10 Guys I Hate More Than You

This is part 2 of my 10 & 10 lists (the hates).  For the loves and the parameters used for this list, please see part 1.  To those who have no idea what part 1 was about, it's probably safe to say you can discontinue reading.  I'll get back to the usual self-loathing with my next entry.

 

HATES

QB:  Robert Griffin III (48.3 ADP, 8^th QB taken) – Adrian Peterson certainly set the bar pretty high for guys returning from an ACL injury.  While I don’t doubt RG3 can become the player he was before, I just don’t think it will be this year.  History suggests that.  Much of Griffin’s value last year came from the rushing points he contributed.  You’d be crazy to think he will be inclined to run that much this year, let alone be allowed to by his coaches. Griffin is going before proven vets like Stafford and Romo.  Even Cam Newton took a step back his 2^nd year after defenses adjusted to him, and he was fully healthy.  I’ll take RG3 but not as my #1 QB.

QB:  Joe Flacco (110, 15^th) – Flacco is certainly a competent backup but there is limited upside.  He finished outside the top 20 among QBs last year and there is little reason to think he takes a giant step forward this year.  Don’t be fooled by last year’s great playoff run.  Flacco is pretty much the opposite of Tony Romo, which isn’t a good thing for fantasy.  Baltimore doesn’t boast a great receiving corps and one of his primary targets (Pitta) is lost for the year.  There are solid guys like Carson Palmer and Matt Schaub who have consistently put up better numbers than Flacco who are being taken later.  Since we’re talking a backup QB, I’d also rather take the gamble on risk/reward guys like Josh Freeman or Michael Vick.

RB:  Darren McFadden (37.6, 17^th) – Can I just add Run-DMC to my do not draft list?  I really want no part of this guy.  He will tantalize with you a couple good games and then promptly miss the rest of the season.  This movie has played out enough times for us to know the ending.  Even if McFadden was able to play the majority of the season, I have my doubts about how effective he will be.  Oakland has NOTHING else that should scare opposing defenses.  The “stop McFadden at all costs” approach will be in full effect.  There are plenty of young, upside RBs going after McFadden that I would rather have like David Wilson, Lamar Miller, or Le’Veon Bell.  Heck, if you want to chase after an injury risk who could return top-10 numbers, I’ll submit DeMarco Murray (also going after DMC) for you. [UPDATE: Bell got hurt yesterday after I had started this.  No word on the seriousness of the injury yet.]

RB:  Eddie Lacy (60.1, 23^rd) – I’ve read some rave reviews of Lacy recently, so my hate is starting to subside some.  All I can do is supply the arguments I had planned on using.  When I first considered this article, there were pictures of Lacy floating around that made a beluga whale look small.  There is also the fact that Green Bay running backs have produced exactly ZERO 100 yard games in their last 43.  Maybe they just haven’t had an RB capable of producing those numbers and Lacy is finally the guy.  But maybe the Packers and Coach Mike McCarthy realize that Aaron Rodgers’ arm gives them the best chance to win every game.  Another feather in my cap is that Green Bay opponents this year project to yield the 2^nd least fantasy points per game to RBs.  The aforementioned Lamar Miller and Le’Veon Bell are going after Lacy, and I’d still rather have them.

RB:  Mark Ingram (103.7, 36^th) – I thought Ingram would have been a better pro by this point in his career, but I’m all about ready to stop giving him a free pass.  His YPC was under 4 last year, he didn’t score a ton of touchdowns, and he offers virtually nothing in the passing game.  With Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas in tow (both of whom I’d rather have by the way), Ingram just doesn’t get enough work to be a factor.  When you’re talking about 4^th or 5^th RB, I want a lottery ticket.  Give me a true backup with the potential to be great like Ben Tate or Fred Jackson.

