SDMB Fantasy Baseball 2010 post-draft

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Hello and welcome all to another year of this, the quasi-official all-MLB SDMB 6X6 Yahoo roto league. Here we will make fun of our own selections publicly and each others' privately. And each others' privates, pubicly. Link to this year’s league is here. (http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/b1/404738)

Previous year’s draft threads can be found here:
2009 (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=506914)
2008 (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=460933)
2007 (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=407454)
2006 (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=364109)
2005 (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=309700)
2004 (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=248665)
2003 (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=164359)
(check it out, we’re an institution!).

I will follow this post with a little team-by-team recap, as is our custom. Discussion of all sorts is encouraged until and after that time. So here, first, are the draft results by team, if it will let me (but what I will not do is insert a hyphen into each pick or something or make the results otherwise readable, sorry):

Round 1
1. Albert Pujols Out On Waveland
2. Hanley Ramírez Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Álex Rodríguez the illest
4. Roy Halladay rackensack diamonds
5. Evan Longoria Richie Incognito
6. Chase Utley Grab Your Ankiels
7. Ryan Braun Tazmanian Devils
8. Joe Mauer Chitwood
9. Prince Fielder No Pepper Games
10. Matt Kemp Waka-waka-matsu
11. Ryan Howard The Cougars
12. Miguel Cabrera Lester’s Lackeys
13. Tim Lincecum Isotopes
14. Troy Tulowitzki The Spirit of Shea
15. David Wright Petelin
16. Mark Teixeira Swisheriffic!
17. Ian Kinsler Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 2
1. Justin Upton Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Carl Crawford Swisheriffic!
3. José Reyes Petelin
4. Adrián González The Spirit of Shea
5. Matt Holliday Isotopes
6. Félix Hernández Lester’s Lackeys
7. Jacoby Ellsbury The Cougars
8. Ben Zobrist Waka-waka-matsu
9. Dustin Pedroia No Pepper Games
10. Joey Votto Chitwood
11. Grady Sizemore Tazmanian Devils
12. Víctor Martínez Grab Your Ankiels
13. Kevin Youkilis Richie Incognito
14. Adam Dunn rackensack diamonds
15. Ichiro Suzuki the illest
16. Jayson Werth Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Derek Jeter Out On Waveland
Round 3
1. Pablo Sandoval Out On Waveland
2. Brian McCann Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Jimmy Rollins the illest
4. Ryan Zimmerman rackensack diamonds
5. Mark Reynolds Richie Incognito
6. CC Sabathia Grab Your Ankiels
7. Zack Greinke Tazmanian Devils
8. Justin Morneau Chitwood
9. Chone Figgins No Pepper Games
10. Adam Wainwright Waka-waka-matsu
11. Chris Carpenter The Cougars
12. Robinson Canó Lester’s Lackeys
13. B.J. Upton Isotopes
14. Dan Haren The Spirit of Shea
15. Nick Markakis Petelin
16. Brandon Phillips Swisheriffic!
17. Kendry Morales Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 4
1. Brian Roberts Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Johan Santana Swisheriffic!
3. Jason Bay Petelin
4. Shin-Soo Choo The Spirit of Shea
5. Curtis Granderson Isotopes
6. Jon Lester Lester’s Lackeys
7. Cliff Lee The Cougars
8. Yovani Gallardo Waka-waka-matsu
9. Josh Beckett No Pepper Games
10. Andrew McCutchen Chitwood
11. Aaron Hill Tazmanian Devils
12. Justin Verlander Grab Your Ankiels
13. Manny Ramírez Richie Incognito
14. Dan Uggla rackensack diamonds
15. Aramis Ramírez the illest
16. Ubaldo Jiménez Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Andre Ethier Out On Waveland
Round 5
1. Wandy Rodríguez Out On Waveland
2. Lance Berkman Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Derrek Lee the illest
4. Nelson Cruz rackensack diamonds
5. Adam Jones Richie Incognito
6. Carlos Lee Grab Your Ankiels
7. Adam Lind Tazmanian Devils
8. Josh Johnson Chitwood
9. Carlos Peña No Pepper Games
10. Hunter Pence Waka-waka-matsu
11. Michael Young The Cougars
12. Josh Hamilton Lester’s Lackeys
13. Billy Butler Isotopes
14. Jonathan Broxton The Spirit of Shea
15. Bobby Abreu Petelin
16. Javier Vázquez Swisheriffic!
17. Torii Hunter Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 6
1. Denard Span Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Shane Victorino Swisheriffic!
3. Mariano Rivera Petelin
4. Carlos González The Spirit of Shea
5. Joakim Soria Isotopes
6. Matt Wieters Lester’s Lackeys
7. Jonathan Papelbon The Cougars
8. Raúl Ibañez Waka-waka-matsu
9. Nate McLouth No Pepper Games
10. Tommy Hanson Chitwood
11. Clayton Kershaw Tazmanian Devils
12. Matt Cain Grab Your Ankiels
13. Jason Bartlett Richie Incognito
14. Ricky Nolasco rackensack diamonds
15. Cole Hamels the illest
16. Andrew Bailey Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Michael Bourn Out On Waveland
Round 7
1. Alfonso Soriano Out On Waveland
2. Asdrubal Cabrera Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Scott Baker the illest
4. Chipper Jones rackensack diamonds
5. Heath Bell Richie Incognito
6. Elvis Andrus Grab Your Ankiels
7. Chad Billingsley Tazmanian Devils
8. Gordon Beckham Chitwood
9. James Shields No Pepper Games
10. Ian Stewart Waka-waka-matsu
11. Yunel Escobar The Cougars
12. Jay Bruce Lester’s Lackeys
13. Jered Weaver Isotopes
14. Rickie Weeks The Spirit of Shea
15. Alexei Ramírez Petelin
16. Francisco Rodríguez Swisheriffic!
17. Chris Coghlan Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 8
1. Ryan Dempster Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Jake Peavy Swisheriffic!
3. Álex Ríos Petelin
4. Julio Borbón The Spirit of Shea
5. Howie Kendrick Isotopes
6. Adrián Béltre Lester’s Lackeys
7. Michael Cuddyer The Cougars
8. Kurt Suzuki Waka-waka-matsu
9. Nick Swisher No Pepper Games
10. Jason Kubel Chitwood
11. John Danks Tazmanian Devils
12. Ryan Ludwick Grab Your Ankiels
13. Rafael Soriano Richie Incognito
14. Stephen Drew rackensack diamonds
15. Matt Garza the illest
16. Brett Anderson Winnowill’s Whiners
17. José López Out On Waveland
Round 9
1. Carlos Mármol Out On Waveland
2. J.D. Drew Winnowill’s Whiners
3. José Valverde the illest
4. Francisco Cordero rackensack diamonds
5. Brad Hawpe Richie Incognito
6. Jorge Cantú Grab Your Ankiels
7. Gavin Floyd Tazmanian Devils
8. Brian Wilson Chitwood
9. John Lackey No Pepper Games
10. Jair Jurrjens Waka-waka-matsu
11. Mike Napoli The Cougars
12. Huston Street Lester’s Lackeys
13. Russell Martin Isotopes
14. Miguel Montero The Spirit of Shea
15. Carlos Beltrán Petelin
16. Jorge Posada Swisheriffic!
17. David Ortiz Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 10
1. Edwin Jackson Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Nolan Reimold Swisheriffic!
3. Billy Wagner Petelin
4. Kyle Blanks The Spirit of Shea
5. Martín Prado Isotopes
6. Juan Pierre Lester’s Lackeys
7. Johnny Damon The Cougars
8. Brian Fuentes Waka-waka-matsu
9. Carlos Quentin No Pepper Games
10. Trevor Hoffman Chitwood
11. Vladimir Guerrero Tazmanian Devils
12. Mark DeRosa Grab Your Ankiels
13. Chad Qualls Richie Incognito
14. Nyjer Morgan rackensack diamonds
15. Rick Porcello the illest
16. Casey Blake Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Jason Heyward Out On Waveland
Round 11
1. Geovany Soto Out On Waveland
2. Josh Willingham Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Neftali Feliz the illest
4. Bengie Molina rackensack diamonds
5. Mike González Richie Incognito
6. David Aardsma Grab Your Ankiels
7. James Loney Tazmanian Devils
8. Rafael Furcal Chitwood
9. Adam LaRoche No Pepper Games
10. Garrett Jones Waka-waka-matsu
11. Colby Rasmus The Cougars
12. Marco Scutaro Lester’s Lackeys
13. Roy Oswalt Isotopes
14. Todd Helton The Spirit of Shea
15. Conor Jackson Petelin
16. A.J. Burnett Swisheriffic!
17. Kevin Correia Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 12
1. Hiroki Kuroda Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Miguel Tejada Swisheriffic!
3. Bobby Jenks Petelin
4. Chris Davis The Spirit of Shea
5. Erick Aybar Isotopes
6. Nick Johnson Lester’s Lackeys
7. Carlos Zambrano The Cougars
8. Edward Mujica Waka-waka-matsu
9. Francisco Liriano No Pepper Games
10. Brandon Webb Chitwood
11. Ryan Doumit Tazmanian Devils
12. Rajai Davis Grab Your Ankiels
13. Paul Konerko Richie Incognito
14. Juan Rivera rackensack diamonds
15. Kevin Slowey the illest
16. Ryan Madson Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Randy Wells Out On Waveland
Round 13
1. Clay Buchholz Out On Waveland
2. Jorge De La Rosa Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Ryan Theriot the illest
4. Tim Hudson rackensack diamonds
5. Plácido Polanco Richie Incognito
6. Cody Ross Grab Your Ankiels
7. Corey Hart Tazmanian Devils
8. Matt Thornton Chitwood
9. Frank Francisco No Pepper Games
10. Franklin Gutiérrez Waka-waka-matsu
11. Skip Schumaker The Cougars
12. Jonathan Sánchez Lester’s Lackeys
13. Leo Núñez Isotopes
14. Ryan Franklin The Spirit of Shea
15. Brad Lidge Petelin
16. Luke Gregerson Swisheriffic!
17. Randy Wolf Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 14
1. Alex Gordon Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Hideki Matsui Swisheriffic!
3. Octavio Dotel Petelin
4. Stephen Strasburg The Spirit of Shea
5. J.A. Happ Isotopes
6. Erik Bedard Lester’s Lackeys
7. Johnny Cueto The Cougars
8. Michael Wuertz Waka-waka-matsu
9. Max Scherzer No Pepper Games
10. Russell Branyan Chitwood
11. Orlando Cabrera Tazmanian Devils
12. Jhonny Peralta Grab Your Ankiels
13. Rich Harden Richie Incognito
14. Jeff Francoeur rackensack diamonds
15. Vernon Wells the illest
16. Kelly Johnson Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Mark Buehrle Out On Waveland
Round 15
1. Matt Guerrier Out On Waveland
2. Aaron Harang Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Chris Young the illest
4. Yadier Molina rackensack diamonds
5. Mike Cameron Richie Incognito
6. David Price Grab Your Ankiels
7. Mark Teahen Tazmanian Devils
8. Scott Sizemore Chitwood
9. Matt LaPorta No Pepper Games
10. Cameron Maybin Waka-waka-matsu
11. Maicer Izturis The Cougars
12. Matt Capps Lester’s Lackeys
13. Magglio Ordóñez Isotopes
14. Ben Sheets The Spirit of Shea
15. Jeff Niemann Petelin
16. Scott Rolen Swisheriffic!
17. Alfredo Aceves Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 16
1. Kenshin Kawakami Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Joba Chamberlain Swisheriffic!
3. Justin Duchscherer Petelin
4. Jon Rauch The Spirit of Shea
5. Phil Hughes Isotopes
6. Daniel Bard Lester’s Lackeys
7. Mike Adams The Cougars
8. Ryan Rowland-Smith Waka-waka-matsu
9. Ted Lilly No Pepper Games
10. Dexter Fowler Chitwood
11. Mike Lowell Tazmanian Devils
12. Jeremy Affeldt Grab Your Ankiels
13. Aroldis Chapman Richie Incognito
14. David DeJesús rackensack diamonds
15. Gerardo Parra the illest
16. Todd Coffey Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Kosuke Fukudome Out On Waveland
Round 17
1. Mat Latos Out On Waveland
2. Chris Iannetta Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Felipe López the illest
4. Everth Cabrera rackensack diamonds
5. Jim Thome Richie Incognito
6. Kevin Gregg Grab Your Ankiels
7. Ángel Guzmán Tazmanian Devils
8. Drew Stubbs Chitwood
9. Chris Pérez No Pepper Games
10. Chase Headley Waka-waka-matsu
11. Aaron Rowand The Cougars
12. Milton Bradley Lester’s Lackeys
13. Michael Brantley Isotopes
14. Joe Blanton The Spirit of Shea
15. Freddy Sánchez Petelin
16. Scott Kazmir Swisheriffic!
17. Cristian Guzmán Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 18
1. A.J. Pierzynski Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Luke Scott Swisheriffic!
3. Miguel Olivo Petelin
4. Brandon Wood The Spirit of Shea
5. George Sherrill Isotopes
6. C.J. Wilson Lester’s Lackeys
7. Ervin Santana The Cougars
8. Brandon Lyon Waka-waka-matsu
9. Colby Lewis No Pepper Games
10. Travis Snider Chitwood
11. J.P. Howell Tazmanian Devils
12. Jack Cust Grab Your Ankiels
13. Daisuke Matsuzaka Richie Incognito
14. Peter Moylan rackensack diamonds
15. John Baker the illest
16. Luis Valbuena Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Jake Fox Out On Waveland
Round 19
1. Dan Wheeler Out On Waveland
2. David Murphy Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Jermaine Dye the illest
4. Clint Barmes rackensack diamonds
5. Melky Cabrera Richie Incognito
6. Scott Feldman Grab Your Ankiels
7. Randy Winn Tazmanian Devils
8. Phil Coke Chitwood
9. J.J. Hardy No Pepper Games
10. Mark Lowe Waka-waka-matsu
11. Takashi Saito The Cougars
12. Travis Hafner Lester’s Lackeys
13. Kevin Kouzmanoff Isotopes
14. Wade Davis The Spirit of Shea
15. Alcides Escobar Petelin
16. Matt Diaz Swisheriffic!
17. Derek Lowe Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 20
1. Paul Maholm Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Jason Frasor Swisheriffic!
3. Lastings Milledge Petelin
4. Randy Ruiz The Spirit of Shea
5. Scott Downs Isotopes
6. Brett Gardner Lester’s Lackeys
7. Edwin Encarnación The Cougars
8. Brandon Inge Waka-waka-matsu
9. Matt Lindstrom No Pepper Games
10. Casey McGehee Chitwood
11. Elijah Dukes Tazmanian Devils
12. José Mijares Grab Your Ankiels
13. Joe Saunders Richie Incognito
14. Akinori Iwamura rackensack diamonds
15. Xavier Nady the illest
16. Daniel Murphy Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Marlon Byrd Out On Waveland
Round 21
1. Luis Castillo Out On Waveland
2. Brett Myers Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Brandon McCarthy the illest
4. Andy Pettitte rackensack diamonds
5. Rod Barajas Richie Incognito
6. Bobby Seay Grab Your Ankiels
7. Tyler Clippard Tazmanian Devils
8. Brian Matusz Chitwood
9. Kerry Wood No Pepper Games
10. Lyle Overbay Waka-waka-matsu
11. Brad Ziegler The Cougars
12. Seth Smith Lester’s Lackeys
13. Rick Ankiel Isotopes
14. Orlando Hudson The Spirit of Shea
15. Troy Glaus Petelin
16. John Lannan Swisheriffic!
17. Darren O'Day Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 22
1. Delmon Young Blue Eyed Samurai
2. Austin Jackson Swisheriffic!
3. Bronson Arroyo Petelin
4. Nick Masset The Spirit of Shea
5. Fernando Rodney Isotopes
6. John Grabow Lester’s Lackeys
7. Kyle McClellan The Cougars
8. Jarrod Washburn Waka-waka-matsu
9. Ryan Raburn No Pepper Games
10. John Maine Chitwood
11. Kyle Lohse Tazmanian Devils
12. Pat Burrell Grab Your Ankiels
13. Garrett Atkins Richie Incognito
14. Alberto Callaspo rackensack diamonds
15. Clayton Richard the illest
16. José Bautista Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Bud Norris Out On Waveland
Round 23
1. Nick Blackburn Out On Waveland
2. Coco Crisp Winnowill’s Whiners
3. Chris Tillman the illest
4. Joel Piñeiro rackensack diamonds
5. Madison Bumgarner Richie Incognito
6. Chris Dickerson Grab Your Ankiels
7. Jim Johnson Tazmanian Devils
8. Ross Ohlendorf Chitwood
9. Daric Barton No Pepper Games
10. Rafael Betancourt Waka-waka-matsu
11. Kazuo Matsui The Cougars
12. Brad Penny Lester’s Lackeys
13. Chris Young Isotopes
14. Sean Rodriguez The Spirit of Shea
15. Allen Craig Petelin
16. Homer Bailey Swisheriffic!
17. Gaby Sánchez Blue Eyed Samurai
Round 24
1. Ben Francisco Blue Eyed Samurai
2. David Robertson Swisheriffic!
3. Sean Burnett Petelin
4. Scott Podsednik The Spirit of Shea
5. Carlos Gómez Isotopes
6. Barry Zito Lester’s Lackeys
7. Brendan Ryan The Cougars
8. Chris Getz Waka-waka-matsu
9. Carlos Ruiz No Pepper Games
10. Ian Desmond Chitwood
11. Cliff Pennington Tazmanian Devils
12. Ryan Garko Grab Your Ankiels
13. Clay Zavada Richie Incognito
14. Fernando Tatís rackensack diamonds
15. Carlos Delgado the illest
16. Pedro Feliciano Winnowill’s Whiners
17. Jason Hammel Out On Waveland

