Barnstorming Union 2010 Draft Recap

The Barnstorming Union had a very successful Fantasy Draft last night, with 11 out of 12 team managers in attendance. Only Master Batters was absent from the draft proceedings.

After Sunday’s keeper lock date passed, every manager had a few days (or about 45 hours) to redesign their draft strategy based on who was available. I was surprised to see that Erik Bedard was out there, after I’d swapped him to Waxy, Waxy Details for a 12^th round pick. I was even more surprised to see Brett Anderson bobbing in the draft pool. I instantly reconfigured my player list and moved him up to the top spot. With pick 3, I just had to hope that Rutger Che Hauer and Team Awesome didn’t take him.

I won't dissect the keeper selections- that's for another post- I'll just get right to breaking down the picks by round. Keep in mind that most of the best players are already securely on rosters as keeper selections. Since there were 8 keepers per team, Round 9 was this year's First Round.

Round: 9
(97) Rutger Che Hauer - Matt Garza SP
(98) Team Awesome - Juan Pierre LF
(99) Mighty Like a Rose - Brett Anderson SP
(100) Momma's Melted Malteds - Javier Vazquez SP
(101) Mighty Like a Rose - Adrian Beltre 3B
(102) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Jose Valverde RP
(103) Master Batters - Johnny Damon LF
(104) Manchester Expectoros - Matt Thornton RP
(105) Master Batters - Max Scherzer SP
(106) SMANGE SOX - Rich Harden SP
(107) Waxy Waxy Details - J.J. Hardy SS
(108) The Gnarly P-Tails - Scott Sizemore 2B

Round 9 Thoughts: The round we all wait for. Rutger Che probably confounded a few of us with his first overall selection of Matt Garza. I like Garza, but I had three starting pitchers ranked ahead of him, and a few other dudes. Team Awesome, being very pitcher heavy with their keepers, made the right pick with Juan Pierre 2^nd overall. I must admit I hesitated when I saw Vazquez available at pick 3. I didn’t even consider that he would be available. But I stuck with my plan and took Anderson. Momma’s made the right move taking Vazquez, and I reached for Beltre. I already traded him in another league despite the fact that I think he’s in line for a big season. Some folks might scoff at the selection of Matt Thornton at pick 104, but this makes sense. If he continues to be the best setup man in baseball, and Holds is our new category, why not? I think Harden is a stretch, but the last two picks are smart- get those middle infielders while you still can.

Best Pick: Of course I like Anderson, that’s why I picked him. But if ESPN is correct, Javier Vazquez (100) will be the brightest star in 2010.

Biggest Surprise: Matt Garza (97). I don’t mean to suggest I think this is a bad pick, just that it caught me off guard.

Round: 10
(109) The Gnarly P-Tails - Rafael Soriano RP
(110) Waxy Waxy Details - Wade Davis SP
(111) SMANGE SOX - Jorge Posada C
(112) Mighty Like a Rose - Kevin Slowey SP
(113) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Gavin Floyd SP
(114) Master Batters - Kerry Wood RP
(115) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Miguel Tejada SS
(116) Rutger Che Hauer - Travis Snider LF
(117) Momma's Melted Malteds - Neftali Feliz RP
(118) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Jon Rauch RP
(119) Team Awesome - Mike Napoli C
(120) Rutger Che Hauer - Chris Perez RP

Round 10 Thoughts: It’s remarkable how quickly the skill level drops off from one round to the next. I like pick 110 for two reasons. One, I predicted in an earlier blog that Wade Davis would lead the Ray’s staff in wins in 2010. Two, Wade Davis isn’t Kevin Slowey. After Smange Sox mercifully selected Posada with pick 111, I was able to grab Slowey with the fourth pick of round 10. My original draft design was to pick Slowey 3^rd overall, which looks like a bonehead plan now because I was able to grab him 13 picks later. As long as those two permanent rods in his wrist don’t bother him, the Rose will be golden. Atomic County followed up with Gavin Floyd, my next highest ranked player in the draft, and the man I intended to select as I assumed Slowey would be long gone. Master Batters, absent, were rightfully blighted with Kerry Wood. Tejada is an excellent value pick at 115. Rutger Che continued his love affair with prospects by selecting Snider with the next pick.

