I touched on some of the picks from this draft in Perry's thread - so now I'd like to share my team as well. This was a 50 Round Fast/Slow draft. We drafted it all on one day in just over 4 hours. I was drafting from the 11th spot.
First 10 picks were:
Rd1 - Justin Upton OF - Cargo went 5, Bautista dropped but went right before I picked. Fielder was there but I thought I had a good shot at getting Tex next rd.
RD 2 - Mark Teixeira 1B- Got Tex as planned. Granderson was still there and I thought about it but passed. Passed on Verlander.
RD 3 - Jered Weaver SP - Was hoping one of Hosmer, C Santana, Lawrie or Napoli would fall - none did. Didn't love the bats that were there and figured something decent would fall. Almost scored Felix but had to settle for Weaver.
RD 4 - Ben Zobrist 2B/OF - A bunch of 3B went - and both of my targets Andrus and Jennings. I thought about A Cabrera and Nelson Cruz. But I went for Ben Zobrist. Wanted to get something scarce and his multi-positional eligibility fit my plan of targeting these types of players.
RD 5 - Dan Haren SP - 7 C's were off the board when this pick came up. No way was I biting on a C this high. The other two I might have picked closed out the round. Again I missed out out speed as Gardner and Bourn go early in the round. The C run has pushed some starters down the board and I take Haren over Gallardo and Strasberg.
RD 6 - Mike Morse 1B/OF - I was zeroed in on Adam Jones and he went to team 13. Youkilis was on the board, but with no FAAB - I was trying to avoid injury risks early. Morse caught my eye - another multi-positional guy and my top 1B left. I decided to double up here and filled my CI slot (for now). The player I think I missed here due to time was Alex Gordon.
RD 7 - Howie Kendrick 2B/OF - Was hoping Alexie Ramirez might make it - no - he opened the round. I am glad to see others grabbing their 2nd SP's. I almost land Choo who goes right before me - luckily I had Howie K ready as a plan B. Much like Morse earlier I get some BA help, multi positional guy. I have as good a CI/MI as you can hope for - which makes me feel better about the fact that my SS and 3B will be weaker.
RD 8 - Michael Cuddyer 1B/OF - I love Cuddyer and he was a target - but I got sniped twice right before I picked as Dee Gordon and Cameron Maybin got nabbed. I get another multi-pos guy, deplete the 1B market more and move on.
RD 9 - Kenley Jansen RP - 7 closers go after Cuddyer pick - so I jump into the run. Feel pretty good about getting him as the 14th RP off the board.
RD 10 - Rafael Betancourt - 5 more closers go - and I decide to get my 2nd. It wasn't a bad decision - 7 more would come off the board. It did cost me Derek Jeter who went right before me in RD 11.
Okay - here is the whole squad.
C - AJ Pierzynski, Wilin Rosario -
Kottaras, Quintero, Shoppach, Romine
1B - M Teixeira -
2B - H Kendrick (OF) - Mike Aviles (3B -likely SS)
3B - C Headley - Chisenhall, Rolen
SS - S Rodriguez (2B/3B) - Ramon Santiago (2B)
MI - B Zobrist (OF) - Maicer Izturis (2b/3B)
CI - P Goldschmidt
OF - J Upton, M Cuddyer (1B), M Morse (1B), J Willingham, B Boesch
OF - B Lillibridge (1B), S Fuld, A Dirks, J Dyson
UT - C Figgins (3B) - J Damon
SP - J Weaver, D Haren, T Hanson, J Masterson, C Sale, B McCarthy, T Stauffer, H Alvarez,
SP - R Detwiler, D Moseley, G Richards, J Blanton, B Matusz, H Noesi, B Beaven,
RP- Jansen, Betancourt, J Venters, J Benoit, B Parnell, T Wilhelmsen, JP Howell
Overall I was pretty happy with the effort. BA and steals could be an issue. I really need Figgins to not suck. My C's are pretty lousy too. I need Rosario up in at least a time share by June 1. I grabbed Romine cause I think he'll get a look in Sept at least. He was my last pick. SP is a strength- McCarthy/Stauffer/Alvarez are three of my favorite back-end guys - nice ratios. Hanson was a relative bargain (11th rd)- so I hope he stays healthy. - and I like my arms in reserve.
