Cafeholics Mock Draft 2008

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On a cold, misty morning in January, twelve Cafeholics sat down to begin their first Mock Draft in preparation for the 2008 season. Armed only with hurriedly-prepared cheat sheets and a link to the Big Board, they prepared for the inevitable announcement of Alex Rodriguez as the first pick. What followed after that could very well provide some valuable insight into the way drafts may go in the weeks to come before Opening Day…

* Position Eligibility for hitters is 5 starts or 10 appearances in 2007.
* There is a brief analysis of each round after the full draft results.
* Please note that the best & worst picks are solely the opinion of the author… and he only chose two of his own as “best picks”!

 

Pick #	Player	Round	Team
1.	Alex Rodriguez, 3B – NYY	1	Poker
2.	Albert Pujols, 1B – STL	1	daullaz
3.	Jose Reyes, SS – NYM	1	Pogo
4.	Matt Holliday, OF – Col	1	Sim
5.	Hanley Ramirez, SS – Fla	1	BP
6.	David Wright, 3B – NYM	1	ABS
7.	Ryan Howard, 1B – Phi	1	bigken
8.	Chase Utley, 2B – Phi	1	Tavish
9.	Miguel Cabrera, 3B – Det	1	chris
10.	Jimmy Rollins, SS – Phi	1	OldStyle
11.	David Ortiz, 1B – Bos	1	J35J
12.	Johan Santana, SP – Min	1	LL
13.	Jake Peavy, SP – SD	2	LL
14.	Vladimir Guerrero, OF – LAA	2	J35J
15.	Prince Fielder, 1B – Mil	2	OldStyle
16.	Alfonso Soriano, OF – ChC	2	chris
17.	Carlos Beltran, OF – NYM	2	Tavish
18.	Carl Crawford, OF – TB	2	bigken
19.	Grady Sizemore, OF – Cle	2	ABS
20.	Carlos Lee, OF – Hou	2	BP
21.	Ryan Braun, 3B – Mil	2	Sim
22.	Mark Teixeira, 1B – ATL	2	Pogo
23.	Ichiro Suzuki, OF – Sea	2	daullaz
24.	Lance Berkman, OF/1B – Hou	2	Poker
25.	BJ Upton, 2B/OF – TB	3	Poker
26.	Josh Beckett, SP – Bos	3	daullaz
27.	Manny Ramirez, OF – Bos	3	Pogo
28.	Brandon Phillips, 2B – Cin	3	Sim
29.	Aramis Ramirez, 3B – CHC	3	BP
30.	Brandon Webb, SP – Ari	3	ABS
31.	Chone Figgins, 2B/3B/OF – Ana	3	bigken
32.	Magglio Ordonez, OF – Det	3	Tavish
33.	Curtis Granderson, OF – Det	3	chris
34.	Victor Martinez, C – Cle	3	OldStyle
35.	CC Sabathia, SP – Cle	3	J35J
36.	Derek Jeter, SS – NYY	3	LL
37.	Bobby Abreu, OF – NYY	4	LL
38.	Garett Atkins, 3B – Col	4	J35J
39.	Nick Markakis, OF – Bal	4	OldStyle
40.	Justin Morneau, 1B – Min	4	chris
41.	Erik Bedard, SP – Bal	4	Tavish
42.	Adam Dunn, OF – Cin	4	bigken
43.	Travis Hafner, 1B – Cle	4	ABS
44.	John Lackey, SP – Ana	4	BP
45.	Alex Rios, OF – Tor	4	Sim
46.	Aaron Harang, SP – Cin	4	Pogo
47.	Russell Martin, C – LAD	4	daullaz
48.	Derrek Lee, 1B – ChC	4	Poker
49.	Cole Hamels, SP – Phi	5	Poker
50.	Chipper Jones, 3B – Atl	5	daullaz
51.	Dan Haren, SP – Ari	5	Pogo
52.	Justin Verlander, SP – Det	5	Sim
53.	Cory Hart, OF – Mil	5	BP
54.	Torii Hunter, OF – Ana	5	ABS
55.	Troy Tulowitzki, SS – Col	5	bigken
56.	Scott Kazmir, SP – TB	5	Tavish
57.	Brian Roberts, 2B – Bal	5	chris
58.	Robinson Cano, 2B – NYY	5	OldStyle
59.	Carlos Guillen, SS – Det	5	J35J
60.	Chris Young, SP – SD	5	LL
61.	JJ Putz, RP – Sea	6	LL
62.	Jonathan Papelbon, RP – Bos	6	J35J
63.	Francisco Rodriguez, RP – Ana	6	OldStyle
64.	Roy Oswalt, SP – Hou	6	chris
65.	Eric Byrnes, OF – Ari	6	Tavish
66.	John Smoltz, SP – Atl	6	bigken
67.	Joe Nathan, RP – Min	6	ABS
68.	Adrian Gonzalez, 1B – SD	6	BP
69.	Paul Konerko, 1B – ChW	6	Sim
70.	Carlos Pena, 1B – TB	6	Pogo
71.	Chris Young, OF – Ari	6	daullaz
72.	Carlos Zambrano, SP – CHC	6	Poker
