BaseballGB has had its fantasy draft ahead of the 2010 season.
Here are the first 10 rounds of results:
| Round 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Albert Pujols | Beck ‘nams (GB) |
| 2. | Hanley Ramírez | Ferocious St… |
| 3. | Ryan Braun | Pretzel Vendors |
| 4. | Álex Rodríguez | Iron Men |
| 5. | Chase Utley | SWAT* |
| 6. | Matt Kemp | Borders Bats |
| 7. | Mark Teixeira | stevenston a… |
| 8. | Joe Mauer | Weston-Super… |
| 9. | Derek Jeter | New Spaniards |
| 10. | Prince Fielder | The Cheddar … |
| 11. | Evan Longoria | Bonestalkers |
| 12. | David Wright | The Wright S… |
| 13. | Ryan Howard | Grip it n Ri… |
| 14. | Miguel Cabrera | Orpington Is… |
The draft order, decided randomly by Yahoo about half an hour before the draft began, saw my team picking last. At least this proves it is not a fix! I didn’t panic, having done a mock draft picking last a few weeks earlier, and thought about the combination I was looking for with my first two picks.
There was one major surprise in round one, with Jeter going to the Yankee-supporting Spaniards in manager Oscar’s first-ever fantasy draft. Other than that, seeing Braun go before A-Rod was a slight surprise, with managers stocking up on the top 1B and 3B bats.
After Howard was picked, I opted to get a slugger in Miguel Cabrera.
| Round 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Troy Tulowitzki | Orpington Is… |
| 2. | Tim Lincecum | Grip it n Ri… |
| 3. | Ian Kinsler | The Wright S… |
| 4. | Kevin Youkilis | Bonestalkers |
| 5. | Justin Upton | The Cheddar … |
| 6. | Robinson Canó | New Spaniards |
| 7. | Zack Greinke | Weston-Super… |
| 8. | Roy Halladay | stevenston a… |
| 9. | Pablo Sandoval | Borders Bats |
| 10. | Grady Sizemore | SWAT* |
| 11. | Carl Crawford | Iron Men |
| 12. | Matt Holliday | Pretzel Vendors |
| 13. | Joey Votto | Ferocious St… |
| 14. | Jacoby Ellsbury | Beck ‘nams (GB) |
I was picking first in round two and opted to fill SS by taking Tulowitzki, who was still available, which was a little surprising. I like the power/speed combo and felt Tulo and Miggy were as good as I could get in the first two rounds.
Lincecum was the first pitcher taken while the Spaniards opted for another Yankee in Cano, ahead of star hitters such as Sandoval, Sizemore, Crawford, Holliday and Votto.
| Round 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ichiro Suzuki | Beck ‘nams (GB) |
| 2. | Félix Hernández | Ferocious St… |
| 3. | Jimmy Rollins | Pretzel Vendors |
| 4. | CC Sabathia | Iron Men |
| 5. | Ryan Zimmerman | SWAT* |
| 6. | Víctor Martínez | Borders Bats |
| 7. | Dustin Pedroia | stevenston a… |
| 8. | Ben Zobrist | Weston-Super… |
| 9. | Brett Gardner | New Spaniards |
| 10. | Adrián González | The Cheddar … |
| 11. | Jason Bay | Bonestalkers |
| 12. | Mark Reynolds | The Wright S… |
| 13. | Brian McCann | Grip it n Ri… |
| 14. | Jayson Werth | Orpington Is… |
Beck’nams doubled up on speed by taking Ellsbury and Ichiro. It’s hard to argue against taking a .350 hitter here, but if it was me I would have taken the power of Adrian Gonzalez here instead. The Spaniards made a huge reach for Brett Gardener – about 12 rounds or so too early for my liking.
After filling a problem position of SS, I was thinking about getting my CF spot done too, and was very happy to take Jayson Werth here.
| Round 4 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Dan Haren | Orpington Is… |
| 2. | Brandon Phillips | Grip it n Ri… |
| 3. | Johan Santana | The Wright S… |
| 4. | Mariano Rivera | Bonestalkers |
| 5. | José Reyes | The Cheddar … |
| 6. | A.J. Burnett | New Spaniards |
| 7. | Curtis Granderson | Weston-Super… |
| 8. | B.J. Upton | stevenston a… |
| 9. | Cliff Lee | Borders Bats |
| 10. | Nick Markakis | SWAT* |
| 11. | Adam Wainwright | Iron Men |
| 12. | Shin-Soo Choo | Pretzel Vendors |
| 13. | Aaron Hill | Ferocious St… |
| 14. | Justin Verlander | Beck ‘nams (GB) |
Picking last altered my strategy here. With Lincecum, Felix Hernanadez and Sabathia already taken, and knowing I’d have to wait a long time until my next pick, I wasn’t sure there would be any true aces I wanted left.
I thought about taking Johan Santana here but opted for Dan Haren instead. It turned out to be a good move, as Johan, Cliff Lee and Verlander all went in the same round, as did AJ Burnett by, you guessed it, the Spaniards!