Best Pick: Gavin Floyd (113). Despite the fact that Atomic County kept two pitchers (Ervin Santana, Jered Weaver) Gavin Floyd is his ace.

Biggest Surprise: Mike Napoli (119). ESPN and Jake will probably disagree with me on this one, but I like Kurt Suzuki much better than Napoli. Napoli will hit more homers, probably carry a better OPS, but Suzuki is better rounded, two years younger, and has no competition behind the plate.

Round: 11
(121) Rutger Che Hauer - Francisco Liriano SP
(122) Team Awesome - Brett Gardner CF
(123) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Kurt Suzuki C
(124) Momma's Melted Malteds - Marco Scutaro SS
(125) Team Lab Sox - Vernon Wells CF
(126) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Joel Pineiro SP
(127) Master Batters - Hideki Matsui DH
(128) Manchester Expectoros - Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B
(129) Mighty Like a Rose - Desmond Jennings LF
(130) SMANGE SOX - Maicer Izturis 2B
(131) Waxy Waxy Details - Trevor Cahill SP
(132) The Gnarly P-Tails - Juan Rivera LF

Round 11 Thoughts: I always get Liriano! Rutger Che dipped in early to land Francisco, who the ESPN scouts predict, yet again, will break out in 2010. Better get him while you still can! they say. Rutger took this advice to heart, and I’m with him. Team Awesome solidified his OF by grabbing his second speedster, Brett Gardener. That’s a projected 74 steals from two of his first three picks! I already fawned over Suzuki. I really like the Vernon Wells pick at 125. Even in a down year he puts up respectable fantasy numbers, and if he can bounce back a little bit then grabbing him halfway through Rd 11 will be klepto-mania. Kevin Kouzmanoff at pick 128 could pay major dividends as well. Kouzy is a career .284 hitter outside of Petco Park and all of Petco chain stores, so there’s no reason to think he can’t put up numbers comparable to Beltre and Tejada, two 3B taken 27 and 12 picks earlier, respectively.

Best Pick: Vernon Wells (125) and Kevin Kouzmanoff (128). Both should have good return value and they both have cool letters in their names.

Biggest Surprise: Desmond Jennings (129). Yeah, I probably jumped the gun on Desmond. Waxy, Waxy, ever the lover of “cant-miss” prospects, was right on my tail and I had a terrible feeling he might swoop in and grab him if I didn’t. I felt I could afford to take a chance, hopefully it pays off.

Round: 12

(133) The Gnarly P-Tails - A.J. Pierzynski C
(134) Mighty Like a Rose - Coco Crisp CF
(135) SMANGE SOX - Joba Chamberlain SP
(136) Mighty Like a Rose - Matt Guerrier RP
(137) Manchester Expectoros - Ben Sheets SP
(138) Master Batters - Mike Gonzalez RP
(139) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Matt LaPorta LF
(140) Team Lab Sox - Cesar Izturis SS
(141) Momma's Melted Malteds - Nick Johnson 1B
(142) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Brandon Wood 3B
(143) Team Awesome - Jason Frasor RP
(144) Rutger Che Hauer - Kelly Shoppach C

Round 11 Thoughts. I grabbed some much needed steals with Coco at pick 134. It’s conceivable that he could rack up 30-35 bags this year if he leads off the whole season for the A’s. Smange Sox took a chance on Joba, for his sake I hope the Yankees make him a set up man. The Expectoros nabbed Ben Sheets with pick 137. There’s gotta be a reason Billy Beane is paying him $10m for one season in green. Beane is one prescient guy. I like Laporta at pick 139, too. This guy was a huge prospect a couple of years ago and possesses tremendous power, as long as he can collect enough at bats. Nick Johnson was a safe pick at 141 and could definitely turn out to have the most value of round 12. Atomic County activated the bomb that is Brandon Wood by selecting him with pick 142. Another nuclear meltdown is probably at hand for the Woodman.

