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Subject: RIBC - Draft rationales , Rounds 6-10
Posted by: Guru
- [330592710] Fri, Mar 05, 2004, 09:28
Continuing with round 6 (the 81st pick).
Rationales for Rounds 1-5 |
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| 30 | darkside
ID: 4218517
Sun, Mar 07, 2004, 09:01
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7.15 Jimmy Rollins - SS - Phi
At this point I still had 2B, 3B and SS open. I had thought about taking Nevin for a CI or OF spot as I expect him to produce well this year, but Trip relieved me of that possibility. So, I decided to focus on 2B or SS since I didn't think KKB would take my next pick of Aramis Ramirez. I narrowed it down to Ray Durham, Placido Polanco and Rollins. I liked Polanco because of his 2B/3B eligibility, but ultimately went with Rollins because I think he has the better shot to get more SB and perform better than he did last year. Too, the other SS options compared to other 2B options were, to me, a much more dramatic dropoff.
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| 31 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Sun, Mar 07, 2004, 09:24
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7.16 Placido Polanco - 2B/3B - PHI As with Abreu, I'm expecting bigger things out of the PHI lineup this year. Polanco will primarily be my 2B and with him going into the season as the starting 2B, I like his chances of increasing on last year's totals and surpassing most projections. But even if he does come in around 90 R, 65 RBI, 10 SB, .410 SLG, .350 OBP, his multiple position qualification could end up being invaluable by the end of the season. Not only can he fill in at 2B and 3B, but also at CI and MI. A player with good stats that was the last available in the top 25% of his position (2B, according to my rankings) that can fill in at 3 other positions? Yeah, I'll take him... especially with my 7th pick.
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| 32 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Sun, Mar 07, 2004, 09:36
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8.01 Miguel Batista - P - TOR If JP Ricciardi likes him, then I like him too. Though it's obviously not the only reason I got Batista, I like the fact that they signed him as a FA. It tells me there may be more than meets the eye to him. But even if there's not, a decent improvement over 2003, when he was 10-9, 3.54 ERA, 1.329 WHIP, 2.36 K/BB, would put him around 12 wins, 3.20 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and about 150 K's. A good improvement will make him a big sleeper with an 8th round pick, IMHO.
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| 33 | darkside
ID: 4218517
Sun, Mar 07, 2004, 09:43
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8.02 Aramis Ramirez - 3B - ChC
With SS filled w/ my last pick, that left 2B and 3B to deal with. I'd been thinking Ramirez since my last pick, and when KKB didn't take him, I knew I would. I'm hoping for about 30 HR and close to a .500 SLG...I think it's realistic, but he's had a problem meeting expectations. Regardless, it fills a position that was getting fairly thin with someone who can put up decent power numbers and drive in 100+ runs.
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| 34 | Trip
ID: 2210302613
Sun, Mar 07, 2004, 10:01
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8.03 Richard Hidalgo - OF - Hou
I considered Mantei, Nathan, Contreras, and Crawford with this pick and I am not sure why I chose Hidalgo over Crawford considering I have Crawford ranked over Hidalgo in my own rankings. Hidalgo fits in with my overall team strengths so far, while Crawford would have helped to balance out my team. Hidalgo may also have been the safer play, however I still can't justify passing up Crawford here.
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| 35 | Guru
ID: 330592710
Sun, Mar 07, 2004, 14:03
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8.04 Matt Mantei, RP, Ari
I wanted a pitcher here, and the scarcity of closers makes me head that way, rather than adding to my starters. The two top available closers were Mantei and Francisco Cordero, based on my rankings. Mantei has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate, although those rumors seem to have abated for now. If he gets dealt in July, hopefully it will be to a team looking for a closer. I just thought Mantei was a bit more proven than Cordero, but would probably have gone for Cordero if Mantei was gone.
With two solid closers now on the roster, that category should be in good shape. That’s not to say, however, that I won’t grab a third if the opportunity arises. In a 16 team league, 2 closers is the “fair share”, but I suspect some teams have already planned to punt that category (which can be a viable strategy, too).
