Forum: base
Page 17569
Subject: RIBC 2005 - Draft Rationales (rounds 6-10)

  Posted by: Guru - [330592710] Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 12:19
Continuing for the next five rounds.

Rationales for rounds 1-5
 
1Matt S
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 17:45 		6.01 Jose Vidro, 2B, Was
I had to get another MI before it was too late. I expect Vidro to put up better numbers than he did last year. I would have liked to get Jeff Kent in this spot, if I was taking a MI with no SB potential, however he was snatched up just before me. .870 OPS, 80R, 80RBI would satisfy this fantasy manager
 
2rockafellerskank
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 17:46 		6.02 Mark Loretta, 2B, SD
Obviously, 2B is one of the weakest positions in the draft. Loretta had an outstanding year last, probably a "career year" at .390/.495!! But, I don't expect him to be that good, but I do expect him to be solid. My other choice was Figgins at this spot for the flexibility and SB aspect of his game. I debated long and hard and thought maybe I could get Chone at 6.13 (he went at 6.11). I also had higher rated players on the board including Halladay, Sosa, and Posada.

But... this is the Mark Loretta rationale. I think Mark will be a top 5 2B again this year. At 33, I need him to stay healthy and play 150 games. But, also his OBP and SLG have contnued to rise the past 3 years.

 
3Toral
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 17:48 		6.03 Braden Looper, RP, NYM
Looper was the best closer on my list, and someone I felt I could pick without feeling that the closer run had forced me to reach too much. He doesn't fan a guy an inning, but he would be a positive producer if he reproduces last year's ERA and WHIP. Even if he reverts halfway towards 2003, he would still be serviceable. The Mets' line is that as he is a groundball pitcher, improved IF defense this year could make him even better. I count on him to hold on to his job all year.
 
4Species
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 17:48 		6.04 Mike Lowell, 3B, Fla
From a fantasy perspective, Lowell is a pretty boring player....he just kind of chugs along and puts up his 25-30 HR and 90-100 RBI while generally staying healthy. I felt he was a notch or two above the remaining 3b so I grabbed him. In Rotowire's projections he comes in just about on par with David Wright, and I would be thrilled if Lowell matched Wright's production. Something like .355/.520 with 95 RBI and 85 runs would be great.
 
5Ref
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 17:49 		6.05 Carlos Lee, OF, Mil
After Kent went off the board, there still wasn't a closer anywhere close to the top players and I wasn't reaching. There were still a number of closers that were pretty good out there and most already had closers so not too many more would be going off the board anytime soon. I'm going to continue riding the gravy train of players that have slipped. I have absolutely no need to get another OF at this time. But with Kent gone, the best player left IMM is Lee. This guy is another possible 5-cat player and he's too good to pass up. It was a little comforting to find out after I made this pick that YR had him on his queue. To nab this guy with the 80th pick was pretty fortunate.
 
7youngroman
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 17:52 		6.06 Brian Giles, OF, SD
I still need a closer, and could not find one in an acceptable range. Takatsu was gone, Looper was gone, so I have to wait another round or two to get a closer at a fair price.

So I had to go to plan B: best hitter available. First I thought about Carlos Guillen, who of course went with the next pick, but I felt it was too early for him. There are still MI options out there that will fit my needs. I hope I am digging in the right direction on this topic.

As it turned out the choice was between Carlos Lee and him. Both are in the range of 100/100 with around 10 SB. The difference was the higher OBP of Giles.

Ref got Lee with 6.05, I got Giles with 6.06.

 
8Slackjawed Yokel
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 17:52 		6.07 Carlos Guillen, SS, Det
The ranks of quality middle infielders were rapidly dwindling, and I didn't have any at this point. To prevent being stuck with three guys who only hurt my percentages and don't add much to the counting stats, I felt I needed one here. Actually not a pretty position to be in this early in the draft (now I see why my fellow managers were so high on Tejada...). Anyways, I was weighing between Khalil Greene and Guillen. It was really a toss-up; but remembering how solid Guillen was last year and the fact the Tigers seem to be improving, I went with him.
 
9jumpball
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 17:53 		6.08 Jorge Posada, C, NYY
I was originally hoping that Loretta would fall to me with this pick but rfs popped that ballon. A couple of starting pitchers caught my eye, but when I looked at the catcher position, my mind was made up. As we go back to the front of the draft with no manager having drafted a catcher, I knew that it was now or never for Posada. I chose him over Mauer based on Jorge's durability and questions about Joe beign injury-prone (i hope he's not, as I just drafted Mauer in another league!). I'm looking for Posada to approach his last 2 year averages of .400 OBP, .500 SLG and 80/90. Those are great numbers from the catcher position.
 
10Athletics Guy
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 17:54 		6.09 Jose Reyes, 2B, NYM
This was a tough pick for me. We all saw what happened to Reyes with his leg injuries last season. He disappointed many fantasy owners with OBP/SLG numbers of .271/.373 while only playing in 53 games. However, he still managed to steal 19 bases in that short amount of time. Since then, he has played amazingly well in winter ball, and continues to do so in spring training. If he can keep playing at this level and stay off the DL, Reyes may be able to give me a solid season with 50 SBs.
 
11Guru
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 17:56 		6.10 Johnny Damon, OF, Boston
With 3 picks to go, I still didn’t know my first choice for this pick. So I started drafting various rationales, just to see if any seemed convincing. The three most likely picks were Eddie Guardado, Scott Podsednik, and Johnny Damon. I still lack a starting pitcher as well, but I’ve had good luck in the past getting starters later on, and got I burned badly by my top two starter picks last season, both who are still available (which attests to their fine seasons).

After I had drafted a rationale for each, I decided on Damon, who was the safe pick of the three. There are times when it makes sense to take some risks to fill some tough needs. But there are still good quality players available who don’t have many ifs, and barring something freakish, I think I know what I’m getting with Damon.

He should provide above average contributions everywhere but slugging, where he’s only average. I have him ranked as the best available (healthy) hitter right now, with his value propped up by the steals category. He’s not a big stealer, but something around 20 SB seems plausible. And while going for a speedster like Podsednik could have really turbo charged my steals, I think it may make more sense to go after guys with balance.
 
12Chris
      ID: 4708114
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 20:42 		6.11 Chone Figgins, 2B, Ana

I had targeted Reyes with this pick, but Athletics Guy had taken him 2 picks early(there is a huge irony in this based on what happened last year if anybody wants to hear the long story. Suffice it to say, that Reyes - who I drafted - ended up on AG's team in the last month of the season and may have single-handedly led to his victory over me).

