Mike Sheets Will Be Chatting Here Today At 2 PM ET

Crazy Like a Fox · Post by **Crazy Like a Fox** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:23 am

Originally posted by Mike Sheets:

quote:Originally posted by Gordon Gekko:

mike - catcher brian mccann underwent laser eye surgery this offseason. would you be surprised to see an increase in his offensive numbers this year (most notably his batting average)? We've seen other guys do this in the past. Peralta was a guy who did it last offseason. While I'm sure it will help, I'm not convinced we're going to see big upswing in his numbers because of it. After all, he hit .333 in '06 when he apparently couldn't see too well. That said, I do expect slightly better year in '08. Perhaps somewhere in between the last two seasons. [/QUOTE]I like the fact that he admitted to "wearing down" late in the year and he's trying to get into better shape ie. taking up yoga and so on.

I don't necessarily think getting into shape always translates to better numbers but the fact that he's a catcher and many catchers tend to wear down towards the end of the season, I definitely see improved numbers across the board. Didn't know about laser eye surgery, but I think that helps. Although, if he took more "greenies" I hear that helps improve concentration at the plate.

I think McCann and V-Mart will be VERY close this year in all categories besides maybe a 15-20 run difference in favor of V-Mart.

I would much rather take McCann in 4th than V-Mart in 2nd, although I certainly wouldn't argue with a V-mart pick. I think that more than half the league will end up "dumping" the catcher position whether they want to or not resulting in a big advantage in taking a stud catcher early.

I understand the whole argument about not worrying about position scarcity early, but catcher position is the exception IMO, only talking about this year though.

Sorry Mike, I'll give you the floor, just putting my 2 cents in.

sportsbettingman · Post by **sportsbettingman** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:24 am

Best bet from these younger studs to make the jump (assuming improvement this season) from wherever they get drafted in 2008's fantasy draft...to first rounder (or right there (15 team league))in 2009's draft!

a) Markakis

b) Tulo

c) BJ Upton

~Lance

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:25 am

Originally posted by sportsbettingman:

Hey Ben's brother!

Do you believe that a hitter like Ryan Howard or Adam Dunn or BJ Upton benefits from their reputation for free swinging (and lots of K's) when a Pitcher knows this and tends to go after these guys rather than walking/dancing around them...thus giving them more "strike-zone" pitches to hit out of the park?

I know Avg. has more of an impact in fantasy baseball than real baseball...nobody care so much in reality if a guy hits .260, yet has 50HR and 110R, 110RBI to go along with it.

~Lance Pitchers definitely try to take advantage of hitters who are free swingers, but I don't think this means more juicy pitches in the strike zone. And for a guy like Dunn, he draws tons of walks, too, so it's not like he's just flailing at everything.

sportsbettingman · Post by **sportsbettingman** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:27 am

If YOU (Mike Sheets) lived in the Bay Area, CA...and needed laser eye surgery...would you consider flying East somewhere to have the procedure done to avoid being under the laser, and having a chance earthquake occur!

~Lance

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:27 am

Originally posted by sportsbettingman:

In your experience...can you name some players that really pay attention to their fantasy baseball rankings. (actually speaking of it in interviews)

You KNOW they are out there.

~Lance I'm sure it happens quite a bit, but I'm not sure which players are heavily into it. Seems like it's easier to find football players who are more outspoken about fantasy.

Chest Rockwell · Post by **Chest Rockwell** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:28 am

Originally posted by Crazy Like a Fox:

quote:Originally posted by Mike Sheets:

quote:Originally posted by Gordon Gekko:

mike - catcher brian mccann underwent laser eye surgery this offseason. would you be surprised to see an increase in his offensive numbers this year (most notably his batting average)? We've seen other guys do this in the past. Peralta was a guy who did it last offseason. While I'm sure it will help, I'm not convinced we're going to see big upswing in his numbers because of it. After all, he hit .333 in '06 when he apparently couldn't see too well. That said, I do expect slightly better year in '08. Perhaps somewhere in between the last two seasons. [/QUOTE]I like the fact that he admitted to "wearing down" late in the year and he's trying to get into better shape ie. taking up yoga and so on.

