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Subject: RIBC - Draft rationales, Rounds 16-20
Posted by: Guru
- [330592710] Mon, Mar 15, 2004, 12:42
Continuing with round 16 (241st pick)
Rounds 1-5 Rounds 6-10 Rounds 11-15 |
| Only the 50 most recent replies are currently shown. Click on this text to display hidden posts as well. |
| 33 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Tue, Mar 16, 2004, 15:39
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17.16 Carlos Guillen - SS/3B - DET I wanted to go ahead and fill out my MI slot before the pickings got too slim. There is obvious injury/health concern with Guillen, but if he can stay healthy and produce for an entire season, I figure he could end up in the 80 R, 60 RBI, 5 SB, .400 SLG, .350 OBP area. Even if he is below that (going from SEA to DET shouldn't hurt him in terms of ballpark), I'm happy with the selection for this slot. I also like the ability to use him at SS, 3B, CI, or MI.
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| 34 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Tue, Mar 16, 2004, 15:46
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18.01 Curt Leskanic - P - KAN As I said after I picked him, this is my "I hope MacDougal implodes" pick. This pick was as much about MacDougal as it was about Leskanic. Most of us know the splits, but here's MacDougal from last year: Pre-AS: 3-3, 24 Sv, 2.59 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, .233 BAA
Post-AS: 0-2, 3 Sv, 6.85 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, .322 BAA I'm hoping the implosion occurs sooner with MacDougal this year, but I figure it will happen sooner or later. And when it does, Leskanic will be the prime candidate for the closer role. Last year, he put up a 1.73 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and .180 BAA in 26 IP for KAN. I see no reason that he can't stay near that form. Even if he never becomes the closer for KAN, he'll still help keep my staff ERA and WHIP down and give me close to a K/IP. I would be a tad disappointed with this pick if he never got a chance to be the closer, but I'll still take it.
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| 35 | darkside
Dude
ID: 3590317
Tue, Mar 16, 2004, 15:56
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18.02 Hee Seop Choi - 1B - Fla
As I mentioned in my Williams rationale, Choi was still available w/ my last pick and I assumed I'd be able to get him here. Besides me, only MITH needed another CI (to fill the minimum slots, that is), but looking at the list of available CI's, I didn't think I wanted to wait to see if Choi got back to me. It's hard to say how he'll produce since his season was cut so short last year, but he was a highly touted prospect and from what I've found, he's still expected to produce pretty well. It hurts he's moved to Fla as it's a pitchers park, but his rotowire projections still look good w/ .466 slg, .351 obp, 17hr and 68/45 rbi/run. I'd be happy w/ those totals, but don't necessarily expect them. I would have preferred Burroughs in this spot, but Trip beat me and MITH to him, so I took what I felt was the next best option.
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| 36 | Trip
Donor
ID: 13961611
Tue, Mar 16, 2004, 16:15
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18.03 Tim Salmon - OF - Ana
Tim Salmon and Frank Catalanotto were the last two players in my long "D" tier of outfielders. I had decided before the draft that I would be unafraid to load up on quality OF in this draft as the free agent list would look so ugly after the draft. It looks ugly now. Salmon may not be sexy, but 80 RBI, 70 Runs, 3SB, a .375 OBP and .470 SLG make him an excellent pick this late in the draft, especially when you consider the ugly options at this position later.
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| 37 | Guru
ID: 330592710
Tue, Mar 16, 2004, 16:37
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18.04 Guillermo Mota, RP, Los
Mota will probably be the top setup man in L.A. If Gagne were to be injured, he might become the closer, but that really isn’t part of the rationale for this pick. I simply wanted a reliever who could contribute good ratios, a lot of Ks (for a reliever), and hopefully a few wins for being in the right place at the right time. I’d be very satisfied with RotoWire’s projections of 5 W, 87 K, 2.37 ERA, 1.03 WHIP. Based on those stats, he’s my highest ranked available pitcher.
With this pick, I now have 9 pitchers, while every other team has either 6 or 7. Arguably, I’ve been picking good relievers too early. But I wanted a boatload of top flight relievers – whether closing or not. And I now have either 5 or 6, depending on how Rafael Soriano is used. I think I have a good shot to be at or near the top in three of the five pitching categories (saves and ratios), and can still be competitive in Ks and wins.
