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Subject: 2010 PCL DRAFT RATIONALES

Posted by: judy - [9729212] Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 15:35

Time to figure out why we picked the players we did.

List picks first and then paragraphs to discuss.

Remember, do not mention players not yet picked!!

judy
ID: 9729212
Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 15:36

REMINDER DO THEM IN GROUPS OF FIVE -- SO ROUNDS #1
THROUGH #5 ARE DUE NOW!

judy
ID: 9729212
Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 15:39

NOTE: Picking 15th in the first round was really hard as players I really wanted
disappeared. However, I am pleased with my first pick.

1.15 Troy Tulowitzki SS COL
One of these years Troy will have a break out season and this could be it! He will be
batting 4th in the COL lineup and has power and good bat control. He plays on a good
team that made a nice run at the end of 2009 so there should be good chances for RBI
and Runs. Yahoo had him ranked 12th overall (batters only) and others (ranking all
positions) had him at #37, 20, 20, and 23. Tim Kirtchen of ESPN thinks that Tulo will
beat out Albert for NL MVP! That was good enough for me!

2.02 Matt Holiday OF STL
I always seem to struggle with my BAT STATS, so this year I am trying to line up guys
who will give me some OBP and SLG. Matt fits that bill. He came back to life after
being traded to STL. It is a powerful lineup and he will be in the middle of it. Yahoo
ranked him #18 overall and the others were: 20, 17, 21, 14. For being so far down the
draft list, I do like my first two picks to generate some positive Batting Stats for me.

3.15 Brandon Phillips 2B CIN
Once again I was looking for some batting stats and to fill an infield position, knowing
it would be a while between picks. I thought the 2B players fell off after the top few so
I needed to make a move here. I actually wanted Cano here for some power (He was
snatched by Toral in 2.10), but Phillips will be just fine and will add SB as well. He is
usually ranked the #4 2B. He could also have a break out year if he cuts down on his
K’s. Yahoo ranks him 35 overall, and the others had him at #30, 106 (!), 39 and 81.

4.02 Cliff Lee SP SEA
I am not too sure this was a good pick. I had Morales on top and changed my mind at
the last minute -- so as a result I will not have a power hitting 1B. (sigh). mjd
grabbed Morales with the next pick to rub salt into the wound!! Lee was our 9th
pitcher taken and I doubt he would have gotten back to me. I did want an elite SP and
after watching him here in Philly last year, he fit the bill. I sure wish we still had him!
($$$$) Yahoo has him as the #8 P (79 overall); the others weigh in (overall) at #25,
52, 46, and 68.

5.15 Raul Ibanez OF PHL
It was time for a Philly pick before they were all gone! I really wanted Werth but mjd
snatched him out of my grasp at 3.14. It sure is tough when folks know what team
you root for! If Raul repeats or even comes close to repeating his last year’s numbers, I
will be thrilled. He is healthy now, the hernia surgery totally rehabbed. I think Charlie
will be resting him in late innings, so that should keep him healthy as well. I am
hoping for good to great OBP and SLG numbers from him. He should also get to 100
RBI’s. Yahoo has him at #104 which I think is way too low! The others rank him at
#128, 124, 100 and NR (>100).

Adam
ID: 521581914
Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 15:54

1.8 – Evan Longoria - Was hoping Utley fell to 8th but didn’t happen. Took Longoria who will definitely be a R and RBI leader while helping SLG. Considered Wright instead as more of a 5 category contributor but his power outage scared me away. Also considered Mauer but the health questions factored in. I was risk-averse with this pick, as I need someone reliable.

2.9 – Dustin Pedroia - I had been eyeing Pedroia since missing out on Utley in Round 1 and knowing Kinsler would be gone when this pick came around. Beyond being my favorite player on my favorite team, he should be a huge source of R, with solid numbers in all other categories considering his position. The only other player I contemplated was Adrian Gonzalez.

3.8 – Jon Lester – I know this is a fanboy attitude, but I really think Lester could take home some hardware this year. He had some seriously dominating performances down the stretch last year. I considered Verlander and Johan as well but went with my rooting interests instead.

4.9 – Jonathan Papelbon – Red Sox with my last three picks. I probably reached for him a little early but he should give me a good base of Saves and help in ERA, WHIP, and K’s. I thought about Broxton who has better rate stats but, again, went with my rooting interest

5.8 – Nick Markakis – I guess I should rename my team something to do with the AL East because I’m now 5 for 5. Perhaps it’s because I watch this division more than any other. I am bullish on Markakis this year after a “down” year last year. I’m hoping for R and RBI totals over 90 in an offense that should be better than last years. Also looking for an uptick in OBP and SLG from 2009.

youngroman
Donor
ID: 02934823
Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 15:59

pick selection
I had not prepared myself for the draft, so I looked through some rankings and saw that there was not much value to lose after the first few picks. I had to pick early, but not early enough. so I picked #13. this should give me a better player in round 2. I thought of picking even later, but I like to have a few spots between my picks, so #13 is just right.

1.13 Miguel Cabrera, 1B, DET
thought about Matt Kemp and Miguel Cabrera. I like the consistency of Cabrera and this is the only reason I picked him. both players play at a position with huge depth, so this is not a sexy pick, but who cares. you don't win leagues because of your first few picks, so you need the ones that get it done every year.

2.04 Carl Crawford, OF, TB
I was never a fan of a player that only gets drafted for one category. but this is exactly what Crawford is. I can only hope that he still gets his share of steals, otherwise I am screwed.
I really liked Tulowitzki or Kinsler here, but both were gone. Kinsler the pick before. I am already regretting select 13th. 14th would have been better.
in my opinion: Kemp + Kinsler > Cabrera + Crawford

3.13 Adam Lind, OF, TOR
I thought about adding a MI here. candidates were Brandon Phillips, Aaron Hill and Brian Roberts. I think one of them may make it back to me, so I am searching for another power guy. Lind is some sort of a risky pick because he had his breakout last season and you never know if he can produce at the same level again or even raise it. I think he can do even better than last year.
I also thought about Brian McCann, but felt that it was too early for a catcher who usually plays below 140 games. there are plenty playable options left.

4.04 Aaron Hill, 2B, TOR
Hill was still there so he is mine. finding good MI's is always a pain. I like Hill's power compared to most other 2B. I see not much difference between Kinsler and him and Kinsler was picked 2 rounds earlier. I like this pick.

5.13 Chris Carpenter, SP, STL
looks like all the available hitters are pretty similar. none of them looks far better than the others. so I looked at the other side of the ball. and there stood Carpenter. I really liked Johan Santana, but I was again too late. Carpenter is the next best thing. he was great last season, missed only April because of an injury and looked good the rest of the way. I expect the same this year. nice value if he will be that good again.

summary rounds 1-5
I went a different path than I wanted to. I never draft pitchers early. they are so hard to predict. hitters are usually the safer pick. that is what I did in rounds 1-4. taking a starting pitcher in round 5 is unusual for me. I tend to take a closer as my first pitcher. not this year. we will see if I get some valuable ones in the next few rounds. surprised that the closer run wasn't started yet.

Valkyrie
ID: 210563113
Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 17:11

Picking at the end of a 16 teamer one can only react not plan. I seem to be getting quite a lot of these late round slots recently.

1.16 Teixera, 1B, NYY
2.1 Ellsbury, OF, Bost

This pair represents value picks from what was left. Teixera provides power, 100 runs and 100 rbi's
Ellsbury is projected as the top base stealer and I always have trouble filling my speed requirements.

3.16 Brian Roberts, 2B, Balt
4.1 McCann, C, Atl

Well I really wanted Sandoval, Mourneau or Phillips- it is completely uncanny how you empty my queues.... I love Roberts and usually have him every year. I am afraid of his back trouble and the fact that he is thought to be aging rapidly but as a geriatric myself I will gamble that his 33 year old body (seems young to me?) will hold up and provide runs, steals and decent averages and as the 6th 2B taken at a rapidly depleting position I couldn't pass him up.
The McCann pick may have been a little early but as the last top flight Catcher and one who bats clean up for a decent team and should provide 100 RBI's even in the NL I took him 49th. I seriously considered taking Reyes here but didn't want to risk my whole season on keeping both Roberts and Reyes healthy- besides I have no idea how a hashimoto (overactive) thyroid along with his other annual ailments effects pro athletes?

5.16 Bill Butler, 1B, KC
6.1 Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pitt

I am going to cheat here and cover 6.1 as well since I am picking them in pairs. I have no natural segregation at round 5.

Again I thought I was in really good shape by pick 5.7 or 5.8 but then Markakis, Rivera, Jones, Reyes and Carpenter were snatched off my queue and I was left scrambling.
Butler is young, provides good power and rbi potential and has been improving. I have hopes for a 100 rbi year from him.
McCutchen is a real gamble for me, like Butler he is very young, plays for a bad team, and I passed up a lot of more established players for him. With McCutchen I am hoping for a decent average some steals and 80-90 runs scored.
Mostly I considered pitching options here and would have taken Carpenter or Rivera had they been available but no other pitching option seemed compelling. Actually I didn't expect to lose all 5 of my targets and this pick turned into a back up plan. At least i think I am covered for steals for the rest of the draft.

Electroman
ID: 565182111
Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 17:59

1.03 Alex Rodriguez, 3B, NYY
Why did I pick the third slot? It was available. I thought about #8, it would be right in the middle of each round, but the chance to get A-Rod made me pick 3rd. A-Rod was a beast last year coming back from his injury, and he carried that into the post-season. I see no reason for him to decline this year. No real pressure, just perform like he always has. Good cornerstone for my roster.
2.14 C.C. Sabathia, SP, NYY
I wanted to have a top 5 SP on my staff, and if I would have waited, I would never have landed one. Had a toss up between him and King Felix, but I like the track record of C.C. as opposed to one year of success with Hernandez. I don’t see him and the Yankees dropping off too much this year(much to my chagrin). Like A-Rod, he should be a good cornerstone for my pitchers.
3.03 Curtis Granderson, OF, NYY
I am sensing a trend, but they have a loaded roster, so might as well pick Yankees. Granderson should cross home plate a whole lot this year with the guys hitting behind him. He had some nice numbers in a pitchers park, so I imagine there shouldn’t be much of a drop off, but with the band box the Yanks play in, he could have a great year. 30/30???
4.14 Jason Bartlett, SS, TB
Not a Yankee, but he is AL East;) When you pick at either end of the draft, you have to make a stretch on a guy that you may not think has the value of the round, since it is a while before it gets back to you. Could that be said of that pick? Maybe. But he is solid nonetheless. Had a breakout year last year, and I would expect him to keep it up. My last 2 picks have been more about runs and SB, as I feel that power hitters are a little easier to come by than players that get driven in and advance. TB is great at stealing bases, so I expect him to be swiping as many if not more this year.
5.03 Jonathan Broxton, RP, LA
Had in mind taking an OF this pick, but decided to go with a reliever. Broxton had an amazing season last year. He was one of the easier picks outside of A-Rod one. No brainer IMO. Not much more to say about this one.

mjd
Leader
ID: 501381415
Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 18:19

The draft slot pick
Drawing the #15 slot meant that I really would not be picking
my slot. I’d be stuck with one of the last 2 slots available. The
best I could hope for was what happened-someone picking
before me wanted to pick at the turn, so I moved up one slot to
14th. Tough to have a planned strategy from there, so I have no
plan. I’ll do my due diligence by following the latest news as far
as Spring Training injuries and position battles. Basically see if
someone I have ranked higher falls to me and wing it with gut
feelings when in doubt. Picking between Judy and YR should be
interesting. See how many players we can steal from each other.
1.14 Matt Kemp, OF, LAD
WOW, it’s happened already. I had Kemp ranked just outside the
top 5 players overall. Just 4 HR short of 30/30 in 09, I believe it
will happen this year. Love that combo of power and speed. I
was prepared to take Tulo, but the earlier picks of 2 SP
somewhat shuffled the first round, at least IMO. I believe Kemp
has MVP potential. Let’s hope it’s this season.
2.03 Ian Kinsler, 2B, TEX
The only 30/30 player in all of MLB last year, despite having only
played 144 games due to injuries. It does not look like he’ll hit
out of the leadoff position this year, but this should not slow
him down and hopefully will lead to more RBIs. Power and speed,
baby, power and speed. No other viable options at this pick.
Had to have a top tier MI here. Kinsler has been one of my
favorite players for a few years now. Picked him in the first
round in this very same league last year. Kinda surprised that
Judy didn’t grab him at 2.02. She’s fully aware of my mancrush
and had he not been available, I’d have been stuck with 2 OF in
my first 2 picks, which would have been problematic, given all
the decent OF talent that should be available in later rounds.
3.14 Jayson Werth, OF, PHIL
Thinking about a SP here, but Verlander was the target who Nerf
grabbed at 3.12. No problem though, I don’t usually fair well
picking pitchers this early in the RIBC format, so I’ll stay the
course with power and speed by taking another should be 20/20
or better guy. Plus, given Judy’s 2 picks before my next turn, it’s
doubtful that he’ll make it back to me.
4.03Kendry Morales, 1B, LAA
Just noticed that 11 1B, traditionally a power position, were off
the board. Figured Morales was good value here. High potential
for nice stats in 4/5 hitting cats. Plus I had him ranked in the
top ten at 1B. Bonus that Judy second guessed herself here,
because she’s killing me in another draft that we’re in together.
5.14 Ian Stewart, 2B, 3B, COL
Slim Pickins at the hot corner if you miss out early IMO. Stewart
has the 3B job wrapped up in Colorado, but it remains to be
seen if he can hit LHP. If not, he’ll be in a platoon situation and
I’ll be scrambling for a viable alternative. Hopefully this won’t be
an issue and he’ll provide me with some additional 2B/MI depth
if/when my other Ian gets injured.