[Munch]

Here's my final draft:
9. Prince Fielder
9. Dustin Pedroia
9. Chone Figgins
9. Josh Beckett
9. Carlos Peña
9. Nate McLouth
9. James Shields
9. Nick Swisher
9. John Lackey
9. Carlos Quentin
9. Adam LaRoche
9. Francisco Liriano
9. Frank Francisco
9. Max Scherzer
9. Matt LaPorta
9. Ted Lilly
9. Chris Pérez
9. Colby Lewis
9. J.J. Hardy
9. Matt Lindstrom
9. Kerry Wood
9. Ryan Raburn
9. Daric Barton
9. Carlos Ruiz

Roster:
C: Carlos Ruiz - not a fantastic player, not even a very good player. But he's underrated (hopefully) after a crappy platoon year last year. His rates are great for Round 24, is surrounded by a great lineup, and cost me nothing.
1B: Prince Fielder - just an absolute stud in this format, I'd have taken him as high as 4th.
2B: Dustin Pedroia - I used to fail to get a well-balanced team in the past, and would scrounge for one-category wonders that would wreak havoc on my rates. Pedroia offers something across the board for me.
3B: Chone Figgins - probably not the best 3B for me, but the pickings were slim at this point. My RBIs are going to start suffering - but I hate RBI and want to shun them. Plus, with all the SBs he makes up for it. The great OBP makes up for the terrible SLG.
SS: JJ Hardy - Uhhh...momma said if I don't have anything nice to say...
IF: Carlos Pena - he's the Adam Dunn of this generation that gets buried in the rankings because his AVG kills traditional 5x5 teams.
LF: Carlos Quentin - I'm banking on a big return on a little investment (round 10). He'll definitely put up Round 10 stats, but has the chance to put up Round 2 stats.
CF: Nate McLouth - Here's some more of that balance I was talking about that I apparently like so much. I loved watching him play here in Indy. We'll see if he matches up to the 2 OFs I passed on that were taken after him - Alfonso Soriano and Jay Bruce. I think his contact rates are much better and has much better balance.
RF: Nick Swisher - it was great to see Swish get back on track last year after a horrendous 2008. He'll be good for 25 HRs, a .360+ OBP, and positives everywhere but SBs.
OF: Matt LaPorta - I was struggling to find OFs at this point for my final OF slot, and LaPorta is in fact an OF.
UT: Adam LaRoche - another serviceable cookie-cutter player that gets solid playing time in a hitter's park with upside.

SP: Josh Beckett - I wavered between him and Verlander, but Verlander's spring woes turned me away.
SP: James Shields - I love Shields, and his value here was excellent. The other pitchers taken later (Weaver, Peavy, Dempster) aren't favorites of mine, so I was happy to see I made the right choice.
RP: Frank Francisco - there's a lot of movement in the Texas bullpen. I'm not counting on Neftali getting the job, but even if he does, Francisco has an amazing arm and puts up great numbers.
RP: Chris Perez - another top quality MR guy with a great shot at the closer role without paying for the closer.
P: Francisco Liriano - either as a reliever or a starter, Liriano has shown this spring he still has it. He has an 18:2 K:BB ratio (fine - 9:1), and is determined to make an impact (as opposed to all those other players aspiring to mediocrity, of course...)
P: Matt Lindstrom - probably has a lock on the closer role, and if not, still a great arm with newfound location.
P: Kerry Wood - is it weird to get the actual closer after you get the backup? Naw - Perez is a better pitcher, but with a smaller contract so they have to give Kerry the spotlight. He'll get hurt, but not after getting me 15 saves.
Bn: Ryan Raburn - not much more than a role player, but has good positional flexibility for off days. Hopefully.
Bn: Daric Barton - Woefully undervalued. The shadow of Jason Giambi is gone, Jake Fox is stinking up the joint, and Barton is hitting the cover off the ball. I might have 17 1Bs, but they're all exactly what everyone needs on their team.
Bn: John Lackey - he's older, he's fatter, but he's a Red Sox with a good arm.
Bn: Max Scherzer - Going to be a stud this year. His ratios will rise slightly going to the AL, but he's going to provide a bunch of Ks.
Bn: Colby Lewis - They're really not comparable at all to the MLB, but has anyone looked at Lewis' Japanese numbers during his 2 year stint over there? Absolutely sick.

[Kiros]

Wood is already out for the first month of the season - that's why I really liked the Perez pick when you made it. Frankly I think he keeps the job the whole way through.

You could make a really interesting team with that many number 9 picks...!
Busy day at work today but I'll have something up on my team this weekend or early next week. Suffice to say I'm less happy than I usually am, in no small part because the rest of the draft was higher than average quality this year (with fewer autodrafts and better picks in general by the people who were there).

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Out On Waveland (Omniscient)
1. (1) Albert Pujols
2. (34) Derek Jeter
3. (35) Pablo Sandoval
4. (68) Andre Ethier
5. (69) Wandy Rodríguez
6. (102) Michael Bourn
7. (103) Alfonso Soriano
8. (136) José López
9. (137) Carlos Mármol
10. (170) Jason Heyward
11. (171) Geovany Soto
12. (204) Randy Wells
13. (205) Clay Buchholz
14. (238) Mark Buehrle
15. (239) Matt Guerrier
16. (272) Kosuke Fukudome
17. (273) Mat Latos
18. (306) Jake Fox
19. (307) Dan Wheeler
20. (340) Marlon Byrd
21. (341) Luis Castillo
22. (374) Bud Norris
23. (375) Nick Blackburn
24. (408) Jason Hammel

Strong Cubby flavor to this one, only with Pujols at the top, which in my opinion improves the team's batting ability. As most teams did, Omni went light on pitching early, entering the second half of the draft with one starter and one closer. He ended up with just the one closer at the end as well; Marmol's a good one but probably a little bit on the high side of the flammability scale. With Wells, Buehrle, Buchholz, he ended up with more or less known quantities to round out the staff securely if not thrillingly.

It's hard, as probably all of us have learned at some point, to draft at the ends of these drafts without getting involved in some heavy reaching, but I think Omni did a decent job of keeping within the current of the draft and still filling out his roster. The top three here were all very good value, even if that did represent full price for Jeter, and the roster's put together without any gaping holes. With Heyward, Soto, and Soriano he's banking on getting some pop that none of the three have demonstrated, even though Heyward is going to start and he looked very patient and very ready in the spring, and if he doesn't get a little smashing out of those spots, I don't know that there's anything to keep this from being a middle of the road offense and middle of the road defense. Well, except the Pujols thing, I guess. I feel surprisingly mildly about this team one way or the other.

Winnowill's Whiners
1. (2) Hanley Ramírez
2. (33) Jayson Werth
3. (36) Brian McCann
4. (67) Ubaldo Jiménez
5. (70) Lance Berkman
6. (101) Andrew Bailey
7. (104) Asdrubal Cabrera
8. (135) Brett Anderson
9. (138) J.D. Drew
10. (169) Casey Blake
11. (172) Josh Willingham
12. (203) Ryan Madson
13. (206) Jorge De La Rosa
14. (237) Kelly Johnson
15. (240) Aaron Harang
16. (271) Todd Coffey
17. (274) Chris Iannetta
18. (305) Luis Valbuena
19. (308) David Murphy
20. (339) Daniel Murphy
21. (342) Brett Myers
22. (373) José Bautista
23. (376) Coco Crisp
24. (407) Pedro Feliciano

First thing that needs to be pointed out here is the rare employment of the catcher-as-utility strategy. The second is that I just in my head decided this team is actually called Hanley and the Basecloggers. Lots and lots of big hairy softball-types, which means I'm probably going to like the offense, and I do, but, of course, Berkman's a concern, Drew's always a concern, and it's hard to be sure Willingham's always going to have at-bats available to him in that mess. Winnowill said Cabrera was a mistake pick, which maybe if the plan was to grab a safer bat out of that spot things would look less uncertain.

Pitching-wise, Bailey is a little scary because of the injury but also because of the fact that it isn't at all clear what kind of black magic he developed to start getting every batter out in the majors. A little bit early to go in that direction for my tastes, and that's because you can go right ahead and grab a guy like Madson in the 12th, which I think is fantastic. The list of reasons that Madson isn't already the closer: Charlie Manuel didn't feel like it. Either Madson closes for a while, Lidge comes back, and Madson becomes an elite setup guy again, or Madson closes for a while, Manuel says hey, that's kind of nice, and he stays the closer all season. Either way, pretty good.

I seriously don't know what to make of the second half of this draft. Both Murphys: no idea if either's any good. Kelly Johnson and Iannetta: suspect they are not. De La Rosa is very intriguing, though; as so many commented during the draft, it's really perplexing how late you can still take a guy that doesn't really have any warts.

the illest
1. (3) Álex Rodríguez
2. (32) Ichiro Suzuki
3. (37) Jimmy Rollins
4. (66) Aramis Ramírez
5. (71) Derrek Lee
6. (100) Cole Hamels
7. (105) Scott Baker
8. (134) Matt Garza
9. (139) José Valverde
10. (168) Rick Porcello
11. (173) Neftali Feliz
12. (202) Kevin Slowey
13. (207) Ryan Theriot
14. (236) Vernon Wells
15. (241) Chris Young
16. (270) Gerardo Parra
17. (275) Felipe López
18. (304) John Baker
19. (309) Jermaine Dye
20. (338) Xavier Nady
21. (343) Brandon McCarthy
22. (372) Clayton Richard
23. (377) Chris Tillman
24. (406) Carlos Delgado

Did not wait on pitching. The problem with that is, how confident are we that Scott Baker is significantly better than one of the mid-round guys? Good pitcher, probably better than his ERA showed, but the 7th round is incredibly early in this draft. I'm a Phillies homer, and I think Hamels is a solid pick this year and better than the guys who go around the same time as he does, but again, he better be great if you take him in the 6th. Also of note is that this draft was very starter-heavy; Feliz will probably end up in the bullpen and that will be a godsend, but otherwise the depth at starter will probably be overcome by the lack of holds and saves and the innings cap.

Meanwhile of course it came at the expense of the offense, and even though Ramirez and Lee were very credible boppers to get that late, this offense has a very high capacity for flameout. We know what Rollins can look like when he isn't going well, and we've also seen his ceiling; Wells and Young were pretty much the same player last year offensively but for different reasons, and I don't know that I'm willing to gamble on either one being an appreciably different one this year. A Rod and Ichiro will be great, Lee will hit but presumably decline, and Ramirez will have a giant OPS and a giant risk of injury, and past that I don't see much room for optimism.

rackensack diamonds
1. (4) Roy Halladay
2. (31) Adam Dunn
3. (38) Ryan Zimmerman
4. (65) Dan Uggla
5. (72) Nelson Cruz
6. (99) Ricky Nolasco
7. (106) Chipper Jones
8. (133) Stephen Drew
9. (140) Francisco Cordero
10. (167) Nyjer Morgan
11. (174) Bengie Molina
12. (201) Juan Rivera
13. (208) Tim Hudson
14. (235) Jeff Francoeur
15. (242) Yadier Molina
16. (269) David DeJesús
17. (276) Everth Cabrera
18. (303) Peter Moylan
19. (310) Clint Barmes
20. (337) Akinori Iwamura
21. (344) Andy Pettitte
22. (371) Alberto Callaspo
23. (378) Joel Piñeiro
24. (405) Fernando Tatís

Obviously the Halladay pick raised a lot of eyebrows. I'd like to hear the particular rationale for it, although it's obvious what he has going for him. I don't think it was a good pick, considering the steep drop from the hitters available at 4 and those available at 31, but Dunn on the way back does at least give you a historically underrated monster, especially in our league with no BA to worry about. Zimmerman's also a great player, but after three rounds I'm having a hard time seeing how getting Halladay (who isn't going to strike out 300, after all) was worth the expense of not getting Utley or Braun or whoever else you like.

