Fogelberg – Second base is arguably one of the deepest positions in ASB. Also, known as the rabbit position, many teams will dive into this category for players with high on-base percentages.

Max Bishop is undoubtedly the toast of the second base class. He has a knack for ending up on championship teams, and he also has the all-time record for base-on-balls in a single season (30). Expect to see Bishop go in the first round of the career draft.

Eddie Stankey is a similar player to Bishop. Statistically, he may have slightly less walks, but otherwise is very comparable. Stankey has not simply not produced in the way Bishop has, however, which could lead to him slipping into the second round, despite being a quality rabbit.

Rogers Hornsby is easily the next best second baseman, although he brings a much more balanced disc to the table with more power than his counterparts. Hornsby can leave the yard and will likely rack up a great deal of doubles, which makes him a valuable guy you can plug in to many parts of the lineup.

Joe Morgan will draw some walks and steal some bases, and you can expect to see him go anywhere between the first and fourth round of the career draft, depending on how soon the position gets depleted.

Eddie Collins, Jackie Robinson, and Charlie Gehringer are all somewhat balanced discs. They have good sized singles as well as decent walks, but not much power. These are all solid pickups in the mid to late rounds. Eddie Joost is not far behind, with the ability to draw walks as well as play both middle infield positions.

Tony Phillips is a guy that is high on some organizations’ lists due to his ability to play anywhere and come through in the clutch. Phillips has a propensity to strike out a lot, which may scare off some teams and lead to him dropping to the late rounds of the draft.

After Phillips, there is a bit of a drop-off, but still plenty of talented players, many of whom can play multiple positions, a valuable asset in a National League style tournament. Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr are new additions that will be making their ASB Classic debut, while a guy such as Willie Randolph already owns a Classic title and brings plenty of valuable experience to the table.

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Fogelberg – Todays featured position is First Base.

First base is the first position that a draft strategy will need to be thought of. There are many ‘Premier Players’ including Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Frank Thomas and Jimmy Foxx at this position and several quality players including Bill Joyce, Ferris Fain, Dan Brouthers, Roy Cullenbine, Harmon Killebrew, and Stan Musial.

A VERY important factor to consider when looking at your draft strategy will be who is actually AVAILABLE at first base. You can eliminate Gehrig and Foxx immediately since they played in last years Classic. You can assume that Mantle will be drafted in the Single Season draft this year, so eliminate him and you need to plan for the scenario that Frank Thomas and Roy Cullenbine will be drafted there as well (since they are on the Big Board).

This leaves Fain, Brouthers, Killebrew and possibly Jeff Bagwell as your best options if you do not have a franchise player that plays this position. Look to grab one of them early in the draft (rounds 1-3, although Killebrew’s greatest value might be at 3rd base). Bagwell, Johnny Mize, and Hank Greenberg would be a steal late in the draft… WIth all of that said, if Frank Thomas is on the table when the career draft starts, he would be a definite first round selection and the best first basemen available.

The funny part about this particular draft is that in years past, first base was a place to find a middle of the lineup run-producer and this year that does not seem to be the case. Although there is power at this position, the players with that power do not have much balance to the rest of their disc which might force you to find a power hitter at another position. There are a few table-setting top of the order hitters in the group in Fain and Brouthers if a rabbit is what you need.

As always, look at the disc, not the name on the discs.

Fogelberg – There are several factors that you have to consider when drafting a Career Disc Catcher. The good (or maybe bad) news for you is that there are no game changers at the Catching position, so you can wait till the 3rd-8th round to make a move here.

Since the heart of your lineup is more than likely already developed by the time you start to think about a Catcher, you should decide weather you think you need an on-base (rabbit) type of player, or a power-hitter.

If a rabbit is the route that you decide to go down, Cochrane, Bresnahan, Anson and Ferrell are right up your alley. All have logged significant time on Championship teams and are a great boost for the middle-bottom to bottom part of the lineup.

If power hitting is your goal, Tenace, Berra, Tettleton and Campanella, might be the direction you go. These guys have made a reputation for a feast-or-famine approach that could have them blasting out 2 home runs in a game, or going 0-5… High-risk, high-reward!

Honestly, the rest of the Catchers in the pool are just about the same player, with Anson, Torre, and Biggio getting bonus points for playing multiple premium positions. If you are planning on doing a lot of double switching with the pitchers position in the lineup then these three players might be a good add late in the draft.

Check back this afternoon for the first edition of our career player draft preview analysis. All this week we will be going position by position and ranking the best to the worst (in our experts opinions anyway).

We’re four weeks away from the 2010 ASB Classic, which means that general managers across the ASB landscape are in full scout mode, trying to determine which players will be the perfect piece of the puzzle and lead them to ASB immortality. After a year of compiling stats, evaluating potential as well as progress, we’re finally ready to lay out the first Big Board of who we believe will go where in the 2010 Draft.

1. Ted Williams (Bamford Bears) – the Bamford franchise has made no secret about eyeing this selection for the past 12 months. However, with a recent marginal performance and a strong showing by Babe Ruth, don’t be shocked if we see a change in coming weeks.

2. Babe Ruth (Aginville Sketchers) – while Aginville has shown an affinity for Mickey Mantle in the past, we believe they will turn over a new leaf this year with a proven winner and 2008 ASB Classic MVP Babe Ruth. John McGraw’s name is also being thrown around with Aginville management, and he may turn out to be a brilliant contrast to lifetimer Dale Murphy.

3. Mickey Mantle (Boggstown Boilers) – the Boilers are looking for a way out of this selection, but we think they’ll end up here and “settle” with Mantle. McKeon would love to go after McGraw or Bill Joyce, but he is somewhat handcuffed with lifetimer George Brett already playing 3B. McKeon would rather not have to move Brett to 1B, which would probably mean taking an outfielder, and Mantle is the best there is.

4. Bill Joyce – (Lincoln Square Devil Dogs) – Statistically, John McGraw will be tough to pass up in this spot, but the DD’s will eventually be seduced by the balance and surprising power of Bill Joyce.

5. Frank Thomas – (Jenks Wildcats) – Jenks ownership has been very public about their impression of Roy Cullenbine, and they really have no interest in 3B John McGraw with lifetimer Mike Schmidt in their back pocket. Jenks will again go with a high total bases player, and Frank Thomas is as good as anybody available.

6. John McGraw – (McCall Mudhens) – the Mudhens would LOVE to go after Bill Joyce, but we just don’t think he’ll fall this far, which still leaves an amazing 3B in John McGraw. McGraw’s on-base percentage is off the chart and will provide a nice addition to the top of any lineup.

7. Joe Kelley– (Jeetzton Beanbags) – the Beanbags have been pretty quiet about who they’re looking at in this draft, but they always produce savvy draft choices that usually fill a void at a thin position. Kelley is a very balanced player, with great on base percentage and total bases; and he can play anywhere in the outfield. This selection could create a potentially potent 3 and 4 spot in the lineup with lifetimer Dave Windfield.

8. Roy Cullenbine – (Fogelberg Falcons) – the reigning champs would be ecstatic to see Cullenbine fall this far in the draft. Cullenbine has become known as the poor man’s Mickey Mantle, serving all outfield positions and showcasing a strong propensity to get on base as well as drive in runs with his high total bases.

The Fogelberg Trubune is hard at work at their day job… Postings will resume tomorrow!