WR:  Mike Wallace (48.6, 16^th) – Wallace can put up some monster weeks or he can give you just more than a guy who didn’t play.  I’ve never been a fan of those all or nothing type of receivers.  Wallace has only topped 70 yards receiving 6 times in his last 25 games.  Yikes!  I don’t think anyone would call the move from Pittsburgh and Ben Roethlisberger to Miami and Ryan Tannehill an upgrade.   Miami also doesn’t have a real solid #2 WR to take the pressure off Wallace either.  There are probably at least 10 receivers going after Wallace who I would take first.  I’ve already named a couple of them in my Loves.  Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Antonio Brown, and Pierre Garcon are a few more.

WR:  DeSean Jackson (68.9, 25^th) – A couple of the same arguments I made above with Wallace apply to Jackson – boom or bust output AND lack of a competent 2^nd receiving threat (with Maclin out for the year).  Jackson has also really struggled when Michael Vick has not been his QB.  Vick is healthy right now and the starter, but it remains to be seen how long he stays on the field.  How the offense of new coach Chip Kelly translates to the NFL is a huge question mark.  I don’t feel comfortable with Jackson as my #3 WR. I’d rather have relative unknowns (at least outside of fantasy circles) like Cecil Shorts or a rookie like Tavon Austin.

WR:  Alshon Jeffery (137.5, 48^th) – As a Bears fan, I hope Jeffery becomes a big contributor this season.  My guy simply tells me not to bet on it.  Jay Cutler seemingly only has eyes for Brandon Marshall as evidenced by the whopping 193 targets he received (as compared to Jeffrey’s 48).  It’s hard to blame him.  It’s also well documented that new coach Marc Trestman loves to throw to his running backs, which could also limit Jefrrey’s targets.  He doesn’t even strike as someone who is worth drafting in normal leagues.  There are plenty of other intriguing options I would rather take a chance on late.  Vincent Brown, Aaron Dobson, and Reuben Randle are a few names for you.

TE:  Vernon Davis (58.3, 5^th) – Davis’ reputation and physical abilities precede him, but he never quite seems to live up to the hype.  Excluding the playoffs last year, which is usually a good idea when it comes to fantasy, Davis was virtually non-existent once Colin Kaepernick took over as the 49ers QB.  San Francisco did bring in Anquan Boldin but that only offsets the loss of Michael Crabtree (out for a while), which means defenses can still key in on Davis.  There has been talk of Davis lining up as a receiver.  I’m not sure how to diagnose that news though.  He has the talent to do so, but will learning a new position make things any easier?  I wouldn’t think so.  Davis could be a top 5 TE or he could be outside the top 10.  I’m simply not willing to invest that high of a draft pick on him.  Honestly?  I’d be just as happy with any of the other top-12 tight ends taken after him.

TE:  Kyle Rudolph (77.9, 6^th) – After slam dunk Jimmy Graham and the old, reliable duo of Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez, tight end is a huge crapshoot this year.  Rudolph is my poster child for that line of thinking. Much of his value came from the 9 TDs he hauled in last year.  Are you prepared to label him a dynamite red zone threat after 1 year?  Even Megatron himself, the toughest red zone cover, only had 5 TDs.  Receiving touchdowns in football are akin to starting pitcher wins in baseball in my book.  They are pretty tough to predict and can be even harder to repeat when the results are unexpected.  Basically, don’t count on touchdowns.  Take Rudolph’s scores away and he looks VERY average.  If he isn’t scoring, he probably isn’t helping.  Give me someone with more catches and yards like Owen Daniels or Brandon Myers.  I’d also roll with Greg Olsen or Jermichael Finley too.

10 Guys I Love More Than You

At the risk of exposing my hand to fellow competitors with 3 fantasy football drafts still to come, I submit to you the 1^st half of my 10 & 10 lists.  These are 10 players that I love more than you and 10 players I hate more than you when it comes to fantasy football drafts.  My inspiration for this blog was inspired by my idol Matthew Berry.  If you’d like to read some analysis that's actually good albeit lengthy, feel free to check out his love/hate article for this year.  Can I get some sort of recognition or compensation for that plug?

