The Forkville Ferishers have joined.
Thanks for the invite. The GM and his cronies will be at the live draft.
10pm…?..we might not be too sober…
I joined as Iron Condors. I’ll be at the draft, but since I don’t get out of work until 9:30 Eastern, I’ll prerank players just in case I get stuck at work or in traffic.
I joined up as Frosted Lightning. See you all at the draft.
Bump…
Draft is Thursday - we still have room for three more teams (we’re at 17. Anyone else out there still interested, drop me a PM.
Since the SDMB auction league didn’t work out, I would like to join this league if there is still an opening. I have never played a league deeper than 14 teams so this should be pretty interesting!
The more the merrier!
So I am pretty excited for tonight. UConn in the Sweet Sixteen and then the best draft of the year. I will either be in a really good or really bad mood by the time the first pick comes around…
Did I tell you about the secret rule that three-time defending champs only get to pick in rounds evenly divisble by three?
Boy, I’m not prepared. But then again, I usually feel this way.
I have done exactly ZERO prep for this stupid draft. Gonna be an ugly one this year, very Cubs like.
As part of my ongoing obsession with fantasy baseball, I wrote up some comments about the team I drafted. I am extremely pleased with the squad I have for a league this deep. Any disagreements with my comments are welcome!
My strategy going into the draft was to collect as much consistent power hitting as possible and also get two starters I expect to get 200+ Ks.
1. (3) Miguel Cabrera (Det - 1B)
Debated here between Cabrera and Votto since I knew I wanted 35 HRs and a consistent OBP/SLG monster. Cabrera has the DUI issue but I think that’s been overblown with respect to his fantasy production.
2. (34) Adam Dunn (CWS - 1B)
Adam Dunn at 34 in an OBP/SLG league blew me away, I have him as a top 10 player in this format. 70-75 HRs in the bank with my first two picks is a great start.
3. (39) Dan Uggla (Atl - 2B)
Debated here between Uggla and Justin Upton. 4 straight years of 30 HRs (and an intriguing new situation with the Braves) sold me on Uggla but it was tough letting J-Upside go.
4. (70) Yovani Gallardo (Mil - SP)
Got the first starter I was hoping to get. Yovani is 200Ks in the bank, plays in the NL, and has a decent offense behind him. His ERA/WHIP is shaky, but thems the breaks.
5. (75) Mark Reynolds (Bal - 3B)
The last player on the board I felt was a lock for 30 HRs. Only 18 guys hit 30+ homers last year and I got 4 of them, feeling pretty good at this point.
6. (106) Max Scherzer (Det - SP)
Really wanted Andrus with this pick but he got snagged at 105. Truth be told I’m not that disappointed, Gallardo/Scherzer makes my pitching staff look great.
7. (111) Adam Lind (Tor - 1B,LF)
Epically unlucky last year, has 30 HR upside and interesting positional eligibility. Power hitters are almost completely gone at this point.
8. (142) Jose Tabata (Pit - LF,CF)
I was so happy Tabata fell to me since at this point I have absolutely zero speed and I’m low on runs.
9. (147) Travis Snider (Tor - LF,RF)
Good outfielders were almost completely gone at this point, so I reached a little on Snider. There were some groans in the draft room from people hoping to scoop him up so maybe it wasn’t a reach after all. Upside!
10. (178) Matt Thornton (CWS - RP)
Took him too high, probably should have taken an outfielder here.
11. (183) Hiroki Kuroda (LAD - SP)
Nobody is jumping for joy about drafting Kuroda but he pitches in the NL west and is fine for a 3rd starter.
12. (214) Edinson Vólquez (Cin - SP)
Really quite pleased to get Volquez here as my 4th starter. He is risky but I am a sucker for K potential.
13. (219) Kevin Gregg (Bal - RP)
Getting scared about closers, whatever.
14. (250) Marlon Byrd (ChC - CF)
At this point there is total shit on the board. Byrd is having a good spring so why not.
15. (255) Alcides Escobar (KC - SS)
All I want from Alcides is 70 runs and 30 steals. He’s never been close to either of those numbers, but a man can dream.
16. (286) Gavin Floyd (CWS - SP)
Floyd is pretty blah but there aren’t many decent starters left on the board at this point.
17. (291) Jon Rauch (Tor - RP)
Love this pick, Rauch might be the closer all year.
18. (322) Julio Borbón (Tex - CF)
I have almost no speed on my team at this point, but Borbon is having a terrible spring and might not even get playing time. Whatever.
19. (327) Clayton Richard (SD - SP)
Also pretty blah but if I pick and choose his starts (home games) I expect decent 6th starter production.
