Compiled by Bob in Cleveland

League 4

Greetings, fellow Mafia members!

We start in the Windy City and end in the desert in this final edition of the Writing Staff League draft report. Never fear, however, as we’ll be back throughout the season to keep you up to date.  In the end, who will stand on top of the mountain?!

Terry Mahoney (Pick #6) - “The Windy Citizens”

Unlike many owners, I do not go into every draft with a set strategy. I start fresh every time and let the pieces fall into place. As Cory Schwartz often suggests on the Fantasy 411, you cannot ruin a draft in the first three rounds. I draft by ‘best talent available’ in the first three rounds and begin to fill in all of the holes throughout the remainder of the draft.

This draft was different for me because I had to start out on autopick.  I do not really remember how many rounds I missed, but luckily the computer did a good job covering me. The biggest problem I had was taking C.C. Sabathia in the third round.  I usually stray from pitching in the early rounds, but I was not too distraught to be saddled with a top starting pitcher.

Another disappointment in the draft was not drafting closers early enough. I tried and waited an extra round for a group of three or four closers two or three times and saw those three or four taken ahead of me each time. I like to have reliable arms in my bullpen, so Joe Borowski just does not cut it for me.

I liked the overall balance I was able to accumulate in the opening ten or fifteen rounds. I filled out a roster of power and speed and tried not to overload at one position. My work comes after draft day when I will have to decide where to trade from strength.  In addition, I know I will have to snag some key waiver wire pickups.

Pete in Jordan (Pick #4) - “mancrushes united”

It was a pleasure to participate in the inaugural draft of the FBM Writing Staff League.  This league promises to be very challenging and competitive. The fact that much of the action in the league will be documented by the various participating writers and podcasters makes it more fun for me, and hopefully it will be very instructive to the readers. I will try to give you my take on what is happening in the league as the season goes on.

The draft, as expected, was competitive to the end. In the 25th round, I was still biting my nails and hoping Ryan Freel would fall to me. If you are still fired up for pick #364, you’re in a hard core draft.

In drafting my team, I was willing to stray a little bit from taking the best player available in order to cover my categories and emerge with a balanced team.  Let me explain.  I was concerned that high BA batters with power would disappear very quickly.  I saw depth in starting pitching and low BA speedsters.  As a result, I drafted a core of power and BA to build around and filled in with speed and pitching later.

Picking in the 4-spot, I knew I would have to choose between Holliday and Wright. Technically, I think Wright can put up the exact numbers as Holliday — just with a bit less BA and much more speed.  I think Wright is more valuable on his own, but I took Holliday because I felt that power and BA in the outfield would be easier to build a team around.

I went into the draft planning to draft Holliday, V-Mart, and D. Lee with my first 3 picks – and that’s what I did.  My commitment to my strategy was tested, especially when Ichiro and Beltran were still available when I drafted V-Mart, but I stuck to my plan, and I feel it paid off in my overall team construction.

I made up for the BA that I would have gotten from Ichiro by drafting Robinson Cano and Michael Young for my infield.  Between Holliday, V-Mart, D. Lee, Cano, and Young, I think I will compete with BA and overall RBIs and Runs.  In addition, with that core of BA and power, I was able to draft the sexier HR and SB guys like Weeks, C. Young, Milledge, and Cory Patterson.  They round out my offense.

Of course, everything comes at a price – especially when there are 14 other competitive teams. I took Myers as my first starter in the 8th round. I took McGowan in the 10th only because Alex Gordon was drafted right before him. My staff has speculative guys with upside such as Myers, McGowan, Bonderman, Unit, and Ian Kennedy.  My closers are Street, C.J. Wilson, Fuentes, and Heath Bell. I think my pitching staff can compete, especially if I manage it well during the season and catch some breaks (and closers).

I was, overall, happy with how my strategy played out. I felt most fortunate when the following picks fell to me:

Chris B. Young - 57th overall

Cano - 64th

Michael Young - 94th

Heath Bell - 297th

I probably reached on ‘man-crush’ Weeks as the 84th overall pick, but it fit my plan well enough.  I cried bitterly when Gordon went right before me at 146.  I had nobody else in mind for that pick.  In hindsight, maybe it was a blessing in disguise, because I was forced to draft McGowan, and my pitching really needed the help.

Overall, I might like this team better than my 12-team League 6 draft!  I think it worked out because of the power and BA that I grabbed in the early rounds. It’s a long season.  I’ll keep you posted as it progresses.  So far, Street blew the save in the first game and I’m in third place.