The upside there, though, was that rackensack grabbed a few more sneaky SPs, taking Nolasco and buying low on Hudson and infinity-low on Pettite, and a closer, and called it a staff, which meant he could focus on a bunch of late round offense. Was it worth it? I don't think so; even though Cabrera managed to kind of be a sleeper in this league even though he's everybody's most famously overrated sleeper (thanks to me, who is the one who should have taken him, by the way), I really think that having Dunn and another no-question masher would have set this team up better in the first few rounds (and who knows, maybe Halladay even gets back to 31... it isn't out of the question judging by what did happen).

We shall see. rackensack has plenty of different options to turn to if some of his offensive gambles like Francouer or Barmes don't pan out, and there's definitely talent in his lineup.

Richie Incognito
1. (5) Evan Longoria
2. (30) Kevin Youkilis
3. (39) Mark Reynolds
4. (64) Manny Ramírez
5. (73) Adam Jones
6. (98) Jason Bartlett
7. (107) Heath Bell
8. (132) Rafael Soriano
9. (141) Brad Hawpe
10. (166) Chad Qualls
11. (175) Mike González
12. (200) Paul Konerko
13. (209) Plácido Polanco
14. (234) Rich Harden
15. (243) Mike Cameron
16. (268) Aroldis Chapman
17. (277) Jim Thome
18. (302) Daisuke Matsuzaka
19. (311) Melky Cabrera
20. (336) Joe Saunders
21. (345) Rod Barajas
22. (370) Garrett Atkins
23. (379) Madison Bumgarner
24. (404) Clay Zavada

Likes third basemen and former third basemen. Hates catchers and major-league quality, reliable starting pitching.

This offense is made up of a nice combination of secure production with a couple bids for the spectacular. Nobody really thinks Manny Ramirez is going to have another one of those years, but hey, why not? Nobody thinks Bartlett's a legitimate .900 OPS, but what the hell. Nobody thinks Mark Reynolds is going to go 100/600 with 100 home runs and 500 strikeouts, but he's going to try. I like it; I think there's enough of an anchor that a little luck could go a long way.

However. Chapman's hurt already, and who knows what he is at any rate. Bumgarner's some kind of enigma who forgot how to throw hard and doesn't look to figure in the major league plans anytime early this year. Harden's Harden, Dice K's... I don't know what he is. Mark Wohlerzaka. Plenty of relief options, but the question's going to be where the hell are all your innings going to come from?

Grab Your Ankiels
1. (6) Chase Utley
2. (29) Víctor Martínez
3. (40) CC Sabathia
4. (63) Justin Verlander
5. (74) Carlos Lee
6. (97) Matt Cain
7. (108) Elvis Andrus
8. (131) Ryan Ludwick
9. (142) Jorge Cantú
10. (165) Mark DeRosa
11. (176) David Aardsma
12. (199) Rajai Davis
13. (210) Cody Ross
14. (233) Jhonny Peralta
15. (244) David Price
16. (267) Jeremy Affeldt
17. (278) Kevin Gregg
18. (301) Jack Cust
19. (312) Scott Feldman
20. (335) José Mijares
21. (346) Bobby Seay
22. (369) Pat Burrell
23. (380) Chris Dickerson
24. (403) Ryan Garko

Definitely took advantage of the sluggishness on starting pitchers and double-dipped on aces. I think you have to go Greinke (and I can't imagine why he lasted so long, personally) but Verlander and CC is spectacular when you've already made two offensive picks in this league. After four rounds, if you've got a catcher, a second baseman (well, an Utley, really), and two starters, the rest of the draft has to be kind of fun.

I think Matt Cain was a bit of a misstep, though I can see the attraction. He gives me the willies because I don't see how he does it. The rest of the staff is very good, and it's a great spot to grab Price because you don't need to count on him. This should certainly compete for the majority of the pitching categories provided that some saves come from somewhere.

Offensively there's a bit of a mishmash, with lots of guys chipping in but not many that draw a lot of attention. I'm not sure whether it adds up to being competitive or not, but I suspect not. I see lots of guys futzing around slugging in the 400s at best, which isn't enough. In fact, in honor of your Rosses and Cantus, I dub thee the actual Florida Marlins.

Tazmanian Devils
1. (7) Ryan Braun
2. (28) Grady Sizemore
3. (41) Zack Greinke
4. (62) Aaron Hill
5. (75) Adam Lind
6. (96) Clayton Kershaw
7. (109) Chad Billingsley
8. (130) John Danks
9. (143) Gavin Floyd
10. (164) Vladimir Guerrero
11. (177) James Loney
12. (198) Ryan Doumit
13. (211) Corey Hart
14. (232) Orlando Cabrera
15. (245) Mark Teahen
16. (266) Mike Lowell
17. (279) Ángel Guzmán
18. (300) J.P. Howell
19. (313) Randy Winn
20. (334) Elijah Dukes
21. (347) Tyler Clippard
22. (368) Kyle Lohse
23. (381) Jim Johnson
24. (402) Cliff Pennington

I really like the offense. Can't complain about Braun at 7, and I think Sizemore really is the player he was back before he became the player who he was after he was the other player. I had my finger on the button to draft Lind; I'm not sure what it is about him that doesn't excite people, exactly, but he's 26 this season and he hit just like this in the minors. And there's no defense in this league. I don't trust Hart anymore but as a fourth outfielder the multidimensionality is appealing, I suppose. Loney's a mysterious power drain, but he's not old yet. Maybe he's one of those historical outliers who doesn't fit the pattern. And hey, maybe Guerrero's got a little left.

Now, then. Zack Greinke. Why is Zack Greinke a mid-third round pick? I mean, it's only a handful of picks difference, I know; it isn't like he went in the 7th, but Felix went 6th in round 2 and then nothing. Maybe I'm nutty, but I thought this was a real heist. Then of course there's Kershaw, who I'm personally not as crazy about but who certainly demonstrated that there is a higher plateau for his performance. The rest of the staff I'm very lukewarm about, and a closer would have been a nice idea, but if 1 and 2 go the way most people think they probably will, this is a good pitching team.

It's all very exciting. I like this team. It drafted right before me. That is a bad sign.

Halfway break.

[Jimmy Chitwood]

I'll do my own team pick by pick Munch style.

Chitwood
1. (8) Joe Mauer -- I was glad to make this pick. Anywhere after 4 I really would have wanted to take him, but at least here I felt like I was doing the right thing. I thought it was interesting how the 1B situation shook out after my pick, though. If Mauer had gone, say instead of Halladay, I think I would have taken a hard look at Teixeira, who didn't go forever, it seemed like.

2. (27) Joey Votto -- I didn't get him at a discount, but he sure can hit. I just wanted to take the best available slugger here, and I think purely on those terms he's clearly better than Youk or Sandoval, and damn the position. I flirted with the idea that Dunn might come back to me in the next round, which I would have enjoyed.

3. (42) Justin Morneau -- but Dunn didn't. Morneau is not the kind of player I usually draft, and I think it's a blind spot of mine. I tend not to value steady veterans as highly as I ought to. When Greinke didn't quite get to me, I was in a position where my please-please-please queue was empty, so I looked around and decided to try to not get fancy for once. I'm happy with it.

4. (61) Andrew McCutchen -- see, this is more my usual speed. I struggle to fill the outfield, generally, so I wanted to address it relatively early, and the flavor of outfielder I tend toward is the young toolsy kind. Again, I don't think I got an exceptional value, but I got what I wanted. A whole slew of starters went, so I was definitely not seeing the value there, and it was going to come down to Granderson or McCutchen, which decision I've made in every draft I've had this year. Granderson was gone already, so I didn't have to this time.

5. (76) Josh Johnson -- Love him, just hope he gets his innings in. More upside bias from me, but when it comes to starting pitchers I generally don't even have to think about it. Either I think they're boring trash or I think they're Kid Nichols. Risky, but I just think he's so damn good. I wanted Berkman, I wanted Lind, didn't get either so I decided it was time to head in the other direction.

6. (95) Tommy Hanson -- Love him, just hope he gets his innings in. More upside bias from me, but when it comes to starting pitchers I generally don't even have to think about it. Either I think they're boring trash or I think they're Kid Nichols. Risky, but I just think he's so damn good.

7. (110) Gordon Beckham -- BP points out that players who move as quickly to the majors as he did usually end up being stars, and that he did it while learning a brand new position. I was a little bit worried that here I go again down the same old all-phenom-all-the-time path, but in Beckham's case the difference is that everyone else thinks what I think about him. He'll be second-eligible, is what I was thinking at the time, but it turned out I don't know what I'm doing. So hey - third base!

8. (129) Jason Kubel -- I was watching MLB Network, which I do strangely frequently considering how little TV I watch and how insipid their programming generally is. They had this thing where they reviewed 30 clubs in 30 days during the spring, and when they got to the Twins roundtable discussion, John Hart's analysis was that the Twins always have a lot of really tall players. Dan Plesac jumped in at one point and said "Jason Kubel, this guy had 28 home runs... I had no idea!" like as if it's a point in Kubel's favor rather than against the guy whose job it is to know how many home runs a guy has. It was great.

9. (144) Brian Wilson -- no matter how much everyone says you can wait and wait on closers, I'm just never prepared for how long you can actually wait and still get good ones. I had Wilson a full tier and a half above the other guys available, so I jumped, mostly because Soriano was gone and he's my personal pet closer this year because I'm obsessed with his splits against righties (which doesn't make sense, I understand that). Looking back, there was really nothing special about getting Wilson here, and I didn't need it.

10. (163) Trevor Hoffman -- See? But I was confused about the direction the draft was headed, I didn't know if it was time to start reaching or what, and I didn't really like anything else that was priced for these couple of slots.

11. (178) Rafael Furcal -- I threw up all over myself, to be honest. I just don't like him at all. But I had only the steals that I'll get from McCutchen, I didn't want to grab another corner guy and fence myself in (Helton/Nick Johnson), and I knew the SS situation was about to drop off. I'd rather have Aybar or Scutaro, yes, but I checked around quickly to see where Furcal is valued, and held my nose hoping for some steals, which I don't know why I was so worried about that. Panic panic panic. Cornell was probably making a run at this point or something. He was once a damn good player, at least. I don't particularly enjoy having him.

12. (197) Brandon Webb -- see, I hadn't even recovered 20 picks later.

13. (212) Matt Thornton -- it's always weird to see what picks will bother other drafters. I never would have thought grabbing Thornton at 212 would elicit any groans, since I feel like he's a known commodity, but I thought it was a good time to jump. I don't usually get the elite holds/would-be closer guys.

14. (231) Russell Branyan -- I had no idea how to value my queue when we got into this part of the draft. I had a bunch of guys who were yahoo/ADP ranked in the 230-250 kind of range. My pitchers in that category were gone, so I just decided to fill up my lineup. Branyan's a full-time player for once; I'll take my chances.

15. (246) Scott Sizemore -- another no run, some power upside pick. I'm not very complicated.

16. (265) Dexter Fowler -- Needed an outfielder, needed steals. Got a good value here, I think. Just goes to show why Furcal wasn't a good pick.

17. (280) Drew Stubbs -- Steals again. That ought to settle that.

18. (299) Travis Snider -- More upside. More ignoring decent arms and bats flying off the board.

19. (314) Phil Coke
20. (333) Casey McGehee
21. (348) Brian Matusz
22. (367) John Maine
23. (382) Ross Ohlendorf
24. (401) Ian Desmond

I needed a bench and needed a complete pitching staff; this was my attempt at that. Desmond ought to be the starter, who knows if he will. I thought the three starters were pretty pleasantly serviceable, Matusz has star quality stuff and the other two aren't going to destroy my rates or anything. Eh. I won't win many games, though.

[Munch]

21. (348) Brian Matusz
I'm not sure if I'm going to do a round-by-round analysis like normal, but want to say this was a fantastic pick, as was Ben's pick of Hammel for Mr. Irrelevant (who will be actually quite relevant). Two great late round guys I meant to add to my queue. (Okay - I did add Matusz, but I did so literally 4 seconds before you picked him.)

[Richie Incognito]

Likes third basemen and former third basemen. Hates catchers and major-league quality, reliable starting pitching.

This offense is made up of a nice combination of secure production with a couple bids for the spectacular. Nobody really thinks Manny Ramirez is going to have another one of those years, but hey, why not? Nobody thinks Bartlett's a legitimate .900 OPS, but what the hell. Nobody thinks Mark Reynolds is going to go 100/600 with 100 home runs and 500 strikeouts, but he's going to try. I like it; I think there's enough of an anchor that a little luck could go a long way.

However. Chapman's hurt already, and who knows what he is at any rate. Bumgarner's some kind of enigma who forgot how to throw hard and doesn't look to figure in the major league plans anytime early this year. Harden's Harden, Dice K's... I don't know what he is. Mark Wohlerzaka. Plenty of relief options, but the question's going to be where the hell are all your innings going to come from?.

Fair critique of my squad. I play in a very competitive auction keeper league. I have not competed in an old school snake draft in years. I have never competed in a snake draft of this size. Between rust and inexperience, it kicked my ass in some spots.

For some reason I was of the opinion that 1b and 3b were much shallower this year than they actually were. Several rounds in there were still solid options at both positions. Of course, by this time I had already taken several corner infielders and missed out on a solid catcher and 2nd baseman. Once all the true starting 2nd basemen and catchers were off the board I figured I would just wait it out and eventually pick up some hot bats off the waiver wire.

Also, the sheer number of teams makes for some interesting drafting. A run can occur on a position, attractive options can all be taken and you're still 7 picks away getting to draft.

On my pitching: I'm that annoying guy that leads some of the pitching cats and punts the others.

[Wilson]

I picked 16th out of 17 - not exactly my favorite position. I went in with goal of picking the skill positions early, and as usual, my plan went pretty much out the window....