20. (358) Bobby Jenks (Bos - RP)
21. (363) Jake Fox (Bal - C,1B,LF)
22. (394) Ben Francisco (Phi - LF,RF)
23. (399) Matt Guerrier (LAD - RP)
24. (430) Mark Trumbo (LAA - 1B)
These late round picks are too boring to discuss. I doubt I own any of these guys all year.
A quick little recap on my team:
Drafting first is always interesting - the long gaps between paired picks give a lot of time to watch and wait and see if the players you are hoping will fall to you get there. Most of the time, they don’t.
Major philosophy this year was to wait longer than usual on SPs and to get two mid-tier closers.
Round 1 (1) - Albert Pujols, 1B. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. Really no other choice here.
Rounds 2/3 (36 & 37) Andrew McCutcheon, CF and Mike Stanton, RF. Love McCutcheon this year and at #36. I know I’m reaching on Stanton, but I felt there was no chance he would get back to me and I really want him. I think he’ll be better than a more traditional pick like J-Upton or Bautista.
Rounds 4/5 (72 & 72) Jered Weaver, SP and Pedro Alvarez, 3B. Well, so much for waiting on SPs. Weaver was the only one of my top rated SPs left at this point, after Latos, Price and Yovani went in the half-dozen picks before I went. The run of SPs probably panicked me into taking Weaver, but I’m OK with that. Alvarez may have been a bit too early, like Stanton, but I like him a lot this year.
Rounds 6/7 (108/109 - Nick Markakis, RF and Clay Buchholz, SP. Did I really draft Markakis again? I think last year was the first time I didn’t have him in one of my leagues. Maybe he bounces back this year. I was thinking Oswalt instead of Buchholz, but the story of him being hit in the head by a batted ball scared me off of Oswalt (although it seems he’ll be OK).
Rounds 8/9 (144/145 - Vlad Guerrero, RF and Jorge Posada, C. Well, so much for drafting younger players… Of course if Vlad can repeat last year’s stats, I’ll be thrilled. I hope he likes Camden Yards. Posada - I don’t know what I was thinking. Was thinking of Joe Nathan, who went quickly after, or maybe Gordon Beckham. Either would have been a better pick, especially seeing some of the C’s that went six to eight rounds later.
Rounds 10/11 (180/181) - Josh Willingham, LF and Luke Scott, 1B/LF/Crazy. Actually, Scott was a mistake as I ran out of time. I knew I wanted one of the two of them to fill my LF spot, and after deciding on Willingham I let the clock ran down and didn’t make up my mind in time. I’m not too unhappy, as Scott can fill my IF spot. Hoping Willingham doesn’t suffer too much from the move to Oakland, and that Scott can come close to last year. Three Orioles in the first 11 picks.
Rounds 12/13 (216/217) - Carlos Zambrano, SP/RP and Fernando Rodney, RP. Was hoping that Hanrahan would fall to me here, but he didn’t. So I grabbed one closer, and a talented SP who seemed like he put it together in the second half last year. Thought I could pick up a second closer in the next pair of picks, but two of the ones I was hoping went off the board right away (League and Gregg).
Rounds 14/15 (252/253) - James Shields, SP and Edwin Jackson, SP. Really happy with these two here. Shields ERA was much worse than his peripheral numbers, and in particular he kept the K’s up. Between Weaver and these two, I should be good in K’s. Five SPs at this point, only one RP, and no 2B/SS.
Rounds 16/17 (288/289) - Kevin Jepsen, RP and Kila Ka’aihue, 1B. Most of the setup men I was targeting were gone by this point, so I decided to take Rodney’s primary handcuff. Looks like he’s in line to be the eighth inning guy. There is no truth to the rumor that I took Ka’aihue just to annoy Munch.
Rounds 18/19 (324/325) - Joba Chamberlain, RP and Cliff Pennington, SS. I think I had Joba last year too. He’s a decent source of strikeouts and holds. Pennington had been on my radar for a few rounds now, after several other SS I was watching went (Asdrubal, Yunel). Figured I’d grab him here, as I had no-one else at SS pre-ranked, and I could use the steals.
Rounds 20/21 (360/361) - Brad Emaus, 2B and Jesus Montero, “C”. Much to my surprise, someone was upset that I took Emaus. Looks like he has the 2B job in Queens, and he has good OBP talent and some power. Montero is a flyer, not clear if he makes the team.
Rounds 22/23 (396/397) - Dallas Braden, SP and Pat Burrell, LF. Eh, Braden’s OK I guess. I have no idea if Burrell has a job.
Round 24, Mr. Irrelevant - Joel Zumaya, RP. Obviously he’s just getting stashed on the DL. Maybe the injury isn’t too bad and he’s back in May.
All in all - I’m not happy that I didn’t get too closers. I’ll have to really be on the watch for possible candidates on the waiver wire, but that’s really hard to do in this league since all the best MR are on rosters for their holds. I’m a little short in SBs as well.
