I will be doing a lot of cheering for the Royals this season so I'm glad that their newly annointed closer will fall to me. He's got a lot of potential and should compile around 15 saves before McDougall comes back. McDougall has never really been that effective and his continuous injuries may have the KC brass leaning toward Ambi, if he shows any kind of effectiveness at all. He's got great stuff and just needs to harness his control to be a very competent reliever. I was happy to grab him a good 24 hours after the news broke. I would have taken Weathers if Ambi was taken in the interim. If Ambi went and Hubble stuck with Weathers I'm not sure where I'd have gone. Potentially another OF.

With the news of AJ Burnett hurting his shoulder, i thought it would be save to grab another SP right away. In fact, i was really happy to see Livan still on the board. He is a workhorse, and should go for +200IP for a 9th straight season (i count the 199 2/3 one in there! don't be fussy about 1/3IP) I don't plan to start him all the time, but will try to ride the streak and start him vs weaker team. He is hurting my WHIP a little, but should give me 12W and <4.00 ERA + 150K...

Middle infield is a strange beast. Some people go for it early, and wind up with Chase Utley or Miguel Tejada. Some people go for it later, and wind up with Jhonny Peralta or Chone Figgins. Of course, some people go for it late and wind up with [UNDRAFTED] or [UNDRAFTED]. With Eckstein, I'm not expecting anything out of the ordinary. I just felt he was my last chance to get a solid performer with a good OBP and some steals in a good lineup. I had him a year ago and have no complaints. This pick won't win me the RIBC (that was Atkins, Mench, Perez, or Giambi), but it certainly won't lose it for me. As you can imagine, I was considering other guys who were drafted around here, like Mussina, Maddux, Thomas, and a few relievers.

I had Adam Kennedy last season, so it was only right that I got him again. He's nothing special, one of those low-risk/low-reward players. His RBIs and Rs will be fairly low as he hits in the bottom of the order. Most of his value comes from his ability to steal 20-25 bases. Unlike some of the other middle infielders available, he does it without killing my team's OBP.

I let out a deep breath with Vidro was still available. He's not a SS, but he's worthy of a higher pick than this, so I'm very happy to have him on my team. Last year's injury problems are history (I hope) and I look for him to put up much better numbers than last year. A season with 75/65/.370/.450 (that's less than his 2003 numbers) would be a nice bonus for a 16th round pick.

Hudson was the highest ranked MI on my list at this point. I'm hoping for 70 or so runs and RBI's , a dozen steals and %'s that won't kill me.

Not altogether thrilled about this pick, but of the few OF's left, I feel like Sanders has the best chance of putting up a big season. He's OPS'd 912, 797 and 886 in the past 3 years, amid a number of injuries. Hopefully he can rack up 450 AB's and put up a 850+ OPS. If nothing else, I needed somebody to raise the average age of my team to a respectable level :)

Filled up my MI slot here. Wanted runs, obp, and a bit of steals. Omar fills those wants. Perhaps a bit better than last season, if Bonds plays. I was waiting for either Vizquel or Eckstein to get taken, and the plan was to take whichever one was left.

Cabrera is a pretty mediocre player and I'm second guessing my trade of Lowell now. I probably should have pressed Mach for another round of upgrade. Will depend on what I do with the draft choice upgrades, I guess. Still, Cabrera, even at 31, should be able to contribute 20 or so steals to my team which I need. With a secure job, he should be good for 70+ runs and 60 or so RBIs. The OPS isn't helpful, but a lot of managers will have no-one any better at MI, and 2 years ago he put up a season which would be a plus at this position. Returning to that level is against the odds at 31, but I don't fear his being worse than in 2005.

I was pretty unhappy that BH took Kinsler late in the 15th rd. it was my plan for quite a while to draft him here. I dunno what I was thinking. now I can only hope that he gets sent back to AAA. also take just prior to this pick were Linebrink and Burgos, both of whom would have been nice to chain to Hoffman and MacDougal.

No other pressing positional needs or sharp picks struck me here, so I decided it was time for a catcher. I like Piazza. Plan for him is to play only about 90 games, but if he's healthy and hitting I expect that number to expand. Even in PETCO, he *is* still capable of going .360/.475 and will be a plus offensive performer -- when he plays.

I'd never wish injury upon anyone. However, Baez is a closer in a setup role on a team with Gagne returning from surgery. If Gagne gets re-injured, Baez turns into a good closer again. If Gagne can only pitch on 2nd/3rd days, Baez will vulture some saves. If Gagne is fully healthy, Baez should at least vulture some wins and get me good %'s. Any of those scenarios works out for a round 17 pick.

I really like this pick. Bush has always had superb control, but hasn't really put it all together yet. Working with Mike Maddux in Milwaukee, being able to pitch in the NL, having a spot in the rotation, I expect Bush to keep his ERA under 4, and inch his WHIP into the sub 1.20 range. In addition, Milwaukee's offense is not so terrible, so Bush could rack up some wins if he pitches well enough.

Lets hope it wasn't a fluke. Brown will hit in the heart of the feared Royals lineup this year:) He recorded 75 runs, 86 RBI's, 10 steals and an OPS of .804. I'm hoping actually for a little improvement in all cats.

