Industry Draft

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer

I hesitate to write about this because talking about personal drafts does get tiresome, and this will hardly be the last one I mention before Opening Day. However, I actually do think it’s helpful to look at as many drafts as possible, to get a better feel about how things are going down. Anyway, I took part in an industry draft a couple of days ago, and here are the results.

My Team:

C – Joe Mauer
C – Brian McCann
1B – Ryan Howard
2B – B.J. Upton
3B – Edwin Encarnacion
SS – Carlos Guillen
MI – Stephen Drew
CI – James Loney
OF – Johnny Damon
OF – Juan Pierre
OF – Michael Cuddyer
OF – JD Drew
OF – Lastings Milledge
UTIL – Billy Butler

P – Erik Bedard
P – Felix Hernandez
P – Matt Cain
P – Tim Lincecum
P – Yovani Gallardo
P – Pedro Martinez
P – Randy Johnson
P – Barry Zito
P – Orlando Hernandez

Comments: That’s right. I took “Boss Junior” over Johan Santana and Ryan Braun. I also didn’t draft a closer by choice, but I’ll get into that strategy more later on. Honestly, I like this squad a pretty good amount. I mean, I guess I went outside the box by drafting Mauer and McCann pretty early, and like all fantasy teams, I’ll need health to go my way, but I like where I stand in most categories other than saves. I’m not a big fan of the Pierre pick, and Willy Taveras 2-3 rounds later seems like better value, but other than that, these so-called experts are going to be looking up in the standings this year.


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33 responses to “Industry Draft”

  1. Brett Avatar
    Brett

    DDD,

    I can’t decide what your best set of picks were…

    It’s either the Felix/Cain/Lincecum/Gallardo 4-pack

    or

    the Drew brothers back to back…

    Who needs closers when you can scoop up Kevin Gregg, Jeremy Accardo, Tony Pena and the Cubs closer for free during the season?

    I don’t know if you mentioned this before, but do you value Upton as highly in leagues where he is only eligible at OF?

    In addition, considering your staff and hometown, I’m surprised I don’t see Brian Wilson as one of your last picks…

    Brett

  2. Dreamweapon Avatar
    Dreamweapon

    No doubt….I am a huge Cain fan, even though it seems like 9/10 of the fantasy community trips over themselves in a race to piss on the guy. It’s weird. His BAA is awesome, the guy is just a bitch to hit. He also gets stronger as the season goes on, which is great for those in H2H leagues. Granted, he’s backed by the worst MLB offense since the ’82 Reds, so anything more than 10-12 Ws is almost certainly a pipe dream, but the rest will be nice.

    I have nothing good to say about Pierre at all, I hate that guy. If his big contract ends up limiting Kemp to 350 ABs, I am going to yak.

  3. Keith Avatar
    Keith

    This must be a H2H league, right? I like punting a category in H2H, but find it hard to pull off in Roto. That does look like a pretty stacked team. OF could use a little pop, but I bet you could unload some SB’s or a pitcher for a hitter later. I don’t like 2 catcher leagues, but you’ve got a huge advantage there. Lincecum and Gallardo back-to-back? Nice.

  4. Keith Avatar
    Keith

    I’ll start firing away some of my keeper issues. We keep 10, no restrictions, but I have more than 10 I like (Crawford is only guy top-15 or so). I’m trying to make a play for BJ Upton, but having a tough go. The guy wants Alex Gordon, Gallardo, and 2 picks (one being top-3, which I was hoping to use to pick up one of my guys I couldn’t keep). Considering you took BJ in the 2nd round of a non-keeper league, I know you’re high on him.

    Anyway, I’m trying to get this list trimmed down to 10, and trying to get it more top-heavy than bottom heavy (6×6 roto league with BB’s a cat for hitter, and holds for pitchers):

    Carl Crawford
    Lance Berkman
    Joe Mauer
    Travis Hafner
    Scott Kazmir
    Hunter Pence
    Corey Hart
    Jason Bay
    Nick Swisher
    Felix Hernandez
    Tim Lincecum
    Yovani Gallardo
    Javier Vazquez
    Rich Hill
    Chad Billingsley
    Huston Street
    Dustin McGowan
    Shane Victorino

    I’m going to have to give up some arms that I really like, but I’m hoping I can get back maybe some of the Swisher/McGowan/Billingsley/Victorino types in the draft.

