Tuesday, February 18, 2014

fantasy: mock drafting above my pay grade


Have you ever done something so trivial, so mundane, so obscure, so utterly pointless, that you almost couldn't get enough of it? Well, if not, don't worry; you're not the weird one. What I'm trying to say is this topic, or rather activity, is quite foreign to roughly 97% of the American population, yet I've never been more fond of it. I mean, when it's all said and done, there's just nothing better to do on a freezing weeknight during an apocalyptic Chicago winter in February - outside of the bar - than mock draft. And that 97% is missing out big time.

In my first mock draft analysis leading up to the 2014 baseball season, we'll be experiencing several firsts all at once. For one, the only mock drafts I've ever participated in were the ones you just sign up for on Sportsline or ESPN with nine or 11 other random people who end up quitting after a pick or two. This one's the real deal. Long story short, I came across a piece by Howard Bender of RotoBuzzGuy.com last week, did a tiny bit of digging on what he calls the Mock Draft Army, sent him an email immediately because anything called the Mock Draft Army is something I need to inquire about, and next thing I know, he's emailing me back asking if I want to do a mock draft. Yes!!! He proceeds to follow up with instructions for navigating the draft site, and sure enough, here I am in a 15-team 5x5 roto draft with actual professionals, which I certainly am not. Howard Bender is an incredibly nice guy. And this is going to be interesting.

So I'm punching above my weight class right out of the gate. And to further spice things up, I'd never done a 15-team draft before in any format. I'm accustomed to 10- or 12-team, standard roto leagues. Hell, I thought I was venturing out by making my long-standing 10-team league into a keeper league this year. But here I am, and I'm going to give it my all. And it's not like I haven't had my fair share of training for this moment, either. I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to fantasy baseball, and although I haven't done anything quite like this before, I'm no stranger to the mock draft lobby. This'll be fun.

So let's get on to it. Below you'll see the draft order and participants (with links to their twitter feeds and websites, where applicable), followed by a quick blurb of each of my picks and my thought process, along with some of the other choices that stood out to me at that point in time. I'm pick #13. Here we go:

               1. The Shockers - Jim M.
               2. Brad Johnson - The Hardball Times
               3. LBK's Fake Team - LBK
               4. Running with Scissors - Eric Caturia - RotoWire
               5. Traded a Fister for a BJ - G.M.
               6. Glove Love - Tony Goldenstein - RotoWire
               7. MIKE CLIFFORD - Michael Clifford - FantasyTrade411.com
               8. @WaiverWarrior - Adam
               9. @FantasyTrade411 - Trader X - FantasyTrade411.com
              10. @askROTObaseball - David Kerr - FantasySquads.com
              11. Dexter Spivey - Scott Gilroy - rotoinfo.com
              12. @rotobuzzguy - Howard Bender - RotoBuzzGuy.com
              13. @CAREERYEAR

              14. Tim McLeod - RotoRob.com
              15. @nyyfan14 - Arad M

Round 1
#1 The Shockers - Miguel Cabrera 1B, DET
#2 Brad Johnson - Mike Trout CF, LAA
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Paul Goldschmidt 1B, ARI
#4 Running with Scissors - Carlos Gonzalez LF, COL
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Andrew McCutchen CF, PIT
#6 Glove Love - Hanley Ramirez SS, LAD
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Bryce Harper LF, WSH
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Chris Davis 1B, BAL
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Adam Jones CF, BAL
#10 @askROTObaseball - Robinson Cano 2B, SEA
#11 Dexter Spivey - Jacoby Ellsbury CF, NYY
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Ryan Braun RF, MIL
#13 @CAREERYEAR - Troy Tulowitzki SS, COL

#14 Tim McLeod - Jason Kipnis 2B, CLE
#15 @nyyfan14 - Joey Votto 1B, CIN 


ROUND 1: Welcome to the 15-teamer, I guess. At pick 13, I didn't really know what my strategy should be other than hope Ryan Braun falls to me or the president of Troy Tulowitzki's fan club isn't one of the 12 guys ahead of me. Tulo was ranked 13th on this site, and I was perfectly happy grabbing him here after Braun went the pick before me. If he's on the field, he's the top shortstop. The ony thing that gave me pause was hoping Clayton Kershaw would make it back to me, and without knowing anyone in the room, I just had to go with my gut that this group wanted to hold off on pitching. I don't think Tulo makes it back around if I don't grab him now.