1-16. Mark Teixeira Swisheriffic! - I was actually hoping Tulo would last to me here, but he didn't. That being said, I think Teixeira is very good value here. Really wasn't any hesitation in taking him.
2-2. Carl Crawford Swisheriffic! - Here, I hesitated a bit... up till a couple of years ago, I had Crawford every year, so I've avoided him the last few years. I just couldn't come up with another good value pick - I know I thought of Reyes or Pedroia to start filling the tougher positions, but Reyes injury worries me and it seemed early for Pedroia. But Crawford and Teixeira seem a solid, balanced start, if I did end up going 1B-LF with my first two picks.
3 - 16. Brandon Phillips Swisheriffic! - well, I got a second baseman early... I'm not crazy on him but it seemed time to take him. Low OBP, but good in the counting stats.
4-2. Johan Santana Swisheriffic! - I really like this pick. If he's close to the Johan of old, this is great value.
5-16. Javier Vázquez Swisheriffic! - First of my questionable homer picks. He's not going to repeat his numbers from last year pitching in the AL east, but I do hope he comes close.
6-2. Shane Victorino Swisheriffic! - I don't know why, but this pick makes me nervous... I always think he's overrated, but he has produced the last two years. Had to restrain myself from taking Mariano here....
7-16. Francisco Rodríguez Swisheriffic! - Best closer available.
8-2. Jake Peavy Swisheriffic! - three SPs in the first eight rounds... pretty typical for me. Another SP going from the NL to the AL, but I think he'll be fine, if not the monster he was.
9-16. Jorge Posada Swisheriffic! - was aiming for Montero, he went a couple of picks earlier. Felt I had to start filling the tougher positions, he seemed the best bet. I know he won't replicate last year though.
10-2. Nolan Reimold Swisheriffic! - Balancing the old with the young, I followed Posada with Reimold. I really like him and think he has a chance to be very good.
11-16. A.J. Burnett Swisheriffic! - Ouch. Don't know what i was thinking. Way too early. Looking at the next picks, in retrospect I'd rather have Jenks, Webb, Nick Johnson, Kuroda or Chris Davis.
12-2. Miguel Tejada Swisheriffic! - filled either 3B or SS here (ends up being SS). I think he'll have a decent year back in Baltimore.
13-16. Luke Gregerson Swisheriffic! - an absolute stud last year, and a decent bet to end up closing if Heath Bell gets traded.
14-2. Hideki Matsui Swisheriffic! - felt I was light on HRs, he seemed the best bet here. Hopefully he'll do as well in LA as the last ex-Yankee who went there.
15-16. Scott Rolen Swisheriffic! - getting desparate for a 3B... seemed the best option. Man, I'm veteran heavy.
16-2. Joba Chamberlain Swisheriffic! - betting he'll get the 8th inning job in NY, should be good for holds and K's. Probably still a bit early.
17-16. Scott Kazmir Swisheriffic! - my fifth SP... he was good once, may he'll get some of it back.
18-2. Luke Scott Swisheriffic! - decent stats last year, I'm still not sure how much he'll play this year.
19-16. Matt Diaz Swisheriffic! - decent stats last year, I'm still not sure how much he'll play this year.... did I just say that again? Scott and Diaz filled my last two starting offense positions.
20-2. Jason Frasor Swisheriffic! - I really like this pick. Even if Kevin Gregg wins the closer job, who really thinks he'll hold it? Worse case he's a very good setup man.
21-16. John Lannan Swisheriffic! - did I really need a sixth SP?
22-2. Austin Jackson Swisheriffic! - I remember someone saying they waited too long on Jackson when I made this pick, so that at least feels good.
23-16. Homer Bailey Swisheriffic! - ah, of course, a seventh SP! At least these last three picks bring my team's average age down. Was good to end the year last year.
24-2. David Robertson Swisheriffic! - good last year, I guess this is sort of a handicap on Joba for the Yankees eighth inning role.

In recap - too many SPs, too many Yankees, questionable offense. But obviously, I like my starting pitching - the top three of Santana, Vazquez and Peavy is top-notch. If I can get two good performances from the others, I should be set in the four pitching categores.
I should have gotten a second closer - in this league, it's tough to pick up saves during the year since most of the quys who might fall into a job are already on rosters. I like my setup guys, but they are easier to find.
On offense - I'm worried about the power counting stats. I haven't run the numbers to see where my team would have ranked last year, but it seems that I'm lacking power. I feel more comfortable with steals, with Crawford.
Overall, I'm OK with my draft. A couple of picks I'm really happy about (Teix, Johan, Frasor, Reimold), and just a few I really don't like in retrospect.

We'll see how it all plays out!

[Winnowill]

Round (Pick) Player Position Comment
1 (2) Hanley Ramírez SS Okay, my entire draft strategy was derailed from this moment on. My intent from the get-go was to grab Matt Kemp (preferred) or Tim Lincecum with my first pick, but how do pass on Hanley? You don't, but then you wait another 31 picks. During which Kemp, Lincecum, and every really good 1B disappeared.

2 (33) Jayson Werth CF,RF That said, I do love Jayson Werth here. He's easily in the top-tier of guys who qualify at CF.

3 (36) Brian McCann C I have a thing for Catchers. Seriously, if I don't have a good catcher within the first four rounds I start to hyperventilate, and, as I wasn't going to have my fourth pick for a while, I pulled the string on McCann. I'm not upset with it, but it does mean I lost out on Dan Haren, who I really, really wanted. Then again, I'm not going to argue with 25 dingers, 100 ribbies and a plus-500 SLG from a catcher.

4 (67) Ubaldo Jiménez SP Just as I had to have a catcher above, this round, I knew I needed an SP (I was hoping for Haren, but, alas, didn't happen). Jimenez is really good (I rated him 6th among SPs), and I'm not at all sorry I picked him. Well, not until I saw every one of the first-tier closers go between here and my next picks.

5 (70) Lance Berkman 1B The best 1B available - Not my favorite, but I really needed a power guy in that slot. I know Berkman's a little on the fragile side, not to mention a little inconsistent - but the inconsistency is throughout the season, and, if you stay with him, his year-to-year stats are pretty solid.

6 (101) Andrew Bailey RP Best closer left, but, if Tommy Hanson had been available, he'd have been my pick here.

7 (104) Asdrubal Cabrera 2B,SS Not at ALL what I wanted. I kind of panicked and should have picked a 3B here. I had three guys in my queue (two pitchers and someone else), and, with something like four seconds left, went and picked Cabrera. Truly the worst pick of my draft. No way he breaks a .300 BA again. I picked based on Yahoo rankings, rather than my projections, and they assume that players are going to have carbon-copy seasons.

8 (135) Brett Anderson SP I have high hopes for this kid. I think he's the real thing, and I think he's going to put up monster numbers.

9 (138) J.D. Drew RF Another likely mistake, but seemed the best thing on the board at the time. Another fragility problem, but he'll still put up good OBP numbers, hit his share of homers, and score his share of runs.

10 (169) Casey Blake 3B The most solid 3B left. It still amazes me that he was a career minor leaguer till age 29, and nobody really expected him to stick in the Majors.

11 (172) Josh Willingham LF,RF What can I say? I was desperate for an LF. And, he finished off my starting lineup.

12 (203) Ryan Madson RP I love this kid. Lidge is hurt and, even when he's healthy he's an iffy performer. So he'll probably get me a split between saves and holds, which is fine by me. But he'd have been Chad Qualls or Paul Konerko if either or them hadn't just been picked in the couple of picks before.

13 (206) Jorge De La Rosa SP Tons of upside, even in Colorado, if he can put it all together - and, given his spring, he seems poised to do just that. Huge strikeout potential, and, with some good support behind him, a potential 18-game winner.

14 (237) Kelly Johnson 2B I was KIND of hoping Matt Thornton would fall another two rounds. Too much to hope for, and I have Madson, I suppose. This is where my Cabrera pickup started to smell even worse. I expect Johnson to outstrip Cabrera in every way except BA (which we don't use) and SB (and half a dozen SB is not enough to justify Cabrera seven rounds earlier), he just doesn't play SS. And I have Hanley for that.

15 (240) Aaron Harang SP Another guy like De La Rosa. He probably won't get as many wins playing in Cincinnati, but I expect that his overall stats will be similar. Pretty good value for round 15.

16 (271) Todd Coffey RP In the event that age finally catches up with Hoffman, he may close - he certainly has the skills. But, failing that, he'll get me a fair few holds.

17 (274) Chris Iannetta C Backup catcher, not utility guy. I'm hoping he rebounds this season, but, as a backup - especially to McCann, he'll do. Normally I pick my backup catcher in round 15, but my bullpen bothered me all draft long - in fact, it still does.

18 (305) Luis Valbuena 2B,SS And this is where the Cabrera pick continued to stink. Valbuena will be starting in Cleveland, can back up Johnson and Ramirez in my lineup, and, for a backup, at least doesn't hurt the rate stats badly. That said - I HAD Cabrera, Johnson and Ramirez already. Why on earth did I think I needed this guy? Cleveland middle-infielders totally screwed up my draft. I should have grabbed Kouzmanoff here, instead.

19 (308) David Murphy LF,RF Needed a backup LF. I think he has 25-HR potential, but, he's a backup. Again - he won't hurt my stats.

20 (339) Daniel Murphy 1B,LF And here I needed a backup 1B. Who, as it turns out, can also backup LF, meaning I didn't need David. I do think his OBP and BA will improve considerably. Totally speculative.

21 (342) Brett Myers SP,RP Fifth SP. Why I think I need five SPs I don't know. I wanted Myers last year, though, and somebody sniped me. He's consistent, he's a good age to remain so, and I actually think he's really good value for the 342nd pick.

22 (373) José Bautista 3B,LF,RF With these two picks, I'm simply ensuring that every position has a backup. I didn't do this last year in an AL-only league and, when Mark de la Rosa was traded to the NL, I had a Wheel of 2Bs before finally settling on Mark Ellis (!) as my everyday 2B. It was awful. Bautista's reliable, if not exactly sexy, and I hope not to have to use him enough that his abysmal SLG will get me.

23 (376) Coco Crisp CF Crisp…how many times has this guy burned me? But it's the second-to-last pick, I needed a CF backup, and I really, really hope that he's gotten himself together. Extremely speculative, and ditto about the lousy SLG.

24 (407) Pedro Feliciano RP For the last pick, I'm actually really, really happy with him. He has terrific skills, he'll get holds, and he'll vulture a handful of wins - I don't expect many saves, but it could happen. He is the epitome of a LIMA-plan pitcher - excellent counting stats with few enough innings that any rate-stat issues he might have (and he doesn't actually have much) won't hurt.

I punted Saves and Holds, which isn't like me at all - normally I punt Wins. And I realized halfway through that I wasn't looking at the stats I had and/or needed at all. I have a formula I use to rate players (which I pulled out of…well, we won't mention the place) based on their projections, and I wasn't paying attention at all to the individual stats themselves. My bullpen seems to be infinitely stronger than it usually is, but I still don't have enough relief, and my offense has suffered. I only have one guy who's likely to 30+ homers, and my speed - even with all the middle infielders - isn't exactly stellar. So, unlike most years where I feel I've done as well as I could given what was on the board, this year I really think I'm going to have trouble. Of course, as I was writing this, I completely forgot that, in addition to the starting nine, we also have IF, OF and Util slots. Which means that some of the guys I pencilled in as backups are going to play every day. So I dunno. If I don't finish in the bottom 25%, I'll be happy.

[Omniscient]

Here's a breakdown of my draft Munch style. I wasn't nearly as prepared as I usually like to be and I spent much of the draft researching frantically in between my back-to-back picks. Luckily work cooperated with me and I was totally unencumbered for the 2+ hours that the draft lasted and being at the end of the snake was particularly useful since I could generally stack up my queue in between and select from the remainders before stacking them up again. Rarely did anyone ever last 34 picks to come back around to me.

1. (1) Albert Pujols
Pretty much a no brainer. As a Cubs fan it hurts me to have to root for every Pujols homer but like mentioned before, he'll be hitting them regardless, I might as well have a silver lining. Plus if he gets hurt and kills my fantasy team there'll be consolation in the NL Central. My lineups tend to be very HR heavy and I usually get dragged down by OBP and Steals, Pujols will fill up that OBP for me at least. I've never been a Hanley Ramirez guy so there simply wasn't any temptation to do anything foolish here.

2. (34) Derek Jeter
Another guy that won't be fun to cheer for. I can't stand the Yanks or the AL East media obsession but at least this gives me a reason to not change the channel immediately when they are on 145 times this season. Jeter is probably a solid value at 34 overall when you consider how desperately weak the SS position is this season and again he plays against type by putting up great OBP numbers for me.

I had Jason Werth queued up here and was heartbroken when he got scooped. I've had Werth on my teams since he was a rookie and he's been a horse for me.

3. (35) Pablo Sandoval
This one was a little bit of a cheat. I had Youkilis queued up and was really getting excited about nabbing him to pair with Pujols at the corners. Youk, like Werth, has been a staple on my fantasy teams for years and I wanted to preserve that trend. Sandoval is a guy I know next to nothing about besides the stats but I drafted him because he's essentially Youkilis Lite. He's got the 2 position eligibility and again is a OBP stud, hopefully last year wasn't a fluke. I did grab Sandoval in a bit of a panic when time was expiring. In retrospect I think I might have drafted Grienke instead and found a 3B later on.

4. (68) Andre Ethier
Ethier and Werth were paired in my fantasy OF just about every season since 2006. I loved him last year hitting behind Manny and the year prior his monster second half carried my team. After missing Werth and Youk, I was glad to get one guy I had an attachment to. At #68 I think he was an excellent value as well considering how slow pitching went this year. I hope his OBP comes up and if Manny stays marginally productive Ethier should continue to generate runs.

5. (69) Wandy Rodríguez
Wandy is another guy I favored due to previous experience. He's always had health issues and occasionally lays a egg in a start or two, but he's also got great stuff and his peripheral stats are solid. He's looked fantastic in Spring Training and I'm really hoping that this is the season where he puts it all together and wins 20. All in all this is probably a big reach. He has upside that I like but I made the pick more because I felt I needed to get a SP at this stage and the choices were slim. Wandy might have lasted until my next pick, but I didn't see anyone else that I wanted at this pick. All in all, I feel like there was a drop off in talent right here. I was tempted to grab Josh Hamilton instead but was afraid to wait any longer on pitching.

6. (102) Michael Bourn
I was scrambling here. That drop off in talent really got confirmed to me. In the 34 picks in between the last two I was totally unable to locate anyone who I felt good about. My instinct was to grab another Pitcher or to try and fill in one of the scarce positions like C, 2B or CF and that led me to Bourn. Steals tend to be an issue for my teams historically and I rarely bother with any one-cat monsters. This represents a big change and many of the experts I read like his potential to finally grow into a more adequate offensive player. If he can get that SLG into the .400s this will be a gold mine, I should be assured of competing for the lead in that one category at least. Plus CF was a reasonably difficult position to fill this year. This league is always sneaky-hard to draft for due to the specific OF position requirement, it's one of my favorite aspects.

