Team Carlos

So, I was sitting around and I read an article by someone touting the merits of having an all Latino fantasy baseball team. He did alright, but seeing that team (and also thinking of my beloved Mets) got me to thinking.

What if I fielded a team entirely made up of Carlos? I came up with the following:

OF: Carlos Beltran, Carlos Lee, Carlos Gomez, Carlos Quentin (If only I could include Carl Crawford. If his middle name started with "o" I would have allowed it.)
1B: Carlos Pena
2B: Carlos Delgado
SS: Carlos Guillen
3B: Carlos Febles
C: Carlos Ruiz, Carlos Maldonado

SP: Carlos Zambrano
SP: Carlos Villaneuva
SP: Carlos Silva

RP: Carlos Muniz
RP: Carlos Martinez
CLOSER: Carlos Marmol


Obviously, there are some notes to be made.

1) Going with a Three Man Rotation will be hard, but I think these Carloses will be up to the challenge. Z can horse it, and V and S are young enough to have one overworked year and flame out the rest of their careers.

2) Carlos Lee at 2nd!?!?!
Due to the scarcity of Carlos in the infield, I had to make some tough decisions. Carlos can shift over from first to SS, since that's his natural position and he's merely been displaced by Polanco. Carlos to 2nd was a hard choice. Between Carlos and Carlos, Carlos has bad knees and his bat speed is slowing, making him something of a defensive liability now, even though he was good to decent in the past. However, Carlos is left handed, while Carlos is a righty. How do you have a Right handed 1B and a left handed 2B when they're both natural 1B.

3)Who in God's Name is Carlos Febles?

Well, I'll tell you who. Carlos is a journeyman third baseman who logged 6 years from 98-03 (inclusive) with the Royals. Sure Carlos might only hit .250, but he sports a .773% swipe rate and his defense ain't half bad (else how'd he get to the majors swinging .250?). Surely not all the speed is drained from Carlos's Legs.

4) We're in good shape in the outfield, with five-toolers Carlos and Carlos. Obviously, Carlos goes in Right, being slightly rotund and less fleet of foot. The question is do you make teh veteran Carlos--always one of the best defensive CF in the game but with Quad issues that flared up last year--move over to right, to make way for the up and coming Carlos with the blinding speed. Or, do you just have Carlos learn Right and leave Center in the able hands of Carlos? These are the type of questions that Team Carlos loves to have--an abundance of Wealth at defense.

At any rate, Carlos and Carlos are good for 30 and 35-40 HR respectively, while Carlos can easily speed his way to 25-35 SB. Meanwhile, Carlos and Carlos both top out at 20 SB anyway, not exactly slouches themselves. Coming off the bench, Carlos makes a fine 4th outfielder.

5) Catcher is adequate, with Carlos being backed up by Carlos, who we've managed to lure out of retirement after his last year with the Buccos. If only we could get Carlos Maldonaldo to be a MR, we could have Carlos Maldonaldo Pitching to Carlos Maldonado.

6) If Carlos, Carlos, or Carlos can manage to pitch 8 strong, Carlos is more than able to step up and close it out for them. I'd feel good handing the ball to Carlos in this situation. However,

7) Our middle relief is spotty at best. Carlos only got a cup of coffee with the Fish last year and the year before that, while Carlos isn't exactly tearing up the Mets' system. I think Carlos has better upside, since Carlos was seen in Miami both in 2006 and 2007. I have a feeling both Carloses will get some significant playing time this year, given the overall terribleness of Florida and injury prone aging Mets staff.

To Manage this fine collection of Carlos?
No one but Carlos Tosca. Having a perfectly .500 record with the Jays (191-191) from 2002 - 2004, he already has experience with Carlos during this time. With that sort of veteran leadership on the field and off, I'm sure that Team Carlos can be guided to a perfectly adequate season.

Thank you, and in conclusion, Carlos Carlos Carlos Carlos.


CarlosJacks