Today's Fantasy Rx

American League Second Basemen without Positive Draft Value

Quick Key to the tables:
B = Bats.  T = Throws.  Age = Player's Age as of October 1, 2006.
Proj. = Rotohelp's projected 2006 stats and fantasy values for each player.
2006 = Each player's final 2006 stat line and fantasy values.
AB = At-bats.  H = Hits.  BA = Batting Average.  HR= Home Runs.
RBI = Runs Batted In.  SB = Stolen Bases.  R = Runs.
Pos = Position qualification based on 20 appearances or max. # of games in 2006.
4x4 = BA, HR, RBI, and SB in 12-team, $260 leagues with 23-man rosters.
5x5 = BA, HR, RBI, SB, and R in 12-team, $260 leagues with 23-man rosters.
RAR = Runs Above Replacement; aRAR = RAR adjusted to
consider a player's 2006 defensive rating in Scoresheet fantasy baseball.

We ranked players by position in order from the highest draft value in a 4x4 league to the lowest. As the majority of fantasy leagues allow you to keep anyone traded to the other league, we listed all players in the league where they began the season.

22.  Mike Rouse					OAK Athletics					Age: 26		B:L   T:R
	AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos		4x4	5x5	RAR	aRAR
Proj.
2006	24	7	.292	0	2	1	2	2		0	0	0.8	0.7

Please refer to our Post-2006 Prospect Review: Cleveland for my comments on Rouse.

23.  Alexi Casilla					MIN Twins					Age: 22		B:S   T:R
	AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos		4x4	5x5	RAR	aRAR
Proj.
2006	4	1	.250	0	0	0	1	2		-1	-1	0	0

Please refer to our Post-2006 Prospect Review: Minnesota for my comments on Casilla.

24.  Drew Meyer					TEX Rangers					Age: 25		B:L   T:R
	AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos		4x4	5x5	RAR	aRAR
Proj.
2006	14	3	.214	0	0	0	1	2		-1	-2	-1	-1.1

Please refer to our Post-2006 Prospect Review: Texas for my comments on Meyer.

25.  Kevin Hooper					DET Tigers					Age: 29		B:R   T:R
	AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos		4x4	5x5	RAR	aRAR
Proj.
2006	3	0	.000	0	0	0	1	2		-1	-2	-0.5	-0.5

Please refer to our Post-2006 Prospect Review: Detroit for my comments on Hooper.

26.  Luis Figueroa					TOR Blue Jays					Age: 32		B:S   T:R
	AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos		4x4	5x5	RAR	aRAR
Proj.
2006	9	1	.111	0	0	0	1	2		-1	-2	-1	-1

Please refer to our Post-2006 Prospect Review: Toronto for my comments on Figueroa.

27.  Ed Rogers					BAL Orioles					Age: 28		B:R   T:R
	AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos		4x4	5x5	RAR	aRAR
Proj.
2006	25	5	.200	0	2	0	1	23O		-1	-2	-2	-2.2

One of the prospects most disputed depending on your preference toward scouts or stats, Rogers' terrible plate discipline throughout his minor league career prevented him from developing into a viable big leaguer while also earning our deserved disdain. Yet he didn't perform badly at AAA Ottawa(IL) last summer, compiling a .298/.324/.401 performance with 5 HR, 30 RBI, a 12/19 SB%, and a 13:52 BB:K in 339 AB, and the Red Sox surprisingly signed him as a minor league free agent. While he shouldn't see any extended action in Boston, the club's lack of middle infield depth could lead to another cup-of-coffee, albeit not one warranting any fantasy consideration.

28.  Ryan Roberts					TOR Blue Jays					Age: 26		B:R   T:R
	AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos		4x4	5x5	RAR	aRAR
Proj.
2006	13	1	.077	1	1	0	1	2		-1	-2	-1.2	-1.2

Please refer to our Post-2006 Prospect Review: Toronto for my comments on Roberts.

29.  D'Angelo Jimenez					TEX/OAK					Age: 28		B:S   T:R
	AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos		4x4	5x5	RAR	aRAR
Proj.	25	6	.240	1	3	0	3	2		-1	-2	0.2	0.2
2006	71	13	.183	1	8	0	8	2		-3	-3	-2.4	-2.3

Following a disastrous 2005 that saw Jimenez spend most of the summer at AA Chattanooga, he landed in Texas and spent much of April as the Rangers' starting second baseman following Ian Kinsler's injury. Unfortunately, Mark DeRosa's breakout pushed Jimenez right off the roster, and the journeyman joined with the Athletics. While he excelled in limited action for AAA Sacramento, posting a .306/.416/.484 on a 24:14 BB:K in 124 AB in limited action, he never earned any regular work in Oakland until the playoffs, where Mark Ellis' injury pushed Jimenez into a remarkably unsuccessful stint as the team's starter in the ALDS and ALCS. Released right after the A's sweep by the Tigers, Jimenez appears most likely to return to Triple-A in an attempt to resuscitate his stalled career. I still see plenty of potential in anyone with Jimenez's plate discipline, but until he begins succeeding in the majors once again, he just doesn't warrant any fantasy consideration.

30.  Dustin Pedroia					BOS Red Sox					Age: 23		B:R   T:R
	AB	H	BA	HR	RBI	SB	R	Pos		4x4	5x5	RAR	aRAR
Proj.	75	19	.253	1	7	1	9	2		0	-1	0.2	0.2
2006	89	17	.191	2	7	0	5	2		-3	-3	-4.5	-4.5

Please refer to our Post-2006 Prospect Review: Boston for my comments on Pedroia.

Second Base Week continues tomorrow.

Today's Fantasy Rx: As neither Jimenez nor Rogers belong on anyone's roster this spring, instead targets two rookies likely to emerge as excellent long-term values. Of course, expect significant overvaluation of Dustin Pedroia due to both the hype machine of Red Sox Nation and his support in sabermetric circles, so your main target here in standard roto drafts should be Alexi Casilla. He warrants no worse than an upper-level rookie draft pick in Ultra leagues, and if he breaks camp on the Twins' bench, spending a few bucks to secure him in your middle infield should result in either a $20 profit when he replaces Luis Castillo in 2008 or a significant in-season upgrade if you dangle him as trade bait.