7. (103) Alfonso Soriano
Another panic pick. My least favorite Cubbie is stuck on my fantasy team. I suppose his upside justifies the draft spot and if he comes close to 30 HRs and 80 RBIs he'll be an asset in this draft spot. With Lou finally getting him out of the leadoff spot there's a chance he'll settle into his role and just return to his free swinging ways that might suck on the field but help in fantasy. We shall see. As much as I dislike the pick there wasn't anyone taken in the next 2 rounds that I feel is a much better value, so I can't say it was a mistake.

8. (136) José López
I needed a 2B. It's really as simple as that. Lopez kills my OBP but vastly outperforms the power numbers for the position. The picks spent at the top of the draft on OBP monsters should protect me and its not unreasonable to think Lopez could learn to walk once in a blue moon. If he matches last years numbers this will probably be the best pick of the draft for me.

9. (137) Carlos Mármol
Another Cubbie who I wouldn't have projected on my team. Again I love the value here so I just had to make the pick. Gregg is gone and Guzman is hurt so Marmol shouldn't have any competition at the CL spot and this Cubs team should win enough games to have him carrying my Saves stats to the middle of the pack. I needed a CL at this point in the draft and I think I got the best value of all the clear cut starters at that position.

10. (170) Jason Heyward
This could be a make or break pick. When I drafted him it hadn't been announced if he'd start the season in the bigs or not, hearing it confirmed that he made the roster this afternoon really made me feel great about the pick. The experts can't stop raving about this guy and they have been making legitimate Pujols comparisons based on his minor league stats. Hitting from the left side there's not much doubt that everything sets up well for him to be a beast. There might be some growing pains but if he lives up to 75% of the hype he'll carry this fantasy roster. I knew all along that I absolutely wanted him on my team and the question was how long to wait. ESPN gave him an ADP of 189, so knowing that my next pick wouldn't be until #204 I decided to take the chance. Right now I love this pick.

11. (171) Geovany Soto
I have no idea what I'll get out of him. I new I needed a Catcher and with Napoli off the board Soto was my next choice. The Cub factor didn't really play a role here, but at least he's one that I like. He's supposedly in shape this offseason which could mean he'll be a better hitter, but his power number will take a hit. Needless to say I'm expecting better than .218 this year and most of the honks like the odds of him rebounding. I was tempted by Zambrano here but there was still a bunch of pitching available.

12. (204) Randy Wells
I'm not convinced that he's the Cubs pitcher to have but the competition between Wells, Zambrano and Dempster is close enough that spending the least on him feels like a good value. His peripherals are excellent and the Cubs defense on the whole should be better this season. Wells was a classic hard luck loser last year and I really think he'll end up leading the team in Wins this year if he stays healthy. Very happy getting him and every pitcher drafted in the subsequent rounds has serious injury questions.

13. (205) Clay Buchholz
Similar logic to Wells led to this pick. I needed SPs and Buchholz is a value pick. He's young and improving and should gather wins on a soild team in Boston. His spring numbers are worrisome but I think he'll give 80% of Lackey and Lester's value for half the price. If he makes the leap I look like a genius.

14. (238) Mark Buehrle
Just filling out the rotation at this point and Buehrle just flat out performs. Should be a lock for 200 innings, a sub-3.80 ERA and 15 wins. That he went after guys like Scherzer, Cueto, Bedard, Strasburg and Harden seems a bit nuts to me. Plus he's a long time Out On Waveland veteran too.

15. (239) Matt Guerrier
I needed Saves and/or Holds. With Nathan out I looked to the Twins for a guy who looks to be a lock to be the Setup guy at worst and potentially the Closer of Rauch falters. Guerrier's numbers are much better than Rauch's and Holds are basically just as valuable as Saves and there's talk that the Twins could go with a CL-by-committee approach. Very happy with this pick, in contrast to Chitwood's analysis I don't think I'm all Marmol in the pen.

16. (272) Kosuke Fukudome
Another disappointing Cub for me. Terrific. This is a bit of a panic pick but I took him as something of a hedge for Bourn and Heyward. He'll be hitting at the top of the order and so long as Lee and Aramis are healthy he should score runs and have a solid OBP. Getting out from under the disaster that was Soriano in the leadoff can do nothing but help him as well. If the Kooze is anything but a spot starter for me there's a problem though, perhaps a matchup play versus lefties.

17. (273) Mat Latos
I'm really excited about this pick. He's sorta the anti-Buehrle. He's been absolutely sick in spring training with a .176 BAA and .86 WHIP and pundits think he'll be a breakout star. He pitches in a very friendly Padres park. His youth is a bit of a red flag and he hasn't done it before but all signs point to him being a secure starter with very good stuff.

18. (306) Jake Fox
Jake Fox was a bright spot when he was with the Cubbies last year in limited action and if not for the stupid payroll in that outfield he'd have been an every day starter. He has an uphill climb in Oakland and his spring numbers aren't helping much but if he finds the field I'm willing to bet that he impresses. I'm stashing him away just in case.

19. (307) Dan Wheeler
He's Matt Guerrier Lite. I'm hoping he finds his way into the Setup role and steals some saves again. His stuff isn't as good, but I like his chances. More than anything I dislike the rest of the Rays pen.

20. (340) Marlon Byrd
It's bizarre that he's still available this late. Is it the Milton Bradley stink or something? He's had an awesome spring and he's a starting CF in a solid lineup. I was avoiding him because I had too many Cubs on my team already but of all the guys in the outfield I like him the best. Had I known he'd last this long there's no way I'd have drafted Fukudome or Soriano.

21. (341) Luis Castillo
Backup 2B and Lopez insurance. He'll give me steals at a very low price and hitting in from of Wright should mean plenty of Runs. If for whatever reason Bourn falls apart at least I won't need to punt Steals. Feels like a nice value, I wish he had SS eligibility though.

22. (374) Bud Norris
Fishing for pitching here and Norris is a flamethrower. By staying in the NL Central I'll at least be able to keep an eye on him. Some have mentioned the possibility of him finding a home as a setup man if the starter things falls apart. His K/9 is excellent and he might give me something with sparse competition in Houston.

23. (375) Nick Blackburn
Another what-if guy. He's been sick in spring ball and he's proven that he can be a starter. In the AL Central it's not like he'll be facing a murders row so the wins could come.

24. (408) Jason Hammel
I got really lucky with him. I'd forgotten about him and so did everyone else. I had Zach Duke queued up and started browsing just to be sure. Then I saw Hammels and remembered how strong he finished the season last year. If he picks up where he left off I'll be very happy.

[Kiros]

Lester's Lackeys

1. (12) Miguel Cabrera - Similar to last year, another middle-ish first round draft slot, and another guy I like but don't love. Ryan Howard turned out okay last year, and hopefully Cabrera will as well. In retrospect I kind of wish I had gone with Teixeira instead; I think Cabrera has a bit more upside, but given how the rest of my draft turned out, I could have used the safer production of the evil Yankee.

2. (23) Félix Hernández - I feel that the easiest way to do your pitching in this league is to make sure you have at least one (and hopefully two) complete studs, and then fill out with guys who don't cost you anything. I'd have rather taken Felix 5 or 10 picks later, but this was the correct pick here, as the other guys I had as acceptable replacements (Sabathia, Greinke) went before I had a chance to pick again.

3. (46) Robinson Canó - I had him pretty much equal to Pedroia, and got him over a full round later. I also like him better than Phillips or Roberts, who came off just after. Happy with this pick.

4. (57) Jon Lester - Namesake number one, and my second stud starter. I was between him, Johan, and Lee; Santana got picked and Lee is just slightly more uncertain with the health. Plus this gives me a home team guy to root for, which is always fun.

5. (80) Josh Hamilton - Rounds 5-8 are always my least favorite. I just feel like a good half or more of the guys you see going in these rounds are going to be outperformed by people from 9-15. I badly wanted Carlos Pena in this spot, but he got taken three picks before, and this was the best I could come up with. At least there's some upside here, but this isn't really my kind of guy.

6. (91) Matt Wieters - I hate the value on pretty much everyone that was picked in this round except for Rivera (including Weiters). I had Mariano queued, so after he got picked I filled in another 'need' position with some significant upside. I'd still have rather taken Carlos Ruiz in round 24.

7. (114) Jay Bruce - Another round where I just plain don't like anything that's out there, including my pick. Again, significant upside with significant downside, which isn't really my team-building style. Bleh. I wish I had just taken one of the Drew brothers here and dealt with the fact that I was overdrafting.

8. (125) Adrián Béltre - I'm at least sort of happy here, because I think there's a lot of upside between the park change, the lineup change, and the one year contract. And at least it fills a positional need with the best guy still on the board at this point.

9. (148) Huston Street - I went low/no closer last year, and it was a bit more stressful than I'd like. Can't win this league by punting categories. In retrospect I wish I had gone with Beltran or Ortiz here, but I don't hate the pick. I like most/all of the guys who went in this round as appropriate or better value and useful pieces. Also, injured and expected to miss most of April.

10. (159) Juan Pierre - Everyone handles steals differently. I prefer to use one OF spot to get as many as possible, unless I get lucky enough early to get a couple 30/30 or 20/20 types. Hoping Pierre will be a 100 run 60 steal type this year; I can live with that when he kills me in the other four categories, as long as he single handedly gets me a dozen points in SB. Can't win this league by punting categories.

11. (182) Marco Scutaro - Him and Tejada as the best two SS's left on the board, and both have serious questions. At least Scutaro is in the better lineup and gives me another Red Sox to watch. Love the LaRoche pick in this round.

12. (193) Nick Johnson - Once I saw Helton go, I was thrilled to get Johnson half a round later. Will give me a .400+ OBP, will hopefully play a bit more than usual since he's full time DH'ing, and will have a higher SLG than last year because of New Yankee Stadium. This kind of OBP guy fixes a lot of problems.

13. (216) Jonathan Sánchez - Love him in this league. Sneaky-good chance for 200+ K, and his ratios don't hurt you as much as they would in a league with lower inning limits. Would have liked to get Buchholz or Frank Francisco in this round but I have no problem with the consolation prize.

14. (227) Erik Bedard - DL spot number one. 15 starts from him and 15 from Barry Zito will give you a better overall line than 30 from J.A. Happ or Mark Buehrle... just hope I'm lucky enough to get 15 from Bedard.

15. (250) Matt Capps - Closer number two.

16. (261) Daniel Bard - Stud setup guy number one. I normally wouldn't have waited this long, but the very top end of the "stud setup guy" pool is actually a little shallow this year.

17. (284) Milton Bradley - Random guy with actual potential who should get regular at bats to fill the last OF starting spot. Getting named the full time cleanup hitter a couple days later: bonus. LOVE the Chris Perez pick in this round - Munch had an awesome draft, with only a couple of picks I didn't like.

18. (295) C.J. Wilson - Very interesting guy - stud setup last year, fifth starter this year, ton of K's so far in spring training. Purely speculative.

19. (318) Travis Hafner - Why not, right? UTIL was the only slot I still had open, he did manage an .826 OPS last year, they claim he's healthy this year, and he should get the playing time. Bunch of upside for the 19th round, and if he flames out again, whatever.

20. (329) Brett Gardner - Great bench guy or trade bait - an OF gets hurt, you plug him in and get some extra runs and steals while waiting for the real guy to get healthy.

21. (352) Seth Smith - Good hitter who won't get playing time, speculative as a "maybe someone gets hurt" pick. Dropped him yesterday to pick up Franklin Morales, who is expected to close while Street is out; I had to cover that investment and this was a fungible spot.

22. (363) John Grabow - Decent setup guy; the only spot that's especially easy to replace in-season if needed.

23. (386) Brad Penny - I believe in Dave Duncan. Do YOU believe in Dave Duncan? Was also very good in the NL for the last dozen starts last year.

24. (397) Barry Zito - Mostly because of the joke about him in the other thread, but also because I think he can be useful as a "guy" in this league.

Overall, I don't hate my team but I don't love it either. I think it only has enough RBI/HR/Runs if everyone is healthy and producing at expected levels, which is a hell of a thing to have to hope for. I liked my lineup a lot more last year, for instance, and I still had Lincecum and Webb to go with it. I just feel like I'm going to be doing a lot of scrambling the first time Johnson, Hamilton, and Bradley are on the 15-day DL at the same time. Yuck. Should be a fun one to play, though - there is a lot of upside for enjoyment if Weiters and Bruce both break through.

[Munch]

I guess I know where to turn first when I'm looking to trade... :)

[Kiros]

Well, my team is immaculate and has no holes or injury risk whatsoever, so don't look at me!

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Back after extended hiatus. I'll try to do the rest a few at a time without looking at what anyone else said so everybody gets the same tentative, ignorant, paint-splatter analysis.

No Pepper Games
1. (9) Prince Fielder
2. (26) Dustin Pedroia
3. (43) Chone Figgins
4. (60) Josh Beckett
5. (77) Carlos Peña
6. (94) Nate McLouth
7. (111) James Shields
8. (128) Nick Swisher
9. (145) John Lackey
10. (162) Carlos Quentin
11. (179) Adam LaRoche
12. (196) Francisco Liriano
13. (213) Frank Francisco
14. (230) Max Scherzer
15. (247) Matt LaPorta
16. (264) Ted Lilly
17. (281) Chris Pérez
18. (298) Colby Lewis
19. (315) J.J. Hardy
20. (332) Matt Lindstrom
21. (349) Kerry Wood
22. (366) Ryan Raburn
23. (383) Daric Barton
24. (400) Carlos Ruiz

I think what defines this team in the end is the exceptional values on the pitching side. Verlander was available at the Beckett slot, in which case I think both the conventional approach and my personal preference would have gone with Verlander, but Beckett's still a solid pick. The rest of the starting staff is made up of best-availables and a few who I consider steals. Lackey scares a lot of people, I know, but I can't imagine he's so scary as to be, what, only the 32nd best starting pitcher? Scherzer I happen to be irrationally in love with, so to some extent I'm just confident that in a draft where I didn't end up getting him, he'll end up a great pick. Lilly and Liriano are more or less freebies, which is what you'd like them to be; the ceiling on this staff in terms of unhittability is pretty high if they pan out. Cheap, solid relief options, too.