Let’s clarify what these lists actually represent.  Does this mean I’m going to morph into Stretch Armstrong to acquire one of my loves or avoid one of my hates like the plague?  Of course not, silly.  Loves and hates are all about value and value is relative.  What price do you have to pay to draft someone?  A love is someone I believe is being drafted too late on average.  Conversely, a hate is someone I deem as being drafted too early.

So, how does one determine average draft position?  I leaned on ESPN’s handy ADP chart as my basis.  I then decided to break it out by position.  You’re getting 2 QBs, 3 RBs, 3 WRs, and 2 TEs.  No kickers, Dave?  If you asked that question, you should probably draft one in the first couple rounds… and sign up for one of my leagues (I’ll create an opening).  Okay, but aren’t defenses worth mentioning?  At least you’re making a little sense now.  They’re important but they’re also a crapshoot with widely varying opinions.  I could give you a few that fall within the themes of this article but I figured the core positions were more worthy of your time.

For each position, I attempted to give you a love/hate in certain areas of the draft.  For example, I did QBs in the top 75 and outside the top 75. RBs and WRs listed fall in the 0-50, 51-100, and 100+ tiers.  There simply were not each tight ends drafted early to break it down by tiers, so it’s more of a general value assessment.  One final point of emphasis:  I play in leagues that aware a point or half point per reception.  That does impact the perceived value of the non-QBs I’m giving you.  Alright, let’s get to it!

LOVES

QB:  Matthew Stafford (ADP 57.3, 9^th QB taken) – Stafford threw the ball a ridiculous 727 times last year.  The Lions have Reggie Bush now but he isn’t exactly a bell-cow running back, so expect another heavy dose of drop backs.  Given the sheer number of throws, something just didn’t smell right about Stafford’s 21 TD total following a year of 40. Regardless of your preferred fantasy site, you may have read the stat that Lions receivers were tackled 23 times inside the 5-yard line last year!  I won’t say he returns to 40, but I’d venture he is a lot closer to that number than last year’s total.  After the consensus top 5 at QB, Stafford is my guy.

QB:  Tony Romo (78.9, 12^th) – Remember, you’re trying to win fake football games and not real ones.  I think the fantasy community may be holding that stigma against Romo.  Praise for Romo?  I sincerely hope my buddy Matt (aka Mrs. Tony Romo) isn’t going to read this.  Romo has slipped behind all of the darlings that burst onto the scene last year (Kaepernick, Wilson, Griffin, Luck) in the pecking order.  I’m extremely confident that he outperforms at least 2 of them.  Romo has been a top 10 scorer at his position every year he’s been a full-time starter.  He’s got an emerging WR (Dez Bryant) who can still make the Bad Tony look good, and Dallas’ RB (DeMarco Murray) hasn’t been a beacon of health.  Wait on Romo and enjoy the returns.

RB:  Reggie Bush (46.1, 22^nd) – This is where I hope you read the opening about this list being influenced by PPR scoring.  This is also where my brother Dan shakes his head.  I can’t believe you keep going back to this guy!  Detroit can’t throw to Megatron EVERY time, can they?  Even backup RB Joique Bell had PPR value in this offense last year.  Bush won’t be a workhorse but he’s also a more competent runner between the tackles than you think.  He is also in the best position he’s been in during his career.  He doesn’t have the RB competition he did New Orleans and he’s in a much better offense than he was in Miami (duh).  Don’t expect heavy TD totals but the yardage juice should be tasty.  I have him firmly inside my top 15 at the position.

RB:  Lamar Miller (65.4, 26^th) – Miller will be a popular sleeper on many pre-season lists, so I was surprised to find him so low on the ADP list.  We don’t have any kind of body of pro work for this guy but he’s expected to be starter.  If that’s the case, he very well could be a 3-down back considering the reviews I’ve read on his pass catching skills.  Advanced researched has determined that Miami’s opponents this year project to yield the 2^nd most PPG to opposing running backs, based on last year’s stats.  Don’t read too much into that statistic but keep it tucked away for reference.  So Miller only has to beat out Daniel Thomas, right?  Yeah, I’m feeling better about this pick already.