73.	Miguel Tejada, SS – Hou	7	Poker
74.	Ian Kinsler, 2B – Tex	7	daullaz
75.	Hideki Matsui, OF – NYY	7	Pogo
76.	Takashi Saito, RP – LAD	7	Sim
77.	Felix Hernandez, SP – Sea	7	BP
78.	Michael Young, SS – Tex	7	ABS
79.	Billy Wagner, RP – NYM	7	bigken
80.	Rafael Furcal, SS – LAD	7	Tavish
81.	Joe Mauer, C – Min	7	chris
82.	Roy Halladay, SP – Tor	7	OldStyle
83.	Brian McCann, C – Atl	7	J35J
84.	Jorge Posada, C – NYY	7	LL
85.	Jeff Francoeur, OF – Atl	8	LL
86.	Rickie Weeks, 2B – Mil	8	J35J
87.	Rich Hill, SP – ChC	8	OldStyle
88.	Mariano Rivera, RP – NYY	8	chris
89.	Javier Vazquez, SP – ChW	8	Tavish
90.	Vernon Wells, OF – Tor	8	bigken
91.	Dan Uggla, 2B – Fla	8	ABS
92.	Rafael Soriano, RP – Atl	8	BP
93.	Matt Cain, SP – SF	8	Sim
94.	Hunter Pence, OF – Hou	8	Pogo
95.	James Shields, SP – TB	8	daullaz
96.	Jason Bay, OF – Pit	8	Poker
97.	Andruw Jones, OF – LAD	9	Poker
98.	A.J. Burnett, SP – Tor	9	daullaz
99.	Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP – Bos	9	Pogo
100.	Brad Hawpe, OF – Col	9	Sim
101.	Delmon Young, OF – Min	9	BP
102.	Juan Pierre, OF – LAD	9	ABS
103.	Ben Sheets, SP – Mil	9	bigken
104.	Adrian Beltre, 3B – Sea	9	Tavish
105.	Nick Swisher, 1B/OF – CHW	9	chris
106.	Ryan Zimmerman, 3B – Was	9	OldStyle
107.	Gary Sheffield, OF – Det	9	J35J
108.	Johnny Damon, OF – NYY	9	LL
109.	Kelvim Escobar, SP – LAA	10	LL
110.	Tim Lincecum, SP – SF	10	J35J
111.	Fausto Carmona, SP – Cle	10	OldStyle
112.	Brett Myers, SP – Phi	10	chris
113.	Jose Valverde, RP – Hou	10	Tavish
114.	Alex Gordon, 1B/3B – KC	10	bigken
115.	Chad Billingsley, SP – LAD	10	ABS
116.	Yovanni Gallardo, SP – Mil	10	BP
117.	Francisco Cordero, RP – Cin	10	Sim
118.	Trevor Hoffman, RP – SD	10	Pogo
119.	Jim Thome, DH – ChW	10	daullaz
120.	Shane Victorino, OF – Phi	10	Poker
121.	Pedro Martinez, SP – NYM	11	Poker
122.	Francisco Liriano, SP – Min	11	daullaz
123.	Bobby Jenks, RP – CHW	11	Pogo
124.	Jermaine Dye, OF – CHW	11	Sim
125.	Huston Street, RP – Oak	11	BP
126.	Ian Snell, SP – Pit	11	ABS
127.	Manny Corpas, RP – Col	11	bigken
128.	Todd Helton, 1B – Col	11	Tavish
129.	Brad Penny, SP – LAD	11	chris
130.	Aaron Rowand, OF – SF	11	OldStyle
131.	Dustin McGowan, SP – Tor	11	J35J
132.	Chad Cordero, RP – Was	11	LL
133.	Matt Capps, RP – Pit	12	LL
134.	Joakim Soria, RP – KC	12	J35J
135.	Raul Ibanez, OF – Sea	12	OldStyle
136.	Brad Lidge, RP – Hou	12	chris
137.	Tim Hudson, SP – Atl	12	Tavish
138.	Jered Weaver, SP – Ana	12	bigken
139.	Jason Isringhausen, RP – StL	12	ABS
140.	Jeff Kent, 2B – LAD	12	BP
141.	John Maine, SP – NYM	12	Sim
142.	Mike Lowell, 3B – Bos	12	Pogo
143.	Ted Lilly, SP – ChC	12	daullaz
144.	Carlos Delgado, 1B – NYM	12	Poker
145.	Eric Gagne, RP – Mil	13	Poker
146.	Josh Hamilton, OF – Tex	13	daullaz
147.	Adam Wainwright, SP – Stl	13	Pogo
148.	Edgar Renteria, SS – Det	13	Sim
149.	Edwin Encarnacion, 3B – Cin	13	BP
150.	Kenji Johjima, C – Sea	13	ABS
151.	Chien Ming Wang, SP – NYY	13	bigken
152.	Carlos Marmol, RP – ChC	13	Tavish
153.	Pat Burrell, OF – Phi	13	chris
154.	Jeff Francis, SP – Col	13	OldStyle
155.	Jacoby Ellsbury, OF – Bos	13	J35J
156.	Placido Polanco, 2B – Det	13	LL
157.	Orlando Cabrera, SS – CHW	14	LL
158.	Clay Buccholz, SP – Bos	14	J35J
159.	Kevin Gregg, RP – Fla	14	OldStyle
160.	Jeremy Bonderman, SP – Det	14	chris
161.	Matt Kemp, OF – LAD	14	Tavish
162.	Howie Kendrick, 2B – Ana	14	bigken
163.	Joey Votto, 1B – Cin	14	ABS