Prince Fielder as the second first baseman gone at #9 was not the direction I'd have gone, but it can hardly be faulted, especially if you think the walk rate's repeatable. I guess everybody's got a guy. With him and Pedroia at the top you can be reasonably sure you haven't let yourself down, and that's really all you can ask for at the top of a huge draft like this. Ruiz and Pena are two guys who for different reasons are probably undervalued for this league especially. Pena can't possibly make any less contact, and he'd still have been an asset in this league last year. Ruiz is a free catcher who gets at-bats and will hit enough to keep you afloat; that's really not something to scoff at. I'm not sure about the Hardys and the Quentins of the world, but this is a fairly diverse portfolio offensively, so even if a guy or two suffers a dropoff in one way or another, it's probably safe to say that this team won't wash out completely in any one area even in the worst case.

Waka-waka-matsus
1. (10) Matt Kemp
2. (25) Ben Zobrist
3. (44) Adam Wainwright
4. (59) Yovani Gallardo
5. (78) Hunter Pence
6. (93) Raúl Ibañez
7. (112) Ian Stewart
8. (127) Kurt Suzuki
9. (146) Jair Jurrjens
10. (161) Brian Fuentes
11. (180) Garrett Jones
12. (195) Edward Mujica
13. (214) Franklin Gutiérrez
14. (229) Michael Wuertz
15. (248) Cameron Maybin
16. (263) Ryan Rowland-Smith
17. (282) Chase Headley
18. (297) Brandon Lyon
19. (316) Mark Lowe
20. (331) Brandon Inge
21. (350) Lyle Overbay
22. (365) Jarrod Washburn
23. (384) Rafael Betancourt
24. (399) Chris Getz

I always love to look at drafts that go in completely different directions from anything I'd have come up with, and this is one of those. Kemp, Zobrist, SP, SP right off the bat... I don't know what to think. Is Kemp all that for our purposes? Is Zobrist really Zobrist? I really don't know, I just know that this team was built using a different philosophy from mine. It isn't that I think this is a bad team or that I think I'm coming from a position of superior knowledge; just that if you made a team up of the guys I kind of refuse on principle to draft, the first half of this draft would be pretty close to it.

I think Ian Stewart's a big risk to not even keep his job, I think Ibanez is going to fall apart, I don't think it was quite Suzuki time there in the 8th, and I think Hunter Pence is probably going to have a pretty good year, but I don't want him anywhere near my team.

The middle-late rounds were more to my liking, except I'd be a little afraid of Fuentes, as I guess everyone is by now. Gutierrez and Maybin was a solid little combination, providing this is the year that this is the year for Maybin. Still only 23 and I feel like I've harbored secret desires for a 40-40 out of Maybin for like 8 years already. I'm commenting on individual players because seriously, I don't know. I think my opinion is that the offense is not good enough with such uncertainty at the corners and at second.

The Cougars
1. (11) Ryan Howard
2. (24) Jacoby Ellsbury
3. (45) Chris Carpenter
4. (58) Cliff Lee
5. (79) Michael Young
6. (92) Jonathan Papelbon
7. (113) Yunel Escobar
8. (126) Michael Cuddyer
9. (147) Mike Napoli
10. (160) Johnny Damon
11. (181) Colby Rasmus
12. (194) Carlos Zambrano
13. (215) Skip Schumaker
14. (228) Johnny Cueto
15. (249) Maicer Izturis
16. (262) Mike Adams
17. (283) Aaron Rowand
18. (296) Ervin Santana
19. (317) Takashi Saito
20. (330) Edwin Encarnación
21. (351) Brad Ziegler
22. (364) Kyle McClellan
23. (385) Kazuo Matsui
24. (398) Brendan Ryan

Jedi and I, we have an understanding, and I'm not going to talk about the real storyline of draft night out of respect for the recently illicitly murdered.

This was another team that did the double-dip for the early round starters that were hanging around. Lee has to be a bit worrisome at this point, especially since Carpenter's never going to be totally worry-free -- "platelet-rich infusions" are not the sort of thing you'd like to hear your guys are receiving. And, I mean, into his stomach, really? That is suspiciously similar to what I would tell the media if I was a vampire trying to pitch in the cloudy Pacific Northwest and needed to get my "treatments" with minimal suspicion. Just the old blood into the stomach therapy, you guys. It's a totally new technique. It fixes my injuries. With blood; don't even worry about it, it's my own blood just going back in there. Check out my 4 billion mile an hour slurve.

Now, on the non-cryptozoological front, there's always a concern when too many starting positions are occupied by guys who you wouldn't recognize unless you were a fan of the team that, coincidentally, the person doing the drafter is actually a fan of. Brendan Ryan and Schumaker, and Rasmus, and McLellan are probably not all going to make a leap from capable semi-full-timers to everyday producers all in the same year, is what I suspect. (I mean, I've heard of them, but they weren't much on my radar).

I'm rooting for Cueto and Ervin Santana to be good picks, though, just because of the stuff each of those guys has. If they each pan out and throw upwards of 300 effective innings between the two of them, the odds are good that this is a very good staff. I have questions about the offense (the first is, are you really sure Schumaker should be starting in left field), but they are the sorts of questions that I can see having answers. Most importantly of all, did you know Ervin Santana's real first name is Johan? And that he just picked Ervin because he liked it and because he didn't want to have the same name as the other guy?

Lester's Lackeys
1. (12) Miguel Cabrera
2. (23) Félix Hernández
3. (46) Robinson Canó
4. (57) Jon Lester
5. (80) Josh Hamilton
6. (91) Matt Wieters
7. (114) Jay Bruce
8. (125) Adrián Béltre
9. (148) Huston Street
10. (159) Juan Pierre
11. (182) Marco Scutaro
12. (193) Nick Johnson
13. (216) Jonathan Sánchez
14. (227) Erik Bedard
15. (250) Matt Capps
16. (261) Daniel Bard
17. (284) Milton Bradley
18. (295) C.J. Wilson
19. (318) Travis Hafner
20. (329) Brett Gardner
21. (352) Seth Smith
22. (363) John Grabow
23. (386) Brad Penny
24. (397) Barry Zito

Passed the grumble test a few times during the draft, most notably with Beltre and Nick Johnson, each of whom belong on my team. Gets to unfairly profit from hometown rooting interest in Scutaro after my criminal Furcal selection.

I think Miguel Cabrera at 12 is outstanding. It's a very good bet that on a pure point for point basis Pujols outhits him, but I don't know if I'd take money on anybody else doing so this year, or any year. He plays every day, and other than his first year in Detroit when he started poorly, he's had an OPS of at least 940 every year, and he's only 27 now. I think he's a little underrated because he hasn't had any one huge number, but he's a hell of a guy to have. If he keeps himself together, obviously. I don't think there are 11 better picks.

On the other hand, Kiros is taking some gambles of different sorts on Wieters and Hamilton, and also gets/has to be the one with Bruce this year, which who knows. It was a fair place to take him, and I'd have probably done the same. I'll probably always hang onto that first couple of months of Bruce's callup, and there will always be that attraction to the idea of being there when It happens. Same deal with Wieters, although I think that's much less of a controversy unless, as I think one of the Yahoo writers said, every scout that ever came within 100 feet of him has just been completely wrong.

The late rounds are populated with an interesting mix of upside and, er, hope-side. Bradley's a guy I generally have ended up with in this league, and until his most recent debacle he was always a guy who when he played played very well. As the cleanup man in a retooled lineup I think he has to be worth that spot... right? Hafner, same sort of thing almost. There's no reason to think his productive hitting days just went poof... right? And who knows, maybe there's an injury or the Rockies fall out of contention or Hawpe doesn't hit or something, or they want to move Hawpe out to DH for somebody; if that happens Smith becomes a great guy to have.

[Hawkeyeop]

1. (14) Troy Tulowitzki SS
There were quality options at every infield spot available between Wright, Tulo, Kinsler, and Teixeria. Passing on Wright was difficult, but I went with the guy at the weakest position. In retrospect I'm not sure I was right about that as there were far more ss on the board that I liked later on than 2nd and 3rd basemen.

2. (21) Adrián González 1B
There were two outfielders, Sizemore and Holliday, that were tempting here, but I went with the ops monster. If he ends up having two months in Boston that is just a bonus.

3. (48) Dan Haren SP1
I didn't plan on going pitching this early, but there wasn't a hitter I really liked and Haren was easily the top starter on my board.

4. (55) Shin-Soo Choo LF,RF
A 6 category guy in round 4. What's not to like?

5. (82) Jonathan Broxton RP
Broxton represented a major shift in strategy. In the past I thought that since holds and saves count equally I should just get the best relievers available regardless of role. Since middle relievers go much later for the same ability, I avoided taking more than a token closer. For example, last year I only grabbed Joey Devine who got hurt before opening day. As it turns out it is very difficult in a league with 16+ teams and uses holds, to find closers during the year. Additionally, there are few relievers are consistently great, and almost all of them are closers. So this year I was determined to not spent all season trying to find future closers on the open market . Broxton, of course, adds additional help in era, whip, and especially k's.

6. (89) Carlos González LF,CF
I was going to go with Mclouth here, but I had a hard time convincing myself that he was better than Gonzo.

7. (116) Rickie Weeks 2B
The last 2nd baseman that I felt good about getting.

8. (123) Julio Borbón LF
Another shift in strategy. I drafted almost no speed last year, since steals are a bit less valuable in this league. I needed to play a bunch of speedsters every day down the stretch just to get within fighting range. I do like Borbon a lot in front of a very talented lineup.

9. (150) Miguel Montero C
I was actually tempted to go Montero back in the 8th, but there were enough catchers left that I figured I'd take my chances. If you can't tell, I really like the guy.

10. (157) Kyle Blanks LF,RF
Gives me a power boost. Now if only they move the fences in 20 feet in San Diego.

11. (184) Todd Helton 1B
I knew I wanted Davis in the next round, so I grabbed some preemptive obp help. Not that I needed much of a reason to grab Helton in the 11th round.

12. (191) Chris Davis 1B,3B
He was much better after returning from the minors last year, and supposedly looks great in spring. Far more upside than anyone else available here to play 3rd.

13. (218) Ryan Franklin RP
I wanted Francisco, but can't complain about a closer with a steady job here.

14. (225) Stephen Strasburg SP
Kevin Goldstein says his stuff is better than Pedro in his prime. The possibility that he can go Mark Prior on the league is worth the risk.


15. (252) Ben Sheets SP
Sheets won we a league a few years back, and I remain loyal to him. I couldn't resist grabbing him after 250 other guys are taken.

16. (259) Jon Rauch RP
This was between Rauch and Chris Perez. I went with the guy who's default closer won't be returning this year, though apparently he is only going to share the job to start.

17. (286) Joe Blanton SP
Probably would be useful to get a safe pitcher given the rest of my staff. I wanted Latos here, but Blanton is probably a better fit.

18. (293) Brandon Wood IF
I wanted a backup for Davis. Wood isn't ideal, but I had trouble pulling the trigger on boring options like Blake and Rolen before they were taken. Can we add strikeouts by hitters as a category?


19. (320) Wade Davis SP
More high upside pitching talent. It helps that he gets the Ray's offense and defense behind him.

20. (327) Randy Ruiz Util
Wanted a big bat for another DH option. The big concern with Ruiz is playing time.


21. (354) Orlando Hudson 2B
A nice solid hitter left to go to once Weeks gets his inevitable injury.

22. (361) Nick Masset RP
A solid middle reliever.

23. (388) Sean Rodriguez OF
Brandon Wood east.

24. (395) Scott Podsednik LF,CF
A tough decision being him and the corpse of Andruw Jones. Leadoff hitters who run are valuable, even if they totally suck.

Overall I like my team much better than last year. My only issue is the lack of depth and versatility. I could use a guy who could play every outfield position or perhaps one who qualifies at 2nd, ss, and 3rd.

[Hawkeyeop]

3. (35) Pablo Sandoval
This one was a little bit of a cheat. I had Youkilis queued up and was really getting excited about nabbing him to pair with Pujols at the corners. Youk, like Werth, has been a staple on my fantasy teams for years and I wanted to preserve that trend. Sandoval is a guy I know next to nothing about besides the stats but I drafted him because he's essentially Youkilis Lite. He's got the 2 position eligibility and again is a OBP stud, hopefully last year wasn't a fluke. I did grab Sandoval in a bit of a panic when time was expiring. In retrospect I think I might have drafted Grienke instead and found a 3B later on.


This might be the weirdest comp I've ever seen. Kevin, the greek god of walks, Youkilis, is the epitome of patience, willing to take pitch after pitch until one he liked comes along. Pablo, Kung Fu Panda, Sandoval on the other hand has never seen a pitch he didn't think he could hit. And hit everything he does. If you want to compare him to someone think Vlad or Nomar in their primes. He might get a fair number of walks, but only because he is by far the hitter in his lineup.

[Omniscient]

This might be the weirdest comp I've ever seen. Kevin, the greek god of walks, Youkilis, is the epitome of patience, willing to take pitch after pitch until one he liked comes along. Pablo, Kung Fu Panda, Sandoval on the other hand has never seen a pitch he didn't think he could hit. And hit everything he does. If you want to compare him to someone think Vlad or Nomar in their primes. He might get a fair number of walks, but only because he is by far the hitter in his lineup.

I suspect you are exaggerating a tad here. Sandoval and Youkilis post essentially the same numbers and both have 1B and 3B eligibility. The only difference is that Youk trades about 20 points of OBP for maybe 20 points of SLG.

Look at their lines:

Player G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
Youkilis 136 491 99 150 36 1 27 94 77 125 7 2 .306 .413 .548 .961
Sandoval 153 572 79 189 44 5 25 90 52 83 5 5 .330 .387 .556 .943

Your argument is even more bizarre when you note that in 80 fewer ABs Youk struck out 40 more times and walked just 25 more times. Based on the numbers an excellent case could be made that Panda has better plate discipline. In retrospect I think I might make the case that Youk is actually Kung Fu Panda Lite and with the Red Sox lineup losing a fair amount of pop this season Youk's RBI and R numbers might take a slide.

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Not bizarre at all. Youkilis is always well over the league average in walk rate, and Sandoval comfortably below. And Youkilis saw 4.4 pitchers per PA last year and Sandoval 3.38, which again is way above average for Youk and well below for Sandoval. ~12% of Sandoval's strikes are strikes looking vs. ~37% for Youkilis. MLB average is 27-28%.

It is true, though, that both tend to be coming off the board at the same time, and both offer the same position eligibility and the same level of production, roughly. But in terms of approach and plate discipline, they're pretty darn different.

[Hawkeyeop]

Your argument is even more bizarre when you note that in 80 fewer ABs Youk struck out 40 more times and walked just 25 more times. Based on the numbers an excellent case could be made that Panda has better plate discipline. In retrospect I think I might make the case that Youk is actually Kung Fu Panda Lite and with the Red Sox lineup losing a fair amount of pop this season Youk's RBI and R numbers might take a slide.

