Our experts invitational league drafted Saturday night. There are nine prominent cafe members in the league, along with several fantasy experts from other areas. It's a 12-team roto league with normal categories (RS, BA, HR, SB, RBI, ERA, WHIP, K, W, S). We start C, 1b, 2b, 3b, ss, OF, OF, OF, Util, P, P, P, P, P and five bench spots. We'd love to hear your feedback on these draft results. One team owner (what) discussed his draft experience already at http://www.chinstrapninjas.com if you'd like to see more.
NikkiSixx 1. (1) Albert Pujols 2. (24) Carlos Lee 3. (25) Manny Ramirez 4. (48) Cole Hamels 5. (49) David Ortiz 6. (72) Bobby Abreu 7. (73) Chad Billingsley 8. (96) Yovani Gallardo 9. (97) Derek Jeter 10. (120) Howie Kendrick 11. (121) Kerry Wood 12. (144) Adrian Beltre 13. (145) Erik Bedard 14. (168) Adam Jones 15. (169) Brandon Morrow 16. (192) Trevor Hoffman 17. (193) Rickie Weeks 18. (216) Jarrod Saltalamacchia 19. (217) Grant Balfour 20. (240) Clay Buchholz
Steib McGriffs 1. (2) Hanley Ramirez 2. (23) Justin Morneau 3. (26) Dustin Pedroia 4. (47) Roy Halladay 5. (50) Geovany Soto 6. (71) Vernon Wells 7. (74) Roy Oswalt 8. (95) Ryan Ludwick 9. (98) Cliff Lee 10. (119) Andre Ethier 11. (122) Nelson Cruz 12. (143) Conor Jackson 13. (146) Jorge Cantu 14. (167) Mike Gonzalez 15. (170) Gavin Floyd 16. (191) Cameron Maybin 17. (194) Ryan Theriot 18. (215) Placido Polanco 19. (218) Dioner Navarro 20. (239) Joey Devine
Vandelay Industries 1. (3) Jose Reyes 2. (22) Lance Berkman 3. (27) Matt Holliday 4. (46) Brian McCann 5. (51) Chipper Jones 6. (70) Dan Uggla 7. (75) Adam Dunn 8. (94) Jon Lester 9. (99) Jonathan Broxton 10. (118) Adam Wainwright 11. (123) Johnny Damon 12. (142) Kevin Slowey 13. (147) John Danks 14. (166) Josh Johnson 15. (171) Scott Baker 16. (190) Joel Hanrahan 17. (195) Hiroki Kuroda 18. (214) Ubaldo Jimenez 19. (219) Xavier Nady 20. (238) Delmon Young
PicklePackers 1. (4) Grady Sizemore 2. (21) Prince Fielder 3. (28) CC Sabathia 4. (45) Russell Martin 5. (52) Shane Victorino 6. (69) Joe Nathan 7. (76) Hunter Pence 8. (93) Robinson Cano 9. (100) Daisuke Matsuzaka 10. (117) Joba Chamberlain 11. (124) Justin Verlander 12. (141) Carlos Marmol 13. (148) Jhonny Peralta 14. (165) Khalil Greene 15. (172) Kevin Gregg 16. (189) Mark Reynolds 17. (196) Johnny Cueto 18. (213) Jeremy Hermida 19. (220) Paul Maholm 20. (237) Chris Volstad
what 1. (5) David Wright 2. (20) Brandon Phillips 3. (29) Nick Markakis 4. (44) Alexei Ramirez 5. (53) Corey Hart 6. (68) Garrett Atkins 7. (77) Brad Lidge 8. (92) Scott Kazmir 9. (101) Raul Ibanez 10. (116) Brian Fuentes 11. (125) Edinson Volquez 12. (140) B.J. Ryan 13. (149) Pat Burrell 14. (164) Max Scherzer 15. (173) Jason Motte 16. (188) Hank Blalock 17. (197) Emmanuel Burriss 18. (212) Jair Jurrjens 19. (221) Ramon Hernandez 20. (236) Fausto Carmona
Porfi's Bar and Gril 1. (6) Miguel Cabrera 2. (19) B.J. Upton 3. (30) Carlos Quentin 4. (43) Ichiro Suzuki 5. (54) Adrian Gonzalez 6. (67) Troy Tulowitzki 7. (78) Mariano Rivera 8. (91) Chone Figgins 9. (102) John Lackey 10. (115) Ervin Santana 11. (126) Ryan Doumit 12. (139) Lastings Milledge 13. (150) David Price 14. (163) Ryan Dempster 15. (174) Edwin Encarnacion 16. (187) James Loney 17. (198) Kelly Johnson 18. (211) Jorge Posada 19. (222) Carlos Guillen 20. (235) Ben Sheets