Best Pick: Matt LaPorta (139). If he really does have 30 HR potential, then this could be a steal. Plus, he has an uppercase P in the middle of his last name- amazing.

Biggest Surprise: I can’t even begin to analyze setup men because we really have no idea what to expect with the constant flux of major league bullpens, so I’d say the biggest surprise would be Ben Sheets (137). This could be a good surprise though, because I’d sort of forgotten about him during the draft. He did have arguably the worst start in spring training history a couple days ago (faced 10 batters in the first innings, allowed 10 runs. Left without recording an out) but as I said earlier, $10m is a lot of cheese.

Round: 13
(145) Rutger Che Hauer - Austin Jackson LF
(146) Mighty Like a Rose - Luis Valbuena 2B
(147) Manchester Expectoros - Daniel Bard RP
(148) Momma's Melted Malteds - Jeremy Hellickson SP
(149) Team Lab Sox - Gerald Laird C
(150) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Nick Swisher 1B
(151) Master Batters - Kevin Gregg RP
(152) Manchester Expectoros - Phil Hughes SP
(153) Mighty Like a Rose - Derek Holland SP
(154) SMANGE SOX - Casey Kotchman 1B
(155) Waxy Waxy Details - Scott Downs RP
(156) The Gnarly P-Tails - Mike Cameron CF

Round 13 Thoughts. We’re moving further and further into the forest of the unknown sleepers, so my dissections will be shrinking. Austin Jackson at 145 could be a great pickup, and I had intended to target Casey Kotchman but got off track. Kotchman is a career .320 hitter in the minors, and has never really been given the chance to play through a slump and get comfortable at first base.

Best Pick: Phil Hughes (152). Rotation or bullpen, Hughes is going to give you some value.

Biggest Surprise: Jeremy Hellickson (148). He was on my list of deep sleepers, but I figured I could snooze a few more rounds before worrying about him. Maybe Momma had the right idea- time will tell.

Round: 14
(157) The Gnarly P-Tails - Daric Barton 1B
(158) Waxy Waxy Details - Edwin Encarnacion 3B
(159) SMANGE SOX - Jeff Niemann SP
(160) Mighty Like a Rose - Delmon Young LF
(161) Manchester Expectoros - Brandon League RP
(162) Master Batters - Erik Bedard SP
(163) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Mike Aviles SS
(164) Team Lab Sox - Ryan Rowland-Smith SP
(165) Momma's Melted Malteds - Alex Avila C
(166) Mighty Like a Rose - J.P. Howell RP
(167) Team Awesome - Magglio Ordonez RF
(168) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Shaun Marcum SP

Round 14 Thoughts: I like several of the picks in this round. Jeff Niemann pitched incredibly well for me last season and I’m not sure why ESPN isn’t more generous with their projections. This is a former 1^st round pick (fourth overall) we’re talking about. I like my selection of Delmon Young at 160^th, he’s bound to start trying at some point. Alex Avila could bypass Gerald Laird as the starting catcher for Detroit at any point and obviously has a higher ceiling than Laird, who is really only good for Scrabble mnemonics (-EY words, Blake Dewitt For Gerald Laird). Erik Bedard finally fell to the Master Batters with pick 162. When Sean logs in to check his team for the first time in July, it was be a pleasant surprise to see a smiling Erik Bedard ready for his first 2010 start.

Best Pick: Despite the fact that he regretted it 2 second after clicking his mouse, Team Awesome made a good pick with Magglio (167). A round earlier may have been questionable, but this is a former all-star who can still hit for average (Magglio had the highest average of any major league player after the all-star break in 2009). He’s in a pretty good lineup and if he puts it all together, could knock in 85+ runs.

Biggest Surprise: I shouldn’t be taken aback, because the Lab Sox had him last year, but I’m going with Rowland-Smith (164). Zack loves this guy, probably because he’s the first player in MLB history with a hyphenated last name.