I have a lot of power and a lot of versatility which will help me maximize my AB's Loved getting Aviles cause S-Rod is far from reliable. I wish I had done a little better in the BA dept and I would have like to get one of the big SB producers.
In any case - I think this team will contend in my league for sure.
We'll see what happens - I will keep you posted
Ryan C's Slow/Fast Draft
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southpaw
Re: Ryan C's Slow/Fast Draft
Looks good Ryan.
I like your balance although personally I would have made different choices at the beginning as I'm not a big Weaver fan.
But good team overall.
Yeah, your C's are weak but you made up for it with above average MI and CI.
OF depth could be an issue if you have to use Morse and/or Cuddyer at other spots.
How much more of a challenge did you find having to make your decisions so quickly compared to the slow draft?
I like your balance although personally I would have made different choices at the beginning as I'm not a big Weaver fan.
But good team overall.
Yeah, your C's are weak but you made up for it with above average MI and CI.
OF depth could be an issue if you have to use Morse and/or Cuddyer at other spots.
How much more of a challenge did you find having to make your decisions so quickly compared to the slow draft?
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deansdaddy
Re: Ryan C's Slow/Fast Draft
I was a challenge espceially when the guy or two you like goes right as you are going to pick. Guys were making picks here in like 5 seconds - sometimes you'd pick and be picking again in like less than a minute or two. You HAVE to have guys in your queue.
I hear you on OF - but I have Zobrist and Kendrick to play there as well if need be.
I hear you on OF - but I have Zobrist and Kendrick to play there as well if need be.
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RobG
Re: Ryan C's Slow/Fast Draft
Ryan, I thought you did a great job. I look forward to playing out this season. I will post my team from this draft to continue the conversation.
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deansdaddy
Re: Ryan C's Slow/Fast Draft
Thanks Rob - I think we both made life hard for those around us. Should be a fun league.
Overall prize up to $10,000
which is a pretty sweet prize to shoot for off a $150 investment.
Overall prize up to $10,000
which is a pretty sweet prize to shoot for off a $150 investment.-
RobG
Re: Ryan C's Slow/Fast Draft
So I was in this same fast draft, picking number 10, one pick in front of Ryan. I don't usually do a rundown of my team, but its a team picked in mid-February and I like the discussion.
To begin with, I liked this format more than any draft format I have done in a long time. No matter a live draft or an online draft, I usually am ready for my picks and pick immediately. I set my queue with about 15 players and kept it at 15 for pretty much all 50 rounds, so usually it was just waiting until it was my turn to take my guy. I went into this draft with no set strategy except for being consistent in all 10 cats and taking value where I could get it.
Round 1) Jose Bautista 3B- I am not a huge Bautista fan, as I see him being the Jeremy Lin of MLB, and I am still waiting for him to turn back into a pumpkin. Two years, two top 10 overall player rater seasons later and I can't let a top 3B like him slip. I consider Upton, but jump on Joey Bats.
Round 2) Curtis Granderson OF- I thought long and hard about other players, but the chance to get 30+ homers, 110+ runs, 100+ RBIs, and possibly 20+ SBs were just to much to give up. With Bautista only getting me a handful of steals, I needed a power bat with at least some speed. The batting average hurts in the second round, but I hope to make up for that when I take my next few hitters in rounds 3 and 4.
Round 3) Felix Hernandez SP- I thought Santana, Napoli, Lawrie, or Zimmerman would be my pick here. When the first three hitters slid and King Felix was still sitting there, I had to change it up. I passed on Zim, but with Bautista already at third, I wasn't as concerned. Happy with this pick, but that means I may be changing my strategy, unless....
Round 4) Zack Greinke SP- ...I have a chance to draft Andrus or Zobrist, which both went right before me. With that, I figured to double on my pitchers and have a staff led by Felix and Grienke. At this point, I will not draft another starter for a while, but have a ways to go to make up on my offense, especially stolen bases.
Round 5) Brandon Phillips 2B- I need a middle infielder and I wanted to start accumulating the 20/20 type guys while they are still around. Philips is consistent and hit .300 last season. 600 at bats with his production and possible .300 average fits in perfectly on my team. It was very hard to pass up on Dan Haren who was picked by Ryan with the next pick. I just couldn't take a third pitcher, but had I known he would have falen, I am not sure Greinke is the pick.