I don't necessarily think getting into shape always translates to better numbers but the fact that he's a catcher and many catchers tend to wear down towards the end of the season, I definitely see improved numbers across the board. Didn't know about laser eye surgery, but I think that helps. Although, if he took more "greenies" I hear that helps improve concentration at the plate.

I think McCann and V-Mart will be VERY close this year in all categories besides maybe a 15-20 run difference in favor of V-Mart.

I would much rather take McCann in 4th than V-Mart in 2nd, although I certainly wouldn't argue with a V-mart pick. I think that more than half the league will end up "dumping" the catcher position whether they want to or not resulting in a big advantage in taking a stud catcher early.

I understand the whole argument about not worrying about position scarcity early, but catcher position is the exception IMO, only talking about this year though.

Sorry Mike, I'll give you the floor, just putting my 2 cents in. [/QUOTE]For Goodness sakes Crazy why do you come in and have to give your opinions on every guest chatter.

Gordon Gekko · Post by **Gordon Gekko** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:29 am

Mike - my guess is that ellsbury's adp from the NFBC main event draft (15 teams leagues) will be 9th or 10th round. Should he go before that?

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:30 am

Originally posted by NorCalAtlFan:

Hey Mike, is Billingsley truly poised for a breakout type season?

"what separates RotoTimes.com from all the other on-line baseball sites?"

They tell you a staff of Johan, Beckett, Lackey and Bedard isn't that strong. I kid of course, but that hurt last April. I'd like to see Billingsley improve his control a bit more, but yes, there's a very good chance he'll break through in '08. He's a future ace.

Crazy Like a Fox · Post by **Crazy Like a Fox** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:31 am

I tend to think that Tulowitzki is a solid 3rd round pick considering not only last year's numbers but his clear upside after his brilliant 2nd half.

If I think that Tejada can easily match Tulowitzki's 2007 season and I can get him in the 6th round, does Tulowitzki's potential bigger breakout in 2008 and Tejada's possible sign of decline last year, make Troy the better pick in the 3rd?

I'm struggling with this one.

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:32 am

Originally posted by sportsbettingman:

Could we have another Rick Ankiel in Micah Owings?

It would be a shame if he ever got traded to an AL team...the guy can MASH!

In 60 AB (a reasonable amount) he Slugged .683 with 7 doubles and 4 HR!!!

Should he ever lose his command...we have an OF spot ready for him in SF!!!

~Lance Well, there's no denying the kid can hit. The D'Backs have even discussed trying to get him some time at first base just to get his bat in the lineup more often - although I'd be somewhat surprised if that actually happened. But Owings is a decent enough pitcher that there's no reason to think he won't stick with it.

Owings could immediately step in and be the Giants top power hitter, couldn't he?

sportsbettingman · Post by **sportsbettingman** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:32 am

Sorry for being so active...Starbucks quad mocha venti!

I've noticed with regularity that the final strikeout pitch by Santana or most other elite pitchers ends up being low. (a ball)

If you review your video of pitchers...and see such a trend...wouldn't you be better off taking the chance of a K looking than swinging at a ball over and over and over?

I know these pitches look juicy from the plate...but geez. It seems most SO are when hitter's are swinging at balls.

Armchair hitting coach.

~Lance

Quahogs · Post by **Quahogs** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:35 am

Mike,

Which strategy would you choose if you HAD to draft within one of these guidelines ?

1) grab 2 of the top 4 C's within the top 4 rounds

2) Santana or Peavy will be one of my top 2 picks

3) Pujols-Teixeira-Aramis Ramirez 1-2-3.

And why would want to avoid the other two ?

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:36 am

Originally posted by sportsbettingman:

Is Ryan Braun GOD?

How about God of Baseball?

Even if his sophomore slump chops 20 points off his AVG, and drops 15% in all of his categories...he still would be on pace (using 2007 numbers at 590AB) for a season like this...

.304 AVG

101 R

107 RBI

37 HR

17 SB

If he doesn't regress 15%...the numbers will rock!

~Lance Braun is already an elite player without a full season under his belt. I'm a little cautious about just how high he's going in drafts (I would definitely take the security of Cabrera over Braun, for example), just because a slight dropoff is very possible, but the kid is a star.

