Monday, February 25, 2008

Evaluating My Team - Team #2

I had my second draft this weekend and I thought I should post the results so you can see that I practice what I preach. This is a standard 5x5, 12-team, roto league. I had the first overall pick. Here's my team (along with which round I took them in):

Hitters
C - Russell Martin (4th round) - I actually drafted Eric Byrnes in the fourth round but traded him for Martin immediately after the draft. I am pleased with that trade.
1B - Adrian Gonzalez (7th round) - I already had Berkman, but I just couldn't pass on Gonzalez, so I moved Berkman to the outfield.
2B - Brandon Phillips (2nd round) - I came so close to taking B.J. Upton, but I have Phillips ranked higher and I figured I'd draft Upton on other teams.
3B - Alex Rodriguez (1st round) - For a minute I thought about taking Hanley Ramirez. But A-Rod is just too much of a sure-thing that I felt compelled to take him.
SS - Michael Young (8th round) - I needed some batting average help.
OF - Lance Berkman (3rd round) - He's good.
OF - Corey Hart (5th round) - The 49th overall pick might be early, but I wanted him and I knew he probably wouldn't be there for my next pick (72nd overall).
OF - Matt Kemp (10th round) - Love the upside.
Util - Justin Upton (15th round) - If he struggles, I have a strong bench that I can use.
Bench - Josh Fields (17th round) - I'm not as high on Fields as some people, but he should provide plenty of power.
Bench - Ryan Garko (19th round) - Good power.
Bench - Joey Votto (20th round) - Love the power/speed combo.

Pitchers
SP - John Smoltz (6th round) - I'm not big on taking old pitchers, but Smoltz is pretty good for an old guy.
SP - Javier Vazquez (9th round) - I thought I could wait until this pick to grab Daisuke Matsuzaka. I was wrong and Vazquez was my consolation prize.
SP - Rich Hill (11th round) - Man-love for Hill.
SP - John Maine (12th round) - Love this guy.
SP - Clay Buchholz (14th round) - I was really hoping to get either Oliver Perez or Jeremy Bonderman with this pick. No such luck, but Buchholz could be very good.
SP - Ian Kennedy (21st round) - Could get a bunch of wins.
RP - Matt Capps (13th round) - Saves.
RP - Kevin Gregg (15th round) - Saves.
RP - Brandon Lyon (18th round) - Saves.

Bottom Line
I love my lineup. I should dominate in runs, homers, and RBI, and be very competitive in steals and batting average. My rotation is very questionable, though. I like Hill and Maine, but I worry a little about Smoltz and Vazquez. And, obviously, Buchholz and Kennedy are big question marks. I may need to trade a hitter for a more dependable pitcher at some point.

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