Crawford or Price

[Dan Charette]

This is a 12 team league standard categories. I can keep 8
My keepers are ;
1B Fielder
3B Wright
SS Reyes
LF Braun
CF Upton
RF Guerrero
SP Santana

I'm torn between keeping Crawford or Price. I already have a LF, but we do have a utility spot. All of the team's keepers are not in yet, so I don't know who will be available as a free agent.
I really like both players. Help ! ! Thoughts and arguments ,

[San D]

Crawford. You could probably trade him for someone like Hamels, who I would rather have than Price.

[DGeezie9]

i would say price. i'm a season ticket holder for the rays, so dont get me wrong i love cc, but i think price is going to be a beast. price is better long term keeper i think and i can see cc's steals goin down a bit from his usually 50 a year. probably .300 15hr 30-40 sb in 09. crawford does put you over the top in sb's though with reyes,upton and wright, but you can always pick up some steals from another OF late in the draft.

[tyler2]

I'd take Crawford here for a few reasons. I tend to value pitchers more than most folks these days, but that's not really true for really young starters. There's just an enormous amount of injury risk, even for top prospects; Joba, Gallardo, just to name a couple from last year off the top of my head. There's also the learning curve issue; even top prospects like Kershaw may struggle for a year or two before getting things sorted out, and he wasn't playing in the AL East. Finally, I think that even with Crawford's down year, his market value will be higher than Price's. .290/15/40 with 100 runs and 80 rbi's? I'll take it.

[Grounded Polo]

I agree with San D's logic. It's not that much of a stretch to say Price could approach or surpass Crawford's value pretty soon, you can still keep Crawford and trade him for a young and also proven ace if you want to go with a pitching route.

[Surfs up]

I'd take Crawford here for a few reasons. I tend to value pitchers more than most folks these days, but that's not really true for really young starters. There's just an enormous amount of injury risk, even for top prospects; Joba, Gallardo, just to name a couple from last year off the top of my head. There's also the learning curve issue; even top prospects like Kershaw may struggle for a year or two before getting things sorted out, and he wasn't playing in the AL East. Finally, I think that even with Crawford's down year, his market value will be higher than Price's. .290/15/40 with 100 runs and 80 rbi's? I'll take it.

I don't think I agree with you on this call. It didn't take Lincecum long to become a stud. But I do aree with what was said after that I wouldkeep Crawford and trade for a pitcher later if need be.

[tyler2]

Pitching prospects in Baseball America's Top 10 within the last 3 years (excluding Dice-K):

Joba Chamberlain (2008 #3)
Clay Buchholz (2008 #4)
Clayton Kershaw (2008 #7)
Franklin Morales (2008 #8)
Homer Bailey (2008 #9, 2007 #5)
David Price (2008 #10)
Philip Hughes (2007 #4)
Andrew Miller (2007 #10)
Francisco Liriano (2006 #6)
Chad Billingsley (2006 #7)
Justin Verlander (2006 #8)
Matt Cain (2006 #10)

Some good names in there, but not many that I'd take over Crawford. And there's some pretty significant downside risk: I'd be surprised if Morales, Bailey, or Miller are drafted in mixed leagues next year; that's 25% of the list. Joba, Hughes, and Liriano have had significant injuries - that's another 25%.

As many others have said, Lincecum's a freak.

[Halo Homers]

I would vote Price. The upside is well... Huge. Your so solid everywhere else, you can afford to take the risk on Price who has a real chance of dominating in a year or so.

Crawford's value is going down. It's more reputation now. The power never developed, and while I think his steals will recover and he'll get 35-40 this year, I think the 50 sb years are behind him, and I don't see the power coming either.

[MaudDib]

I would go with Crawford. I am with most of the others here that Price has a lot of potential but there is nothing certain here. King Felix was where Price was when he came up and he has never been the stud everyone expected of him. He still can be but he hasn't yet. Yes, Linc was a stud last year but he was in the mix of Gallardo, Hughes, Joba and Kershaw as a top future SP. 1 out of 5. Not the kind of odds I would take when I am looking to the future.

Saying all that, I would see if you could move Fielder and either Crawford or Price for one of the stud 1B out there. Maybe you could land a Pujols or Tex and then keep the player you don't trade. Right now Price's trade value is very high and you might as well see what you can land for him instead of just throwing him back into the draft.

[jeffmerk]

Pitching prospects in Baseball America's Top 10 within the last 3 years (excluding Dice-K):

Joba Chamberlain (2008 #3)
Clay Buchholz (2008 #4)
Clayton Kershaw (2008 #7)
Franklin Morales (2008 #8)
Homer Bailey (2008 #9, 2007 #5)
David Price (2008 #10)
Philip Hughes (2007 #4)
Andrew Miller (2007 #10)
Francisco Liriano (2006 #6)
Chad Billingsley (2006 #7)
Justin Verlander (2006 #8)
Matt Cain (2006 #10)

Some good names in there, but not many that I'd take over Crawford. And there's some pretty significant downside risk: I'd be surprised if Morales, Bailey, or Miller are drafted in mixed leagues next year; that's 25% of the list. Joba, Hughes, and Liriano have had significant injuries - that's another 25%.

As many others have said, Lincecum's a freak.

Lincecum is indeed a freak. For the most part, pitchers are inconsistent and injury prone.