What are your thoughts on this plan?

[Guest]

I am in a 8-man mixed league. I have the #1 pick and will take AROD.
Gagne? I am thinking about taking him at 16-17 Too high?
Nomar/Tejada? 16-17 (We have MI) Nomar might be gone but Tejada should be there.
Thome 16-17
Pierre? 32-33?
Randy 48-49 if he falls.
I have decided to wait on OFs unless someone falls. With only 8 guys you can get good outfielders late. Any input would be appreciated. Joe

[LBJackal]

It might sound weird, but I'd grab Soriano with the #1 pick. There are 3 top 2B's, and 4 if you include Giles. There is a severe dropoff after Giles goes off the board. Half of the league will get a great 2B. Now look at SS. There's A-Rod, Nomar, Jeter, Tejada, Renteria, Cabrera, Berroa, Reyes, Matsui and Furcal. There's no big dropoff in talent. Everybody will get a relatively good SS. There are also 7 1B's who will put up great #'s. 1B and SS are deep, so getting a SS or 1B (A-Rod or Pujols) that early doesn't make sense to me in an 8 team league.

Grab Soriano #1, and get 2 star SS's with #16/17 (2 of Tejada, Nomar, or Renteria would be ideal). You'll have 3 of the best MIs in the game, and OF/1B/SP are so deep that you can wait until the 4th+ round to get them. If you do use that strategy, I'd suggest grabbing Chavez or Rolen with your 4th pick at #32 overall. 3B is relatively shallow as well. Using that strategy you can realisitically get Soriano, Tejada, Renteria, and Rolen/Chavez, which would be a pretty damn good IF. Sleeper 1B/OF's and SP's are much easier to find and closers are a craps shoot a lot of the time.

That's my strategy, so do with it what you please.

[NZF]

It might sound weird, but I'd grab Soriano with the #1 pick. There are 3 top 2B's, and 4 if you include Giles. There is a severe dropoff after Giles goes off the board. Half of the league will get a great 2B. Now look at SS. There's A-Rod, Nomar, Jeter, Tejada, Renteria, Cabrera, Berroa, Reyes, Matsui and Furcal. There's no big dropoff in talent. Everybody will get a relatively good SS. There are also 7 1B's who will put up great #'s. 1B and SS are deep, so getting a SS or 1B (A-Rod or Pujols) that early doesn't make sense to me in an 8 team league.

Grab Soriano #1, and get 2 star SS's with #16/17 (2 of Tejada, Nomar, or Renteria would be ideal). You'll have 3 of the best MIs in the game, and OF/1B/SP are so deep that you can wait until the 4th+ round to get them. If you do use that strategy, I'd suggest grabbing Chavez or Rolen with your 4th pick at #32 overall. 3B is relatively shallow as well. Using that strategy you can realisitically get Soriano, Tejada, Renteria, and Rolen/Chavez, which would be a pretty damn good IF. Sleeper 1B/OF's and SP's are much easier to find and closers are a craps shoot a lot of the time.

That's my strategy, so do with it what you please.

Interesting stategy but I disagree 3rd base is relatively shallow. It is actually relatively deep. You can pick up guys like Ramirez and Cabrera in the middle rounds. If 3b was shallow there is no way you would get the premier guy in that position with a # 32 pick.

Also A-Rod has got to be taken # 1 no matter the number of teams, especially now with 3b eligibility in many leagues.

[jbuk]

The strategy Jackal talked about isn't a bad idea in your league. I'd personally go with A-Rod at #1 and try to get Boone at 16/17 with one of the top SS's as the other pick.

Positional scarcity becomes much more of a factor in 8 team leagues tho, and I like your thinking with not taking an OF for a while.

[LBJackal]

Sure 3B has lots of guys that contribute, but that doesn't make it deep. There is a big gap after you get past Rolen/Chavez/Lowell. It's not the stats compared to other positions that makes a position deep, it's the stats relative to the others at the same position. A-Rod's qualification at 3B changes things a bit, and he becomes more suited to the #1 pick. I'd rather have him at 3B because he's so far and away better than the other 3B's as opposed to the SS's. For that reason it might be hard to pass on him at #1. But I'd still consider Soriano.

[drunkenmonkey]

Gagne won't be available at #16, at least in my experience. Take ARod number 1. With his demi-god status, you should be able to trade him for Soriano later if you want. I agree on waiting on OF in a shallow league, but watch the board. If guys are taking 2 outfielders with their first two picks, you may want to grab an elite one with your second or third picks.

Overall, even in a shallow league, I would simply take the three best available players for your first three picks, although I would probably hold off on pitching until the fourth (unless you want to pick up an elite closer).

[sooner711]

Gagne won't be available at #16, at least in my experience. Take ARod number 1. With his demi-god status, you should be able to trade him for Soriano later if you want. I agree on waiting on OF in a shallow league, but watch the board. If guys are taking 2 outfielders with their first two picks, you may want to grab an elite one with your second or third picks.

Overall, even in a shallow league, I would simply take the three best available players for your first three picks, although I would probably hold off on pitching until the fourth (unless you want to pick up an elite closer).

I agree, take ARod and trade him for Soriano and another decent player...