Two Up, Two Down '08: Left Field

[WebHamster]

This thread contains comments on Debbie Shell's Article "Two Up, Two Down ’08: Left Field", which was posted in the Cafe's Articles section on February 14, 2008. The full article can be read here.

[knapplc]

Good article, man... er... ma'am!

I made a trade for Byrnes last year in a Keeper, and unfortunately I think your analysis of his 2008 is dead on, so that was a worthless trade. Luckily I have other guys, but it's galling to trade for someone and then not keep them.

Curious though - where do you see him going in drafts in a standard 5x5? Fifth-Sixth round or lower?

[musialsuspect]

Thanks for the compliment.

Right now on a couple of sites I checked, he's going as the 17th outfielder, in the fifth round. As you know, I think you could do better, but it all depends on the team you're assembling. Worthless? I don't know. If you have time before your keeper deadline, maybe you can package him to someone who believes. Good luck!

[musialsuspect]

In the FWIW department:

The Los Angeles Daily News suggested today that Juan Pierre will enter camp behind Andre Ethier in their competition for the starting job in left field.

I didn't bring up the "four outfielders into three spots" situation in LA in my article, but it's very real. Never mind Pierre's rag arm, which doesn't play very well in left field. Defensive ability enters into Torre's thinking, even if it's not a direct fantasy skill. It DOES look like a competition, even in this day and age where teams are loathe to sit a high-paid player like Pierre on the bench. Even this early in Spring Training. Stay tuned...

[DC_Commish]

Great article! Thanks for posting some insightful advice.