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| 38 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Tue, Mar 16, 2004, 18:15
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18.05 Jose Acevedo, P, Cin
I watched this guy pitch several times and while he didn't always get the win or gave up a bad pitch now and then, he was really impressive. He got hurt last year, but is solid now. I think he may be a great sleeper candidate since he didn't pitch much last year. I had my eye on him for a long time and pitching in a hitter-friendly park won't help, but figured now was the time to get him--esp. since I needed pitching in a bad way.
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| 39 | Species
Leader
ID: 7724916
Tue, Mar 16, 2004, 18:23
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18.06 Matt Herges - RP - SF
Another in the long line of "just in case" closer picks, Herges is 1st in line (IMO) if Robb Nen is unable to pitch at any point this year. Being in No. Cal I listen to the Giants radio station a lot, and SF pitching coach Dave Righetti was very complimentary about Herges while being not as complimentary of Felix Rodriguez (made mention of lack of effective 2nd pitch and his inability to keep pitch counts down). Felipe Alou has all but admitted that Herges would likely be his main guy if Nen is unavailable. If nothing else, double-digit saves ought to be possible here, as Nen isn't likely to pitch quite as often as he once did.
Herges has looked great so far this spring with 5 nearly perfect innings: 0 ER, 0 hits, 1 BB, 5 strikeouts.
jumpball cursed me after the pick, saying he was going to take him. It always helps when others consider your picks. I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed that one or two of these longshot picks hits paydirt.
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| 41 | jumpball
Leader
ID: 49346417
Tue, Mar 16, 2004, 23:20
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18.07 Paul LoDuca - C/1B - LA
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| 42 | J
Leader
ID: 49346417
Tue, Mar 16, 2004, 23:25
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18.08 A.J. Burnett, SP, FLA
In the 18th round, I have no problem taking (another) risk here. This is a high risk/high reward pick. Burnett has been compared to John Smoltz, hell, he may be the Marlins closer before the year is out, fine by me! Originally I had heard he could return by May, but now its looking like possibly around the all star break.
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| 43 | smartone
ID: 292331411
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 07:15
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18.09 Shigetoshi Hasegawa As my hitting was pretty well settled I continued to strengthen the stronger parts of my pitching stats by picking another set-up reliever with solid ERA/WHIP and a chance to grab a bunch of saves. Hasegawa will add another upside factor to my Saves category as I will be looking for a closer change in SEA sometimes in the season (sorry, Guru...). |
| 44 | Peter N.
Sustainer
ID: 17103420
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 09:40
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18.10 Kelvim Escobar
Escobar doesn’t have to worry about whether he will be a closer or a starting pitcher in Anaheim. He can now focus solely on being a starting pitcher. That wasn’t the situation for him in Toronto. In Anaheim, he has a powerful offensive lineup behind him. He also has strong relief. These circumstances put him in a favorable situation to succeed. His ERA and WHIP may go up some coming into the A.L. West, but he should contribute nicely to the Win and Strikeout categories.
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| 45 | Caper
Donor
ID: 1535108
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 10:44
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18.11 Cliff Lee-P-Cle
I selected the #3 starter on the Indians? This selection was about potential and K's. That is certainly something that can get you in trouble, but this kid is 25 years old and can strike people out. The Rotowire projections of 9W, 162K, 3.72ERA and 1.29WHIP are probably a little pie in the sky but I like Lee's upside and even if the stats slide a little from the projections, I think he is a good 18th round selection.
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| 46 | blue hen
ID: 331038201
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 10:58
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18.12 Oliver Perez, SP, Pit
Everybody already knows how I feel about Perez. I knew I was going to get him, but I didn't know exactly what round to get him in. By the time we got to the 18th round, I was getting scared. People were picking much lesser players, and I really wanted to avoid the embarassment of not getting Perez.
He went right after Cliff Lee and Kelvim Escobar, and right before Horacio Ramirez, Ben Sheets, and Jeff Weaver. Only Escobar has a shot at striking out more batters than Olly, and I would have taken him if he was still around. Perez has some lousy peripheral numbers, but he is also very young, and there are very few examples of players doing what Perez has done at his young age. In fact, at any age. A strikeout rate over 10 with 100 or more innings? A whole bunch of Randy, Pedro, Ryan, Koufax... and the best seasons of Gooden, Mike Scott, and other flameouts.