RB:  Danny Woodhead (144.5, 51^st) - Yeah, now we’re getting deep.  Is it fair to label Ryan Mathews a bust at this point?  What about a brittle bust?  Woodhead will never be a typical starting running back given his 5’8’’ stature.  If When Mathews goes down, Woodhead will a guy of weekly interest.  Until then, he is someone I submit as a consideration for the flex position in larger PPR leagues.  50+ catches is certainly not out of the realm of possibility.  San Diego doesn’t have a very good run blocking line, so the dump-off pass will be relied upon as a long handoff.   I don’t think the Chargers will be very good this year.  The yards add up in garbage time when defenses are sagging back.  Hey, it all counts the same.

WR:  Danny Amendola (50, 17^th) – File this one under man-crush.  Ever since his 85 catch season in 2010, I’ve been on this guy in almost every league I’ve played in.  I was actually a little disappointed when he went to New England because I was hoping he would continue to languish in anonymity in St. Louis.  Not surprisingly, the price tag has skyrocketed, but I’m still hopeful that I can get some Amendola shares.  I referred to him as Wes Welker lite before and now he takes Welker’s cushy spot in the slot, catching passes from THE man Tom Brady (Go Blue!).  I would be remiss to ignore the checkered injury history trailing Amendola.  He’s only played in 12 games total the past 2 seasons.  Count me among the group with fingers crossed that he plays a full season.  If he does, 100+ receptions is a lock and he’s a borderline top-10 WR.

WR:  Dwayne Bowe (56.3, 19^th) – Stop trippin’ D Bowe!  Bowe has the ability to dominate games, but he’s disappeared far too often for a man of his talent.  Enter Andy Reid and Alex Smith.  You may have heard this before but Reid likes to throw…a lot.  He will make Bowe the prominent piece of that attack.  Smith gives Bowe someone who can deliver the ball to him much more accurately than what he’s had the last few years.  If we look at projected strength of schedule for WRs, the Chiefs come in 5^th.  I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if D-Bowe finishes as a top 10 WR this year.

WR:  Ryan Broyles (144.6, 55^th) – Apparently I’m really buying into the Lions from a fantasy perspective this year.  This guy was an absolute stud in college; he seemingly caught everything thrown his way.  He has all the makings of a great possession receiver.  Broyles was starting to come on last year before an ACL injury derailed his season.  All indications suggest he’s fully healthy.  Give me the guy playing opposite of Calvin Johnson.  You think Broyles is ever going to see double coverage?  You’re not going to draft Broyles with the intention of starting him.  He’ll be a 5^th WR you can grab late who may play his way into weekly flex consideration.

TE:  Brandon Myers (110.8, 11^th) – Ah, the struggles of toiling in Oakland.  Myers put up a solid fantasy season and you didn’t even notice.  Even in ½ PPR leagues, Myers still ranked solidly in the top 10 at 8^th.  Myers has moved addresses to the East coast and gets a significant upgrade at QB.  That probably doesn’t really improve his value all that much since Eli doesn’t throw to the TE a ton.  I still like Myers because I think his floor is relatively high, especially considering the uncertainty swirling around the position this year.  Expect perhaps a few less catches, similar yardage totals, and probably a few more touchdowns.  He’ll be in the top 10 again. Bank on it.

TE:  Fred Davis (134.8, 15^th) – Davis was a sexy sleeper pick last year coming of a 59 catch, 796 yard season.  Then he injured his Achilles and it was basically a lost season.  Washington also discovered Alfred Morris and has become a run-heavy team.  Davis is back though as a potential post-hype sleeper.  He offers good pass-catching ability and a reliable safety net for RG3 who is making his own return from injury.  Washington doesn’t have a defined 2^nd receiving threat after Pierre Garcon, so Davis can emerge as that guy.  For those who believe in the motivational power of money, Davis is playing for that next big contract.  I’m not drafting him as my starting tight end but he’s worthy of stashing on your bench.   He certainly won’t cost you anything and there’s top-10 TE upside.

