The 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert Fantasy Baseball Auction League drafted on Wednesday, February 17th at CBSSports.com.
Click here for the auction results.
Click here for The Fantasy Man's Live Mock Draft Mania Podcast
Click here for Part 1 of Lenny Melnick's Live Draft Analysis via Podcast
Click here for Part 2 of Lenny Melnick's Live Draft Analysis via Podcast
Click here for analysis from Scott White of CBS Sports
Click here for analysis from Ray Flowers of Baseball Guys
Click here for analysis from Grey Albright of RazzBall
Click here for analysis from Jeff Boggis of Fantasy Sports Empires
Click here for Part 1 analysis from Todd Farino of Fantasy Baseball Search
Click here for Part 2
Click here for Part 3
Click here for Part 4
More to come shortly...
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
2010 BotFG Expert League Podcasting LIVE Wednesday, Feb. 16th, 2010
The great Lenny Melnick of http://www.fantasypros911.com/ will be podcasting live the play-by-play of the 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert league. Click the link below to be a part of the action. You can call in and comment on the chatboards as we draft! The draft starts at 8PM on Wednesday, February 16th, 2010. Check it out!
This link will get you to Lenny's page where you should be able to get to the live podcast!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/talkingbaseballlive
This link will get you to Lenny's page where you should be able to get to the live podcast!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/talkingbaseballlive
Introducing Team #12 - Grey Albright of RazzBall
The twelfth team to join the Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert Fantasy Baseball League is Grey Albright of RazzBall.
Introducing Team #11 - Ryan Hallam of Fighting Chance Fantasy
The eleventh team to join the Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert Fantasy Baseball League is Ryan Hallam of Fighting Chance Fantasy.
Introducing Team #10 - Scott Swanay of Fantasy Baseball Sherpa
The tenth team to join the Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert Fantasy Baseball League is Scott Swanay of Fantasy Baseball Sherpa.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Introducing Team #9: Ray Flowers of FanBall.com
The ninth team to join the Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert Fantasy Baseball League is Ray Flowers of FanBall.
You can also check out Ray's work at www.BaseballGuys.com
You can also check out Ray's work at www.BaseballGuys.com
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Introducing Team #8: Paul Greco of Fantasy Pros 911
The eigth team to enter the 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert Fantasy Baseball League belongs to Paul Greco of Fantasy Pros 911.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Introducing Team #7: Tony Cincotta of Fantasy Pros 911
The seventh team of the 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert Fantasy Baseball League is Tony Cincotta of Fantasy Pros 911.
You can listen to Tony and his team talk fantasy baseball weekly via podcast at www.FantasyPros911.com .
You can listen to Tony and his team talk fantasy baseball weekly via podcast at www.FantasyPros911.com .
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Introducing Team #6: Chris McDonnell of FantasyBaseball.com
The sixth team of the 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert League belongs to Chris "The Big Dawg" McDonnell of www.FantasyBaseball.com !
Chris is the projections guru at www.FantasyBaseball.com
Chris is the projections guru at www.FantasyBaseball.com
Introducing Team #5: Tim McLeod of RotoRob
The fifth team of the Battle of the Fantasy Gods belongs to Tim McLeod of RotoRob!Tim is the defending BotFG champion and is looking to repeat!
Introducing Team #4: Jeff Boggis of Fantasy Sports Empires
The fourth team of the 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert League belongs to Jeff Boggis of Fantasy Sports Empires!
Check out Jeff's fantasy baseball blog/podcast here!
Introducing Team #3: Todd Farino of Fantasy Baseball Search
The third team of the 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert League belongs to Todd "The True Guru" Farino of Fantasy Baseball Search. Todd is one of the savviest experts in the industry and also manages a great site dedicated to Closers at http://www.thecloserreport.com/ .
Introducing Team #2: Scott White of CBS Sports
The second team of the 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Fantasy Baseball Expert League belongs to Scott White of CBS Sports!
CBS Sports is the official host of the 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert Fantasy Baseball League!
CBS Sports is the official host of the 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert Fantasy Baseball League!