One hits in the middle of the Red Sox lineup (which won't be any worse than last year and is still a million times better than the Giants) and one hits in the middle of the Giants. Which do you think would get pitched around more? Yet, Youk sees more than full pitch per at abat which is a huge number. Youkalis has more strikeouts, because he takes so many pitches, and Sandoval is so good at making contact. They both have played both 1st and 3rd, but one can do both well, and the other can't do either. I wasn't arguing which of them was better anyway. Neither is the either player's lite. They are completely different animals. It is like saying Carl Crawford is like Manny lite or vice versa, because they both play left field and are very good.

[Omniscient]

Not bizarre at all. Youkilis is always well over the league average in walk rate, and Sandoval comfortably below. And Youkilis saw 4.4 pitchers per PA last year and Sandoval 3.38, which again is way above average for Youk and well below for Sandoval. ~12% of Sandoval's strikes are strikes looking vs. ~37% for Youkilis. MLB average is 27-28%.

Their peripheral-peripheral stats are obviously quite different and they have different approaches for sure, but the actual impactful stats like BBs and Ks don't really support the idea that Youk is better at the plate. With the disparity in playing time and number of Ks I don't see the value in Youk seeing so many pitches from a fantasy perspective.

One hits in the middle of the Red Sox lineup (which won't be any worse than last year and is still a million times better than the Giants) and one hits in the middle of the Giants. Which do you think would get pitched around more?

Have you been paying attention this offseason? The Red Sox have huge questions about their offense. Ortiz is in the midst of a steep decline, they swapped Jason Bay for Mike Cameron which is a massive drop off offensively and Beltre is a .150 OPS drop from the already underwhelming Lowell. Youk might be the only bat worth a damn in that lineup this year and things get really ugly when Martinez gets his days off.

The Red Sox lineup is still better than the Giants of course but the Red Sox got a lot worse compared to last year while the Giants got marginally better. I'd bet that Panda will see a slight overall improvement year-over-year while Youk will fall back closer to his mean.


Yet, Youk sees more than full pitch per at abat which is a huge number. Youkalis has more strikeouts, because he takes so many pitches, and Sandoval is so good at making contact. They both have played both 1st and 3rd, but one can do both well, and the other can't do either. I wasn't arguing which of them was better anyway. Neither is the either player's lite. They are completely different animals. It is like saying Carl Crawford is like Manny lite or vice versa, because they both play left field and are very good.

None of that matters, this is a fantasy league and I was comparing them as fantasy players. They are neck and neck in most fantasy categories with the same position eligibility and for all the differences in batting approach it comes out to about the same result.

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Youkilis walks all the time, and Sandoval walks very rarely. You said walks were an impactful stat and you brought up their plate discipline. I think the fact that one guy walks at double the rate of the other guy is pretty relevant to those points.

[Hawkeyeop]

Their peripheral-peripheral stats are obviously quite different and they have different approaches for sure, but the actual impactful stats like BBs and Ks don't really support the idea that Youk is better at the plate. With the disparity in playing time and number of Ks I don't see the value in Youk seeing so many pitches from a fantasy perspective.

Was anyone arguing that Youk was better at the plate? If you said they were vastly different players with similar value I would not have commented. But calling someone "Youk lite" implies that a player is similar but worse to him. On that you couldn't have been more wrong.

Have you been paying attention this offseason? The Red Sox have huge questions about their offense. Ortiz is in the midst of a steep decline, they swapped Jason Bay for Mike Cameron which is a massive drop off offensively and Beltre is a .150 OPS drop from the already underwhelming Lowell. Youk might be the only bat worth a damn in that lineup this year and things get really ugly when Martinez gets his days off.

Well, we were talking about the Red Sox offense as compared to last year. It isn't like Ortiz hit 320 with 40 hrs last year. Whether he is better or worse than last year depends on how much you think the 2nd half rebound was a fluke. There doesn't seem to much reason to think Ortiz will be marketability worse than last year. And if he is I'm sure the Red Sox can find a replacement. Cameron isn't as good as Bay, but he isn't a slouch at the plate either. The difference is probably not as big as you think. Beltre had a poor year offensively last year, but he did it while playing hurt and in a terrible park for him. Look at his numbers when healthy and/or when playing on the road. He should at the very least be as good offensively as Lowell was last year. Besides, it isn't like they don't still have Lowell. Add in a full year of Victor Martinez and a competent shortstop and the Red Sox offensively should be comparable to last year. Youk being the only quality bat is too crazy to be worth comment on.

The Red Sox lineup is still better than the Giants of course but the Red Sox got a lot worse compared to last year while the Giants got marginally better. I'd bet that Panda will see a slight overall improvement year-over-year while Youk will fall back closer to his mean.

I'd say they both should be about the same as last year. I agree on your expectations on the players, but that is based on age curves rather then teammates abilities.

None of that matters, this is a fantasy league and I was comparing them as fantasy players. They are neck and neck in most fantasy categories with the same position eligibility and for all the differences in batting approach it comes out to about the same result.

I wouldn't say approach is meaningless in fantasy baseball. It helps to figure how players will perform given changes to their environment. For example, a big bopper batting behind Pablo would likely would result in a vast decrease in his walks, while Youk would be minimally effected.

[Kiros]

Have you been paying attention this offseason? The Red Sox have huge questions about their offense. Ortiz is in the midst of a steep decline, they swapped Jason Bay for Mike Cameron which is a massive drop off offensively and Beltre is a .150 OPS drop from the already underwhelming Lowell. Youk might be the only bat worth a damn in that lineup this year and things get really ugly when Martinez gets his days off.

I was going to go completely homer on this, but it looks like Hawkeyeop coevered most of it. Pending injury and performance fluctuation (of course), the mid point for projected runs for the Red Sox this year is something like 20-30 runs less than last year. They were 3rd in the majors last year in runs scored, and 30 runs less than that would still have them... 3rd in the majors.

[Omniscient]

Youkilis walks all the time, and Sandoval walks very rarely. You said walks were an impactful stat and you brought up their plate discipline. I think the fact that one guy walks at double the rate of the other guy is pretty relevant to those points.

Youkilis walked in 13.1% of his plate appearances in 2009. He averages 12.4% for his career. Sandoval is at 8.2% and 7.1% respectively. Yet their career OBPs are .391 and .381 respectively. The MLB average is 8.6% or so. I disagree with he premise that Sandoval walks rarely, the stats say that he's nearly average. Impressive for a "free swinger" with a .330 average with little protection in the lineup. Youkilis is good but not other worldly, elite walk rates are in the range of 15%+.

When you look at the two players fantasy stat lines they are very similar. I simply don't understand why my comparing the two is in any way worthy of scorn.

Was anyone arguing that Youk was better at the plate? If you said they were vastly different players with similar value I would not have commented. But calling someone "Youk lite" implies that a player is similar but worse to him. On that you couldn't have been more wrong.

From a fantasy perspective using our scoring metrics they are very similar. Last year, a career year for Youk, they ranked 25th and 27th overall among batters according to Yahoo. For combo 1B/3B guys in a fantasy discussion I'd say my assertion is very accurate. Factoring in the relative strength of their teams and the body of work for Youkilis calling Sandoval Youk Lite made perfect sense.

Your weighing the memes of Youk, Greek god of walks, and wild swinging Kung Fu Panda as the only relevant comparison is pretty myopic, especially when in the light of statistics the differences aren't nearly as stark and the perception would have you believe.

Well, we were talking about the Red Sox offense as compared to last year. It isn't like Ortiz hit 320 with 40 hrs last year. Whether he is better or worse than last year depends on how much you think the 2nd half rebound was a fluke. There doesn't seem to much reason to think Ortiz will be marketability worse than last year. And if he is I'm sure the Red Sox can find a replacement. Cameron isn't as good as Bay, but he isn't a slouch at the plate either. The difference is probably not as big as you think. Beltre had a poor year offensively last year, but he did it while playing hurt and in a terrible park for him. Look at his numbers when healthy and/or when playing on the road. He should at the very least be as good offensively as Lowell was last year. Besides, it isn't like they don't still have Lowell. Add in a full year of Victor Martinez and a competent shortstop and the Red Sox offensively should be comparable to last year. Youk being the only quality bat is too crazy to be worth comment on.

That's the party line that Red Sox nation is selling of course. It's perfectly defensible but you have to admit there are a ton of "ifs" in there. Youkilis had a career year. Ellsbury had a breakout season yet still only had an OPS of .770. You could make an equally strong case (stronger?) that both guys will fall back to the pack as you could that Beltre and Cameron will step up. JD Drew played 137 games last year, this year based on his track record it seems like a lock that he only manages 100 games for fewer. Are we certain that Martinez won't regress to 2008-2009 Indians Martinez? He wasn't exactly lights out in Fenway last year and did most of his damage on the road, what will a full season in the AL East bring?

To Beltre and Cameron. Yeah Beltre was solid on the road last year, but how was he in Fenway over his career, hmm? Let see: .179/.299/.232/.531.... never mind that. People are rapidly talking themselves into Beltre this season, just like every season, and in just about every season they are sorely disappointed. And the Mike Cameron of 6 teams? Well, everyone loves reminding people how bad the NL is compared to the AL East and Cameron is coming from a 6 year stint in the NL. It's been a while but Cameron is a .220 hitter in Fenway and his 2009 second half OPS was just .743, .795 for the season. So talk about Papi's second half resurgence if you want but that cuts both ways. Nevermind the hilarious hypocrisy you demonstrate in criticizing my comparison of Sandoval and Youkilis while you have the audacity to claim that Cameron's .795 OPS is in any way a replacement for Bay's .921. Considering the AL average for OPS is .770 I'm going to say that yes, Cameron is a slouch compared to Bay.

It's a seriously glass half-full view to say that the Red Sox offense isn't markedly worse than it was last season.

I wouldn't say approach is meaningless in fantasy baseball. It helps to figure how players will perform given changes to their environment. For example, a big bopper batting behind Pablo would likely would result in a vast decrease in his walks, while Youk would be minimally effected.

Are you saying you aren't a believer in Aubrey Huff?

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Youkilis walked in 13.1% of his plate appearances in 2009. He averages 12.4% for his career. Sandoval is at 8.2% and 7.1% respectively. Yet their career OBPs are .391 and .381 respectively. The MLB average is 8.6% or so. I disagree with he premise that Sandoval walks rarely, the stats say that he's nearly average. Impressive for a "free swinger" with a .330 average with little protection in the lineup. Youkilis is good but not other worldly, elite walk rates are in the range of 15%+.

When you look at the two players fantasy stat lines they are very similar. I simply don't understand why my comparing the two is in any way worthy of scorn.

For fantasy purposes they were very similar last year, and I definitely agree they present a very comparable profile when they're side-by-side in a draft queue. And I don't think anybody deserves scorn for saying so.

I don't think anybody deserves scorn for saying that they're actually very different hitters and that that might matter for fantasy purposes, either, though. Where it begins to matter, I think, is that Sandoval's had less than 800 career at-bats, and swings all the time, and has a .350 career BABIP, which isn't otherworldly high, but it's very high for a guy who isn't selective. If he's just been lucky, and he's actually a .310 hitter instead of .335, that OBP is going to come down because he doesn't walk as much (yet, anyway). Same as Youkilis' .550+ slugging comes down if those just-barely-homers he hits start to drop off.

[RetroVertigo]

1. (6) Chase Utley
The computer picked this for me as I was late, but I like the pick. Taking care of the always shallow 2B with the #1 at this position is nice.

2. (29) Víctor Martínez
Ditto for this pick.

3. (40) CC Sabathia
4. (63) Justin Verlander
If Verlander can have a year like last my top-line starters are in the top tier of our league. If not, well, fuck.

5. (74) Carlos Lee
Didn't really like this pick, but playing in that joke of a park could produce big numbers.

6. (97) Matt Cain
I didn't really like the hitters available, so I went with more SP. I think that Cain will have a big year. That being said he hasn't exactly been all that sharp in spring.

7. (108) Elvis Andrus
This was a mistake. I had him at the top of my queue for later, and went to eat dinner thinking I had enough time in between picks.

8. (131) Ryan Ludwick
I love Ludwick here. I think that with AP and Holiday in front of him he will have plenty of pitches to hit.

9. (142) Jorge Cantú
10. (165) Mark DeRosa
Provides needed flexibility.

11. (176) David Aardsma
I felt he was the best of what was left of the closers. meh.

12. (199) Rajai Davis
Provides little except for stolen bases and an average OBP.

13. (210) Cody Ross
14. (233) Jhonny Peralta
I needed some false security for my Andrus pick.

15. (244) David Price
After a rocky start last year I thought he really turned it around the last half. This is a bonus pick for me as there is really only upside.

16. (267) Jeremy Affeldt
Holds are so unpredictable. I just went after what I thought would be the #1 guy with a chance to get some saves.

17. (278) Kevin Gregg
I really waited to long for a second closer.

18. (301) Jack Cust
19. (312) Scott Feldman
20. (335) José Mijares
21. (346) Bobby Seay
22. (369) Pat Burrell
I'm hoping that Burrell can return to his '08 form.
23. (380) Chris Dickerson
24. (403) Ryan Garko

[RetroVertigo]

I see lots of guys futzing around slugging in the 400s at best, which isn't enough.

I agree with you. However, if (and its a big if) Ludwick, Ross, and Derosa can return to their previous years numbers I think my team will be middle of the pack in Slugging. Hopefully slugging around the 460's. After going back and looking at last years stats, and league standings I will probably be middle of the pack on all the hitting stat categories.

In the pitching categories I hope to make up some ground. With the exception of Saves, I think I can compete near the top in every stat.

Hopefully I can make the playoffs and get lucky. :D

[Omniscient]

One of these days I've love to do a Head-to-Head style league in both NBA and MLB. There's something really special about the week-to-week competition in NFL leagues and watching games on Saturday with a potential win or loss hanging in the balance would be so much more fun than the 162 game roto grind.

Maybe one of these days there actually will be playoffs to contend for!

[RetroVertigo]

One of these days I've love to do a Head-to-Head style league in both NBA and MLB. There's something really special about the week-to-week competition in NFL leagues and watching games on Saturday with a potential win or loss hanging in the balance would be so much more fun than the 162 game roto grind.

Maybe one of these days there actually will be playoffs to contend for!

The other MLB league I'm in does head-to-head. It does lend itself to more friendly trash talking. The standings format is W-L-T, and in the end you have a lot of ties (with triples, holds, and in this league hit-by-pitches being hard to come by).

