Yahoo Mock Draft Review – Feburary 12

Yahoo Mock Draft Review – February 12

Round 1
(1) Frank J – Albert Pujols (StL – 1B)
(2) samhorn_2000 – Hanley Ramírez (Fla – SS)
(3) D – Álex Rodríguez (NYY – 3B)
(4) Lammster – Chase Utley (Phi – 2B)
(5) Anton – Ryan Braun (Mil – OF)
(6) Diego P – Matt Kemp (LAD – OF)
(7) Ryan – Tim Lincecum (SF – SP)
(8) danny h – Troy Tulowitzki (Col – SS)
(9) got2bwiz – Mark Teixeira (NYY – 1B)
(10) msilvett – Ryan Howard (Phi – 1B)
(11) michael – Prince Fielder (Mil – 1B)
(12) hyerocker97 – Joe Mauer (Min – C)

Best Pick – (1) Albert Pujols – Not really a clear ‘best’ pick in the first round, so I’ll just give it to the Albert Pujols pick.
Worst Pick – (8) Troy Tulowitzki – He’s a good young SS, but he’s only had one REALLY good fantasy season and that’s just a lot of risk.
My Pick – I was debating between Kemp & Lincecum but I ended up taking the position player over the pitcher. Kemp will help in all 5 categories which is always nice and he still has upside which is scary.

Round 2
(1) hyerocker97 – David Wright (NYM – 3B)
(2) michael – Mark Reynolds (Ari – 1B,3B)
(3) msilvett – Evan Longoria (TB – 3B)
(4) got2bwiz – Ian Kinsler (Tex – 2B)
(5) danny h – Miguel Cabrera (Det – 1B)
(6) Ryan – Roy Halladay (Phi – SP)
(7) Diego P – Jimmy Rollins (Phi – SS)
(8) Anton – Justin Upton (Ari – OF)
(9) Lammster – Matt Holliday (StL – OF)
(10) D – Jacoby Ellsbury (Bos – OF)
(11) samhorn_2000 – Dustin Pedroia (Bos – 2B)
(12) Frank J – Ichiro Suzuki (Sea – OF)

Best Pick – (6) Roy Halladay – Somewhat similar to the first round there isn’t really a clear cut winner, but if I had to choose one player out of these it’d probably be Halladay.
Worst Pick – (2) Mark Reynolds – The guy has had one good fantasy season and reminds me a lot of Josh Hamilton last year.
My Pick – I debated waiting until the third round to grab a SS, but I wasn’t in love with any of the other guys taken after him anyways. Pedroia/Upton were the only other ones I would have considered, but I’ll take the position scarcity here.

Round 3
(1) Frank J – Víctor Martínez (Bos – C,1B)
(2) samhorn_2000 – CC Sabathia (NYY – SP)
(3) D – Carl Crawford (TB – OF)
(4) Lammster – Adrián González (SD – 1B)
(5) Anton – Grady Sizemore (Cle – OF)
(6) Diego P – Zack Greinke (KC – SP)
(7) Ryan – Félix Hernández (Sea – SP)
(8) danny h – Joey Votto (Cin – 1B)
(9) got2bwiz – Ryan Zimmerman (Was – 3B)
(10) msilvett – Pablo Sandoval (SF – 1B,3B)
(11) michael – Brian McCann (Atl – C)
(12) hyerocker97 – Kevin Youkilis (Bos – 1B,3B)

Best Pick – (5) Grady Sizemore – Getting a possible top 10 offensive player in the third round could prove to be a steal.
Worst Pick – (4) Adrian Gonzalez – He’s never been a top 50 hitter in his career and he was just taken as the 28th best player. Not to mention 1B is loaded.
My Pick – I wanted to get a clear ace and it was between him and Felix, but I think Greinke is the better overall pitcher. Either one would have been good, though.

Round 4
(1) hyerocker97 – Kendry Morales (LAA – 1B)
(2) michael – Nelson Cruz (Tex – OF)
(3) msilvett – Derek Jeter (NYY – SS)
(4) got2bwiz – Ben Zobrist (TB – 2B,SS,OF)
(5) danny h – Chris Carpenter (StL – SP)
(6) Ryan – Justin Verlander (Det – SP)
(7) Diego P – Robinson Canó (NYY – 2B)
(8) Anton – Brian Roberts (Bal – 2B)
(9) Lammster – José Reyes (NYM – SS)
(10) D – Brandon Phillips (Cin – 2B)
(11) samhorn_2000 – Aramis Ramírez (ChC – 3B)
(12) Frank J – Johan Santana (NYM – SP)

Best Pick – (11) Aramis Ramirez – Ramirez is pretty much Pujols-lite. He’ll do a little bit of everything and is only being picked so late because of an injury last year. He’s generally very durable and should be a great player this year.
Worst Pick – (1) Kendry Morales – Morales broke out last year, but is he going to repeat? Maybe, but considering how deep the 1B pool is and his lack of a track record I wouldn’t have picked him this high.
My Pick – After I made this I somewhat regretted not picking Brandon Phillips, but I think Cano will provide more offense and I can make up the SB difference elsewhere.