Introducing Team #1: Mike Kuchera of Fantasy Baseball Express
The first team of the 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Fantasy Baseball Expert League belongs to Mike Kuchera (a.k.a. The Fantasy Man) of Fantasy Baseball Express!
Mike has been doing fantasy baseball advice since 2006. Check out the history of the Fantasy Man here.
Mike has been doing fantasy baseball advice since 2006. Check out the history of the Fantasy Man here.
2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert League
The Fantasy Man's 2010 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert League is back for it's 3rd season and we're in roll call mode! Over the next two weeks we'll be introducing a league of 12 of the best fantasy baseball "experts" and analysts who will be participating!
The plan is to get 12 player that I enjoy playing in a league with and maybe get some fantasy baseball and league related content posted by some of the league managers just like we did last season.
This years winner will receive free banner advertising on my sites http://www.fantasybaseballexpress.com/ and http://www.thefantasyman.com/ and I'm thinking of doing either some kind of trophy we could pass around or a t-shirt or something to keep everyone motivated.
So stay tuned and find out who will be participating and check back to see how this league unfolds in the pre-season!
FM
Saturday, October 10, 2009
2009 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Champion!
Congratulations to Tim McLeod who represents www.RotoRob.com as the winner of the 2009 Battle of the Fantasy Gods Fantasy Baseball Experts League!! Great job this season Tim!
Thanks guys for another great season! Hopefully we can do this again next year!
Thank you again to CBS, Scott White and Eric Mack for hosting the league!
Thanks guys for another great season! Hopefully we can do this again next year!
Thank you again to CBS, Scott White and Eric Mack for hosting the league!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Troy Patterson of FantasyPros911.com Draft Analysis
Draft Analysis by Troy Patterson of www.FantasyPros911.com
Round 1 – Albert Pujols – I was going to go with one of the SS if they made it to #4, but Pujols makes sure I can take a lower average guy later and still break even. Add in 37-40 homers and I have a great first rounder.
Round 2 – Chase Utley – Had just heard he thinks he will be ready opening day and think that makes him a sure second rounder. I have some risk, but the payoff is elite.
Round 3 – Carlos Beltran – Should out produce Holliday with the move to OAK, but picked 2 rounds later. Might not have 30 steals anymore, but a return to 30 homers is possible.
Round 4 – Brandon Webb – I was going to wait on pitching a bit, but Webb late in round 4 was to tempting.
Round 5 – Russell Martin – Another I expected to go early, but can help me maintain a roster with balanced speed. No other catcher can get you 15+ steals and be the only true 5-category catcher.
Round 6 – Bobby Abreu – Another 5-category guy to balance my roster. Expect another 20/20 season and although his team is unknown for now.
Round 7 – James Shields – I now have two ace pitchers who fall slightly compared to similar arms. I had targeted Oswalt and Shields, but took Shields here with both available.
Round 8 – Jhonny Peralta – I had missed out on the elite SS, but felt Peralta was the last of the SS I would want to start. He will supply me with plenty of power from a SS.
Round 9 – Bobby Jenks – I usually take a closer here so I don’t have to stuff them all together in the 13-18 round. Jenks makes a good top closer and should be solid all year.
Round 10 – Ben Sheets – A bit of an injury risk, but should supply me with plenty of strikeouts. Could be my top pitcher if healthy all season.
Round 11 – Raul Ibanez – Expecting a few extra homers, but not a return to 30. His RBI’s should stay above 100 playing on this lineup.
Round 12 – Lastings Milledge – Wanted to round out a few more steals, but the possibility of 20 homers makes this a pick I like more.
Round 13 – Matt Capps – Capps had one of the best K/BB of any closer in 2008. He doesn’t strike out a lot, but he walks no one.
Round 14 – Mike Napoli – My favorite pick of the night. He is going to hit 30 homers and steal 10 bases. I should have the best power speed numbers of any teams catchers.
Round 15 – Mark DeRosa – I’m not sold on another 20 homers, but as a MI with the possibility to fill in at 3B and OF with injuries I thought he was good here.
Round 16 – Aaron Harang – Making up some more strikeouts with a comeback player in Harang. His season was wrecked by injuries and with rest I expect a full return.