With that option now gone, I turned my sights on another 2B with multiple eligibility. Figgins stole 34 bases last year, and will bat at the top of a potent Angels lineup. He's still young, so I expect a little bit of improvement over his modest OPS numbers last year. Not quite the 50-60 steals that Reyes is capable of, but Figgins should fill in quite capably and is much more likely to play 150 games(or even 100).
 
13beastiemiked
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 21:09 		6.12 John Smoltz, SP, Atl
Smoltz is a guy a targeted before the draft that I felt I had to have. Him making his move from closer to starting pitcher has drastically reduced his value. If he was still a closer he'd be picked in 3rd or 4th round. His health is the big question mark but if he's healthy I see him being a top 10 starting pitcher. Also, if Kolb falters as closer there's a good chance that Smoltz would return to that role which would only enhance his value.
 
14rockafellerskank
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 21:09 		6.13 Scott Podsednik, OF, CWS
Having lost out on some SBs I wanted 2 picks earlier, I thought now was the time to grab one of the top 3-4 SB guys in the league. A new team in CHW but everything I have read says he's locked a starting job. His 2004 stats fell off considerably from 2003 when he was ROY in 2003, but being so young, I think an average of 03-04 is a reasonable expectation.

To this point, I've tried to keep my draft fairly balanced without concentrating too much or ignoring too much any category or position. SBs was part of that balancing act.
 
15KrazyKoalaBears
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 21:10 		6.14 Andruw Jones, OF, ATL
I considered many options with this pick, but opted for Andruw and his fairly steady numbers. I like the fact that there's talk of him hitting in the cleanup spot with talented hitters in front of him. Honestly, there's not much else to say about this pick except that I expect to put him in my starting lineup for Opening Day and leave him there until the end of the season. He should be the Ronco Rotisserie & BBQ Oven of my team: "Set it and FORGET IT!"
 
16Peter N.
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 21:11 		6.15 Jason Bay, OF, PIT
My queue with 5 picks to go was Reyes, Figgins and Podsednik. I thought for sure I'd get one of them. That didn't happen obviously so I went with Bay. Bay has all sorts of potential, but injuries have been his story so far. And seeing that he's already jammed his wrist, he's not getting off to a good start. However, I couldn't pass up the upside at this point so I drafted him. If he can stay healthy, he should post a nice OBP and SLG% and even snag a few bases. I can't ask for much more.
 
17darkside
      Dude
      ID: 3590317
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 21:43 		6.16 Sammy Sosa, OF, Bal
7.01 Mike Mussina, P, NYY

I've decided having 2 picks in a row is nice, even if I do have to wait a long time for another. I wanted another solid pitcher and figured I should get a decent bat for the OF. I believe both of these picks have legitimate chances of making big improvements on last year's performance.

Sammy will benefit the change of scenery and the incredibly potent lineup which he’ll now anchor. Roberts leading off, Mora and Miggy in front of him and Javy, Palmerio and Bigbie behind him. That Baltimore team is going to put a lot of runs up and Sammy will be a key figure in it. I think he’ll have 100 rbi’s and 90 runs with about a .525 slg and .360 obp. I know the percentages are a bit of a stretch, but I think he’s got something to prove, will enjoy playing with Tejada and will benefit from a much stronger lineup. I’m hoping I got quite a bargain.

As for Moose, I’m banking that his stretch at the end of last year (Rotowire says he had a 2.14 era and 1.04 whip in September) just keeps on going this year. I’m hopeful RJ being the ace will help by easing pressure on him combined with what we saw in September gives me a steal at this stage of the draft. Absolute best case scenario: 17-18 wins, 180 strikeouts, whip under 1.10 and an era in the 3.50 area. I’ll be happy with less, but think this could actually happen. Time will tell.
 
18Peter N.
      ID: 39211014
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 23:13 		7.02 Mark Mulder, P, STL

In last year's RIBC draft, I didn't draft my first starting pitcher until the 4th round. This year, it was the 7th, but I still get the same guy. I have no problems with Mulder anchoring my staff again this year. I contribute his drop off at the end of the year to fatigue and nothing else and I read that he didn't play as much winter ball this year in order to try and prevent the fatigue at the end of the year. When Mulder is on, he can make quick work of an opponent and its awesome to see. Playing for St. Louis, he should at least be a good source for wins, but I'm expecting him to put up a solid ERA and WHIP as well. Basically just got tired of seeing him slip and I didn't think he'd make it back to me.
 
19KrazyKoalaBears
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 23:27 		7.03 Shawn Green, 1B,OF, ARI
Honestly, I'll be perfectly happy with a bit better than last season (92 R, 86 RBI, 5 SB, .459, .352) and I'm hoping Green can get that by moving away from the Hitter's Hell that is also known as Dodger Stadium. He won't get back to 2001 numbers, but a return to 2000 numbers would be nice (98 R, 99 RBI, 24 SB [he won't get that!], .472, .375). A deciding factor between Green and others I was looking at was Green's 1B/OF eligibility.
 
20rockafellerskank
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 23:29 		7.04 Richie Sexson, 1B, Sea
Less than thrilled with big Richie Sexson's move to SEA as far as the ballpark goes, but after watching him mash that big bopper off the face of BOB in AZ before he jacked his shoulder up, I started to follow him a bit...

He's been steady at about .360 OBP and .540 SLG each of his years and at only 30, I think he can come back fine. Optimistically, I can see him doing 105 RBI and 90 runs as well.

Other considerations here was Hallady, Mags and Glaus. I also considered another 1B here, but willing bank on Richie possibly being the comback player of the year. Nothing too exciting, I just feel he was the solid obvious pick that for my team at this point in the draft.

 
21beastiemiked
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 23:30 		7.05 Lance Berkman, OF, Hou
Berkman is another guy that I really wanted. His injury has drastically reduced his value from a 2nd rounder to a 7th rounder. He's coming off surgery and should be out for a couple of weeks to start the season. Perhaps he'll have lingering affects from the injury but I felt that his numbers plus a replacement player for a month would easily out produce any other OFer left in the draft.
 
22Chris
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 23:31 		7.06 A.J. Burnett, SP, Fla
I had originally wanted to draft Jason Bay with this pick, but he was snapped up by Peter N(the same guy that got Morneau, I definitely wanted 1 of those 2 this draft).

