DRAFT TWO-2010

DRAFT TWO-2010

FELT MUCH MORE PREPARED GOING INTO THIS FANTASY DRAFT AS I KNEW WHAT PLAYERS I HAVE HAD - AND PLAYED AGAINST CAN DO. I WAS ALSO ABLE TO LOOK AT THE PLAYERS' ATTRIBUTES AND CONTRACTS, SOMETHING I HADN'T TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN MY INITIAL DRAFT.

SINCE MY PS3 ONLY STARTED HAVE PROBLEMS AFTER GETTING IT ONLINE, I WILL STAY OFFLINE WITH IT (NOT GETTING THE SHOW'S WEEKLY UPDATES THAT ADD NEW PLAYERS, LIKE CRAIG HEYWARD, AND THOSE HAVING STRONG SEASONS, SUCH AS PITCHERS UBALDO JMINEZ AND MAT LATOS). THIS IS SOMETHING I TOOK INTO ACCOUNT IN HE FIRST DRAFT.

I PICKED AT 13TH FOR THIS DRAFT, AFTER CHOOSING FOURTH IN DRAFT ONE. FOLLOWS IS A RECAP OF THE FIRST FOUR ROUNDS AND MY COMMENTS AS TO WHY I PICKED WHO I DID, WHO I WAS HOPING TO GET AND WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED.

THIS WAS A TYPICAL "SNAKE" FANTASY DRAFT AND I WAS HAPPY TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF 30 TEAMS.

ROUND 1

1-TIM LINCECUM SP METS

2-ROY HALLADAY SP BREWERS

3-JOE MAUER C ROYALS

4-HANLEY RAMIREZ SS REDS

5-JONATHAN BROXTON CP INDIANS

6-ALBERT PUJOLS 1B MARINERS

7-JOSE REYES SS REDSOX

8-MARK TEXEIRA 1B ORIOLES

9-RYAN HOWARD 1B PIRATES

10-BRANDON WEBB SP CUBS

11-JOHAN SANTANA P PHILLIES

12-C.C. SABATHIA ASTROS

13-RYAN BRAUN OF RANGERS
MY THINKING HERE WAS TO GRAB A YOUNGER PLAYER WITH AT LEAST A 3-YEAR CONTRACT. I SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED SNAGGING AROD HERE, BUT WAS A BIT TURNED OFF BY HIS AGE (34) AND LENGTH OF CONTRACT INVOLVED (EIGHT YEARS).

MIGUEL CABRERA WAS A CONSIDERATION AS WELL, BUT SONY'S CRACK PRODUCTION SQUAD SEEMED NOT TO LKE HIM AS MUCH, ALTHOUGH HE HAD A LONG  CONTRACT, I DECIDED TO GO WITH BRAUN AND HIS SECOND-HALF COMEBACK AND PASS ON JOSH HAMILTON AS WELL.

BRAUN'S SIX-YEAR DEAL IS FOR ABOUT $42 MILLION. ALSO FIGURED IF A TON OF GOOD OFs WERE AVAILABLE, I COULD MOVE BRAUN BACK TO 3B, HOPEFULLY WITH THE SUCCESS I HAD WITH ALBERT PUJOLS IN SEASON ONE-2010.


14-CHASE UTLEY 2B CARDINALS

15-JONATHAN PAPELBON CP DBACKS

16-JOSH HAMILTON OF GIANTS

17-MATT KEMP OF TWINS

18-PRINCE FIELDER 1B YANKEES

19-JAKE PEAVY P NATIONALS

20-MIGUEL CABRERA OF ANGELS

21-JOSE VALVERDE CP ROCKIES

22-TROY TULOWITZKI SS JAYS

23-CARLOS BELTRAN OF DODGERS

24-EVAN LONGORIA 3B  RAYS

25-RAFAEL SORIANO CP A'S

26-KEVIN YOUKILIS 1B BRAVES

27-JIMMY ROLLINS SSWHITE SOX

28-ALEX RODRIGUEZ SS TIGERS

29-DAN HAREN P MARLINS

30-FELIX HERNANDEZ P PADRES

2ND ROUND
1-HEATH BELL CP PADRES

2-SETH GRIENKE P MARLINS

3-HUNTER PENCE OF TIGERS

4-JASON BAY OF WHITE SOX

5-IAN KINSLER 2B BRAVES  KERSWA?

