Battle of the Fantasy Gods Expert League Draft: Rounds 23-28
Finally, we wrap up the Battle of the Fantasy Gods draft recap, taking a look at the exciting final rounds. What types of deep sleepers will emerge?
You can see the participants as well as rounds 1-7 here, rounds 8-15 here and rounds 16-22 here.
At this point I have a solid top three in Lester, Liriano and Lewis (The big L3!) and solid upside plays in Jorge deLa Rosa and Wade Davis. Now, I'm looking to add a "comfortable" pitcher. One that will give me depth and decent rate stats even if the upside isn't very high. That's where I settle on Joel Pineiro. When healthy, Pineiro continued to post a well better than average ground ball and line drive rates as well as keep hitters off base due in part to an excellent 2 BB/9. If he can give me a 3.80 ERA and a WHIP around 1.20, he'll have retained value.
This was a complete flier pick based on Betemit's 3B eligibility and upside for some home runs and RBI. His playing-time is the key and if he doesn' get any to start the season, he's likely on of my first cuts. I really wanted Asdrubal Cabrera here and also had Nick Hundley on my radar, but both we're gone by the time it got back to me.
Looking now to add outfield depth, I turn to the steady David DeJesus. He's not going to give me a ton of homers or stolen bases, but if he can hit .290 with decent R/RBI numbers, he'll be a solid value here. As of now, it looks like he'll hit third for the A's.
Now, with a bit of depth in my rotation and bench, I take a fler on Jason Motte in hopes that this is finally the year Ryan Franklin falls apart. Motte has been working on a sinker and cutter in hopes of increasing the effectiveness of his four-seam fastball. Last season Motte improved his control while lowering his line-drive rate, increasing his whiff rate and increasing his chase rate. Here's hoping for some cheap saves!
Dan Johnson has the upside to hit 20-plus home runs. I'm not necessarily expecting him to, but I could use the insurance for Justin Smoak at my CI position.
This pick is to fill my second catcher spot. Ramos has some upside to hit for AVG with 5-10 homers, but his playing time is going to be limited at first. I'll wait around and see what happens to a few other catcher battles this spring and may end up switching him out for someone who will play more.
And my team ended up like this...
C Chris Iannetta (17)
C Wilson Ramos (28)
1B Miguel Cabrera (1)
2B Ian Kinsler (3)
SS Derek Jeter (6)
3B Mark Reynolds (9)
MI Mike Aviles (15)
CI Justin Smoak (18)/Dan Johnson, after eligible (27)
OF Matt Kemp (2)
OF Jacoby Ellsbury (5)
OF Vernon Wells (13)
OF Josh Willingham (19)
OF Alex Gordon (21)
UT Vladimir Guerrero (12)
SP Jon Lester (4)
SP Francisco Liriano (7)
SP Colby Lewis (11)
SP Jorge De La Rosa (16)
SP Wade Davis (20)
SP Joel Pineiro (23)
RP Joe Nathan (8)
RP Matt Thorton (10)
RP Joel Hanrahan (14)
RP Jason Motte (26)
BN Nate McLouth (22)
BN Wilson Betimit (24)
BN David DeJesus (25)
You can see the participants as well as rounds 1-7 here, rounds 8-15 here and rounds 16-22 here.
| Round 23 | ||
| Pick | Team | Player |
| 1 | Fantasy Alarm | Westbrook, Jake SP STL |
| 2 | TPFSers | Hall, Bill LF HOU |
| 3 | FB365 | Pineiro, Joel SP ANA |
| 4 | CBS Sports | Bailey, Homer SP CIN |
| 5 | Fantasy Baseball Sherpa | LaPorta, Matt 1B CLE |
| 6 | The Fantasy Man | Duensing, Brian RP MIN |
| 7 | Fantasy Sports Empires | Aybar, Erick SS ANA |
| 8 | Fantasy Pros 911 | Uribe, Juan SS LA |
| 9 | Razzball | Morgan, Nyjer CF WAS |
| 10 | FantasyBaseball.com | Lowe, Derek SP ATL |
| 11 | Tony Cincotta* | McDonald, James SP PIT |
| 12 | FB Tonight | Richard, Clayton SP SD |
| 13 | RotoExperts.com | Dickey, R.A. SP NYM |
| 14 | RotoRob | Farnsworth, Kyle RP TB |
At this point I have a solid top three in Lester, Liriano and Lewis (The big L3!) and solid upside plays in Jorge deLa Rosa and Wade Davis. Now, I'm looking to add a "comfortable" pitcher. One that will give me depth and decent rate stats even if the upside isn't very high. That's where I settle on Joel Pineiro. When healthy, Pineiro continued to post a well better than average ground ball and line drive rates as well as keep hitters off base due in part to an excellent 2 BB/9. If he can give me a 3.80 ERA and a WHIP around 1.20, he'll have retained value.