Round 5
(1) Frank J – Jason Bay (NYM – OF)
(2) samhorn_2000 – Justin Morneau (Min – 1B)
(3) D – B.J. Upton (TB – OF)
(4) Lammster – Shin-Soo Choo (Cle – OF)
(5) Anton – Aaron Hill (Tor – 2B)
(6) Diego P – Michael Young (Tex – 3B)
(7) Ryan – Dan Haren (Ari – SP)
(8) danny h – Jayson Werth (Phi – OF)
(9) got2bwiz – Cliff Lee (Sea – SP)
(10) msilvett – Adam Wainwright (StL – SP)
(11) michael – Andre Ethier (LAD – OF)
(12) hyerocker97 – Derrek Lee (ChC – 1B)

Best Pick – (4) Shin-Soo Choo – He seems to be an extremely underrated player for some reason when he has a strong chance of putting up another extremely solid season.
Worst Pick – (1) Jason Bay – Moving to a bigger and less hitting friendly ballpark and to a much worse lineup? Not to mention he’s never helped the AVG category and he’s surely not going to suddenly start. A ton of risk in this pick without a ton of upside.
My Pick – Michael Young was somewhat of a reach at this point, but the drop off after him to the next 3B was pretty steep and he’s still a very good fantasy player even if the real life Young isn’t that great.

Round 6
(1) hyerocker97 – Curtis Granderson (NYY – OF)
(2) michael – Adam Dunn (Was – 1B,OF)
(3) msilvett – Adam Lind (Tor – OF)
(4) got2bwiz – Nick Markakis (Bal – OF)
(5) danny h – Yovani Gallardo (Mil – SP)
(6) Ryan – Josh Beckett (Bos – SP)
(7) Diego P – Wandy Rodríguez (Hou – SP)
(8) Anton – Andrew McCutchen (Pit – OF)
(9) Lammster – Bobby Abreu (LAA – OF)
(10) D – Denard Span (Min – OF)
(11) samhorn_2000 – Adam Jones (Bal – OF)
(12) Frank J – Javier Vázquez (NYY – SP)

Best Pick – (8) Andrew McCutchen – The guy has all the talent in the world and a full season of playing time could produce one of the more rounded offensive productions with 30+ SB.
Worst Pick – (6) Josh Beckett – Let me just say that this was not a bad pick, but of the guys listed I would have been most cautious of him.
My Pick – Rodriguez is an extremely reliable pitcher and staying in the NL Central will only help.

Round 7
(1) Frank J – Cole Hamels (Phi – SP)
(2) samhorn_2000 – Josh Johnson (Fla – SP)
(3) D – Ubaldo Jiménez (Col – SP)
(4) Lammster – Chone Figgins (Sea – 3B)
(5) Anton – Billy Butler (KC – 1B)
(6) Diego P – Jon Lester (Bos – SP)
(7) Ryan – Jake Peavy (CWS – SP)
(8) danny h – Carlos Lee (Hou – OF)
(9) got2bwiz – Jonathan Broxton (LAD – RP)
(10) msilvett – Shane Victorino (Phi – OF)
(11) michael – Carlos Peña (TB – 1B)
(12) hyerocker97 – Dan Uggla (Fla – 2B)

Best Pick – (6) Jon Lester – This is the first of my picks that I feel was the best (yay me). It was either between Lester or Uggla, but I do think Lester is already an ace and playing for Boston will surely net him quite a few W.
Worst Pick – (4) Chone Figgins – As a Mariners fan I’m really looking forward to Figgins this year, but for fantasy I’ll avoid him. He won’t be the leadoff hitter, I don’t think he’s going to steal as many bases and I don’t think he’ll put up a great BA to make up for it, not to mention he has zero power.
My Pick – Really glad I got Lester and I feel like I have 3 aces in my rotation already.

Round 8
(1) hyerocker97 – Torii Hunter (LAA – OF)
(2) michael – José López (Sea – 1B,2B)
(3) msilvett – Clayton Kershaw (LAD – SP)
(4) got2bwiz – Tommy Hanson (Atl – SP)
(5) danny h – Mariano Rivera (NYY – RP)
(6) Ryan – Jered Weaver (LAA – SP)
(7) Diego P – Lance Berkman (Hou – 1B)
(8) Anton – Joe Nathan (Min – RP)
(9) Lammster – Josh Hamilton (Tex – OF)
(10) D – Manny Ramírez (LAD – OF)
(11) samhorn_2000 – Jonathan Papelbon (Bos – RP)
(12) Frank J – Jorge Cantú (Fla – 1B,3B)

Best Pick – (1) Torii Hunter – This guy continuously is underrated, but he gives you everything you could ask for out of an OF. To be honest, I’d rather take him than Victorino who was picked in the last round.
Worst Pick – (4) Tommy Hanson – I debated between putting him or Kershaw as the worst, and again, neither is a really bad pick, but there were still some good pitchers left I would have taken over both.
My Pick – I had yet to draft a 1B and Lance Berkman is still a very good first basemen. He seems to be a bit undervalued. The R/RBI totals from last year are a tad worrisome, but every year before he’s put up at least a 90/90 season and having Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn in front of him should help.