Bags
ID: 36716159
Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 19:17

I could have taken pick except the first two. I decided after Pujols and Ramirez the next three could go in any order. I really couldn’t decide who I wanted to draft between A-Rod, Utley, and Braun. I took the 5th spot to give myself a little better pick on the way back up.

1.05 Ryan Braun, OF, MIL
So my strategy was to let picks three and four choose and I would take who was left. To be honest if I had to make a choice at pick three I would have chosen Braun. I like that he is a young player just reaching his prime who will provide a good base for all five categories.

2.12 Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, SDG
Adrian was my second choice as Youkilis was taken just ahead of me. I wanted a good power hitting 1B. I think if he is traded this year Adrian will produce like a top 5 1B.

3.05 Derek Jeter, SS, NYY
Tough choice for me here, I liked the production that Zobrist could give but wasn’t sure if he could repeat from last year. Jeter is a steady and proven but could start to decline in his numbers. Decided to play it safe and go with the proven veteran.

4.12 Derrek Lee, UTL, CHI
I always end up liking the team that has two RBI/SLG corner infielders. This year I wanted to have good hitting CI’s. Lee is getting up there in age but should still be a good run producing 1B.

5.05 Rickie Weeks, 2B, MIL
I really wanted Ugula with this pick. By not getting Ugula I might have panicked a bit and reached for a 2B here. It’s not that I don’t like Weeks; I just think I might have been able to get him later. Oh well.

Graydog
ID: 501571816
Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 21:05

1.04 – Chase Utley, 4th pick it was a toss up between Utley and Braun, would have taken 5th pick instead of 4th if I had the option. Ultimately went with Utley because he has been so consistent and plays position number 4.

2.13 – Joey Votto, set a queue of Gonzalez, Votto and Youkilis. Votto fell to me, wanted the best slugger available regardless of position.

3.04 Felix Hernandez, debated about taking a SS but thought that Hernandez was good value here. Also wanted one ace pitcher and being near the start of the draft didn’t think one would fall to me in round 4.

4.13 Nelson Cruz, wanted Shin-Soo Choo but he went two picks before. I see some upside here for a guy who plays on a great hitting team in a great hitters park. I think he’ll hit 6th to start but is a Hamilton/Vlad/Kinsler injury or Borbon struggle to move up in the order. Could be a OBP liability but should help SLG to make up for it.

5.04 Dan Uggla, I’m surprised I made this pick because I already have Utley. On the positive side I shouldn’t be struggling to find an MI who doesn’t kill me in one category or another. For some reason Uggla seems to find his way onto a lot of my teams, especially in non-batting-average leagues.

Nerfherders
ID: 310111515
Tue, Mar 16, 2010, 11:02

I didnt have much choice in my draft position at #13 so I took the best available. My goal was to get David Wright at this pick but...

1.12 Ryan Howard, 1b Phi Wright was taken the pick before mine. I honestly thought *I* was going to take him earlier than anyone expected. Alas... Howard is a consistent slugger and hardly ever comes out of the lineup. A pretty safe pick but no real game changer.

2.05 Grady Sizemore, OF CLE I have him rated pretty high on my sheets and I think he will easily bounce back from his injury plagued 2009 campaign. A 5-tool fantasy player, always a solid pick in the 2nd round.

3.12 Justin Verlander, SP DET I was hoping one of Sandoval or Youk would fall this far but it didnt happen, so I went to my usual strategy of taking a SP in the 3rd round. Verlander is one of the best and I took him right in line as far as pitchers were going. I thought about taking Figgins here but gambled he would be around in 4th.

4.05 Chone Figgins, 3B SEA And he was! I got a 3B who will provide what Figgins always provides, and the bonus would be potential 2B elegibility, which lead to my next pick...

5.12 Chipper Jones, 3B ATL I was itching to get a pitcher here but there were ALOT pitchers available and I decided to wait. I took Chipper, hoping Figgins would move to 2B, and even if not, I have CI handled. I know Chipper is always an injury risk, but his percentages are not to be ignored at this point in a draft. Besides this, he is my favorite player and I haven't owned him in fantasy for years.

Toral
ID: 4155487
Tue, Mar 16, 2010, 12:37

0.06 Draft position 7

Picking 6th, taking a look at the second tier of players, I figured I could get one picking 7th; after that I could have gone as low as 14th.

1.07 Tim Lincecum, SP, SF

Whoops, something went wrong. As my pick approached, looking at the possibilities I decided that there was only an obvious top 4, and the guys I had thought of as being in a top 7 all had question marks. Joe Mauer laps the field at catcher, but how many games can be be counted on for? Everyone says that David Wright should come back, but no one seems to know what went wrong, so how do we know that? Carl Crawford stole 44 of his 60 bases last year before the break; is he a real .350+ OBP guy?

I don't like picking pitchers in the 1st round because of their unpredictability and injury risk, but in this particular circumstance, Tim Lincecum would appear to have the best combination of value and risk available. Fantasy Baseball Index makes him its overall #1 pick. Rotoworld for this format projects him as #2 after Pujols. There's nothing in his age or peripheral stats --BAPIP, imputed ERA etc. -- creating any doubt. The Giants should be better, allowing him to shoot for 20 wins. Compared to the rest available, I'll take my chances with Lincecum.

2.10 Robinson Cano, 2B, NYY

I had heard about Jose Reyes' thyroid problem but the last word was that it was nothing serious when I put him in my queue. Later I turned on the television and saw that Rogers Sportsnet, which was supposed to be showing a Yankees game, had switched to a Met game when the Yankees were rained out. The crew was moaning about the terrible news on Reyes -- out indefinitely, out 4-8 weeks, can't do anything strenous during this period so who knows what shape he'll be in when he comes back -- and realized that Reyes was probably at the top of my queue. I hustled over to Kafenatid and saw I was up, then rushed to make my queue unavailable. Whew!

Dustin Pedroia, who had been after Reyes in the queue, was taken right before me. I guess that qualifies as a player being snatched right before my turn, so that's #1 for this season. I like to pick a MI of some kind early where there's one with any kind of value, as it can get kind of miserable where you're scrambling for 2 MIs late. The two I was looking at were Cano and Brandon Phillips, who isn't the hitter but brings some stolen bases to the table. He's 27 and is projected by PECOTA (BP's projection system) as .343/.493 103-85. FBI has him about the same. I'll get that MI bat in place while I have a chance.

3.07 Jason Bay, OF, NYM

Feel a little queasy about waiting too long for corner infielders, but the top talent available here belongs to outfielders. Bay is at the top of the list; hoping for .380/.532 with around 100 runs and RBIs. He is 31, and PECOTA projects a fall to .475 SLG, but I think that's way off. He's monly slugged below .520 once in his career, and has been deadly consistent the last 3 years. 10 steals would be nice. I was also looking at people like Markakis and B. J. Upton here, but I suspect both are underrated and one might even be around for me next round.

4.10 B. J. Upton, OF, Tam

Sure enough, there he is. This is a bit of a gamble, obviously. With better health he should rebound at least and is a serious breakout candidate. Looking for 40 steals and an OPS of...could he go .850 again? The 35 or 40 steals will help out. My top 3 picks are as consistent as you get; time for a bit of speculation.

5.07 Lance Berkman, 1B, Hou

The absence of slugging CIs is getting a little noticeable now; luckily there's just one left, the only problem being that he's 34 and has health issues. He should put up something around .400/.500 while he's playing; the question is how much he plays. The arthoscopic surgery is supposed to have him out 2 to 4 weeks. Let's hope he can put up 525+ PAs this year; obviously I'll need a backup option for the time(s) he's on the DL. My biggest worry is not the DL but that he gets into a day-to-day thing where you're never sure whether he's playing or not.

Judy did indeed get quite a steal with Phillips at 3.15.

Bean
ID: 577331923
Sat, Mar 20, 2010, 18:08

1.09 Joe Mauer, C, MIN

Sure he doesn't match up stats wise with others that were available. However, he is head and shoulders above everyone else at his position. He is also a rare catcher that plays nearly everyday.

2.08 Zack Greinke, SP, KC

Wanted an ace. He was the guy I liked. Great in all four SP cats.

3.09 Mark Reynolds, 1B/3B, ARI

Wanted a power guy, hope he repeats last year's performance.

4.08 Ichiro Suzuki, OF, SEA

Yeah I've heard all the money-ball and Figgins arguments against him....took him anyway.

5.09 Jose Reyes, SS, NYM

Massive gamble pick but he was a top ten guy from last year's draft. If he comes back fast and returns to 2008 level of play, you'll all be calling me a genius.

judy
Leader
ID: 7771722
Sat, Mar 20, 2010, 21:29

6.02 Michael Young 3B TEX

Don’t tell Michael that I really wanted Aramis Ramirez (Tax), Figgins (nerf) for his all around goodness and SB,
and then next I wanted Stewart (mjd), but they were all snatched from me. SO I settled for Michael and he
will be fine at the hot corner. I am trying to build a batter lineup that gets me out of last place for OBP and
SLG and this pick should help. Two sites ranked him the #8 or #10 3B, but in our RIBC here, he was the
#12th taken so I guess I was lucky to get him.

7.15 Michael Cuddyer 1B/OF MIN

After I messed up the Morales pick for a hitting 1B, I felt I needed to make a move here. Although Cuddyer is
mostly an OF, he is 1B eligible in Yahoo, so I took him. He was the 15th 1B taken, so I was hurting to get a
decent one, even if he never plays at inning at the position! Most of the slugging 1B were long gone. I don’t
think he will bring down my OBP or SLG, so he’ll be just fine. He completes my starting infield -- with
Phillips, Tulo and Young. I think I’ve got some decent hitters.

8.02 Shane Victorino OF PHL

Gotta have a Phillie and he was the last starting OF left! He will bat 7th this year so should see an increase in
RBI, but a possible decrease in R. He is planning to increase his SB as well. He’s a pretty steady performer
and should not hurt the OBP/SLG either. He was the 28th OF we drafted and most of the power guys were
long gone, so I opted for steadiness and SB/RBI/R.

9.14 Brad Lidge RP PHL

At this point, 20 RP /closers had been taken so I felt it was time for a move. I was thrilled when mjd did not
bite on him!! I think his medical issues are fixed and am hoping for a great year from him. He also is
working on a pick off move to prevent all those stolen bases -- last year if you got on base, you stole second
on him 100%. Gotta change that!! He’ll probably start the year on the DL, but should be off it within two
weeks. That’s fine.

10.02 AJ Happ SP PHL

Wow I just realized that I took 3 Phillies in this set and now have 4 over all. I probably could have waited on
Happ as I suspect that he is not that well known outside of Philly and is ranked pretty low on the charts I use.
But he is a dependable, confident and able third SP for the Phillies. I was also concerend that mjd might take
him while I waited the 28 spots for my next pick! He was the 28th SP that we took, which is a bit early
especially as I look (in round 15) at the number of quality SP still available. Oh well -- I like my Phillies
(obviously -- just like I like my Iggles during football season!) and I certainly do not think he will hurt my
team at all.

Bean
ID: 577331923
Sun, Mar 21, 2010, 00:54

Wish I had done this as it went along. Cant remember all of my flawed thinking. Anyway, here goes.

6.08 Bobby Abreu, OF, LAA

Highly rated guy, not sure why he was still on the board when he was. Have I missed something?

7.09 Javier Vasquez, SP, NYY

Thought it was about time to take another SP. I know that some of his 2009 stats will decline moving to the big apple, but wouldnt you expect more wins with Rivera and the Yankee lineup?

8.08 Miguel Tejada, SS/3B, BAL

He'll be the orioles starting 3B this year but Yahoo has him listed as SS. In any case this was a panic pick that I wish I had to do over again. My only MI was Reyes and there wasnt much out there.

9.09 Ryan Franklin, RP, STL

With the run on RPs, I needed to get someone decent before they were all gone. Hope I can get a waiver injury replacement guy during the season to pick up some more saves.

10.08 Carlos Gonzalez, OF, COL

I live across the street from Skysox Stadium (Rockies AAA). Gonzalez was the man on that roster until he got called up mid-season last year, so he is a favorite of mine who I didnt think would last another round. He is projected to start, but there are four options for the Rockies outfield. If he gets twice the production from twice the ABs this year, I will be very satisfied with this pick.

