How many Astros hitters would you consider draftable in fantasy baseball this season? It's a bit depressing to think about, but nearly half the lineup has negative value according to Tim Dierkes and the crew at RotoAuthority.com. Jason Castro is nowhere to be found in the catcher ratings, projected first base starter Brett Wallace gets the same treatment. Clint Barmes, brought in for defense and power, is not anywhere near their list of eligible shortstops. Add in the pitcher, and you've got four spots in the lineup that will be filled with players that aren't even legitimate plays.
↵How about the good? Well, the highest rated Astros player is probably Hunter Pence. He projects as 18th outfielder off the board, getting snapped up around the eighth round on average. Michael Bourn goes a few rounds later--his overall value probably matches Pence in real life, but without a high batting average, it's hard for a pure speedster to be a good fantasy baseball player. A few rounds after that comes Carlos Lee, who makes a decent bounce-back candidate in the eyes of fantasy leaguers who are used to picking him early. I'm not sure I'd invest even a twelfth round pick on him.
↵In the lower rounds you have the two relative newcomers: third baseman Chris Johnson is the 18th ranked third baseman, going in the very late rounds. Finally, Bill Hall is 21st on the list of second basemen, also going as a late round pick.
↵Gonna pick up any Astros hitters on your teams this year? I'd probably pick Bourn, Johnson, and Hall based on value. I don't think I'd target them, but they look like decent values for what they bring to the table in fantasy baseball. If Bourn can get his batting average back around .280 this season, he'll be a great tenth rounder. The other two are lottery tickets.
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