Round 2
#1 @nyyfan14 - Giancarlo Stanton RF, MIA
#2 Tim McLeod - Adrian Beltre 3B, TEX
#3 evil empire - Clayton Kershaw SP, LAD

#4 @rotobuzzguy - Prince Fielder 1B, TEX
#5 Dexter Spivey - Yasiel Puig RF, LAD
#6 @askROTObaseball - Evan Longoria 3B, TB
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - Edwin Encarnacion 1B, TOR
#8 @WaiverWarrior - David Wright 3B, NYM
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - Jose Reyes SS, TOR
#10 Glove Love - Dustin Pedroia 2B, BOS
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Jose Bautista RF, TOR
#12 Running with Scissors - Alex Rios RF, TEX
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Yu Darvish SP, TEX
#14 Brad Johnson - Carlos Gomez CF, MIL
#15 The Shockers - Justin Upton LF, ATL


ROUND 2: Bingo! Having Kershaw fall this far is unlikely, even in my 10-team redraft league, but I'll certainly take it here. As I said in the chat after the pick, pitching might be deep, but there's only one Clayton Kershaw. He's the best in the game, and that warrants more than second round consideration. I'd take him as high as 5th overall with some shaky springs from the back half of the first rounders as they stand now. Plus, now I can draft hitters while the field takes pitchers in rounds 4-7, which could be a nice perk. The bottom line is Kershaw should end up higher than 18th overall on the player rater October 1st, which is all we care about.

Round 3
#1 The Shockers - Albert Pujols 1B, LAA
#2 Brad Johnson - Freddie Freeman 1B, ATL
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Allen Craig 1B, STL
#4 Running with Scissors - Jay Bruce RF, CIN
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Jean Segura SS, MIL
#6 Glove Love - Buster Posey C, SF
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Yoenis Cespedes LF, OAK
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Max Scherzer SP, DET
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Adam Wainwright SP, STL
#10 @askROTObaseball - Ian Desmond SS, WSH
#11 Dexter Spivey - Hunter Pence RF, SF
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Elvis Andrus SS, TEX
#13 evil empire - Jason Heyward RF, ATL

#14 Tim McLeod - Shin-Soo Choo LF, TEX
#15 @nyyfan14 - Matt Carpenter 2B, STL


ROUND 3: I'm not sure how much of a reach this is, and I had my eye on another, less exciting name, but I just didn't want Heyward to get snatched up between my picks. Everything's primed for a huge year for him. Plus, I wasn't quite so afraid that the guy I wanted was a flashy enough pick to stand out from the others available. We'll see if it panned out.

As for the round, we start to see more of the elite starters fall off the board, which is fine by me. More hitters for me to choose from. A little run of top tier shortstops, as well, with Jean Segura, Ian Desmond and Elvis Andrus all having their names called. Of that group, I like Segura least. I just need to see him do it again.

Round 4
#1 @nyyfan14 - Joe Mauer 1B, MIN
#2 Tim McLeod - Pedro Alvarez 3B, PIT
#3 evil empire - Matt Holliday LF, STL

#4 @rotobuzzguy - Mark Trumbo RF, ARI
#5 Dexter Spivey - Eric Hosmer 1B, KC
#6 @askROTObaseball - Wil Myers RF, TB
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - Felix Hernandez SP, SEA
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Carlos Santana C, CLE
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - Stephen Strasburg SP, WSH
#10 Glove Love - Starling Marte LF, PIT
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Ryan Zimmerman 3B, WSH
#12 Running with Scissors - Cliff Lee SP, PHI
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Jose Fernandez SP, MIA
#14 Brad Johnson - Alex Gordon LF, KC
#15 The Shockers - Ian Kinsler 2B, DET



ROUND 4: Boom! Got lucky again with unsung run producer Matt Holliday making the turn. I actually bumped Mauer over him in my queue after my last pick, but he was swiped to start the round. So Mr. Dependable it is. I'll take 20-plus homers, 90-plus RBI, 90-plus runs and steady average all day long. Advanced stats are nice, and we can learn a lot about the game by embracing them, but bWAR isn't a 5x5 category. At least not yet. And in the stats we care about, Holliday is about as consistent as they come.