Round 9
(1) Frank J – Nate McLouth (Atl – OF)
(2) samhorn_2000 – Matt Wieters (Bal – C)
(3) D – Ricky Nolasco (Fla – SP)
(4) Lammster – Andrew Bailey (Oak – RP)
(5) Anton – Joakim Soria (KC – RP)
(6) Diego P – Scott Baker (Min – SP)
(7) Ryan – Jason Bartlett (TB – SS)
(8) danny h – Matt Cain (SF – SP)
(9) got2bwiz – Michael Bourn (Hou – OF)
(10) msilvett – Carlos González (Col – OF)
(11) michael – Chad Billingsley (LAD – SP)
(12) hyerocker97 – Hunter Pence (Hou – OF)

Best Pick – (3) Ricky Nolasco – I had him next on my list, but he was snatched up just before me. He’s pretty much the ‘sleeper of the year’.
Worst Pick – (4) Andrew Bailey – Bailey is a talented player and stormed on to the scene last year, but he’ll have a short leash in a talented bullpen and I don’t think he was as good as he was last year.
My Pick – Baker is another undervalued player who finished off the season strong last year. Solid numbers across the board.

Round 10
(1) hyerocker97 – Ryan Dempster (ChC – SP)
(2) michael – Jair Jurrjens (Atl – SP)
(3) msilvett – Brian Wilson (SF – RP)
(4) got2bwiz – Heath Bell (SD – RP)
(5) danny h – Rickie Weeks (Mil – 2B)
(6) Ryan – Garrett Jones (Pit – 1B,OF)
(7) Diego P – Jason Kubel (Min – OF)
(8) Anton – Asdrubal Cabrera (Cle – 2B,SS)
(9) Lammster – Chris Coghlan (Fla – OF)
(10) D – Elvis Andrus (Tex – SS)
(11) samhorn_2000 – José Valverde (Det – RP)
(12) Frank J – Alfonso Soriano (ChC – OF)

Best Pick – (8) Asdrubal Cabrera – This pick could have gone to Rickie Weeks as well. Anyways, Cabrera is a very valuable SS and the fact that he has 2B eligibility only helps him solidify his case as a nice backup or even starting SS. I’d personally take him over Andrus/Alexei Ramirez and some other guys.
Worst Pick – (9) Chris Coghlan – If he moves to 2B it makes the pick better, but if he stays in the OF and regresses like he’s expected to that seems like a waste of pick. Garrett Jones was also in the running for this as well. Pick one, it doesn’t matter.
My Pick – Kubel has absolutely destroyed RHP in his career and he’s sort of like a Curtis Granderson without the steals. Play your matchups right and he’ll give you a lot of value.

Round 11
(1) Frank J – Edwin Jackson (Ari – SP)
(2) samhorn_2000 – Franklin Gutiérrez (Sea – OF)
(3) D – John Danks (CWS – SP)
(4) Lammster – James Shields (TB – SP)
(5) Anton – Matt Garza (TB – SP)
(6) Diego P – Carlos Mármol (ChC – RP)
(7) Ryan – Raúl Ibañez (Phi – OF)
(8) danny h – Julio Borbón (Tex – OF)
(9) got2bwiz – Ian Stewart (Col – 2B,3B)
(10) msilvett – A.J. Burnett (NYY – SP)
(11) michael – Huston Street (Col – RP)
(12) hyerocker97 – Yunel Escobar (Atl – SS)

Best Pick – (5) Matt Garza – Honestly, this entire round was pretty bad in my opinion. Yunel Escobar was also in the running for this.
Worst Pick – (2) Franklin Gutierrez – Gutierrez is an amazing defender, but he’s expected to regress offensively next year and isn’t that great. Edwin Jackson/Ian Stewart/Julio Borbon were all in the running for this pick as well.
My Pick – I wanted to get some saves and decided Marmol was the best choice. The only thing I’m afraid of is Lou Pineilla giving him an extremely short leash.

Round 12
(1) hyerocker97 – Gavin Floyd (CWS – SP)
(2) michael – Chipper Jones (Atl – 3B)
(3) msilvett – Randy Wolf (Mil – SP)
(4) got2bwiz – Russell Martin (LAD – C)
(5) danny h – Brett Anderson (Oak – SP)
(6) Ryan – Vladimir Guerrero (Tex – Util)
(7) Diego P – Gordon Beckham (CWS – 3B)
(8) Anton – John Lackey (Bos – SP)
(9) Lammster – Francisco Rodríguez (NYM – RP)
(10) D – David Ortiz (Bos – 1B)
(11) samhorn_2000 – Jay Bruce (Cin – OF)
(12) Frank J – Alexei Ramírez (CWS – SS)

Best Pick – (5) Brett Anderson – Another ace in the making who was next on my list only to be snatched up before I could grab him.
Worst Pick – (3) Randy Wolf – Randy Wolf is not good…Vlad and David Ortiz were also in the running as well.
My Pick – Gordon Beckham will be a nice backup 3B/2B with a lot of upside who I may use as my util from time to time. If Brett Anderson wasn’t taken in this round I think he would have been the best pick here.