2013 Fantasy Baseball Draft Analysis

Heads up:  If you don't play fantasy baseball or don't like reading about other people's drafts, this entry will not interest you at all.  However, this is a blog about me and fantasy sports are a big part of who I am.  Think Dungeons & Dragons but for jocks.  It's articles like this that afford me the rare opportunity to combine two loves (writing and sports) together.

Still with me?  This entry is a breakdown of a team I recently drafted for the upcoming baseball season.  I should inform you that this a roto league.  The hitting categories are: Runs, Hits, HRs, RBIs, SBs, BBs, Ks and AVG.  The pitching categories are: Wins, Losses, ERA, WHIP, Quality Starts, Ks and Net Saves (Saves - Blown Saves).  Feel free to use the link below for the entire draft results and some frame of reference.  The top portion of the document has the round-by-round results.  Underneath it are the teams with the players inserted in their starting positions.  Welcome back, baseball!

Draft Board

Rd 1 (Votto): After the big 3, I felt like it was pretty wide open.  Arguments could be made for or against every other potential first round pick.  I liked Cano and Kemp the next best but of course they got taken.  I felt like it was a little early for an ace.  The choice came down between Votto and Pujols.  I’ve never owned either but Votto’s numbers last year despite missing a 1/3 of the season were off the hook.

Rd 2 (Bautista):  This choice was either between Joey Bats or Kershaw.  As it turns out, I made the right choice in gambling I could still get an ace.  In a post-steroid era where power seems to be dwindling, the likely AL HR champ was too much to pass up.  Oh, and you might have noticed that Toronto made some off-season improvements.

Rd 3 (Pedroia): I made this pick with a lot of trepidation.  Pedroia’s ADP suggests it was a legitimate pick but middle infielders have a propensity of getting hurt.  I’ve had enough Kinsler shares in my other leagues the past couple years so Pedroia was the preferred choice for me at the thin 2B position.  I really should’ve went for a pitcher in the absence of any slam dunk hitter, but I got lucky.

Rd 4 (Hamels):  As I’ve alluded to, this was a no doubter for me.  Hamels was the last true ace in my eyes and I was doing the happy dance when he came back around to me.  Gun to my head, I’d have picked Price if both were there, but I can definitely make the case for this guy as the 4^th best SP after the Verlander/Kershaw/Strasburg holy triumvirate.

Rd 5 (Craig):  I’m probably a little higher on Craig than most but I was still sweating it out hoping to get him in this round.  I wasn’t targeting anybody else.  Sure, he’s a bit of an injury concern and I don’t foresee a full season.  Still, 140 games will be worth it because all this guy has ever done is rake whenever he got the chance to play.  The Cardinals finally unleashed him last year.  That triple-position eligibility is handy too.

Rd 6 (Zobrist):  This felt like a little bit of a reach at the time and I may regret not taking a better #2 starter like Greinke or Sabathia.  Again, I was a sucker for the multi-position eligibility, especially considering one of those spots was SS.  An SS with a 15/15 floor and respectable numbers across the board will play nicely no matter how you slice it.

Rd 7 (V. Martinez):  This was a case where participating in a draft the week before tipped me off to something valuable.  Yes, V-Mart has still retained C eligibility in Yahoo (he didn’t in my CBS league).  I missed the boat on my other league but I wasn’t about to here.  He’s essentially Joe Mauer but a couple rounds cheaper. Sacrifice a little average and gain a little pop.  As a fantasy owner, you have to appreciate when your catcher isn’t really a catcher.  That means he’s probably playing more games and isn’t going to get wore down by the demands of the most taxing position.  The brilliance of this pick may be somewhat mitigated by the number of quality catching options that could be had late but after reviewing the draft, I didn’t see anyone picked after this pick that I would have rather had.

