With my AL team out of the way (see below), it's the NL's turn. After that we'll compare the two teams to see who would come out on top in a seven game series.
Catcher-Chris Iannetta, Colorado RockiesYes, Iannetta is hitting .182 and is losing playing time to Yorvit Torrealba. Yes, the Sports Flow picked Carlos Ruiz as their catcher, yes he is striking out much much more than he should be. But while there is a month of sample size to suggest he is a bust, there are multiple years of minor league track record that says he is just in a slump. Playing in Coors will help Iannetta, plus there aren't many catching prospects that come along with huge bats, so Iannetta is my guy
First Base-James Loney, LA DodgersLoney put up a .901 OPS in 102 at bats in 2006. With Nomar Garciaparra's frequent trips to the DL, Loney could see a lot of action in 2007. He has good power and has the capability to hit for a high average. Loney is poised for a long major league career, but I would predict he will have not as much value in 2007, unless Nomar makes the inevitable DL stint.
Second Base-Eric Patterson, Chicago CubsThis was probably the toughest position, along with AL catcher, to select. Patterson isn't very close to the majors, but he is the highest rated 2B prospect in the
Pecota Top 100. The brother of Corey, Patterson starred at Georgia Tech and in a perfect world would develop into a high enough OBP guy to allow Alfonso Soriano to move to the 3 hole.
Shortstop-Stephen Drew, Arizona DiamondbacksScouts say Stephen could eventually end up becoming the better Drew. Considered perhaps the top talent in the 2004 Draft, the Padres took local SS
Matt Bush (who is .216/.326/.311) with the #1 overall pick instead due to concerns about Drew's signability (he was represented by Scott Boras who, among other things, got a 20+ million dollar package for
Jeremy Guthrie in the 2002 draft). Drew is among a crew of D-Backs young hitters who should be putting up huge numbers for the next decade or so.
Third Base-Andy LaRoche, LA DodgersThis was a tough decision between LaRoche and Kevin Kouzmanoff, but in the end I went with LaRoche because of his higher ceiling. Kouzmanoff has been struggling a bit in '07, and he plays in a notorious pitchers park. LaRoche won't exactly spend his major league career in a bandbox, but he has more power potential than Kouzmanoff-but he is also at a greater risk to flop.
Leftfield-Josh Hamilton, Cincinnati RedsOne of the best stories so far in this '07 season. Picked one slot ahead of Josh Beckett, Hamilton certainly has been a bust. However, he seemingly has set aside his drug problems for the moment to have a very successful start of the season. Many scouts claim that if Hamilton were to fail as a position player, he could make it to the majors as a pitcher. Hamilton is full of untapped talent, and
Baseball America's John Manuel said Hamilton could wind up being the best Rule 5 pick ever-and Johan Santana was a Rule 5 pick.
Centerfield-Chris Young, Arizona DiamondbacksYoung has been called pretty much a lock to go 20/20 in his rookie campaign-even though he might hit .260. Over the long term, Young's ceiling probably isn't as high as a lot of people project it to be, but for 2007 he should be a very valuable player, both in real life and for your fantasy teams.
Rightfield-Jeff Baker, Colorado RockiesBaker, who attended Clemson and was born in Germany, is somewhat blocked in rightfield by Brad Hawpe. I hope he continues to be blocked since Hawpe is on my fantasy team, but Baker is certainly good enough to play his way into the lineup. He has nearly 1 homer for every 20 AB so far in his brief major league career, but he has also struck out nearly 4 times as much as he has walked. Nonetheless, Baker is a part of a Rockies team that has assembled some of the finest young talent in baseball.
Starting Pitcher- Tim Lincecum, San Francisco GiantsLincecum is widely considered the best pitching prospect in baseball. Although the acronym TINSTAAPP (There is no such thing as a pitching prospect) certainly holds true in a lot of places, I don't believe this is the case for Lincecum. Some scouts have concerns about his delivery and his extreme workload at Washington, but Baseball Prospectus's Will Carroll doesn't see anything too wrong with his mechanics and he's the best in the business. Lincecum should have a bright major league career, and out of the 2007 rookies probably has the best chance at winning 300 games.
Starting Pitcher-Homer Bailey, Cincinnati RedsIf Lincecum is pitching prospect 1, then Bailey is prospect 1A. A flamethrower that came out of Texas, Bailey would like to join fellow Texans Beckett, Clemens and Ryan who have gained reputations as fireballers. Bailey's strikeout rate so far at AAA has been down, but he should get called up sometime closer to the All-Star break. With Eric Milton out with an injury, there was speculation that Bailey could start this weekend, but I think that when the Reds call Bailey up, they want to make sure he stays up.
Starting Pitcher-Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee BrewersLuckily the Brewers are winning and they can avoid rash decisions, such as calling up Gallardo. The Mexico native is 4-1 with a 2.53 ERA so far this year with Nashville, and has allowed just 1 homerun in 42.2 innings. While Gallardo is viewed by scouts as having #2 stuff, he will benefit in Milwaukee because he only has to be the #3 of that staff with Sheets and Capuano-assuming Sheets can stay healthy.
The 7th overall pick in 2004, Bailey seems poised for his MLB debut soon. The Reds have exausted reasons for not bringing Bailey up. They talked about Bailey's unusually low strikeout rates, but he has struck out 43 in 52.1 IP so far this season. He has also cut down his walks, for barely over a 1.00 WHIP. Bailey certainly can perform better than Eric Milton or Kyle Lohse over the long term, and with Kirk Saarloos recently being sent down, Bailey's arrival seems imminent.
