Fantasy Forum Challenge Team Thingie

[Pedantic]

You probably know the drill by now. Twenty teams, 5x5 roto.

C Russell Martin
1B Conor Jackson
2B Jose Lopez
3B Eric Chavez
SS Ben Zobrist
MI David Eckstein
CI Edwin Encarnacion
OF Ichiro Suzuki
OF Austin Kearns
OF Andre Ethier
OF Jason Kubel
UT Travis Hafner
UT Kevin Kouzmanoff
BN Alberto Callaspo
BN Nate McLouth
BN Adam Lind

SP Jeremy Bonderman
SP Dontrelle Willis
SP Justin Verlander
RP Ryan Dempster
RP Mike MacDougal
P Scott Olsen
P Chad Billingsley
P Jason Hirsh
BN Josh Sharpless
BN Jonathan Sanchez
BN Juan Salas

I'm actually fairly pleased with my team, obviously because it's full of players I like. I waited as long as I possibly could for a closer and middle infielders. I think I waited a little too long on my final MI slot. I reached a bit for Bonderman and Chavez, but I usually worry more about my own rankings near the beginning of the draft.

[chadlincoln]

I'd want to try to get Ichiro from you, but since we can't trade within the forum...

I thought you reached on Chavez.

[ukrneal]

May I be brutally honest? I thought you made some of the most boneheaded picks early. I wanted to shake you! You definitely reached on Chavez, especially considering Rolen was still there. And then you picked Willis with Myers and others still available. And then you reached for Conor with Hill, Zito and others still available.

BUT! Then you had some of the best picks in the draft! Sheer brilliance!

Olsen round 10! Martin round 11! Billingsly round 16!

Maybe it all works out for you in the end. I think you really reached on some of the later early rounds and that may come back to haunt you.

All that said, you still have a chance. I think your biggest problem is the depth of your pitching (quality-wise), especially relief pitching, although RP doesn't worry me so much since there are always large numbers of surprises. Your offense is at times untried and bad luck there could spell trouble too. In any case, I'll be rooting for you.

[Pogotheostrich]

May I be brutally honest? I thought you made some of the most boneheaded picks early. I wanted to shake you! You definitely reached on Chavez, especially considering Rolen was still there. And then you picked Willis with Myers and others still available. And then you reached for Conor with Hill, Zito and others still available.

BUT! Then you had some of the best picks in the draft! Sheer brilliance!

Olsen round 10! Martin round 11! Billingsly round 16!

I completely agree with this. The Chavez pick just baffled me but you made some great picks later on.

That said I think SP is your strength. Bonderman, Willis, Verlander, and Olsen is a pretty good foresome in a 20 team league plus Billingsly and Hirsh waiting in the wings. The offense look OK with some nice potential. The RP looks pretty grim if Dempster doesn't come through.

[Pedantic]

May I be brutally honest? I thought you made some of the most boneheaded picks early. I wanted to shake you! You definitely reached on Chavez, especially considering Rolen was still there. And then you picked Willis with Myers and others still available. And then you reached for Conor with Hill, Zito and others still available.

BUT! Then you had some of the best picks in the draft! Sheer brilliance!

Olsen round 10! Martin round 11! Billingsly round 16!

I completely agree with this. The Chavez pick just baffled me but you made some great picks later on.

I can understand the criticism. I didn't feel good about my third through sixth picks; my targets for those picks were all being taken before I had a shot at them. Any picks I would have made would have been reaches, so I just went with my rankings on those. I think this is mostly a difference of opinion. Those players are high enough in my rankings to justify the picks. Market value-wise, I probably could have done better.

Out of the reaches that were mentioned, Jackson is the one that I would definitely do again. I was definitely not going pitcher there, and especially not Zito or Hill, and with Kendrick already going sooner than I had anticipated, I was not going to risk Jackson being taken. I am high on him. It is my belief that the first rounds are actually the least important, anyway. I almost always draft for upside, so I think it's natural that my later round picks look better than the earlier rounds.

Thanks for the opinions and the honesty. I wouldn't have it any other way.

[EugeneStyles]

Yeah, I was telepathically begging you to take Martin when you did. Well, first I was begging Chad, and then hoping you or Mugrila would get him. He was by far the best catcher in that spot, and I was also hoping that you guys could start a little bit of a run on catchers, causing the other players to reach. Although that didn't happen, I was able to grab Pineiro at the end of the 11th, as I was deathly afraid you guys might take him instead of Russell, and I'm pretty sure he's gonna close.