Rd 8 (Kimbrel):  Wait, you’re telling me I was the first to take a closer?  That sort of thing is reserved for Wick (well, that and taking a kicker).  Never pay for saves.  We’ve all heard that, right?  Actually, I think this pick is fairly defensible.  His ADP says he could have gone a couple rounds earlier.  He’s the hands down best player at his position.  You mostly just care about saves with your closer, but the K’s and ratios are dreamy with this guy.  At this point, I still needed a 3B and CF but I didn’t see any options that jumped out at me.  The same can be said for the SPs, and I did need a #2.  I strongly considered taking Peavy here but as you’ll see, it’s a good thing I waited.

Rd 9 (Peavy): OK, I couldn’t wait any longer on securing a 2^nd starter.  Believe it or not, this was not a homer pick.  Peavy simply was the highest guy on my board.  There’s obvious injury concern here and I’d still like to acquire a better #2.

Rd 10 (Gallardo):  Clearly, I was still feeling the reservations of my Peavy pick so I wanted to back it up with another quality arm.  I’ve never owned Gallardo because I’ve never liked him.  I still don’t really; his WHIP is just too high for my liking.  That being said, he’s a 200 K guy who always flirts with 20 wins.  I wanted Freeman but Ken snatched him and I don’t have any regrets with this pick.

Rd 11 (H Ramirez):  I felt like we’d finally gotten to the point where we were past picking guys that couldn’t be dropped. Sure, there were still good options out there.  I’ll even concede that this was too early for a guy missing 2 months.  If he wasn’t an SS, Hanley would not have even been a consideration.  I wonder how much longer he would have lasted.  If he comes back and does what he’s capable of, it will be a nice boost in the 2^nd half. Plus I already had Zobrist so it’s not like I will be scraping by with Alexei Ramirez.

Rd 12 (Willingham):  Based on last year’s numbers alone, this guy should have been picked much higher.  Would you believe he had 35 bombs and 110 ribbies?  Yeah, that’s real.  The Hammer dropped because people don’t see a repeat.  I don’t see one either but I don’t think it will be much of a drop-off.  The power has always been there and I think it makes for a nice trading chip.

Rd 13 (Grilli):  I was disappointed to see both Gomez (CF) and Lawrie (3B) go before I got to make this pick because I still needed both spots.  Now I’m not sure if I set off a bit of a closer run (eh, I’ll take some credit) but 3 of them did go right after this pick.  Grilli is unproven but Hanrahan proved the Pirates can provide ample opportunities. He has the K numbers you like to see in a closer.  I don’t love this pick but it also didn’t cause me to miss out on anyone.

Rd 14 (Betancourt): Seeing guys like Montero and Perez go after this pick put a damper on my V-Mart joy.  I had briefly considered each as a backup C but felt like I didn’t need one with V-Mart expected to play so much.  I’ve had some misfortune with closers the last few seasons but I still try to hoard them as much as possible.  I just usually wait a little later.  For some reason, I decided to go with a guy I felt better about. Betancourt has earned his way into my circle of trust after last year. 

Rd 15 (Crisp):  This was a pretty boring pick.  Crisp is usually a guy that doesn’t get drafted but finds his way onto a team at some point during the year.  I really liked my offense but I still needed a CF and I needed a lot of speed.  Crisp fit both needs.  In the back of my mind, I remember the revolving door I had in LF last year and I feel like CF could be that problem point for me this year.  I should have went for a 3B with upside right here but again I lucked out.

Rd 16 (I. Davis):  I chose to ignore 3B again because Davis stood out to me as a great value pick.  The .227 average is downright ugly but the 32 HRs are not something easily found at this stage in the game.  Most projections I’ve seen have Ike’s average climbing above .250.  Averages just aren’t what they used to be and if those projections hold, he’s more than worthy of a utility spot. My power is elite so this was just a case of adding to a strength and positioning myself for a trade.

Rd 17 (Middlebrooks):  By this time, I was just praying that either Middlebrooks or Moustakas would be left when it got to me.  Both are young 3Bs with a great amount of upside.  I actually like Moustakas more but I wanted both and felt like Middlebrooks was more likely to be selected.  His BB/K ratio is raises a few flags but the power numbers and average in limited time last year have me hopeful.