I already had Prior, who should lead the majors in strikeouts (if he leads his team), and team with Perez and Clemens, I should easily get a 16 in that category. |
| 47 | Mattinglyinthehall
Leader
ID: 1629107
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 11:04
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18.13 Horatio Ramirez - P - Atl
I was set on filling my CI spot here but when Burroughs and Choi went, Horatio became a higher priority than the next tier of CI. As some may have noticed I also wrote in a rationale for this player in another draft, Horatio will be the 4th rookie starter returning for his sophomore season in the Leo Mazzone rotation. Each of the other three - Steve Avery, Kevin Millwood and Odalis Perez - put up sophmore seasons that were superior to their rookie years.
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| 48 | Tosh
Sustainer
ID: 57721710
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 11:45
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18.14 Ben Sheets, P, MIL
I couldn’t believe I found an opening day starter here at the end of round 18. I had pondered him back at 16.14, but the lack of run support by his Milwaukee team (and the subsequent lack of wins), shied me away. I couldn’t pass this time around. He should give be very satisfactory numbers in the percentages and Ks, and maybe this will finally be the year he puts it all together.
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| 49 | beastiemiked
ID: 2601988
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 12:42
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18.15 Jeff Weaver, P, LA
Nothing like drafting a guy that has played 5 full season but has yet to have a record over .500 for one of those seasons. The only reason I think he's a decent fantasy option is because he pitches in LA. He could turn out to be a decent pitcher but this is one draft choice I'm not too happy about right now. He got rocked last year and is getting rocked in spring training. If I was grading my draft picks he'd be 'D' right now.
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| 50 | Slackjawed Yokel
ID: 48927711
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 13:39
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18.16 Brian Jordan, OF, Tex
Well, Jordan fits perfectly into my aging, injury-prone outfield. I didn't really realize it until now, but I seem to have gotten into a mode of populating my roster with veterans on the decline. But, this isn't a keeper league, and I know what I can expect out of Jordan when he is in the lineup. I wanted to get someone to fit into my Util slot that had OF eligibility so I'd also have a backup for Griffey. I expect solid power numbers out of Jordan particularly with his move to the hitters' haven at Arlington.
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| 51 | Slackjawed Yokel
ID: 48927711
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 13:40
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19.01 Brad Lidge, P, Hou
At this point, I've already got all the starting pitching I need, and anyone I add here will most likely be a detriment to my era and whip. I had a handful of setup guys that I was planning to pick from. This list included Lidge, Farnsworth, Donnelly, and Williamson. I half expected Donnelly to still be around in the next round, so I didn't pick him. I think Lidge has the most upside so I went with him; I'm sure having seen many a Cubs game that featured a Farnsworth implosion also had something to do with my decision. What each of these guys would give me is high K-IP ratio along with miniscule era and whip, which is exactly what I was looking for. I also expect Lidge to pick up a handful of saves as he will be taking over Dotel's role from last year.
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| 52 | beastiemiked
Sustainer
ID: 57721710
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 14:42
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19.02 Ted Lilly, SP, Tor
I'm a little surprised Lilly was still around in the 19th round. I guess people are scared because he hasn't pitched yet in spring training and he plays in a tough division. He's had some pretty solid numbers the past 2 years and had an exception post AS break campaign including 5 straight starts of giving up 1 run or less. I'm not looking for him to breakout this year but a slight improvement over his numbers last year wouldn't be out of the question.
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| 53 | Tosh
Sustainer
ID: 57721710
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 14:43
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19.03 Khalil Greene, SS, SD
In all my supposed knowledge of baseball, and all this time that I spend reading about players, somehow I knew little about this guy until a few weeks ago, when I picked up MoneyBall. He might end up in the minors to start the season, or maybe he’ll beat out the old man competing with him for the starting SS job in San Diego, and be a solid contributor at my middle infield slot. A low-risk high-reward pick in my opinion.
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| 54 | Mattinglyinthehall
ID: 330592710
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 16:28
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19.04 Travis Hafner, 1B, Cle
My previous hitter choice and also the ones that follow this pick reflect my preference to go with hitters with greater potential upside (and downside) at this point rather than take the safer route of selecting veterans with known limitations and more predictable production. The Indians think that Travis can develop into a high-OBP guy with power. I'd be thrilled with some partial development from him in 2004.