But I’m happy with my hitting roster - a mix of one sure thing in Pujols, young studs in Alvarez, Stanton and McCutcheon, and my Baltimore trio of Vlad, Scott and Markakis add depth.
And I’m quite happy with my SPs. Barring major injuries to my top guys, I should be competitive.
This was a weird draft for me. Logistically it was a nightmare, I had to work during the draft so I was juggling two things at once the whole time. Since the league was so big I often had enough downtime between picks in order to get things done but there were a couple occasions where I’d loaded up my queue on to see it empty and my name flashing with just second to make a decision. Needless to say my draft wasn’t a very strategic one, generally it ended up being BPA as it made the research on the fly easier.
The second issue was that I did next to no research on my rankings this year. Normally I listen to a bunch of podcasts and read all the experts articles in the months leading up to the draft and mix in a pretty healthy amount of research of spring training performances and prospective impact rookies and sophomores. This year my entire prep started about 3 hours before draft time. Not a great plan in a league this deep.
I have a really nasty habit of finishing smack dab in the middle of the pack in this league. Every year I’m in the 8-12 range it seems. I tend to be great at hitting stats and terrible at pitching ones. I suspect that’s because I tend to follow the “experts” ideas of what’s smart drafting, i.e. don’t pay for saves and wait on pitching etc. I tend to do a very good job of this drafting and with my team a elite player would be starting from an awesome position. The catch is that I’m I much better drafter than I am a player. I don’t watch enough non-Cubs baseball and I’m simply not attentive enough to stream pitchers and keep up with righty-lefty, home-away roster management. So, with that in mind I’m trying to draft in a way that insulates me from those weaknesses. I wanted to draft pitching high, guys who I can plug in my starting spots and leave there all season long. Injury issue guys and streaky players are off limits. I also wanted to get reliable saves and holds and avoid having to play the waiver wire game. I know you can get those stats cheaper, but I’m not good at it. So, with that in mind let’s take a look at my results.
Out On Waveland
1. (5) Joey Votto (Cin - 1B)
I liked drafting fifth. I felt like there were 5 or 6 guys at the top of the draft that were must gets and then a big step down, drafting 5th let me get a great player without having to wait as long between picks. After the top 2 guys I had Miggy, Votto and Crawford as the next best three. I suspected that I’d just be taking whoever was left. When Tulo came off the board it left me with a choice I didn’t expect to have, I suspected that I was almost certainly going to end up with Crawford since I’m quite a bit higher on him than Yahoo. Honestly I took Votto because he’s in the NL Central and I’ll see him a lot and because I assumed the experts were probably more right about him with respect to Crawford.
Votto might have been the #1 overall player in fantasy last year and while I’m a little concerned it was a career year that he won’t repeat, if he’s close to those same numbers I’ll be very happy with him. He’s a safer pick than Crawford, Miggy, Tulo or Longoria IMHO.
2. (32) Cliff Lee (Phi - SP)
Lee is the first example of my new philosophy. I really was hoping Mauer would slide to me here, but when he came off the board there wasn’t anyone close to Lee on my board. He’s right there with the other 4 guys off the board at this point (Halladay, Lincecum, Felix, Lester) and I got him cheapest. The drop off after these guys is huge. Very happy with this pick.
3. (41) José Bautista (Tor - 3B,RF)
It seems utterly insane to me that he’s still available here. Like Votto, you can make a strong case that he was the #1 overall fantasy player last year. Like everyone else I can’t explain his explosion last year and I’m skeptical that he’ll repeat it, but if he’s 75% of that he’s a absolute steal at 41st overall. The dual eligibility makes him even sweeter. Another positive pick that I felt slipped to me.
4. (68) Mat Latos (SD - SP)
Back to the strategy. Another high rated pitcher that I can plug in and forget about. Latos is a bit of unfinished business for me. I was onto him last offseason when he was utterly dominant in spring training. He was projected to make the opening day roster and and I landed him late in the draft. I was stoked. Then he unexpectedly was left off the opening day roster and I panicked. I had a shallow pitching staff and some early injuries and I dropped Latos after a week or two expecting to bring him back when he was called up. Naturally someone else beat me to the punch and the rest is history. If he pitches a full season this year like last, in that pitcher friendly park, I should be golden. Low rate stats and a 200Ks. I expect to lock Lee and Latos into those SP spots and not move them all season.