However, I had Burnett ranked in my top 15 SP's, and I made him the 20th SP taken in our draft. I figured I couldn't pass up on that value at this point in the draft, even though I was still in need of a C/OF.

Burnett has always had phenomenal stuff, but struggled with his control. In 120 IP after returning from Tommy John surgery, he only walked 2.85 batters per 9 inning, while carrying a usually high 8.48 K/9. Also, I figure that as his arm continues to get stronger, there's a chance that he could push his strikeout rates even higher(he was a 10.74 K/9 guy in the minors).

If nothing else, I hope for a continuation of his last 3 seasons, where he's had roughly a 3.5 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 8.5 K/9.

 
23Guru
      ID: 330592710
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 23:32 		7.07 Eddie Guardado, RP, Sea
I drafted a rationale for Guardado prior to making my sixth pick, but opted to defer in favor of Damon. Only twelve picks have passed since then, but I really feel like I need to take a risk in search of some extra saves – especially since I haven’t taken my first starter yet.

The “cons” are easy: he tore his rotator cuff last year, and is coming back after rehab (and knee surgery). Before he was injured last year, he pitched well, but Seattle was rather pathetic and didn’t provide many save opportunities.

The pros: the job is safely his, as long as he stays healthy. There’s enough track record to know he can handle the job, and there is no heir apparent in the Mariner bullpen. The M’s also added Sexson and Beltre in the offseason, so hopefully there will be more late inning leads to protect. And at least his opening spring training outing was favorable.

Bottom line: if he stays healthy and the M’s are respectable, there is plenty of upside. And if not, well,… “nothing ventured…”

 
24Athletics Guy
      ID: 4271012
      Thu, Mar 10, 2005, 23:48 		7.08 Magglio Ordonez, OF, Det

I was torn between Halladay and Ordonez here. After a lot of thinking, I just decided that there was too much pitching left and went with Ordonez. Just like Reyes, this pick is quite risky. There are a lot of factors working against him here: new ballpark, weaker lineup, and of course his questionable knee. Ordonez could turn out to be a huge pick if he is indeed healthy. Before his knee injury, he was one of the best RBI guys in the league. I am hoping for 100 R, 100 RBI, and OPS of .920 or better from him this season. That may sound overly optimistic, but he's definitely capable of doing that if he can stay off the DL.
 
25jumpball
      Sustainer
      ID: 33050298
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 10:35 		7.09 Vernon Wells, TOR, OF
This was not my intended pick at this point of the draft, but I had Wells rated ahead of guys like Bay, Green, and Andrew, who were taken since my last pick. I knew he'd never make it back to me, so I closed my eyes, changed my strategy a little and got him! I think he's capable of .350/.500/90/90, which are his last 2 year averages, with a few less runs due to the departure of Delgado. If he approaches those numbers, this will have been a good pick.

The only other player I stongly considered here was Halladay.

 
26Slackjawed Yokel
      ID: 298482214
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 10:51 		7.10 Roy Halladay, SP, TOR
What a difference a year makes. Coming off his Cy Young season in 2003, Halladay was a late first round/early second round pick in most leagues last year. But his work load finally caught up with him as he spent considerable time on the DL and was ineffective in most of his starts. I really expect him to return to being a dominant pitcher. He'll be under closer watch and won't go so far into games, but I expect a minimum of 15 wins and a sub 3.5 ERA. I think the only reason he's fallen this far is the rather strange dynamics of the early rounds in this draft. Several runs have happened at thin positions (namely MI and closers), that have left much higher ranked players at deeper positions.

I had been planning on picking up a hitter with this pick. But no hitters really stood out for me above the other. I think I had typed Troy Glaus' name into the draft window, but I didn't feel I really needed another 3B. I figured I could pick up a pair of 1B later to fill out my CI positions, and avoid Glaus injury problems. Then, as I looked through who was available, I really thought Halladay had the most upside. Although I already had two aces in Sheets and Oliver Perez, by picking up Halladay I could really solidify my pitching. Now when everyone else is having to pick up 2nd and 3rd tier pitchers, I can concentrate on sifting through the dregs of the leftover hitters.

 
27youngroman
      ID: 298482214
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 10:52 		7.11 Matt Clement, SP, BOS

there was nobody out there I really considered, so I ended up with Matt Clement. I don’t know what to expect from him. he can provide an ERA of 3.50 up to 4.20, with wins between 10 and 18 and a WHIP in the 1.25 range.
The real plus is his potential of serving one K per inning, which made him much more valuable than his competition.
In the other categories I would be satisfied if he produces somewhere in the middle of the above ranges. If he is better I’ll take it too.
 
28Ref
      Donor
      ID: 539581218
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 11:13 		7.12 Troy Glaus, 3B, ARI

I was all set to take a closer here. I mean honestly, I'm in the 7th round and still have no closers. But looking at the list of closers available and looking at all the teams that have multiple closers, there will still be plenty left at the bottom that should at least allow me to compete or finish somewhere in the middle in saves. With the closers left, they may be one cat. players anyhow and can even negatively impact your team with high ERA/WHIPs.

So, I said heck with it, who else has slid? I then find this jewell of Glaus. I again look at Percival's numbers and his history for injury. I then look at all the other closers still left. I then re-researched Glaus and find that he is not only tearing the cover off the ball again but is throwing 100% across the diamond. That suggests that his shoulder is 100%. When he went down last year he was CRUSHING the ball. Even when he came back at the end of the year he poked some out of the park. Now he's in a hitter's park. Granted, the team is much worse than where he came, but look what Sexson did last year on an even worse team in AZ. I couldn't pass this up. If Percival is still there my next pick, I'll nab him. If not, I'll consider another closer if it's not a reach. (As it turns out, he was available. Bet you Glaus wouldn't have been!)
 
29Species
      Leader
      ID: 07724916
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 11:23 		7.13 Khalil Greene, SS, SD
Scouts rave about this guy. He was an absolute stud at Clemson, rivaling guys like Teixeira and Drew in hype and performance. While his rookie season was solid with 15 HR and 65 runs and 65 RBI, it didn't blow people out of the water, which is good for me because he came to me at this pick. He only played in 136 games so he could have easily gotten closer to 20/80/80. Also extremely impressive was an OPS of .891 after the All-Star break.

Rotowire projects .363/.476 with 79 RBI and 87 runs, partially due to the fact he's moving up to the #6 hole this year. I'd be thrilled if he met those projections.