The first closer went here, as Bonestalkers took Rivera. I usually prefer to wait a little longer for a closer, but if you’re going to take one here, take Rivera.
| Round 5 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chris Carpenter | Beck ‘nams (GB) |
| 2. | Jon Lester | Ferocious St… |
| 3. | Justin Morneau | Pretzel Vendors |
| 4. | Adam Lind | Iron Men |
| 5. | Yovani Gallardo | SWAT* |
| 6. | Aramis Ramírez | Borders Bats |
| 7. | Michael Young | stevenston a… |
| 8. | Billy Butler | Weston-Super… |
| 9. | Nick Swisher | New Spaniards |
| 10. | Andrew McCutchen | The Cheddar … |
| 11. | Josh Beckett | Bonestalkers |
| 12. | Carlos Lee | The Wright S… |
| 13. | Kendry Morales | Grip it n Ri… |
| 14. | Andre Ethier | Orpington Is… |
Beck’nams stocked up on arms here with Carpenter and Verlander giving JJ two top starters. The Ferocious Stoics opted for Jon Lester, a pitcher I rate very highly.
Weston-Super-Sox grabbed Billy Butler, who deserves a lot more praise than he gets, while The Cheddar Chasers have a sparkplug CF in Andrew McCutchen.
Good value picks by Pretzel Vendors and The Wright Stuff here to get Morneau and Carlos Lee.
As a Dodger fan, I couldn’t pass on Andre Ethier here!
| Round 6 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Adam Dunn | Orpington Is… |
| 2. | Bobby Abreu | Grip it n Ri… |
| 3. | Cole Hamels | The Wright S… |
| 4. | Shane Victorino | Bonestalkers |
| 5. | Chone Figgins | The Cheddar … |
| 6. | Jorge Posada | New Spaniards |
| 7. | Javier Vázquez | Weston-Super… |
| 8. | Denard Span | stevenston a… |
| 9. | Jonathan Broxton | Borders Bats |
| 10. | Clayton Kershaw | SWAT* |
| 11. | Dan Uggla | Iron Men |
| 12. | Brian Roberts | Pretzel Vendors |
| 13. | Torii Hunter | Ferocious St… |
| 14. | Nelson Cruz | Beck ‘nams (GB) |
Adam Dunn’s 40HR power was hard to ignore in round six too, so I took him as well to complete my outfield – not something I thought I would do this early.
I had considered Figgins here, but Cheddar soon grabbed him.
Brian Roberts could be decent value here for Pretzel Vendors if he recovers from back trouble.
| Round 7 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Josh Johnson | Beck ‘nams (GB) |
| 2. | Jonathan Papelbon | Ferocious St… |
| 3. | Matt Wieters | Pretzel Vendors |
| 4. | Carlos Peña | Iron Men |
| 5. | Tommy Hanson | SWAT* |
| 6. | Asdrubal Cabrera | Borders Bats |
| 7. | Jason Bartlett | stevenston a… |
| 8. | Miguel Tejada | Weston-Super… |
| 9. | Casey Blake | New Spaniards |
| 10. | Ubaldo Jiménez | The Cheddar … |
| 11. | John Danks | Bonestalkers |
| 12. | Adam Jones | The Wright S… |
| 13. | Josh Hamilton | Grip it n Ri… |
| 14. | Matt Cain | Orpington Is… |
Beck’nams added another quality starter in Josh Johnson, with Papelbon taken with the next pick.
After seeing Johnson, Tommy Hanson, Ubaldo Jiminez and John Danks all go, with Oscar picking Casey Blake (for his beard?) in between, I opted to boost my rotation before it was too late, taking Cain.
| Round 8 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chad Billingsley | Orpington Is… |
| 2. | Wandy Rodríguez | Grip it n Ri… |
| 3. | Lance Berkman | The Wright S… |
| 4. | Johnny Damon | Bonestalkers |
| 5. | Manny Ramírez | The Cheddar … |
| 6. | Raúl Ibañez | New Spaniards |
| 7. | Ryan Dempster | Weston-Super… |
| 8. | Ricky Nolasco | stevenston a… |
| 9. | Jered Weaver | Borders Bats |
| 10. | Joakim Soria | SWAT* |
| 11. | Nate McLouth | Iron Men |
| 12. | Michael Bourn | Pretzel Vendors |
| 13. | Heath Bell | Ferocious St… |
| 14. | Rickie Weeks | Beck ‘nams (GB) |
I followed this up with Billingsley, giving me a solid top three in my rotation.
The Wright Stuff took Berkman here, which could work out well once he returns from knee trouble.
Manny’s a decent gamble for The Cheddar Chasers here purely because his contract is running out.
Beck’nams gambled on Rickie Weeks avoiding injuries – I am not convinced.
| Round 9 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Russell Martin | Beck ‘nams (GB) |
| 2. | Jason Kubel | Ferocious St… |
| 3. | Gordon Beckham | Pretzel Vendors |
| 4. | Brian Wilson | Iron Men |
| 5. | Derrek Lee | SWAT* |
| 6. | Carlos Mármol | Borders Bats |
| 7. | John Lackey | stevenston a… |
| 8. | Gavin Floyd | Weston-Super… |
| 9. | J.A. Happ | New Spaniards |
| 10. | Matt Garza | The Cheddar … |
| 11. | Alfredo Aceves | Bonestalkers |
| 12. | José Valverde | The Wright S… |
| 13. | Andrew Bailey | Grip it n Ri… |
| 14. | Francisco Rodríguez | Orpington Is… |
I hope the pick of Russell Martin works out for Beck’nams, but it was a bit early to take him in my opinion.
