Fantasy Baseball Draft Recap: Pizza & Beer
Written by B-Dub, Thursday March 11 2010
Even though Spring Training just started, I actually had a fantasy baseball draft already. That's what happens when you're in a league with a bunch of guys with jobs that require them to travel frequently. Damn those clients with no respect for fantasy baseball drafts.
This is the weekly lineup league that I joined for the first time last year. Most of us get together, eat pizza, drink beer and draft, but a few people can't attend the draft in person. That's why this draft is an online draft. I know, you're questioning why a bunch of guys would bother to get together in a room and then all stare at their computer screens for a draft right? Did you miss the part about the pizza and beer? Doing that in front of my home computer all by myself would just be pathetic.
No, I will not call that more pathetic. I don't consider fantasy players geeks or losers. Over a million people are in fantasy leagues, so how lame can it be? I will admit to that one year of doing fantasy XFL being right on the edge of Loserville, but one guy drafted a player who was actually dead and I won the league with the immortal Tommy Maddox as my QB. Yeah, just crossed that line into "Loserville" by remembering all that didn't I? Oh well.
The news of Joe Nathan's injury (News flash: the words "Tommy John" were used in the same sentence as Nathan) just broke the day of my draft and I was hoping some dope would draft him. Seriously, is there anything better than mocking someone who drafts a player who is out for the year? That's one of the things I love most about fantasy sports. The mocking of another guy's pick. And, of course, the pizza and beer.
Unfortunately we were watching ESPN on the dual screens in the conference room in our office when they announced the Nathan injury. Another opportunity to mock the stupid missed. Of course, this turned ugly for me when my computer froze and, you guessed it, the website auto-picked Joe Nathan for my team. After much mocking, our commissioner suspended the draft and allowed me to draft the guy who I really wanted. I took Adam "Not Pacman" Jones, just because I wanted to use that stupid nickname. I felt a little better when the same thing happened to three other guys during our draft.
The other little glitch was that I didn't upgrade the Adobe Reader on the laptop I was using to draft, so I couldn't see the chat among the drafters not in the room. The guys in the room filled me in on any shots at my expense, but it wasn't the same. Someone did say that I should write an article about how much it sucks when your computer freezes during a draft though. Good idea Scott, maybe I'll do that sometime.
I can't give away all of my draft secrets since I still have another draft in a few weeks. That one will be a bit easier, since roster spots will be decided and we'll see if guys like Brandon Webb, Ben Sheets and Brad Lidge have recovered from offseason surgery.
I actually did take Lidge with my 19th round pick out of 22 rounds. Hey, when you can only start two closers, Lidge in the 19th round is a good risk to take as a backup. Plus all reports are that he'll be ready to roll on Opening Day. And he's one of those guys who is good every other year. Perfect in save opportunities in 2008, 11 blown saves and a 7+ ERA in 2009? Yep, sign me up for that gamble.
There were a few instances where I was pissed because the guy I wanted was picked a spot or two before I could get him, but that happens to everybody. More good-natured cursing at the other guys there.
Since I learned a few things in my first year of a weekly league I had a different strategy this time around. I'm used to a daily league, where you can make up for a bad pitching outing by using every pitcher on your roster to try to lessen the damage. But in weekly leagues, you set your lineup and pray. Less strategy during the week means you need to plan ahead during the draft. I planned on taking a few stud pitchers so that I wouldn't have to worry each week. Then the draft started and I didn't exactly follow that strategy.
The draft went just like I'm sure most drafts are going to go. Pujols went first overall, followed by a slight surprise of Utley #2. We're in Philly in this league, so the hometown guys are always held in a higher regard. Plus, he's Chase "F#%king" Utley. Then Hanley Ramirez went third and A-Rod went fourth. So I'm sitting there at number five with my choice of any pitcher or reigning AL MVP Joe Mauer, who just happens to play at the thinnest position in fantasy sports. So what do I do? I picked the best available player on my list of course (Oh my God, I sound like Andy Reid).
The best player available was Ryan Braun. Now, I'm not saying that Braun isn't going to be a stud player, but I'm still not sure why I went in this direction. Maybe I was distracted by the images of Tony Kornheiser on the TVs. Maybe the pepperoni pizza was coming back on me. Maybe I just couldn't bring myself to take a Catcher in the first round. Or maybe I just mistakenly thought that a stud pitcher or two would still be there for me in the second round. Ultimately I think it was a combination of all of those things.
Mauer went with the next pick and Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay didn't make it out of the first round. Oh well. I grabbed a few pitchers who I think have a chance at a great season, but I may kick myself for taking Braun.
I usually never take outfielders until later in the draft because there are so damn many of them. I guess I was just trying to mix things up this year since I didn't win last year. If this doesn't work out I may not draft an outfielder before the 8th round ever again.
I probably reached for my starting Catcher in the 7th round. I know I reached for Adam Jones in the 10th round. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I picked a young and completely unproven third baseman in the 14th round and then had to draft another third baseman two rounds later because I feared that I had made a horrible mistake. I took a few chances on starting pitchers, who will either be very good or spectacularly bad. And then, because I noticed that my team had absolutely no speed whatsoever, I drafted Juan Pierre in the 22nd and last round of the draft.
All in all, it was a good night. Pizza and beer, remember? Now if I can only get some sucker to trade me something for Juan Pierre it will really turn out to have been a good night.
Tags:
Leave a comment
Not So Fast! To publish your comment, you have to login
Not Registered? Register now as it only take 20 seconds!
Click here to browse
4 comments
Please sign in to rate!
Hey Benn, we're already in the first week of our PlayerPress Writers fantasy baseball league. Maybe you should start trying now. Oh wait, you ARE trying?
Please sign in to rate!
so...we doing a PP baseball league? i'm down as long as i don't have to start it.
Please sign in to rate!
Damn MC Homer, can't you tell a cry for help, or at least some support, when you hear one? Do you think if I buy lots of Brauny paper towels it will help?
Please sign in to rate!
Pretty good stuff Dub, you can never go wrong with pizza and beer, even after taking Ryan Braun with the 5th pick. Ouch. Good luck with that.