Round: 15
(169) Rutger Che Hauer - Ryan Perry RP
(170) Team Awesome - Mark Teahen 3B
(171) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Rick Ankiel CF
(172) Momma's Melted Malteds - Justin Smoak 1B
(173) Team Lab Sox - Lyle Overbay 1B
(174) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Sean Rodriguez LF
(175) Master Batters - Milton Bradley RF
(176) Manchester Expectoros - Ty Wigginton 3B
(177) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Luke Scott LF
(178) SMANGE SOX - Chris Tillman SP
(179) Waxy Waxy Details - Colby Lewis SP
(180) The Gnarly P-Tails - Fernando Rodney RP

Best Pick: Chris Tillman (178). I’ve read that some scouts rank him higher than Matusz. Personally I think that’s crazy, but Tillman could sow some solid starts this season. I also like Piggy Wiggington (176). Three position eligibility and a little pug nose.

Biggest Surprise: Milton Bradley (175). We all just waited for the autodraft to give him to Master Batters. Yes, the guy is a much-publicized nuisance but if he stays on the field, by avoiding fights and injuries, he could be a great pick. The surprise is no one wanted to take a chance on him.

Round: 16
(181) The Gnarly P-Tails - Justin Masterson SP
(182) Waxy Waxy Details - Michael Brantley CF
(183) SMANGE SOX - Justin Duchscherer SP
(184) Mighty Like a Rose - Mike Lowell 3B
(185) Manchester Expectoros - Tanner Scheppers SP
(186) Mighty Like a Rose - Mark Lowe RP
(187) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Jake Fox 3B
(188) Team Lab Sox - David Robertson RP
(189) Momma's Melted Malteds - Orlando Hudson 2B
(190) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Dallas Braden SP
(191) Team Awesome - Scott Podsednik LF
(192) Rutger Che Hauer - Brandon Inge 3B

Best Pick: Scott Posednik (191). Team Awesome had a solid draft. They drafted a projected 94 steals between their three starting OFs (Pierre, Gardner, and Posednik) and turned a glaring absence of speed into one of the team’s strengths.

Biggest Surprise: After being sodomized by Duchscherer 162 times last year, the Smange Sox bent over to take it again, selecting him with pick 183. Isn’t this the pitcher whose elbows are depressed?

Round: 17
(193) Rutger Che Hauer - Brett Wallace 3B
(194) Team Awesome - Cliff Pennington SS
(195) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Hideki Okajima RP
(196) Momma's Melted Malteds - Ramon Ramirez RP
(197) Team Lab Sox - Brad Ziegler RP
(198) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Russell Branyan 1B
(199) Master Batters - Mark Ellis 2B
(200) Manchester Expectoros - Marc Rzepczynski SP
(201) Mighty Like a Rose - Fausto Carmona SP
(202) SMANGE SOX - J.J. Putz RP
(203) Waxy Waxy Details - Michael Wuertz RP
(204) The Gnarly P-Tails - Michael Taylor LF

Best Pick: I don’t know, it’s all holds guys. Umm, Putz (202) whatever.

Biggest Surprise: Russell Branyan (198) cause he’s not a setup man. Yet.

Round: 18
(205) The Gnarly P-Tails - Brad Bergesen SP
(206) Waxy Waxy Details - Jim Thome DH
(207) SMANGE SOX - Jensen Lewis RP
(208) Mighty Like a Rose - Jesus Montero C
(209) Manchester Expectoros - Darren O'Day RP
(210) Master Batters - Jack Cust RF
(211) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Joe Saunders SP
(212) Team Lab Sox - Grant Balfour RP
(213) Momma's Melted Malteds - Nick Blackburn SP
(214) Atomic County Bean's Owner - C.J. Wilson RP
(215) Team Awesome - Jose Bautista 3B
(216) Rutger Che Hauer - Brandon Morrow SP

Best Pick: But look at his peripherals! The periphery! Shut up, Eric Karabell, Joe Saunders (211) has won 33 games in the last two years combined, the same number as Tim Lincecum.

Biggest Surprise: Jack Cust was selected by someone other than Nick or myself.