 
30Toral
      ID: 22731114
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 11:28 		7.14 Odalis Perez, SP, LA

Biceps tendonitis isn't a good way to start a season, but I picked Perez anyway, in what may have been a bit of a reach to get the second starter on the team here. I'm concerned by the decline in his K rate last year, but believe that he can continue putting up ERA/WHIP numbers along the lines of his 3.25/1.14 last year. The weird 7-win total doesn't concern me; win totals are highly susceptible to flukes/bad luck and I believe he'll put up his share of wins in 2005.
 
31holt
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:50 		7.15 Joe Mauer, C, Min
At this point I'd still like to get a MI. There are several available that look decent but none that look like they deserve to be picked this early. There are still some truly outstanding hitters available, none of which are MI's, so I cross my fingers and wait.

looking at catchers, things are looking very thin. hell, it's thin to begin with. I was real close to taking Varitek, but I know what his limits are. Mauer has much more potential. I just need him to stay off the DL. It would be nice if the twins would just DH him.

he put up #'s of .570/.369 last season. If he just stays off the DL I know I'll be happy with whatever he does. 90 R, 90 RBI, .500,.370 are reasonable to expect.

just don't get hurt... buddy... please... friend...

 
32Matt S
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:52 		7.16 Paul Konerko, 1B, CWS
I was debating between quite a few CI's with this pick. I would have liked to get Troy Glaus, even with his injury risk. I settled on Konerko, after his bounce back season last year. I like the fact that he is playing for a contract and is only 29 years old. I think he will be able to put up similar numbers as last year, and if he does that, I got him as a steal.

8.01 Kazuo Matsui, 2B, NYM
I wanted to take my last MI here, and also needed another player with some SB potential. Matsui is a bit of a question mark going into this year. He's cabable of a lot more than what he did last year, and I expect a decent jump in all categories. I don't think health will be a factor, and if it's not I think I can get .800 OPS, 90 R, 55 RBI, 20 SB.

 
33holt
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:52 		8.02 Chris Carpenter SP STL
Carpenter was one of my targets. I figured he could be a big bargain in this draft because his health would be questioned. The cardinals seem to think he's ok. larussa named him opening day starter.

there were no other starters available who put up numbers like carpenter did last year. 15-5, 3.46, 1.14, 182 ip, 152 K's.

according to reports I've read, his fastball has more snap on it than it did at this point last year. I can see 20 wins as a possibility, but would be happy with something similar to last year's numbers.

 
34Toral
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:53 		8.03 Milton Bradley OF LOS
There's usually enough outfield talent around that it's not necessary to load with with outfielders early, but I felt it time to take my second outfielder here, and what would a team be without a headcase? The question with Bradley is how much of the dropoff between '03 and '04 should be attributed to Dodger Stadium or '03 being a career year and how much to the minor injuries that dogged him during the season. Bradley is another Age 27 guy, so the best should be yet to come. I expect an improvement up to the .370/.460 range. I'm tempted to say that he's a guy that you'd like to see moved out of Dodger Stadium, except that it that happens it's probably because he's blown up one last time and burned some more bridges.
 
35Species
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:54 		8.04 Bret Boone 2B SEA
At this point in the draft I figured I would have to take some fairly sizeable risks in order to make up for a pathetic SLG/RBI projection for my team, and it started with one of my sleepers this year, Bret Boone.

Obviously Boone fell off the table last year. His OPS fell a whopping 162 points. I am hopeful that it was a fluke - that a combination of trying to hard on a fledgling team, combined with poorer eyesight and lack of protection all caused the decline. Over the winter a lot has changed in SEA - sluggers Beltre and Sexson are now on board which should offer Boone lots of opportunities to clean up hitting behind those guys - and it won't all be on him. He also had offseason LASIK surgery, and when I made this pick I was about 18 hours from my own LASIK surgery, so I figured we could be LASIK brothers.

I'll take an .850 OPS, 100 RBI and 85 runs, which is well off his career highs.

 
36Ref
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:54 		8.05 Troy Percival RP DET
How fortunate do I feel to get a guy like this in the 8th round when most of the rest of the league already spent their resources to get guys that are only marginally better? VERY! The main questions with Percy is his health. Det is getting better and better. I like their lineup this year a lot. If he can stay healty (so far he looks great), he could easily get 30-35 saves. If so, I not only grabbed some stud hitters early that slipped because of the closer run, but got one of those closers myself.

Time will tell if my strategy is flawed and should have been lemming-like or my mantra of not getting caught up in the hype was correct. I guess a lot depends on injuries and a host of other events. But I am really pleased with the squad I've assembled thus far. Sure I still feel I'm weak in a couple areas--but who isn't at this point?

 
37youngroman
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:55 		8.06 Ray Durham 2B SFO
the pool at 2B got thinner with Reyes, Figgins and Boone gone. There are not much more valuable choices there. I came up with 2 players:

Ray Durham and Juan Uribe

both had good seasons last year. Durham was injured during the season and Uribe battling for playing time. This year both should start, so their playing time over a season (when healthy) should be even. Looking at their previous seasons Durham is more consistent and had a very good season last year scoring 95 runs in only 120 games. That would be 128 runs in a full season. Of all the other players in the universe he is 9th in runs scored per game:

Bonds .878
Sexson .870
Pujols .864
Damon .820
Drew .814
Glaus .810
Guerrero .795
Mora .793
Durham .792

I’ll take that from a 2nd baseman that is also above average in OBP and SLG and that once stole over 20 bases. It is told that he will not get that much opportunities so that he can stay healthy all season, but he should get 10 SB easily.

questions?

 
38Slackjawed Yokel
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:56 		8.07 Brian Roberts 2B BAL
With Roberts, I'm trying to address two different needs. For one, the 2B position is getting very thin. Secondly, I have no other stolen base threats, so I needed them from somewhere. I also considered Crosby, but it looked like there's more pickable SS in the late rounds, so my MI position can wait. Although Roberts won't produce any power numbers, leading off for the O's he's got a chance of scoring 100 runs.
 
39jumpball
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:56 		8.08 Juan Uribe SS CWS
Go read the rationale for 8.06 Ray Durham.

Without Ray on the board, Uribe had to be my first MI. If he can approach last year's numbers, (.330/.500/80/70/10), he'll play every day and be a great value here. The bonus with this pick is that since he is eligible at 2B and SS (and also 3B), I have flexibility with the next MI that I select.