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| 55 | blue hen
ID: 330592710
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 16:29
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19.05 Kyle Farnsworth, RP, CHI
I had several players I was pondering: Gil Meche, Sidney Ponson, Tony Armas, Orlando Hudson, and my deepest sleeper, Jesse Crain (more on him later, of course). Even though I already had four relievers, Farnsworth stood out despite the fact that he probably won't get many saves in a suddenly deep Cubs bullpen.
Ponson didn't get enough strikeouts, Armas is always an injury factor, and Hudson and Meche while both quite good, weren't necessarily the "hot props" that I felt Farnsworth could be (and it made me feel good to see Donnelly go soon after). As it turns out, both Meche and Crain made it back to me. Sweet.
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| 56 | Caper
Leader
ID: 49346417
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 16:31
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19.06 Al Leiter, SP, NYM Leiter was chosen as a proven commodity to go with some of my riskier pitching options taken earlier. He was solid the second half of last year and is, supposedly, healthy now. He is projected to give 11W, 3.74ERA, 1.415WHIP with more than 1K per inning pitched. I would like to see the WHIP a little lower and a few more wins but I do like the K's. Leiter has been a very good starter when healthy and I am pleased to get him in the 19th round.
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| 57 | Peter N.
Leader
ID: 49346417
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 16:32
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19.07 Tony Armas, SP, Mon
Armas’ health problems are well documented. I’m drafting him here in hopes that this can be the year he stays healthy. The guy has unbelievable stuff. The only thing that has held him back has been injuries. Without question, this is a risky pick. However, at this point in the draft, I think its well worth the risk.
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| 58 | smartone
Leader
ID: 49346417
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 16:32
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19.08 Charles Johnson, C, Col
I needed a catcher and found a catcher, in the 19th round, that last year posted great OBP (.391) and SLG (.589) percentages with an adequate number of Runs and RBIs. The only problem is that he posted these numbers ONLY at home (Coors), in less than 200 ABs, so I gladly take these top-hitter numbers and mix/platoon them with another catcher to get a Posada-like numbers, wasting a bench-spot. Will Johnson repeat his last-year's Coors numbers? if so - I'll be happy.. if not, well, I'll end up with a weak hitting slot.
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| 59 | J
Leader
ID: 49346417
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 16:37
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19.09 Mark DeRosa, 2B,3B,SS, Atl
Ever since I skipped round 10 (ie - drafting Cristian Guzman is equivalent to skipping a round) I've been kinda worried about my SS spot. Living in Atlanta, and being a devoted Brave hater, I know that DeRosa has enough talent to be a decent everyday starter for the Braves. Seeing that he's available for all the important infield spots is a huge bonus!
I had my eye on Khalil Green for a while, because I remember him from his Clemson days and seeing him rip FSU apart in person, so I was just wondering how long I could wait on him...I waited too long, so I took a shot with DeRosa, who, I'm hoping is this years Marcus Giles, and I really think he can be!
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| 60 | jumpball
Donor
ID: 539581218
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 17:57
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19.10 Kris Benson
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| 61 | Species
Donor
ID: 539581218
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 17:58
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19.11 Frank Catalanotto
I had only a DH spot to fill in terms of position players and was not in a hurry......however, news of Trot Nixon's back problems prompted me to get a hitter earlier than I thought I would. Catalanotto is a pretty boring player, but he hits 2nd in front of some pretty menacing run producers in Vernon Wells and Carlos Delgado. He's consistently above .350 OBP and .470 SLG for OPS of .820 or better. I think Rotowire's runs scored projection is low, although they must've brought their projection down to (roughly) his 3-year average. Hitting 2nd for TOR should produce 85 runs if he's on base 35% of the time.
A boring pick who won't light up the SLG scoreboard, but a pick that doesn't really harm me.
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| 62 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 18:02
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19.12 Mark Grudzielanek, 2B, ChC
My list was in this order: Seo, Ponson, Lohse. So much for a list. Perhaps I should save some time and not even research until it gets right up on me. Grudz probably would have made it back. Don't like my picks so much lately, but Grudz is said to have the edge over Walker and has Baker's confidence. Since my pitching that I wanted was gone, I felt I had to take a MI here as my two starters are both hurt and questionable for opening day. No idea what this pick will bring me.