Bags
ID: 36716159
Sun, Mar 21, 2010, 09:51

6.12 Josh Johnson, SP, FLA
My plan all along was to not draft any pitcher until the 6th or 7th round. Most of the sites I have read have him ranked as a tier 3 guy, just out of the top 10. He definitely has the stuff to move into the top 10. Should be a good foundation and help out in 4 of the 5 pitching categories.

7.05 Gordon Beckham, 3B, CWS
I thought about taking another pitcher here (Kershaw or Hamels). The lack of quality 3B forced me to go with Beckham here. Young and Beckham were my “I don’t want to get stuck with a 3B ranked lower than these guys.” I kind of felt lucky to get Beckham because Young went 19 picks ago. Beckham will also be eligible at 2B at sometime so that will give me some nice flexibility should I find another 3B.

8.12 Jose Valverde, RP, DET
I drafted Valverde in the middle of a little closer run. Between the 8th and 9th rounds 13 closers were taken. I feel Valverde will be just as good as any of those 13 taken. He will be playing for a contending team who should provide plenty of save opportunities.

9.05 Ricky Nolasco, SP, FLA
I definitely wanted a pitcher here. I probably should have gone with a closer. My thinking here was to find a guy who could give me close to 200 strikeouts. Nolasco had an ERA of 5.06 last year but pitched much better in the second half. So far he’s picked up where he left off at the end of last season, striking out 18 in 14 innings this spring.

10.12 Jason Kubel, OF, MIN
I haven’t drafted an OF since my first pick. I thought Kuble provided nice value for a guy who could get close to 100 RBI, provide a .500+ SLG, and close to a .360 OBP. The only downside I see with him is that he can’t hit lefties and could get put into a platoon.

Graydog
ID: 501571816
Sun, Mar 21, 2010, 13:17

6.13 Asdrubal Cabrera
I thought the only two relatively safe SS left were Asdrubal and Yunel, unless. I didn’t think either of them would make it to me in round 7. I read that the Indians may try Asdrubal in the leadoff spot which should increase his runs and Sbs.

7.04 Todd Helton
Hopefully the old man has one more good year in him. Wont have a slugging north of 500 anymore but I’ll take anything over 450 with an OBP around 400. I thought I had to get a guy to boost my OBP here. Thought about a number of outfielders who would have provided more power, but decided Helton’s home park, batting order position and 25 LD% made the better choice.

8.13 Brad Hawpe
I really hoped that Kershaw would slip to here but he was taken earlier in the round, I figured I could wait for my next group of pitchers so I decided to take a consistent bat. Hawpe’s career 377 OBP and 498 SLG are hopefully close to the return I will get with plus RBI totals. Obviously playing in Colorado helps but his career numbers are similar home and away. Hopefully my roster is deep enough that I can bench him if I need to against tough lefties on the road.

9.04 Carlos Marmol
I really wanted to take Nolasco here (of course right after my pick I saw that Dallashomer had him in his queue). I also saw a run of closers happening and wanted to make sure I had one somewhat solid option at RP. I usually jump in for a closer when about one per team (fantasy league team not MLB) has been drafted so it was a spot for me to take a closer. Still thinking nolasco would probably have been the better option.

10.13 Julio Borbon
Unbelievable – I had Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler, Carlos Beltran and Jason Kubel in my queue and they all went in the 6 picks before mine. Im not overly happy or confident with this pick in hindsight. On the plus side if he manages to stick in as an everyday player he should provide me the steals I need to stay competitive in that category and help in runs.

Electroman
ID: 565182111
Sun, Mar 21, 2010, 14:43

6.14 Joshua Hamilton, OF, Tex
I wanted to get a power bat at this position. I was actually surprised that Hamilton was still here. He was first round material last year, but I guess his injuries scared people away, and those that had him last year were upset with him. I could have regretted letting him get by me here, because he is able to outperform his draft slot. I guess that he would fall into the category of high risk/reward, but I think that he is worth it.
7.03 Jake Peavy, SP, CWS
Had this spot slated for a SP, and like my previous pick, I was tempted by the history of Peavy. He has been solid during his career, but last year was injured, so that hurt his stock. He should bounce back, and as a #2 fantasy starter, he has the capacity to give you #1 numbers. I have a feeling that these 2 picks (6th and 7th round) could make or break my team.
8.14 James Loney, 1B, LAD
Thought that is was about time to get a first baseman. Pretty much all the sexy names had gone off the list, so I had to sift through who was left. I had picked up Loney last year off waivers, and he did a nice job for me. His last two years have pretty much been carbon copies stats wise, with improvement in a few areas last year. So I guess you know what you are going to get. I also expect someone to come out of nowhere and possibly be able to help out at this position.
9.03 Brian Fuentes, RP, LAA
Was looking at adding a bat here, and basically lined up my queue to pick one. I was going to pick through my BB, but I got logged out of Kafenatid and couldn’t remember if I had the same password, and I was going to be home in about an hour of being on the clock. That made me be able to look over who was taken and available, and I decided to go RP here. Had Marmol lined up, then I put a search in for Fuentes. He was available, to my surprise. I grabbed him knowing that I would not be able to get a RP like him some 25 picks later. Solid #2 RP.
10.14 Kurt Suzuki, C, Oak
I was looking here for a either a C or 2B here. I had Polanco with my cursor on the draft player button for the last 2 rounds, and here again I was looking at him. I was hoping that he would drop to round 12 or something, but he didn’t (went 11.13). So on with my pick. I figured that Suzuki was in the second third tier of catcher, and I didn’t want to drop much off that. He hits in the middle of the lineup, so that should give him shots at RBI’s and runs.

Electroman
ID: 565182111
Sun, Mar 21, 2010, 15:31

11.03 Vernon Wells, OF, Tor
Figured I might as well have one of the players of “Canada’s Team” on my roster, since I am in Canada. Yeah right, they are Toronto’s team, everybody hates Toronto, but that is not the point. I decided to go OF here before some of the quality players that could be a #2 OF were off the board. I am banking on a bounce back season. He has shown that he can be a power hitter and they are giving him the chance penciling him in as the cleanup hitter. If he does, this could be a nice pick.
12.14 Kerry Wood, RP, Cle
As I write this, it has already been announce that he will miss 6-8 weeks with a back strain. I knew that he was injured when I picked him, but he had said if it was regular season, he would be pitching. Well, when his baseball career is over, he should go on a poker tour, because I went all in. I saw that most of the established closers were gone, and what was left was competition. I am pretty set at closer, so it shouldn’t hurt too much, and I doubt that he will lose his job. So all in all, I figure that it should be ok with him on the bench to start the season.
13.03 Clint Barmes, 2B, Col
Well, it was time to pick a 2B, and my top choices were already gone. Barmes is a power hitting 2B, and that seems to be it. I think that he has eligibility at SS too, so that could be a plus. This was a settle pick we could say.
14.14 Scott Kazmir, SP, LAA
I am happy with this pick. I had my eye on him the last couple of rounds. In retrospect, 2 picks earlier would have been ideal, but what can you do. He was pretty good after his trade to the Angels last year. I think I read that his ERA was 1.76. He strikes out a lot of batters too. He has been around long enough too that you forget that he is only 26, which would be coming into his prime. He has shown that he can be really good, just need him to not have many injury concerns.
15.03 Luke Scott, OF, Balt
Rounding off my line up, I want guys that I know pretty much what I am going to get. I think that Scott is one of those guys. He was pretty consistent the last two years. I have read that the Orioles are gonna try to be sure that he gets his at bats, so he could be playing DH also a bit. Decent power guy, gonna drive in some runs and cross the plate too. Good #4 OF.

Bean
ID: 577331923
Sun, Mar 21, 2010, 17:07

11.09 Jair Jurjens, SP, ATL

Really wanted to get another closer, nothing worthwhile left. Jurjens was a little low on Ks, but I like him for the other stats. Hope he repeats last year’s performance. I figure my starting pitching staff with Greinke and Vasquez will be hard to match for WHIP and ERA now.

12.08 Adam Kennedy, 2B/3B, WAS

Desperately needed a 2B. Nothing but crap left. Kennedy has a history of good performance. Read he would start somewhere, that may not happen now. With Reyes injury and Kennedy not starting, I may be really hurting at MI.

13.09 Garrett Jones, OF/IB, PIT

Should be starting this year in OF, but is 1B eligible in Yahoo. I need more power. Project his 2009 stats to a full season starting, and he aint bad at 13th.
AB:314; R:45; RBI:44; SB:10; OBP:0.372; SLG:0.567

14.08 Drew Stubbs, OF, CIN

Should be starting this year in OF. Reds are high on him. Maybe I was high when I took him. In any case, if he performs like last year, his SBs (I figure 30+) added to my other players should be hard to match.

15.09 Kyle Blanks, OF, SD

It sounds like manager Bud Black is expecting a lot from Banks, as he is committed to having the converted first baseman hit right behind Adrian Gonzalez for the foreseeable future, the San Diego union Tribune reports. (Rotowire.com)
.514 SLG last year, 10 HRs in 148 ABs.

Taxman
SuperDude
ID: 029463114
Sun, Mar 21, 2010, 17:49

Better late than never.

Having 2nd choice in slot picking opted for #2 figuring I would get a chance to grab a player off of Coldwater's queue on even numbered rounds and stay the hell away from dror who has relentlessly robbed my queue blind for several RIBC seasons.

1.2 Hanley Ramirez, SS, FLA I wanted to grab a top SS which I historically put off until Mario Mendoza (as in the Mendoza Line) is the only SS left. The consensus 2nd draft choice in most leagues and a 5 category player who has yet to suffer an off year. He solves a third of that pesky 2nd/MI/SS hole that kills many of my RIBC teams.

2.15 Adam Dunn, 1B/OF, WAS Not a great pick for 31st pick of draft, but, no big boppers left that don't kill you on OBA, a Dunn long suit. Besides producing quality OBA, SLG, @100 RBI and @ 100 Runs, Dunn provides flexibility qualifing at 1st and OF.

3.2 Victor Martinez, C/1B, BOS Another pesky position addressed early with Boston's Catcher (also qualified @ 1st) slated to bat in heart of Boston's potent offense should produce 85 Runs and 100 RBI's with quality OBA and SLG numbers.

4.15 Aramis Ramirez, 3B, CHC Plan was to grab an SP at this pick, but instead rolled the dice on oft injured heavy hitting Cubbie 3rd baseman. If full season healthy, I'm projecting .500+ SLG, .460+ OBA, 115 RBI's and 90 Runs. Health problems showed up a few days after I drafted him rendering this pick questionable. Wish I had a do over here.

5.2 Manny Ramirez, OF, LAD Can't believe the big guy is still hanging around after 65 picks. With him on board, I have become team Ramirez. I understand the age and attitude warts, but this guy can put up huge numbers when right and has avoided injuries. He is a reasonable gamble to produce 100/100 RBI/Run, .550+ SLG and .400+ OBA season. He could be the steal of the draft..or a truly unfortunate draft pick.

mjd
Leader
ID: 501381415
Sun, Mar 21, 2010, 21:09

6.03Yovani Gallardo, SP, MIL
I’m feeling fairly comfortable with coverage of hitting stats, so
I’ll dip my toe into his fairly deep tier of SP. I could have chosen
several here, but chose Gallardo because of his high K numbers
and hopefully the high powered Brew Crew can garner me some
Ws. Percentages should be decent, too.

7.14 Hunter Pence, OF, HOU
Needed another OF in this slot and Pence was my target. Pence
hit a bit of a plateau last year, putting up 5x5 numbers oddly
similar to his '08 performance. He did show improved patience
at the plate last year, something that won’t hurt me in OBP. An
OBP of .350 and Sig % of.475 seems reasonable , as at age 27
this year, Pence is just reaching the prime of his career.

8.03 Stephen Drew, SS, AZ
Time for another one of those all important MI. Drew was
limited to 135 games last year due to injuries and took a step
backwards in the stat department as a result of them and a slow
start. Another 27 year old to be this year, hopefully he resumes
the progression from his break out ’08 season. Oddly enough,
he’s had more triples than SB the last 2 years, so obviously the
D-Backs are underutilizing his speed. He’s got 25 HR power and
has a good hitting home field. If they turn him loose on the
base paths this year, he could approach 20/20 numbers this
season.

9.14 Jason Heyward, OF, ATL
Well the closer run started at 8.16, but many teams will change
closers like underwear, so I’ll pass for now. If I don’t grab this
20 year old 6’ 5” 245 lb man/child now, Judy will most certainly
ala our NL only H2H draft. This guy can do it all-power, speed,
and a great work ethic to boot. Definitely NL ROY potential. In
spring training, the Braves had to erect a net beyond the RF
wall, as his BP HRs were damaging cars parked in a lot out there.
When the Braves traded fan favorite (undrafted), for virtually
nothing before the trade deadline last year, it was because this
guy will be playing his position this year.