Round 13
(1) Frank J – Roy Oswalt (Hou – SP)
(2) samhorn_2000 – Tim Hudson (Atl – SP)
(3) D – Rick Porcello (Det – SP)
(4) Lammster – Neftali Feliz (Tex – RP)
(5) Anton – Rafael Soriano (TB – RP)
(6) Diego P – Mike Napoli (LAA – C)
(7) Ryan – Kurt Suzuki (Oak – C)
(8) danny h – Ryan Ludwick (StL – OF)
(9) got2bwiz – Álex Ríos (CWS – OF)
(10) msilvett – Jorge Posada (NYY – C)
(11) michael – Michael Cuddyer (Min – 1B,OF)
(12) hyerocker97 – Kevin Correia (SD – SP)

Best Pick – (6) Mike Napoli – Napoli is one of the best catchers around. His counting stats don’t look great because he doesn’t start as much as he probably should, but paired up with another catcher while paying attention to the lineups that day and you’ll get some great production out of the C spot.
Worst Pick – (12) Kevin Correia – I really don’t think he’ll repeat like he did last year. Neftali Feliz is also a debatable pick. He has all the talent in the world, but I don’t think he’ll close in Texas and if he ends up in the rotation there are still question marks for this year. Michael Cuddyer was bad too.
My Pick – I got the best pick award and I’m glad to have Napoli as my starting C.

Round 14
(1) hyerocker97 – Francisco Cordero (Cin – RP)
(2) michael – Hiroki Kuroda (LAD – SP)
(3) msilvett – David Aardsma (Sea – RP)
(4) got2bwiz – Brad Hawpe (Col – OF)
(5) danny h – Mark DeRosa (SF – 1B,3B,OF)
(6) Ryan – Johnny Damon (NYY – OF)
(7) Diego P – Marco Scutaro (Bos – SS)
(8) Anton – Adrián Béltre (Bos – 3B)
(9) Lammster – Bengie Molina (SF – C)
(10) D – Brian Fuentes (LAA – RP)
(11) samhorn_2000 – J.A. Happ (Phi – SP,RP)
(12) Frank J – Carlos Quentin (CWS – OF)

Best Pick – (6) Johnny Damon – He will get a job somewhere, and with the most probably teams (Tigers/Braves) he’ll have a good chance at putting up some nice numbers. DeRosa was also a very nice pick. I also thought Beltre was a great pick.
Worst Pick – (10) Brian Fuentes – It seems clear to me that Fuentes is going to have a very short leash next year and he’s just not that good. Happ was also in the running, but being a starter he’s more likely to provide more value.
My Pick – (7) Marco Scutaro – Last year was Scutaro’s breakout season and while I don’t think he’s going to repeat, moving to a RH friendly ballpark and better lineup should boost his value. I like him for a lot of the same reasons as Beltre.

Round 15
(1) Frank J – Stephen Strasburg (Was – SP)
(2) samhorn_2000 – Carlos Zambrano (ChC – SP)
(3) D – Kevin Slowey (Min – SP)
(4) Lammster – Randy Wells (ChC – SP)
(5) Anton – Geovany Soto (ChC – C)
(6) Diego P – Chad Qualls (Ari – RP)
(7) Ryan – Casey McGehee (Mil – 2B,3B)
(8) danny h – Miguel Montero (Ari – C)
(9) got2bwiz – Justin Duchscherer (Oak – SP)
(10) msilvett – Ryan Franklin (StL – RP)
(11) michael – Rafael Furcal (LAD – SS)
(12) hyerocker97 – Ben Sheets (Oak – SP)

Best Pick – (3) Kevin Slowey – The Minnesota pitchers tend to be very underrated. Slowey reminds me of Scott Baker except not quite as good. Still, for a 15th round pick that’s some great value.
Worst Pick – (4) Randy Wells – I don’t think Randy Wells is all that talented and I think last year he played way over his head. I would have easily taken Duchscherer or Sheets over him, and those were just 2 pitchers takent after him in this round.
My Pick – Chad Qualls is going to be the closer again for a possibly very good Diamondbacks team. Not sure how you could take a guy like Brian Fuentes over him, but whatever.

Round 16
(1) hyerocker97 – Billy Wagner (Atl – RP)
(2) michael – Jeff Niemann (TB – SP)
(3) msilvett – Brandon Webb (Ari – SP)
(4) got2bwiz – Rich Harden (Tex – SP)
(5) danny h – Aaron Harang (Cin – SP)
(6) Ryan – Brandon Inge (Det – 3B)
(7) Diego P – J.D. Drew (Bos – OF)
(8) Anton – Jorge De La Rosa (Col – SP)
(9) Lammster – Jonathan Sánchez (SF – SP)
(10) D – Ryan Doumit (Pit – C)
(11) samhorn_2000 – Trevor Hoffman (Mil – RP)
(12) Frank J – Adam Kennedy (Was – 2B,3B)

Best pick – (3) Brandon Webb – Lots of good picks in this round, but I think a healthy Webb will easily outproduce everyone else taken.
Worst Pick – (12) Adam Kennedy – Kennedy may be the starting 2B for the Nationals and he may have 2B/3B elgibility and he’s probably Frank J’s backup, but considering a guy like Alberto Callaspo was still available I don’t understand why you would take him.
My Pick – JD Drew is a lot like Jason Kubel. He kills opposite handed pitching and if you play the matchups right he can provide a lot of value.

