By Gabriel Lundeen

Cappo, League 10

I had the privilege of participating in the Podcasters’ Expert Mock Draft on Sunday night. I ended up pinch-hitting for the Sports Prospect Miner himself, Darryl Houston Smith, and had a blast competing against the likes of, fellow Mafia members, Evan “The Censor” Dickens and “Big” Tony Cincotta, as well as Mike Siano of the MLB.com Fantasy 411! How did I do? See for yourself!
 

I had the 12^th pick, the wheel pick, in this 12-team draft. Keep that in mind when looking at these picks. A little commentary:

Round 1: Chase Utley – When Utley fell to me with the 12^th pick in the draft, I knew I had to snap him up. Without the freak injury last year (a broken hand after getting hit by a pitch by Washington Nationals pitcher, John Lannan), Utley’s numbers might not look that different from Matt Holliday’s. Factor in the position, and what I feel is a great deal of upside, and I feel he’s a clear-cut first rounder. Anyone who says otherwise is sadly mistaken.

Round 2: Carlos Lee – I always like to get a strong outfield, so I went with one of the top power threats at the position who also contributes a few steals. This was a hard choice with the likes of Carlos Beltran, Vlad Guerrero, Alfonso Soriano and Carl Crawford available. Any of those guys would have been a good choice, but I went with Lee, who is in a great hitting environment and a revamped Houston lineup.

Round 3: Justin Morneau – With the last pick in the 3^rd round, Morneau solidifies my 1B position, provides power, and still has upside. He’s already got an MVP under his belt, has yet to reach his prime, and should, at the very least, duplicate 2007’s stats.

Round 4: Troy Tulowitzki – Picking Tulo over Derek Jeter may seem a little counterintuitive, but this isn’t 2000 and Jeter, while still a valuable fantasy player, just doesn’t put up the numbers like he used to. Tulo and Utley give me an amazing middle infield and let me look for value late in the draft rather than feeling the pressure to pick a mediocre shortstop in the 15^th round.

Round 5: Chipper Jones – Say what you will about injuries, but all Chipper knows how to do it hit when he’s in the lineup. The time he’ll miss is easy enough to fill. I felt like he was easily the best hitter still available, and I knew he wouldn’t come back to me at the end of the 7^th Round.

Round 6: Aaron Harang – You want Erik Bedard, Brandon Webb or C.C. Sabathia in the 4^th? Take them! I’ll take Harang as my ace. He’s a perennial 200+ strikeout candidate, a healthy workhorse, always a little undervalued, and on a team that should contend in 2008.

Round 7: Francisco Cordero – With the truly elite closers off the board, I didn’t want to wait too long, so I went with Cordero. His high strikeout numbers and 40+ save potential make him an acceptable downgrade from Papelbon or K-Rod … and two to three rounds later!

Round 8: Andruw Jones – In major need of an outfielder, I took a slightly speculative pick here with Jones. Dodger Stadium may be a pitcher’s park, but it doesn’t suppress home runs, and Jones seems primed for a comeback. He’s still one of the best center fielders in baseball, even if Jayson Stark thinks he’s overrated.

Round 9: Roy Halladay – The strikeouts are down and the injury risk looms over Doc Halladay, but at the end of the 9^th round, I felt he was a steal … another potential ace who could pay off huge. Getting Halladay in the 9^th makes me even more resolute that you don’t have to overpay for starting pitching.

Round 10: Javier Vazquez – He strikes out 200+ just about every season and flies under the radar like Harang. What’s not to like?

Round 11: Mike Lowell – I didn’t need a third baseman here, necessarily, but I felt he was the best hitter available … and I really like his situation in Boston. Hitting behind Ortiz and Manny, beloved as a folk hero, and playing in Fenway, appear to be the boost he needed coming out of the Florida doldrums. I’ve seen him drafted a few rounds earlier, so I felt he was a great value here, even if he doesn’t repeat his sick 2007 stats.

Round 12: Joakim Soria – Soria had an amazing 2007, and his high strikeout totals really raised his value in my eyes. The Royals aren’t going to do much in 2008, but they are on the rise. Soria should be there at the back of their bullpen closing down the games that they do win.

Round 13: Josh Fields – Last year’s power surge was no fluke – Fields is a player to watch for 2008. I’m thinking Adam Dunn ten rounds later – the batting average will always be lacking, but he’s going to hit a lot of bombs in Chicago. I also liked his position flexibility, as he’s eligible at 3B and OF.

Round 14: Kevin Gregg – He’s now the Marlins’ highest-paid player, they don’t have anyone else waiting in the wings to steal his job, and I wanted that third closer to cement my bullpen. At this point in the draft, all the closers were pretty speculative, but he seemed the safest of the bunch.

Round 15: Michael Cuddyer – If he’s healthy he should be a solid middle of the lineup contributor in the Twins’ offense, and it’s reasonable to expect 20+ HR and somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 RBIs.

Round 16: Corey Patterson – He’s still a free agent, but wherever he plays he should be good for 30+ steals. Even if you have to accept his other, pretty mediocre stats, it never stops anyone from picking Juan Pierre. Patterson’s a much better value eight rounds later. Truthfully, I wanted Michael Bourn here, but he got picked a few picks before.

Round 17: Julio Lugo – Cheap speed … pure and simple. I needed stolen bases badly, and Lugo will at least do that if nothing else. It makes him a decent middle infielder on one of baseball’s best teams.

Round 18: Mark Reynolds – Reynolds showed why the D-Backs are so high on him last year, and I’m looking for him to improve in 2008. A solid young hitter with tremendous upside, which is about all you can ask of a pick this late.

Round 19: Andy Pettitte – If the elbow holds up, he should be good for 15 wins and decent, but not spectacular, stats all around. I’d be surprised if he didn’t earn 19^th round value.

Round 20: Andrew Miller – One of the centerpieces of the Cabrera/Willis trade, he should start the year in the Marlins’ rotation, and the talent he showed last year makes him a compelling pick now that he’s jumped ship to the NL.

Round 21: Kurt Suzuki – You have to pick catchers eventually, right? Suzuki comes with a little hype and upside, and he should have a full-time job in Oakland.

Round 22: Ryan Doumit – Doumit also has OF eligibility, which makes him a little more attractive as an option. Even if Ronny Paulino beats him out for the catching duties in Pittsburgh, he should be able to find a job somewhere in their lineup. He’s shown that he can hit at the major league level.

Round 23: Greg Maddux – With the last pick of the draft, and needing one more pitcher, Maddux seemed like a safe choice to do exactly what he’s done his entire Hall of Fame career. Though his Cy Young days are over, he’s still a fairly reliable option in fantasy leagues. Worst case scenario, I drop him and pick up a pitch-or-ditch starter.

All things considered, I’m pretty happy with my team. No major mistakes, no undue risks taken, and a fairly balanced team … despite deficiencies in speed and batting average. I also built in depth at positions like third base, which would allow me to seek trades to address my team’s needs if we were playing this league out. I would have liked to attained a better outfield, but I still have upside with the picks I made. It was a great exercise going up against the “Podcasters”, and I hope I get the chance again.