  5. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Brett – Ya, the Felix/Cain/Lincecum/Gallardo 4-pack was pretty good, if I do say so myself. I don’t think position scarcity is the be-all, end-all, but I would lower Upton’s value slightly if he’s not MI eligible, for sure. Brian Wilson went early round 19, so he’s not slipping too far.

  6. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Dreamweapon – I think this is the year Cain finally puts it all together. Command has always been his biggest problem, and that improves with age. He was quite good during the 2nd half last season. But I hear ya about SF’s offense, which I project to be historically bad. Since I have Cain, Lincecum and Zito, that’s not good. Still, since I’m the only owner employing 9 SPs, I should win the WINS cat pretty handily.

  7. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Pierre has never ever ended up on a fantasy team of mine before now, but he did come at a discount at least. His bat was already terrible as a centerfielder – it’s disgusting as a corner. I doubt he limits Kemp’s ABs, but with that contract, I’m hoping LA plays him over Ethier most of the time, that being unsmart notwithstanding.

  8. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Keith – Nope, it’s roto not H2H. We’ll debate the merits of punting a cat more here later on, but I do agree it’s a better decision in H2H leagues than roto, that’s for sure.

    My outfield could use some more pop, but I like my infield to get a pretty decent amount of HRs. Plus my catchers.

  9. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    I’d keep:

    Carl Crawford
    Lance Berkman
    Joe Mauer
    Travis Hafner
    Scott Kazmir
    Hunter Pence
    Corey Hart
    Felix Hernandez
    Tim Lincecum
    Yovani Gallardo

    You didn’t list Gordon, so I assume that make him easier to trade, if you weren’t even planning on keeping him. I think he’s going to be a top-10 third basemen this season, but you are loaded anyway, and although I do like Gallardo, trading him and someone you aren’t keeping for BJ Upton seems like a big upgrade. Of course, then there’s the draft pick – what type of player do you think would be available at that point?

  10. Keith Avatar
    Keith

    I meant to list Gordon in that group, as I really wanted to keep him since I see him bouncing back strong this year. I was ready to let go of my two A’s, Street and Swisher, but I worry that the Swisher trade is really going to boost his value, and I’m trying hard to trade Street. I’ve been trying to float packages of Street + Bay or something similar to try and get a decent bat, but haven’t had much luck. I’d really like to get Upton, but giving up Gordon, Gallardo and picks would really hurt. A top-3 pick would let me get one of the guys I dropped (Swisher, Bay, McGowan, Hill, or maybe one of the top rookies if they’re available, like Jay Bruce). Your list looks pretty much the same as mine, as I’m probably choosing between Gallardo and Gordon, and if I don’t trade my pick, I’m hoping to get them back on my pick.

    Thanks for the feedback…I’ll mull over the Upton trade a little bit more.

  11. Keith Avatar
    Keith

    I’m curious to see your strategy on punting in Roto…it just doesn’t seem like it can work. Maybe if you’re shooting to be middle of the pack by playing the wire, it could work. I was going to punt saves in my H2H league last year, but drafted Valverde late and had good luck with the FA’s, and ended up winning the cat most weeks.

  12. Donald Trump Avatar
    Donald Trump

    I think Howard and Upton were a good start to the team. I am interested to hear your thoughts on punting saves, but am doubtful that I will agree with completely punting a category. Now, if you are going to grab closers that pop up throughout the year, that is a different thing.
    Overall, I don’t love this team. I don’t think that Cain and Lincecum are a tandem that will lead many to championship gold. They are great, but on the royals, er, giants, I think the lack of wins really costs. Your OF is really poor. I think this is a middle of the pack team, and hope that this isn’t your most important league.
    I think that Randy Johnson in the 20+ round is a nice value pick.
    Sorry to bust on it, but I think you want honest comments.