Round 5
#1 The Shockers - Justin Verlander SP, DET
#2 Brad Johnson - Josh Donaldson 3B, OAK
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Brett Lawrie 3B, TOR
#4 Running with Scissors - Chris Sale SP, CWS
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Madison Bumgarner SP, SF
#6 Glove Love - Manny Machado 3B, BAL
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Yadier Molina C, STL
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Matt Kemp CF, LAD
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Craig Kimbrel RP, ATL
#10 @askROTObaseball - David Price SP, TB
#11 Dexter Spivey - Cole Hamels SP, PHI
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Kyle Seager 3B, SEA
#13 evil empire - Jose Altuve 2B, HOU

#14 Tim McLeod - Adrian Gonzalez 1B, LAD
#15 @nyyfan14 - Zack Greinke SP, LAD


Round 6

#1 @nyyfan14 - Chase Headley 3B, SD
#2 Tim McLeod - Aroldis Chapman RP, CIN
#3 evil empire - Anthony Rizzo 1B, CHC

#4 @rotobuzzguy - Mike Minor SP, ATL
#5 Dexter Spivey - Jedd Gyorko 2B, SD
#6 @askROTObaseball - Mat Latos SP, CIN
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - Josh Hamilton RF, LAA
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Domonic Brown LF, PHI
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - Carlos Beltran RF, NYY
#10 Glove Love - Ben Zobrist RF, TB
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Jose Abreu 1B, CWS
#12 Running with Scissors - David Ortiz DH, BOS
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Michael Wacha SP, STL
#14 Brad Johnson - Greg Holland RP, KC
#15 The Shockers - Everth Cabrera SS, SD



Round 7


#1 The Shockers - Anibal Sanchez SP, DET
#2 Brad Johnson - Kenley Jansen RP, LAD
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Billy Hamilton CF, CIN
#4 Running with Scissors - Jayson Werth RF, WSH
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Michael Cuddyer RF, COL
#6 Glove Love - James Shields SP, KC
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Gerrit Cole SP, PIT
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Brian McCann C, NYY
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Desmond Jennings CF, TB
#10 @askROTObaseball - Jonathan Lucroy C, MIL
#11 Dexter Spivey - Homer Bailey SP, CIN
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Koji Uehara RP, BOS
#13 evil empire - Wilin Rosario C, COL

#14 Tim McLeod - Salvador Perez C, KC
#15 @nyyfan14 - Jon Lester SP, BOS



ROUNDS 5-7:  Here we start to see just how quickly the field is thinning out, offensively speaking. Brett Lawrie in the 5th round? Josh Donaldson before Chris Sale? I think the pitching hate has gone a little too far, but I was pleased with the guys I ended up with here. Having Altuve drop to me at the end of Round 5 was a nice value, I believe. I may have reached a bit for Rizzo, but there was no way he was making it all the way back to me at the end of Round 7. As one of the last remaining utility-type sluggers, I had to grab him. Round 7 saw me round out the infield with my Wilin Rosario, and I couldn't be happier. Rosario belts. I want to play this league out!


Round 8

#1 @nyyfan14 - Dexter Fowler CF, HOU
#2 Tim McLeod - Leonys Martin CF, TEX
#3 evil empire - Gio Gonzalez SP, WSH

#4 @rotobuzzguy - Joe Nathan RP, DET
#5 Dexter Spivey - Matt Cain SP, SF
#6 @askROTObaseball - Brandon Phillips 2B, CIN
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - Trevor Rosenthal RP, STL
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Brandon Belt 1B, SF
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - Pablo Sandoval 3B, SF
#10 Glove Love - Jordan Zimmermann SP, WSH
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Aaron Hill 2B, ARI
#12 Running with Scissors - Kris Medlen SP, ATL
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Xander Bogaerts SS, BOS
#14 Brad Johnson - Christian Yelich LF, MIA
#15 The Shockers - Matt Adams 1B, STL