Round 17 – Mark Reynolds – I finally cashed in my Pujols average for 30 homers and 10 steals at 3B. Bill James thinks he could hit .270 this year and that would be a robbery in the 17th round.
Round 18 – Pablo Sandoval – Makes a good CI player, but if he can get catcher eligibility by the end of May I can move him or one of my other catchers for help elsewhere.
Round 19 – Jason Giambi – I like to look for power late that is usually coming off a down year or young, but Giambi just hit 32 last year. Might decline power a bit in OAK, but he shouldn’t drop much.
Round 20 – Andrew Sonnanstine – Another talented Tampa pitcher. He is another one light on strikeouts, but a superb K/BB and has a good offense helping him.
Round 21 – Carlos Gomez – I thought I had really solidified my power and could help myself by adding Gomez and a possible 40 steals. Could improve his contact rate, but his average won’t be great.
Round 22 – Brad Ziegler – Not sure if he will end up closing, but worth a shot as my third closer now.
Round 23 – Hiroki Kuroda – A very undervalued pitcher for his 2008 season. Pitching in LA should only continue to help him.
I really think I found some great value late and built a good team for all stats. My strikeouts may be my weak spot, but it shouldn’t be horrible.
Round 1 – Albert Pujols – I was going to go with one of the SS if they made it to #4, but Pujols makes sure I can take a lower average guy later and still break even. Add in 37-40 homers and I have a great first rounder.
Round 2 – Chase Utley – Had just heard he thinks he will be ready opening day and think that makes him a sure second rounder. I have some risk, but the payoff is elite.
Round 3 – Carlos Beltran – Should out produce Holliday with the move to OAK, but picked 2 rounds later. Might not have 30 steals anymore, but a return to 30 homers is possible.
Round 4 – Brandon Webb – I was going to wait on pitching a bit, but Webb late in round 4 was to tempting.
Round 5 – Russell Martin – Another I expected to go early, but can help me maintain a roster with balanced speed. No other catcher can get you 15+ steals and be the only true 5-category catcher.
Round 6 – Bobby Abreu – Another 5-category guy to balance my roster. Expect another 20/20 season and although his team is unknown for now.
Round 7 – James Shields – I now have two ace pitchers who fall slightly compared to similar arms. I had targeted Oswalt and Shields, but took Shields here with both available.
Round 8 – Jhonny Peralta – I had missed out on the elite SS, but felt Peralta was the last of the SS I would want to start. He will supply me with plenty of power from a SS.
Round 9 – Bobby Jenks – I usually take a closer here so I don’t have to stuff them all together in the 13-18 round. Jenks makes a good top closer and should be solid all year.
Round 10 – Ben Sheets – A bit of an injury risk, but should supply me with plenty of strikeouts. Could be my top pitcher if healthy all season.
Round 11 – Raul Ibanez – Expecting a few extra homers, but not a return to 30. His RBI’s should stay above 100 playing on this lineup.
Round 12 – Lastings Milledge – Wanted to round out a few more steals, but the possibility of 20 homers makes this a pick I like more.
Round 13 – Matt Capps – Capps had one of the best K/BB of any closer in 2008. He doesn’t strike out a lot, but he walks no one.
Round 14 – Mike Napoli – My favorite pick of the night. He is going to hit 30 homers and steal 10 bases. I should have the best power speed numbers of any teams catchers.
Round 15 – Mark DeRosa – I’m not sold on another 20 homers, but as a MI with the possibility to fill in at 3B and OF with injuries I thought he was good here.
Round 16 – Aaron Harang – Making up some more strikeouts with a comeback player in Harang. His season was wrecked by injuries and with rest I expect a full return.
Round 17 – Mark Reynolds – I finally cashed in my Pujols average for 30 homers and 10 steals at 3B. Bill James thinks he could hit .270 this year and that would be a robbery in the 17th round.
Round 18 – Pablo Sandoval – Makes a good CI player, but if he can get catcher eligibility by the end of May I can move him or one of my other catchers for help elsewhere.
Round 19 – Jason Giambi – I like to look for power late that is usually coming off a down year or young, but Giambi just hit 32 last year. Might decline power a bit in OAK, but he shouldn’t drop much.