To the positives: 1) He'll be hitting in Arlington. 2) He's unseeded Blalock and now has the Clean-Up spot. 3) He's happy to be outa Petko. 4) He's hitting really well this spring already. (although slumped the last couple days) 5) Although 35, he broke out late, and isn't that far removed from the 2000, 2001, & 2004 seasons.

I had a bunch of pitchers on my list, most notably Maddux, Wheeler, Looper, Suppan, Farnsworth, Seo, and Hansen. I was able to get two of those guys, but hopefully having Frank Thomas on my team will make it moot.

Respected fantasy news sources indicate that the D-Rays are considering going with veteran journeyman Miceli as their closer instead of young stud Chad Orvella, based on a handful of ST innings pitched. Why they would do this is a mystery to everyone concerned. If Miceli wins the job he will be a cheap source of saves. The injury that put him out last year was to the foot, not the arm. He has had excellent K/IP ratios the last few years so he probably still has whatever he's got.

Of course, AFTER i pick him, i find out he has a bad back . . . I REALLY need a job where I can surf the internet during the day in March!

They also forecast 158 K's in 171 innings which seems a little bold but anything close would be sweet.

After falling way behind on outfielders, I was very happy that Hawpe slipped to me with this pick. With my 17.05 pick, I was considering Bush, Hawpe and Reed. I decided to take Bush and hope one of the 2 OF's slipped back to me. The hen took Reed, but Hawpe survived all the way back. Hawpe got his feet wet in the majors last year, and posted a modest 753 OPS. However, he posted a 976 OPS in the minors(granted, that's with about 25% of those AB's coming at Colorado Springs). He certainly has room for growth, and I'm hoping with a year of adjusting to major league pitching that he steps his game up a notch.

BTW the difference between Wheeler and Braden Looper is that Wheeler can pitch.

Only 9 major league starts but he carries a 3.35 era and 1.16 whip. In 3 minor league seasons he had a 3.04 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. he's pitching well this spring and holding off Liriano for a spot in the rotation. I guess I'm pretty surprised he was still around in the 19th round. Baker's not a power pitcher but he has amazing control and consistency. kinda Madduxish but not older than the hills.

Definite concerns about my 4th outfield slot, and Trot Nixon looked like the best option Nixon's on the downhill part of his career but still seems to have his platoon position in RF despite the acquisition of Wily Mo Pena, and he's got the 5 slot in the batting order. The injuries are a concern. If healthy he's still able to put uo .365/.480 with good R and RBI totals when he plays. I will need a backup to play OF when the Sox face left-handers.

I've learned that it's always a good idea to take a young Indians hitter late in the draft. There are always a couple of them that step up and have monster seasons. Of course, Broussard isn't so young(29), but he is just one year removed from an 858 OPS season. This is a guy who can slug, but has spotty strike zone judgement. Good some years, others not so good. Hopefully he can at least OPS 800 and give me 450 or so AB's out of the Util slot.

CONCLUSION: As you can see, Looper has just as much going for him as Wheeler. And given that Wheeler is usually a hot prop this late in the draft, I figured Looper was worth a shot.

I'll be honest and admit i know nothing about this guy... his stats and projections shows pretty good OBP (+0.380)... and perhaps up to 80 runs. Do that and i swear to draft you for the next 3 year!

Marquis is an inning eater who should give me 200+ quality innings. He's been around for quite awhile but at 27 years old has shown that he has the potential to put together a very solid season. He isn't a power pitcher, but I expect 15+ wins from him this year and a continued drop in his WHIP. Marquis was touted as a pretty hot prospect a few years back and he has shown some good improvment in his ability to pitch. His K rate went down slightly last season but his also lowered both his hit and walk rate. Could this be the season he puts it all together -- there are some interesting backstories about how his stubborness to take advice has held him back, last season this changed and it showed in how he produced. An exciting pick for me which rounds out my rotation nicely.

Good K ratio (+1K/IP), good averages, and remote possibility of saves... all i needed at this point.

Nady moves from an extreme pitcher's park to a neutral one this year and looks to have landed a full time job for the first time. He is having a solid spring and is only 27 so a power spike is not out of the question. Multiposition eligibility is always a plus as well.

Huston Street. Chad Cordero. [UNDRAFTED]. [UNDRAFTED]. College closers are finally getting their due. Not really sure why - are they really Proven Closers if they can shut down Youngstown State? Anyway, Hansen is going to be good someday and he is going to close games someday. Will it happen in 2006? We shall see. If he does, that gives me some good relief. This late in the draft, this is just the kind of guy worth taking a chance on.

The only other players I looked at here were relievers, but ultimately decided that Klesko had too much upside to pass over.

He also has had 3 saves this spring. Maybe Pittsburgh will turn to him more often than expected.

Seems to be a good idea to have Minnesota's main setup guy. The way Gardenhire uses his bullpen, these types of guys get a LOT of opportunities to earn some wins. Crain was 12-5 last year with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. When Juan Rincon was "the man" in '04, he put up an 11-6 record. The only scary thing is Crain's lack of k's(25k in 79.2ip!), but not only was he a strikeout guy in the minors, but I think he can be successful without the k's. We shall see however.