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| 36 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Sun, Mar 07, 2004, 14:25
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8.05 Scott Podsednik, OF, Mil
Had my eye on him for a long time. Knew he would slide because his team is going to stink this year and he won't score like he did last year. Still his obp was pretty good and his speed can only help. With a full year this year, I'm hoping he can pick up where he left off last year. May have reached a smidge but no way would he have been there for me next pick so I'm comfortable with it.
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| 38 | Species
Leader
ID: 7724916
Sun, Mar 07, 2004, 20:01
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8.06 Matt Clement - SP - CHC
Call me a Cubs fan now with Clement and Maddux in my fold.
At this point in the draft you can throw 20 pitchers into a barrell and rate them all the same. Some people will get lucky and some people will crash and burn. In choosing Clement, I had several factors that I considered......
He's only 29 and has made 32 starts and pitched 200 innings the past two years. He's now part of a Cubs team that has very high hopes, a strong bullpen and added a strong 1b with solid offensive numbers and a Gold Glove to his credit. The addition of LaTroy Hawkins strengthens a bullpen tremendously making most Cub games 7-inning affairs.
Clement was one of the few decent strikeout pitchers available at this point, as 175 k's seems very reasonable. Being on this team makes 15 wins is well within reach. Give me 15 wins, 3.75 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP with 180 k's and the pick is justified. I seriously considered Randy Wolf with this pick as well.
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| 39 | jumpball
ID: 198192210
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 00:16
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8.07 Derek Lowe - SP - Bos
I wasn't happy with any of the hitters available and thought that I could get just about any of the ones I was interested in at my next pick. So I went for my third starting pitcher.
If Species is now a Cubs fan, I guess I'm a Red Sox fan with 2 of their starters. :-)
I expect Lowe to thrive in the #3 starting slot, and with Schilling there to teach better preparation, that's likely to put him closer to his 2002 numbers than his 2003 numbers. If that happens, this will be a great pick!
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| 40 | J
Leader
ID: 49346417
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 01:11
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8.08 Russ Ortiz - SP - ATL
How was I supposed to pass up the number one starter on the Atlanta Braves? As much as I am a Brave hater, I've always liked Ortiz. He can be good for 18-20 wins as the #1 guy. At this point I still didn't think any of the infielders I needed were worth taking over a guy as good as Russ Ortiz.
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| 41 | smartone
ID: 330592710
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 08:15
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8.09 Carl Crawford, OF, TB
As I continued to beef-up my hitting line-up while looking for decent pitching, I realized that my team lacks speed. This is the first time that I picked a player who'se ranking was not even close to the top of my list but I guess that my ranking algorithm gave too(?) little weight to SB -- a quick sort and I picked the guy who is PROJECTED to provide me with nearly 60 SB (while hurting my SLG%).
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| 42 | Peter N.
Donor
ID: 257161713
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 10:23
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8.10 Rocco Baldelli
Well, Crawford went just one pick away from me. Ouch! Plan B all along was going to be Rocco and I never really expected Crawford to make it back around to me after taking Andruw. However, the fact that he came one pick away does sting a little. Baldelli will still feel my need for SB and actually won’t hurt me as much as Crawford would in the SLG% cat. I think 35 stolen bases is possible for Baldelli and that’s what I’m looking for. Besides Guerrero, I really had no other threats to swipe bases so I needed to address that. Baldelli offers a nice combo of power and speed. Being so young, I expect him to build on his numbers from last year.
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| 43 | Caper
Donor
ID: 1535108
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 11:07
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Johnny Damon
I wasn't really looking for an outfielder here, but I liked this choice. Damon stunk the joint up in the first half last year and then had a much better second half. He is still pencilled in as the lead-off man in a potent line-up and should score 100+ runs and steal 25-30 bases. I am expecting the Damon from the second half to play all year this season.
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| 44 | blue hen
ID: 331038201
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 11:10
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8.12 Roger Clemens
I was hot for Clemens for a long time, and I'm quite surprised he made it back to me, especially after I referred to him as "xxxx" in another thread. Along with Rivera, I consider Clemens one of my best picks of this draft. I really needed a stud starter, and at this late round, Clemens was clearly the best remaining.