 
40Athletics Guy
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:57 		8.09 Chad Cordero RP WAS
It may have been a bit soon, but I wanted to play it safe by getting my team a 2nd closer. I can rest easy now knowing that I won't be at the bottom of the pack in the saves category. Of the closers available, Cordero looks to have the best chance of holding his job all season, and that was more important to me than how good (bad?) his team is. The Nationals don't look like they'll win a lot of games, but that doesn't necessarily mean less save opportunities. The Reds, Pirates and Brewers were a good example of that last year. The worst Cordero can do here is probably earn 20 saves, but I'm predicting closer to 30-35.
 
41Guru
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:58 		8.10 Mark Bellhorn, 2B/3B, Bos
I started scouting for this pick about a dozen picks ago. I finally decided on Bellhorn as my top choice. I don’t know whether to be pleased or worried that he wasn’t plucked by someone ahead of me.

I have him as one of the two best second basemen remaining, and also one of the two best third basemen remaining. I need both positions, although I expect to use him at second. The dual eligibility could come in very handy, though, especially if/when I have to cover for injuries.

Bellhorn will probably drop from 2nd to 9th in the Red Sox lineup, but hitting 9th in Boston isn’t so bad – certainly better than hitting 7th or 8th in most NL lineups. I expect a slight reduction in R and RBI, but not drastic. How about 85-75-6-.365-.440?

With this pick, I’ve got all 3 middle infield slots filled, and I really don’t feel like I had to make extreme reaches to do so. I also now have 3 Red Sox up the middle (w/ Damon and Renteria), when at one point it looked like I was Philling up on Phillies. I guess I won’t have to stay up late to see how my hitters are doing this year.
 
42Chris
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 13:59 		8.11 Jason Varitek, C, Bos
I suppose Varitek's lack of counting stats caused him to drop so late, as he only had 67 runs and 73 RBI. However, this is pretty normal for a catcher, and I feel his OPS makes up for the fact that he's a bit behind his peers in those categories. Last year he ranked 7th in runs, 8th in RBI, 3rd in OBP and 5th in SLG among catchers.

All in all, I felt that justified him to be the 6th catcher taken, and I felt the drop-off after him was evident.

And as a bonus, Varitek stole 10 bases last year(effectively doubling his career total). I don't expect that again, but anything he can contribute in that category would make me happy.
 
43beastiemiked
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:07 		8.12 Danys Baez RP TAM
I really thought about taking Cabrera with his pick but his numbers aren't that much better than a SS I could get in the 18th round. Baez has the potential for 30+ saves while providing a decent ERA and WHIP. If he gets traded he's close to worthless but there's always some type of risk involved with a closer not picked in the first 5 rounds.
 
44rockafellerskank
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:07 		8.13 Danny Graves RP CIN
I took Graves as my 2nd c-loser. I know a lot of sites downgraded him seriously based on his poor post-ASB performance last year. He was jekle-hyde! First, yes, I am taking a gamble that he can return to the early Graves form of 2004. That's probably too much to ask, but he had 33 saves before the ASB last year (only 8 after). I'd be happy with 20 before, 20 after.

I'm still focused on keeping my team balanced. I was debating between a SP (Colon) and Graves. I decided there's plenty-o-depth in SP.

 
45KrazyKoalaBears
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:08 		8.14 Jeff Bagwell 1B HOU
Yeah, I know I already had a 1B in Green, but Bagwell was sitting there at the top of my hitters list and was the only one I had left ranked near 100% (93.8%). I thought about other players and reconsidered and reconsidered and read about his possible batting stance change and subsequent non-change and everything else. In the end, even with fairly modest projections, he stood out too much for me to pass up. I still had to fill my CI spot and could always move Green to OF if need be, so I decided, in the end, to take the best hitter on my list at that point. I'm quite pleased with this pick.
 
46Peter N
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:08 		8.15 Orlando Cabrera SS ANA
With all the MIs flying off the board, I was kind of surprised he was still out there. Cabrera was one of the few decent SS I saw available at the time so I decided the address the position with this pick. Cabrera was traded out of the craphole of Montreal to a contender and saw both his average and power numbers improve. Anaheim is clearly a contender so I would expect Cabrera to continue to hit like he did in Boston. I also expect Anaheim to run more this year and Cabrera should benefit from that. I don’t think a 20-20 season is out of the realm of possibilities for him. He’s certainly a good value pick at this point in the draft.
 
47darkside
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:09 		8.16 Luis Castillo 2B FLA

9.01 Jason Kendall C OAK

I was all ready to take Javier Vazquez here, and part of me still wishes I had, but I was tempted by the SB's of Castillo and the AB's of Kendall and decided to fill two tough spots in 2B and C. Kendall was second only to Javy Lopez in AB's and he did well with them, hitting .319 with a .399 obp. He certainly doesn't have much power, but the high obp and the possibility of 10 or so SB's put him a good bit ahead of the catchers remaning, including Piazza. Given how few had been taken, I decided to forgo taking a chance that Vazquez would get 'it' back (which I think he will) and lock up my catcher.

Obviously 2B is a tough position to fill, and I felt Castillo would be a good pick here since there weren't many other 2B I had much confidence in...that and he gives some SB's. I'm hoping for about 20, and think that's realistic, while scoring near 90 or so runs. His career .371 obp is respectable and anywhere around that figure will make me happy. I really hate MI and hope he produces well enough to make me think this wasn't too high of a pick.

 
48Peter N
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:10 		9.02 Javier Vazquez SP ARI
I held my breath after picking Cabrera hoping that Vazquez would make it past darkside and he did. I fully expect Javy to bounce back now that he’s out of New York and back in the national league. Some players just aren’t cut out to handle the media and circus show that is the New York Yankees. I think Javy is one of those players. He might struggle to get some wins with the team behind him, but I expect him to be my top source for Ks and also boost my ERA and WHIP.
 
49KrazyKoalaBears
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:10 		9.03 Cliff Lee SP CLE
Along the lines of picking Clemens, Lee stood out amongst the remaining SP's on my cheat sheet. Also like Clemens, and Peavy before him, Lee was above 100% in my rankings, thanks in large part to his healthy K/9. I'm not expecting an AL Cy Young contender with this pick, but in the 9th round, I'd be happy with him improving on last year's stats (14 W, 161 K, 5.43 ERA, 1.503 WHIP). I'm figuring him for about 15 W, 170 K, 4.88 ERA and 1.423 WHIP. Anything better than that is bonus for me.
 
