Baseball draft: A few names to avoid

As always, there are plenty of good players to draft in fantasy baseball leagues this year. If you follow a solid drafting game plan, you can load up with great players at the top of the draft and then fill in with solid players throughout the following rounds.

But there are plenty of players to stay away from, and for several reasons. Some are too old, some are injured, and some carry just too much baggage to make it worth drafting them.

For me, the biggest name to avoid is Alfonso Soriano. Sure, he has been a fantasy freak for a few years, but he is going to have a ton of pressure on him after signing a huge deal with the Chicago Cubs. Playing with the awful Washington Nationals didn't have so much pressure, and to be honest, he's a one-trick pony. He's a great power hitter, but he's not a great base-runner, and he strikes out a lot and doesn't usually hit for a great average.

Miguel Tejada is another great player, but he is being wasted in Baltimore, and he'll likely get bored playing for an awful Orioles team. That will eventually affect his play and his fantasy stats.

Boston's Manny Ramirez will usually put up big numbers, but at some point his antics and problems will catch up with him and bring his fantasy numbers down. Look for that to happen this year.

Carlos Lee. Just like Soriano, Lee signed a big contract during the offseason when he joined Houston. Lee is expected to give a big boost to a rocky Astros offense, but he won't add as much as fantasy owners would like.

Pedro Martinez. Once again, Martinez's body broke down at the end of the season in 2006, and he won't be much help this season.