I'm not even a little worried about the Juicebox factor with Rocket. He's a strikeout pitcher, and guys like Oswalt and Miller were just fine there. He should be able to avoid getting injured and give me some good innings every time out. Along with Prior, I've got my two aces, so I'm happy.
Most interesting, I've got Clemens and Piazza on the same team.
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| 45 | Mattinglyinthehall
Leader
ID: 1629107
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 11:11
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8.13 David Eckstein - SS - Ana
It's my opinion that Eck was the last remaining middle infielder that stood out from the pack in both breakout potential and also in more conservative expectations. That I also needed to add some steals made this pick easier.
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| 46 | Tosh
Sustainer
ID: 57721710
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 11:25
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8.14 Mark Buehrle, P, CHI-A
I still need a 3B, but fully expect that a few will be available 32 picks from now, so I went with one of the many starting pitchers that are all clustered together right now. The main reason that I chose Buehrle was that he plays in the division with Cleveland and Detroit, and hopefully he gets many starts against them. I’m definitely concerned about the decrease in strikeouts last year, and even more concerned about the 690 innings pitched the last three seasons, but have no reason to believe that he’ll break down and give me squat. He should be good for 15+ wins.
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| 47 | beastiemiked
ID: 2601988
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 12:11
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8.15 Ray Durhman, 2b, SF
He was the last 2nd baseman left that can fill all 5 categories. If he's healthy this year I fully expect 100+ runs, 60+ RBI's, 15+ SB, .365 OBP, and a .450 Slg %. He's probably on the downside of his career but at 32 he still has some gas left in his tank. The only other guys I considered were Klesko and Raffy but figured one of them would be available next round.
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| 48 | Slackjawed Yokel
Leader
ID: 52347519
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 12:39
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8.16 Hideki Matsui, OF, NYY
Well, all along as this pick was nearing, I was targeting Austin Kearns. When it came to my turn, Kearns was still available, but I chickened out. Kearns has never played a complete season, and it sounds like his shoulder is still a problem from last year. So, i went with the 'safer' pick of Matsui who played in every game last season. Reports are that he added some muscle in the offseason, and with a year under his belt, should show more of the power that had originally been expected. Plus, this yankees lineup will be a run-scoring machine.
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| 49 | Slackjawed Yokel
Leader
ID: 52347519
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 12:52
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9.01 Rafael Palmeiro, 1B, Bal
Here I wanted to plug the glaring hole on my team at 1B. Although his batting average has dropped the last few years, his OBP has still been solid. A decrease in his .540 SLG over the past 3 years is to be expected, now that he's back in Baltimore, but he will be batting cleanup between Tejada and Javy, so he should have ample opportunities to score and drive in runs.
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| 50 | Tosh
Sustainer
ID: 57721710
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 15:29
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9.02 Ryan Klesko, 1B, SD
Health is a big issue with Klesko but that seems to be the theme for my team this year. I would've preferred Raffy over Klesko but he went 1 pick before my turn. I'm hoping batting in an improved Padres lineup will bring Klesko back to his averages of .380 OBP and .530 Slg%. Looking back at this pick I don't really like it mainly due to health concerns of a few of my other players.
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| 51 | Tosh
Sustainer
ID: 57721710
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 15:29
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9.03 John Thomson, P, ATL
I decided to finally fill that hole I have at 3B, until I was told I had a brain fart and drafted a player that had already been selected. So I went with another starter. Sure he’s NEVER had a winning record overall, and sure he’s NEVER had an ERA below 4.0, but he’s spent his career in Colorado and Texas. Atlanta is more of a pitcher’s park, and pitching coach Leo Mazzone seems to get good results with his players. He’s no strikeout specialist, but he should be an above-average Fantasy starter and set new career highs in most pitching categories.
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| 52 | Mattinglyinthehall
Leader
ID: 1629107
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 15:37
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9.04 Randy Winn - OF - Sea
I need steals! But not enough so that I was willing to take a player who is too deficient in any categories. Winn should get me close to 100 runs and 20 steals without hurting my OBP or SLG%. 10 - 15 HR and maybe 55 - 70 on top of that make him respectable in all 5 categories.
