 and ’10, Evan hobbled through a good amount of the 133 games he played in 2011, managing just a .244 average to go along with 31 HR and 99 RBI; still monster totals from the hot corner. He returned to health and form in September and blasted the Rays into the postseason and we expect a healthier season and .280/30/100 in 2012.

22. Adrian Beltre, 3B – TEX. 487 at bats in 124 games resulted in a .296/32/105 campaign for Beltre in 2011, which was more productive than the 28 HR and 102 RBI he put up in 100 more at bats for Boston in 2010. Spell check insists his name is “Belter,” but we’ll stay with his spelling. It’s like theatre and theater and we’ll leave it at that. Point is, this guy can flat-out rake. He can get down on one knee and hit it out of Jellystone Park. And that’s a cartoon.

23. Josh Hamilton, LF – TEX. When he’s right, he’s one of the most dominant offensive forces in the game. Hamilton’s inability to play a full season keeps him out of the top 20, but he still put up a useful .295/25/94 line in 121 games in 2011 and is just one year removed from his AL MVP-winning .359/32/100 in 133 games in 2010. Hamilton’s contract expires after this season meaning he might just sniff 150 games.

24. Jose Reyes, SS – MIA. Reyes was the first huge signing of the offseason and his arrival in Miami is as big a win for the Fish as it is a loss for the Mets. He’s electric, a true 5-tool player that can do it all on a baseball diamond, but he has missed more than his share of time due to injuries over his career and has also at times put himself ahead of his team. Ozzie Guillen‘s job is to break through to Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez and somehow get them to remember having fun playing the game. Ozzie Guillen has a tough job. But he’s the right man to do it.

25. Ian Kinsler, 2B – TEX. Kinsler rejoined the 30-30 club in 2011 after a speed-power outage in 2010 when he managed just 9 HR and 15 SB. He has now gone 30-30 in two of the past three years as a 2B and is behind only Cano and Pedroia at the position.

26. Tim Lincecum, SP – SF. The ’08 and ’09 NL Cy Young winner lowered his ERA from 3.43 in 2010 to 2.74 in 2011, holding opposing hitters to a .222 average and striking out 220 in 217 innings. A repeat of any one of his first four seasons will make him a worthwhile choice in the third round and perhaps the best choice to lead your staff in 2012 because of the value he brings to your team by allowing you to draft two bats before taking your first pitcher.

27. Hunter Pence, RF – PHI. A .292 hitter for his career, it won’t take Pence long in Philly to push it over .300. In 2011, Hunter hit .300 in 100 games for the woeful Astros offense before being traded to the Phillies, where he hit .324 the rest of the way, knocking out 11 homers in just 207 at bats after hitting 11 in 399 ABs in Houston. Even with an ailing Ryan Howard out until at least May and a fading Chase Utley in need of a big rebound, Philly is a major upgrade for Hunter, who has averaged 156 games since becoming a full-time player in 2008.

28. Hanley Ramirez, SS – MIA. When Hanley Ramirez agreed to be Godfather to Jose Reyes’ daughter, he didn’t say “also, can you come to Miami, take my position and spot in the batting order and do it for more money than I make?” It’s a hot lump of coal to swallow for Hanley, but the reality is that Reyes is the far superior defensive shortstop, the more prototypical leadoff hitter and the potential catalyst for a Marlins team that is clearly making a push for the postseason in the innaugural year of their new ballpark. If the two can co-exist they will both be values in the third round.

29. CC Sabathia, SP – NYY. CC Sabathia has thrown at least 180 innings every year of his career, a streak that reached 11 in ’11 when he went 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA while fanning 230 in 237 frames. He’s one of the most consistent pitchers in the game, evidenced by single-digit losses in each of the past five seasons, and he’s in for another run at 20 wins with single-digit losses in 2012.

30. Felix Hernandez, SP – SEA. If King Felix was a Ben & Jerry’s flavor he’d be “Everything but the…Wins.” 13 in 2010 followed by 14 in 2011 have disappointed his owners but his good peripherals keep him among the fantasy aces. We don’t expect much in the way of run support again in 2012, but we do expect Felix to lower his ERA from a 4-year high 3.47, even with Albert Pujols‘ arrival in his division.