10.03 Leo Nunez, RP, FLA
Well the dust from last round’s closer run has settled, so I
though I might as well pick through the ruins to see what’s left.
Not much, as he blew 7 saves in 33 opportunities and his ERA
and WHIP were nothing to brag about. It’s tough to win in
this format by punting saves, (though it’s been done before) so
I'll gamble on what very well may be a wasted pick. We'll see.
I’m not one to usually pay a high price for closers. I didn’t last
year and still cobbled enough saves off a thin waver wire to
finish mid-pack in that cat. Lack of saves is not the reason I’m
in AAA again this year. BTW, did I mention that I hate closers. If
Leo starts the season like he ended last year, he’ll be the one
getting punted.

Graydog
ID: 501571816
Sun, Mar 21, 2010, 21:43

11.04 Scott Rolen
I’ve always liked Rolen which is perhaps why I reached for him here. I thought about a couple of young 3rd baseman that fall in the high risk/high reward category but decided after the Borbon pick the round before to take a vet.

12.13 Jorge Posada
Posada wasn’t someone I was targeting but I thought he fell far enough to make him a good value play here. As an old catcher he could of course fall apart at any minute but so could the other options for catcher I was considering. They have injury history much worse than Posada’s. Despite his age I felt that Posada had the highest ceiling for RBI’s and slugging of all the catchers left. I also felt at this point that with only a few viable options left that a mini catcher run could happen at any time.

13.04 Roy Oswalt
Another grey haired pick, at pick number 196 its hard to argue against Oswalt based on recent numbers, a return of last years numbers even with the only 8 wins (which I clearly hope he improves on) is plus value at this point. He has also been very healthy so should provide a start every 6th day. Which takes me to my next pick…

14.13 Rich Harden
I had several pitchers in higher in my queue but Harden fell to me. Clearly a high risk high reward guy. I like the pick here in that he has one of the highest upsides of any pitcher available. At his point in the draft, if he gives me 130 innings (based on previous numbers) I think its worth the drafting position. Of course if he gave me 180 he would have elite numbers, of course if he gives me 8.2…. I’ll have to fine someone on waivers. Heres to hoping the DL stint is 15 not 73 days.

15.04 Troy Glaus
Hopefully playing first base can keep him healthy although a chipper jones injury would probably give him 3rd base eligibility. I think he only has CI right now. If hes in the lineup and batting 4th he should produce good numbers and even when slumping which he always does at some point he will walk enough not to kill his OBP. My team just got incredible old in the 11 to 15 rounds hopefully that doesn’t bite me.

judy
Leader
ID: 7771722
Mon, Mar 22, 2010, 00:09

11.15 Jhonny Peralta 3B/SS/CLE

At this point in the draft I needed to start to build the MI/CI and reserve positions. even
though I still need a OF #4 and a UTIL. I chose Peralta for his CI and MI eligibility, the fact that
he will play every day and that his predicted stats are not too bad: 15-20 HR, 80+ RBI and R.
While he may not shine, I do not expect him to hurt the batting stats. He is slated to bat 5th
so should get more RBI than last year. He is rated at #14, 21 or 22 for 3B, but ya gotta
remember there are some real studs at that position! He was the 16th 3B that we chose.
I really wanted Polanco here, but YR snatched him at 11.13! Darn it!

12.02 Ryan Dempster SP CUBS

Up to this point 34 SP had been taken and I had two (Lee and Happ)! WOW! Here I am trying to
add another SP as there is a long wait until my next turn. It was a toss up between Weaver and
Dempster, but Valkyrie put that to rest by taking Weaver. Easy decision then for me!
Dempster should see these numbers: wins (14) and K’s (~160), hopefully a sub 4.00 ERA and
an under 1.30 WHIP. He is a pretty efficient and pretty healthy guy. He is slated to be the #2
starter.

13.15 Rafael Furcal SS LAD

Back to the MI/CI field players lottery! Furcal is now healthy and his stats should reflect that.
He ended 2009 in good shape. He fills a need for me at MI. He was the 19th SS we took, so
clearly folks are starting to pick up their second MI positions at this point in the draft. He
leads off for the Dodgers and with Kemp, Ethier and Manny behind him I am expecting him to
get close to 100 R and maybe 20 SB. My CI/MI “starting” positions are now complete. I feel
much better about my INF and MI/CI positions than I did last year.

14.02 John Danks SP CWS

Now 41 SP are gone and the game plan was to rotate back to the pitching side for a #4 SP.
Danks will be the #2 SP behind Peavy and I am expecting stats similar to Dempster: 14 W, 160
K, ERA under 4.00 and WHIP under 1.30. I think those are realistic expectations! I now have 3
#2 SP in Lee, Dempster and Danks so they will get the ball often to pad those stats for me!

15.15 Austin Jackson OF DET

This is a scary pick, but one I wanted to make. At this point 61 OF were gone and there still
were some regulars remaining that would be OK. This dude is a rookie, but he will be the lead
off man and starting CF for Les Tigres. There are very mixed opinions about how he will do in
the majors, but Leland is very high on his ability/potential. He should score maybe 90 R and
will be given the green light to steal bases as well. I will be very curious to see how he works
out. You guys took all the others I had pinpointed so I decided to take a flyer on this guy and
pick up a lower OF later on. I now have my 4 OF: Holliday, Ibanez, Victorino, Cuddyer (mostly
he’ll be at 1B for me) and Jackson. It is definitely an oddball collection. I will need to add to it
carefully!

Nerfherders
ID: 347242717
Mon, Mar 22, 2010, 11:15

6.05 Francisco Rodriguez, RP NYM I was going to take Rivera in the 5th but taken one spot before me. There were pitchers I liked better here, namely Soria and Bell, but I thought both would likely be traded this season and did not want to risk losing the saves if they were traded to a contender with an established closer. So I went with K-Rod, who I had last year and was somewhat dissappointing, mostly for two or three absolute meltdowns. However, he still gets the saves and is not much of an injury risk, so I went with him there.

7.12 Nate McLouth, OF ATL McLouth is Sizemore Lite (tm). 20/20 man, will score enough for the Braves, though his percentages are not great. He just got new contacts which might help him see the ball better. On my sheet he was the best available hitter by a good margin, so I snagged him.

8.05 Ubaldo Jimenez, SP COL Ive had a thing for Jimenez the last couple years, and last year was the year he put a whole season together. He's pretty much got it all as a starting pitcher, and is on the verge of becoming one of the best. Great value in the 8th in my mind.

9.12 Mike Gonzalez, RP BAL I saw the closer run happening and wanted to get in on it. Gonzalez is a very good pitcher (even though he is annoying to watch sometimes), and should do well enough in Baltimore with saves. Ive been trying to stay ahead of the curve with saves because I don't want to be the odd man out, and with 16 teams there's at least two teams that have to punt saves.

10.05 Everth Cabrera, SS SDG MI go fast and furious in this draft, way ahead of value IMO. But I had to get *someone* to man the SS position, assuming Figgins does play 2B this year. Cabrera came out last year and played very well, and will be good enough, even though he is kind of a one-trick pony. He pretty much sews up SB for me with Figgins, Sizemore, and McLouth.

Nerfherders
ID: 347242717
Mon, Mar 22, 2010, 11:34

11.12 Vlad Guerrero, OF TEX After round 10, I realized my real weakness was SLG, so I tried to find someone who could provide that. Guerrero seems to be fading as a hitter the last couple years, but Arlington might revive him a bit, and he wont have to play the OF much so that might save his bad knees. It's a risky pick, but at 11, not so bad.

12.05 Octavio Dotel Still trying to stay ahead of the curve on saves. If I have 3 closers, I am almost gauranteed a top 3 in the saves category. This is assuming of course that everyone stays healthy. Finding any closer in the 12th round of this draft is pretty good though.

13.12 Marco Scutaro, SS BOS Seems to be the forgotten man among SS this preseason, after posting the best numbers of his career last year in Toronto. Positive: he will have alot of good hitters around him. Negative: he will most likely bat 9th, limiting his opportunities. However, considering the rest of the MI at this point, this was a pretty good pick and should provide enough runs and OBP to be playable at MI.

14.05 Jonathan Sanchez, SP SF I mulled this pick for quite awhile. Which SP to take? Should I even take one when I still need a slugger or 5? I couldve gone a the safer route since I have good K rates already, but I think Sanchez is going to do this year what Jimenez did last year, and put a whole season together. Consider this: From the point he came back to the rotation on July 10, he went 6-4 with 3.64/1.14 in 93.7 IP with 109 K's.

15.12 Russ Martin, C LAD He's here because he is hurt and will not start the season, though last reports say he's fine and should only miss a week or so. Yes, his numbers were terrible last year, but I think he will bounce back some and be decent. Considering the other catchers left, clearly the best catcher and possibly the only one left you wont have to dump within 5 weeks. The downside to this pick is that I will have to draft a second catcher to fill in those first couple weeks.

Valkyrie
ID: 210563113
Mon, Mar 22, 2010, 23:32

7.16 (113) Brian Wilson RP SF-
8.1 David Ortiz- DH- Bost

Honestly I got discomboobled here by Bomb's time out- was keeping track on Rotowire software lost control of who had been taken and just winged it- I really wanted a SP and a RP here but lost track of who was available. I took Brian Wilson as best available closer- then panicked to David Ortiz hmm.. if Big Pappy has a come back season this is a great pick if not... In retrospect should have taken Wandy, Billingsly or Kershaw after Cain and Hamels were taken? Maybe even Valverde as a second RP? Oh well my own fault
not to mention if I just had a little more patience I could have fixed rotowire easily but for the shortcut I tried to take LOL.

9.16 (144) Shields, SP, TB
10.1 Lackey, SP, Bost
Needed twp SP's here now- took what I thought were the best bets for wins (i.e. goot team pitchers) and decent peripherals.

Valkyrie
ID: 210563113
Mon, Mar 22, 2010, 23:43

11.16 (176) Ludwick, OF, STL
12.1 Jered Weaver, SP, ANA

Ludwick is potentially a 100 RBI guy- perhaps the last left on the board and I still needed 2 OFers.
Jered Weaver follows in my philosophy of picking good team pitchers for the possible wins.

13.16 (208) Alfonso Soriano- OF, ChiC
14.1 Theriot, ss, ChiC

My God two Cubs in one draft much less one round! Soriano is a flyer on a guy who has clearly fallen out of favor primarily due to injuries- At number 208 I can't get hurt too badly with this pick.
I have always liked Theriot as a late round MI
and I liked him a lot more after 4of the 5 preceding picks took all the rest of the possible MI's LOL.

15.16-(240) Mark de Rosa- 3B-SF
16.1 O.Cabrera-ss- cinn

Decided I had to fill my infield while I still could- Not sure what I am getting here with two formerly productive geriatric additions but the pickings are starting to get real thin. Maybe one or both has one more decent year left in him.

maspero
ID: 5218510
Wed, Mar 24, 2010, 07:23

sorry guys if i'm late ... i've got my first ten piks ...

1.10 Roy Halladay, SP, PHI
Being in the most competitive league of my roto-career, I felt (and I am currently feeling) kind of nervous before any pick, particularly the first.
So, when thinking about the most logical choice between a consummate slugger (1B Miguel Cabrera / Mark Teixeira) or a scarce position (3B David Wright) or an up and coming star (OF Matt Kemp), I envisioned a SP, already dominating in the ultra-tough AL East, now playing (ok, not exactly in a pitcher’s park) in the NL … I mean … no DH, pitching to the pitcher … ok done deal, I pick Roy Halladay, who I already owned last season … a sort of keeper after all …

2.07 Justin Upton, OF, ARI
Gone the afore mentioned consummate sluggers (also Ryan Howard) now I thought it was time to go for scarcity (2B or 3B), but then again I couldn’t resist the upside of OF Justin Upton, projected by many to build on his 26-20 season (30-30 maybe ?). I didn’t want an OF (I knew I could go there later), and I kind of hoped some one else would pick him so I could stick to my plan … but that’s the way it went …

3.10 Pablo Sandoval 3B SFO
Ok, now it’s time to address a position considered very scarce this year, and who better than Kung Fu Panda whom I would have chosen over Mark Reynolds (picked by bean just ahead of me) anyway (much less SB but I wanted to fix OBP).

4.07 Carlos Lee OF HOU
Here I didn’t want an OF, because I could have addressed this position later (again !!!), but I didn’t like what was there at the other positions. I was actually tempted by 1Bs Billy Butler, Derek Lee or Lance Berkman, but in the end I envisioned better numbers from Lee.

5.10 Matt Wieters C BAL, 6.07 Elvis Andrus SS TEX, 7.10 Jose Lopez 2B
With the next three picks I went heavily on the scarce positions, choosing what best (IMHO) was there at C, SS and 2B. Reaching some for Wieters (not if he fulfill his potential), acquiring speed with Andrus and power at a rarely powerful position with Lopez.