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| 53 | blue hen
ID: 331038201
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 16:12
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9.05 Jeromy Burnitz, OF, COL
Who are you kidding? This guy is a machine. He can hit 30 home runs like clockwork, even when he's splitting time between the Mets and Dodgers. And now he's in Colorado? Burnitz should hit a TON of homers, and the altitude might even help his average. He does manage to walk a lot, with a career OBP of .350. Finally, I'm satisfied with Jeromy's age - at 34, he's hardly old.
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| 54 | Caper
Donor
ID: 1535108
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 19:15
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9.06 Livan Hernandez
It was time to add a pitcher. I did not see any bats that seemed to require picking right away and I liked Hernandez. Coming off a good year last year and a chance to step up and be a staff ace. Looking for decent whip, K's and era. Maybe the Spo's will even help out by winning a few for him?
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| 55 | Peter N.
Donor
ID: 257161713
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 19:37
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9.07 Randy Wolf
Having only Mulder and Benitez on the pitching staff, my attention turned back towards them with this pick. Specifically, I wanted the next pitcher I drafted to be somebody I could rely on for strikeouts. I believe Wolf will fill that need nicely. The past two years he’s had 170+ Ks and I’m expecting around 175 this year. He hasn’t been nearly as consistent with W, ERA and WHIP the past 3 years, but I still think he can be adequate there too. Mulder and Wolf is a decent 1-2 punch for my starting pitching with Benitez closing.
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| 56 | smartone
ID: 3525976
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 20:51
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9.08 Joel Pineiro SP, SEA
After loading my team with hitters I was happy to find a SP near the top of my ranked players. I was looking at Piniero back at the 7th round, and was happy that he was still there for me. This is going to be Piniero's 3rd significant season, and I hope that he'll manage to get even better numbers than next year. He pitched 194 and 210 innings in his last 2 years, so if his arms hold, 16 W, 155Ks, 3.54 (ERA) and 1.24 (WHIP) in 210 IP might make sense. I recall having him on my TSN team a couple of times in the past 2 years - getting a bunch of good games with a major stinker (usually against TB/BAL, for some reason) -- he had a horrible 1IP outing yesterday in spring training - so hopefully this was his stinker... ;-)
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| 57 | J
Leader
ID: 49346417
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 21:57
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9.09 Shannon Stewart - OF - MIN
This was a tough pick, I didn't have my trusty spreadsheet to rely on for this pick, so I was just looking around for familiar looking names still available. When I saw Shannon Stewart was still out there, I went for it. I was looking for a guy with speed, and, well, Stewart has always been a leadoff hitter. Ooops, he had 4 steals last year. Not one of my smarter picks, but we'll see, this could turn out well.
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| 58 | jumpball
ID: 198192210
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 22:34
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9.10 Austin Kearns - OF - Cin
This pick is all about potential. if Kearns stays healthy (knock on wood), he'll get great numbers hitting between Dunn and Griffey . . . oh yeah, assuming they stay healthy too. :-)
In summary, this was a little bit of a gamble, but one I felt was worth taking.
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| 59 | Species
Leader
ID: 7724916
Mon, Mar 08, 2004, 23:56
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9.11 Trot Nixon - OF - BOS
This was a pretty easy pick. Nixon sported an OBP of .396 and a SLG of .578 last year. Very lofty numbers. But even if he just gives me .370 and .530 he is a screaming bargain at this pick. I only had one outfielder at this point so it not only covered a need but for many rounds now the "best available" players have seemingly been outfielders.
Of course, in the last couple of days issues with Nixon's back are popping up in the news. UGH
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| 60 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 10:55
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9.12 Jason Varitek, C, Bos
This guy wasn't even on my list but I wasn't really thrilled with any of the guys I was looking at with this pick. As I was narrowing them down, I decided to look at the positions I needed and realized that Varitek was still available. While a reach on my hodgepodge of notes, ratings and projection sheets, he has solid numbers and should fit in nicely. I don't hear about this guy much and that may be why he was still here at the end of the 9th round. For a catcher with those kinds of numbers/projections to be ranked so low by a couple publications is laughable. I just now checked a different site's pre-season rankings and they have him as the 5th best catcher. Time will tell, but for now I am very happy with this pick.