Round 20 – Andrew Sonnanstine – Another talented Tampa pitcher. He is another one light on strikeouts, but a superb K/BB and has a good offense helping him.
Round 21 – Carlos Gomez – I thought I had really solidified my power and could help myself by adding Gomez and a possible 40 steals. Could improve his contact rate, but his average won’t be great.
Round 22 – Brad Ziegler – Not sure if he will end up closing, but worth a shot as my third closer now.
Round 23 – Hiroki Kuroda – A very undervalued pitcher for his 2008 season. Pitching in LA should only continue to help him.
I really think I found some great value late and built a good team for all stats. My strikeouts may be my weak spot, but it shouldn’t be horrible.
Knox Bardeen of CrookedPitch.com Draft Analysis
Here is Knox Bardeen's draft analysis for the Battle of the Fantasy Gods!
http://www.crookedpitch.com/460/my-battle-of-the-fantasy-gods-team/
You can get more free fantasy baseball analysis at www.CrookedPitch.com .
http://www.crookedpitch.com/460/my-battle-of-the-fantasy-gods-team/
You can get more free fantasy baseball analysis at www.CrookedPitch.com .
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Mojo Moshovetis of CrucialSports.com Draft Analysis
Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert League Draft Results...
Ryan Howard
R1 - I had to go with the big bat here and have total faith in him big huge again in 2009. His BA will hurt but I will try to fix that as I go.
Manny Ramirez
R2 - I could not resist Manny here. He doesn't have a team yet, but this guy can play anywhere he lands.
Vladimir Guerrero
R3 - Much like Manny, I just could not let Vladi fall any further. His bat is always a threat and his BA will help.
David Ortiz
R4 - More big bats! I love it. I believe his BA will rise a ton this year back to helping me cover for Howard.
Jake Peavy
R5 - I usually ignore SPs until Round 9, but Peavy this late is a steal in my mind.
Adam Dunn
R6 - So the BA takes a hit again, but I should dominate power numbers. I need speed!!!
Chone Figgins
R7 - Speed made it to me in Round 7 finally. He should be healthy and running a lot in 2009.
Michael Young
R8 - Looking over what was left I went with position over skill here and filled my SS with a guy I think is going to be very solid.
Carlos Zambrano
R9 - This is when I typically go for SPs and I am looking for guys that throw the heat.
Felix Hernandez
R10 - King Felix might not rack up the Wins but he will help way more than hurt.
Matt Wieters
R11 - Time to make a position pick again and I am going to gamble on a rookie here that I love as the C spot is dwindling fast.
Kelly Johnson
R12 - Same goes for the 2B spot, I had to take Johnson here or else be stuck with someone like Kaz Matsui later.
Brian Wilson
R13 - Now that I have a great 3 SPs, I need to compete in Saves. I don't ever overpay for the big name closers.
Matt Lindstrom
R14 - Another closer should do for now. He comes cheap and has plenty of upside.
Carlos Guillen
R15 - This could be a steal to fill my CI spot if he gets back to his 2007 form.
George Sherrill
R16 - Figured I would grab 1 more closer just to be safe. Chris Ray may be healthy but I still like Sherrill as the closer.
Jeff Clement
R17 - Another young Catcher! I hate scrambling for a junk Catcher in 2 C leagues.
Jed Lowrie
R18 - I was looking for young and upside to fill my MI and think I have it here.
Philip Hughes
R19 - Now I am trying to fill my SPs up and Hughes is another young talent loaded with upside.
Armando Galarraga
R20 - Same goes for Galarraga. I think he can improve on his great year.
Chase Headley
R21 - Youth, Youth, Youth! I am looking for a power increase here.
Gary Sheffield
R22 - Well this shatters my youth rally, but if Sheffield comes to the season healthy he will produce in the DET lineup.
Brad Penny
R23 - Last round is always a great time to gamble. I used mine on a once great SP joining the Red Sox most likely.
Mojo
Ryan Howard
R1 - I had to go with the big bat here and have total faith in him big huge again in 2009. His BA will hurt but I will try to fix that as I go.
Manny Ramirez
R2 - I could not resist Manny here. He doesn't have a team yet, but this guy can play anywhere he lands.