Round 6) Paul Konerko 1B- I wasn't happy with my counting numbers at this point and wanted a third baseman who will post a solid batting average. I had Morse and Konerko in the queue. Morse went to Ryan, so Konerko was my easy choice, though I did consider Shin Soo Choo for the 5 cat numbers.
Round 7) Shin-Soo Choo OF- I guess I am glad I didn't take Choo the last round. One has to hope that last seasons problems are behind him, but he should be worth the risk at this point.
Round 8) Billy Butler DH- I need speed in the worst way at this point, with only about 60 to 70 steals on board, but I just didn't feel happy with my batting average and I think the 25 year old Butler could really begin to step up his production and lend a high average. Tying up the DH spot at this point isn't my favorite, but I will take the risk.
Round 9) Sergio Santos RP- The closer run was beginning and once Bailey and Madson were gone, I wanted to go with someone I thought could offer good averages and a few k's on a good team. I am going to have to try and take Cordero later to handcuff myself, but I am happy with the pick.
Round 10) Brian Wilson RP- 7 of the next 10 picks were closers, so I had to take another one. Wilson was lights out before last year and if he is healthy, I will gladly take him on my team.
After 10 rounds, I had 4 pitchers and was not hitting my batting categories, especially speed, as I had planned, but had 40 rounds to go.
Some of my team:
C-JC Arencibia, M. Olivo
1B- P. Konerko, A. Lind
2B- B. Phillips
SS- D. Jeter, A. Casilla
3B- J. Bautista
UT- B. Butler
OF- C. Granderson, S. Choo, C. Beltran, C. Quentin, A. Pressely, D. Span, J. Pierre
SP- F. Hernandez, Z. Greinke, C. Lewis, S. Baker, T. Cahill, M. Harrison
RP- S. Santos, B. Wilson, J. Guerra, F. Cordero, S. Romo
To begin with, I liked this format more than any draft format I have done in a long time. No matter a live draft or an online draft, I usually am ready for my picks and pick immediately. I set my queue with about 15 players and kept it at 15 for pretty much all 50 rounds, so usually it was just waiting until it was my turn to take my guy. I went into this draft with no set strategy except for being consistent in all 10 cats and taking value where I could get it.
Round 1) Jose Bautista 3B- I am not a huge Bautista fan, as I see him being the Jeremy Lin of MLB, and I am still waiting for him to turn back into a pumpkin. Two years, two top 10 overall player rater seasons later and I can't let a top 3B like him slip. I consider Upton, but jump on Joey Bats.
Round 2) Curtis Granderson OF- I thought long and hard about other players, but the chance to get 30+ homers, 110+ runs, 100+ RBIs, and possibly 20+ SBs were just to much to give up. With Bautista only getting me a handful of steals, I needed a power bat with at least some speed. The batting average hurts in the second round, but I hope to make up for that when I take my next few hitters in rounds 3 and 4.
Round 3) Felix Hernandez SP- I thought Santana, Napoli, Lawrie, or Zimmerman would be my pick here. When the first three hitters slid and King Felix was still sitting there, I had to change it up. I passed on Zim, but with Bautista already at third, I wasn't as concerned. Happy with this pick, but that means I may be changing my strategy, unless....
Round 4) Zack Greinke SP- ...I have a chance to draft Andrus or Zobrist, which both went right before me. With that, I figured to double on my pitchers and have a staff led by Felix and Grienke. At this point, I will not draft another starter for a while, but have a ways to go to make up on my offense, especially stolen bases.
Round 5) Brandon Phillips 2B- I need a middle infielder and I wanted to start accumulating the 20/20 type guys while they are still around. Philips is consistent and hit .300 last season. 600 at bats with his production and possible .300 average fits in perfectly on my team. It was very hard to pass up on Dan Haren who was picked by Ryan with the next pick. I just couldn't take a third pitcher, but had I known he would have falen, I am not sure Greinke is the pick.
Round 6) Paul Konerko 1B- I wasn't happy with my counting numbers at this point and wanted a third baseman who will post a solid batting average. I had Morse and Konerko in the queue. Morse went to Ryan, so Konerko was my easy choice, though I did consider Shin Soo Choo for the 5 cat numbers.