Round 17
(1) Frank J – Ervin Santana (LAA – SP)
(2) samhorn_2000 – James Loney (LAD – 1B)
(3) D – Leo Núñez (Fla – RP)
(4) Lammster – Matt Thornton (CWS – RP)
(5) Anton – Erik Bedard (Sea – SP)
(6) Diego P – Adam LaRoche (Ari – 1B)
(7) Ryan – Cody Ross (Fla – OF)
(8) danny h – Ryan Rowland-Smith (Sea – SP)
(9) got2bwiz – Joe Blanton (Phi – SP)
(10) msilvett – Carlos Beltrán (NYM – OF)
(11) michael – Mark Buehrle (CWS – SP)
(12) hyerocker97 – Johnny Cueto (Cin – SP)

Best Pick – (11) Mark Buehrle – I’m actually surprised he lasted this long. He’s a very solid pitcher who I would have taken over a guy like RR-S, or a lot of other pitchers taken a few rounds before him.
Worst Pick – (7) Cody Ross – He’s not all that great and I honestly would have taken Carlos Beltran over him, although I probably wouldn’t have picked either.
My Pick – Moving in to Arizona should help LaRoche’s power numbers and I only need him as a backup which is nice. Still, if Berkman goes down with an injury I don’t feel bad at all using LaRoche as my starter.

Round 18
(1) hyerocker97 – Scott Kazmir (LAA – SP)
(2) michael – Alfredo Aceves (NYY – RP)
(3) msilvett – Bobby Jenks (CWS – RP)
(4) got2bwiz – Frank Francisco (Tex – RP)
(5) danny h – Kenshin Kawakami (Atl – SP,RP)
(6) Ryan – Juan Rivera (LAA – OF)
(7) Diego P – David Price (TB – SP)
(8) Anton – Derek Lowe (Atl – SP)
(9) Lammster – Mike Adams (SD – RP)
(10) D – Paul Maholm (Pit – SP)
(11) samhorn_2000 – Daisuke Matsuzaka (Bos – SP)
(12) Frank J – Phil Hughes (NYY – SP,RP)

Best Pick – (4) Frank Francisco – Getting a closer this late is pretty nice and there were a lot of picks I liked, but nothing really stands out as a best pick.
Worst Pick – (2) Alfredo Aceves, (9) Mike Adams – Okay, neither of these guys are closers, and in the case of at least Aceves, he’s not even the second or third closer on the depth chart. Terrible, terrible picks.
My Pick – David Price has a lot of ability and I’m unsure how he’ll perform in the AL East this year, but with the defense and lineup he has he could be a very valuable starter.

Round 19
(1) Frank J – Max Scherzer (Det – SP)
(2) samhorn_2000 – Casey Blake (LAD – 3B)
(3) D – Howie Kendrick (LAA – 2B)
(4) Lammster – Nyjer Morgan (Was – OF)
(5) Anton – Nolan Reimold (Bal – OF)
(6) Diego P – Mike González (Bal – RP)
(7) Ryan – Wade Davis (TB – SP)
(8) danny h – Stephen Drew (Ari – SS)
(9) got2bwiz – Ryan Theriot (ChC – SS)
(10) msilvett – Ted Lilly (ChC – SP)
(11) michael – Brandon McCarthy (Tex – SP)
(12) hyerocker97 – Corey Hart (Mil – OF)

Best Pick – (3) Howie Kendrick – I actually had him at the top of my draft board for a very long time, but with Gordon Beckham already in the mix I didn’t feel like using a roster spot on him. If healthy he could put up a .320+ BA playing in a very good LA lineup.
Worst Pick – (7) Wade Davis – I don’t hate any particular pick in this round as every one of them are useful, but Davis is probably the player with the most question marks, although he does have the highest upside.
My Pick – I chose Gonzalez as my third reliever and he should be a decent supply of saves.