Vladimir Guerrero
R3 - Much like Manny, I just could not let Vladi fall any further. His bat is always a threat and his BA will help.
David Ortiz
R4 - More big bats! I love it. I believe his BA will rise a ton this year back to helping me cover for Howard.
Jake Peavy
R5 - I usually ignore SPs until Round 9, but Peavy this late is a steal in my mind.
Adam Dunn
R6 - So the BA takes a hit again, but I should dominate power numbers. I need speed!!!
Chone Figgins
R7 - Speed made it to me in Round 7 finally. He should be healthy and running a lot in 2009.
Michael Young
R8 - Looking over what was left I went with position over skill here and filled my SS with a guy I think is going to be very solid.
Carlos Zambrano
R9 - This is when I typically go for SPs and I am looking for guys that throw the heat.
Felix Hernandez
R10 - King Felix might not rack up the Wins but he will help way more than hurt.
Matt Wieters
R11 - Time to make a position pick again and I am going to gamble on a rookie here that I love as the C spot is dwindling fast.
Kelly Johnson
R12 - Same goes for the 2B spot, I had to take Johnson here or else be stuck with someone like Kaz Matsui later.
Brian Wilson
R13 - Now that I have a great 3 SPs, I need to compete in Saves. I don't ever overpay for the big name closers.
Matt Lindstrom
R14 - Another closer should do for now. He comes cheap and has plenty of upside.
Carlos Guillen
R15 - This could be a steal to fill my CI spot if he gets back to his 2007 form.
George Sherrill
R16 - Figured I would grab 1 more closer just to be safe. Chris Ray may be healthy but I still like Sherrill as the closer.
Jeff Clement
R17 - Another young Catcher! I hate scrambling for a junk Catcher in 2 C leagues.
Jed Lowrie
R18 - I was looking for young and upside to fill my MI and think I have it here.
Philip Hughes
R19 - Now I am trying to fill my SPs up and Hughes is another young talent loaded with upside.
Armando Galarraga
R20 - Same goes for Galarraga. I think he can improve on his great year.
Chase Headley
R21 - Youth, Youth, Youth! I am looking for a power increase here.
Gary Sheffield
R22 - Well this shatters my youth rally, but if Sheffield comes to the season healthy he will produce in the DET lineup.
Brad Penny
R23 - Last round is always a great time to gamble. I used mine on a once great SP joining the Red Sox most likely.
Mojo
Jeff Boggis of FantasySportsEmpires.com Draft Analysis
Battle of the Fantasy Gods fantasy baseball draft - January 5, 2009
Jeff Boggis "The Sultan of Stats" of Fantasy Sports Empires participated in the 2009 Battle of the Fantasy Gods fantasy baseball league draft last night on January 5th. This league was formed by Mike "The Fantasy Man" Kuchera who continues to make a name for him in the fantasy baseball hemisphere. Mike is persistent and is passionate about his work.
I had the 9th pick in a 12 team, 23 rounds, mixed league, fantasy baseball draft. The rules are pretty simple: There are weekly transactions, no maximum innings pitched, and we start the following lineups: 2 catchers, 1B, 2B, SS, SB, CI, MI, 5 outfielders, DH, and 9 pitchers.
The draft was hosted by Geoff Stein of Mock Draft Central and he had the 10th pick of the draft. Geoff and I have similar draft strategies and like most of the same players, so it was difficult drafting next to him. The 8th team in the draft was on auto draft, so that always skews the results.
My overall draft strategy is to draft power in the first 5 rounds, and closers/starting pitchers in every other round after round 5. You just can't find a power hitter with the potential of hitting 35+ home runs in the middle to late rounds, but there is always the potential of finding a great starting pitcher or closer later in the draft.
With the 9th pick in the first round of the draft, I was targeting either Ryan Braun or Ryan Howard. I call it "Ryan's Hope." I ended up with the choice of either players and I went with Ryan Braun due to his great numbers across the board, and adds batting average and stolen bases. In rounds 2-5 I was looking for the same thing, but was willing to add value when it was there for the taking. Ironically, that happened more than I expected in this draft. My draft strategy turned out to not be my strategy whatsoever in the draft. Let me explain.
