I think Holliday would be nice at pick 13. I don't expect him to perform at 2009 2nd half levels, but he tears up the NL. Tulo might be a smart pick since SS is weak this year.
I have the #9 pick in a 12 team league so I share your concerns. The way I'm going is stock up on a power bat at 1B with the first pick and then load up on power from the middle infield for the second pick. Probably something like Howard/Tulowitzki or Howard/Kinsler. If both are gone then I'm looking at Holliday or Reyes for the second pick. We both may get lucky and have Longoria slip into second round but I'm not counting on it. His ADP has been 11.
If you miss on Tulo in this situation, Zobrist (assuming Yahoo eligibility) and/or Jeter should still be around in rounds 3/4. I personally like Tulo is for real & would prefer to not put myself in a situation where I miss on a top option because the lesser tiers at that position aer a nightmare. If Tulo is around in the early 2nd round I draft him every time.
If all 3 1st baseman are there and you don't like the other options in the 2nd why not take a little risk and grab Longoria in the 1st round then hope that no one takes 2 1st baseman at 9/10? This probably depends on how well you know who you are drafting with but there are plenty of people who wouldn't want to fill up their 1st/Util spot in the first two rounds. I don't mind it but plenty of people think that way.
As for the guys you mentioned I am not a big fan of them either but I would go with Tulo and then the two pitchers if he is gone. SS is extremely shallow and odds are you won't get a shot at Rollins/Reyes in the 3rd.
Depends on how early you pick in the 2nd. In a 10 team league, the 8, 9, and 10 spots should get two solid picks. After about picks 14 it starts to trail off.
socceryank wrote:Is anyone else less than thrilled with the options in the early second round?
What do you mean by "options"?
Take the best available player in your opinion and you will be fine. After all, you have about a 30% chance your selection will bust anyway so make sure you don't pigeonhole your pick based on the ADP. If you have a strong feeling about a certain player, use that opportunity to grab him and gloat later in the year when the player significantly outperforms expectations. If you don't like Tulo, Wright, or other 12-18 ADP players, grab Votto if you feel he will be a stud!
When you have a pick in the early 2nd round, only 14 or so players have been drafted so you have a SH**LOAD of options!!!!
When it comes to exaggerating, I always give 110%.
how many UTIL/DH spots does your league have? i have no qualms about taking 2 of TEX/FIELDER/MCAB. in a 10 teamer there's a good chance you might get a shot at 2 of them. you could take kinsler, but chances are he'll go dan haren on you 2nd half and its very hard to trade him away for good value then. if those three 1Bs are gone, i'd actually go for tulo since a good SS might not make back to you after 2nd round.