[Omniscient]

I just browsed the Yahoo settings for H2H leagues and was surprised that there were 3 different styles.

Standard, Points and One-Win. Not sure which would be the most interesting method to play. I dislike the idea of ties and I suspect that the latter two would limit those more than most. Though maybe ditching the obscure stuff and sticking with our scoring rules might keep those to a minimum.

Maybe next year we can get one of those off the ground, maybe adding in Auction too.

[Munch]

Maybe next year we can get one of those off the ground, maybe adding in Auction too.

I'd be interested if we did two things - made it a two-week competition, and did something to prevent streaming, like use a transaction limit.

[Omniscient]

I'd be interested if we did two things - made it a two-week competition, and did something to prevent streaming, like use a transaction limit.

What's streaming? And what's your argument for the 2-week thing out of curiosity?

[Munch]

What's streaming? And what's your argument for the 2-week thing out of curiosity?

In head to head, you can punt 4 categories, since all you have to do is win 6-4. To aid that, people will stream pitchers, by adding everyone they can with a start that week, which dominates Wins and Ks, lets them load up on top relievers during the draft for Saves, and maybe eek out an ERA/WHIP victory - but that doesn't really matter, since they've invested zero in SPs and focused on hitting the entire draft.

H2H is an inherently broken system, unless you tinker with it to alleviate it. It's a poorly designed "bridge" that fantasy football players came up with so they wouldn't be fish out of water. What it did was create loopholes that savvy fantasy baseball players can use to destroy the casual footballer, making him never want to pay attention to baseball ever again - because he comes up with the excuse of "you can't win unless you log on 10 times a day - see what happened to me?"

[Omniscient]

Seems like it'd be easy enough to control that. Either buy using a non-standard scoring format or a combination of transaction limits, roster deadlines and waiver priority to make streaming pitching of limited value.

Hell, a batting only H2H league could be fun.

[DragonAsh]

I've been waiting for Jimmy Chitwood to come back and do his commentary for my team. Looking at my team makes my head hurt. With Ellsbury, Upton, Pedroia, Youkilis, hell, even Zimmerman, all available, the computer's first pick for me was a guy who is going to be on the DL to start the season. Terrific.

I'll do a bit of a write-up on my sorry-ass team (or, in xkcd style, my sorry ass-team) once I can look at my lineup without wanting to cry.

That won't stop me from mocking the other picks, of course. At least I have an excuse (the computer sucks!). You guys were actually making these picks as living, breathing human beings? Reyes in Round 2? Suzuki and Jeter in Round 2? What is this, 2001? You guys still on dial-up or something?

[Hawkeyeop]

Youkilis walked in 13.1% of his plate appearances in 2009. He averages 12.4% for his career. Sandoval is at 8.2% and 7.1% respectively. Yet their career OBPs are .391 and .381 respectively. The MLB average is 8.6% or so. I disagree with he premise that Sandoval walks rarely, the stats say that he's nearly average. Impressive for a "free swinger" with a .330 average with little protection in the lineup. Youkilis is good but not other worldly, elite walk rates are in the range of 15%+.


I think you are confusing cause and effect. From Fangraphs "Just 40.5% of Sandoval’s pitches seen crossed over the plate, the lowest rate in the majors by far (Kendry Morales had the second-lowest Zone%, at 43.7)." Of those pitches out of the strike zone Pablo still swung at 41.5 of them (average is 25%). Pablo has a decent walk rate because he gets intentionally walked/pitched around a lot and thrown a ton of balls, not because he is patient. The numbers aren't as stark (though still significant) because you are going to throw strikes to the guy who takes a ton of pitches and you are going to throw balls to the one that swings at everything.

Are you saying you aren't a believer in Aubrey Huff?
He is no Rich Aurilla.

[Jimmy Chitwood]

I just got through four more and then accidentally clicked on a bookmark instead of the tab that has the draft results, and the entire thing is gone. I am pretty fucking disgruntled at this development.

I cannot believe that I did that.

[Munch]

I just got through four more and then accidentally clicked on a bookmark instead of the tab that has the draft results, and the entire thing is gone. I am pretty fucking disgruntled at this development.

I cannot believe that I did that.

WWBPD*?


*What Would Bobby Plump Do?

[Jimmy Chitwood]

He wouldn't have clicked the freaking bookmark like a chimpanzee.

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Right then. Sigh.

Isotopes
1. (13) Tim Lincecum
2. (22) Matt Holliday
3. (47) B.J. Upton
4. (56) Curtis Granderson
5. (81) Billy Butler
6. (90) Joakim Soria
7. (115) Jered Weaver
8. (124) Howie Kendrick
9. (149) Russell Martin
10. (158) Martín Prado
11. (183) Roy Oswalt
12. (192) Erick Aybar
13. (217) Leo Núñez
14. (226) J.A. Happ
15. (251) Magglio Ordóñez
16. (260) Phil Hughes
17. (285) Michael Brantley
18. (294) George Sherrill
19. (319) Kevin Kouzmanoff
20. (328) Scott Downs
21. (353) Rick Ankiel
22. (362) Fernando Rodney
23. (387) Chris Young
24. (396) Carlos Gómez

Little bit of a risky offensive play, although the Butler pick in 5 was a good recovery from the possibility of ending up with not much thump at the corners. Granderson was the only 30 home run hitter on this roster, which is a little bit of a concern. That's not to say there aren't good players here -- I like Aybar more than most and Prado seems to be undervalued for a guy who's demonstrated he can hit -- but I don't know if it all hangs together well enough. Holliday can't continue to be the guy he was in St. Louis, so even though he'll hit I don't think he's a surefire anchor across the board. I think both Upton and Granderson will be significantly better, but in exactly what ways they'll be better it's hard to be sure. Upton has come apart in a way that I've never seen before, as he just abandoned entire facets of his game from year to year.

Of course, much of that uncertainty is a result of taking Lincecum first, so you're starting at about a 16% head start in several pitching categories. It's a solid staff and there isn't much fault to find. Happ might have been a little early and will probably regress but will still be worth having as a 4th starter. Hughes would probably serve you better as a bullpen guy, but either way I think he's a great guy to get in the second half of a draft like this. Across the board this is a very solid group -- every pitcher in the top 9 has a WHIP 1.26 or lower, starter or bullpen, and that's a level of depth I don't think anybody else has.

Individually, nothing really jumps right out at me as an incredible steal or mistake, but I like the Sherrill pick.

The Spirit of Shea
1. (14) Troy Tulowitzki
2. (21) Adrián González
3. (48) Dan Haren
4. (55) Shin-Soo Choo
5. (82) Jonathan Broxton
6. (89) Carlos González
7. (116) Rickie Weeks
8. (123) Julio Borbón
9. (150) Miguel Montero
10. (157) Kyle Blanks
11. (184) Todd Helton
12. (191) Chris Davis
13. (218) Ryan Franklin
14. (225) Stephen Strasburg
15. (252) Ben Sheets
16. (259) Jon Rauch
17. (286) Joe Blanton
18. (293) Brandon Wood
19. (320) Wade Davis
20. (327) Randy Ruiz
21. (354) Orlando Hudson
22. (361) Nick Masset
23. (388) Sean Rodriguez
24. (395) Scott Podsednik

God, this is such a fun team. It seems like the strategy was clearly to just take the guys with the best rates value at every spot, and I think it worked out pretty well. If you're going to take a shot at Chris Davis, it's good to be able to do so in a lineup that is populated with OBP balloons. Of course, it isn't really this simple -- are a lot of these guys' numbers small sample anomalies and is it totally crazy to believe they're each and every one going to be worth the pick, probably, but I think they're mostly very good players taken at pretty reasonable spots. I'd venture a guess that based on the profiles of the guys he ended up with, this was more of a case of identifying the players he wanted and just going and getting them than it was of reading round-by-round values or anything. Like I said, I really enjoy this team.

On the pitching side, again, I think it's a commendable effort just on entertainment value. Blow some people away with a prime starter, grab a few holds and saves, and then try to fill up innings with some hog like Blanton. Strasburg as a part of that approach is really fascinating -- how many innings does he throw, and how much of an adjustment does he require (i.e. will it take two batters, or four) before he's contributing to the blowing away part? The downside, kind of like the potential downside for the batters but multiplied by like 50, is that this is a team that wouldn't have covered half of the innings cap last year. A lot can go wrong with that strategy, and even the accomplished members of this staff have some warts; this team's going to end up getting a significant number of innings from replacements. It's risky, and I can think of several ways it could go to hell, but I sure am glad there's a team like this in the league.

Petelin
1. (15) David Wright
2. (20) José Reyes
3. (49) Nick Markakis
4. (54) Jason Bay
5. (83) Bobby Abreu
6. (88) Mariano Rivera
7. (117) Alexei Ramírez
8. (122) Álex Ríos
9. (151) Carlos Beltrán
10. (156) Billy Wagner
11. (185) Conor Jackson
12. (190) Bobby Jenks
13. (219) Brad Lidge
14. (224) Octavio Dotel
15. (253) Jeff Niemann
16. (258) Justin Duchscherer
17. (287) Freddy Sánchez
18. (292) Miguel Olivo
19. (321) Alcides Escobar
20. (326) Lastings Milledge
21. (355) Troy Glaus
22. (360) Bronson Arroyo
23. (389) Allen Craig
24. (394) Sean Burnett

Surprise Mets attack. I can see the attraction. Offensively, though, it has to be worrisome that you aren't allowed to be surprised if you only get 30 home runs total out of your first three rounds, even though you spent each of them on offense. What's the deal with David Wright? Has there ever been a player who just stopped trying to hit home runs because he was psyched out? Is that a reasonable thing to have happened to a great player? What if he talks Jason Bay into being afraid of the fences, too? On the other hand, of course, there's the question of whether the Mets could possibly manage to find new ways to disappoint, and so you're buying a little bit low on all of them. And Beltran I liked a lot -- he's one of a bunch of guys on this offense that has a really diverse skillset where you get a little of everything. That's a good way to avoid getting screwed by big fluctuations. Overall, though, I think the hitting profiles as a little weak if we assume the middle ground for all of these guys.

Pretty snazzy relief corps, though other than Burnett they're all ostensibly saves guys and no holds. I always have trouble evaluating teams that go really light on starters, especially if they have relievers that aren't lights-out. I don't think I see this as a major contender, though.

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Swisheriffic!
1. (16) Mark Teixeira
2. (19) Carl Crawford
3. (50) Brandon Phillips
4. (53) Johan Santana
5. (84) Javier Vázquez
6. (87) Shane Victorino
7. (118) Francisco Rodríguez
8. (121) Jake Peavy
9. (152) Jorge Posada
10. (155) Nolan Reimold
11. (186) A.J. Burnett
12. (189) Miguel Tejada
13. (220) Luke Gregerson
14. (223) Hideki Matsui
15. (254) Scott Rolen
16. (257) Joba Chamberlain
17. (288) Scott Kazmir
18. (291) Luke Scott
19. (322) Matt Diaz
20. (325) Jason Frasor
21. (356) John Lannan
22. (359) Austin Jackson
23. (390) Homer Bailey
24. (393) David Robertson

I believe this team is pretty good at every position. Rolen, Tejada and Posada are probably going to come down a bit, but last year just about every starter here slugged about .450, give or take, which is competitive as an average, much less a floor. OBP is a bit more of a tight spot, I guess, but overall the offense looks pretty sound unless multiple guys go right off the cliff (which I suppose could happen). I love Austin Jackson at 359; I think there's no way he doesn't pan out at that spot. Big shame about Reimold, though; hard to imagine that a guy like that loses his job in spring training while playing injured, but maybe he gets it right back rather than having to split at-bats all year or have to back up for a significant period.

Love Santana at that position and don't think he's quite lost it the way a lot of other people must. Vazquez I decline to forecast since I just don't understand him. I don't understand why he just isn't the pitcher that he was last year, but I've failed to understand it while relying on him too much in the past. Nothing would surprise me. The Burnett, K-Rod and Peavy triumvirate I'm not in love with. Gregerson is one of the few players drafted before the last couple rounds that I don't know anything at all about, but the bullpen in general seems serviceable but not anything more than that. Frasor in the 20th was a seriously crucial pickup toward that end, no matter what he ends up doing most of the year.

Blue Eyed Samurai
1. (17) Ian Kinsler
2. (18) Justin Upton
3. (51) Kendry Morales
4. (52) Brian Roberts
5. (85) Torii Hunter
6. (86) Denard Span
7. (119) Chris Coghlan
8. (120) Ryan Dempster
9. (153) David Ortiz
10. (154) Edwin Jackson
11. (187) Kevin Correia
12. (188) Hiroki Kuroda
13. (221) Randy Wolf
14. (222) Alex Gordon
15. (255) Alfredo Aceves
16. (256) Kenshin Kawakami
17. (289) Cristian Guzmán
18. (290) A.J. Pierzynski
19. (323) Derek Lowe
20. (324) Paul Maholm
21. (357) Darren O'Day
22. (358) Delmon Young
23. (391) Gaby Sánchez
24. (392) Ben Francisco

No pitchers 'til the 8th then plenty from then on, none of whom are a closer and only two of whom are relievers, each with injury concerns. So that's a bit of a worry. Left plenty of time for offense early, though.

I love Upton, I guess everyone does at this point, and I'd be way more comfortable with him in this format than in a standard one, because maybe the home runs don't come just yet but he looks very likely to OPS the shit out of the world. Plus he's going to run a little bit. For that matter, everyone on the team runs a little bit, so the Roberts pick was a bit of an autodraft stumble (or maybe the autodraft machine knew the Kinsler pick could have gone better and tried to make up for it). I don't know that I like him that high in any event, since we're getting to that point where the legs start to go, and with them, his slugging (in the form of his doubles) and steals (the steals are already starting to go), and with those, his value. On a team that already invested in a second baseman, for good or for ill, another big swinger in that slot could have shored up the offense considerably. 17th out of 17 is a tough spot to be in, especially when you're one pick away from Teixeira, but Gonzalez/Upton would have gone down a lot smoother with the Roberts pick than Kinsler/Upton. Still, there is a lot of good hitting potential there, even if it is mixed in with some dreck in a couple of spots.

The pitching situation as I said is a little dangerous; lots and lots of above-average innings available but nothing that stands out. Unfortunately, the one thing that tends to be available most of all in this league is decent pitching, so it will be hard to stand out that way. The relief situation probably needs to be addressed so it doesn't become a major disaster. Of course, I get my ass handed to me in wins and Ks on a pretty regular basis, so maybe I just think a lot of things that aren't true are true.