164.	Derek Lowe, SP – LAD	14	BP
165.	Philip Hughes, SP – NYY	14	Sim
166.	Kelly Johnson, 2B – Atl	14	Pogo
167.	Brian Wilson, RP – SF	14	daullaz
168.	B.J. Ryan, RP – Tor	14	Poker
169.	Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C – Tex	15	Poker
170.	J.J. Hardy, SS – Mil	15	daullaz
171.	Ken Griffey Jr., OF – Cin	15	Pogo
172.	Tony Pena, RP – Ari	15	Sim
173.	Oliver Perez, SP – NYM	15	BP
174.	Randy Johnson, SP – Ari	15	ABS
175.	Joba Chamberlain, SP – NYY	15	bigken
176.	Joe Borowski, RP – Cle	15	Tavish
177.	Bronson Arroyo, SP – Cin	15	chris
178.	James Loney, 1B – LAD	15	OldStyle
179.	Billy Butler, 1B/OF – KC	15	J35J
180.	Kevin Youkilis, 1B/3B – Bos	15	LL
181.	Kenny Lofton, OF – FA	16	LL
182.	Zack Greinke, SP – KC	16	J35J
183.	Mark Buerhle, SP – CHW	16	OldStyle
184.	Khalil Greene, SS – SD	16	chris
185.	Rich Harden, SP – Oak	16	Tavish
186.	Todd Jones, RP – Det	16	bigken
187.	Troy Percival, RP – TB	16	ABS
188.	Jeremy Hermida, OF – Fla	16	BP
189.	Dontrelle Willis, SP – Det	16	Sim
190.	Barry Zito, SP – SF	16	Pogo
191.	CJ Wilson, RP – Tex	16	daullaz
192.	Jonathan Broxton, RP – LAD	16	Poker
193.	Michael Bourn, OF – Hou	17	Poker
194.	Willy Taveras, OF – Col	17	daullaz
195.	Jeremy Accardo, RP – Tor	17	Pogo
196.	Kosuke Fukudome, OF – ChC	17	Sim
197.	Kaz Matsui, 2B – Hou	17	BP
198.	Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B – SD	17	ABS
199.	Justin Upton, OF – Ari	17	bigken
200.	Joe Blanton, SP – Oak	17	Tavish
201.	Julio Lugo, SS – Bos	17	chris
202.	Josh Fields, 3B/OF – ChW	17	OldStyle
203.	Adam LaRoche, 1B – Pit	17	J35J
204.	Scott Baker, SP – Min	17	LL
205.	Conor Jackson, 1B – Ari	18	LL
206.	Hank Blalock, 3B – Tex	18	J35J
207.	Tom Gorzelanny, SP – Pit	18	OldStyle
208.	Rafael Betancourt, RP – Cle	18	chris
209.	Ivan Rodriguez, C – Det	18	Tavish
210.	Jon Lester, SP – Bos	18	bigken
211.	Ervin Santana, SP – Ana	18	ABS
212.	Pat Neshek, RP – Min	18	BP
213.	Bill Hall, OF – Mil	18	Sim
214.	Rocco Baldelli, OF – TB	18	Pogo
215.	Rafael Perez, RP – Cle	18	daullaz
216.	Curt Schilling, SP – Bos	18	Poker
217.	Heath Bell, RP – SD	19	Poker
218.	Ryan Theriot, MI – CHC	19	daullaz
219.	Frank Thomas, DH – Tor	19	Pogo
220.	Ryan Garko, 1B – Cle	19	Sim
221.	Richie Sexson, 1B – Sea	19	BP
222.	Brian Fuentes, RP – Col	19	ABS
223.	Gil Meche, SP – KC	19	bigken
224.	Lastings Milledge, OF – Was	19	Tavish
225.	Jay Bruce, OF – Cin	19	chris
226.	Kerry Wood, RP – ChC	19	OldStyle
227.	Carlos Villanueva, SP – Mil	19	J35J
228.	Bob Howry, RP – ChC	19	LL
229.	Jon Rauch, RP – Was	20	LL
230.	Hideki Okajima, RP – Bos	20	J35J
231.	Masahide Kobayashi, RP – Cle	20	OldStyle
232.	Andy Pettitte, SP – NYY	20	chris
233.	David DeJesus, OF – KC	20	Tavish
234.	Chad Qualls, RP – Ari	20	bigken
235.	Andrew Miller, SP – Fla	20	ABS
236.	Jason Varitek, C – Bos	20	BP
237.	Jeremy Guthrie, SP – Bal	20	Sim
238.	Bengie Molina, C – SF	20	Pogo
239.	Shaun Marcum, SP – Tor	20	daullaz
240.	Barry Bonds, OF – FA	20	Poker
241.	Mark Prior, SP – SD	21	Poker
242.	Scott Shields, RP – Ana	21	daullaz
243.	Randy Wolf, SP – SD	21	Pogo
244.	Geovany Soto, C – CHC	21	Sim
245.	Orlando Hernandez, SP – NYM	21	BP
246.	Melky Cabrera, OF – NYY	21	ABS
247.	Evan Longoria, 3B – TB	21	bigken
248.	Garret Anderson, OF – Ana	21	Tavish
249.	Josh Willingham, OF – Fla	21	chris
250.	Mark Teahen, OF – KC	21	OldStyle
251.	Luke Scott, OF – Bal	21	J35J
252.	Joel Zumaya, RP – Det	21	LL