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| 61 | Guru
ID: 330592710
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 10:58
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9.13 Jose Contreras, P, NYY
I‘ve had my eye on Contreras for about the last 10 picks or so, and was a little surprised to see him survive, even though a lot of teams are better stocked with starters. Prior to this pick, Halladay was my only starter, so I certainly have a need. I have Contreras ranked around #30 among pitchers, and this is the 51st pitcher selected.
I like Contreras for a number of reasons. He’ll be counted on heavily as a staple in the Yankee rotation, and should have plenty of opportunities for wins, even on days when he might not have his best stuff. He has a good strikeout ratio (about 1 per inning), and at age 32 (assuming he really is 32), physical deterioration shouldn’t yet be a factor, especially since he only threw 71 innings last year. Projection: 14 wins, 170 K, 3.40 ERA, 1.25 WHIP. RotoWire and Fantasy Sports Magazine actually project an ERA of 3.20 and a marginally better WHIP, which would be a bonus.
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| 62 | Trip
Donor
ID: 13961611
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 11:13
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Joe Nathan - RP - Min
Ref and Guru did it to me again. I was set to go Varitek or Contreras here, but they were scooped up right before. Nathan was the last of my "B" grade relievers (notice a theme here?). My other consideration was Adam Kennedy (my 10.03 pick) and Jason Kendall. I figured that if I drafted a reliever that would probably get Darkside & Koala to grab one as well, leaving me with more options on my next pick. I wasn't expecting this pick to start the second closer run. Prior to this pick only 2 closers had been taken with the last 50 picks, the next two rounds would see 5 disappear from the board with only one "D" option available on my next pick. With 16 teams in this league and only 29 closers I am happy very to land two with fairly secure jobs. Interestingly, there are only 2 teams that look like they may be punting the category. I expected more due to the scarcity of closers and the high number of teams.
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| 63 | darkside
Dude
ID: 3590317
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 11:25
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9.15 Milton Bradley - OF - Cle
Having only Anderson in my OF at this point I was thinking I needed to get someone else before the next 32 picks happened. Bradley has a ton of potential, but his issues are well documented. I don't usually like dealing with head cases, but I felt the potential was enough to deal with it. I'm hoping for 15-20 SB, .475 SLG and .360 OBP, with about 60-70 r/rbi thrown in...those are decent numbers for a pick this low, but they are susceptable to his tantrums. Hopefully he's grown up and can produce regularly.
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| 64 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 11:35
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9.16 Jason Kendall - C - PIT I was floored that he actually made it back to me, especially since guys I'm looking at a round or two ahead of time haven't been coming my way to this point. While Kendall will lack the RBI and SLG of some of the other C's available (categories I felt I already had covered enough), he more than makes up for it with his high OBP and good R potential. I also like the fact that he's a threat for double-digit steals. His awesome K/BB ratio (.919 career) tells me that he has a great eye for the ball. If he can gain a little power to raise his SLG, he'll be all that more valueable at this point in the draft.
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| 65 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 11:40
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10.01 Francisco Cordero - P - TEX While Cordero struggled in his first spring training outing, I'm not concerned. The more trouble Zimmerman has coming back arm problems, the more entrenched in the closer role Cordero will be. I think Rotowire's projection of 25 Saves is a bit low and figure he could be in the 30+ range if Zimmerman can't regain his arm strength. A bit of a risk, but with most (all?) top-tier and guaranteed closers gone, Cordero makes a fine 10th round and #4 pitcher pick.
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| 66 | darkside
Dude
ID: 3590317
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 11:41
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10.02 Jamie Moyer - SP - Sea
I have no illusions that Moyer will win 20 games next year, but think 15 isn't a reach with reasonable ERA and WHIP thrown in. He's not a power pitcher, so SO won't be there, but w/ RJ and Schmidt, I'm not as concerned about that. This pick was between him, Pettitte, Dontrelle and Woody Williams....I'm worried about Woody's injury, about Pettitte pitching in Hou and about Dontrelle's ability to do this year what he did last year; that left me with Moyer. Age and health are huge concerns, but given that he lobs the ball in there, I'm hoping he can stay on the mound and put up respectable numbers.
