Draft Flurry Beginning...
I just had my first draft of the season (first of 4)...
So I'm the new guy in this league and when I agreed to join it was a 12 team mixed league 5x5, with 9 hitters/9 pitchers and a 4 man bench. From out of nowhere, it suddenly becomes 7x7. They add things like losses and holds and penalty categories for hitters like K's. It actually looks like this now:
Hitters: Avg., HR, R, RBI, SB, BB, and K's
Pitchers: W, L, SV, HLD, BB, K, and ERA
Not really my cup of tea, but I didn't want to bail on the guy.
But then it got a little worse.....
The draft order is posted and I end up getting the 8th pick in a standard snake-style draft. Normally I prefer to be closer to one of the ends...
But then the one thing I don't want to happen, happens. When it gets to my first pick I get stuck with deciding whether or not to take Johann Santana. Is he more valuable than the best available hitter? Well, for those who have read my pitching rant, you know how I feel about this. I take Bobby Abreu.
Now I like Abreu, but was he really the guy I wanted? No. He'll be great and I know I can look forward to solid overall numbers, but it just didn't leave the best taste in my mouth.
It's one of the things I don't like about a snake draft. Atleast in an auction or a "blind bid", like my primary league, I know walking in that I have just as much chance of landing the guys I covet as everyone else. If I want him, I have to put money on him. In this draft it's just watching the people in front of you taking all the guys off your draft board.
Frustrating.
The next few rounds went, roughly as expected with an abundance of pitching being taken. I counter a little and cover my self a little and I grab B.J. Ryan, Jason Schmidt and Mark Buehrle...somehwere in there I found Ryan Howard too, so that made me smile. But then it happened on the back run of the 8th round...
I found Eric Chavez just sitting there, so I grabbed him as my utility guy (Aramis Ramirez with my 3rd pick).
From then on, 7 --> 1 and back down again, I would say there were atleast 8 closers taken. 8 out of 14.
Ugh.
I didn't want to be left in the cold so I ended up with Mike Gonzalez to go along with Ryan. Again, not really a guy I wanted to have. He'll get 25 to 30 saves, sure, but it's really his first year as a close rin Pittsburgh....I mean...it's Pittsburgh.
Ugh.
But that was it.....let someone else rule the saves/holds categories.....I was going back to my basic principles.....I hated myself from deviating from the plan, but hey....sometimes you have to adjust....learning to be the new guy.
In any event, here's how my team turned out...
C Kenji Jojihima
1B Ryan Howard
2B Alfonso Soriano
3B Aramis Ramirez
SS Clint Barmes/Ian Kinsler
OF Bobby Abreu
OF Jermaine Dye
OF Willy Taveras/Brad Wilkerson
Ut. Eric Chavez
SP Jason Schmidt, Mark Buehrle, Jeremy Bonderman, Erik Bedard,
Joe Blanton, Horacio Ramirez, Ervin Santana
RP B.J. Ryan, Mike Gonzalez, Ambiorex Burgos, Joey Devine
At first glance, I think I need to improve my OF; Wilkerson's a good sleeper, but if the rumors are true and Taveras is not hitting leadoff, I could get boned on SBs. My SS could be good with both guys in great hitters' parks; even though Barmes looks a little shaky after a poor showing in winter ball followed up by a pretty lame spring. Maybe he's saving it for the season. I am happy with my starting pitching, but something tells me I'm going to have to trade one of them to shore up my relief corps.
If you'd like to throw some comments around, you can either post them here or you can email me at hbender26@yahoo.com.
So I'm the new guy in this league and when I agreed to join it was a 12 team mixed league 5x5, with 9 hitters/9 pitchers and a 4 man bench. From out of nowhere, it suddenly becomes 7x7. They add things like losses and holds and penalty categories for hitters like K's. It actually looks like this now:
Hitters: Avg., HR, R, RBI, SB, BB, and K's
Pitchers: W, L, SV, HLD, BB, K, and ERA
Not really my cup of tea, but I didn't want to bail on the guy.
But then it got a little worse.....
The draft order is posted and I end up getting the 8th pick in a standard snake-style draft. Normally I prefer to be closer to one of the ends...
But then the one thing I don't want to happen, happens. When it gets to my first pick I get stuck with deciding whether or not to take Johann Santana. Is he more valuable than the best available hitter? Well, for those who have read my pitching rant, you know how I feel about this. I take Bobby Abreu.
Now I like Abreu, but was he really the guy I wanted? No. He'll be great and I know I can look forward to solid overall numbers, but it just didn't leave the best taste in my mouth.
It's one of the things I don't like about a snake draft. Atleast in an auction or a "blind bid", like my primary league, I know walking in that I have just as much chance of landing the guys I covet as everyone else. If I want him, I have to put money on him. In this draft it's just watching the people in front of you taking all the guys off your draft board.
Frustrating.
The next few rounds went, roughly as expected with an abundance of pitching being taken. I counter a little and cover my self a little and I grab B.J. Ryan, Jason Schmidt and Mark Buehrle...somehwere in there I found Ryan Howard too, so that made me smile. But then it happened on the back run of the 8th round...
I found Eric Chavez just sitting there, so I grabbed him as my utility guy (Aramis Ramirez with my 3rd pick).
From then on, 7 --> 1 and back down again, I would say there were atleast 8 closers taken. 8 out of 14.
Ugh.
I didn't want to be left in the cold so I ended up with Mike Gonzalez to go along with Ryan. Again, not really a guy I wanted to have. He'll get 25 to 30 saves, sure, but it's really his first year as a close rin Pittsburgh....I mean...it's Pittsburgh.
Ugh.
But that was it.....let someone else rule the saves/holds categories.....I was going back to my basic principles.....I hated myself from deviating from the plan, but hey....sometimes you have to adjust....learning to be the new guy.
In any event, here's how my team turned out...
C Kenji Jojihima
1B Ryan Howard
2B Alfonso Soriano
3B Aramis Ramirez
SS Clint Barmes/Ian Kinsler
OF Bobby Abreu
OF Jermaine Dye
OF Willy Taveras/Brad Wilkerson
Ut. Eric Chavez
SP Jason Schmidt, Mark Buehrle, Jeremy Bonderman, Erik Bedard,
Joe Blanton, Horacio Ramirez, Ervin Santana
RP B.J. Ryan, Mike Gonzalez, Ambiorex Burgos, Joey Devine
At first glance, I think I need to improve my OF; Wilkerson's a good sleeper, but if the rumors are true and Taveras is not hitting leadoff, I could get boned on SBs. My SS could be good with both guys in great hitters' parks; even though Barmes looks a little shaky after a poor showing in winter ball followed up by a pretty lame spring. Maybe he's saving it for the season. I am happy with my starting pitching, but something tells me I'm going to have to trade one of them to shore up my relief corps.
If you'd like to throw some comments around, you can either post them here or you can email me at hbender26@yahoo.com.
posted by Howard Bender at
11:11 PM
