Draino's Draft

After a round 2006 season where several players that were good in 2005 flamed out, Draino (aka Football Commish) needed a solid draft to have a shot at the playoffs. He had some good keepers with Vernon Wells 6, Roy Halliday 8, Prince Fielder 17 and Chris “the pitcher” Young 18, as well as Ramon Hernandez 22 and Nick Swisher 23. Lets see how he did…

Round 1: Roy Oswalt. You can never go wrong with pitchers named Roy (except Roy Hobbs, because he got shot). Anyway, I feel he was the best SP not kept, and a great 1-2 with Halliday.

Round 2: Justin Morneau. Both Draino and I thought that he would take Abreu here, but with Ichiro getting drafted earlier than expected, the AL MVP was available. I’m glad I dropped him in May last year…

Round 3: Rafael Furcal. After this pick, the quality of SS really dropped off, so this was solid. He has similar numbers to Rollins, with a few less HRs and a better BA.

Round 4: Joe Nathan. I think this was the first closer off the board. Nathan is very reliable. Hopefully, 25 of his 40 saves come when saving a win for Johan.

Round 5: traded to big bro for Vernon Wells.

Round 6: Vernon Wells. Was rewarded for a great year with a huge contract. I’d expect similar numbers, possibly with less steals. He likely would have been a first round pick if Draino didn’t trade for him. He’s 27 or 28, so I don’t think 2006 was a career/contract year, but that’s one thing to keep in mind.

Round 7: Bobby Jenks. As long as he’s healthy, hes a good #2 closer.

Round 8: Roy Halliday. Great keeper. You’d like it if he had a few more Ks, but considering he plays in the AL East, his other numbers are ridiculous (in a good way).

Round 8: Scott Rolen. Probably the second best 3B who wasn’t kept, after Atkins, who went 7 rounds earlier.

Round 9: Brandon Phillips. I think he’s got him for second base. Good source of steals.

Round 10: Eric Byrnes. Draino’s first hiccup. He told me that he was targeting 3 young guys – Markakis, Cuddyer and someone else. When Cuddyer, the last of those three still available, was taken the pick before, I think Draino got a little flustered. However, Byrnes did go 20/20, so its not that bad. I wonder if he wasn’t taken here if he would have been drafted at all. Not a big deal, because this has been a good draft to this point.

Round 11: Bronson Arroyo. Good pitcher with nice K totals.

Round 12: Rich Hill. I’m pretty sure he’ll be in the Cubs rotation. Good young pitcher with a good offense behind him.

Round 13: Corey Patterson. If he plays every day = good. If he platoons = not good.

Round 14: Eric Gagne. This pick is a huge wildcard, but with little risk for Draino. If it pans out, its incredible. If not, really no big loss, especially with Nathan and Jenks already on board.

Round 15: Hank Blalock. This guy used to be a top-5 third baseman (well, at least top 8). Anyway, he plays in Texas and he’s still young. Good value pick this late in the draft.

Round 16: Jacque Jones. Playing at Wrigley and hitting in a very good lineup. Could be a great #3 OF.

Round 17: Prince Fielder, keeper. Probably a year or two away from being a top first baseman, but still great potential, and likely to hit 30 HRs from his Utility slot.

Round 18: Chris Young. A young pitcher, with good upside, pitching half his games in the Padre’s park = solid #3 SP.

Round 19: Jason Isringhausen. Personally, I would never draft Izzy because I hate him and he sucks. Yes, he had a lot of saves last year, but he always puts a ton on runners on base and was hurt at the end of the season. With 2 great closers on board, its worth the pick…just not for me, I already have enough stress in my life aside from watching this guy try to get 3 outs in the ninth.

Round 20: Tad Iguchi. Decent backup second baseman.

Round 21: Matt Murton. Not sure if he’s starting the season in the majors, but could be a sleeper for keeper considerations.

Round 22: Ramon Hernandez. Catchers are the kickers of fantasy baseball - useless.

Round 23: Nick Swisher. Oh Billy Beane, you are a genious!

Round 24: Scott Olsen. A good young Marlins SP. Will likely have a greater impact on the Florida Marlins than on ‘The Zeros’.

Overall, I think that Draino had a very good draft, and positioned himself well to be in the top half of the league this year. There would need to be some major injuries to keep this team out of the playoffs. He doesn’t have one guy that can carry your team for a week, but sometimes that’s a good thing – those types of players are often prone to slumps. The strength of the team lies with its pitching, especially his top 2 SPs and top closer – Oswalt, Halliday and Nathan. With Morneau, Wells, Fielder and Swisher, I think this offense could surprise.