8.07 Francisco Cordero RP CIN
Ok, I will search for a 1B later (I had already my target set on one of my favorite … not much loved Paul Konerko, whom I eventually drafted as 12.07) … and I thought it was the right time to pick a closer, solid if unspectacular Cordero. Unfortunately he remained alone as established closer (if Frasor does not win the job) leaving me with the necessity to find some save later in the season … (trade/waiver wire).

9.10 Jorge Cantu 1B FLA
mmmm, I had him as a 3B on my sheets, but can play 1B, can provide lots of RBIs, maybe not much help in OBP but as a 9th rounder could be a good catch.

10.07 Scott Baker SP MIN
I owned him last year, had a brutal first month and a good recovery at the end, when the injury finally completely healed. I think that in a healthy season he very well could approach an elite status level, even with the question mark of the new ballpark.

Bean
ID: 577331923
Wed, Mar 24, 2010, 17:44

16.08 Casey Blake, 3B, LAD

Consistent performer at CI, rounds out my starting lineup.

17.09 Mike Adams, RP, SD

Will become a closer if Bell is traded like the rumors imply. If not, his stats as a set-up man are real good too.

18.08 Mike Wuertz, RP, OAK

Might get a few saves with team mate injury(assuming Wuertz is OK). If no starts, his stats as a set-up man are real good too.

19.09 Aubrey Huff, 1B, SF

“Huff has struggled in the field at times this spring, but he's now batting .394 with three homers and 10 RBI over 33 at-bats. He's locked in as San Francisco's cleanup hitter.” (Rotowire.com) He will be my rotation guy for 1B/CI/UTL if he doesn’t earn a starting spot on my roster. Last year was a down year for him, but with 500 ABs at cleanup he should yield 100 RBIs.

20.08 Ian Desmond, 2B/SS, WAS

“The team wants to give Cristian Guzman a chance to show that his surgically-repaired shoulder is 100% before making a decision, although if they base it on performance Desmond would already have the job won. If you head to your draft or auction before the Nats finalize their roster, keep in mind that Desmond will be an all-or-nothing bet: either he'll be the starting shortstop for the Nationals in the majors, or he'll be their starting shortstop at Triple-A.” (Rotowire.com) Read elsewhere he is likely to start at SS for WAS over a hurting Guzman and probably for the season. He hits very well, but not such a great defender. Hope he keeps the errors down and keeps his job. I’ll use him as a rotation guy at MI unless one of my starters isnt doing well enough.

Electroman
ID: 565182111
Wed, Mar 24, 2010, 18:31

16.14 Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B, Oak
At this point of the draft, I was looking for solid backups, and I think that Kouz fits that bill. Kouz increased his RBI total again last year, though his HR total went down. He changed teams this year, and is in a new league, so I don’t know how much that is gonna affect his game.
17.03 Cliff Pennington, SS, Oak
Second straight pick from the A’s. What appealed to me about Pennington is his ability to steal bases. He doesn’t bring much else to the table, very average player. Makes for a good fill in player and possibly take the MI spot on the roster.
18.14 Bud Norris, SP, Hou
To be honest, I don’t know much about this guy. I was going through projections, and saw that they figure 1k per inning, which is pretty good. He is supposed to be one of the better young pitchers out there, so that is good.
19.03 Lastings Milledge, OF, Pitt
Well, I guess that this guy will one day live up to his hype? Right? He has the tools to be a 20/20 guy. I guess that he would have been snatched up by someone who would have the same hopes as me. We’ll see how long my patience is with him. He is having a good spring, so that is a good sign.
20.14 Sean Rodriguez, 2B TB
Maybe it is too early to start taking guys that are having good springs and are forcing the managers hand to get them in the lineup. But, if he turns out to be good all year, I will end up looking smart. Don’t know much about this guy, but looking over his minor league #’s, he has power and can hit for average. We will see what happens with him.

mjd
Leader
ID: 501381415
Wed, Mar 24, 2010, 19:37

I love these mid round crapshoots where you have several guys
all ranked about the same. These are the picks where you’re
never quite sure what you’re actually going to get, but they can
make or break your season.

11.14 John Rauch, RP, MINN
With (undrafted) likely headed for season ending surgery, Rauch
is seemingly the frontrunner for the closer’s job. He was
acquired late last year for the Twins stretch run and pitched
pretty well for the short time he was there. More importantly,
he’s pitching well in the battle for the job. I hate taking a flyer
on a player (especially a closer) this early in the draft, but this
appears to be a pretty safe bet. Watch, the Twins will trade for a
proven closer tomorrow.

12.03 Edwin Jackson, SP, AZ
Had several other SP on my list of targets. The others all had
issues or question marks and I decided to opt for someone in an
NL division with a few more pitcher friendly ballparks. Arizona
likes Jackson so much that they traded away the highly hyped
Max Scherzer in a 3 way deal with the Tigers and the Yanks,
then signed him to fairly generous contract that wraps him up
through his arbitration years. Seems like he’s been around
forever, but he’s only 26, so there is some upside to be had
here. Last year, Jackson got off to a good start, but when all was
said and done, he didn't have a "breakout" season like many
hoped he would. His arsenal is good, but Jackson had an ERA
above 5.00 after the break and a poor strikeout-to-walk ratio
for the season.

13.14 Skip Schumaker, 2B, OF, STL
Needed an other OF and/or MI, so I took both. If he was still
primarily an OF, I probably would have passed due to Tony
LaRusa’s tendency to play musical OFs. He still could get caught
up in a platoon situation, in an effort to get (undrafted) more
playing time if Schu fails to hit LHP. There's nothing flashy about
his game. He doesn't hit home runs. He doesn't steal bases. He
does, however, bat leadoff for the Cardinals and gets on base,
which automatically makes him a good source of runs.

14.03 Francisco Liriano. SP, MIN
I’ve always been fascinated by this guy since he was on a keeper
team that I won a championship with in 2006. I absolutely loved
watching Johan lite pitch that year. Well arm surgery in 07 and a
rocky recovery that included a demotion to the minors in 09 has
changed all that. However, he was reportedly throwing 95 mph
with a tight slider while dominating the Dominican Winter
League, and has to be the favorite for the No. 5 spot in the
Twinky’s rotation. If he's truly moving closer to his 2006 form,
this could be an awesome pick. As a nice low risk, high reward
flyer, I'm not sure that he’d have made it back to me in 28 picks.

15.14 Jorge De La Rosa, SP, COL
Somewhat inconsistent, but maybe the last big K guy left on the
board. Last year, his first two months were a disaster (0-6, 5.43
ERA, 57 Ks), but you would be hard pressed to find a better
waiver-wire pitcher over the next four months (16-3, 4.03 ERA,
132 Ks). De La Rosa lowered his WHIP to 1.30 after the break.
Walks always will be an issue, and his 5.21 ERA at home must
come down. Perhaps he over-performed, but De La Rosa
remains an excellent source of Ks this far into a draft as deep as
this one.

Graydog
ID: 501571816
Fri, Mar 26, 2010, 14:21

16.13 Kevin Gregg
Time for some cheap saves. As a jays fan I have been watching this closer situation closely. I think Gaston will give Gregg the first option to close in the ninth.

17.04 Brandon Lyon
Could have gone with Lindstrom here. Hopefully I picked the guy who will get more opportunities to close.

18.13 Wade Davis
Davis seems to have won a starting position in Tampa, hes the kind of upside guy I look for at this point in the draft, that being someone with a potential high k rate who has shown decent control.

19.04 Scott Downs
Some insurance on Gregg, even if he doesn’t get saves he should be a serviceable reliever.

20.13 Matt Diaz
I’m writing this a couple days after making this pick, at this point I have no clue why I drafted Diaz here? A deep outfield in Atlanta, a guy projected to bat near the bottom of the order…. If he does however get constant at bats I do like his, LD% and ISO, he can be a decent fill in outfielder for a pool of this size because of his ability to crush lefties.

Graydog
ID: 501571816
Fri, Mar 26, 2010, 14:21

Nerfherders
ID: 347242717
Fri, Mar 26, 2010, 16:13

16.05 Corey Hart, OF MIL Just last year, Hart was a solid 5th rounder, so this is a bounceback pick, hoping he can get back to some semblance of his 07/08 form. I am not hoping for miracles here but if he does 80 70 20 .330/.460 I'd be happy.

17.12 Randy Wolf, SP MIL It's time to start filling out the pitching staff. I still have a hole at 2B but at this point I decided to punt the position for a week until Figgins can take it. Wolf was great last year, and he turned that into a big payday for himself in Milwaukee. I am not expecting that kind of performance this year, but something resembling his career averages would be more than fine.

18.05 Jack Cust, OF OAK Sometimes there are players who are infinitely better on the field than in fantasy, and sometimes there are players that are infinitely better in fantasy than on the field. Cust is definitely the latter. He strikes out alot, can't play defense, doesnt run well, and doesnt get alot of hits, but the man is still an on base machine, hits his home runs, and generally puts up good numbers in an OPS style league. He was the best offensive player available on my board at the time of this pick.

19.12 Luke Gregerson, RP SD With the seemingly imminent departure of Heath Bell within the next year, it comes down to who can fill that closers role. Gregerson might not get that chance this year, but he was exceptional last year in relief and should be good for a repeat this season in the friendliest pitchers park in the majors. So this was mostly a rates pick, but also thinking he might steal some saves late in the season.

20.05 Russ Branyan, 1B CLE This entire draft I have felt like I was reactionary as my targets went off the board one after another, but since pick 15 Ive been able to get the guys I was targetting. I was very surprised to see Branyan still here. I know he wont be ready to start the season but there is a good chance he will only miss the first week or two. We all know about his power, and that was the one thing I needed more of on the team, so to get .470+ SLG in the 20th round is a pretty good deal.

Electroman
ID: 565182111
Sun, Mar 28, 2010, 19:10

21.03 Kosuke Fukudome, OF, CHC
When I was going through players and stats, I was looking here for someone who could draw walks, help out with the OBP. He has had an OBP of at least 100 points higher than his batting avg. In his 2 years in the league. Pretty average everywhere else across the board, but the walks made him stand out so I took him.
22.14 Pat Burrell, DH, TB
This pick was done with hast. I had just gotten home after a very long day of work, and was very tired. I assumed that he was going to be the regular DH for the Rays, but it looks like he has some tough competition. He is just a year removed from 33 HR’s and his 2nd straight 100 walk season. I was very disappointed when I had him last year, but he has potential if he can break out and get the starting job. He could very well be WW fodder soon in the year.
23.03 Garrett Atkins, 1B, Balt
So what happened to this guy? Can someone say juicing? This guy put up decent numbers in a hitters park, and then dropped off the earth last year. Who knows what happened, but he has some upside for a guy picked this late in the draft.
24.14 Ricky Romero, SP, Tor
I get to watch enough Blue Jays games to hear enough about players that they are excited about. This guy seems to be one of those guys. Has a lot of potential.
25.03 Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Tex
I have read a few articles of guys to watch out for this year, and this guys has been on all of them. He has a lot of potential at the plate, but he seems to always have injury problems too. I figure for my last pick of the draft, he is well worth it.

Graydog
ID: 501571816
Sun, Mar 28, 2010, 19:54

21.04 Milton Bradley
At draft position 340 I think Bradley has significant upside value. Hopefully the M’s will use him at DH regularly to keep him healthy. Im not expecting a return similar to 2008 but as a 4th or 5th outfielder he should provide help in OBP, SLUG and RBi’s.

22.13 Mike Lowell
Hoping for a trade to someone who will give him regular at bats. I have read that the Marlins and Twins have some interest. With playing time Lowell can help out in RBI’s and SLUG

23.04 Carlos Gomez
If he can figure out how to get on base he will be a steals asset, if not hes easily droppable, hopefully he gets a chance to hit leadoff.

24.13 Chris Volstad
If he remembers how to locate his sinker Volstad can give me productive innings. Was dominant as a rookie but struggled last year, hopefully it was a sophomore slump and he taps into his first round talent for me this season

25.04 Jose Mirajes
I hadn’t even heard of him, but if the twins are in a closer by committee situation he figures to get some one or two out saves against lefties.

Bean
ID: 577331923
Sun, Mar 28, 2010, 21:11

21.09 Jonny Gomes, OF, CIN

Looks to start this year. 51 RBIs last year in 281 ABs, .541 SLG.

22.08 Gio Gonzalez, SP, OAK

“Gonzalez's spring ERA now sits at a tidy 3.46. His srikeout upside is massive, but Gonzalez has had trouble with his control and keeping the ball in the park. If he can get his control down, or at least miss where he's not going to get hurt, he could have a breakout season.” (Rotowire.com)

23.09 Anibal Sanchez, SP, FLA

Decent ERA and K/IP last year. Should be in rotation this year.

24.08 Brandon Morrow, SP, TOR

Hoping he lives up to expectations. Good for K/IP….late pick is first to go if fails me.