| Round 24 | ||
| Pick | Team | Player |
| 1 | RotoRob | Matsui, Hideki DH OAK |
| 2 | RotoExperts.com | Hundley, Nick C SD |
| 3 | FB Tonight | Colvin, Tyler LF CHC |
| 4 | Tony Cincotta | Brignac, Reid 2B TB |
| 5 | FantasyBaseball.com | McClellan, Kyle RP STL |
| 6 | Razzball | Cabrera, Asdrubal SS CLE |
| 7 | Fantasy Pros 911 | Wigginton, Ty 1B COL |
| 8 | Fantasy Sports Empires | Jones, Chipper 3B ATL |
| 9 | The Fantasy Man | Morse, Michael RF WAS |
| 10 | Fantasy Baseball Sherpa | Hawpe, Brad RF SD |
| 11 | CBS Sports | Moreland, Mitch 1B TEX |
| 12 | FB365 | Betemit, Wilson 3B KC |
| 13 | TPFSers | Lopez, Jose 3B COL |
| 14 | Fantasy Alarm | Carrasco, Carlos SP CLE |
This was a complete flier pick based on Betemit's 3B eligibility and upside for some home runs and RBI. His playing-time is the key and if he doesn' get any to start the season, he's likely on of my first cuts. I really wanted Asdrubal Cabrera here and also had Nick Hundley on my radar, but both we're gone by the time it got back to me.
| Round 25 | ||
| Pick | Team | Player |
| 1 | Fantasy Alarm | Miranda, Juan 1B ARI |
| 2 | TPFSers | Kuo, Hong-Chih RP LA |
| 3 | FB365 | DeJesus, David LF OAK |
| 4 | CBS Sports | Pelfrey, Mike SP NYM |
| 5 | Fantasy Baseball Sherpa | Soriano, Rafael RP NYY |
| 6 | The Fantasy Man | Cecil, Brett SP TOR |
| 7 | Fantasy Sports Empires | Gonzalez, Alex SS ATL |
| 8 | Fantasy Pros 911 | Santana, Johan SP NYM |
| 9 | Razzball | Dotel, Octavio RP TOR |
| 10 | FantasyBaseball.com* | Guthrie, Jeremy SP BAL |
| 11 | Tony Cincotta | Damon, Johnny LF TB |
| 12 | FB Tonight | Jennings, Desmond CF TB |
| 13 | RotoExperts.com | Maybin, Cameron CF SD |
| 14 | RotoRob | Pineda, Michael SP SEA |
Looking now to add outfield depth, I turn to the steady David DeJesus. He's not going to give me a ton of homers or stolen bases, but if he can hit .290 with decent R/RBI numbers, he'll be a solid value here. As of now, it looks like he'll hit third for the A's.
| Round 26 | ||
| Pick | Team | Player |
| 1 | RotoRob | Belt, Brandon 1B SF |
| 2 | RotoExperts.com | Avila, Alex C DET |
| 3 | FB Tonight | Rauch, Jon RP TOR |
| 4 | Tony Cincotta | Matsuzaka, Daisuke SP BOS |
| 5 | FantasyBaseball.com* | Wolf, Randy SP MIL |
| 6 | Razzball* | Allen, Brandon LF ARI |
| 7 | Fantasy Pros 911 | Francisco, Ben LF PHI |
| 8 | Fantasy Sports Empires | DeRosa, Mark LF SF |
| 9 | The Fantasy Man | Jepsen, Kevin RP ANA |
| 10 | Fantasy Baseball Sherpa | Holland, Derek SP TEX |
| 11 | CBS Sports* | Burrell, Pat LF SF |
| 12 | FB365 | Motte, Jason RP STL |
| 13 | TPFSers | Buehrle, Mark SP CHW |
| 14 | Fantasy Alarm | Wallace, Brett 1B HOU |
Now, with a bit of depth in my rotation and bench, I take a fler on Jason Motte in hopes that this is finally the year Ryan Franklin falls apart. Motte has been working on a sinker and cutter in hopes of increasing the effectiveness of his four-seam fastball. Last season Motte improved his control while lowering his line-drive rate, increasing his whiff rate and increasing his chase rate. Here's hoping for some cheap saves!