Round 9


#1 The Shockers - David Robertson RP, NYY
#2 Brad Johnson - Shelby Miller SP, STL
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Alex Cobb SP, TB
#4 Running with Scissors - Casey Janssen RP, TOR
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Julio Teheran SP, ATL
#6 Glove Love - Austin Jackson CF, DET
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Jim Johnson RP, OAK
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Hyun-Jin Ryu SP, LAD
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Aramis Ramirez 3B, MIL
#10 @askROTObaseball - Billy Butler DH, KC
#11 Dexter Spivey - Starlin Castro SS, CHC
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Martin Prado 3B, ARI
#13 evil empire - Matt Wieters C, BAL

#14 Tim McLeod - Masahiro Tanaka SP, NYY
#15 @nyyfan14 - Michael Bourn CF, CLE

Round 10


#1 @nyyfan14 - Matt Moore SP, TB
#2 Tim McLeod - Sonny Gray SP, OAK
#3 evil empire - Shane Victorino RF, BOS

#4 @rotobuzzguy - Victor Martinez DH, DET
#5 Dexter Spivey - Carl Crawford LF, LAD
#6 @askROTObaseball - Glen Perkins RP, MIN
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - Curtis Granderson CF, NYM
#8 @WaiverWarrior - J.J. Hardy SS, BAL
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - Evan Gattis C, ATL
#10 Glove Love - Jeff Samardzija SP, CHC
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Sergio Romo RP, SF
#12 Running with Scissors - Jered Weaver SP, LAA
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Danny Salazar SP, CLE
#14 Brad Johnson - Chase Utley 2B, PHI
#15 The Shockers - Nelson Cruz RF, ---


ROUNDS 8-10: Value time! Well, except for the guy who took Nelson Cruz. Ouch. Anyway, I grabbed three guys here who were all picked in the first six or seven rounds of fantasy drafts last year, some much higher. In Gonzalez, I've got a workhorse with strikeout and elite wins potential to act as my No. 2 starter. In Round 9, I couldn't help but pull the trigger on Wieters. I can understand why the hype has calmed down, but this is still a guy who has provided some pretty solid fantasy seasons lately. And this is a 2-catcher league! Catcher may be deep, but it's not 20-deep. Wieters may still have a breakout in him, and this he's almost certain to outplay this position.

Speaking of outplaying his draft position, Shane Victorino is not likely to finish outside the top-100 overall if he remains healthy. He's going to be counted on for more run production this season, and perhaps a leadoff role if things play out just right. No way he lasts this long in real drafts. I gotta write this down...

.. ok, where was I?


Round 11

#1 The Shockers - Jason Castro C, HOU
#2 Brad Johnson - Patrick Corbin SP, ARI
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Nolan Arenado 3B, COL
#4 Running with Scissors - Brandon Moss 1B, OAK
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Wilson Ramos C, WSH
#6 Glove Love - Adam Eaton LF, CWS
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Alejandro De Aza CF, CWS
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Khristopher Davis LF, MIL
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Jurickson Profar 2B, TEX
#10 @askROTObaseball - Alfonso Soriano LF, NYY
#11 Dexter Spivey - Asdrubal Cabrera SS, CLE
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Anthony Rendon 2B, WSH
#13 evil empire - Will Middlebrooks 3B, BOS

#14 Tim McLeod - Andrew Cashner SP, SD
#15 @nyyfan14 - Grant Balfour RP, TB


Round 12

#1 @nyyfan14 - Jed Lowrie SS, OAK
#2 Tim McLeod - Neftali Feliz RP, TEX
#3 evil empire - Hisashi Iwakuma SP, SEA

#4 @rotobuzzguy - Hiroki Kuroda SP, NYY
#5 Dexter Spivey - Josh Reddick RF, OAK
#6 @askROTObaseball - Francisco Liriano SP, PIT
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - Rafael Soriano RP, WSH
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Andrelton Simmons SS, ATL
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - Howie Kendrick 2B, LAA
#10 Glove Love - Jason Grilli RP, PIT
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Mike Napoli 1B, BOS
#12 Running with Scissors - Daniel Murphy 2B, NYM
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Brian Dozier 2B, MIN
#14 Brad Johnson - Yan Gomes C, CLE
#15 The Shockers - Miguel Montero C, ARI

