# Fantasy Baseball - AL only

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-al-only/347979>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 11, 2006, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-al-only/347979 "2006-03-11T22:24:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-al-only/347979/1 "2006-03-11T22:24:00Z")

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I didn’t see a thread and am not sure this is the right venue but …

in our AL only 4x4 league I have the 5th pick in our draft coming up. I need starting pitching.

Are either Becket or Burnett going to dominate in the AL? Is there a better starter who has come over from the NL during the offseason?

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**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-al-only/347979/2 "2006-03-11T22:42:08Z")

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You should pick Johan Santana if he falls to you. Beckett has yet to pitch 200 innings in a year. Burnett is erratic. Since I believe your league does not count strikeouts, Mark Buerhle is probaby the #2 choice. A bounceback year from Roy Halladay is not out of the question, either.

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**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2006, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-al-only/347979/3 "2006-03-11T23:08:18Z")

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Stay far, far away from A.J. Burnett. He’s had ONE healthy season, is a career 49-50 and is pitching for Toronto, who are basically the Florida Marlins of the AL.

Beckett will be average for Boston. I’d agree with Buerhle.

(Also, there are still openings in the SDMB Yahoo league if anyone wants in.)

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**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-al-only/347979/4 "2006-03-12T12:26:58Z")

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Thanks for the input. Actually I’ve had Santana for three years and had Buehrle until I traded him at the beginning of the 2004 season (that proved to be a mistake).

We are an eight team league with 14 keepers each so our draft really focuses on young players and players who came over from the NL during the off-season.

Anybody have an opinion on Loaiza or Vasquez?

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**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fantasy-baseball-al-only/347979/5 "2006-03-13T15:47:16Z")

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> [@What the .... ?!?!](#):
>
> Anybody have an opinion on Loaiza or Vasquez?

Vazquez is the better risk. If he can keep the ball in the park this year he should be good for 15 wins.