| Round 27 | ||
| Pick | Team | Player |
| 1 | Fantasy Alarm | Drabek, Kyle SP TOR |
| 2 | TPFSers | Brantley, Michael CF CLE |
| 3 | FB365 | Johnson, Dan DH TB |
| 4 | CBS Sports | Braden, Dallas SP OAK |
| 5 | Fantasy Baseball Sherpa | Cain, Lorenzo CF KC |
| 6 | The Fantasy Man | Gomez, Carlos CF MIL |
| 7 | Fantasy Sports Empires | Joyce, Matt RF TB |
| 8 | Fantasy Pros 911 | Morel, Brent 3B CHW |
| 9 | Razzball* | Moustakas, Mike 3B KC |
| 10 | FantasyBaseball.com* | Pavano, Carl SP MIN |
| 11 | Tony Cincotta | Volstad, Chris SP FLA |
| 12 | FB Tonight | Fuentes, Brian RP OAK |
| 13 | RotoExperts.com | Bernadina, Roger CF WAS |
| 14 | RotoRob | Murphy, Daniel 1B NYM |
Dan Johnson has the upside to hit 20-plus home runs. I'm not necessarily expecting him to, but I could use the insurance for Justin Smoak at my CI position.
| Round 28 | ||
| Pick | Team | Player |
| 1 | RotoRob | Maya, Yunesky SP WAS |
| 2 | RotoExperts.com | Nady, Xavier 1B ARI |
| 3 | FB Tonight | Hochevar, Luke SP KC |
| 4 | Tony Cincotta* | Izturis, Maicer 3B ANA |
| 5 | FantasyBaseball.com* | Rzepczynski, Marc SP TOR |
| 6 | Razzball* | Montero, Jesus C NYY |
| 7 | Fantasy Pros 911 | Madson, Ryan RP PHI |
| 8 | Fantasy Sports Empires | Ackley, Dustin 2B SEA |
| 9 | The Fantasy Man | Dominguez, Matt 3B FLA |
| 10 | Fantasy Baseball Sherpa* | Barmes, Clint 2B HOU |
| 11 | CBS Sports | Valencia, Danny 3B MIN |
| 12 | FB365 | Ramos, Wilson C WAS |
| 13 | TPFSers | Hudson, Orlando 2B SD |
| 14 | Fantasy Alarm | Wells, Casper RF DET |
This pick is to fill my second catcher spot. Ramos has some upside to hit for AVG with 5-10 homers, but his playing time is going to be limited at first. I'll wait around and see what happens to a few other catcher battles this spring and may end up switching him out for someone who will play more.
And my team ended up like this...
C Chris Iannetta (17)
C Wilson Ramos (28)
1B Miguel Cabrera (1)
2B Ian Kinsler (3)
SS Derek Jeter (6)
3B Mark Reynolds (9)
MI Mike Aviles (15)
CI Justin Smoak (18)/Dan Johnson, after eligible (27)
OF Matt Kemp (2)
OF Jacoby Ellsbury (5)
OF Vernon Wells (13)
OF Josh Willingham (19)
OF Alex Gordon (21)
UT Vladimir Guerrero (12)
SP Jon Lester (4)
SP Francisco Liriano (7)
SP Colby Lewis (11)
SP Jorge De La Rosa (16)
SP Wade Davis (20)
SP Joel Pineiro (23)
RP Joe Nathan (8)
RP Matt Thorton (10)
RP Joel Hanrahan (14)
RP Jason Motte (26)
BN Nate McLouth (22)
BN Wilson Betimit (24)
BN David DeJesus (25)