5. (77) B.J. Upton (TB - CF)
This was a little bit of a panic pick. This pick came back around to me when I wasn’t ready. I was very tempted to grab Marmol here. He’s a Cub and a a stud closer and I’ve had him on every team I’ve had since he was called up. In retrospect I’m a little bummed I passed on him, but I just don’t think it’s wise to grab 3 pitchers in the top 5 picks regardless of strategy and at the time there were no Closers off the board yet. Upton was a need based pick, I was worried about those low offense positions up the middle and I tend to try spend a top pick there in this league because of the scarcity. Upton’s rate stats are shaky but he gives me a ton of steals and maybe, just maybe, he’ll break out at the play finally. I strongly considered Prado here and with his dual eligibility he might have been a smarter pick in this spot. Fingers crossed.
6. (104) Elvis Andrus (Tex - SS)
I had Andrus queued up for a while and even considered him with the previous pick. That I had him and Prado in my queue then was what pushed me to take the CF. I think he’ll be even better this year than last. Lots of the experts are talking him up and suspect that his OPS will take a jump. If he maintains his speed numbers he’s a great get and I’ll be a excellent shape with Steals, if the rate stats and RBIs rise he’s a monster.
7. (113) Carlos Quentin (CWS - RF)
Another need based pick. The corner outfield spots are uncommonly thin this year as is power. Quentin slid a lot due to injury concerns and he could be a big issue for me if he’s on the DL. That said, if I get 500 ABs out of him this year I’ll be getting 30 HRs and 90 RBIs. There were safer RF/LFs out there here but none with his power and upside. Going pitching early means you gamble on your power, at least he’s a Chicago guy so I’ll be able to track his progress closely to see when I need to make a change.
8. (140) Ryan Dempster (ChC - SP)
Somewhat of a panic pick. I was looking at Nathan, Colvin and Beckham here but suspected that all of them would last until later in the draft. I didn’t have Dempster queued up and was looking to grab another pitcher here, but I didn’t know which to take. Dempster is as reliable as they come and I like having Cubs, big shock I know. He won’t be at the top of any categories but he’ll fill them all up and keep my rate stats happy. Getting a 3rd reliable starter fits my strategy even if I may come to regret passing on Colvin.
9. (149) Joe Nathan (Min - RP)
A forgotten about guy. Because of his injury he was buried in the Yahoo rankings and I was hoping that he’d keep sliding so I could steal him. I expected a minor commotion when I drafted him this late, sadly I didn’t get it. Obviously he fits my plan and makes up for my passing on Marmol, though the risk here is obvious. He seems healthy and I suspect he’ll return to dominance even if he’s been shaky in the spring. Worst case scenario he’s a reliable set-up man for me. I had targeted Capps later in the draft as insurance but got scooped on that plan. Ironically, Nathan has always been a guy I hated. I always predicted a meltdown from him that never came, here I am drafting him when that bust is more likely than ever.
10. (176) Alfonso Soriano (ChC - LF)
I held my nose making this pick. I needed a LF badly, the available guys were few and Soriano is not going to be in a platoon like Colvin. He’ll still probably give me 25 HRs and a decent OPS. Hopefully the OBP doesn’t kill me and he hit better with RISP for my sake and the Cubs. If he gets traded to an AL team in September all the better for everyone. I hate this guy, but he fit the bill. Cahill was the only other guy I really liked here and I needed a bat with power much more.
11. (185) Ryan Franklin (StL - RP)
He’s a little shaky and old and I might have preferred Kimbrel or Bard if I’d have had more time to consider it, but Franklin will probably rack up Saves on a good Cards team. And again, a division rival easy for me to monitor. I really wanted to pair him with Motte as insurance but no such luck. There’s a lot of risk in my Closers, but also a lot of upside. If one of them falters, well the adage that you can always find Saves holds.
12. (212) J.D. Drew (Bos - RF)
I know this guy is a turd, but he’s also pretty damn consistent. I wouldn’t want him on my IRL team but he’ll probably come close to Quentin and Soriano’s numbers 5 and 2 rounds later. That’s a really good thing if I’m right about those guys, really bad if I’m wrong. At least I should be assured of some power and ABs from my corner OFs and I have 3 of them to protect from injury.
13. (221) C.J. Wilson (Tex - SP)
I worry that I’m missing something with Wilson. Strong rate stats, wins and a opening day starter in the 13th round. I think you could make a case that he’s better and safer than 8 of the SPs taken ahead of him. The pick fit my strategy well and offers injury insurance for my top 3. Very happy with this one. Capps or Motte might have been an alternative here but starters were starting to get a little thin.
14. (248) Ryan Theriot (StL - 2B,SS)
Needed a 2B badly and Theriot was one of the few guys I knew much of anything about. He’s supposedly starting and leading off at 2B in STL and if he can keep his OBP up he’ll score plenty of runs. He was one of my favorite Cubs and should augment my Steals numbers nicely. The dual eligibility could be golden if something goes south with Andrus.
15. (257) J.P. Arencibia (Tor - C)
Needed a Catcher. Period. Went with the medium upside rookie over Ianetta in Colorado. I don’t know much about this kid but he was on all the top rookie lists. I might find myself scrambling for a C in May, but I won’t be the only one.