Omaha 1. (7) Ryan Braun 2. (18) Tim Lincecum 3. (31) Jason Bay 4. (42) Kevin Youkilis 5. (55) Jonathan Papelbon 6. (66) Joey Votto 7. (79) James Shields 8. (90) Matt Wieters 9. (103) Michael Young 10. (114) A.J. Burnett 11. (127) Alex Gordon 12. (138) Jose Lopez 13. (151) Chris Young 14. (162) Brian Wilson 15. (175) Mike Napoli 16. (186) Chien-Ming Wang 17. (199) Joe Saunders 18. (210) Shin-Soo Choo 19. (223) Gil Meche 20. (234) Wandy Rodriguez
Gold Rush 1. (8) Ryan Howard 2. (17) Johan Santana 3. (32) Carl Crawford 4. (41) Jake Peavy 5. (56) Chris Davis 6. (65) Victor Martinez 7. (80) Francisco Rodriguez 8. (89) Stephen Drew 9. (104) Carlos Zambrano 10. (113) Justin Upton 11. (128) Francisco Cordero 12. (137) Milton Bradley 13. (152) Mike Aviles 14. (161) Jim Thome 15. (176) Willy Taveras 16. (185) Chris Carpenter 17. (200) Brad Ziegler 18. (209) Elijah Dukes 19. (224) John Smoltz 20. (233) Mark Teahen
Cat Whisperer 1. (9) Jimmy Rollins 2. (16) Evan Longoria 3. (33) Brandon Webb 4. (40) Alex Rios 5. (57) Jacoby Ellsbury 6. (64) Magglio Ordonez 7. (81) Aubrey Huff 8. (88) Joakim Soria 9. (105) Derrek Lee 10. (112) Zack Greinke 11. (129) Torii Hunter 12. (136) Derek Lowe 13. (153) Mark DeRosa 14. (160) Frank Francisco 15. (177) Ted Lilly 16. (184) Chris Ray 17. (201) Felipe Lopez 18. (208) Bengie Molina 19. (225) Carlos Villanueva 20. (232) Sean Marshall
FBC-Tavish 1. (10) Josh Hamilton 2. (15) Alfonso Soriano 3. (34) Brian Roberts 4. (39) Curtis Granderson 5. (58) Francisco Liriano 6. (63) Josh Beckett 7. (82) Rich Harden 8. (87) Ryan Zimmerman 9. (106) Carlos Pena 10. (111) Bobby Jenks 11. (130) Carlos Delgado 12. (135) Pablo Sandoval 13. (154) Matt Capps 14. (159) Miguel Tejada 15. (178) Randy Johnson 16. (183) Brad Hawpe 17. (202) Troy Percival 18. (207) Fernando Rodney 19. (226) Orlando Cabrera 20. (231) Kyle Davies
cordscords 1. (11) Mark Teixeira 2. (14) Chase Utley 3. (35) Vladimir Guerrero 4. (38) Alex Rodriguez 5. (59) Joe Mauer 6. (62) Rafael Furcal 7. (83) Jermaine Dye 8. (86) Jay Bruce 9. (107) Matt Cain 10. (110) Ricky Nolasco 11. (131) Chris Young 12. (134) Aaron Harang 13. (155) Brett Myers 14. (158) Clayton Kershaw 15. (179) Hideki Matsui 16. (182) Huston Street 17. (203) Matt Lindstrom 18. (206) John Maine 19. (227) George Sherrill 20. (230) Kelvim Escobar
L.A. Motorhead 1. (12) Ian Kinsler 2. (13) Carlos Beltran 3. (36) Matt Kemp 4. (37) Aramis Ramirez 5. (60) Dan Haren 6. (61) Nate McLouth 7. (84) J.J. Hardy 8. (85) Felix Hernandez 9. (108) Jose Valverde 10. (109) Javier Vazquez 11. (132) Jayson Werth 12. (133) Chris Iannetta 13. (156) Paul Konerko 14. (157) Heath Bell 15. (180) Chad Qualls 16. (181) Matt Garza 17. (204) Jered Weaver 18. (205) Carlos Gomez 19. (228) Manny Parra 20. (229) Billy Butler
DK - interesting you thought Huff was my worst pick. My guess is that you don't believe he will repeat his 2008 numbers and/or you value him over other 1B's that were still available at that point.
I was hoping Atkins or Votto would be available in the 7th but both got taken in the 6th. I favor Huff over Lee, Pena, and Delgado, and he gets an extra nudge for 3B eligibility. I fall into the '1B is not as deep as you think camp' so it was mostly a piece of mind pick. Considering I was able to pick up Lee in the 9th (just couldn't pass on him there) I clearly could of waited. I guess I agree with you after all.