50rockafellerskank
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:11 		9.04 Garret Anderson OF ANA
I debated here between GA and Jose Guillen-- who I got later anyway. I love GA as a mid round pick... he quitely puts up solid #s. I think the move out of CF will save a bit of wear and tear on his body. L.A.A.A.A.A.A. has a great lineup for him to hit in. I'll admit that making Vlad my first pick influenced this one. I'll be watching Vlad double and GA knock him in.

Obviously, I need him to be healthy. I think a return to .500 SLG and a 100 RBI season is feasable.

 
51beastiemiked
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:11 		9.05 Jeremy Affeldt RP KAN
I had decided after the Baez pick that I was going with a 2nd baseman or SS with this pick. However, looking at the crop of MI's that was still availabe I saw little difference between all of them. I decided I better grab another closer and hope that I have the unfortunate problem of dealing one of my closer later in the season because I have too many saves.
 
52Chris
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:12 		9.06 Kelvim Escobar SP ANA
Again, for this pick, I didn't want to pick a 3rd pitcher before my first OF, but from a value standpoint, I didn't feel I could justify passing on Kelvim here. Also, there was a glut of similar OF's still available here, and I was confident that two of them would make it back, and so I ended up taking OF's in each of the next 2 rounds.

Much like Santana, Escobar has put some great numbers as a starter. In the 59 games Escobar has started in the past couple of years, he has a 7.93 K/9 and a 3.93 ERA. He also showed improved K/9 and BB/9 rates. To me, the biggest draw of Escobar is that he plays for a fantastic offense, and should be a reasonable threat to win 15 games, with the possibility of more.

On a side note, I think Cliff Lee(who went 9.03) might be even better than Kelvim this year, but I had expected him to go much later. Once KKB surprised me by taking someone I had expected to get in the next couple rounds, I felt I needed to replace him with somebody similar.

 
53Guru
      ID: 330592710
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:12 		9.07 Corey Koskie, 3B, Tor
The concern about Koskie is durability. He played in only 118 games last year due to a number of injuries. But when he plays, he hits.

This year he is in Toronto, where he may bat cleanup. If he can stay reasonably healthy, then I think look for at least 80-80-8-.360-.485. There are a few hitters still available that I’d expect modestly better stats from, but none play 3B. And I think the gap between Koskie and the rest of the available third basemen is much greater than the current gap at other positions.

 
55Athletics Guy
      ID: 4271012
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:14 		9.08 Bobby Crosby, SS, OAK

The list of middle infielders available was starting to look ugly, and I only had Reyes at this point. Crosby certainly has a lot of upside to him. After all, he was Rookie of the Year. I expect him to continue to improve, possibly topping the .800 mark in OPS. He looks capable of slugging over .450 which is quite good for the SS position. I could have gone with the usual low-SLG speed guys, but I think my team was adequate in that area. So Crosby seems like a good fit.
 
56jumpball
      Sustainer
      ID: 33050298
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 18:42 		9.09 Jose Mesa, RP, PIT

Reseaching for this pick, I was relatively sure that Cabrera or Crosby would be available to fill my SS hole or that I could grab Javier Vazquez. When Crosby went right before my pick, I had to dig into tha e papers again.
I still need a starter, but there's many available, so what else can I do?
I checked the grid and noticed that 7 of the 8 managers in the front half had 2 closers and only one of the back 8 had 2. Since we're headed to the back half, I better get my second closer now.
Mesa and Wickman were the ones that I considered. I chose Mesa based on health reasons and that there's really no one else on the PIT roster to close. I have my fingers crossed that he doesn't have an aversion to odd numbered years and can get 40 saves like he did in 2002 and 2004.
 
57Slackjawed Yokel
      Leader
      ID: 052347519
      Fri, Mar 11, 2005, 21:57 		9.10 Lyle Overbay, 1B, Mil
Overbay had been near the top of my list for a while, and I finally had to pull the trigger. I think he may be a little underrated because of his lack of homeruns from the 1st base position. But the projections I've seen have him pegged at .400 OBP and .500 SLG. This was one of the few times where the top guy on my list (whom I had already convinced myself that I'd take him if he made it to me) was still there when my pick came.
 
58youngroman
      ID: 298482214
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 03:30 		9.11 Barry Zito, SP, OAK

once again I thought about a closer and he was gone two picks too early.

Zito is one of the former studs that was left. If he comes back to his 2002 or 2003 form he is a steal. If not it depends on the stats he is producing.

There is hope for 220 IP, 16 wins, 160 Ks, a mid 3 ERA and WHIP of 1.25

With this pick my initial shopping for SP comes to an end. My 4 starting pitchers should work over 800 innings, are getting 60 wins, 800 Ks, 3.5 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. These stats alone should get me a good start in 4 of 5 pitching categories.

It seems that I am always at a maximum of 3 picks too late to get a closer. This happened not once, not twice, it happened 4 times: Ryan 5.10, Looper 6.03, Percival 8.05, Mesa 9.09
Now I am thinking if I should officially punt the saves category. I’ll borrow some cards and dices from my project manager and try if these instruments can help me in my situation.
 
59Ref
      Donor
      ID: 539581218
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 10:43 		9.12 Bob Wickman, RP, CLE

There were two closers here I liked here. Why YR passed on one of them had me scratching my head. I know Wickman is old and injury prone, but with his team and the way he's pitching right now, I had to take the chance. The other one I was considering is Batista, the newly crowned closer in Toronto. In fact, if he's still on the board when he comes back around to me, I'll get him too, otherwise I'll prob. get Piazza to serve as my backup C and 1B. Notice that both of them went before it got back to me. Zito was a solid pick before me, but with his needs, Wickman was not a reach for this time of the draft.
 
60Species
      Leader
      ID: 07724916
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 12:22 		9.13 Zack Greinke, SP, KC
After having my hopes dashed of Roy Halladay in Round 7, I knew I'd want a solid 3rd starter who wouldn't hurt my ERA/WHIP. Sure the kid is very young and on KC I'll be lucky if his win total reaaches puberty (i.e. 13) -- but I really like his chances for a 3.50 ERA and sub-1.20 WHIP, and I really like to keep my ratios in line. This might be a little high for him given his low strikeout rate, but with Schmidt, K-Rod and Wood on board I could afford it.
 