Round 20
(1) hyerocker97 – Rajai Davis (Oak – OF)
(2) michael – Vernon Wells (Tor – OF)
(3) msilvett – Maicer Izturis (LAA – 2B,SS)
(4) got2bwiz – Chris Young (Ari – OF)
(5) danny h – Miguel Tejada (Bal – SS)
(6) Ryan – Joba Chamberlain (NYY – SP)
(7) Diego P – Elijah Dukes (Was – OF)
(8) Anton – Erick Aybar (LAA – SS)
(9) Lammster – Colby Rasmus (StL – OF)
(10) D – Alex Gordon (KC – 3B)
(11) samhorn_2000 – Kevin Millwood (Bal – SP)
(12) Frank J – Edinson Vólquez (Cin – SP)

Best Pick – (1) Rajai Davis – This guy turned in a great season last year and is rewarded by being picked in the 20th round. The OAK outfield may be crowded, but Davis and Sweeney are close to locks to get the majority of playing time out there. Possible .300BA/ 20-30 SB.
Worst pick – (2) Vernon Wells – He’s never been extremely valuable before, unless you’re in a LF/CF/RF league, but there were still better OFs available.
My Pick – Dukes is still one of the more talented players in the game and should get every shot to prove himself this year. The one bonus I see to him is that if he does fail to keep his job, if a guy like Maxwell gets called he’s a nice upside pick as well that I wouldn’t feel bad about dropping Dukes for.

Round 21
(1) Frank J – Andy Pettitte (NYY – SP)
(2) samhorn_2000 – Delmon Young (Min – OF)
(3) D – Yadier Molina (StL – C)
(4) Lammster – Carlos Delgado (NYM – 1B)
(5) Anton – Plácido Polanco (Phi – 2B)
(6) Diego P – Juan Pierre (CWS – OF)
(7) Ryan – Bronson Arroyo (Cin – SP)
(8) danny h – David DeJesús (KC – OF)
(9) got2bwiz – Skip Schumaker (StL – 2B,OF)
(10) msilvett – Chris Davis (Tex – 1B,3B)
(11) michael – Orlando Cabrera (Cin – SS)
(12) hyerocker97 – Todd Helton (Col – 1B)

Best Pick – (6) Juan Pierre – As bad as he is in real life, he’s a fantasy stud who should give you a .300 BA/ 40 SB and a nice source of runs. Having Ozzie as his manager should give him every opportunity to hold on to the leadoff spot as well.
Worst Pick – (5) Placido Polanco – He’ll be trying to adjust to a new position and is definitely in the decline phase of his career. I assume he drafted him to play 2B and if that’s the case I would have taken the plunge on Schumaker or even Scott Sizemore before Polanco.
My Pick – I chose Juan Pierre like you might have noticed and he should be an elite source of SB while providing a nice source of runs & BA.

Round 22
(1) hyerocker97 – Mark Teahen (CWS – 1B,3B,OF)
(2) michael – Jermaine Dye (CWS – OF)
(3) msilvett – Kerry Wood (Cle – RP)
(4) got2bwiz – Nick Blackburn (Min – SP)
(5) danny h – Mike Lowell (Bos – 3B)
(6) Ryan – Barry Zito (SF – SP)
(7) Diego P – Carlos Ruiz (Phi – C)
(8) Anton – Gerardo Parra (Ari – OF)
(9) Lammster – Jhonny Peralta (Cle – 3B,SS)
(10) D – Magglio Ordóñez (Det – OF)
(11) samhorn_2000 – Nick Swisher (NYY – 1B,OF)
(12) Frank J – Brad Lidge (Phi – RP)

Best Pick – (10) Magglio Ordonez – Before last year he was one of the more reliable and valuble OF in the game, but after one bad year everyone seems to have jumped ship on him. Getting him this late in the game could give you the value of a 5-8 round player.
Worst Pick – (2) Jermaine Dye – It doesn’t look like Dye is going to be able to find work anywhere and if he does he’s not likely to be a starter. Seems like a lot of risk both in production and being able to find a job.
My Pick – I needed a backup catcher still and had to pick between Shoppach and Ruiz. Ruiz has shown a lot of improvement and is a better catcher than most believe. Somewhat of an upside pick.

Round 23
(1) Frank J – Joel Piñeiro (LAA – SP)
(2) samhorn_2000 – Martín Prado (Atl – 1B,2B,3B)
(3) D – Michael Brantley (Cle – OF)
(4) Lammster – Felipe López (Mil – 2B)
(5) Anton – Chase Headley (SD – 3B,OF)
(6) Diego P – Marc Rzepczynski (Tor – SP)
(7) Ryan – Ricky Romero (Tor – SP)
(8) danny h – Michael Wuertz (Oak – RP)
(9) got2bwiz – Randy Winn (NYY – OF)
(10) msilvett – Hideki Matsui (LAA – Util)
(11) michael – Ángel Guzmán (ChC – RP)
(12) hyerocker97 – Cristian Guzmán (Was – SS)

Best Pick – Michael Brantley – None of these picks are that great, but Brantley is a nice upside play. Should be a nice source for BA and some speed.
Worst Pick – (4) Felipe Lopez – He had a career year last year and isn’t likely to repeat, not to mention he’s having trouble finding a job. Looking around the league I just don’t see a palce he’ll land a starting gig and if it comes in the AL I doubt how much he’ll produce. Not to mention that I don’t think Callaspo was ever picked…
My Pick – (6) Marc Rzepczynski – His minor and major league numbers lead me to believe he’ll be a solid starter next year even in the AL East. Nice control and keeps the ball on the ground.