Round: 19
(217) Rutger Che Hauer - Pat Neshek RP
(218) Team Awesome - Jose Guillen RF
(219) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Hank Blalock 1B
(220) Momma's Melted Malteds - Ken Griffey Jr. DH
(221) Team Lab Sox - Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
(222) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Gil Meche SP
(223) Master Batters - Pat Burrell DH
(224) Manchester Expectoros - David Murphy LF
(225) Mighty Like a Rose - Willy Aybar 2B
(226) SMANGE SOX - Garrett Atkins 3B
(227) Waxy Waxy Details - Michael Saunders LF
(228) The Gnarly P-Tails - Chris Getz 2B

Best Pick: Pat Neshek (217). This guy is a super reliever and after missing last season most people have probably forgotten about him. A possible candidate for the Twins closer spot? Unlikey. A solid RP with good numbers a shot at racking up HLDs? Definitely.

Biggest Surprise: Willy Aybar (225). Lost my concentration, ran out of time, and did a panic pick. Yes, Aybar can play 38 different positions including organist, but it’s a pain in the ass checking every pre-game update to see if he’s on the field on a give day.

Round: 20
(229) The Gnarly P-Tails - Jim Johnson RP
(230) Waxy Waxy Details - Andruw Jones DH
(231) SMANGE SOX - Taylor Teagarden C
(232) Mighty Like a Rose - Dustin McGowan SP
(233) Manchester Expectoros - Ryan Sweeney RF
(234) Master Batters - Ryan Garko 1B
(235) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Tim Wakefield SP
(236) Team Lab Sox - Alex Gonzalez SS
(237) Momma's Melted Malteds - Jose Mijares RP
(238) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Matt Palmer SP
(239) Team Awesome - Joey Devine RP
(240) Rutger Che Hauer - Dioner Navarro C

Best Pick: Back-to-Back best picks by Rutger Che with his selection of Dioner Navarro (240). How, you might ask, is Navarro the best pick of this round? With the final pick of round 12 Rutger scooped up Kelly Shoppach. Now he’s got Shoppach’s platoon mate, and one of those guys is going to be in a productive lineup. That’s some cheap and resourceful catcher work.

Biggest Surprise: Tim Wakefield (235). He will put some good stretches together over the course of the season, but when he trips he trips badly. Doubles and gopher balls galore. He’ll get some starts this year but one of these years he’s bound to be the odd man out, and with each new season the likelihood increases.

Round: 21
(241) Rutger Che Hauer - Kevin Jepsen RP
(242) Team Awesome - Randy Winn RF
(243) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Willie Bloomquist SS
(244) Momma's Melted Malteds - Casey Kelly SP
(245) Team Lab Sox - Brian Tallet SP
(246) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Jed Lowrie SS
(247) Master Batters - Felix Pie LF
(248) Manchester Expectoros - Carlos Guillen LF
(249) Mighty Like a Rose - Dontrelle Willis SP
(250) SMANGE SOX - Phil Coke RP
(251) Waxy Waxy Details - Ricky Romero SP
(252) The Gnarly P-Tails - Jake Westbrook SP

Best Pick: Jed Lowrie (246). Let’s not write this guy off completely. Good bat handling skills, knows the strike zone, and it’s not as if Marco Scutaro has always been a full-timer. Lowrie will start the year off in the minors but WATCH OUT!

Biggest Surprise: Dontrelle Willis (249). Not a good pick, purely done in an attempt to get back at Pioneer Valley for taking Lowrie, who I’d queued up for my next selection. For future reference, nobody cares or notices when you take Dontrelle.

Round: 22
(253) The Gnarly P-Tails - Chris Carter 1B
(254) Waxy Waxy Details - Travis Buck RF
(255) SMANGE SOX - Jesse Crain RP
(256) Mighty Like a Rose - Matt Joyce RF
(257) Manchester Expectoros - Juan Cruz RP
(258) Master Batters - Jeremy Hermida RF
(259) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Randy Ruiz DH
(260) Team Lab Sox - Kevin Millwood SP
(261) Momma's Melted Malteds - John Buck C
(262) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Scot Shields RP
(263) Team Awesome - Eric Byrnes LF
(264) Rutger Che Hauer - Reid Brignac SS

Best Pick: Team Awesome’s selection of Eric Byrnes (263) strikes me as a calculated, though probably completely uncalculated, risk. Major speed, major attitude, but I think ESPN may have written him off too quickly.