DK - interesting you thought Huff was my worst pick. My guess is that you don't believe he will repeat his 2008 numbers and/or you value him over other 1B's that were still available at that point.
I was hoping Atkins or Votto would be available in the 7th but both got taken in the 6th. I favor Huff over Lee, Pena, and Delgado, and he gets an extra nudge for 3B eligibility. I fall into the '1B is not as deep as you think camp' so it was mostly a piece of mind pick. Considering I was able to pick up Lee in the 9th (just couldn't pass on him there) I clearly could of waited. I guess I agree with you after all.
I would have rather had Pena/Delgado there, as I see them as having a better shot at having another good season. But Delgado does have the risk of age against him. I think Pena's 2008 was closer to his minimum than maximum and that he can rebound with a better average and around 35 home runs. But really, it wasn't too bad for your situation with a lot of the 1Bs eaten up. On a first base note, it's interesting that Loney/Jackson almost always go well ahead of Adam LaRoche (in this case undrafted) but I can see how you think he won't get runs and RBI because of that awful lineup.
LA Best: Vazquez, Werth, Iannetta. Worst: Konerko.
A lot of these teams look very good and are balanced, such as the Dunn/Uggla squad and the L.A. team at the end, and the first team.
I dont think Jeter in round 9 is bad, considering the .300 average and 100 runs he should have this season, Im not that bothered since he plays shortstop. I know his power/speed are declining, but I drafted him expecting .310, 115 runs, 60 RBI, 10 HR, 10 SB...he might even run a little more since he is the lead off man.
As for Kerry Wood, I dont see what you can dislike about him other than the injury risk.
by jake_twothousandfive » Mon Apr 06, 2009 3:37 pm
Team Vandelay Industries here:
I'm somewhat surprised that you'd consider Danks on of my best picks and Wainwright my worst. I drafted hitters even more heavily in the early rounds than I usually do. I typically draft an ace capable of carrying my team should the rest of my pitchers begin to struggle. Because of the way the draft played out, I never did get that ace, and therefore in the middle rounds I considered it essential that I found some quality pitchers with decent upside and limited downside.
That said, Wainwright is IMO was one of the more trustworthy options at that point and someone I expect a good year from. I got him right around his MDP so while I don't consider it great value, I thought it was fair. As for Danks and Slowey, I thought I reached on both a bit but I don't regret doing it. Both will have to do well for me to have success in this league.
In terms of overall value: Best: Uggla, Damon, Ubaldo, and Josh Johnson Worst: McCann (really hate taking a catcher that early, but there was just nothing else I liked), Danks, and Slowey (felt I reached on both Slowey and Danks, but I needed them at that point)
"Don't take anything for granted, because tomorrow is not promised to any of us." ---Kirby Puckett
I dont think Jeter in round 9 is bad, considering the .300 average and 100 runs he should have this season, Im not that bothered since he plays shortstop. I know his power/speed are declining, but I drafted him expecting .310, 115 runs, 60 RBI, 10 HR, 10 SB...he might even run a little more since he is the lead off man.
After Jeter's 5 category decline each of the last 2 years, either you think he'll continue that trend, or he will get some of that '06 magic back. I'm in the first group. And I agree about Wood's injury concerns, and I'm not forgiving him after 1 year.
Team Vandelay Industries here:
I'm somewhat surprised that you'd consider Danks on of my best picks and Wainwright my worst. I drafted hitters even more heavily in the early rounds than I usually do. I typically draft an ace capable of carrying my team should the rest of my pitchers begin to struggle. Because of the way the draft played out, I never did get that ace, and therefore in the middle rounds I considered it essential that I found some quality pitchers with decent upside and limited downside.
That said, Wainwright is IMO was one of the more trustworthy options at that point and someone I expect a good year from. I got him right around his MDP so while I don't consider it great value, I thought it was fair. As for Danks and Slowey, I thought I reached on both a bit but I don't regret doing it. Both will have to do well for me to have success in this league.
In terms of overall value: Best: Uggla, Damon, Ubaldo, and Josh Johnson Worst: McCann (really hate taking a catcher that early, but there was just nothing else I liked), Danks, and Slowey (felt I reached on both Slowey and Danks, but I needed them at that point)
You got caught in a bad situation with the pitching. Starting in the 110s, a bunch of high-quality pitchers started flying off the board. Vazquez, Nolasco, Greinke, Burnett, Joba. So you decided to go with Wainwright, who is at least a notch below those guys. There are injury concerns plus he doesn't strike many out. Neither of those are true for Danks, so I'd give him the edge there. I agree with the rest of your "best" list and that the big catchers are overrated. I'm mostly targeting Iannetta/Sandoval/Doumit this year who could match the Big 4.