In round 2 I stayed the course with going with a solid power hitter. I was targeting the likes of Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano, but low and behold, Josh Hamilton was available in round 2, pick 4 (pick 16 overall). I drafted Hamilton without reservation, yet some of the other draft attendees instant messaged that they were avoiding Hamilton this season, that he killed them the during the 2nd half of the season. CBS projects Hamilton as their 8th best hitter with 36 home runs, 126 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, 103 runs, and a .301 batting average. If that kills my team, so be it! These are the kind of stats that I am looking for in the early draft rounds. I prefer hitters close to .300 with the potential of 10+ stolen bases. Both Braun and Hamilton fit the mold, so I am off to a great start in the draft.
Round 3 is where is all went wrong for me. I had 5 of the following players in my queue: Beltran, Kemp, Carlos Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Soriano. With 5 picks before my 3rd pick, like dominos, they all fell and my queue was completely empty. At that point there was nobody on the board that I wanted. In hindsight, maybe I should have drafted David Ortiz, but his injury risk scares me. I initially took C.C. Sabathia, but after Geoff Stein saw that my draft was on auto select and I ran out of time, he allowed me to make a switch to Adrian Gonzalez. (Thanks again Geoff, as this happened at least one more time during the draft). Gonzalez is another power hitter and is projected by CBS Sports to hit 33 home runs and have 110 RBIs. I also like to draft both my 1B and 3B positions early in the draft so drafting Gonzalez in round 3 fit my objective.
In round 4, I was hoping that Ortiz would make it back to me, but he did not. Nick Markakis and potentially Carl Crawford was another option, but I went against my normal tendencies and picked C.C. Sabathia. CBS Sports has him ranked #1 overall in their pitching rankings so I found great value with this pick.
By round 5, all of the power hitters had been drafted, so I was looking for the best "hybrid" player on the board. I define "hybrids" as players that can hit at least 20 home runs and steals at least 20 bases. I was looking for Alex Rios, Curtis Granderson, and Nate McLouth. Both Rios and Granderson were taken a couple of picks before my 5th pick, so I gladly drafted Nate McLouth.
I always try to draft a top 5 closer by rounds 5-7 and Joe Nathan was the pick to click in round 6.
Round 7 was another unexpected round for me. Picking 9th in the odd rounds, I had to wait until 16 picks went off the board. Good players like Votto, Abreu, Huff, Victor Martinez, Furcal, Ludwick, Pence, and finally Vernon Wells all went during those 16 picks. Instead of taking a hitter, I found value with drafting Roy Oswalt as my #2 starting pitcher. CBS Sports ranks Oswalt as their 10th ranked pitcher overall.
Round 8 meant that I had to draft a hitter. I only had 6 short picks in even rounds before my next pick. I drafted Jose Valverde as my #2 relief pitcher and was very happy with that draft pick. He has been very dependable over the past couple of years.
With pick 10, I still feel that there were no hitters worth drafting during this round, so I went with A.J. Burnett. CBS Sports ranks Oswalt as their 9th ranked pitcher overall. I now have drafted both the #1 and #2 starting pitchers for the New York Yankees in the first 10 rounds of my draft. This is truly the George Costanza draft to this point. I've done the opposite than I normally do at this point in my drafts.
I proceed to take yet another starting pitcher in round 11 with Javier Vazquez. I've always like Vazquez, as long as you can stomach his ERA which tends to hover around 4.00. He's in Atlanta this year, so this was just as much a "Homer" pick as they get.
In round 12 I had to land the best power hitter on the board. I drafted Brad Hawpe of Colorado. He should be good for 25-30 home runs and 100 RBIs.
In round 13, it was too hard to pass up on drafting Justin Verlander. I know he had a down year last season, but I am feeling confident that he will rebound in 2009. He offered great value in round 13.
Huston Street is another pitcher that I think can rebound in 2009. A change of scenery to Colorado will do him a lot of good. I think he can save 30 games in 2009.
Now that I had solidified my pitching, my strategy was to obtain a 4th closer but only right before they had all been drafted. This typically occurs by round 15, but ironically Heath Bell of San Diego was drafted in round 20.