25.09 Jason Motte, RP, STL

Insurance pick should Franklin lose his closer job.

Nerfherders
ID: 347242717
Mon, Mar 29, 2010, 11:11

21.12 Sergio Romo, RP SF This is the point in the draft where I start looking for RP that can give me nice rates. Romo I don't know much about but he was good last year and pitches in the NL West.

22.05 Derek Lowe, SP ATL I needed one more SP to fill out my innings, and fortunately it didn't need to be a high K guy, just someone who gets the job done. Lowe was terrible in the second half last year, but I am betting on a bounceback and have numbers somewhere between last year and his career lines.

23.12 Akinori Iwamura, 2B PIT I just need someone to get me those 5 games at 2B until Figgins qualifies. I was actually surprised Iwamura was still there as he has a good track record, gets on base and can steal a bit. Once Figgins moves to second I could do worse with him on the bench.

24.05 Rafael Betancourt, RP COL He's had a funny career. Slowly moved up to the upper echelons of the middle relievers, and everyone bought in. Then he collapsed horribly. Nobody bothered with him last year, and he had a fine season for the Rockies. He's had some injury issues this spring but I think he will come close to what he did last year, and 2008 was just a blip.

25.12 David Freese, 3B STL I knew I needed a CI with this pick to play in April until Branyan can go, but there wasn't much left. Dan Murphy was still around, Inge had just been taken. Brendan Harris? nah... I went with Freese for the upside and because he's hot RIGHT NOW which hopefully will carry over to the first couple weeks of the season.

judy
Leader
ID: 7771722
Mon, Mar 29, 2010, 17:12

16.02 Rick Porcello SP DET

Back to the SP side as there is a 29 player gap between me and my next pick! I chose yet
another #2 SP. I was glad he fell to me as I think he has a very promising upside . His stats
should match up with Dempster, Danks and Happ: 14 W, sub 4 ERA and sun 1.30 WHIP, but
his K will be lower (~140) due to his high GB rate. Leland feels that his control is much
better this year and that his K rate will improve. SO now I have 4 #2 SP in my lineup and I
am expecting great things from each of them. Time to look at the RP list to help Lidge out.

17.15 Franklin Morales RP COL

What a stroke of luck for me! He was at the top of my Q and after I selected him, I doubled
checked and found that he will be the closer while Street is on the DL. So in addition to a
decent (and hopefully better than his late 2009 stats) low ERA and WHIP and 1K/IP, I can
now grab a few saves. I am not looking to lead the Saves category -- can you tell?

18.02 Daniel Bard RP BOS

I had to toss a coin here between Bard and Wuertz. I was looking for low ERA, WHIP and
high K’s and both have them. Bard won and Wuertz was taken 6 picks later by Bean! He
will be the set up man for Papelbon and in the future (too bad this is not a keeper league)
he may get the job once Pape leaves for more money! So now I have 3 RP and I’ll pick up
the rest later and during the season as needed. I usually use them for low ERA and WHIP
and high K’s...

19.15 Marlon Byrd OF CHC

I needed a UTIL/DH here. He was once good, not so much any more, but he CAN give
decent SLG, OBP and maybe HR. Most of the better OF were gone. He’ll play a lot so
maybe get a lot of good stats for me. He ended up being the last OF I chose. If I move
Cuyyder to OF, I now have 6.

20.02 Fausto Carmona SP CLE

I read that he was having a great spring and I figured another SP would not hurt here, esp
with Lee getting hurt! He is expected to be the #2 SP for CLE. He even has his own
personal catcher - Richmond. If he returns to his 2007 form (19 wins, 137 K, 1.21 WHIP,
3.06 ERA) that would be nice -- otherwise off he goes! I can dream!

21.15 Casey Kotchman 1B SEA

I really want to play Cuddyer in the OF, so I needed to get a 1B. I may have waited too long
although Kotchman is supposed to bat in the middle of the order in SEA. Ichiro and
Figgins are ahead of him so hopefully he will knock them in for RBI’s.

22.02 Yadier Molina C STL

Four of us still needed a C and there were 6 decent ones left, so I decided to pull the
trigger. As soon as I selected him, he slid in to second base and injured his oblique muscle!
He needs that to hit!!! This was the start of a disasterous 3 C run! What a mess I made of
it! Benjie has a bit more power, but I think Yadier is more consistent and he plays for a
better team.

23.15 Jesus Flores C WASH

I thought I read he was getting ready to start the season --OOPS! Lots going on in my life
with a very sick cat, so I blew this one. He will be dropped once we open up waivers.

24.02 Pudge Rodriguez C WASH

With Yadie out, I needed a C to fill in the early gaps so I went for the power guy -- or
maybe used to be power guy -- on a crummy team no less. The mgr says he will get
about 110 starts. Will I keep him? Who knows?

25.15 Manny Corpas RP COL

Not much to pick from here and the rest of my line up if they stay healthy looks OK so I
went for an middle relief/stat guy RP. There is a possibility that he might pick up a few
saves as their closer along the way until Street gets back or Morales blows it. Or not.

mjd
Leader
ID: 501381415
Mon, Mar 29, 2010, 17:42

16.03 Casey McGehee, 2B, 3B MIL
Guaranteed the 3B job due to his main competitor’s shoulder
injury and, more importantly, he qualifies at 2B/MI. While he
might not hit .300 again, it's reasonable to expect enough
homers, RBIs and average to make him a useful play as a middle
infield
option.

17.14 Jim Johnson, RP, BAL
Looked at Franklin Morales here for some early season saves, as
he’s been named the Rox closer if Houston Street starts the
season on the DL, but reports are that Street may indeed be
ready and if not, should be back quite soon. (Judy was happy to
get Morales.) So I looked for someone with a little more long
term promise, IMO. I had a potential closer, or “closer in
waiting” targeted for this round, but so did a bunch of other
managers, because 7 of them were drafted since my last pick. I
was targeting Matt Thorton or Jason Frasor, but, of course they
were the first 2 taken. Morales and Johnson were the only 2 left
on my list for this slot. Being a long term Braves fan, I
anticipated either another injury or the all too often implosion
from the O’s new closer, Mike Gonzales nearly every time he was
handed the ball last year as the Bravo’s part time closer. He’s
still an injury waiting to happen and closing in the hard hitting
AL East may lead to enough ugliness to promote Johnson to
closer status. He did collect 10 saves last year, but pitching in
the AL East will not help his percentages either. Not all that
pleased with the way this pick turned out. One of the pitfalls of
chasing saves in season.

18.03 Jeff Niemann, SP, TAM
This former first-round pick has proven all he can in the minors,
posting a sub-4.00 ERA at Triple-A Durham in two straight
seasons with nearly a strikeout per inning. He was decent
enough in his rookie season, last year, but with natural
progression I’ll hope he maintains that sub-4 ERA, decent K/9,
while lowering his WHIP a tad. Yet another AL East pitcher, but
one I felt comfortable drafting at this point due to his track
record and ability. Despite the 1350 IP limit in this format, you
can never have too much pitching.

19.14 Takashi Saito, RP, ATL
My 8th pitcher taken in the last 10 rounds. He's no longer the
dominant pitcher he was upon his arrival in 2005 and 2006,
seeing an increase in his walk rate over the past two seasons,
but he is still one of the more reliable set-up men in the game.
And like the JJ pick 2 rounds ago, a closer in waiting, who
should take over the Braves closer spot, should Billy Wags get
injured or become ineffective. His fantasy value lies in his
strikeout ability and history as a closer.

20.03 Andruw Jones, OF, CWS
Geez, yet another ex or current Brave. I swear I’m not doing this
on purpose. I don’t want to get hit with the homer label, like my
favorite commish ;>). I actually like this pick. He’ll DH in a
favorable power hitter’s park and while he might not help my
OBP, if he continues his spring training stroke, he’ll be a
valuable asset in SLG% and a steal in round 20. But should he
revert back to his production (or lack thereof), I’ll drop him like
a bad habit.

mjd
Leader
ID: 501381415
Wed, Mar 31, 2010, 11:59

21.14 Tony Gwynn, OF, SD
Jr, unfortunately is no comparison to his HOFer old man, but he
was a capable leadoff hitter last year, getting on base 35 percent
of the time in his 119 games for the Padres. Still, his margin for
error should be pretty slim. He's never going to hit for any
power at all, and he's yet to prove to be an asset as a base
stealer. The Padres will likely open the season with him leading
off and starting in center, but they might not end it that way.

22.03 J.J. Putz, RP, CWS
The White Sox's main position battle, if you can call it that, is at
closer. Jenks is the guy, but he has a history of conditioning
problems and frequent blow saves. If they crop up again, the
White Sox could turn to Matt Thornton, an effective middle
reliever, or Putz, who has closing experience. Putz is coming off
of elbow surgery, last July and it may take him a while longer to
build up strength and regain his command. The ideal roster filler
for an early season waver wire acquisition.

23.14 Fernando Tatis, UTL, NYM
Tatis did it all for the Mets last year, playing 28 games in the OF,
two games at SS, 27 games at 3B, seven games at 2B and 41
games at 1B. He'll be a super-sub once again, initially splitting
time with David Murphy at 1B. But with the Mets seemingly
snake bitten with eternal injuries, he’ll probably get some
additional ABs at other positions. At this point, he’s a valuable
asset due to his multi position versatility, but he’ll be one of the
first to be given his walking papers should some better option
appear on the ww.

24.03 Ramon Hernandez, C,1B, CIN
Hernandez will start the season as my kicker… err,,, catcher.
The Reds signed Hernandez to a one-year, $3 million contract.
Limited to just 81 games in 2009 due to knee surgery in July,
Hernandez batted .258/.336/.362 with five home runs and 37
RBI. He also made 21 starts at first base while Joey Votto was on
the disabled list. Ultimately, (undrafted) may have been a better
and cheaper option, especially defensively, but the Reds like the
pop that a healthy Hernandez can potentially add to the lineup.
OK, playing 81 games at the Great American launching pad I’ll
buy that… for now.

25.14 Daniel Murphy, 1B, NYM
The last 2-3 rounds are moving painfully slow and I’m drafting
in multiple drafts right now, so I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do
here, not that it matters much at this point. At the top of my
queue were 2 RP, both of whom were taken with the last 2
picks. I already was maxed out on pitching, so I glanced at my
roster
to see what I might be short on. Who knows, but if Murph
platoons
with Tatis, at least I’ll have CI/OF coverage on any given day.
Murphy hit .266 with 12 HRs, 60 runs and 63 RBIs last year. He
didn't dazzle in his first full big league season, but he stepped
his game up after the All-Star break, hitting .282 and slugging
.485. Murphy had a career .290/.352/.444 line in the minors,
and he improved as he climbed the ladder.

Taxman
ID: 352492521
Wed, Mar 31, 2010, 16:40

6.15 Martin Prado, 1B/2B/3B, ATL Target here was 2B, either Kendrick or Prado. Each should produce acceptable OBA and SLG and 80/80 runs and RBI's with Kendrick putting up @ 20 more SB. I chose Prado for his eligibility at the corner positions providing me tremendous flexibility to deal with in season injuries/slumps etc.

7.02 Tommy Hanson, SP, ATL Having ignored pitching through the first 6 rounds, I was pleased to see the budding super star Tommy Hanson on the board. I am counting on Hanson putting up 200 K, 15 W's, .340 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. It would be nice to get the sub .300 ERA as last year, but probably not realistic for the 23 yr old.

8.15 Juan Pierre, OF, CWSI wanted to take a Closer here, but jumped on Pierre who s/b source of SB leading off for WhiteSox. His OBA shouls remain around .350, unfortunately, so will his SLG. He should be good for 80 Runs and a pedistrian 45 RBI's. The real value s/b the 45 SB.

9.02 Billy Wagner, RP, ATL Coldwater grabbed closer's Qualls and Soriano on the turn, leaving me Wagner, who is a proven commodity and provides K's (@ 90 or 1.5/inning) to go with his saves (@40) and a sub 3.00 ERA.

10.15 J.D. Drew, OF BOS I still am in need of proven power source or studly SP at this point in the draft. I went with Drew, an OBA machine who the past few years has become durable battings in the loaed Boston line up. I project Drew to post 90/75 R/RBI while keeping a career long OBA of .390 and SLG @.500. No steals.

11.02 Kevin Slowly, SP, MIN As luck would have it, Slowly, a SP whom I predicted would be gone by round 8 was still on the board. Last season cut short, but showed this spring he was the MIN resident ace and projects for 16 wins, 160 K's, an improved ERA of 3.30 with a miniscule 1.15 WHIP. His major improvement comes with a an improved K/W ratio of 5/1. An elite number matched only by Haren and Halladay.

12.15 Nick Swisher, IB/OF, NYYIn need of another corner power source, I threw the dice to go with Nick Swisher, who had a big year for the Yankees last year. His eye was god to draw enough BB to offset alow BA, and by following the meat of the Yankee line up s/b a lock for 75/85 R/RBI's, .360 OBA and .480 SLG. Again, no SB.