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| 63 | Guru
ID: 330592710
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 18:08
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19.13 Sidney Ponson, P, Bal
My overall strategy was to get 2 decent closers in the first 10 picks, and then to wait for awhile, filling up on quality relievers. My thinking was that, with 16 teams, quality relievers would have significant value. I wanted a lot of them, and if I waited until they started to be taken, I might have trouble accumulating as many as I wanted. I also thought that respectable starters would still be available late in the draft.
I’m not yet sure if I misjudged or not. We still haven’t really had a run on middle relievers, even though most of the top ones are gone by now. I was happy to get Wakefield, a decent starter, in the 17th round. But in the last round trip, a lot of the remaining starters that I had on my short list disappeared. In fact, I’ve probably had more short list casualties in the last 20 picks than I’ve had since the early rounds. And the caliber of remaining starters is clearly starting to wane. While I’m sure there are still some good starters out there, it may take a few months to discover who they are.
I thought I had plenty of decent starting options, with the following not-so-short list: Sheets, H. Ramirez, Cliff Lee, Weaver, Lilly, Leiter, Benson, Armas and Ponson – not necessarily in that order. Ponson wasn’t at the top of the list, however. Until now. He now is the list.
There are some worrisome signs for Ponson this spring. He reported to camp 15 pounds overweight. Two of his three starts so far have been bad. And he gets to pitch in the Orioles season opener against Pedro Martinez. Looks like he may start the season on my bench! Curiously, Fantasy Sports Magazine ranks him #38 among all starters – ahead of Clement, Harden, Odalis Perez, Wolf, Hampton, Livan Hernandez, …. I guess I’ll just assume that spring training stats are meant to be ignored.
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| 66 | Trip
Donor
ID: 13961611
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 19:09
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9.14 Sean Casey - 1B - Cin
Both of my primary corner infielders (Nevin & Lowell) have been in the news with injuries and with Casey and Burroughs I now have insurance should one of these players go down for a significant amount of time. That said, I would have taken Ponson with this pick had Guru not selected him right before me. I would be happy with his lifetime 162 game average of 84R, 91RBI, 2SB, .369 OBP, and .842SLG.
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| 67 | darkside
ID: 4218517
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 21:41
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19.15 Kyle Lohse - P - Min
Maybe my gut thinks too much of Lohse, but I seriously considered him with my last pick. Needless to say, I was surprised to see him still available. Still, it wasn't automatic that I took him...he's always had a high WHIP and ERA and Brenden Donnelly was still out there, so I gave him some thought too. But, Lohse has looked pretty good thus far in the spring and RotoWire talks about his adding a sinker which could drastically help his ERA (while it's only 9IP, it's only 2.00 in the spring). I'm glad I waited on him and don't think it's too much of a long shot to have taken him in the 19th round. However, if his WHIP and ERA don't show improvement I'll probably take that back.
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| 68 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 22:03
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19.16 Larry Bigbie - OF - BAL Really, what's not to like about him, especially in Round 19? He translated a 1.036 OBPS in AAA to a .821 OBPS in 83 games (287 AB) for BAL last year. Projected to a 550 AB season, last year's stats would have been: 82 R, 59 RBI, 13 SB. Going into the season as the starting LF, I think those numbers, and maybe even more, are possible. Although LOS is interested in him -- boy, wouldn't that just kill any value he has? -- it's a good sign that BAL would rather give up Jay Gibbons (sorry, darkside) who hit 80 R, 100 RBI, 0 SB, .456 SLG, .330 OBP last year. Hitting in a lineup that could include Javy, Palmeiro, Mora, and Tejada can't be all that bad and I'm hoping Bigbie will be spelled BIGbie by the time the season is over with. At least big enough for a 19th round pick.