  13. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Donald – I definitely always want honesty, even if it’s critical.

    Typically, 50 percent of saves each season are found off waiver wires.

    And like I said about the SF pitchers, since I’m employing more SPs than any other team, I should be able to take the wins cat even if the Giants get shut out half the time. And I actually expect both of those pitchers to approach 12-15 wins b/c they’ll pitch well enough. Cain can’t have that kind of awful luck 2 years in a row. Their bullpen will be improved, and their outfield defense might be the best in the NL.

    My outfield is my weak spot (since that was the last position I drafted), but there is no bench in this league, so I expect decent options there to be available on waivers throughout the season, where the same can’t be said for thinner positions. I like Damon and Cuddyer to bounce back, and Milledge could really break out. We’ll see. I’ll let you know throughout the year how the team stacks up.

  14. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Keith – I’ll definitely write an art about punting, and maybe you guys can talk me out of it.

  15. Tyler Durden Avatar
    Tyler Durden

    BEST VIDEO EVER (warning: it makes fun of the Cowboys):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJHb9m4ccmQ

  16. Keith Avatar
    Keith

    Well, saves is probably the one cat you can try it with, because of the probably availability of them on the wire. Sometimes you can find SB’s from an FA, but usually at the expense of some other stats. I just don’t think you can in general compete if you have score a 1 in any category, because you absolutely have to dominate the other ones. I think you’re supposed to target 90-95 points in a 5×5 roto league to give yourself a probably victory, so if you’re having to get 89-94 points from 9 categories, you pretty much can’t affort being below top-3 in more than 1 or 2, and that’s really, really hard.

    Considering that I have a good stash of young pitchers in my keeper league…it probably makes sense to keep Gordon and try to move Gallardo, right? To me, Lincecum vs. Gallardo is a no-brainer, as much as I like Gallardo, I can’t see him ending up as a top-10 SP, which I think is well-within reach for Timmy (even if he has to hit a couple HR’s a game to get some wins).

  17. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Good stuff Tyler Durden. Jessica Simpson is done for. Although I don’t understand why Hitler didn’t watch the game if he were such a big Cowboys fan.

  18. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    90-95 points seems a bit high, but you may very well be right. Ya, that makes sense to deal Gallardo and keep Gordon, whom I’m quite high on. I also rank Lincecum over Gallardo, but Gallardo’s command is superior and he’s likely to get 5-8 more wins. Still, Lincecum is the one with all the upside, and like you mentioned, it’s not out of the realm of possibility he finishes as a top 5-10 SP.

  19. Keith Avatar
    Keith

    I’ll have to check for the specific numbers, but I think historically something like 90 points gives you a 90%+ chance of winning your league…but I’m shooting from the hip, so my numbers could be a little off.

    5-8 more wins? That’s pretty substantial. Man, I hate parting with guys like that.

  20. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Well, maybe that was a little drastic, actually, especially if Lincecum does pitch up to the potential, the win gap will be much smaller, since the ERA will be so low. But the Brewers do have a legit offense, and getting Braun off third and Cameron in center, the defense should be much improved as well.

  21. Dreamweapon Avatar
    Dreamweapon

    Gallardo can easily be a Top-10 pitcher. He’s in the crappiest division in baseball, backed by a powerhouse offense….and, oh yeah, his K/9 rates are just lovely. He also has a strong mound presence. He will be the Brewers’ ace immediately, whether or not that pussy Ben Sheets knows it.