Poker=pokerplaya daullaz=daullaz Pogo=Pogotheostrich Sim=Simulacrum BP=Big Pimpin ABS=Another Blown Save bigken=bigken117 Tavish=Tavish chris=chris8 OldStyle=Old_Style J35J=J35J LL=The Loveable Losers

Round 1

No shocks here, with Big Papi’s 1B eligibility (under Yahoo rules) justifiably seeing him picked at number 11. In a league where Ortiz is eligible only as a DH, he may be bumped out for Prince Fielder, but then again, maybe not!

Best pick: I’ve seen many drafts where Johan Santana is going in the middle of the second round, or even later. He still has first round value in my eyes.

Worst pick: None

Round 2

First real surprise was to see Jake Peavy taken at #13 as LL went with two starters back-to-back. He later revealed his draft strategy to be that of dominating pitching, whilst scoring highly in Runs, Stolen Bases, and Average. Eight outfielders left the board in this round, suggesting that, if you want a member of the top tier on your roster, you need to draft him in the first two rounds.

Best pick: Mark Teixiera had a great second half to the season with Atlanta. He could easily produce first-round value from the 22nd pick.

Worst pick: Sorry, but I don’t buy into LL’s strategy as being a winner! Taking Peavy meant that his first bat wouldn’t come until 35 players are off the board.

Round 3

If you miss out on Utley, you need to have an early draft position if you want to get either Upton or Phillips in Round 3. First catcher off the board was Victor Martinez at #34, whilst three teams used this round to take their ace starter.

Best pick: None really stand out as super-value picks.