61Toral
      ID: 22731114
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 12:42 		9.14 Jeff Weaver, SP, LA

Weaver's improvement in K rate last year I hope presages a return to the form he showed with Detroit so long ago. He was a little hit-unlucky last year and should reduce his ERA by perhaps 0.50 or more if I am right that he can avoid the kind of horrible months he put up in April and September last year. If not I'll have to watch closely to scope out his wild-thing periods and avoid bad matchups. Should win 15+ games.

In retrospect I should have reached down into the bottom of the closer barrel here, as Weaver or another pitcher I like similarly probably would have made it back to me.
 
62holt
      ID: 28226112
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 13:22 		9.15 Aaron Rowand, OF, CWS
Looked at MI's again but the ones that are left at this point are completely over-shadowed by the great OF's that are still available. At this point I only had Drew in the OF so I decided to go for it.

I had a short list of 5 OF I was comparing, but the decision to go with Rowand wasn't too difficult, as he was the only SB threat among the group.

last season's stats:
.361 OBP .544 SLUG
17 SB, 94 R, 69 RBI

 
63Matt S
      ID: 330592710
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 13:31 		9.16 Bartolo Colon, SP, LAA

Time to take my first starting pitcher. Things have gone as expected (not neccessarily the players I had targeted) thus far. I had filled much of my IF, and aquired two top end RP. Colon is a top end starter in the big leagues, and I have 100% confidence he will bounce back from last years disaster. I expect 18 wins, 3.60 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 175K

10.01 Mark Buehrle, SP, CWS

Again, I needed a second starter. Buehrle, has been as consistent as any starter in the big leagues in the last four years, and is only 25 years old. He just set a career high in strikeouts, and hasn't had any injury history that I know of. Seems like a pretty safe pick. I will expect 16 W, 3.80 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 160 K. And that is exactly what I will get.
 
64holt
      ID: 22731114
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 14:13 		10.02 Miguel Batista, P, Tor
I only had one closer at this point but had been passing on guys like mesa, wickman, adams, etc. Their stats just looked to shabby to take a chance on them this early in the draft.

here's some info that persuaded me take a chance on Batista:

Gibbons said. "When we used Miguel as a closer late last year, it just seemed as if he was able to simplify things.

"We're hoping this narrows down his choices, that he'll just come into games and air it out."

Catcher Gregg Zaun likes the makeup of the staff now that the move has been made official. Batista used to frequently shake off Zaun last year as a starter, and Zaun was particularly annoyed at Batista's refusal to use his cut fastball that he says compares favourably with that of Mariano Rivera.

"Miguel gets a little less creative when he closes," Zaun said. "I don't know, but it seems like he loses a little interest when he starts.

"I guess after a while it gets old annihilating guys with your cutter. Maybe the game becomes too easy for him at that point."

so anyway, I'm hoping for this to be a break-out season for Batista, but I mainly just want him to keep the closer job all season.
 
65Toral
      ID: 22731114
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 14:13 		10.03 Mike Piazza, C, NYM

Everyone seems down on Piazza with a vengeance this year but I'm happy to take him year. A 37-year-old catcher isn't ordinarily a good bet but I'll make an exception for the best hitting catcher of all time, despite having played in pitchers' parks his whole career. The OBP has been holding up. The slugging has been declining but I'll bet on it heading back up again this year. When he isn't starting, hopefully he'll be pinch-hitting with the bases loaded.

There are a handful of undrafted younger catchers who looked as good or better than Piazza last year; but strangely enough I think the 37-year-old is the one with the upside.
 
66Species
      Leader
      ID: 07724916
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 16:27 		10.04 Jason Giambi, 1B, NYY

I don't think it was a question of if I was going to take Jason Giambi in this draft, but rather when. Yeah the Yankee fan in me probably has something to do with it, but rarely does my personal Yankee bias get in the way of my fantasy sports.

As with the Bret Boone pick, I felt that since I missed out on so many more studly OF's and cornerman that if I was going to be respectable in SLG and RBI that I was going to have to take chances, and Giambi is a big risk. Obviously getting off the juice in 2004 wrecked havoc on his body - but after being off for 12-15 months I am hopeful that he will at least be healthy and play a full schedule, plus all that time he missed last year might've been good for his knee. One thing that lifted my spirits, and probably caused me to nab him here and not risk another 24 picks was the March 11th article in Newsday that said if the season started today that Giambi would hit cleanup. That type of confidence is just what he needs to put the boo birds behind him........gulp.......I hope.

I am not looking for a return to his MVP 1.115 OPS form.....but do expect .400 OBP and .500 SLG, and if he gets 450 AB's he'll get 100 RBI and maybe 85-90 runs, which is an absolute steal at this point.

Here's hopin'!
 
67Ref
      Donor
      ID: 539581218
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 16:53 		10.05 Mike Adams, RP, MIL

Well, as I stated before, Batista is the one I wanted here, but Adams appears to have the job to lose in Mil. Mil might not be the best team in the world to close for, but Kolb certainly got his chances last year. I was going to grab Piazza if Batista went and use him as a C/1B, but he didn't slip far enough.

So here I am making up for lost time. My 3rd closer. And, I still don't feel like I'm reaching. I looked briefly at Aquino, but his arm problems and his team and park convinced me to stay with Adams. I also thought that with these three, I'd be just as good as the managers who are only going to use two closers. So my patience and strategy may have paid off. We shall see. A lot can happen over the course of the season and grabbing a third closer still makes me vulnerable at other positions of need, but we shall see who is left when it gets back around to me.

Another thing on Adams. Even though he's not been tested at the MLB level, he's closed at every level he has pitched and performed well. Even if he doesn't start the season out as the closer, he can still help me and I think he will get the shot anyhow sooner or later.
 
68youngroman
      ID: 298482214
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 17:16 		10.06 Moises Alou, OF, SF

Alou joins his father in San Francisco. It looks like he will bat behind Bonds and protect Barry a bit, so that he can see more pitches. with Barry getting on base in 6 out of 10 times Alou should see a lot of RBI opportunities and I hope he uses a lot of them.

a conservative outlook would be 90/100/2/.355/.480, everything more then that makes me happier and this pick more solid.
 
69Slackjawed Yokel
      ID: 4271012
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 17:53 		10.07 Richard Hidalgo, OF, TEX
In the later stages of the draft, I tend to alternate between grabbing the best available player and trying to fill holes in my lineup. Hidalgo actually met both criteria this time as I had neglected the outfield position after my first round pick of Manny Ramirez.