My Team
C – Mike Napoli
1B – Lance Berkman
2B – Robinson Cano
SS – Jimmy Rollins
3B – Michael Young
OF – Matt Kemp
OF – Jason Kubel
OF – JD Drew
Util – Elijiah Dukes
Util – Adam LaRoche

SP – Zack Greinke
SP – Wandy Rodriguez
RP – Carlos Marmol
RP – Chad Qualls
P – Jon Lester
P – Scott Baker
P – David Price
P – Mike Gonzalez

BENCH – Gordon Beckham
BENCH – Carlos Ruiz
BENCH – Marc Rzepczynski
BENCH – Juan Pierre
BENCH – Marco Scutaro

Overall I think it’s a solid team with decent upside and not a lot of guys with questionable production this year. I really like the offense, especially if I play Kubel/Drew’s matchups well, but I do admit there’s a bit to be desired among the SP. Greinke/Rodriguez/Baker are solid bets to produce, but Lester/Rzepcynski are a bit more of question marks. If Rollins bounces back and Dukes breaks out this team’s offense looks great.

Seattle Mariners NRI : Catchers

Seattle Mariners Non-Roster Invites : Catchers

Last year, the Mariners threw a bunch of players at the wall to see who would stick and it gave us David Aardsma along with some depth. This year, they’ll try the same thing again. However, they will have less roster spots open and I wouldn’t expect as much from these guys.

As with every spring training you’re going to have your glut of catchers to help out with catching all the pitchers that show up. With that said, let’s check out the current NRI catchers and their chances of sticking with the organization.

#41 – Eliezer Alfonzo (RHB) HT : 5-11 WT : 220 DOB : 02/07/79

Alfonzo’s best, and really only skill, is his power. That comes with the trade off of rarely getting on base. Alfonzo has a career .270 OBP in 489 PA spread across a four year period. Basically, you’re getting the same skill set as Jose Lopez, which isn’t that bad if he could repeat 2006 however unlikely that is. But you want to know about his defense, right? Well, from the numbers he’s put up he looks pretty average. He has a career 28 CS% and was the anti-Josh Bard last year in SD putting up a 30% rate, although that came in 24 SBA.

I do think he’s a decent backup catcher and if Rob Johnson can’t make the opening day roster there is a chance he sticks, at least for a little while. However, I wouldn’t expect to see him wearing the Mariners jersey any time soon. Of the catchers on the list he’s the most likely to stick at AAA with Adam Moore.

#26 – Josh Bard (SHB) HT : 6-3 WT : 225 DOB : 03/30/78

The cream of the crop of NRI catchers, so to speak. I don’t think it’s any secret that Bard is the favorite to break camp with the Mariners and act as the backup catcher to Rob Johnson until Adam Moore gets some more time at AAA. Josh Bard reminds me a lot of Alfonzo except he’s a switch hitter and probably does a better job at getting on base, although it’s hard to tell from his numbers. Almost everywhere I read says he’s patient, and I’ll take there words for it, but just looking at the numbers it’s hard to get a read. He does have a career .326 OBP, but when you start to look at the numbers it’s harder to make out. In 5 years he’s run an OBP south of .300, although in all but one of those years he had very few PA. In his two best years he reached 249 & 389 PA and put up OBP of .404 & .364. Really, I have no idea what type of OBP this guy is going to put up, he’s all over the map. If I had to guess I’d say around ~.300.

Defensively Josh Bard is probably easier to get a read on, right? Nope. Bard has a career CS% of 20. That’s bad…however, it comes with a silver lining. In every year outside of SD his CS% was at least 27. Lookout Landing already wrote a piece about it here so I won’t go in to detail too much, but he looks like an average/sligthly above average defensive catcher.

Bard looks like easily the best catcher of this group and should break camp with the Mariners unless Adam Moore looks really good in ST and Rob Johnson is ready to go, but that seems doubtful. Expect to see Josh Bard at least once a week to begin the year.

#72 Steve Baron (RHB) HT : 6-0 WT : 195 DOB : 12/07/90

If you’re wondering why this name sounds familiar it’s because Steve Baron was our supplemental round draft pick in this last years draft. Let me just say that Steve Baron will NOT make the team out of spring training. The only reason he’s here is to help catch and probably get some instructional help. Last year in the rookie league he put up a .179/.241/.292 slash line and by every report I’ve seen on him he needs a complete overhaul on his swing.

#74 Luis Oliveros (RHB) HT : 6-1 WT : 205 DOB : 06/18/83

He’ll be 26 coming in to next year and has spent his entire minor league career with the Mariners. There is a non-zero chance that he makes the team, but a lot would have to happen to everyone in front of him that he’s not even worth talking about. Last year between AA and AAA he ran a .276/.329/.344 slash line which actually isn’t that bad, but a lot of that success came in AA where he was spending his 5th year split between A+/AA.

Don’t expect to see him unless something catastrophic happens to the catchers ahead of him on the depth chart.

#48 Guillermo Quiroz (RHB) HT : 6-1 WT : 215 DOB : 11/29/81

For those that remember, Quiroz actually did get 15 PA for the Mariners last year and put up a .571 OPS. Anyways, judging by his fielding and offensive numbers, he’s an emergency catcher if he wants to stick in AA assuming Alfonzo stays on with the organization in AAA.