13.02 Phil Hughes, SP, NYYI need pitching and Hughes can pitch. After I drafted him he became Yankees #5 hurler. Even though he will be on a strict pitch count limiting him to @120 innings, he can still deliver 10 wins, 120 K's (1 per inning), .340 ERA and a nifty .120 WHIP.

14.15 Hiroki Kuroda, SP, LADWith SP becoming harder to find, I chose the injury prone Kuroda, who will provide 12 wins but only 130 K's, apedestrian 3.75 ERA and another low WHIP guy @ 1.19.

15.02 Hidecki Matsui, DH, LAA Matsui, the World Serious MVP, is an easy choice here. He bats in the middle of the LAA line up that has been effective at putting up runs. Even w/o Figgens in 2010, Matsui will follow the likes of Aybar, Abreu, Hunter and Morales and have seriou reoccurring RBI opportunities. Added benefit is that LAA plans on giving Matsui some games in the OF to allow Abreu and Hunter some DH duty. I project Matsui to produce 70/90 R/RBI, 365 OBA and .485 SLG. Again no steals.

youngroman
Donor
ID: 02934823
Wed, Mar 31, 2010, 17:31

finally my missing rationales. that took longer than expected. sorry for being late.

6.04 Josh Beckett, SP, BOS
he will be the opening day starter for the Red Sox. I need someone to root for when I watch the season opener on TV. Beckett has a traditionally low WHIP in a tough division. I hope his ERA will be more near 3.5 than 4.0. I know he is capable of doing that, he just needs to show it to me.

7.13 Matt Cain, SP, SF
a 3rd starter in a row. this is very unusual for me, but I could not resist. For me it looks like the talent pool at the hitting positions are already at a level where there is not much difference between the players drafted now or in 5 rounds.
Cain is still young but already a proven starter who will eat some innings with below average ERA and WHIP and above average Ks.

8.04 Huston Street, RP, COL
we are down to a level where I needed to draft a closer, because there won't be many left when it gets back to me. Street looks like the best option. he showed last year that it doesn't matter that he now pitches for the Rockies. his WHIP was a career low.

update: a few hours after drafting him the news came out that he has shoulder problems that will most likely land him on DL for the start of the season. Ouch! there goes a few saves. I hope he comes back early and healthy.

9.13 David Aardsma, RP, SEA
the closer pool is really thin now and I better grab a second one so that I have a healthy one to start the season. Aardsma fits that bill. his performance last year was surprising, getting 38 saves for a Seattle team that wasn't that special. you can't expect that he continues to play at this level, but I hope that he will be not that far away.

10.04 Carlos Quentin, OF, CWS
after 5 pitchers it was time to fill out the hitting positions. as said earlier I waited a few rounds to see which players are still left, because I couldn't decid whom to pick in the earlier rounds. looking at the players available here no SS or 3B stood out, so I picked the best player available and that is Carlos Quentin. if he can live up to the potential he showed in 2009 this could be a great pick. I hope he stays healthy and it seems that he will occasionally play DH to keep him fresh.

11.13 Placido Polanco, 2B, PHI
I had to get him now or never. we all know what players Judy are targeting. being from Europe and not having a real home time that I root for helps being more neutral when selecting players. but there is also the disadvantage of not having local media with extended coverage of at least 1 team.
it seems like Polanco will see a lot of time at 3B this year. this makes him a more attractive choice than other players left for the middle infield. playing for a contender isn't too bad either. I am hoping that he stays healthy. he isn't getting younger and already missed some spring training time with injuries.

12.04 Johnny Damon, OF, DET
there is no way that I would draft Damon this early in a keeper league. but RIBC isn't one, so I can just look at what he can do this season. and I think this will be the last season where he will be a regular. his fielding isn't that good any more and with the age his base stealing activities won't be where they once were. he can still hit for a good average and will most likely play be #2 in their batting order which should again lead to 100 runs scored.

13.13 Miguel Montero, C, ARI
I have Jesus Montero in G20 and now I got Miguel Montero in RIBC. Miguel should have the starting job locked up and provides nice averages with some pop. I don't know how good the D'Backs will be this year and he playing in the bottom order isn't that favorable either, but we are talking about a catcher drafted in the 13th round. I'll take the 60 RBI, 60 R he achieved last year.

14.04 J.J. Hardy, SS, MIN
last time I checked my SS position was a big empty hole. Hardy will be the everyday shortstop for the Twins, thanks for his defense abilities. too bad they don't count in this league. hope is here that he will be better this year than last year for the Brewers. I will definitely need some more players that can cover the SS position if Hardy does not perform as expected.

15.13 Chase Headley, 3B/OF, SD
still missing a eligible 3B. Polanco should be eligible soon, but until then i need someone else, that can also produce in the CI slot later on. Headley has the additional plus of being eligible at OF too. this is important when you try to maximize at-bats in an effort to get the runs and RBIs that automatically come with the opportunities = ABs. if only his averages at home would be better. he definitely needs to improve there, otherwise I can only play him when he is on the road.

16.04 Brandon Webb, SP, ARI
when he comes back from his shoulder injury he will be my #4 starter that should produce better than a 16th rounder. I can only hope that this will be indeed late April. as long as the potential is there I can wait for him. I usually don't like players that are on the DL to start the season, but the upside is too big.

17.13 Alberto Callaspo, 2B/3B, KC
my infield still needed some help. not many draftable starters left. Callaspo will initially play 3B and may shift to 2B later in the season. he nearly played every day last season and should do so again this season. there is even talk that he could bat as low as 3rd which would give him some good opportunities to produce.

update: another injury before the season even started. there is hope he is indeed only day-to-day. but I am fearing a DL stint.

18.04 Ben Sheets, SP, OAK
I don't know why he fell that far. he missed all of 2009 and had a bad start into spring training. I think in the end he will be near his pre-2009 stats which would make him a steal. much like Brandon Webb 2 rounds earlier. the only concern here is his health. but I take the risk this late in the draft.

19.13 Joe Blanton, SP, PHI
another guy available, that should have gone earlier. I thought of him with my last pick, but decided to wait. since Judy's next pick was after mine I gambled. he pitched more than 30 games the last 5 years and I am expecting the same this year. he is not the best pitcher out there, but looks better than many other available pitchers that have far more question marks.

update: another injury, seems like a DL stint to begin the season. Ouch! Judy, why haven't you picked him earlier?

20.04 Aaron Rowand, OF, SF
a leadoff hitter still waiting to get drafted. this can't be. I also needed at least 1 more outfielder. Rowand was better than projected in the past and his projections for 2010 arent too high, so he can only exceed them. I hope he raises his stolen bases and runs a bit, compared to the last 2 seasons.

21.13 Mark Teahen, 1B/3B/OF, CWS
another utility man eligibile at multiple positions. he will be the Sox regular 3rd baseman this year. I don't see great things out of him, but he will play a lot. if he shows that he can produce he might survive longer than I think he will. I just wanted a player that will get the ABs. drafting a good player that is only sitting on the bench does not improve my team at this point. I will get these kind of players off waivers during the season.

22.04 David DeJesus, OF, KC
I had him for some time in the past few years. he isn't the most consistent player, but he has his streaks. latest reports indicate that he will leadoff this season. this can't be that bad for a 22th rounder. if his OBP stays at his career average I see a rise in stolen bases this season.

23.13 Joel Pineiro, SP, LAAoA
with all my banged up starting pitchers I felt the need to get one last pitcher. Pineiro was great last season in St Louis and I hope he will be nearly that great in LA too. I am sure he will get the wins and if I select the right matchups he should be very valuable as long as my other pitchers are nursing injuries. I don't know if I can afford 7 healthy starting pitchers. but you never know that all of the stay healthy all season.

24.04 Jerry Hairston Jr, 2B/3B/SS/OF, SD
looks like he might be the backup at almost any position other than catcher and first base. when he plays he shows that he can produce. I just don't get it why he has no starting spot. he will be the super utility man #2 for my team that will get inserted into the lineup when starting or other players that play on the east coast are sitting out a game.

25.13 Angel Pagan, OF, NYM
with Beltran out for at least a month it looks like that Pagan will be the regular center fielder and leadoff hitter of the Mets. he gets on base, is good on the base paths and the guys behind him aren't too shabby either. so I expect some steals and runs while Beltran is out. you never know how long that might be. not bad for a 25th rounder.

Bags
ID: 36716159
Wed, Mar 31, 2010, 21:00

11.05 Nyjer Morgan, OF, WAS

I thought I needed some speed on my team and Morgan was one of the last “speed” guys left. His low Slug % should be offset by his stolen bases. 50 SB and 100 runs would be very nice.

12.12 Chris Davis, 1B, TEX

This is one of my post hype sleepers I had targeted. The hype for him last year was huge. To say he did not deliver would be a nice way of putting it. Davis is still young and seemed to turn thing around after his demotion to AAA. Another nice thing is he will be 3B eligible this year and I will need another 3B to takeover for Beckham when he becomes eligible for 2B.

13.05 Mike Napoli, C, LAA

I felt my slug % could use a boost after the Morgan pick in round 11. When Posada and Doumit went a few picks before this one I figured I should get a catcher who could help out in slug % and not hurt me with his obp. Lack of playing time could hurt Napoli but if the Angels struggle to score runs they might be forced to put his big bat in the lineup more often.

14.12 Brian Matusz, SP, BAL

Continuing my recent trend of taking players I like but probably a few rounds too early. Matusz lured me in with his fantastic spring he was having. He has been striking out a good number of pitchers and has kept his hits down. With BAL going with the younger players Matusz should get plenty of chances to start. Too bad most of those starts will be against the AL East.

15.05 Colby Rasmus, OF, STL

Another post hype sleeper, while he didn’t have as bad a year a Davis his season was less than stellar. Producing in spring training like a Pujolos clone has me excited to have him on my team.

Bags
ID: 36716159
Wed, Mar 31, 2010, 21:43

16.12 Matt Thornton, RP, CWS

So my choices are a backup closer with good peripherals or a bad closer with a questionable hold on his job. I tried the bad closer last year and the few saves he gave me compared to the bloated era/whip wasn’t worth it. Thornton is an injury away from being the man in CHI. At the very least he will help with my era/whip.

17.05 Gavin Floyd, SP, CWS

I wanted to go with another quality backup closer but Floyd had been sitting in my queue for way too long. While he isn’t an ace he certainly can put up numbers at times that are ace like. He will be the teams #4 pitcher which usually leads to some matchups against inferior pitchers. This is one of my favorite picks in the draft.

18.12 Blake DeWitt, 2B, LAD

I probably took this guy too early. The way he has been playing this spring made me jump the gun. He should be the Dodgers starting 2B and bat 2nd. He has some pop in his bat so he should be better than most 18th round MI.

19.05 Neftali Feliz, RP, TEX

Homer pick. I’m just looking for any RP who can help out my era/whip. Feliz didn’t win a spot in the starting rotation so he will go back to being the setup man for F. Francisco. I could see Feliz being used as the closer if Francisco misses some time. This guy is fun to watch throw.

20.12 C.J. Wilson, SP, TEX

Kind of a homer pick. I’m not real sure how he will do as a starter but the potential is there for him to have a decent year. He has always been a good strikeout pitcher but with C.J. trying to pace himself to go further in games I expect to see a dip in K’s. If the dip is not too bad he could be a good source of K’s. If he can handle the transition to starter the Rangers defense and improved lineup could give me a 15 game winner. I love my Rangers, we have to get wins some where if we are going to win the AL West.

Da Bomb
Donor
ID: 487112814
Thu, Apr 01, 2010, 00:08

1.06 Prince Fielder, 1B, Mil

The first 5 slots were already taken so I chose the 6th slot with Fielder as my target. I believe only Pujols and Mauer had a higher OPS last season. I expect more of the same from Fielder this season as an excellent power base for my squad.

2.11 Kevin Youkilis, 3B/1B, Bos

Picked the best player available IMO. Youk’s ratios have improved every single year and he should really help my OBP and SLG %s

3.06 Ben Zobrist, SS,2B,OF, TB

Zobrist had an excellent season last year in his first of full time duties. The question is if he can come close to replicating those numbers. I’m pretty sure he can given his great Spring and that he has his manager’s confidence as he has been batting 3rd in the order. Being MI eligible is certainly a plus as well.

4.11 Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Cle

Another player who had a great year in his first full season of work. Choo should also give me about 20 steals.

5.06 Johan Santana, SP, NYM

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. A first round pick just a few years ago, it seems odd that Santana now is a 5th rounder in a 16 team league. He obviously has his questions marks but I couldn’t pass on selecting a potential ace here.

6.11 Andrew Bailey, RP, Oak

Guru made this pick for me when I was on vacation and it’s a good one as I never like punting a category and Bailey will provide me with saves and good ratios.

7.06 Denard Span, OF, Min

Guru pick. Span is a solid player who will help in OBP and SBs.