Gordon Gekko · Post by **Gordon Gekko** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:36 am

Over/Under on zimmerman jacking 25 homeruns in that new ballpark?

NorCalAtlFan · Post by **NorCalAtlFan** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:36 am

Hey Mike, thanks for answering the previous question. Now, I've never been a big Bay guy, but he has to be better, right? Same with LaRoche. Right?

Gordon Gekko · Post by **Gordon Gekko** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:38 am

More wins this year?

H.Bailey or E.Santana

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:39 am

Originally posted by Chest Rockwell:

Mike

What is it like to constantly live in the shadow of Nate Ravitz?

I joke but Nate is a pretty bright guy if you ask me. Did he start rototimes? This made me laugh. Nate's a good friend of mine and his guidance has definitely helped me get where I am today. But hopefully the shadow will dissipate soon.

Yes, he was one of the founders of Rototimes.com

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:42 am

Originally posted by sportsbettingman:

Would you guess Jeter...

a) continues to show age...slightly worse numbers in 2008 than 2007.

b) repeats 2007 more or less.

c) rebounds to better overall numbers in '08

~Lance I'm going with choice B. There will be a time coming soon when he starts to decline a bit, but he should age well, so I don't expect a big drop-off in the near future. And the guy hit .322 last year, so things are still going pretty well.

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:45 am

Originally posted by sportsbettingman:

Best bet from these younger studs to make the jump (assuming improvement this season) from wherever they get drafted in 2008's fantasy draft...to first rounder (or right there (15 team league))in 2009's draft!

a) Markakis

b) Tulo

c) BJ Upton

~Lance Well, Upton is going in the top 15 in many drafts this season, so even more improvement wouldn't move him up that much. But Markakis is a guy who could definitely make that kind of jump if he shows a bit more power this season.

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:47 am

Originally posted by sportsbettingman:

If YOU (Mike Sheets) lived in the Bay Area, CA...and needed laser eye surgery...would you consider flying East somewhere to have the procedure done to avoid being under the laser, and having a chance earthquake occur!

~Lance Without question. You just can't take that kind of risk.

Crazy Like a Fox · Post by **Crazy Like a Fox** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:47 am

Originally posted by Quahogs:

Mike,

Which strategy would you choose if you HAD to draft within one of these guidelines ?

1) grab 2 of the top 4 C's within the top 4 rounds

2) Santana or Peavy will be one of my top 2 picks

3) Pujols-Teixeira-Aramis Ramirez 1-2-3.

And why would want to avoid the other two ? OOOOOOH. Quahogs. Good question.

I have pondered the Santana/Peavy combination greatly. The 2 catchers in top 4 I have pondered.

With Pujols, I'm surprised he's a 1st round pick considering his own admission, "If the same problem is happening this year, I don't think I'm to play the whole year the same way,"

How can anyone take that guy in the 1st knowing this? Seriously.

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:49 am

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko:

Mike - my guess is that ellsbury's adp from the NFBC main event draft (15 teams leagues) will be 9th or 10th round. Should he go before that? That sounds about right, especially with Crisp still in the picture. If we know Ellsbury will get a full season of at-bats, I think you could move him up a round or two and still get good value.

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:52 am

Originally posted by Crazy Like a Fox:

I tend to think that Tulowitzki is a solid 3rd round pick considering not only last year's numbers but his clear upside after his brilliant 2nd half.

If I think that Tejada can easily match Tulowitzki's 2007 season and I can get him in the 6th round, does Tulowitzki's potential bigger breakout in 2008 and Tejada's possible sign of decline last year, make Troy the better pick in the 3rd?

I'm struggling with this one. I agree that Tulo is the better of the two, and he clearly has better upside. However, I'd rather have Tejada three rounds later. Tulo could improve a bit in '08, but I doubt it will be anything significantly better than what we saw last season.

Mike Sheets · Post by **Mike Sheets** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:53 am

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko:

Over/Under on zimmerman jacking 25 homeruns in that new ballpark? Over

Tom Kessenich · Post by **Tom Kessenich** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:56 am

I'll let Mike answer as many more questions as he can but I wanted to thank him for taking part in our chat today. You can see Mike's drafting expertise in our first baseball issue with Alex Rodriguez on the cover. Thanks Mike. I hope you had a good time.