Round 13


#1 The Shockers - Coco Crisp CF, OAK
#2 Brad Johnson - Jhonny Peralta SS, STL
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Brett Gardner LF, NYY
#4 Running with Scissors - Steven Cishek RP, MIA
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Brad Miller SS, SEA
#6 Glove Love - Mike Zunino C, SEA
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Matt Garza SP, MIL
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Addison Reed RP, ARI
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Johnny Cueto SP, CIN
#10 @askROTObaseball - Doug Fister SP, WSH
#11 Dexter Spivey - R.A. Dickey SP, TOR
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Devin Mesoraco C, CIN
#13 evil empire - Will Venable RF, SD

#14 Tim McLeod - Oswaldo Arcia RF, MIN
#15 @nyyfan14 - CC Sabathia SP, NYY

Round 14


#1 @nyyfan14 - Fernando Rodney RP, SEA
#2 Tim McLeod - Tony Cingrani SP, CIN
#3 evil empire - Tommy Hunter RP, BAL

#4 @rotobuzzguy - Chris Archer SP, TB
#5 Dexter Spivey - Melky Cabrera LF, TOR
#6 @askROTObaseball - Norichika Aoki RF, KC
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - A.J. Pierzynski C, BOS
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Jonathan Papelbon RP, PHI
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - C.J. Wilson SP, LAA
#10 Glove Love - Lance Lynn SP, STL
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Travis d'Arnaud C, NYM
#12 Running with Scissors - Alexei Ramirez SS, CWS
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Alex Wood SP, ATL
#14 Brad Johnson - Jarrod Saltalamacchia C, MIA
#15 The Shockers - Justin Masterson SP, CLE

Round 15


#1 The Shockers - Torii Hunter RF, DET
#2 Brad Johnson - Corey Kluber SP, CLE
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Avisail Garcia RF, CWS
#4 Running with Scissors - Jonathan Villar SS, HOU
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Ernesto Frieri RP, LAA
#6 Glove Love - Huston Street RP, SD
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - John Axford RP, CLE
#8 @WaiverWarrior - B.J. Upton CF, ATL
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Mark Teixeira 1B, NYY
#10 @askROTObaseball - Chris Johnson 3B, ATL
#11 Dexter Spivey - Cody Asche 3B, PHI
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Michael Brantley LF, CLE
#13 evil empire - Jarrod Parker SP, OAK

#14 Tim McLeod - Nick Castellanos 3B, DET
#15 @nyyfan14 - Ben Revere CF, PHI


ROUNDS 11-15: In these middle rounds, if often feels like you're just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. A lot of 'potential' guys, soon-to-be 27-year olds, prospects getting their chance. 'Upside' guys, as they're known in the 'industry'. Middlebrooks could be a solid producer at the hot corner with a healthy season and some much needed confidence, so he'd certainly qualify under the 'upside' tag. 20 homers isn't out of the question.

Iwakuma, he of the recently injured finger, is not going to fall this far in your drafts. His injury should be a non-factor (he pitched through similar issues last year), and he's absolutely for real. If he's your No. 3 starter, you could do worse. I also like Parker's strikeout upside, for what that's worth.

I sandwiched my first closer with a couple upside-type outfielders in Venable, who I love, and Brantley, who is blah. It may just be me, but Brantley could be so much more than what he is in my opinion, and until he taps into his potential in both the power and speed departments, I'm not buying. Venable, on the other hand, is the picture of someone who's tapping into his potential. His 20-20 talent is more than legit, and if he has a lucky BABIP or HR/FB year, he could transform into Carlos Gomez-light, which would be infinitely worth more than a 13th-rounder.

Oh, and Tommy Hunter has a shot at fantasy goodness if he takes hold of the opportunity to shut the door for the O's. After all, who'd heard of Jim Johnson before he burst onto the scene? Same is true with most closers, come to think of it, and Baltimore seems to be a nice spot for racking up saves in league-leading bunches. I'll wait on saves and take this type of guy as my No 1. reliever and play the waiver wire for always-available saves.


