Starting over...

It seems appropriate to start this whole thing over the same day pitchers and catcher report.

Let's do the prediction edition fantasy style - your Fantasy MVP's, your Fantasy Losers, your Fantasy Gods, your Superbowl winn...shit. Scratch that. It seems I'm still stuck in the football season. But time to move past - and so the best way to do that is to get on with the predictions for this year in the fantasy baseball universe. Let's start today off with the Fantasy STUD's that you never saw coming. Over the next few days I'll move through all my other fun picks for the year. Of course, the best way to win in your fantasy league is to believe exactly the opposite of what I'm about to say.

Anyway, on we go :

Fantasy Stud From Where? (Offense), 2010 : Lastings Milledge, Nationals. Yep, I'm going there. My Mets hate of him has disappeared at this point, and I can actually allow myself to see the true potential that this kid holds. Washington actually doesn't have a horrible lineup (Dunn, Zimmerman, Morgan), and Milledge has had some time to fail (and fail...and fail some more) in the Bigs. No one likes that, right? I mean, sure - you're getting paid millions of dollars, but it's still not cool to lose, right? Washington also added Pudge, so I'm figuring that his leadership may just be what Lastings needs to focus and realize his true potential. I'm thinking 20 HR, 25 SB, 90 RBI, .280 BA is not out of the question. And I wouldn't mind having that chillin' as my utility player after drafting him in the 10th round. Runner ups: Dexter Fowler, Nyjer Morgan

Fantasy Stud From Where? (Starting Pitcher), 2010 : Mike Pelfrey, Mets. Ok, so ... right. I am going there. Last year was a bummer, but injury was an issue. (Of course, we're talking about a player the Mets were counting on, so of COURSE it was.) Anyway, Pelfrey was overworked in 2008 and the Verducci Effect was in...full...effect. Fuck. Anyway, he was overworked and ended up getting injured in 2009. But that's behind him. Check out the stats from 2008 at the age of 24 : 13 wins, 3.72 ERA, 110 K. I fully expect him to bounce back from the crap '09 and improve on those 2008 numbers. A 15 win, 3.60 ERA with 130 K season is not too much to expect. And you can probably draft him with your last pick, assuming you don't wait to take a catcher there. (Take the fucking catcher last, for Christ sake. It's an expendable position unless you have Mauer. Do you remember how many people drafted Soto and Martin in the mid-to-early rounds last year? Dumb. How well did that work out for them?? Draft Pelfrey with your 2nd to last pick, and save your Catcher for your sayonara pick.) Runner ups: Francisco Liriano, Joba Chamberlain)

Yeah, they were both from the NL East. Sue me. Tomorrow we'll have a nice dose of AL for all of you people that love teams that bastardize the sport. (Designated hitter? Really? I bet Baby Steinbrenner is getting a good laugh now that Wang is in the NL full time! How long 'til he's back in that protective boot? Maybe the Nationals should have Mark Sanchez come in and show him how to round the bases correctly?)

Ok, tomorrow I'll let you know the Fantasy Dud's that you are probably still going to draft too high. Have fun lobbing them to the waiver wire by month 2!