Fantasy Baseball Analysis Draft: Round 4

March 14, 2012 @ 10:10:38

By KFFL Staff

Rnd: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28
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1) Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs

Team: Jeff Paur, RTSports | Roster

Another tough decision for me. There were better overall players on the board but I was worried about getting a top shortstop if I didn't grab one here. So Castro was my pick. He is a young player just coming into his own. I think his power and steal numbers can improve, taking him to another level for fantasy teams. This might be my make or break pick of the draft.

2) Dan Uggla, 2B, Atlanta Braves

Team: Tim Heaney, KFFL | Roster

Horrid 1H, ridiculous 2H ... basically equaled a typical Uggla season. Thirty homers from the keystone made sense here, even with the dent in batting average. He'll move back up toward .260, though, which is OK. Drafting Reyes made Uggla the choice over Brandon Phillips and Ben Zobrist.

3) Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies

Team: Doug Anderson, RotoExperts | Roster

Was going to grab Clayton Kershaw, but just missed out. Happy with Utley here. Even with the bum knee last year he stole bases. I'm expecting a solid rebound across the board.

4) Desmond Jennings, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

Team: Josh Shepardson, The Hardball Times | Roster

Two Rangers, two Rays make up my four players drafted. This is a gamble, but Jennings' speed is very real. The power is more questionable, but I'm expecting a low-to-mid teens home run total at season's end. Good on-base skills should help him score runs in bunches for the Rays. I might need some help in batting average as the draft progresses, but I've laid a good foundation in the counting stats.

3B scarcity: A-Ram to the rescue

5) Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas Rangers

Team: Bill Macey, Baseball HQ | Roster

Still in the very early rounds, I wanted to further anchor my team with another low-risk, highly-skilled player. Andrus helps fill up another scarce position with a reliable source of elite speed. Batting atop a powerful Rangers lineup combined with his improving plate discipline, he has the potential to lead the AL in runs scored.

6) Brandon Phillips, 2B, Cincinnati Reds

Team: Nicholas Minnix, KFFL | Roster

To ignore middle infield spots until the fourth round and still be able to end up with a reliable asset like Phillips, who should hit at least .270 with 15 to 20 home runs and double-digit stolen bases, is a sweet safety net. Other than Jimmy Rollins, whose health is always part of the risk, the shortstops who go in Rounds 3 to 5 or so are great players but still hold more promise than they do certainty.

7) Cliff Lee, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

Team: Mark Chamberlin, Baseball Sharks | Roster

I really wanted Brett Lawrie or Starlin Castro with this pick, but I can't complain with what I was left with. I rarely go into a draft planning to take a pitcher before Round 4 and this was no exception. There were four pitchers I'd take in Round 4 and he was the only one left.

8) Ben Zobrist, 2B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays

Team: Howard Bender, FanGraphs | Roster

Wow. ADP be damned. Only two SP taken over the last 14 picks and MI picked clean. Guys behind me still in need, so I'll be safe and grab a nice power-speed combo at 2B in Zobrist. Added eligibility in the outfield only continues to increase my roster flexibility.

9) Paul Konerko, 1B, Chicago White Sox

Team: Pasko Varnica, Mastersball | Roster

I recognize that Paul Konerko is not a flashy player, but there was a rush on first basemen and even Eric Hosmer, who is projected with 10 less HR, was gone. After considering Michael Young and Mark Reynolds because of their dual position eligibility, I went with the steady and dependable Konerko.

10) Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers

Team: Joe Hamrahi, Baseball Prospectus | Roster

Two words. Position scarcity. I'm not a huge Ramirez fan, but the dropoff after the first few players at the hot corner is substantial. I'll take a .290 season with 25 home runs and 90 RBI and like it!

11) B.J. Upton, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

Team: Ray Flowers, Baseball Guys/SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio | Roster

I was hoping that Ben Zobrist would make it back to me. Obviously he didn't. I considered Michael Bourn but went with the better all-around performer in Upton. With Miguel Cabrera/Kevin Youkilis/Matt Holliday, I should be able to handle Upton's poor average.

12) Brian McCann, C, Atlanta Braves

Team: Steve Gardner, USA TODAY/Sports Weekly | Roster

Drafting from an end position forces you to make up your mind early on what positions to target. In this case, McCann was the only one of my top three catchers remaining and if I passed on him in these back-to-back picks, the best ones would be long gone before my turn came around again. Normally, I don't like to reach for catchers but since we're starting two of them and McCann was on the board over a full round after Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana, he seemed like a good value here. Sure enough, five catchers were taken by the time I picked at the end of Round 6.

Rnd: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28
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