16. (284) Chris Young (NYM - SP)
Complete panic pick. Not even sure I picked him, might have been the computer picking him as time expired. I’d walked away from the computer to work here and came back with like 20 seconds left. I vaguely remember Simmons and Berry talking about this guy on their podcast, but it might have been someone else. Eh, we’ll see.
17. (293) Jhonny Peralta (Det - 3B,SS)
Should be a full time starter. I wanted some depth on my infield here and Peralta gives me dual eligibility. He has sucked this spring and might never see any time in my starting lineup, but it’s not impossible that he gets that OBP up and becomes useful. Wish he had 2B eligibility. In retrospect I wish I’d have gone with a blue chip rookie here. I had my eye on Jennings and Pineda and both would have been better options I think.
18. (320) Jim Thome (Min - Util)
Major steal. I usually avoid DHs since I value positional flexibility so much, but I’ll need to augment my power stats since I waited so long on them and focused on MI through the middle rounds. If I get 25 HRs and a 1000+ OPS from him you guys are all in trouble.
19. (329) Dustin Ackley (Sea - LF)
I’m slightly amazed that he was still on the board. He’s perhaps the best rookie hitter out there and with all the other rookies drafted I would have thought he’d have been higher on people’s lists. He’ll start the year in AAA and he plays in Safeco eventually,. but the kid appears to be a stud. Hopefully he’s in the bigs and crushing just about the time I’m ready to wave the white flag on the rest of my LF/RF options.
20. (356) Kerry Wood (ChC - RP)
Panic pick. I was planning on taking Beachy here, one of the guys I was bound and determined to have on my team this season, and somehow completely missed him getting drafted. I started clicking on the draft button only to see the “Drafted” icon in it’s place. I walked away thinking that meant I’d drafted him. Ooops, confusion. Wood was in my queue and I just let the computer take him. He’ll probably give me a lot of Holds and there’s an outside chance that he closes if Marmol gets dinged. I’m not pissed because frankly, Wood is one of my favorite players ever.
21. (365) Randy Wells (ChC - SP)
Stupid homer pick. He should be fine, but he might not have an impact. He disappointed last year, if he does what he did 2 years ago he’s a steal. If I had it to do over again I’d have taken Espinosa to back up Theriot at 2B since this is an extra pitcher I don’t need.
22. (392) Mike Minor (Atl - SP)
My Beachy consolation prize. He could be this year’s Matos, starting in the minors and getting called up later and lighting it up. As a lefty they might need him. We’ll see how patient I can be.
23. (401) Matt Diaz (Pit - LF)
Needed an additional bat. We’ll see if he is worth a roster spot. Probably not.
24. (428) Daniel Murphy (NYM - 1B,LF)
Could be a steal if he’s healthy and gets playing time. Those are big questions, but if he gets 2B eligibility he could be an important fill-in guy. I’ve got too many pitchers, which goes against my strategy, so hopefully one or two of these late hitters justify the draft spot.
So there we have it. Not perfect, worried about my hitting but love my starting pitching. Health will be an issue. Have a good mix of youth and age and a few possible one-year wonders. Hopefully those closers pan out because if they do I’ll be in excellent shape so long as I find an extra bat or two on the waiver wire.
Latos came up late in '09, for what it’s worth. He was in the majors all year last year.
I dumped him very shortly after the draft for a reason. Can’t remember what that was. Thought it was because he started the season in AAA, maybe he wasn’t in the rotation. Something happened.
I’m really not happy with my team. I am not strong in any categories, and I’m pathetically weak in about four. I’ll post a recap later, if I can manage to hold my nose long enough to write one.
I really hate my team. I thought 9th wouldn’t be a bad spot to draft, but I found myself making terrible, terrible decisions.
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(9) Adrián González (Bos - 1B) - I was really happy Gonzo fell to me. I wavered between him and Crawford - and probably would have been better off with a stronger OF on my team, but I can’t complain.
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(28) Jon Lester (Bos - SP) - I went through the top teams from the last few years, and most of them have a dominant SP, and I decided I’d break with my tradition and go for it. But looking back, I’d much rather have Crawford/Dunn than Gonzalez/Lester.
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(45) Buster Posey (SF - C,1B) - I really wanted Uggla - but he was taken several picks before me, then I wanted Bautista, and he was taken… Of the offense left, Posey represents a ridiculous OBP from the catcher slot, and decided since I was reaching on SPs I might as well keep it up.
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(64) Cole Hamels (Phi - SP) - I love Cole, but there may be other SPs I’d be better off with. In fact, I’d have been much better off with an OF, but there just wasn’t much out there at this point I really wanted, and, well, here we are.