I dont think Jeter in round 9 is bad, considering the .300 average and 100 runs he should have this season, Im not that bothered since he plays shortstop. I know his power/speed are declining, but I drafted him expecting .310, 115 runs, 60 RBI, 10 HR, 10 SB...he might even run a little more since he is the lead off man.
After Jeter's 5 category decline each of the last 2 years, either you think he'll continue that trend, or he will get some of that '06 magic back. I'm in the first group. And I agree about Wood's injury concerns, and I'm not forgiving him after 1 year.
Team Vandelay Industries here:
I'm somewhat surprised that you'd consider Danks on of my best picks and Wainwright my worst. I drafted hitters even more heavily in the early rounds than I usually do. I typically draft an ace capable of carrying my team should the rest of my pitchers begin to struggle. Because of the way the draft played out, I never did get that ace, and therefore in the middle rounds I considered it essential that I found some quality pitchers with decent upside and limited downside.
That said, Wainwright is IMO was one of the more trustworthy options at that point and someone I expect a good year from. I got him right around his MDP so while I don't consider it great value, I thought it was fair. As for Danks and Slowey, I thought I reached on both a bit but I don't regret doing it. Both will have to do well for me to have success in this league.
In terms of overall value: Best: Uggla, Damon, Ubaldo, and Josh Johnson Worst: McCann (really hate taking a catcher that early, but there was just nothing else I liked), Danks, and Slowey (felt I reached on both Slowey and Danks, but I needed them at that point)
You got caught in a bad situation with the pitching. Starting in the 110s, a bunch of high-quality pitchers started flying off the board. Vazquez, Nolasco, Greinke, Burnett, Joba. So you decided to go with Wainwright, who is at least a notch below those guys. There are injury concerns plus he doesn't strike many out. Neither of those are true for Danks, so I'd give him the edge there. I agree with the rest of your "best" list and that the big catchers are overrated. I'm mostly targeting Iannetta/Sandoval/Doumit this year who could match the Big 4.
Im not saying he will be as good as he was in 06, and my projections do have him with less HR, SB, and RBI than the year before, I just think he will get on base and continue hitting around his career avg., and he will score runs with damon, tex, and matsui hitting after him (not to mention A ROD will be back in a few weeks). so his average will be nice and he will score a lot of runs, and MAYBE he will steal a few more bases since he is their leadoff man now. Im in between your "group 1" and "group 2."
Thanks for taking the time to break this down with us dave knight. Now, let me defend my worst picks.
dave knight wrote:Omaha Best: Gordon, Meche, Wandy. Worst: Youkilis, Michael Young.
I'd like for you to elaborate on the Youk pick at 42. It was mid 4th round and I thought that was about where he was being taken. I liked his position flexibility between first and third which enabled me to take Votto and Gordon later and have all three contribute.
Young was a pick made because I ran out of time on the clock. I do think I got some value where I got him at though, for what it's worth.
Porfi's stole AGonzo right before my pick in the 5th and Gold Rush swiped up Stephen Drew right before my pick in the 8th. Those were 2 picks I was hoping for.
Omaha Red Sox wrote:Thanks for taking the time to break this down with us dave knight. Now, let me defend my worst picks.
dave knight wrote:Omaha Best: Gordon, Meche, Wandy. Worst: Youkilis, Michael Young.
I'd like for you to elaborate on the Youk pick at 42. It was mid 4th round and I thought that was about where he was being taken. I liked his position flexibility between first and third which enabled me to take Votto and Gordon later and have all three contribute.
Young was a pick made because I ran out of time on the clock. I do think I got some value where I got him at though, for what it's worth.
Porfi's stole AGonzo right before my pick in the 5th and Gold Rush swiped up Stephen Drew right before my pick in the 8th. Those were 2 picks I was hoping for.
I know Youkilis is going middle 4 in most drafts, I just don't like him there. Before last year's unexpected spike, he was doing a good Conor Jackson impersonation. Also, he hit a ton of "Just Enough" home runs that didn't clear the fence by that much, so he's not one of these raw power players that will hit close to 30 each year (http://hittrackeronline.com/homeruns_sp ... AL&type=JE). Overall I'd rather have Gonzalez, Atkins, probably Davis, probably Votto. I like him, but not in the top 50.
Michael Young has been saved by his teammates driving him in a lot, but it remains to be seen if he will stay as lucky. What we do know is his batting ratios have went in the cellar, including slugging and batting averages. If he can drive the ball a bit more than maybe he outplays last year.
One player I removed from my "Worst" list is Alexei Ramirez. He's respectable enough as a shortstop, even though I like other players like drew and hardy a bit better. I still think the value is a bit inflated still though.
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by Warpigs » Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:20 am 