6-DEREK JETERS SS A'S

7-JOE NATHAN CP RAYS

8-CHAD BILLINGSLY P DODGERS

9-JOSH JOHNSON P JAYS

10-JUSTIN VERLANDER P ROCKIES

11-ANDREW BAILEY P ANGELS

12-ADRIAN G\ONZALEZ 1B NATIONALS

13-JAYSON WERTH OF YANKEES

14-JUSTIN UPTON OF TWINS

15-MARK REYNOLDS 3B GIANTS
16-BRANDON PHILLIPS 2B DBACKS

17-SHANE VICTORINO OF CARDINALS

18-ICHIRO OF RANGERS

DAVID WRIGHT (3-YEAR CONTRACT), DUSTIN PEDROIA (5-YEAR), CARL CRAWFORD (1-YEAR) AND GRADY SIZEMORE (2-YEAR) WERE ALL POSSIBILITES HERE, BUT WENT WITH ICHIRO (3-YEAR) AFTER SEEING HIM THE LIKELY NL MVP CHOICE WITH THE PHILLIES IN SEASON ONE.

19-DAVID WRIGHT 3B ASTROS

20-GRADY SIZEMORE OF PHILLIES

21-ARAMIS RAMIREZ 3B CUBS

22-CHRIS CARPENTER P PIRATES

23-TORII HUNTER OF ORIOLES

24-DEREK LEE 1B REED SOX

25-CARLOS MARMOL CP MARINERS

26-LANCE BERKMAN 1B INDIANS

27-MATT CAIN P REDS

28-JOEY VOTTO 1B ROYALS

29-ADAM WAINWRIGHT P BREWERS

30-BEN SHEETS P METS

ROUND 3
1-MATT HOLLIDAY OF METS

2-BRIAN McCANN C BREWERS

3-JOAKIM SORIA CP ROYALS

4-KENDRY MORALES 1B REDS

5-DUSTIN PEDROIA 2B INDIANS

6-RYAN ZIMMERMAN 3B MARINERS

7-JAVIER VAZQUEZ P RED SOX

8-SCOTT BAKER P ORIOLES

9-CARL CRAWFORD OF PIRATES

10-CARLOS PENA 1B CUBS

11-JOSH BECKETT P PHILLIES

12-BOBBY JENKS CP ASTROS

13-TEXAS JUSTIN MORNEAU 1B RANGERS

GUYS I HOPED WOULD DROP MY WAY INCLUDED CRAWFORD, AND I CONSIDERED VICTOR MARTINEZ, YOVANI GALLARDO AND BILLY WAGNER - AS CLOSERS WERE GOING FAST - BUT LIKE SECOND BASEMEN AND CATCHERS IN A REAL FANTASY DRAFT, I IGNORED CLOSERS SINCE ALMOST ALL THE GOOD ONES WERE GONE. MORNEAU HAS A 5-YEAR DEAL.

14-BRIAN WILSON P CARDINALS

15-RAFAEL FURCAL SS DBACKS

16-CHADS QUALLS RP GIANTS

17-JUAN RIVERA OF TWINS

18-CARLOS LEE, YANKEES 1B

19-FRANCISCO CORDERO CP NATIONALS

20-MARK BUEHERLE P ANGELS

21-NELSON CRUZ OF ROCKIES

22-VICTOR MARTINEZ C JAYS

23-YOVANI GALLARDO P DODGERS

24-ROY OSWALT P P JAYS

25-CARLOS ZAMBRANO P A's

26-COLE HAMELS P BRAVES

27-CLIFF LEE P WHITE SOX

28-SHIN-SOO CHOO OF TIGERS

29-BEN ZOBRIST 2B MARLINS

30-JERED WEAVER P PADRES

ROUND FOUR
1-JAMES SHIELDS P PADRES

2-FRANKIE RODRIGUEZ CP MARLINS

3-RYAN DEMPSTER P TIGERS

4-MIKE GONZALEZ CP WHITE SOX

5-ADAM LIND OF BRAVES

6-AARON HILL 2B A's

7-HUNTER PENCE OF RAYS

8-JORGE CANTU 1B DODGERS

9-GARRETT JONES 1B JAYS

10-JOHN LACKEY P ROCKIES

11-CHIPPER JONES 3B ANGELS

12-PABLO SANDOVAL 3B NATIONALS

13-CLAYTON KERSHAW P YANKEES

14-ADAM DUNN OF MIN

15-ALEXEI RAMIREZ SS GIAINTS

16-MANNY RAMIREZ OF DBACKS

17-A.J. BURNEETT P CARDINALS

18-ROBINSON CANO 2B RANGERS
PRETTY EASY DECISION HERE, EVEN WITH ONLY A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT.

19-MAGGLIO ORDONEZ OF ASTROS

20-BILLY WAGNER CP PHILLIES

21-JAIR JURRENS P CUBS

22-ZACH DUKE P PIRATES

23-JON LESTER P ORIOLES

24-RICKY NOLASCO P RED SOX

25-YADIER MOLINA C MARINERS

26-ALFONSO SORIANO OF INDIANS

27-ORLANDO HUDSON 2B REDS

28-ANDRE ETHIER OF ROYALS

29-JASON BARTLETT SS BREWERS

30-CHONE FIGGINS 3B METS