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| 69 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Wed, Mar 17, 2004, 22:12
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20.01 Jae Weong Seo - P - NYM A one-time Mets prospect, he'll pitch half his games in the pitcher-friendly confines of Shea Stadium. The interesting thing is that he apparently needs to realize this. Last year, he had a worse ERA (4.43 to 3.25) and worse WHIP (1.43 to 1.11) at home compared to on the road. If he matches last year's 9-12, 3.82 ERA, 1.269 WHIP, 110 K, I'll be happy. However, I'm expecting much bigger things out of him. For the first 3 months of last year, Seo had a 3.08 ERA and 1.233 WHIP. If he can keep his walks down, like he did every other month last year, he could easily have a WHIP right at 1.200. The only downside to cutting down walks is that it seems to have the same effect on his strikeouts. Weird. I'm hoping for 12-15 wins and 125+ K's with an ERA in the 3.25 range and a WHIP in the 1.25 range. We'll see how that goes.
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| 70 | darkside
ID: 4218517
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 00:31
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20.02 David Wells - P - Sdg
It wasn't necessary for me to get Wells here. He's my 6th starter and I gave serious thought (again) to getting Donnelly. Donnelly would have helped my WHIP and ERA, but for some reason I expect good things out of Boomer this year. I think he has a lot to prove after his meltdown in the postseason last year. He's still got the back issues, but his having come into camp 30 lbs lighter is a good start to alleviating the injury problems. I can see myself regretting getting him as opposed to a middle reliever with good ratios, but I stuck with my first instinct and picked up a starting pitcher I thought would have a good year...15 wins, 120 SO and an ERA under 4.00 is something I think I can hope for.
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| 71 | Trip
Donor
ID: 13961611
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 01:01
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20.03 Luis Rivas - 2B - Min
Time to lock up my last batting position. I am a believer in the old fantasy adage that hitters are easier to gauge than pitchers when drafting. I did have Orlando Hudson projected higher in my rankings (4.33 to 3.26 - Soriano scored a 16.65), I drafted Rivas for his projected SB totals (21 vs 8) and these projections are the highest of the remaining ugly bunch of availables. Rivas could very well swipe 30 this year (31 in 2001) after coming off two injury plagued seasons. At 24 Rivas is also another in my large group of under 25'ers, and like the rest of this group, has significant upside.
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| 72 | Guru
ID: 330592710
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 08:51
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20.04 Orlando Hudson, 2B, Tor
The reason for picking up a middle infielder early in the draft is to avoid having to take someone like this. However, I just never found a compelling opportunity along the way, and then we got to the stage when there was no point in grabbing one before the last few rounds.
I was hoping to nab Luis Rivas with this pick, but Trip picked him right out from under my nose. Frankly, Rivas was no great shakes either, but he probably would have gotten a few steals. Consensus projections seem to be 59-58-6-.334-.414, but everything I read leads me to think those may be optimistic. Still, he’s only 25, so maybe he’s just on the verge of a breakout year. Yeah, breakout year – that’s the ticket!
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| 73 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 10:08
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20.05 Jeff Suppan, SP, StL
My list was in this order: Seo, Ponson, Lohse. So much for a list. Perhaps I should save some time and not even research until it gets right up on me. Suppan showed some flashes of what could be as a member of the Pirates. Unfortunately, his time in Boston wasn't very good. Now that he's back in the NL, I'm hoping he can get back to his NL stats. I'm short on pitching and to me this appeared to be my best pick.
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| 74 | Species
Leader
ID: 7724916
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 11:47
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20.06 Jon Lieber - SP - NYY
News of his recent groin injury likely scared many people away. While it nearly scared ME away as well, when I looked at the big picture and realized April is only 1 of 6 months of the year, I jumped at the chance to grab a starter from the Yankees.
Lieber hasn't pitched in a ML game since 2002. One helpful point, however, was that at least Lieber got into some minor league games at the tail end of 2003 - a la Eric Milton. So it's not as if Lieber didn't pitch at all last year. So far in spring he hadn't reported troubles with his arm, so I felt why not take a shot at a former 20-game winner who fits my most preferred profile?
1 - He's on a contending team
2 - He has a great bullpen behind him
3 - Has a great offense behind him
Schilling, Maddux, Clement and Milton all fit this basic profile as well. Admittedly the Cub offense isn't 'great', but by comparison in the NL it's very solid......and while the Cub pen isn't 'great', the trio of Borowski, Hawkins and Farnsworth are all solid. Anyway the two Cubs were close enough to my criteria! lol Schilling most definitely has a great offense and nice pen, anchored by Foulke. Milton also has a very solid offense (IMO, and by NL standards) and the addition of Billy Wagner as the closer solidifies Philly's pen immensely.