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(81) Francisco Liriano (Min - SP) - I love this pick. My rotation is one of the best in the league now. I’d rather have a stronger OF, but I’m in a good trading position.
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(100) Paul Konerko (CWS - 1B) - I think this is a steal. Konerko is underrated in OBP, and always drops in drafts. I feel a little better about my offense seeing him in there.
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(117) Bobby Abreu (LAA - LF,RF) - He’s been getting some buzz this spring, let’s see if he has another year in the tank.
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(136) David Ortiz (Bos - Util) - Speaking of, I should open up a gas station, because this team is really pushing the limit.
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(153) Adam Jones (Bal - CF) - CF is pretty thin this year, and I was happy to see Jones available. He was a bit earlier than I’d like to have taken him, but the demands of the draft pushed me to him. However, if I’d have known Torres was going to be picked between here and my next pick, I’d have taken him. Darn.
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(172) Mike Aviles (KC - 2B,SS) - Nishioka was taken, and I wanted either of the two on my team. I like what I've seen from Aviles this off-season, and he'll be an asset. -
(189) Ryan Raburn (Det - 2B,LF,CF,RF) - underrated utility man. -
(208) Magglio Ordóñez (Det - RF) - Apparently I entered a fugue state for a few rounds, and thought it was 2003. -
(225) Chipper Jones (Atl - 3B) - 2003 was a very good year. Oldest team ever. -
(244) Jair Jurrjens (Atl - SP) - A reach, but I needed to start getting some lottery tickets to salvage this trainwreck of a draft. -
(261) Koji Uehara (Bal - RP) - Very talented, sorta hurt right now. Not terrible though. -
(280) Anibal Sánchez (Fla - SP) - This was one of my best picks of the draft. Sanchez could strike out 200 this year. -
(297) Brandon Belt (SF - 1B) -
(316) Brian Fuentes (Oak - RP) -
(333) Derek Holland (Tex - SP) -
(352) Jed Lowrie (Bos - 2B,SS) -
(369) Tommy Hunter (Tex - SP) -
(388) Todd Helton (Col - 1B) -
(405) Takashi Saito (Mil - RP) -
(424) Jesse Crain (CWS - RP)
The rest of this draft just makes me vomit every time I look at it. Todd Helton? Takashi Saito? I’m not in a comfortable spot when I’m drafting people older than me.
I had the #4 pick overall. My team is built with the idea that my hitters will improve on their last years stats. I pretty much punted on Stolen Bases, and will have a hard time keeping up with Saves.
1. (4) Troy Tulowitzki (Col - SS)
The 1b. SS this year, and I’m lucky he didn’t go at #3. In a weak position having someone like this takes the pressure off finding some scraps later.
2. (33) Ian Kinsler (Tex - 2B)
Could have a huge year IF he can stay healthy.
3. (40) Clayton Kershaw (LAD - SP)
4. (69) David Price (TB - SP)
I love my two young “Aces” (I put Aces in quotation marks because Kershaw didn’t have have the Win totals, but his 200+ K’s and his sub-3.00 ERA he is only missing one piece to the puzzle. Looking back I probably should have taken Price first, but it worked out. If this were a keeper league I’d be set for the next decade. In a 12 team league I’d have waited a few more rounds to take pitching, but didn’t want to miss out in case of a run.
5. (76) Colby Rasmus (StL - CF)
I don’t know how to feel about this pick. Could produce big numbers, however LaRussa’s will sit him every chance he gets against lefty’s.
6. (105) Casey McGehee (Mil - 3B)
Nice RBI total from last year. Looking for him to increase his OBP and SLG.
7. (112) Matt Wieters (Bal - C)
Every year they talk about Baltimore’s hitters finally breaking out. Maybe this is finally the year.
8. (141) José Valverde (Det - RP)
9. (148) Tyler Colvin (ChC - LF,CF,RF)
My first reach of the draft, but I didn’t think he would make it back to me. Could put up monster numbers playing 81 games in Wrigley. It did make my heart hurt taking a Cub though.
10. (177) Francisco Cordero (Cin - RP)
11. (184) James Loney (LAD - 1B)
Has had a disappointing career (to what he was projected to be). It was a coin-flip between him and Lee. Hope I chose correctly.
12. (213) Jason Kubel (Min - LF,RF)
13. (220) David Freese (StL - 3B)
Showed some really good play at the beginning of last year.
14. (249) John Lackey (Bos - SP)
15. (256) Mike Adams (SD - RP)
16. (285) Scott Downs (LAA - RP)
I really went after holds this year, since I didn’t pick but two closers.
17. (292) Erick Aybar (LAA - SS)
My only Stolen Base threat (if you could call him that).
18. (321) Ryan Ludwick (SD - RF)
Hoping he returns to his 08-09 numbers.