Worst pick: Figgins was drafted at least a round early at #31 – Ken could almost certainly have got him on the way back in Round 4.

Round 4

Several good-value picks here, as players who have been going in the third round in many mocks found their way through the net. Atkins, Morneau, Dunn, Hafner, and Lee could all prove to be bargains if you can get them in the fourth. In the battle of the super-hyped outfielders, Markakis went six picks before Rios.

Best pick: Ken bounces back by grabbing the near certainty of 40 home runs from Adam Dunn, the low average being offset by the hitters already on his team.

Worst pick: None

Round 5

BP shocked the draft by taking Cory Hart with the fifth pick of this round, as several people (myself included) were thinking of targeting him a couple of rounds later. After a superb rookie season, Tulowitzki became the fifth SS drafted.

Best pick: With two power guys, and two multi-category producers, I needed a speedster, and to be able to fill my 2B spot with Brian Roberts this late was very satisfying!

Worst pick: Sorry to pick on LL again, but I’m not confident that Chris Young will live up to this value. With the strategy that he adopted, there were other SPs still available who I think would have been better choices.

Round 6

The closer run began in this round. The four at the top of most people’s rankings (exact order much debated) went off the board, along with a few slugging first basemen.

Best pick: Pretty decent value all round, as again there were several players taken who could produce 4th round value or even better. I especially like Carlos Zambrano at #72 overall.

Worst pick: No horrible picks in this round, although I personally won’t be drafting Eric Byrnes in the 6th, despite what he did last year. Maybe he’ll repeat 2007, but I think there’s every chance that he’ll regress. Happy to be proved wrong, though!

Round 7

The last three SS that I would be happy to have as my starter went in this round (frustratingly before they got to me!). Round 7 also saw the last three of the top five catchers taken… the next one wouldn’t be taken until Round 13.

Best pick: OK, so he doesn’t strike out as many people as some of the elite starters, but Old Style has got to be happy to get an ace of the caliber of Roy Halladay with the 82nd pick of the draft.

Worst pick: Ugh. I hate drafting catchers early, but seeing the three SS I was targeting for this round all taken led me impulsively to take Joe Mauer. OK, it’s not a terrible choice, but, as it cost me either my second starter or third OF, it meant that I was playing catch-up for the rest of the draft.

Round 8

A fascinating round which saw a mix of up-and-coming youngsters, old vets, and bounce-back candidates drafted. I took Rivera, thinking that a lot of teams would be grabbing their first closer before my next pick – it didn’t happen, suggesting that you may be able to wait on taking closers for quite a long time, should you so choose.

Best pick: He won’t get many wins with the Giants, but the rest of what he provides makes Matt Cain a nice pick-up for Sim here.

Worst pick: Quite a few gambles in this round; any of them could be inspirational or disastrous! If I’d known I could wait a couple more rounds for my first closer, I’d have drafted Cain over Rivera here.

Round 9

This round saw many teams taking their second or third OF; unsurprising, as after these names, there are very few left that we should feel comfortable with in our starting fantasy lineups.

Best pick: Hard to choose, because so many of these picks could be huge: Sheets (if he stays healthy), Sheffield (ditto), Andruw (bounce-back candidate), and Dice-K (second season).

Worst pick: Not a fan of the AJ Burnett pick: I would take all the starters who went in Round 10 ahead of him.

Round 10

Pitching, pitching, and more pitching! Several teams added quality arms to their rotation, whilst others get good value for their first closer.

Best pick: Pogo somehow managed to get Trevor Hoffman as the 11th closer drafted at pick #118.

Worst pick: None

Round 11

The round begins with a couple of gambles in Pedro & Liriano; we all know what their upside is! Another round dominated by pitching, as most teams have their offense mostly sorted and are looking to get the mid-round pitching bargains.

Best pick: Like Cain, Ian Snell is an undervalued pitcher because of the team he plays for. I had him all lined up at the top of my board, and had to settle for Brad Penny instead when ABS beat me to it!

Worst pick: Aaron Rowand is THE offense for the Giants this year. I don’t see him producing anything like his 2007 numbers in 2008.

Round 12

Some more good value picks such as Lowell, Delgado, & Jered Weaver all go in this round. My personal favorite though, is…

Best pick: Jeff Kent – if you read my Two Up, Two Down: 2B article, you’ll know that I think Kent is being seriously undervalued this year. Should do a good job for BP’s team.

Worst pick: Solid picks across the board in this round.

