Just did practice draft, how did I do?? Will rate yours...

[elltrain22]

It was a practice for Yahoo 5x5 normal league settings.

Here was the team I drafted.

-personally, I think I did great. Do I have good avg guys, yes (kendrick, lee, atkins, berkman, baldelli). Do I have hr & rbi guys, heck yeah (papi, lee, berkman, piazza, atkins, maybe baldelli or cuddyer) do I have run scorers, yes (atkins, berkman, lee, kendrick, baldelli, papi) do I have sb's, kinda shaky, but I do have (upton, kendrick, baldelli, lee). Pitching is awesome, ya can't say it isn't. Do I have wins, yes (Smoltz, Kazmir, Mussina, James) Do I have low era & low whip guys, yes (Smoltz, Kaz, Mussina, James, Weaver) Do I have so's, oh yeah (Smoltz, Kaz, Moose, Weaver, Bush, & Cain), and do I have saves, yes, but injuries could hurt (Rivera, Izzy, Todd Jones)

Here is my team...

C- Mike Piazza- as DH, could be 07 version of Frank Thomas?
1B- Derrek Lee- w/ Soriano could have a huge year
2B- Howie Kendrick- sky is the limit for this guy
SS- Jhonny Peralta- didn't want this guy, but nothing else was there
3B- Garrett Atkins- very productive last year, can he continue though
OF- Lance Berkman- 300, 35, & 115 every year
OF- Michael Cuddyer- good hitter, good lineup, very, very versatile
OF- Rocco Baldelli- sky is the limit w/ this guy too
UTL- David Ortiz- do I even need to say anything?
SP- John Smoltz- so solid, for so long
SP- Scott Kazmir- one of the best young arms in the game
SP- Jered Weaver- same as above
SP- Mike Mussina- so solid, for so long again...
SP- Matt Cain- great upside, but can he stay consistent?
SP- David Bush- great potential, what a 2nd half last year
SP- Chuck James- great stuff, great control, will they catch up to him
RP- Mariano Rivea- good for 40-45 saves
RP- Todd Jones- what about Percival?
RP- Jason Isringhausen- getting old?
BN- Emil Brown- very nice year last year
BN- BJ Upton- lotta speed, lotta talent

[elltrain22]

BTW, this is a non-keeper team...

[APAP]

I think that the closers could be shaky, with Jones and Izzy. Detroit still has Zumaya and who knows how Izzy will respond after losing his job last year to Wainright. I think the starting pitching looks pretty strong, if Weaver and Cain and James can build on last year.

Hitting looks strong, although outfield could be a kind of problem position. But overall, looks very solid.

[MadDog36]

Team looks great - but Izzy is hurt I thought he was gonna retire!

I would try to fix your RP other than that very solid team my friend. I'll be blunt - you screwed up drafting closers. Before season's end you may end up with nothing there. I think I would have chanced on Gagne before Izzy.

[deerayfan072]

Hitting looks solid, i agree RP needs some help. SP looks pretty good as well.

[The Artful Dodger]

I think your offense is fine. OF is a bit volatile because you're banking on Rocco being healthy for much of the year (despite the fact everyone has him pegged as a breakout) and in a #2-3 borderline OF in Cuddyer. I'm not too keen about Piazza and a Frank Thomas comparison is a little optimistic. Peralta has shown his great share of inconsistency and personally, I'm not that high on Howie Kendrick even for the long-term; I see Kendrick as a professional hitter type. I do like the offensive core of Lee, Berkman, Atkins, and Ortiz, which is a good blend of power, runs, and average.

Starting rotation is right about what you're looking for when you draft the first four rounds for top-tier hitters. Upside is there, but I'd be wary of Weaver, James, and Cain having possible growing pains. Your closer core could be a concern if Jones falters and/or and if Izzy can't close. OK team, all in all.

[airlift]

C- Mike Piazza- the talent that frank thomas possessed and (perhaps) still possesses is far and above anything piazza has ever done. is piazza the greatest hitting catcher of all time? probably. is frank thomas one of the greatest hitters of all time? yes. the park helps, as he's coming from SD, but i still don't really like him.
1B- Derrek Lee
2B- Howie Kendrick- i'm not sure what his potential is is coming in '07. 9bb's and 44k's at the major league level last year? small sample, but it's hard for a 23 year old to strike out 44 times in 267 ABs and hit like he did in the minors.
SS- Jhonny Peralta- no one wants peralta. good god, after last year i sure don't.
3B- Garrett Atkins- if "can he continue?" is your question, i'd answer with a resounding yes. atkins is by far one of the elite 3b, only more so because he plays 81 games at coors. i have him ranked 7th in the majors and he could probably be higher than zimmerman and encarnacion.
OF- Lance Berkman- about as elite as elite can get.
OF- Michael Cuddyer
OF- Rocco Baldelli- why is everyone so hot on this guy? his k/bb is still absurdly bad, defense doesn't matter in fantasy, and it's hard to gauge where he's going to hit in that offense (which probably matters more than most players, in order to take advantage of his skill set)
UTL- David Ortiz
SP- John Smoltz- i have a hard time counting on a 41 year old as my #1 starter. he's a great pitcher, don't get me wrong, but the susceptibility to injury is obviously high.
SP- Scott Kazmir- one of the best young arms in the game
SP- Jered Weaver- if you're expecting a sub 2 era, you're in for a long year.
SP- Mike Mussina- after three years of decline, he has a great year in what was a contract year. do i believe the whole "better in a contract year" thing? not really, but it has to play some part as it's so often a
SP- Matt Cain- maybe blinded by youth and 97mph gas, i think cain is in for a huge year. cut down on those walks, which is more than possible, he could be a machine.
SP- David Bush
SP- Chuck James
RP- Mariano Rivea
RP- Todd Jones- percival is dead. dead or worthless. either one doesn't matter, it's jones' job and if he missteps, it's zumaya's job.
RP- Jason Isringhausen- more like getting bad.
BN- Emil Brown
BN- BJ Upton

$0.02

[05worldserieschamps]

Yeah, i like your team as well. I like your INF and SP the most, though. You managed to put together a solid, productive INF, yet cheap. Lee is risky, but Atkins and Kendrick should both be solid. And i think you will get more out of Peralta than you think. All of the indians had bad years last year aside from Hafner and Sizemore. But i think they will be competitive in the AL Central this year. And with your SP, its really good, but its risky with 2 older players out of their prime(smoltz/moose) and two rookies(weaver/kazmier). And its already been sadi about your RP. I think, if you stay healthy, your team will be good.

[Seanyfever]

I like your team. I would echo your own statements. Peralta is shaky, and I would look for options. I would also look to add another relief pitcher.