In rounds 15 and 16, I drafted my first catcher with Bengie Molina and my corner infielder in Paul Konerko. Paul is an excellent pick in round 16 as he can hit 25 home runs and have 80-90 RBIs.
In round 17, I drafted my 4th closer in Joey Devine. I think he will be the closer over Brad Ziegler who was drafted in round 22. I'd rather have 4 closers than 6 starting pitchers as I feel I can do more good with ERA, WHIP, and Saves, versus wins and strikeouts. That has always been a draft strategy that has worked well for me.
Round 18 - 23 were spent drafting all hitters to fill in my remaining positions. At this point I was looking for either hybrid players or strictly stolen base players. I drafted Ricky Weeks, Eric Byrnes, Melvin Mora, Kelly Shoppach, Edgar Renteria, and Kaz Matsui to complete my team.
One glaring weakness is batting average. I am projecting somewhere between .274 and .277 which will certainly put me near the bottom of the standings. In these types of leagues, the goal is to put together a team that will produce 300 home runs and 150 RBIs. Using CBS Sports projections, they project 300 home runs and 139 stolen bases, so I am in the ball park.
I will project that I will compete in the league in 2009, but not sure that I will win this league at this point. But hey, that is why we play the games, make trades, and utilize the waiver wire!
Jeff Boggis "The Sultan of Stats" of Fantasy Sports Empires participated in the 2009 Battle of the Fantasy Gods fantasy baseball league draft last night on January 5th. This league was formed by Mike "The Fantasy Man" Kuchera who continues to make a name for him in the fantasy baseball hemisphere. Mike is persistent and is passionate about his work.
I had the 9th pick in a 12 team, 23 rounds, mixed league, fantasy baseball draft. The rules are pretty simple: There are weekly transactions, no maximum innings pitched, and we start the following lineups: 2 catchers, 1B, 2B, SS, SB, CI, MI, 5 outfielders, DH, and 9 pitchers.
The draft was hosted by Geoff Stein of Mock Draft Central and he had the 10th pick of the draft. Geoff and I have similar draft strategies and like most of the same players, so it was difficult drafting next to him. The 8th team in the draft was on auto draft, so that always skews the results.
My overall draft strategy is to draft power in the first 5 rounds, and closers/starting pitchers in every other round after round 5. You just can't find a power hitter with the potential of hitting 35+ home runs in the middle to late rounds, but there is always the potential of finding a great starting pitcher or closer later in the draft.
With the 9th pick in the first round of the draft, I was targeting either Ryan Braun or Ryan Howard. I call it "Ryan's Hope." I ended up with the choice of either players and I went with Ryan Braun due to his great numbers across the board, and adds batting average and stolen bases. In rounds 2-5 I was looking for the same thing, but was willing to add value when it was there for the taking. Ironically, that happened more than I expected in this draft. My draft strategy turned out to not be my strategy whatsoever in the draft. Let me explain.
In round 2 I stayed the course with going with a solid power hitter. I was targeting the likes of Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano, but low and behold, Josh Hamilton was available in round 2, pick 4 (pick 16 overall). I drafted Hamilton without reservation, yet some of the other draft attendees instant messaged that they were avoiding Hamilton this season, that he killed them the during the 2nd half of the season. CBS projects Hamilton as their 8th best hitter with 36 home runs, 126 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, 103 runs, and a .301 batting average. If that kills my team, so be it! These are the kind of stats that I am looking for in the early draft rounds. I prefer hitters close to .300 with the potential of 10+ stolen bases. Both Braun and Hamilton fit the mold, so I am off to a great start in the draft.
Round 3 is where is all went wrong for me. I had 5 of the following players in my queue: Beltran, Kemp, Carlos Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Soriano. With 5 picks before my 3rd pick, like dominos, they all fell and my queue was completely empty. At that point there was nobody on the board that I wanted. In hindsight, maybe I should have drafted David Ortiz, but his injury risk scares me. I initially took C.C. Sabathia, but after Geoff Stein saw that my draft was on auto select and I ran out of time, he allowed me to make a switch to Adrian Gonzalez. (Thanks again Geoff, as this happened at least one more time during the draft). Gonzalez is another power hitter and is projected by CBS Sports to hit 33 home runs and have 110 RBIs. I also like to draft both my 1B and 3B positions early in the draft so drafting Gonzalez in round 3 fit my objective.
