BBSBL Top 75 Value (35-21)

35. 1B Carlos Pena
I'm very high on Pena. He's got awesome talents and great intangibles, plus being loyal. Not to mention he is fantastic defender. Once he gets his Homers up he's going to be a big time player. The Cubs probably didn't need another SP, but can't argue with their results so far, so good stuff for the Mets. Pena will be a top player for the Mets to go along with their already sick young core.


34. 1B David Ortiz
Big Papi is getting closer and closer to be ready for the Majors. He'll be a big time hitter in this league, and once his Walks get up there, he'll be an on base machine. Ortiz will likely come in soon and be DH for broph and have Giambi slide to 1B, or vice versa. Ortiz is tearing up the Minor leagues, so I don't imagine he'll be kept down much longer, I expect him to be at the next level by next year.


33. C Javy Lopez
Lopez, to me, has flown a little under the radar. He is definitely one of the best Catchers in the league. Brilliant in Homers and Strikeouts, Good in Hits, and a stud defender. Under contract for a few more seasons cheaply, and in his prime at the age of 28, Lopez has been putting up big numbers since the league began. His OBP could be a little higher, obviously you wish he could take walks a little better, but he provides solid contact and excellent power, along with very good fielding.


32. P Mark Mulder
Mulder is one of the better young pitching prospects in the league. Already on the cusp of being Major ready, Mulder had been getting better sim after sim. Unfortunately, he biggest downside reared its ugly head, and he went down with a season-ending injury. It's clear the Injury prone rating is a big problem, and Mulder has lost a little over half a season of development when his progress was very good. His groundball percentage is a little lower than you'd like, but he was posting a very solid WHIP and ERA in the Minors before going down. He's a Lefty with both TIA and TIBs left, along with having great ratings and talent. Only question is: Will he bounce back and overcome the injury bug?


31. 1B Derrek Lee
Derrek Lee has been blowing up in San Diego. His Homers have gone through the roof with the help of his Brilliant talent. He is also Good in Hits and a very good defender. He benefited from a nice PD, but despite going from 6 to 9 in Homers, he is actually behind his pace last season, but is hitting for average much better. I expect Lee to pick it up the rest of the season and finish with a respectable HR total, but next season he should be a monster. Lee is the first baseman of the future for San Diego, who have a very good young core probably ready to compete in a year or two.


30. LF Ichiro Suzuki
Part of me wants Ichiro lower, part of me wants him higher. He is simming way below his ratings right now and the Cubs can't possibly be enjoying his production or lack thereof. His OBP is barely sniffing .310, the fact that he can't get TIA'd is a big downside. He should be hitting way better than he is. However, he is an amazing defender and has great speed and base stealing ability. He needs to pick up his production soon, I fully expect him to turn it around next year and earn that big paycheck he's getting.


29. SP Barry Zito
Zito went from a reach at #11 to the best pitching prospect from the 99 Draft thanks to a godsend PD that boosted him across the board. Sitting at B/G/B/G/B, Zito looks like a bona fide stud now. A Duration and an awesome 70% groundball rating, the only thing KC has to worry about is Zito in the Clutch and staying healthy. Depending on how quickly his Walks develop, Zito may be ready for the big leagues next season. Amazing.


28. SP Gil Meche
Remember that 19 year old that won 22 games last year and led the league in Strikeouts with 307? That boy Meche is still balling, just a little less than last year. It's crazy to think he's only 20 years old, but he has a very bright future ahead of him. Still has a lot of developing left in him likely and I'd love to see Meche go for 3000 Ks in his career, if not more.


27. SP Roy Oswalt
Oswalt had a so-so first year in the Majors last season, but he really seems to have found his groove this year. His consistency is a little concerning, but other than that there really aren't any weaknesses in Oswalt's game. He missed a little over a month this season, which likely caused Houston's slip in the standings, but now that he's back, the Stros have caught fire and now sit tied with the Cubs. Oswalt is only 21 years old and quite possibly a top pitcher in the NL right now, but definitely a top pitcher of the future.


26. 1B Jack Cust
Jack Cust came out of nowhere last season with a massive PD, now he's one of the best hitting prospects in the league and only 20 years old. He is G/A/P/B/G/G with pretty good ratings and is a good defender. He will probably be ready in a season, and Baltimore could really use him. Palmeiro is aging fast and should probably be moved to DH pretty soon.


25. CF Robert Fick
Styro caught a lot of crap for his trade acquiring Fick. To be fair, Martinez is amazing, but Fick ended up being a very good young player. He is more valuable at Catcher obviously, but right now what's hurting him is his lack of production. It's his first year in the Majors so I feel a little struggling is to be expecting, but once he catches up with his ratings, he'll be nasty. He's already pretty decent at getting on base, now he just needs to get his Hits up. Once he does that and gets moved back to Catcher where he belongs, he'll soon be the best Catcher in the NL.


24. 2B Alfonso Soriano
Another Expo makes this list with Soriano. Unlike Fick, Soriano is having an awesome rookie season. He can really do it all. Hit, go deep, run the bases well. The only thing he needs to work on his defense. He has a strong desire for winner, and he isn't loyal, so the pressure to win will always be there for Montreal if they want to keep Soriano happy. His consistency could use some work, but he's likely one of the frontrunners for ROY in the NL, and will easily be one of the better second basemen in the league for awhile.


23. LF Gary Sheffield
Looks like a pattern here, amazing a team struggling so much can have so many valuable players. Montreal surprisingly signed Gary Sheffield to bolster their offense this past offseason. After leaving Florida in a down year to go to Philly in a trade, Sheff rebounded amazingly in his new Canadian home. He's on pace to have his greatest season yet. He is still in his prime, but it's hard to imagine him keeping this high level of production up. Obviously he's going to still have an amazing season, but I expect him to cool off a bit. Still an amazing player that Montreal should be doing a lot more with.


22. SP Paul Wilson
In a head-scratching move of sorts, Chicago made a blockbuster trade to acquire yet another stud pitcher rather than helping their anemic offense (and also caused a big fuss in the league in the process). Paul Wilson is young, locked up, and absolutely one of the top pitchers in the league. His talent is off the charts and he is on pace to have his best season. Crazy to think he is arguably the Cubs 3rd best pitcher, no higher than 2nd best. He is a big reason why the Cubs have by far the greatest pitching staff in the league and why they are tied for top in their division.


21. SP Roy Halladay
Roy Halladay would probably be higher on this list if he wasn't called up so early, but now he's finally starting to develop as he should have. He has amazing talent ratings, but he's been up and down this year. He's finally starting to get it together for Toronto, so I imagine he'll be higher up on this list soon, but for now I can't put him in the top 20. He'll probably close out this year solidly. I expect him to be an elite pitcher next season and finally live up to the hype.