Grading my fantasy baseball draft

It's good to see someone else thinks Zumaya is worth taking. I selected him in the 21st of a 24-round draft. And people were asking me why. Why? Because he throws the ball 200 miles an hour (as long as he lays off the PS2 game Guitar Hero).

 

I was forced to take Jones as closers were going ridiculously early, so it only made sense to take Zumaya on the comeback.

Fuck, like it's out of the realm of possibility that Jones gets hurt or has a fucking heart attack on the mound? Besides, you can always put him in your lineup for K's and low ERA and WHIP if someone else gets hurt.

 

Jason, if I were you, I'd thinking about going out and getting some pop -- somewhere. You need some extra-base power.

 

My biggest concern right now: Beckett's ERA has to come down, right?

 

He's going to win 20 games with a solid ERA this year. He's the best pitcher on that team. Nice pick.

I also grabbed Schilling and Beckett in consecutive rounds in the NIAFL draft. Just wish Beckett was available in my AL-only league. Fuckin guy who has him kept him at $20. Grrrr.

 

You know they'll both come through on wins and K's. If their ERA's are good, they're legit studs.

 

Standard 12-person Yahoo! Roto League. I think this is a fairly decent draft, but who knows....

1. (4) Alfonso Soriano OF
2. (19) Carl Crawford OF
3. (26) Roy Halladay SP
4. (41) Johnny Damon OF
5. (48) Paul Konerko 1B
6. (63) Jonathan Papelbon RP
7. (70) Scott Kazmir SP
8. (85) Carlos Guillén SS
9. (92) Chris Young SP
10. (107) Takashi Saito RP
11. (114) Cole Hamels SP
12. (129) Jeff Francoeur OF
13. (136) Ian Kinsler 2B
14. (151) Chipper Jones 3B
15. (158) Michael Barrett C
16. (173) Frank Thomas Util
17. (180) Josh Johnson SP,RP
18. (195) Rafael Soriano RP
19. (202) Jonathan Broxton RP
20. (217) Alex Gordon 3B
21. (224) José López 2B
22. (239) Homer Bailey SP

 

My other draft in a Yahoo! 12-man head-to-head league with standard 5x5 scoring categories went like this.

1. (2) Johan Santana SP
2. (23) Jason Bay OF
3. (26) Roy Oswalt SP
4. (47) Joe Nathan RP
5. (50) Francisco Rodríguez RP
6. (71) Ryan Zimmerman 3B
7. (74) Scott Kazmir SP
8. (95) Magglio Ordóñez OF
9. (98) Jim Thome Util
10. (119) Édgar Rentería SS
11. (122) Derek Lowe SP
12. (143) Richie Sexson 1B
13. (146) Josh Johnson SP,RP
14. (167) Coco Crisp OF
15. (170) Ian Kinsler 2B
16. (191) Johnny Estrada C
17. (194) Adrián González 1B
18. (215) Ryan Freel 2B,3B,OF
19. (218) Boof Bonser SP
20. (239) Alex Gordon 3B
21. (242) Craig Monroe OF
22. (263) José López 2B


I know, way too much pitching and I drafted closers too early, but that's what I sold my soul for.

 

No way. He doesn't miss bats. Ever. Which means not only does he cost you Ks and K/BB, but he has to be almost perfect for an entire season to help you out in ERA or WHIP. And he's certainly not going to win many games.

 

What makes you think Helton's numbers are going to rebound?

Baseball Prospectus has him hitting about .300 this year with 20 home runs - an increase from 15 last year, but probably not the kind of increase you are banking on.

Even in his 90th percentile, they have him with 26 home runs. I hope you didn't take him too high. Guys like that can kill you. As can guys with career years like Jermaine Dye. Don't ever draft last year or two years ago. Draft what you think they're going to do this year.

 

I look at some of these rosters and the same mistakes keep popping up - you should never, ever, ever draft two second basemen or two catchers unless on is injured to start the season.
Both positions are incredibly thin after the first three guys, so your backup isn't worth the roster spot over say, an OF who could potentially hit 25 HRs or a setup guy who could be a closer. My favorite 2B fill in this year has been Freddy Sanchez, who is a steal late in most drafts because he's primarily a 3B, a position where he doesn't have much value because he has no power. At 2B, he's tremendous because of his average.
Zumaya should go in the 14-16 rounds of most drafts, with Broxton, the japanese guy from Texas and Suchscherer to follow. Those guys lower WHIPS and ERAs and their strikeouts add up. I feel you're better off with a bullpen with high K/9 guys, because they will slowly and steadily up your Ks while lowering other stats. If you can get an RP with SP eligibility, that's a find.