19. (328) Bronson Arroyo (Cin - SP)
God Damn you Mono!
20. (357) Kyle McClellan (StL - RP)
Will be the Cards #5 starter this year, but really has good stuff.
21. (364) Jon Garland (LAD - SP)
22. (393) Arthur Rhodes (Tex - RP)
23. (400) Will Ohman (CWS - RP)
More Holds
24. (429) Emilio Bonifacio (Fla - SS,LF,CF)
Since last year’s team was such a success, I figured that I had my formulas tweaked just right, finally, so it was just a matter of applying them correctly, which was, in hindsight, a little arrogant. What I completely forgot to do was analyze the stats I had gotten and target the ones I needed. I just focused on positions and the best player in the field there, and that was a huge mistake, as you can see when you look at my team. I am horribly weak in Runs, RBIs, and SBs, and my projected WHIP isn’t the strongest (and when you consider that the difference between the winner of the WHIP category and the last ranked player last year was less than 0.20, miniscule fluctuations there make a huge difference).
The other issue I had toward the end of the draft was a complete inability to keep up with all the drafted players so that I could keep my spreadsheets up to date. I spent so much time with the spreadsheet that I didn’t have time to actually, you know, look at the players.
1. (16) Tim Lincecum (SF - SP)
Like I said in the draft, I bounced back and forth between Timmy and Halladay (and, if truth be told, I’d have grabbed Halladay in round 2 if he’d come back to me). Timmy rated slightly higher on my meter, mostly because of his strikeout totals. I think his ERA will bounce back, and he may get 20 wins this year.
2. (21) Jayson Werth (Was - CF,RF)
I was hoping for a 1B here, but Fielder and Teixeira were both taken in the four intervening picks (seriously – FOUR picks swiped my top three next picks), and I rate Werth way above the next logical 1B pick (Dunn, who went just a bit later, meaning my hopes of an early 1B were dashed). I had Werth last year, too, and I loved him.
3. (52) Carlos Santana (Cle - C)
Probably too early, but, if not now, with the next pick or he’d have been gone. I had been targeting Victor Martinez, and I was SURE he was going to get to me, but, no - Frosted_Lightning grabbed him right before my pick.
4. (57) Álex Ríos (CWS - CF)
For some reason, I forgot that Werth plays CF, and that I could, therefore, have grabbed an infielder instead, but Rios is perfectly acceptable here, and Werth plays RF, too.
5. (88) Francisco Rodríguez (NYM - RP)
Earlier that day, I had signed up for the five-day trial of Bloomberg Front Office (which I think I’m not going to keep), and it’s telling me that he’s not on any major league roster. I think Bloomberg’s off their rocker. At the time, there was a little closer run going on, and he was the best one on the board right then. I think he’ll be just fine.
6. (93) Stephen Drew (Ari - SS)
In retrospect, nope. Should have grabbed Brian Wilson instead of Rodriquez, darn it, as I realized with the pick prior to this one. Drew was exactly who I wanted with this pick, though.
7. (124) J.J. Putz (Ari - RP)
Another Arizona guy. Here’s hoping he can save the team – I don’t think I can sit through another season of blown saves. That said, Arizona gets a LOT of save opportunities. If Putz can convert them (nobody could last year), it’ll be good both for the DBacks and for the Whiners. I had REALLY had my fingers crossed that everyone would forget about Oswalt, and I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did, but I had to expect that he wouldn’t last to get to me. Then I was hoping for the Kung Fu Panda, but he went, too. That said, I figured I had saves pretty well sewn up between Putz and Rodriguez, and I could ignore future closer runs.
8. (129) Carlos Peña (ChC - 1B)
I didn’t dare wait any longer for a 1B. Like I said in the chat, he’ll KILL my OBP (although it was pointed out that it’s BA he kills, not OBP so much), and he’ll be great for the counting stats, so I’ll take the hit, if there is one.
9. (160) Tsuyoshi Nishioka (Min - 2B,SS)
“The Japanese middle infielder” was how someone described him in chat…right when the batteries on my wireless keyboard died, making it impossible for me to search for players or chat at all, so I couldn’t respond. That goodness my mouse still worked. I had hoped for Travis Snider, who’d been in my queue for a little while by then. I really needed a 2B here, though.
10. (165) John Danks (CWS - SP)
Rock-solid starter.
11. (196) Edwin Encarnación (Tor - 3B)
Nobody went between here and my previous pick that I particularly wanted. I figured I needed to complete my infield, or get a left fielder, but there wasn’t really anyone else here.
12. (201) Daniel Bard (Bos - RP)
Holds, and maybe a couple of saves if Papelbon’s arm dies again. Figured now was the time. Thought about Adams, but Bard edges him, I think.