    I like Lincecum, but really, people need to get off his jock, it’s insane. And inane. I own that kid too (both him and Gallardo….and Cain too for that matter), he’s good, but he’s not Bob Gibson. Stop the pandemonium already. He came on the scene last year and 3/4 of the fantasy community shat their collective pants, it was remarkable. He wasn’t even a fraction as dominating as Liriano was just one year earlier. Did no one else see F-Bomb do his thing? He wasn’t “potentially a top 5-10 pitcher”, he wasn’t even just the TOP pitcher overall; he was THE most destructive force in the fantasy game, ahead of Pujols, Reyes, et al. During his ~3 mo. run, my team was practically unbeatable, it was a joy to behold. As for Timmy, watching his games, while he has great stuff, it was obvious to me that batters were picking up on him the 2nd, 3rd time through the lineup. I also hate his body type and delivery. I understand he learned it from his father, who was still throwing gas into his 40s or 50s, and that he hasn’t had any arm woes yet, and that’s great. But he’s never going to be boring down on batters from above, like the taller pitchers can do, and he’s also going to be at risk of breaking down over the course of the long MLB season. Even on his own team, I prefer Cain, who apparently sucks ass if you listen to most “fantasy experts” talk, but who nevertheless had superior dots b/t the two last year, has a far longer track record, and is of course the younger of the two. In the end, all three will rock, but Gallardo will definitely be more valuable this year b/c he will be a 4-cat stud and not a 3-cat guy. Unless you think Angel Villalona is the Second Coming of Babe Ruth, be prepared for Gallardo to be more valuable for at least 4-5 years, because the Giants have a lineup that would struggle to win against Korean teams.

    In short, I will bet anyone here up to $100 that Gallardo finishes ahead of Lincecum on ESPN.com’s Player Rater thingy.

    Also, Triple-D, it occurs to me that you may have forgotten to mention ‘Flight of the Conchords’ in your recent “Best of” list. If I am wrong, ignore my ass. If I am right, tsk tsk tsk. Season 1 just came out on DVD (~$25) and continues to crack me up the second or third time through. Finally, if you have time, AMC’s new series, ‘Breaking Bad’, seems to have a ton of promise so far. Imagine ‘Weeds’, only not boring and cliched, and centered on crystal meth instead.

  22. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Dreamweapon – I definitely have Gallardo above Sheets this year, and it’s not even close. I see him and Lincecum as basically equals right now, with Gallardo maybe the safer pick and Lincecum the one with more upside.

    There’s no argument here Liriano isn’t the best pitcher in baseball when healthy. Let’s all just hope he comes back strong this season, for the good of the game. And to think, SF got one year of Pierzynski for him!

    While I would prefer to see Lincecum gain some muscle, “mechanics” is a very inexact science. Mark Prior has the world’s perfect delivery. Roy Oswalt is a similar build and has proven to be durable. It seems to be Lincecum uses his whole body, rather than his arm to generate that velocity.

    Count me as one of those who shat himself over Lincecum last year. The dude struck out 40 percent of the batters he faced in the minors. Not 40 percent of the outs. But 40 percent of the people he faced. Period. He needs to learn to command his curve better, but he throws the fastest two-seam fastball I’ve ever seen, giving it more movement than the typical four-seamer at that speed. Oh, and when he develops that changeup he’s going to be disgusting.

  23. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    And yes, Flight of the Conchords did make my top-10 list. I already own the DVD. Also, I have watched both the “Breaking Bads” and am hooked.

  24. Tyler Durden Avatar
    Tyler Durden

    Good point about Hitler & the Cowboys, but you’re overthinking it — like Jessica Simpson scrutinizing a can of Chicken Of The Sea.

  25. Keith Avatar
    Keith

    Dreamweapon, interesting talk about Gallardo. His K/9 was a little higher than I thought, and I do like the improved D behind him, as well as superior offense. However, I do firmly believe that merely pitcher-to-pitcher, Lincecum’s ceiling blows Gallardo’s out of the water. I do think Lincecum is going to have to spend some time at the batting cages, as he likely will have to provide most of his own offense…so I could see Gallardo as having more value because of Wins, but they’re so unpredictable, I think it’s far from guaranteed (I remember watching Tim Hudson lose about 6 or 7 victories for the A’s one year because of the bullpen, and losing several other 2-1, 3-2 games…awesome year, but unimpressive W-L; it happens).

    One of the knocks on Liriano was that he was an injury risk and likely TJ candidate, so that has always been hanging over him. But when he was at his peak, he was the absolute #1 in the league (I had him in one, and was desperately trying to trade for him in another). Unfortunately, TJ recoveries varry widely in timetable and success, so where he’ll ultimately end up is a mystery.