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| 67 | Trip
Donor
ID: 13961611
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 12:14
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10.03 Adam Kennedy - 2B - Ana
Here we go again, Kennedy was the last "C" grade 2B in my rankings. Second base seems to be the thinnest position by far this year and while I had him ranked 171st and this is the 147th pick, I didn't mind reaching a bit here, as he would not have made it back to me. The other player considered here was Dontrelle. I would be happy for a repeat of last year's numbers but I believe he will improve a bit with the Guerrero in the lineup. I would have liked a little more speed at this position but that was not an option, and his Runs should compensate for what he lacks in the steals department. 60 RBI, 90 R, 20 SB, .340 OBP, .385 SLG is not an unrealistic expectation.
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| 68 | smartone
Donor
ID: 539581218
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 12:44
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10.04 Brad Wilkerson, 1B, OF, MON
He is in the "right age", his (projected) numbers (80, 82, 14, 0.378, 0.473) are great, his numbers in the Puerto-Rico hitters-heaven are wonderful, he can be a 1B, CI and OF AND I was actually considering him in the 7th round. As we approched the 10th round, his numbers were WAY on top of my rankings, so I realized that he will be taken by one of the 5-10 managers in front of me. This is the reason for my request to trade draft picks, and it turned out that 1-2 managers would had taken him.
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| 69 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 12:48
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10.5 Danny Kolb, P, Mil
This is one of the few closers left that actually has the closing job for sure. Though his team isn't the greatest, i do remember a closer getting like 44 saves for the expansion Marlins, so it can be done. I only had one closer and with him still on the board, I finally decided to take him over Fullmer. I actually had Fullmer's name in the post and then took it out and decided that Kolb would not get back to me and if Fullmer didn't, I could find someone close to him in value. Wasn't sure the same held true for Kolb.
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| 71 | Species
ID: 3010361110
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 13:37
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10.06 Brad Fullmer, 1B - TEX
Quick. Name the ballpark that had the most runs scored in it during the 2003 regular season.
BUZZ! Coors Field is incorrect! The answer is "The Ballpark at Arlington".
While it is ludicrous to suggest that Arlington is truly a better hitters park than Coors, it is most certainly an excellent hitters park. The Rangers had a great offense as well as the most horrific pitching staff, so sure there are going to be tons of runs.
While Arlington was #1 in runs scored, Anaheim's Edison Field was #25 in runs scored. I had my sights on Fullmer for quite some time and have been waiting for the right time to pull the trigger. Fullmer is still only 29 and is pretty much assured plenty of AB's as 1B/DH for Texas, likely hitting 5th behind my 3rd baseman, Mark Teixeira. The ballpark effects can only help, as can 450 AB's in a huge RBI spot in the lineup. I think a .860+ OPS and 100 RBI are well within reach, which makes Fullmer a big bargain.
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| 72 | jumpball
ID: 4423249
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 14:36
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10.07 Mark Loretta - 2B - SD
My goal here and in the next round was to pick my middle infielders unless someone else that I couldn't pass up was available. I considered Kennedy, Loretta, Guzman, and Alomar. Kennedy was off the board before I picked. I didn't like the projections of Guzman hitting 9th nearly as much as Alomar and Loretta hitting 2nd. Loretta hitting ahead of Giles seemed like a better option than taking a gamble on Alomar coming back after 2 down years. While Cliff Floyd and Juan Gonzalez were tempting, I stuck with the overall team plan.
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| 73 | J
ID: 4423249
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 14:38
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10.08 Cristian Guzman - SS - Min
Well, it was time to finally break down and get a middle infielder. No one really jumped out at me, so I figured I'd go with the guy who I could at least get some steals out of. There's another guy I may get later on who may turn out to let me leave Guzman on the bench, so maybe I jumped at this pick too early again.