Round 7) Shin-Soo Choo OF- I guess I am glad I didn't take Choo the last round. One has to hope that last seasons problems are behind him, but he should be worth the risk at this point.
Round 8) Billy Butler DH- I need speed in the worst way at this point, with only about 60 to 70 steals on board, but I just didn't feel happy with my batting average and I think the 25 year old Butler could really begin to step up his production and lend a high average. Tying up the DH spot at this point isn't my favorite, but I will take the risk.
Round 9) Sergio Santos RP- The closer run was beginning and once Bailey and Madson were gone, I wanted to go with someone I thought could offer good averages and a few k's on a good team. I am going to have to try and take Cordero later to handcuff myself, but I am happy with the pick.
Round 10) Brian Wilson RP- 7 of the next 10 picks were closers, so I had to take another one. Wilson was lights out before last year and if he is healthy, I will gladly take him on my team.
After 10 rounds, I had 4 pitchers and was not hitting my batting categories, especially speed, as I had planned, but had 40 rounds to go.
Some of my team:
C-JC Arencibia, M. Olivo
1B- P. Konerko, A. Lind
2B- B. Phillips
SS- D. Jeter, A. Casilla
3B- J. Bautista
UT- B. Butler
OF- C. Granderson, S. Choo, C. Beltran, C. Quentin, A. Pressely, D. Span, J. Pierre
SP- F. Hernandez, Z. Greinke, C. Lewis, S. Baker, T. Cahill, M. Harrison
RP- S. Santos, B. Wilson, J. Guerra, F. Cordero, S. Romo
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deansdaddy
Re: Ryan C's Slow/Fast Draft
Quick little update on my Slow Draft League. I am currently in 5th place but in the hunt only 7.5 points out of first. Rob G is sitting right ahead of me in the Standings as is Stanley Kaye. Mark Sbreo (aka Gordon Gekko) lurks behind me in 6th.
Don't have a lot of offense in reserve - so I have to hope I stay healthy there as I have so far.
Pitching wise I have a little depth, and actually have Parnell and Wilhelmsen, so getting some SV help for the time being.
1 PACO THYME 51.0 56.5 107.5 +0.5
2 The Vig 59.0 47.5 106.5 -1.5
3 Kaye-O's 40.0 64.0 104.0 -1.0
4 Tiger Slappy Fast 58.0 45.0 103.0 -0.5
5 Ryan C 51.0 49.0 100.0 0.0
6 won't back down 67.0 32.0 99.0 +2.0
7 Team Eight 41.0 54.5 95.5 +2.5
8 Projectile Hurlers 50.0 34.5 84.5 -2.0
9 Baseball Furies 31.0 49.0 80.0 -2.0
10 Kenturions 40.0 28.5 68.5 +0.5
11 Hoosier Daddy FD 39.0 17.0 56.0 +0.5
12 iron monkey 21.0 35.0 56.0 +2.0
13 The Franchise 12.0 38.5 50.5 +0.5
14 Team FD50 27.0 18.0 45.0 0.0
15 BK Mets FD2 13.0 31.0 44.0 -1.5
Don't have a lot of offense in reserve - so I have to hope I stay healthy there as I have so far.
Pitching wise I have a little depth, and actually have Parnell and Wilhelmsen, so getting some SV help for the time being.
1 PACO THYME 51.0 56.5 107.5 +0.5
2 The Vig 59.0 47.5 106.5 -1.5
3 Kaye-O's 40.0 64.0 104.0 -1.0
4 Tiger Slappy Fast 58.0 45.0 103.0 -0.5
5 Ryan C 51.0 49.0 100.0 0.0
6 won't back down 67.0 32.0 99.0 +2.0
7 Team Eight 41.0 54.5 95.5 +2.5
8 Projectile Hurlers 50.0 34.5 84.5 -2.0
9 Baseball Furies 31.0 49.0 80.0 -2.0
10 Kenturions 40.0 28.5 68.5 +0.5
11 Hoosier Daddy FD 39.0 17.0 56.0 +0.5
12 iron monkey 21.0 35.0 56.0 +2.0
13 The Franchise 12.0 38.5 50.5 +0.5
14 Team FD50 27.0 18.0 45.0 0.0
15 BK Mets FD2 13.0 31.0 44.0 -1.5