Round 16

#1 @nyyfan14 - Colby Rasmus CF, TOR
#2 Tim McLeod - Kole Calhoun RF, LAA
#3 evil empire - A.J. Burnett SP, PHI

#4 @rotobuzzguy - George Springer CF, HOU
#5 Dexter Spivey - Clay Buchholz SP, BOS
#6 @askROTObaseball - Rex Brothers RP, COL
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - Jimmy Rollins SS, PHI
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Taijuan Walker RP, SEA
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - Yonder Alonso 1B, SD
#10 Glove Love - Oscar Taveras OF, STL
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Rick Porcello SP, DET
#12 Running with Scissors - Jim Henderson RP, MIL
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Drew Smyly SP, DET
#14 Brad Johnson - Eric Young RF, NYM
#15 The Shockers - Todd Frazier 3B, CIN

Round 17

#1 The Shockers - Bobby Parnell RP, NYM
#2 Brad Johnson - Tim Lincecum SP, SF
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Adam Lind 1B, TOR
#4 Running with Scissors - Kyle Lohse SP, MIL
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Josh Johnson SP, SD
#6 Glove Love - Nick Markakis RF, BAL
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Nick Swisher 1B, CLE
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Yordano Ventura RP, KC
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Peter Bourjos CF, STL
#10 @askROTObaseball - Chris Tillman SP, BAL
#11 Dexter Spivey - Mike Moustakas 3B, KC
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Rajai Davis LF, DET
#13 evil empire - Zack Wheeler SP, NYM

#14 Tim McLeod - Erick Aybar SS, LAA
#15 @nyyfan14 - Marlon Byrd RF, PHI

Round 18

#1 @nyyfan14 - David Freese 3B, LAA
#2 Tim McLeod - Marco Estrada SP, MIL
#3 evil empire - Justin Morneau 1B, COL

#4 @rotobuzzguy - Brandon Beachy SP, ATL
#5 Dexter Spivey - John Lackey SP, BOS
#6 @askROTObaseball - Josh Willingham LF, MIN
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - Nate Jones RP, CWS
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Kevin Gausman RP, BAL
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - Juan Francisco 1B, MIL
#10 Glove Love - Chris Carter 1B, HOU
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Corey Hart RF, SEA
#12 Running with Scissors - Matt Dominguez 3B, HOU
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Josmil Pinto C, MIN
#14 Brad Johnson - Ryan Howard 1B, PHI
#15 The Shockers - A.J. Griffin SP, OAK

Round 19

#1 The Shockers - Alcides Escobar SS, KC
#2 Brad Johnson - Kendrys Morales 1B, ---
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Yasmani Grandal C, SD
#4 Running with Scissors - Ivan Nova SP, NYY
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Jose Veras RP, CHC
#6 Glove Love - Matthew Davidson 3B, CWS
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Brandon Morrow SP, TOR
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Cody Allen RP, CLE
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Ricky Nolasco SP, MIN
#10 @askROTObaseball - Russell Martin C, PIT
#11 Dexter Spivey - Ervin Santana SP, ---
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Adam LaRoche 1B, WSH
#13 evil empire - Kelly Johnson 3B, NYY

#14 Tim McLeod - Neil Walker 2B, PIT
#15 @nyyfan14 - Ubaldo Jimenez SP, ---

Round 20

#1 @nyyfan14 - Omar Infante 2B, KC
#2 Tim McLeod - Jose Quintana SP, CWS
#3 evil empire - Daniel Straily SP, OAK

#4 @rotobuzzguy - Dan Haren SP, LAD
#5 Dexter Spivey - Jhoulys Chacin SP, COL
#6 @askROTObaseball - Michael Morse LF, SF
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - Welington Castillo C, CHC
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Archie Bradley RP, ARI
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - Eduardo Nunez SS, NYY
#10 Glove Love - Ian Kennedy SP, SD
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Lorenzo Cain CF, KC
#12 Running with Scissors - Derek Norris C, OAK
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Gregory Polanco CF, PIT
#14 Brad Johnson - LaTroy Hawkins RP, COL
#15 The Shockers - Jake Peavy SP, BOS

Round 21

#1 The Shockers - Nate Schierholtz RF, CHC
#2 Brad Johnson - Nathan Eovaldi SP, MIA
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Tyson Ross SP, SD
#4 Running with Scissors - Jose Iglesias SS, DET
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Martin Perez SP, TEX
#6 Glove Love - Erasmo Ramirez SP, SEA
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Yovani Gallardo SP, MIL
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Alexander Guerrero 2B, LAD
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Daniel Nava LF, BOS
#10 @askROTObaseball - Travis Wood SP, CHC
#11 Dexter Spivey - Bartolo Colon SP, NYM
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Alexi Ogando SP, TEX
#13 evil empire - Mitch Moreland 1B, TEX