Ferocious Stoics oppted for Kubel’s power, while Prezel Vendors made a nice pick with Gordon Beckham, who will soon have 2B eligibility.
Derrek Lee seemed to have been left on the board for a wile, but SWAT caved in and took him.
Stevenston Angels picked up ex-Angel John Lackey, which I like a lot.
Alfredo Aceves was a surprise name here, as if he doesn’t win the Yankees’ fifth starting role he will be a long reliever instead.
A run on closers was starting, with Wilson, Marmol, Valverde and Bailey all going before my turn. I decided I needed to take a closer and opted for K-Rod.
| Round 10 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jake Peavy | Orpington Is… |
| 2. | Scott Baker | Grip it n Ri… |
| 3. | Roy Oswalt | The Wright S… |
| 4. | Felipe López | Bonestalkers |
| 5. | Hunter Pence | The Cheddar … |
| 6. | Phil Hughes | New Spaniards |
| 7. | Rafael Soriano | Weston-Super… |
| 8. | Brian Fuentes | stevenston a… |
| 9. | Yunel Escobar | Borders Bats |
| 10. | Brett Anderson | SWAT* |
| 11. | Elvis Andrus | Iron Men |
| 12. | Erik Bedard | Pretzel Vendors |
| 13. | Jair Jurrjens | Ferocious St… |
| 14. | Ian Stewart | Beck ‘nams (GB) |
Jake Peavy had a year to forget in 2009, but he’s definitely worth a gamble in round 10 this year, so I drafted him.
Felipe Lopez was a serious reach for Bonestalkers here, but there were a lot of good picks here.
I like the Pence pick, and would have gone for him here myself if I hadn’t already filled my outfield earlier, while Borders Bats and Iron Men both added quality shortstops in Yunel Escobar and Elvis Andrus.
It was no surprise to see two more closers go in Soriano and Fuentes, while Beck’nams have another 2B option in Ian Stewart in case Weeks doesn’t perform.
So there are the first half of the draft results – keep visiting BaseballGB as part two will be online soon!
Thanks for providing the write-up, Mark. Look forward to part two as the later rounds are where some of us (me included!) start scrabbling around a bit!
I was quite happy with how my selections went really, it left me feeling that I had a decent roster without it being outstanding. My main ‘reach’ was getting Jose Reyes in the fourth round. Hopefully he’ll get back on the field fairly soon (and stay there) and I picked up Johnny Peralta as cover late in the draft in the meantime.
My main ‘strategy’ (seems a bit grand to call it that) was largely to focus on hitters in the early rounds and to pick the best player available (as I saw it!) rather than specifically looking to fill a position.
Although I already had Fielder as my first baseman, seeing Adrian Gonzalez still on the board when I picked tenth in the 3rd round was too good an opportunity to pass up. I also already had three outfielders in place when my pick in the 10th round came along, but Hunter Pence was still on the board and again I decided to snaffle him. Maybe that wasn’t quite the right thing to do in terms of a balanced draft roster, but I’m aware that I’m no great expert on this so decided that taking the best player and dealing with a possible logjam later was the less-risky option.
Matt – I couldn’t believe Gonzo kept falling, and had started hoping he might make it back to me before you nabbed him 2 picks away!
I had that happen to me a couple of times as well. You think a guy might fall to you and then away they go.
While I’m disappointed that I had to miss the draft (apologies again, and I hope the auto-draft worked without delaying you guys), I think I probably did better for not being there, and instead relying on my pre-draft rankings. Rather than let sentiment get in the way, I think I ended up with a pretty balanced team, with plenty of upside here and there. If I’d been present, I wouldn’t have been half as disciplined, and I may have instead had a team with a few of my favourites and little else.
In terms of these first ten rounds:
I’m very happy with Braun as a first pick. He should be pretty consistent, and I think is less risky than the potential-scandal-magnet A-Rod. Plus, I really couldn’t pick a Yankee first.
Matt Holliday and Jimmy Rollins weren’t particularly top targets for me, but I’d have happily taken both prior to the draft. Shin-Soo Choo and Justin Morneau should keep things ticking along nicely, and Brian Roberts was worth a punt, with fingers crossed that injuries don’t ruin his season.
Very pleased with Matt Wieters. I didn’t want to prioritise catchers, but I think he warranted his pick, and has a lot of upside. Michael Bourn was definitely a target, so very pleased to get him and his speed.
Gordon Beckham is another young ‘un who I hope will get better and better, and hopefully get 2B eligibility. He was another target, so again a happy pick for me.
Erik Bedard – a bit of a gamble, but I’d set my rankings to take my chances when it came to pitching, as there’s far more depth there. If I had been present at the darft I may have held off him for a while, but nevermind. The gamble continued in later picks, but I’ll save those for next time!