In round 4, I was hoping that Ortiz would make it back to me, but he did not. Nick Markakis and potentially Carl Crawford was another option, but I went against my normal tendencies and picked C.C. Sabathia. CBS Sports has him ranked #1 overall in their pitching rankings so I found great value with this pick.
By round 5, all of the power hitters had been drafted, so I was looking for the best "hybrid" player on the board. I define "hybrids" as players that can hit at least 20 home runs and steals at least 20 bases. I was looking for Alex Rios, Curtis Granderson, and Nate McLouth. Both Rios and Granderson were taken a couple of picks before my 5th pick, so I gladly drafted Nate McLouth.
I always try to draft a top 5 closer by rounds 5-7 and Joe Nathan was the pick to click in round 6.
Round 7 was another unexpected round for me. Picking 9th in the odd rounds, I had to wait until 16 picks went off the board. Good players like Votto, Abreu, Huff, Victor Martinez, Furcal, Ludwick, Pence, and finally Vernon Wells all went during those 16 picks. Instead of taking a hitter, I found value with drafting Roy Oswalt as my #2 starting pitcher. CBS Sports ranks Oswalt as their 10th ranked pitcher overall.
Round 8 meant that I had to draft a hitter. I only had 6 short picks in even rounds before my next pick. I drafted Jose Valverde as my #2 relief pitcher and was very happy with that draft pick. He has been very dependable over the past couple of years.
With pick 10, I still feel that there were no hitters worth drafting during this round, so I went with A.J. Burnett. CBS Sports ranks Oswalt as their 9th ranked pitcher overall. I now have drafted both the #1 and #2 starting pitchers for the New York Yankees in the first 10 rounds of my draft. This is truly the George Costanza draft to this point. I've done the opposite than I normally do at this point in my drafts.
I proceed to take yet another starting pitcher in round 11 with Javier Vazquez. I've always like Vazquez, as long as you can stomach his ERA which tends to hover around 4.00. He's in Atlanta this year, so this was just as much a "Homer" pick as they get.
In round 12 I had to land the best power hitter on the board. I drafted Brad Hawpe of Colorado. He should be good for 25-30 home runs and 100 RBIs.
In round 13, it was too hard to pass up on drafting Justin Verlander. I know he had a down year last season, but I am feeling confident that he will rebound in 2009. He offered great value in round 13.
Huston Street is another pitcher that I think can rebound in 2009. A change of scenery to Colorado will do him a lot of good. I think he can save 30 games in 2009.
Now that I had solidified my pitching, my strategy was to obtain a 4th closer but only right before they had all been drafted. This typically occurs by round 15, but ironically Heath Bell of San Diego was drafted in round 20.
In rounds 15 and 16, I drafted my first catcher with Bengie Molina and my corner infielder in Paul Konerko. Paul is an excellent pick in round 16 as he can hit 25 home runs and have 80-90 RBIs.
In round 17, I drafted my 4th closer in Joey Devine. I think he will be the closer over Brad Ziegler who was drafted in round 22. I'd rather have 4 closers than 6 starting pitchers as I feel I can do more good with ERA, WHIP, and Saves, versus wins and strikeouts. That has always been a draft strategy that has worked well for me.
Round 18 - 23 were spent drafting all hitters to fill in my remaining positions. At this point I was looking for either hybrid players or strictly stolen base players. I drafted Ricky Weeks, Eric Byrnes, Melvin Mora, Kelly Shoppach, Edgar Renteria, and Kaz Matsui to complete my team.
One glaring weakness is batting average. I am projecting somewhere between .274 and .277 which will certainly put me near the bottom of the standings. In these types of leagues, the goal is to put together a team that will produce 300 home runs and 150 RBIs. Using CBS Sports projections, they project 300 home runs and 139 stolen bases, so I am in the ball park.
I will project that I will compete in the league in 2009, but not sure that I will win this league at this point. But hey, that is why we play the games, make trades, and utilize the waiver wire!
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