Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Trends- Week 1

Free Agent Trends - Week 1 Article From: FantasyBaseballGeeks.com CATCHER Most Added - This is a roll call for trendy sleeper picks at the catcher position. Geovany Soto has been gaining experience in the Cubs farm system since 2001 at age 18. Now at 25 he is in possession of the catching duties full time at Wrigley. He has 20 HR power and could have his first full season rival Brian McCann 's breakout in 2006. Draft him as a Top 10 C with upside. J.R. Towles is another young backstop with considerable tools and immediate value. Owners have taken notice and are salivating over his speed potential as he could swipe double digits in 2008. In Houston, Towles will become a staple and you should be drafting him at the end of the Top 10 catchers in mixed formats. Most Dropped - Johnny Estrada is not a viable option for any fantasy squad in any fantasy format. If you are in a 15 team mixed league requiring two catchers he is still not an option. His right elbow tendonitis should not be the reason he is being dropped - the fact that he has no value even when healthy should be the cause of this downtrend. FIRST BASE Most Added - Guess the secret is out. James Loney and Joey Votto are no longer unknown commodities in fantasy baseball. Loney is a burgeoning star and should produce big returns immediately. He has solid power and should linger around .300 in the BA department. Joe Torre has a stud bat to watch mature into a Top 10 1B. Joey Votto on the other hand has to deal with the stubborn and stuck in his ways Dusty Baker in Cinci that could stunt his growth. The Reds have a history of limited patience with young players as was evidenced with Edwin Encarnacion last season. Baker might sneak Scott Hatteberg into the lineup and any slump by Votto could spell a platoon. Votto is the Reds future and should be given the job in my opinion. He also has flashed a good amount of speed in the minors swiping 24 bases in 2006. Most Dropped - Dmitri Young had a pretty decent season in 2007 posting a .319 BA and eating (I mean winning) the Comeback Player of the Year Award in the NL. Nick Johnson will be reclaiming the 1B job, but seems likely to slip on a banana peal in the coming weeks and be out for about 6 months. Either way neither Nick nor Dmitri should be in your lineup. Read full article at: http://thefantasysportsforum.com/article.php?ID=228