8.11 Wandy Rodriguez, SP, Hou

Guru pick. Rodriguez put it together last season as many predicted given his high K/IP rate throughout his career. His shaky Spring concerns me but his good production over the last 2 seasons is a much larger sample size and he should be fine for the season.

9.06 Trevor Hoffman, RP, Mil

I like taking 2-3 closers in RIBC because I know that will give me a great chance of being a leader in the category. Hoffman produces every year and hopefully he has at least more great season left in him.

10.11 Bobby Jenks, RP, Chw

Not on a long leash, but he’s the closer right now…

11.06 Matt Capps, RP, Wash

A friend made this pick for me. Not a pick I would’ve made as this is my 4th closer and Capps was just awful last season. Maybe a change of scenery will do him well.

12.11 AJ Burnett, SP, NYY

Wanted a SP with a high K rate. His increasing WHIP is disconcerting but if he moves it down to his career levels this will be a solid pick.

13.06 David Price, SP, Tam

Another friend pick. I’m not sold on Price but he has a high K rate and we’ll see if that will improve his overall numbers this season.

14.11 Freddy Sanchez, 2B, SF

Last friend pick. Ugh! A wasted pick as he is injured and had very mediocre numbers last season.

15.06 Chris Young, OF, Ari

Wanted to add some steals with this pick. Young was pretty bad last season but is only 2 years removed from almost being a 30-30 player. His great Spring gives me some (false?) hope he can come close to that player again this year.

16.11 Luis Castillo, 2B, NYM

Needed to take a MI here as I only have 1 healthy one and pickings are getting really slim. Castillo seems to be a forgotten man but his OBP is solid and he swiped 20 bases last year. He’ll also bat 2nd for the Mets.

17.06 Magglio Ordonez, OF, Det

Magglio was awful the first half of last year but had a .978 OPS in the second half and is having a great Spring. Some hope that he is not quite done being productive yet.

18.11 Juan Rivera, OF, LAA

Happy to get a productive hitter here who will help with SLG.

19.06 Justin Duchscherer

Late in a draft I usually prefer a player who has high upside rather than someone who will be just average, or worse. Duchscherer looks to be ready for the start of the season and should produce stats much higher than a 19th rounder when he pitches.

20.11 Gaby Sanchez, 1B, Fla

Sanchez has put together a nice Spring and won himself the 1B in Florida. Hopefully his production carries over into the season.

21.06 Lyle Overbay, 1B, Tor

I’ll be playing Overbay versus righties this season as he has a .847 lifetime OPS against them including a .905 OPS last year.

22.11 Kaz Matsui, 2B, Hou

Needed a MI here and I believe there were only a couple full time players left. Matsui is very injury prone and was really bad last year but over his career he has usually produced when healthy. He can also chip in 20+ steals.

23.06 Bengie Molina, C, SF

Terrible OBP but still has a good amount of power and his job is safe for now in San Fran.

24.11 Will Venable, OF, SD

Picked him up in the 2nd half of last year in RIBC and he produced. Now he goes into the season with a full time job. Recently saw that he will be batting 3rd for the Padres.

25.06 Kevin Correia, SP, SD

Had pretty good numbers last season. Not expecting all that much but if he repeats his numbers he’ll be an asset.

Toral
ID: 4155487
Sun, Apr 04, 2010, 15:31

The + and - numbers indicate where the pick was made compared to the RIBC average. "+0.08" indicates the pick was made 8 picks before the RIBC average. "-1.12" indicates that the pick was made 28 picks (1 round and 12 picks) after the RIBC average position.

6.10 Heath Bell, RP, SD +0.1

A few times in RIBC drafts I've been at one end of the draft, closer runs have started after my pick as the draft moves away from me, and by the time the draft gets back down to me a whole tier of closers has been taken and nobody of value has been left. So I pick someone from another position. A few rounds later, the process starts again with the next tier of closers and I get shut out again. Eventually I'm left to scrabble around in the second half of the draft among putative closers, possible closers, would-be, backup and has-been closers, trying to salvage some saves. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

This year I was happy to find a reasonable closer in round 6. Heath Bell is a top-5 closer on many lists, including mine. He was the 7th closer taken and I'm fine with that. I didn't really consider anyone else here. Maybe the biggest fear about Bell is that he might be traded before the deadline and end up as a set-up man.

7.07 Alexei Ramirez, SS, CWS -0.14

Trying to look for a SS or 3B here, as SS is not a deep position here and 3B quality dives after the second tier. He doubles his walk rate last year, suggesting he's working at adapting to the North American game. He put up .342/405 from May on. I hope he can put the best of 2008 and 2009 together and slug .450 while hitting .290 and drawing some walks. 10 walks will help. I've had some success in the past merely by opting for guys who steal 10 bases a year instead of 2, while avoiding the speedsters who hurt you in OPS. Rotoworld has him as the #6 SS in thisa scoring system, and there's already 9 gone.

8.10 Chad Billingsley, RP, LA +0.03

I and some other folks have Billingsley and Kershaw about exactly even this year; I own Kershaw in another league, so was happy to get Billingsley in a reasonable position after dror took Kershaw at 8.06. I view his second half problems as attributable mostly to a lack of stamina, not anything that needs hurt him this year.

I'm starting to worry about 3B, but I don't expect any of the next most reasonable choices to be taken before my next pick.

9.07 Adrian Beltre, 3B, Bos -0.14

Didn't I once vow that I would never own Beltre again? I'm sure I vowed that sometime.... Nevertheless, he seems to be my best choice at 3B now. Based on his last 5 years, he is sure to hit somewhere between 5 and 45 homers and slug somewhere between .375 and .600.
Seriously, if Boston commits to him he will gain from getting out of Safeco, getting into Fenway, and hitting in a better lineup. He did have an 815 OPS on the road while playing in Seattle. Rob Neyer expects him to be one of the top 5 3Bmen in the AL this year. Frankly with my luck he's just as likely to hit .180 in spring training and lose his job to Mike Lowell, but I'll have to take the chance.

10.10 Carlos Beltran, OF, NYM -0.04

I've been stewing over this for 2 rounds now. Aside from the question of his eventual health, how much is a guy who plays great for 5 months worth, in a league with a small bench? I don't really know. he'll have a seasonal rate of 20 SBs and an 875-900 OPS, hitting in the middle of the lineup, and I won't wait any longer. The RIBC average agreed with me.

Toral
ID: 4155487
Sun, Apr 04, 2010, 16:37

The + and - numbers indicate where the pick was made compared to the RIBC average. "+0.08" indicates the pick was made 8 picks before the RIBC average. "-1.12" indicates that the pick was made 28 picks (1 round and 12 picks) after the RIBC average position. + is good, - is bad.

11.07 Alex Rios, OF, ChW (+1.04)

It's a bit early to be picking my 4th OF (even including Beltran) but the value here is too good to pick up. I don't know what happened to Rios in Chicago but I don't expect the effect to be permanent. I'm looking for an 800 OPS, 25 SBs and heart-of-the-order R and RBI counts. Considering what Rios is earning -- or, getting paid, guess I should say -- the Pale Hose should give Rios every opportunity to redeem himself. I don't like to rely on 'insider' opinion in picking people, but those I respect expect a big year out of Rios and in the 11th round I'm happy to sign up.

12.10 Nick Johnson, 1B, NYY (+1.00)

This is one I like. When Johnson is healthy, in an OPS league, batting somewhere in the top half of the lineup, he's an immensely valuable player, putting up 100 BB a year pace with some power. His projected OPS in two systems I look at is around 850. He's scheduled to bat 2nd for the Yankees and should score hundreds of runs there.
But of course he's a walking injury. In the first part of his career he specialized in hand injuries but now he's been branching out into leg injuries as well, showing good versatility. (Yesterday I was watching a spring training game and saw him, typically, foul a ball off his leg near the knee. He's day-to-day for opening day.) Frankly Lance Berkman is not the best 1B to team this guy with, and I'll definitely need to look for a backup MI.

13.07 Erick Aybar, SS, LAA (+1.09)

Third pick in a row at least a round ahead of the RIBC average. I think Aybar is underrated because he was originally disappointing as a prospect. He's 26 now and I don't even expect much further growth -- but 70 runs, 12 SBs and a 750 OPS is okay for an MI here, and better is still possible.

14.10 Clay Buchholz, SP, Bos (+0.15)

+0.15, just less than a full round...Missed it by that much.
Potential, on a very good team. Last 8 starts: 3.49 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 7.5 K/9. Also considered Carlos Zambrano here.

15.07 Carlos Zambrano, SP, ChC (+1.07)

Problems last year were with hamstring and back, not arm. Best strikeout rate in years last year. Before the problems last year, had 6 seasons with 30 or more starts and 13 or more wins, and should be able to do it again.

Toral
ID: 4155487
Sun, Apr 04, 2010, 17:37

16.10 Alex Gordon, 3B, KC (-0.06)

The severity of Gordon's injury became known after I picked but before some other RIBC leagues got here, so that affected his RIBC position. I picked him as a) insurance for Beltre; b) backup to Johnson at MI early, with Berkman out, and later when Johnson suffers one of his myriad injuries. Injury aside, I like Gordon as the disappointing prospect who nevertheless comes on and puts up some good years between ages 26 and 29. He's capable of an 800 OPS and 15 SBs. Unclear if I can hold him with his injury, given the other DLers on my roster, but I don't want to just dump him either.
Other possibilities taken before Gordon were Russell Martin and, painfully, Jason Frasor, by maspero.

17.07 Matt Lindstrom, RP, Hou (+1.07)

Closer roulette, as I search for someone to complement Bell. Brandon Lyon, his competition, was taken at 17.04 by graydog. Despite his horrible 2009, Lindstrom has the fastball while Lyon has the stuff of a set-up guy, so I like Lindstrom to get the job in the end.

18.10 Carlos Guillen, OF, Det (-4.00)

Wow, I gave away 4 rounds in one pick. Had an OPS of 874 after he returned from his injury, so I'm quite happy with him here. DHing should keep him healthy; shouldn't be used against left-handers. My first pick not picked in all 5 leagues.

19.07 Brad Penny, P, StL (-3.00)

Suddenly I'm no longer walking away with bargains....Had ridiculously high .327 BAPIP in Boston. Won't pitch as well as he did in Frisco. Dave Duncan's magic should make him serviceable 5th starter.

20.10 Ryan Rowland-Smith, P, Seattle (-2.01)

Popular sleeper, but picked too high here. Need to remember that sleepers are only valuable when wicked at their (low) perceived worth....Probably doesn't strikeout enuf to be worth more than a 24th round flyer.

Toral
ID: 4155487
Sun, Apr 04, 2010, 18:46

I'll stop citing the RIBC average draft positions now as we're getting into garbage time, looking for 2nd backups to closers, someone to play catcher, people who might win a job, and fill-ins at positions unaccountably forgotten. The average position of these types doesn't tell you much.

21.07 Juan Gutierrez, RP, Ari

Set-up man, good heat, said to be being groomed as future closer, maybe could move in this year when Qualls flames out.

22.10 Danys Baez, RP, Phi

Set-up man, behind Madson now in Lidge's absemce, could move up if Phils decide they don't want to send someone with a 7+ ERA out there every day no matter how much he's being paid.

23.07 A. J. Pierzynski, C, ChW

I was quite prepared to wait until the last round (or even after) to select a C, but happy to get A.J. here. Average offence, has been durable for a catcher.

24.10 Jeremy Hermida, OF, Bos

Who? What? For some reason I became entranced with what Hermida could do in Boston if an injury propelled him into the lineup. I still am, but it needs to happen first. Sure enuf there was soon an injury in the Red Sox outfield -- to Hermida, who isn't ready to play.

Released to pick up Mike Jacobs as a 1B/MI while he's starting.

25.07 Brandon Inge, 3B, Det

CI backup. Big first half last year, slim chance he can get back to that after off-season knee surgery.

Bags
ID: 39742013
Mon, Apr 05, 2010, 12:44

21.05 Chris Young, SP, SDG
Just looking for players with a pulse now. Young was hurt last
year so taking a chance on him to rebound here. Plays in a
pitcher friendly park so hopefully it can help him out on some
of his stats.

22.12 Scott Podsednik, OF, KAN
Needed a back up OF. Podsednik should get some descent
playing time and could give me a boost in SB if he is needed.
Not much use except for that.

23.05 Tyler Clippard, RP, WAS
Looking For some RP help to boost era and whip and maybe
some cheap wins. Don't have the numbers with me but I
remember I was pleaently suprised by this guy who I had
never heard of before.

24.12 Carl Pavano, SP, MIN
Not sure why I drafted him. I think I read somewhere he
could be a sleeper IF he gets back to 2007 form. WTF was I
thinking? He is the first guy I drop because he sucks!

25.05 Pedro Alvarez, 3B, PIT
I hope he continues his progress in the minors. PIT will be
forced to bring him up early and continue with their continous
youth movement. I just hope I don't need the roster spot
before he gets called up.

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