Hidalgo is a notorious streaky hitter, but I probably won't have the option of simply riding his hot streaks (as deep as this league is). So, hopefully he'll stay in his groove with half his games in Arlington.

 
70jumpball
      ID: 4271012
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 17:54 		10.08 Chase Utley, 1B/2B, Phi
Again I considered a starter (Maddux/Pavano), and again I deferred, preferring to get someone to fill the MI positions. I also looked at Jose Guillen to boost my hitting stats, and while I liked his numbers, I felt that I could get something close to those in a later round.

Chase had a nice year last year with .308/.468 in part time duty. With full time play this year (crossing fingers), I'm looking for something in the neighborhood of .320/.450/70/85/10, which will be just fine for my 2B.

Having position eligibilty at 1B is also a small bonus.

 
71Athletics Guy
      ID: 4271012
      Sat, Mar 12, 2005, 17:54 		10.09 Greg Maddux, SP, CHC

I went with Maddux for his durability and consistency. He has never won fewer than 15 games dating all the way back to 1988, can't get any more consistent than that. He may not be a Cy Young contender anymore, but he's still one of the game's best pitchers. Last season, he won 16 games with an ERA of 4.02 and a WHIP of 1.18. He even improved his K/9 by over 1, showing that there is still some upside to this 38-yr old youngster! Ok, maybe that's a stretch. This is one of those safe picks with no expected surprises. A repeat of last season's performance will be just fine.
 
72Guru
      ID: 330592710
      Sun, Mar 13, 2005, 13:48 		10.10 Torii Hunter, OF, Min
I was all set to pick Pat Burrell here. I had Burrell on the top of my hitter list last round, but decided to fill a need at 3B instead (Koskie). So when Burrell was still available here, I almost grabbed him without a second thought.

But then I began to dig. He’s certainly a viable pick at this point, but he has not been a model of consistency, even when healthy. He also does nothing for my SB category. The other names on my hitter short list were Richard Hidalgo (just picked), Torii Hunter, or Dave Roberts. The allure of Roberts is obvious, but in spite of the appeal of getting steals locked up now, I thought it was still a bit early on a fundamental value basis for him. Hunter has similar power numbers to Burrell, but offers some steals (who knows how many, but 15-20 seems plausible), which fits the general mold I’ve been targeting. Hunter’s OBP is probably a slight negative, although Burrell’s OBP is hard to pin down. And with Bonds as my first pick, I should be able to be less fussy about OBP, right?

When all was said and done, I decided to go with Hunter’s consistency and speed over Burrell’s upside. Put me down for 85-90-16-.330-.480.

How about a starter now? Nah, I’ve waited this long, another round isn’t going to significantly reduce the field.

 
75Chris
      ID: 4708114
      Sun, Mar 13, 2005, 19:15 		10.11 Dave Roberts, OF, SD

When Kevin Towers traded for Dave Roberts, he stated that he expected Roberts to steal 60 bases, which had confirmed my own beliefs. All he's ever needed was the playing time, as he stole 38 bases, and was caught only 3 times last year, in only 300 or so AB's. Besides, with Petco playing as an extreme hitters park, I would imagine Bochy will want to play as much small ball as possible.

Also, he doesn't seem to have anybody seriously pushing him for playing time, so I consider this pick to be similar to taking Crawford, with maybe 100-150 less OPS.
 
76beastiemiked
      Dude
      ID: 27652109
      Sun, Mar 13, 2005, 19:40 		10.12 Angel Berroa
I finally broke down and picked up a middle infielder. Berroa had terrible numbers last year but I'm betting he rebounds this year. He's batting above .400 this spring and had shown a little life towards the end of last year. This could be a risky pick as his 2003 numbers definitely look like the aberration compared to 2004 and his minor league stats.
 
77rockafellerskank
      Dude
      ID: 27652109
      Sun, Mar 13, 2005, 19:45 		10.13 Jose Guillen, OF, WAS

I love this pick. Ok, sure, Guillen has some plate discipline issues and some anger management issues, but if he stays on the field, i think he cold end the year as high as 12-18th best Of'er! Big statement? yep.

He's still under 30 and has yet to really play a full MB season, been traded around and suspended a number of times. When he has played, he has beena sold .350/.500 guy with good power, runs, though no help in SBs. I think he has a serious chance to put up all-star type of numbers. thsi was an easy pick for me (almost took him last round).



 
78KrazyKoalaBears
      Leader
      ID: 517553018
      Sun, Mar 13, 2005, 21:14 		10.14 Joe Borowski, RP, CHC
Without Dusty Baker's most recent comments (no closer-by-committee; favorable towards Borowski), I probably wouldn't have made this choice. My only hope is that Baker sticks to liking veterans and puts a veteran closer in the job and leaves Dumpster to the rotation. With each passing day, this seems more and more likely. If Borowski stays healthy and can claim the closer role out of camp, this will be a huge sleeper pick as the numbers he could put up would have easily put him in The Closer Run 5+ rounds earlier. In Borowski, I hope to match him with Takatsu for 75+ saves.
 
79Peter N.@ds's
      ID: 207141515
      Mon, Mar 14, 2005, 10:12 		10.15 Freddy Garcia, P, CHW

Garcia was ranked as my top pitcher available who could also contribute in Ks. With only having Mulder and Vazquez so far in my stable of SPs, I thought it was worth it to use this pick on Garcia. Freddy seems to be comfortable in Chicago with Guillen as manager and I look for him to have a solid season. He should help in Ks and also put up a solid ERA and WHIP. And with a little luck, he should post 15+ wins as well.
 
80darkside
      Dude
      ID: 3590317
      Mon, Mar 14, 2005, 10:42 		10.16 Cesar Izturis, SS, LOS

I felt that the two positions with the greatest depth remaining were P and OF. Given that, I decided to continue to address my infield needs by getting a SS and my CI. A big part of my thinking was that with a couple of MI still available that could get some SB, I didn't want to miss out since there were still so many managers who had to take a MI. Izturis' numbers have gotten better every year and given that he's only 25, I'm hoping it will continue. His 25 SB's last year were his most yet, but rotowire reports:

"Last season, Izturis hit .288 with 193 hits and 25 stolen bases. He won't settle for a similar effort this time around. His goal is to hit .300 with 200 hits and 35 bags. Whether he reaches those numbers remains to be seen."

Leaving me to believe that he could be a very valuable MI. Regardless, it was a position that needed filled and I think I could have done much worse.