NFBC Message Boards

We're glad to have two industry veterans with us for our next Live Chat on the NFBC boards. These guys have been in the industry so long they are dinosaurs!!! Ah, I can say that because I've been competing against them and losing for decades, so they know it's all in jest.



Anyway, we're glad to welcome Peter Kreutzer – ask Mr. Rotoman on MLB.com – and Alex Patton of alexpatton.com to our Live Chat on Tuesday, Feb. 24th at 2 p.m. EST. Peter and Alex will be around at the same time for a one hour live chat with our NFBC participants.



Feel free to post a few questions ahead of time on this thread, which will allow Peter and Alex to have some prepared answers ahead of time. This is a great opportunity to ask two knowledgeable industry guys any question you want. Thanks again Peter and Alex and have fun with our unique group of players.

Gents, who do you think will be the first closer-in-waiting to bust into the job?

Mr. Patton, You were the man when I started doing Roto Baseball. How do you feel about the changes the game has taken over the last few years. Do you feel the move to 5x5 and mixed leagues has helped or hurt the game?

Originally posted by Walla Walla:

Mr. Patton, You were the man when I started doing Roto Baseball. How do you feel about the changes the game has taken over the last few years. Do you feel the move to 5x5 and mixed leagues has helped or hurt the game? Wow John In those first two sentences you've managed to insinuate that Mr. Patton is not the man anymore, that he is really old, possibly older than us, and that you don't read him anymore.



And we're off to a flying start!



How do you guys feel about some of the up and comers like Matt Wieters, Alexie Ramirez,and Elvis Andrus?



Positions out of the equation, would you take Jermaine Dye or teammate Ramirez first?



Wieters or Posada?



[ February 20, 2009, 12:45 AM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

Ken Macha is now managing the Brewers, his history is as a bench coach in Boston, and manger in Oakland, both teams who during his tenure turned a blind eye to the running game. Do you think that is indicative of Macha's style? Can we expect a decrease in Stolen Base attempts from the likes of Weeks, Hart, and Braun?

What's your February prediction as to what the final 2009 fantasy value of Pablo Sandoval and Gaby Sanchez will be?

Hey Alex, I met you in Arizona last fall. When I sat by you at the ballpark I didn't realize you were a fantasy baseball legend, I thought you were just a normal grunt like me.



You've been mentioned in a couple of books I've recently read about fantasy baseball and I've become aware that you have written several books on the subject yourself. I'd like to read one, is there one in particular that you would recommend?



I don't know if you have ever had any involvement with the NFBC but it's a great event. It's quite the sight to walk into the big ballroom on draft day and see tables and draftboards set up to accommodate 10 leagues. I think Greg should charge admission just to watch. I know you live in New York, you might give some thought to checking it out this year.



Good luck with this group and their questions and thanks for taking the time to do it.



Terry Haney

WOW! At least I knew who Alex Patton was. LOL!

Catcher:



How do you think the TX catcher situation plays out? Is Teagarden too raw to make a fantasy impact this year?



First Base:

I heard on Baseball Tonight that R Howard starts off slow because of all the motion in his swing and it takes him longer to get his timing back each year. Any reason why Teixeira starts off slow each year?



Second Base:

Is H Kendrick capable of increasing his HR and SB totals this year the way Pedroia did from '07 to '08 (8 HR, 7 SB in '07 to 17 HR, 20 SB in '08)?

Overall thoughts on Kendrick this year assuming good health?



Thanks for your time today.



[ February 20, 2009, 09:19 PM: Message edited by: rkulaski ]

Alex, in all my years of competing against you in LABR and XFL, you've never been afraid to go the stars and scrubs route. You always seem to go after a couple of top stars and fill out your auction teams with $1 players. Am I correct in my assessment and what is your mindset when you go into open auctions that are just one-year leagues?



Over 20+ years in this industry, what changes have you and Peter seen when it comes to the industry? What changes have you noticed in auction league strategies? Is there anything about this crazy industry that has surprised you over the years?

True or False. Matt Kemp will be a 30/30 player perenially starting this year. Besides Grady & Hanley, who else is most likely to accomplish those numbers this year?

Whats your draft strategy on sleeper or wiseguy picks?Do you pull the trigger a little bit early or do you stick to your guns and draft them where most experts say they should go?

Do you feel the 5x5 category system has stuck because it is such a simple system that anybody can play? Of course the 15 team - 30 round drafts make this system harder, but evaluating individual talent seems so easy.



Do you think that fantasy baseball will eventually evolve to a future standard of 6x6 or 7x7?



With more categories comes more depth into a player's value. It seems like this will be a natural evolution of fantasy baseball.



What's your thoughts on the future of fantasy baseball? Will the standard really be 5x5 for the next 50 years?

What's your projection for Matt Holliday now that he moves away from Coors Field?



Just curious.

Mark Reynolds hit .279 in 2007 then .239 in 2008. He looks like a future 40 homer - 120 rbi 3rd baseman. Obviously those strikeouts he amasses in truckloads is a killer. Can that BA ever stabilize?



What's your projection for Mark Reynold's BA in 2009?



Here's a scenario, let's say I'm pretty strong in BA by the 9th round and my homer/rbi's are looking around midrange compared to the rest of the league, does it make sense to take a guy like Reynolds, knowing his BA could singlehandedly take 2-3 points off the composite BA.



Is it worth taking a chance that he hits somewhere between his first 2 years' BA (.260) justifying a pick there or is his BA too risky to even look at him?

Which post-hype player do you see breaking out this year?



Alex Gordon perhaps?



Rickie Weeks?

Do you recommend drafting a stud SP in the first 4 rounds and who?



If you had to pick your number #1 pitcher from this group, who would it be and why?



Ervin Santana

Chad Billingsley

Yovani Gallardo

Roy Oswalt

A.J. Burnett

Carlos Gomez had an up and down year in his first year at 22 years of age. He is also young at heart pulling some serious blunders as a rookie giving his manager headaches on a regular basis.



Do you think the numbers of this talented young player were a little overanalyzed considering he was probably rushed to the majors?



If he hit .280 with 45 steals this year would it be that big of a shock?

In 2010, who's the better pitcher, Cueto or Volquez?

What up and coming reliever has the best chance to pull a Soria this year?

What veteran pitcher that's been forgotten has the best chance to pull a Cliff Lee in 2009?



Maybe Freddy Garcia?



[ February 24, 2009, 03:38 AM: Message edited by: Crazy Like a Fox ]

Francisco Liriano, pay big or avoid?

Who slipped too far in drafts due to off year that should be in for a big year?

crazy - why don't you just ask him for his cheatsheets!

Okay, we have a lot of questions for Peter and Alex already. Be here at 2 p.m. EST for the answers and feel free to add a few more questions before the start time. Thanks all.