Round 13

This round saw a number of teams fill the holes in their batting lineups (I took Burrell for my utility spot), along with a few fliers on the likes of Ellsbury and Marmol (will he be the closer for the Cubs?).

Best pick: BP gets my vote again with the nice selection of Encarnacion, a 3B that many are predicting to have a breakout season.

Worst pick: I’ll say Johjima only in so much that, as the rest of the draft will prove, ABS could have got a catcher who will give similar production much, much later.

Round 14

Frustratingly for me, the guy I wanted as my starting SS got drafted by a team who already had a SS (thanks a lot LL!). Still, I was happy to get Bondo in this round – he has the talent to bounce back from last year’s struggles. Kemp, Kendrick, & Votto could also be super-valuable 14th-round picks.

Best pick: I have to choose one of mine now and again! And I do like Bonderman this late!

Worst pick: None in this round.

Round 15

More upside picks that could be fantastic… or fall flat on their faces! Of course, at this late stage, the risks are worth taking. Griffey Jr. for example, could be a fantastic pick if he can stay healthy, as could RJ.

Best pick: I’m going for J35J’s pick of Billy Butler. I don’t think we saw what he’s truly capable of last year, and expect the power to really come to light in 2008. The dual eligibility is an added bonus.

Worst pick: Again, it’s hard to find a bad pick in this round.

Round 16

I finally got a SS by getting decent value in Khalil Greene (who I backed up in the next round with Lugo). The last few probable closers left the board, along with a few upside starters.

Best pick: We keep expecting him to lose his role, but Todd Jones keeps racking up the saves for arguably the best team in the AL, and with his main rival out for half the year, this is a nice addition to Ken’s bullpen.

Worst pick: LL rushed his picks here, and ended up with a guy in Lofton who doesn’t currently have a team.

Round 17

We’re well into the rounds where the draftees’ sleepers began to emerge. Backup hitters started to join the bench, and the rotations were close to completion.

Best pick: After a slow start, Kouzmanoff really picked things up in the second half of 2007. ABS picked up a nice bargain in this round. Also a good job by daullaz to get the speed of Taveras this late.

Worst pick: Kaz Matsui has had one decent season in four tries… and that was when he played half his games at Coors Field. I can’t see him producing much of value at all this year.

Round 18

I was hoping to get Gorzelanny, so I was gutted when he went the pick before me. Took Betancourt instead, to find that several people were hoping to draft him as well! He was one of three middle relievers to go in this round – a reminder that even if your league doesn’t count holds, they can still give an effective boost to your strikeouts and ratios.

Best pick: Last year wasn’t a good year for him, and there are genuine injury concerns, but taking Curt Schilling at the end of round 18 is a low-risk, huge-reward pick for Poker.

Worst pick: 2007 was a shocking year for Ervin Santana… and the current talk is that he will be the odd man out in the battle for a place in the Angels’ rotation. If that turns out to be the case, I can’t see him having any value whatsoever in 2008.

Rounds 19,20,21

These rounds were mainly used to fill out bench spots. Worth noting though, that five teams got their starting catcher in these rounds; or they would have if Ken hadn’t miscounted the rounds and forgotten to take one! Lots of sleeper/upside/gamble picks in these rounds. I went for Jay Bruce – probably a bit early in Round 19, but worth the risk at the cost of a bench spot. BP took a chance on Richie Sexson finding his power again and several more middle relievers found their way onto various rosters.

Best pick: Take your choice! Longoria is an interesting final round flier by Ken (AL Rookie of the Year?); Prior and Bonds both have the talent to be worth late gambles; and there are a number of closers-in-waiting who should give decent ratios while managers wait to see if they get any save opportunities.

Worst pick: Tough to have a bad pick this late into the draft, although I would expect several of the pitchers drafted in these rounds to be free agents by the end of April.

Final thought

So there you have it! Interesting to see some of the names who didn’t make the cut in the draft – we’re missing the bats of Giambi, Pedroia, Glaus, Rolen, Peralta, and Cuddyer, whilst on the pitching side, no one fancied stashing Chris Carpenter on the DL in the hope that he comes back strong.

Many thanks to my fellow mockers! Hopefully this will prove a useful tool in your preparation for the upcoming season!

 
Chris Routledge is one of a growing number of Brits infiltrating the Cafe, and is the historical three-time champion of the H2H World Series, which makes up a little for the constant frustration that is synonymous with being a Mets fan. Catch up with him in the Cafe under the username chris8.
 

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