the draft

so, the fantasy baseball draft is over. we all got up at the crack of dawn and took over a seminar room in the law school, making our picks live over coffee and donuts. it was a good way to go, i think; better than an online draft or even a night time draft, where everybody's really tired and grumpy at the end.

my league has 6 categories for offense and 6 for pitching, though one of the pitching categories is IP, which is combined with a max IP of 1250, meaning that everyone should try to actually hit 1250 so that they can split that category. the other 5 pitching categories are W, S, ERA, WHIP, and K [total, not K/9] - pretty standard. the 6 offense categories are R, RBI, BA, OPS, HR, and SB - so, like pitching, 2 rate stats and 4 absolute.

here's my draft order, with my pick by round and overall, with by position and general notes:
1 (2) Johan Santana (SP) - the pujols of pitching
2 (23) Carlos Guillen (SS) - my most questionable pick; early, injury risk, high OPS
3 (26) Jason Bay (OF) - a solid hitter across the board, even a few SB's
4 (47) B.J. Ryan (RP) - joe nathan, k-rod, and mo rivera were all gone
5 (50) Ben Sheets (SP) - injury risk, but phenomenal pitcher - great K, WHIP
6 (71) Adam Dunn (OF) - perpetual 40-HR hitter; low BA but high OPS
7 (74) Howie Kendrick (2B) - weak last season, but on the verge of greatness
8 (95) Jered Weaver (SP) - amazing last season, great K/WHIP; but how many IP?
9 (98) Todd Helton (1B) - should be .900 OPS, may be even more
10 (119) Chris B. Young (OF) - stud prospect for D-backs; mini-Jason Bay with more SBs
11 (122) Jason Isringhausen (RP) - will still get plenty of S, but peripherals are ??
12 (143) Adam LaRoche (1B) - was last season's .915 OPS a fluke? he's at his peak age.
13 (146) Alex Gordon (3B) - often considered best '07 rookie in MLB; all-around hitter
14 (167) Anthony Reyes (SP) - another young SP who shined last year, with IP questions
15 (170) Russ Martin (C) - solid offensive catcher in a weaker LAD lineup
16 (191) Greg Maddux (SP) - amazing 5th SP; reliable, high IP, low K
17 (194) Brian Giles (OF/BN) - not what he used to be, but a strong 4th OF/trade bait
18 (215) Orlando Hudson (2B/BN) - backup MI; a pure PECOTA-driven pick, good #s
19 (218) B.J. Upton (3B/BN) - he will get playing time, and SB's
20 (239) Kevin Gregg (RP/BN) - unlikely candidate for eventual Marlins closer
21 (242) El Duque (SP/BN) - good WHIP, sporadic ERA/injury history

I am quite happy with this configuration. I admit Guillen is a question mark; I picked him because of the decent shot he has at getting a .900 OPS, because he will likely bat 4th in a potent Detroit Tigers lineup, and because (at the time of the draft) it was a contract year for him. Of course, later on draft day, he signed a 4 year extension, giving him license to slack off as much as he wants. Oh, well, such is life; he still has talent, if he stays healthy and stays motivated. I am psyched about Alex Gordon in the 13th rd; I wanted him (he's one of the reasons I picked Santana and not Alex Rodriguez), and was prepared to pick him 4 or 5 rounds earlier had I thought I might lose him. I also have a good feeling about Ben Sheets; in my preparations for this draft, the very first decision I made was to take him with my 5th pick, which I figured (correctly) would be in the middle of a run on ace SP's, after the more reliable Zambrano, Webb, Halladay, et al. I knew Sheets would fall to the 5th round, and I felt certain that he wouldn't fall further; and I think I was right about that.