Fantasy Baseball Draft #2

I had been playing in a local league with some friends in my area for the past 4-5 years, but after most of the people who played last year welched on the $20 buy in (no thanks to the commissioner trying to collect the fees after season ended), I decided not to play in that league anymore. So, I joined another 12 team, 5x5 rotisserie league and ended up with the following team:

C - Mike Piazza (10th round)
1B - David Ortiz (2nd round)
2B - Howie Kendrick (9th round)
SS - Felipe Lopez (12th round)
3B - Alex Rodriguez (1st round)
OF - Jason Bay (3rd round)
OF - Nick Markakis (8th round)
OF - Jeff Francoeur (11th round)
UTIL - Jim Thome (7th round)
Bench - Willy Taveras (13th round)
Bench - Eric Byrnes (20th round)

SP - Brandon Webb (4th round)
SP - Felix Hernandez (6th round)
SP - Anthony Reyes (15th round)
SP - John Patterson (16th round)
SP - Kelvim Escobar (19th round)
SP - Roger Clemens (14th round)
RP - Francisco Rodriguez (5th round)
RP - Jonathan Broxton (17th round)
RP - Dan Wheeler (18th round)
RP - Scot Shields (21st round)

Offense: My offense is stacked with loads of talent. I'm a bit weak in batting average given I don't have anyone that will contend for the batting crown, but on the other hand, Francoeur and Lopez are really the only sub .280 hitters on this squad. I have a lot of HR power, a lot of guys that will see 100+ RBIs and Rs, and 2 SB machines in Lopez and Taveras. Taveras is my favorite "empty speed" player this year in terms of draft value, although he should hit for a decent average in spacious Colorado and score plenty of runs. Piazza is my favorite catcher in redraft leagues this year. His numbers last year aren't terrific, but he still managed a .283 average, 22 HRs, and 68 RBIs playing most of his games in one of the worst hitters ballparks in baseball (Petco Park). He's now the fulltime DH, which means he'll play every day, he's hitting in a better ballpark (Oakland), surrounded by a much better lineup. He's not Mauer/VMart/McCann, but he'll come close (he might even put up the best power numbers of the group), and can be drafted much later. Eric Byrnes, a 25/25 candidate, in the 20th round, is ridiculous value.

Starting Pitching: My starting pitching gets pretty hazy after Brandon Webb. Felix Hernandez was a fantasy baseball disappointment last year thanks to obscene hype, but he's a good value this season with a full major league season under his belt. He's only 21 years old still. He'll be more familiar with his catcher Johjima, which will lead to better called games. He has insane talent and posted solid peripherals after the All-Star break last year. I expect another step forward from the 2nd half of last year. Anthony Reyes has been lights out this spring, and is one of the more unheralded pitching prospects thanks to not having a high 90s fastball. I knew with a big Cardinals fan having two picks after where I grabbed Reyes, I wouldn't get him if I waited. John Patterson is more my #3 starter, and as I stated on my other team, he's a good bounceback candidate this year. He won't win many games, but he'll have great ratios and lots of Ks when healthy. Kelvim Escobar is still a rather underrated pitcher, and while he has plenty of health concerns as well, he's a very good starter when healthy. I took Clemens entirely too high, but since we drafted on Yahoo, I didn't have much time to come up with an emergency plan since I was set on taking Randy Johnson there instead. I panicked.

Relief Pitching: Oops. Well, after I drafted my ace reliever K-Rod, I just gave up on the saves catagory because the entire league completely overvalued closers. The lesser closers were being drafted 3-4 rounds where they should be, and with as much turnover as there is at the position, I had no problem drafting all the other players that fell through the cracks while everyone raced to grab closers. I have no problem grinding out the first month with just K-Rod and seeing what happens with all the other questionable closer positions. Dan Wheeler is my 2nd closer, I guess, because I see no reason why Brad Lidge won't lose his job. He was terrible most of last season, and he's been terrible most of the spring. I could have seen him pulling a 180 degree turnaround if he composed himself this offseason and started strong this spring, but he's still a mess. Broxton and Shields are top notch MRs, and they don't get enough love in rotisserie scoring thanks to the random wins, low ratios, and strong K numbers they offer your team. They're especially helpful if you're worried about some of your starters, as I am.