  26. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Tyler Durden – Ya, I know I was overthinking it. My comment was tongue in cheek. Good find.

  27. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Ya, Liriano is probably the toughest guy to rank this year, I’d say. He’s been moving up my list with recent positive reports, but he’s going to be risky. Then again, he might come with quite the reward as well.

  28.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Yeah, Timmy is good, maybe better than I give him credit for. Probably so. Don’t get me wrong, I hope so. It just sucks so much that he’s on that pitiful team–I am terrified of having him and Cain both on my team; put together they will only get one ace’s worth of Wins. It’s by far my biggest roster problem as of right now–I would trade Timmy for Cole Hamels in a heart beat, and throw in a 2nd round pick, just for the Wins. I don’t see it getting any better, not for a long, long time. How many Nats bats would hit in the heart of the Giants’ line-up if traded? 7? 8? Same for the Royals. When there were those rumblings that one of them (Lincecum or Cain) was going to the Jays for Rios, I was just praying to Jebus, “please, let it be…hell, send both.” It’s ludicrous that a pitcher needs to get OUT of a NL West, playing in that big-ass field against those punchless offenses, INTO the launching pads of the AL East, in order to have any success. And yet there it is. Brian Sabean makes Matt Millen look like Warren Buffet. And Magowan couldn’t hold a candle to the dimmest bulb in the dumb-as-rocks Ford family. So yes, he better get in a batting cage, post haste. He should hang out with Micah Owings over the last few weeks of break here, that kid can handle a stick pretty good.

    That said, I really think ppl are selling Gallardo short. Take out the one implosion at Coors (it happens), maybe that f/u game at StL, and he was lights out. I have a lot of faith in the kid. I really wouldn’t be surprised if he racked up 18 Wins and 200 Ks, which would make him quite the little prize.

    Re: Liriano….every positive report I read (and they have all been positive) merely causes my anxiety to grow. He was like the friggin’ Shiva of pitchers during his run, I have never seen anything like it, except for maybe Marshall Faulk’s rampage in 2000. At one point, pundits were beginning to speculate on when his first no-hitter would come, which has to be unprecedented. If he comes back at full strength, I know–I don’t just believe it, I literally KNOW–that I will win my league this year, and probably by a landslide. If he crashes and burns again, though, or comes back as merely “good” player, I’ll feel the lack of what might have been so strongly, it’ll be like a friend or a pet died or something. F-Bomb was my boy. He HAS to come back. He just has to. Dr. Andrews’ studies show 18.5 return time on average from TJ surgery to full return to pre-surgical condition. That puts F-Bomb in mid-May, I do believe. A couple of slow, rocky months, maybe, but after that, he say he ignites. Finishes at 175 IP, 240 K, 17 W, 2.85 ERA, 1.10 WHIP.

  29. Dreamweapon Avatar
    Dreamweapon

    LOL, that was me btw, just too drunk to login.

  30. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    The Coors outing is a good point. Normally I don’t like to pick and choose things like that, but that game was a total joke. Anyone can get bombed at Coors and Yost kept him in wayyy too long. I remember this b/c I had him in a highly contested league. Anyway, I hope you don’t take me wrong, b/c I’m a big Gallardo fan.

    If Brian Sabean trades Cain for Joe Crede, I am going to fight him.

    Liriano supposedly works out now. Something he never did before. Hitters beware.

  31. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Ya, I was able to piece together that it was you Dreamweapon. I’m smart like that. There isn’t a better reason not to login than being too drunk.

  32. Dreamweapon Avatar
    Dreamweapon

    I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see Cain come to the Sox….I hate the Cubs so the Sox are my de facto team in the city, and their tickets are so easy I could get 10 of his starts without trying. Hell, they can have Josh Fields for all I care. Actually, shit, we have catcher, he’s kind of an eccentric guy, but a real gamer, maybe you’ve heard of him…..? [g]

  33. RotoScoop Avatar
    RotoScoop

    Don’t give Sabean any ideas.

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