13. (232) Bill Hall (Hou - 2B,LF,CF,RF)
I don’t remember why I thought this was a good idea.
14. (237) Joaquín Benoit (Det - RP)
More holds.
15. (268) Chris Iannetta (Col - C)
Usually, I use the 15th round to grab my backup catcher. I don’t really ever plan it to be the 15th round, it just seems as though that’s when I figure is the time for it.
16. (273) Jonny Gomes (Cin - LF)
I think this is where I just started looking for the best guy on the board, although I think I still needed a starting LF, too.
17. (304) Michael Brantley (Cle - LF,CF)
Grabbed him for the wheels. He may not be an elite base-stealer, but he’ll certainly grab a few bags.
18. (309) Brad Hawpe (SD - 1B,RF)
I got a little bit of grief for this pick. I just needed someone who could back up at 1B. I’m betting on him having at least a bit of a rebound, though, granted, the Petco factor is a problem.
19. (340) Kevin Kouzmanoff (Oak - 3B)
I was going to go for Fuentes, and then for Cueto, but they both went before this. So I decided I needed a backup 3B. He may be unreliable, but he’s got some upside.
20. (345) Bud Norris (Hou - SP)
I went on a total pitcher run, here (the one that was supposed to begin with Fuentes or Cueto). If Norris can put a whole season together that looks like the last half of 2010, I’m golden.
21. (376) Derek Lowe (Atl - SP)
I would have preferred Westbrook, but Lowe’s acceptable. He’s got a good track record of consistent reliability, anyway, which is about all you can hope for at this stage of the game.
22. (381) Fausto Carmona (Cle - SP)
I’m really rather surprised that a #1 started was still available.
23. (412) Grant Balfour (Oak - RP)
Maybe a few more holds, a save or two – though working behind Bailey makes that a little less likely.
24. (417) Daric Barton (Oak - 1B)
Meh.
Not too happy about being on the front end, but I think things turned out pretty well. Big question will be, can I piece together some kind of respectable Pitching Staff?
- (2) Hanley Ramírez SS
Well, no brainer to be sure. In fact, I missed the beginning of the draft and this was an Autopick. At this point , I realize that I might not be to crazy about having the second pick. 30 some picks till my next one.100 runs, 200 hits, 20 SB, 20+ dingers, .375+ OBP and .500+ SLG
2.(35) Dustin Pedroia 2B
Picked Pedroia, to get the last of the few good 2nd basemen. Critics aside, Pedroia has the potential to return to his old form 100 runs, 200 hits, 20 SB, .350+ OBP and .450+ SLG
-
(38) Adrián Béltre 3B
Was kind of suprised that Swisherific took McCuth and Stanton and passed on Beltre. Again, potential to post numbers like above. -
(71) Shane Victorino CF
Again 100 runs, 175 hits, SBs and nice OBP and SLG. Needed some outfield and couldn’t pass him up. Getting a little nervous about running out of Pitching prospects…… -
(74) Corey Hart RF
Fill outfield spot with 30 HR potential. OK , let’s just hope that his oblique strain clears up. -
(107) Mike Napoli C,1B
Needed 1st base and catcher. 20+ HRs and decent OBP and SLG, for a catch 100 picks out. Would wait, but this draft is deep. -
(110) Shaun Marcum SP
OK . I’m just trying to get a couple of decent SPs that can put up some numbers Marcum -
(143) Ricky Nolasco SP
And Nolasco -
(146) Grady Sizemore CF
Caught some heat for this one, but if he comes back, this pick will pay off . didn’t miss much -
(179) Rafael Soriano RP
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(182) Trevor Cahill SP
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(215) Jhoulys Chacin SP,RP
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(218) Brandon League RP
-
(251) Carl Pavano SP
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(254) David Aardsma RP
Last few rounds , just trying to do my best to grab a few SPs, Holds, and a couple possible Saves. -
(287) Omar Infante 2B,3B,SS,LF,RF
-
(290) Garrett Jones 1B,RF
Omar and Garrett can be good utility guys. Filling some gaps -
(323) Javier Vázquez SP,RP
-
(326) Ryan Doumit C,RF
-
(359) Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
OK, not sure why I grabbed Doumit, although it seems like he will get some playing time in Pittsburgh with Snyder hurt. Saltalamacchia seemed like a good gamble this late. He will certainly get playing time and this frees up Napoli to fill my 1st base void. -
(362) Cody Ross LF,CF,RF
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(395) Mark Buehrle SP
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(398) Brian Duensing SP,RP
-
(431) Daisuke Matsuzaka SP
Just filling spots on the roster. In fact, Buerle and Mats are already gone.
Like I mentioned in the league page, I have some late round Util and IF players that I’d be willing to trade for an OF. Anyone with some playing time ahead of them, really.