#14 Tim McLeod - Dioner Navarro C, TOR
#15 @nyyfan14 - Edward Mujica RP, BOS

Round 22

#1 @nyyfan14 - Scott Kazmir SP, OAK
#2 Tim McLeod - Cameron Maybin CF, SD
#3 evil empire - Junior Lake LF, CHC

#4 @rotobuzzguy - Alex Avila C, DET
#5 Dexter Spivey - Ryan Doumit C, ATL
#6 @askROTObaseball - James Loney 1B, TB
#7 @FantasyTrade411 - Stephen Drew SS, ---
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Kolten Wong 2B, STL
#9 MIKE CLIFFORD - Matt Joyce LF, TB
#10 Glove Love - Wade Miley SP, ARI
#11 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Raul Ibanez LF, LAA
#12 Running with Scissors - Denard Span CF, WSH
#13 LBK's Fake Team - Carlos E. Martinez RP, STL
#14 Brad Johnson - Jordy Mercer SS, PIT
#15 The Shockers - James Paxton SP, SEA

Round 23

#1 The Shockers - Michael Pineda SP, NYY
#2 Brad Johnson - Mark Melancon RP, PIT
#3 LBK's Fake Team - Dustin Ackley CF, SEA
#4 Running with Scissors - Carlos Ruiz C, PHI
#5 Traded a Fister for a BJ - Tyler Skaggs SP, LAA
#6 Glove Love - Andre Ethier RF, LAD
#7 MIKE CLIFFORD - Jon Niese SP, NYM
#8 @WaiverWarrior - Grady Sizemore CF, BOS
#9 @FantasyTrade411 - Danny Farquhar RP, SEA
#10 @askROTObaseball - Bronson Arroyo SP, ARI
#11 Dexter Spivey - J.P. Arencibia C, TEX
#12 @rotobuzzguy - Jason Vargas SP, KC
#13 evil empire - Tim Hudson SP, SF

#14 Tim McLeod - Dillon Gee SP, NYM
#15 @nyyfan14 - Ryan Hanigan C, TB

ROUNDS 16-23:  Alright, time to round out the squad and see if we can catch lightning in a bottle. Everyone will have their own opinions of who they like late, and every year there's a first-page performer to be found in these critical final rounds. 2014 will be no different, and there are a couple here that I want to highlight. Let's start with my picks to plug the corner and middle infield spots, with each enjoying their time in the roto spotlight in the not-so-distant past. I'm talking, of course, about Justin Morneau and Kelly Johnson, each of whom is getting used to a new city this year. And in each new city they'll set up shop in two of the most hitter-friendly venues in the league in Coors Field and Yankee Stadium, respectively. Morneau is more of the wildcard, with his slow recovery from concussion symptoms, but Johnson seems almost a lock to at least pop 15 dingers while leveraging that short porch in right field.

Mitch Moreland and Junior Lake were added to round out power and speed categories, with obvious breakout potential (er, hope?) for each. Moreland once again should see plenty of pitches to hit in a stacked Rangers lineup, and something's got to break right for the Cubs eventually, right?

Kershaw will have to carry my top-heavy rotation, but I was happy to nab Zach Wheeler, who I think has the most upside of any pitcher I selected in this group. He was certainly more hyped during the year last year, which is curious.

Well, there you have it. The dork-a-thon comes to an end. For what it's worth, my team was projected to finish first on the site we drafted on, which was a pleasant surprise, to say the least.

Also for what it's worth, when I saw that my team was first I asked a fellow drafter who was lingering in the draft room if his screen said his team was first because I thought they were just trying to get me to purchase the expansion pack or whatever. So there's that.

The bottom line, as always, is that anything having to do with fantasy baseball, no matter how trivial it may seem to the outside world, is awesome to a select few. And I'm happy to call myself a member of said few.

Now, if only the season would start... (sigh)

careeryearblog@gmail.com


*Thanks to Howard Bender and all of the other writers/contributors who made this mock draft and subsequent write-up possible.

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