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It is our weekly look into the mind of Eric Stashin over at rotoprofessor.com. I know, that is a scary thought.

This week, Eric graces us with a strategy question in his weekly blog. Do you draft by experience, or do you look for upside and potential?

I believe there is a very fine line between the perfect mix of youth and experience and either a team ready for the nursing home or nursery school. The ability to find the right mix is what separates the champs from the chumps.

Without further ado, here’s Eric:

I want to pose a question to everyone to see what their draft strategy is. What is your preference, a player who you have a good idea what you are going to get from him or a player who is young and has yet to fully prove that he is capable of repeating the numbers he’s posted in the past?

An example of this is CC Sabathia vs. Tim Lincecum (which is a comparison we will be discussing in much greater detail here in the near future). In Sabathia, you have a pitcher who has been one of the best in the league for the past three seasons, while being a very good pitcher since ‘01. In Lincecum, you have a young pitcher who was unbelievable in 2008, but we really don’t yet know if it was fact or fiction.

Another example could be Magglio Ordonez vs. Corey Hart. In Ordonez you have a veteran who has consistently proven to be among the best, while Hart has shown the potential to be a 30/30 player (as we discussed in a Quick Hit column that you can read here), having gone 20/20 the past two seasons. This comparison we will actually discuss in detail next Monday.

My philosophy, honestly, is that it depends on what part of the draft I’m looking at. The old philosophy is that you can’t win your league in the first few rounds, but you certainly could lose it. Basically, there’s no reason to take an unnecessary risk, especially in the first 4 rounds or so. Personally, if there are two players who are extremely similar, most of the time I’m going to go with the one that has proven more dependable instead of the one who has slightly more upside.

Obviously, there are some exceptions.

Click here for the rest!

Tampa Bay Rays general manager Andrew Friedman has built a winning ball club with a principle that he used in his previous career on Wall Street. The principle is simple: buy low, sell high.

Although often times this is easier said than done, Friedman was able to successfully buy low on players like Carlos Pena and Matt Garza. Thus far it also looks like he sold high on Delmon Young, who has failed to reach the potential expected of a number one overall pick.

The same principle should be considered when managing your fantasy team. Here are some “stock tips” for some key players:

Buy:
Stephen Drew, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks

After some big hype, Drew hadn’t shown much promise for the D-Backs in his first two seasons. However, last season Drew showed why he was the D-Backs former first round pick. In almost the same amount of games, Drew improved his numbers in batting average (+53 pts), HR’s (+9), and total bases (+106). While his numbers were solid last year, he has the potential to improve even more since he is only 25 years old.

Bottom Line: After Hanley, Reyes and Rollins; Drew just might be your best option at shortstop.

Alexei Ramirez, 2B/SS, Chicago White Sox

Ramirez didn’t look back after he was given the starting second base job mid season last year. Ramirez posted solid power numbers for a second baseman (21 HR 71 RBI). Keep in mind that he did this in only 136 games. 

He should be the starting shortstop next year since Orlando Cabrera will likely not be back with the team. The flexibility of a 2B/SS, coupled with potential power numbers for a middle infielder make Ramirez a hot commodity in 2009.

Bottom Line: Ramirez is not the second coming of Alfonso Soriano, but is a nice option for any gaps you might have in the middle infield.

Sell:Manny Ramirez, Free Agent

After Manny was traded to the Dodgers last season he proved naysayers wrong by turning out more hits than Hall and Oates. He finished the season with 37 Home Runs, 121 RBI’s and a .331 Batting Average.

These numbers prove that he can still be one of the best hitters in the game. The alarming thing is that Manny wasn’t producing these numbers in Boston in the last couple of years. It is tough to say what Manny will do once he gets the contract that he’s looking for. It will probably be easy for him to pack it in again once his contract is no longer on the line.

Bottom Line: Draft Manny if he is there in the third or fourth round, but trade him within the first couple weeks.

Nate McLouth, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates Last year McLouth served as a poor man’s Grady Sizemore by hitting for some power (26 HR) and speed (113 R and 23 SB). However, we know that one day McLouth will look in the realize who he is: Nate McLouth.

This day may have happened already sometime near the all-star break last year. Post-All star break McLouth hit only 7 of his 26 homeruns and hit only .270. It is not any coincidence that McLouth’s production suffered after the loss of Jason Bay from the Pirates lineup.

Bottom Line: McLouth might be worth a mid to late round selection, but will probably go before then.