Having a game plan on draft day is generally a good thing (it means you have done some prep) but it can also be dangerous. We recommend doing the homework and skipping the game plan for one reason: 90% of the picks won’t be made by you. You could enter your draft with a vision of your team and start making unnecessary reaches if a few of “your guys” get taken early, and you might miss out on guys who slip because you’re locking up players that can be had later. The reality is, you will have to watch your rivals draft your favorites. It’s inevitable. We all know this going in. It doesn’t matter that you used to walk Miguel Cabrera to his bus stop every day when he was a little kid and owned him since he first got called up in ’03. Someone else will own him this year, and the sooner we can make peace with this reality, the closer we have already gotten to our goal. The best approach is the simplest; always draft the best player on the board. If you end up with a surplus at a position you’ll have depth, potential trade chips and play keep-away from the rest of your league.
51. Brett Lawrie, 3B – TOR. One of the top prospects in the game, Lawrie did not disappoint in his first major league action. At 21, Brett electrified his fellow Canadians by hitting .326 with 6 HR in his first month, finishing at .293 with 9 HR and 7 SB in 150 at bats when a finger injury ended his season. Lawrie for Shawn Marcum was a great move for Toronto; they swapped a quality pitcher for an everyday player with the potential to be one of the game’s best.
52. Cole Hamels, SP – PHI. Hamels had a career year in his age-27 season, registering personal bests with a 2.79 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and .214 opponents’ batting average. As awesome as he was, the most remarkable stat for Hamels was that he went just 14-9 for the 102-win Phillies. Cole rejoins fellow aces Halladay and Lee in a rotation that should be good for 3 wins (or better) every turn again in 2012.
53. Yu Darvish, SP – TEX. When the Rangers bid over $50 million just to talk to the best pitcher in Japan, they effectively said to the rest of the league, “the change in your pocket isn’t enough. Forget Yu.” Those other GMs can forget signing the half-Iranian hurler at any point in the near future, which is right around the time he should be going nuclear. History shows that unhittable Japanese imports are least hittable in their first year, making this the one to grab Darvish at a bargain compared to where he’ll go in 2013.
54. Alex Gordon, LF – KC. It’s taken nearly 30 years, but the Royals once again have a good group of fantasy players. Wait, did they have fantasy baseball back in ’85? Oh right, it was called rotisserie and there was actually chicken involved. Back to the point, Gordon finally broke through in 2011 by hitting .303/23/87/17, and finds himself at the top of the KC talent totem.
55. Dan Haren, SP – LAA. Since joining the Angels, Dan Haren has put up a heavenly 3.02 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP, and has held opposing hitters to a .236 average. Dan’s career best 192-33 K/BB ratio resulted in a 16-10 record for the Halos in 2011 and he should make a run at 20 in ’12.
56. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B – WAS. Zimmerman has put up quality full seasons in four of his first six. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best third basemen in the game, and should get more opportunities to produce with an improving supporting cast in DC. Still just 27, it’s likely that he’s able to put the injuries behind him, and it’s equally likely that we have yet to see his ceiling.
57. Paul Konerko, 1B – CWS. Consistency spelled with a K. It’s been 13 seasons since the Reds traded Paulie for Mike Cameron, and he has been outstanding for the White Sox in 11 of them. After an injury-shortened 2008, he’s found the fountain of youth. He blasted a surreal .312/39/111 at age 34 and backed it up with .300/31/105 at 35 for an underwhelming Sox club in ’11. Konerko’s skills haven’t deteriorated and he’s actually become an even smarter hitter, meaning we’re not scared of 36. He might hit that many homers.
58. Matt Cain, SP – SF. In 2011, Cain was able to put up numbers similar to his uber-teammate Tim Lincecum. Raising Cain’s standing as a fantasy staple was his 12-13 mark, 2.88 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 179 K, which stacked up nicely against The Freak, who finished a rare non-Cy campaign at 13-14, 2.74/1.21 with 221 K. While it’s unlikely that their numbers will be this close again this year, there is room for both starters to improve in 2012.
59. Carl Crawford, OF – BOS. Like Dan Uggla, Carl Crawford pulled off the rare offseason trifecta of moving to a better team with a better ballpark to hit in while staying in the same division. Like Dan, he absolutely tanked in the first half, but Carl never got off the mat. His first year in Boston was a complete waste and a lingering wrist injury has now put him in jeopardy of missing Spring Training and the start of the season. On the second year of a 7/$142 million deal, Crawford now has to prove that that he’s not an old 30.
60. Alex Rodriguez, 3B – NYY. A significant portion of A-Rod’s lifetime production can be attributed directly to his usage of medicinal quality hair care products. These hair treatments have vaulted his numbers into hallowed territory, of this we are certain. When asked to comment if he had ever engaged in any behavior that toed the line of legality his only comment was, “I don’t want FOP, dammit. I’m a Dapper Dan man!” The league’s decision to begin testing for both “FOP” and “Dapper Dan” and a body-less .276/16/62 in 2011 make us skeptical of his ability to even approach career norms at age 36. He’ll make $29 million this year and is under contract through 2017, meaning he’s probably going to have at least one more good one, and logic dictates it would be the youngest year he’s got left. Which is this one.
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