AL Central Position Rankings : Second Base

AL Central Position Rankings : Second Base

Two notes before we start.

1.I got this idea from www.sodomojo.com. They’re doing it for the AL West, so I thought it would be a waste for me to do the same division. As such, I don’t know a ton about the AL Central, so keep that in mind if I make a mistake.
2.I will be using CHONE for these rankings.

This time we move from the offensive minded first basemen to the…offensive minded second basemen. It’s weird, second base is generally viewed as an offensive light position, but in reality it isn’t. Especially in the American League with guys like Robinson Cano and Ian Kinsler. As you may have guessed, the AL Central is no different. So let’s check them out.



Minnesota Twins
Orlando Hudson
Age : 32
2010 PA : 570
2010 wRC+ : 103
2010 OBP : .346
2010 SLG : .403
2010 Fielding : -1
2010 WAR : 2.1

Hudson was a great pickup for the Twins and helps put them in a class of their own in this weak division. The funny thing about Hudson is that he used to be a fantastic defender but has seen his skill slowly deteriorate and become a more offensive minded player. Even with the decline though he doesn’t figure to be that bad, however it should be noted that he’ll be moving to turf so his defense may take a hit. Which brings us to our next point, he’s never been a picture of health playing more than 140 games only 3 times in his 7.5 year career.

Drop the projected PA by ~75 and that projection lines up with what I would guess.

Detroit Tigers
Scott Sizemore
Age : 25
2010 PA : 419
2010 wRC+ : 92
2010 OBP : .323
2010 SLG : .389
2010 Fielding : -1
2010 WAR : 1.2

I’ll be surprised if Sizemore produces as bad as he’s projected unless his AFL injury is worse than everyone thinks it is. Overall, he’s a slightly above/average second basemen. He projects to have slightly above average power, but nothing amazing. Defense is slightly below, but not terrible. Contact rate & patience are pretty good and while he doesn’t have blazing speed he has good instincts on the base paths. During his peak he could be a 20-20 player.

Kansas City
Alberto Callaspo
Age : 27
2010 PA : 504
2010 wRC+ : 105
2010 OBP : .349
2010 SLG : .412
2010 Fielding : -5
2010 WAR : 1.7

Ooooohhh, the magical age 27 season! Just like Scott Sizemore I feel like the projections are undershooting his projection by quite a bit. As long as management doesn’t get in his way I see him getting 570+ PA and a slash line of .300/.355/.420. Because of his poor fielding I find it really hard to believe he’s much more than a slightly above average second baseman (2.5 WAR?). Just like the last 2 players he’s pretty much an above/average second baseman.

Chicago White Sox
Gordon Beckham
Age : 23
2010 PA : 530
2010 wRC+ : 115
2010 OBP : .348
2010 SLG : .457
2010 Fielding : +3.0
2010 WAR : 3.6

That’s one of the higher projections from CHONE I’ve seen in awhile on someone so young and I have to agree with it. He definitely has the ability to outproduce them, but those numbers seem like a good guess. The only thing I’m not sure about is the fielding. According to UZR last year he was below average at 3B, but he played SS in his brief stint in the minor leagues so he may convert well to 2B. As long as he doesn’t completely humiliate himself out there he’s a strong bet to be an above average player at a deep position.

Cleveland Indians
Luis Valbuena
Age : 24
2010 PA : 454
2010 wRC+ : 93
2010 OBP : .328
2010 SLG : .400
2010 Fielding : +2.0
2010 WAR : 1.5

In 2008 Valbuena had a sort of breakthrough with his plate discipline putting up an 11.3 BB% while cutting down on his strikeouts. In the ML last year his BB% dropped down to 6.5 while his K% sky rocketed up to 22.6 in 368 PA. Valbuena probably figures to be below average offensively next year unless he can translate the success he had in the minors in to the ML. It’s also worth noting he only has 300 PA at AAA, and while the time he spent there was very good it may not be a bad idea for him to get some time there, although the Indians probably don’t have anyone else they would want to use if they were to send him down there.

I’m not sure how good his fielding actually is. Being a Mariners fan I feel I should know how good his defense is since he came up through our system, but unfortunately I have no idea. All I know is UZR hated him last year rating him as a -7.2 fielder in only 777 innings. He projects as a +2 fielder according to CHONE so I’ll just assume the almighty AI is smarter than I.

Rankings
1. Gordon Beckham – He may be the youngest player on the list but he has all-star potential and was already an above average regular last year.
2. Orlando Hudson – He may be in his declining phase of his career but he’s still a good baserunner & hitter.
3. Alberto Callaspo – He may be the second best hitter in the group, but his defense needs improvement. He’ll be entering the magical age 27 season so he may be in for a career year.
4. Scott Sizemore – Could realistically be a 20-20 player this year.
5. Luis Valbuena – He still seems like he’s in the ‘learning’ phase and isn’t as offensively gifted as any of the others on the list, but he should be a solid 2B in a few years.