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| 74 | Guru
ID: 539581218
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 15:49
| 10.09 Cliff Floyd, OF, NYM
Heading into my 10th round pick, my short list was Jason Kendall, Francisco Cordero, and Adam Kennedy. All three disappeared just before my scheduled turn. I didn’t like any of the remaining catchers or middle infielders at this stage, so I shifted attention to the best available players at any position. The two hitters I liked best were Brad Wilkerson and Cliff Floyd. Smartone was offering to trade up 5 picks, swapping 10th and 11th round picks. I didn’t think both of those hitters would be taken in the next 5 picks (the time until Smartone’s scheduled pick), so I accepted his offer. When he immediately took Wilkerson, I wondered whether I might have to reassess again.But Floyd was still there when the time came, so I took him. He was actually atop my rankings (ahead of Wilkerson), but he doesn’t come without some concerns. He plays for the Mets, in what may be a weak hitting lineup in a stadium not known for hitter-friendliness. He also sustained an Achilles tendon injury last year. I’ll hope for 80-85-6-.525-.375.
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| 75 | Peter N
Donor
ID: 539581218
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 15:49
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10.10 C.C. Sabathia
I had originally targeted getting a 2nd closer with this pick, but after both Cordero and Kolb came off the board, I felt that taking any of the other closers at this point would be reaching. I still kept this pick with pitching, although Juan Gonzalez was tempting. Sabathia is a breakout candidate of mine. Weight has been an issue throughout Sabathia’s brief career, but he vowed to work hard in the off-season and come into Spring Training healthy. A trimmed down Sabathia can sneak into the top 10 as a starting pitcher, IMO. He set a career best 3.60 ERA last year and I expect him to continue to improve on that. |
| 76 | Caper
Donor
ID: 1535108
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 16:03
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10.11 Jake Peavy-P-SD
I see SD as an up and coming team, Nevin's shoulder not-withstanding, and Peavy as a solid young pitcher who can add some K's along the way. I liked his upside, the team's upside, the K's and the possibility of a breakout season for the 23 year old.
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| 77 | blue hen
ID: 331038201
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 16:49
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10.12 Juan Gonzalez, OF, KC
A two-time MVP in the 10th round? For me, the choice was obvious and I really haven't second guessed much. Juan is very injury-prone and inconsistent, but hopefully he'll have a season-ending injury again so I can release him after an All-Star caliber first half. Even though they're moving their fences back, I expect fantastic numbers from Juan's first season in the K.
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| 85 | Mattinglyinthehall
ID: 217351118
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 20:00
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10.13 Mike Hampton - SP - Atl
I felt I was able to hold off on a SP in the 9th round because there was still a bit of talent on the board. Interestingly, 7 starting pitchers went before it was my turn again and I had Hampton ranked ahead of all of them, though I do concede a few of those guys have an upside that exceeds his. Anyhow, Leo Mazzone worked his magic and successfully shook that bad Coors mojo from Hampton, and had him all straightened out by the All Star break. 2003 Post-ASB numbers: 9-3, 2.91, 55k, 2.25whip in 99 IP. Yoink! Of course, I'm eager to see the K/IP ratio return to something closer to previous (pre-Coors) levels, but even if it doesn't, I think I made out very well in round 10.
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| 79 | Tosh
Sustainer
ID: 57721710
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 17:13
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10.14 Braden Looper, RP, NY-N
I decided to become the fifth RIBC manager to acquire a second closer (two more have joined the club since). Hopefully he won’t lose his job like he historically does, but his average talent gets me 25 saves, 60 Ks, and reasonable ratios.
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| 80 | beastiemiked
ID: 2601988
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 17:22
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10.15 JD Drew, OF, ATL
I was really close to pulling the trigger on Drew last round. Drew has the potential to breakout in Atlanta. He's never lived up to his hype but I'm thinking a move to his homestate of Georgia will be the change he needed. His OBP and Slg% have always been pretty solid and I'm hoping he gets a chance to flash some of his speed this year. He's a big injury risk as he's never played more than 135 games but he's also got a huge upside.
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| 81 | Slackjawed Yokel
ID: 28219820
Tue, Mar 09, 2004, 19:37
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10.16 Andy Pettitte, P, Hou
Well, I was going to get a closer this time, but Looper was taken two picks earlier, and he's the guy I had my sights on. The next closer on my list was Graves, but I really had him in the next tier, so I looked to see who else was available. Once again, it looked to me that the strongest player available was another starting pitcher. I expect Pettitte to get me 17+ wins and 170+ K's. Of course, he's now in a hitter's park, but he also has something to prove this year - I think he'll do his part to get his new squad into the playoffs.
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