Rd 18 (Moustakas): Giggity.  My other 3B target did in fact go undrafted.  Moose has been absolutely killing the ball this spring.  I know that means little but it’s better than sucking.  He projects as a 30 HR guy eventually (although maybe not this year) and his minor league track record suggests the average can rise. Between him and Middlebrooks, I’m just hoping I hit on one of them and have my 3B.

Rd 19 (Fiers):  With just 3 starters and all my hitting spots filled, it was time to refocus on pitchers.  Fortunately, I pride myself on being able to go real deep in pitching.  It always amazes me the kind of pitchers you see get taken at the end of drafts.  That’s why I felt confident in my ability to get good values here and beyond.  Actually, I was disappointed to see some of my targets for a #4 (Estrada, Lynn, Harvey) jump off the board but Fiers was another guy on my list.  I love the K potential and upside with a good offense supporting him.  I regretted this pick after I made it though because Fiers may not have even been drafted.  Update:  I’ve since dropped him when Milwaukee announced he would be working out of the bullpen.  Then they decided to change their minds a few hours later.  Jerks!  Nonetheless, I wanted some shares of Julio Teheran to start the year (I didn’t have him in any other leagues so I was antsy). It’s almost a wash between those 2 in my eyes.

Rd 20 (Reddick):  Another value pick who can play 2 OF positions.  Let’s call him the Ike Davis of the outfield.  A 30+ HR guy with a sketchy average.  There’s always plenty of speed you can grab off the waiver wire (see my recent Juan Pierre add) but not so much with power. Reddick makes a nice backup and a pick I was glad to make.

Rd 21 (Cobb):  There was no doubt I was taking an SP here, so it was just a matter of the best one left.  To me, this was Cobb.  He had a strong finish to last year and has posted some very tidy numbers this spring.  He’s made some sleeper lists.  He could be a nice spot starter or he could be off my team in a few weeks.  I guess it’s that way with any pitchers you take this late.  The only trait they should have is upside and Cobb has it.

Rd 22 (Griffin):  Most of what I said about Cobb above can be repeated here so I’ll save some words.

Rd 23 (Veras):  The penultimate round and there’s a still closer to be had?  Sign me up.  Sure, this guy could do more harm than good but he also might save 25 games with numbers that won’t kill me.  There’s only a finite number of those closing jobs available so this was an easy pick.

Rd 24 (Ortiz):  Big Papi is closer to 40 than 30 and he’s probably going to miss the first month of the season.  And yet there were at least a couple groans from people who didn’t realize he was still available when I called his name.  (Not gonna lie, that felt good.)  In an injury-shortened 2012, he put up great (not just good) numbers.  I can’t expect a complete renaissance but he’s a last round pick after all.  I don’t expect much of anything.  He’s got the upside of a utility player and that’s all I can ask.

Overall thoughts:  I was pretty pleased with how the draft turned out.  There were only a couple times where I got “burned” by having a player snaked away from me.  It’s virtually impossible to get through a whole draft where that’s the case; you just hope to limit the number.  I took some gambles hoping that players would fall to me (specifically with an ace SP and those upstart 3Bs) and they did.  I was able to acquire many of the players I was targeting in the early part of the draft.  There were a couple times I wish I had just grabbed the best player available instead of trying to fill out the whole lineup.  However, I think I corrected that line of thinking in the middle part of the draft as evidenced by my waiting on a CF and 3B.  I think my offense is going to be dynamite.  I should even fare well in the “hidden” categories like walks and strikeouts.  Speed will be an issue but there are a lot of one-trick ponies in FA who can fill that void.  My biggest concern is the lack of a more stable #2 SP, which would allow everyone else to slide down a spot in the rotation.  My closing should (fingers crossed) be a position of relative strength but the volatility of the position has me sleeping with one eye open. It was a good piece of a work in my opinion.  I’ll give myself an A minus.