Biggest Surprise: Travis Buck (254). I seem to recall the Waxy, Waxy manager trying to trade Travis Buck to anyone for anything a couple years ago. He’s back on the bull, destined to be bucked again.

Round: 23
(265) Rutger Che Hauer - Josh Bell 3B
(266) Team Awesome - Nick Punto 2B
(267) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Jayson Nix 2B
(268) Momma's Melted Malteds - Kyle Drabek SP
(269) Team Lab Sox - Gabe Kapler RF
(270) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Mark Grudzielanek 2B
(271) Master Batters - Alexi Casilla 2B
(272) Manchester Expectoros - Alfredo Aceves RP
(273) SMANGE SOX - Joel Zumaya RP
(274) Waxy Waxy Details - Gio Gonzalez SP
(275) The Gnarly P-Tails - Jeremy Guthrie SP
(276) The Gnarly P-Tails - Chad Cordero RP

Best Pick: Alfredo Aceves (272). This guy’s head is shaped like a fucking shovel. A fantasy necessity.

Biggest Surprise: Gabe Kapler (269). He’s still playing?

Round: 24
(277) Waxy Waxy Details - Lou Marson C
(278) SMANGE SOX - Mark Kotsay 1B
(279) Manchester Expectoros - Koji Uehara SP
(280) Master Batters - Brayan Pena C
(281) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Dan Wheeler RP
(282) Team Lab Sox - Ramon Santiago 2B
(283) Momma's Melted Malteds - Chris Ray RP
(284) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Yuniesky Betancourt SS
(285) Team Awesome - Brian Duensing SP
(286) Rutger Che Hauer - Josh Reddick LF
(287) Rutger Che Hauer - Max Ramirez C
(288) Team Awesome - Eric Patterson LF

Best Pick: Chris Ray (283). He was supposed to close for the O’s last year. Francisco isn’t that reliable so it’s conceivable he could collect some saves in 2010.

Biggest Surprise: Brayan Pena (280). Is this the 35+ HR lovechild of Russell Branyan and Carlos Pena? I don’t know, I’ve never heard of him.

Round: 25
(289) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Kyle Farnsworth RP
(290) Momma's Melted Malteds - Bubbie Buzachero RP
(291) Team Lab Sox - Gabe Gross RF
(292) Pioneer Valley Squeaky Beagles - Darren Oliver RP
(293) Master Batters - Matt Herges RP
(294) Manchester Expectoros - Casper Wells RF
(295) SMANGE SOX - Brendan Harris SS
(296) Waxy Waxy Details - Tyler Flowers C
(297) The Gnarly P-Tails - Marcus Thames LF
(298) The Gnarly P-Tails - Luke Hochevar SP
(299) Waxy Waxy Details - Jack Wilson SS
(300) SMANGE SOX - Manny Delcarmen RP

Best Pick: Bubbie Buzachero (290). An instant fan favorite, whoever he plays for.

Biggest Surprise: Kyle Farnsworth (289). It’s true that he can dial it up to the high 90s, and used to hit 100 in the old Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately, he has yet to throw his first major league strike.

Round: 26
(301) Manchester Expectoros - Brett Cecil SP
(302) Master Batters - Danny Valencia 3B
(303) Team Lab Sox - Shawn Kelley RP
(304) Momma's Melted Malteds - Joe Nathan RP
(305) Atomic County Bean's Owner - Jeremy Bonderman RP
(306) Team Awesome - Adam Rosales 3B
(307) Rutger Che Hauer - Jess Todd RP

Best Pick: Jeremy Bonderman (305). He might have something left in the tank. I figured someone would pick Nathan, but you also have to wonder how long he’ll occupy a DL spot once said spot is actually needed.

Biggest Surprise: Just like 100% of fantasy baseball drafts, Jess Todd (307) is selected with the last overall pick.