In round 20, to get a pitcher if Lieber's quality on what can be the highest scoring team in the league was worth the risks involved in his health. My thought was that he was only going to get 2-3 starts in April anyway, so his groin problem really doesn't cost me that much early on. It's mid-May through September that I hope to reap the rewards of this pick.
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| 81 | jumpball
ID: 330592710
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 15:36
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20.07 Tim Worrell
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| 82 | J
ID: 330592710
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 15:37
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20.08 Brendan Donnelly, RP, Ana
Donnelly was incredible last year, getting 79Ks in 74 innings with a 1.58ERA and a 1.07WHIP. If I can get anything close to resembling that, that makes him one of the top notch setup men available. Percival doesn't exactly like to stay healthy, so maybe he'll even get me a handful of saves if the job is up for grabs.
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| 83 | smartone
ID: 330592710
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 15:37
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20.09 Joe Randa, 3B, KC
Having Bonds and Jenkins on my regular team while building my team's strength mainly on offensive stats requires "offense insurance", so in the 20th round I picked the best available hitter out there (based on the projections) - Joe Randa. He has a decent Spring so far --but frankly speaking -- I hope to use him as little as possible...
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| 84 | Peter N.
ID: 330592710
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 15:38
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20.10 Wes Helms
I’ve got Helms penciled in as my CI. He is the definition of a streaky hitter. This, I hope, is the year he becomes a more consistent solid hitter. He does have job security in Milwaukee which should help him. He had some good stretches last year.
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| 85 | Caper
ID: 330592710
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 15:39
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20.11 J.C.Romero
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| 86 | blue hen
ID: 330592710
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 15:39
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20.12 Gil Meche, SP, SEA
As noted, I wanted Meche earlier and am very happy that he stuck around to this spot. He's almost the anti-Oliver Perez, a guy who is sure to do SOMETHING, but won't be a world beater. Perez, on the other hand, might strike out 300 batters.
Meche had a lot of injury problems early in his career, but seemed quite durable last year. Seattle's ballpark will help him, and Seattle's medical staff will help him as well. Meche rounds out a solid rotation for me.
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| 87 | Mattinglyinthehall
ID: 330592710
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 15:40
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20.13 Terrmell Sledge - OF – Mon
I sure hope at least a few of these young guys works out. From Rotowire, “Sledge ripped through Triple-A in 2003, ripped through the Arizona Fall League with Team USA, and kept right on ripping in winter ball.” OK so I’m not sure I’d want to have to sit next to him on the bus to Tacoma, but at every level in the minors he’s been an OBP stud and the other 4 categories have represented strongly as well.
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| 88 | Tosh
Sustainer
ID: 57721710
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 17:09
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20.14 Mark Kotsay, OF, OAK
If having one leadoff hitter is good, having four must be great! (I betcha’ I won’t win the RBI category). He’s coming off a couple injuries that limited him to 128 games last season, but is healthy so far, and is hitting that key age where a player really explodes (28). If he can get a bit of his power from two years ago back, and work on his OBP, he’ll be a decent 4 category outfielder find at the end of round 20.
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| 89 | beastiemiked
ID: 2601988
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 17:19
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20.15 Ben Grieve, OF, MIL
Grieve is my insurance policy for my oft injured outfield. I highly doubt Drew and Walker will go an entire season without being on the DL so I figured I needed a decent backup outfielder to fill in while they are gone. Grieve has never lived up to his hype nor his salary. Hopefully with a change of scenery to Milwaukee where he won't be expected to be great will be just what he needs. He's got a decent career OBP(.368) and Slg%(.444) so he won't be that much of a detriment to my team if he's has to fill in. There's also a very small chance he'll return to his numbers when he was on Oakland but I'm certainly not counting on that.
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| 90 | Slackjawed Yokel
Leader
ID: 52347519
Thu, Mar 18, 2004, 18:22
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20.16 Fernando Vina, 2b, Det
well, I needed a middle infielder. There was getting to be quite a shortage, and Vina is at least slotted to play everyday and has never had difficulty scoring runs in his career. I expect him to contribute with a dozen or so stolen bases and 70 runs, but that's about it.
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| 91 | Guru
ID: 330592710
Fri, Mar 19, 2004, 10:50
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Rationales for rounds 21-25
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