SOSH Real Fantasy Draft 2014: Draft Order, Rules, and Draft Thread
- Thread starter Scoops Bolling
- Start date
Pssh. I'm taking Russel Wilson with my 25th pick. Pretty sure he's got the goods to stick as my utility infielder if I pay him enough money to give up football forever.
Fishercat said:
Ditto. I simply can't take a team because I know I will be without web access for multiple weeks while this thing goes on later in the winter, but I'm usually on when home and willing to pinch pick when necessary.
Or, you guys could just beg czar to take up a team again. But I understand why you guys wouldn't - no one likes getting their ass handed to them by a ringer.
soxfan121 said:
I AM pretty big on a Byung-Hyun Kim comeback.
Like soxfan121 and Fishercat, I'm willing to help out with picks here and there, but can't commit to a full draft (esp. in later rounds when there's a lot more research involved). Plus, I'm not on a helluva lot during the week and last time that caused some consternation when I didn't pick within 15 minutes of being PMed. Although I'd be a model drafter compared to a couple AWOLs in this one, apparently.
Scoops Bolling said:
The difference is that I don't think Andrus is in the same stratosphere defensively. Andrus is good. Simmons is the best defender in baseball. One of the best ever.
ForceAtHome said:
Agreed. Also, even though Andrus might have been a 'bust' of a first round pick, he's certainly capable of playing shortstop for a championship team and that fact is likely going to be true for a long time to come. Good up-the-middle players are hard to find and very valuable.
I'd be up for giving this a shot! I am a longtime lurker, but I figure I should stop lurking, because that sounds creepy.
I followed the draft last year, so I'd like to think I should have some idea what is going on. I know it's a big commitment, but I think I can pull it off. At the very least, I'll try not to cause problems by drafting Mickey Tettleton to play Spirit Mentor in the fifth or anything.
I followed the draft last year, so I'd like to think I should have some idea what is going on. I know it's a big commitment, but I think I can pull it off. At the very least, I'll try not to cause problems by drafting Mickey Tettleton to play Spirit Mentor in the fifth or anything.
So like the guy above me Ive been lurking for a while and figured now is as good a time as any to become a little more active around here. Since were resorting to tyrone biggums pictures I guess I should just go ahead and make my pick to get things rolling again.
I know this pick is a reach and people are gonna be critical and question my drafting acumen but you guys just wait to see how little fucks I give. I assure you the rest of my picks will not be so questionable and I will easily end up with one of the better teams when its all said and done.
Besides, youre all just jealous.
With the 30th(or something like that) pick the Mother Funkers are happy to select Xander Bogaerts (SS)
Ive attached a nice happy-place picture to stop your bloodclot cryin
I know this pick is a reach and people are gonna be critical and question my drafting acumen but you guys just wait to see how little fucks I give. I assure you the rest of my picks will not be so questionable and I will easily end up with one of the better teams when its all said and done.
Besides, youre all just jealous.
With the 30th(or something like that) pick the Mother Funkers are happy to select Xander Bogaerts (SS)
Ive attached a nice happy-place picture to stop your bloodclot cryin
Audentes fortuna iuvat. The Bogaerts pick stands, and StabMastaArson will pick in knucklecup's slot going forward. Logglobo Vlandignorf is on the clock, and will take over CasknFappin's slot. Grebeck is on deck.SumnerH said:
X is a bit of a high risk/high reward pick, but I think it's possible he wouldn't have made it until the middle of the 2nd...this is a Red Sox board after all.
There's plenty of elite young players left, so I'm gonna take an aging catcher with my first round pick.
Yadier Molina, C
This postseason, the Red Sox and Cardinals showed the world that stupid intangible stuff is more important than hitting or pitching well. Yadier Molina not only provides Veteran Leadership and Clubhouse Chemistry, but he also does special catcher things that will automatically make all my pitchers awesome forever.
PM sent!
Yadier Molina, C
This postseason, the Red Sox and Cardinals showed the world that stupid intangible stuff is more important than hitting or pitching well. Yadier Molina not only provides Veteran Leadership and Clubhouse Chemistry, but he also does special catcher things that will automatically make all my pitchers awesome forever.
- No player is risk-free, and I'm now officially jinxing it, but this dude is about as reliable as you can get to play a full season and put up a .800-ish OPS. He's also got 7-WAR upside, which is pretty rad at this point.
- It seems like he's been around forever, but he's only 31, which still usually qualifies as "in his prime." Bengie kept hitting through 34 and Jose is still starting at 38, so I'm gonna say that bodes well for Yadier.
- Have you seen the available catchers? There are precious few who don't fatally suck at either hitting or defense, especially now that two of the best are moving off the position. Molina is a catcher who can bat third. Third!
- Many smart baseball people argue that he might be the best player in the game, but since you can't see magic catcher stuff unless you have the pure soul of a child, and children are dumb, no one knows for sure.
PM sent!
God damn it, I had him targeted for my pick deep into the second round and figured he'd be controversial even then given his below .700 OPS.Why Not Grebeck? said:This pick is brutal. I wanted to come out of my first two picks with an ace and a true power threat for the #3 hole, but with Scherzer off the board there's probably 4-5 pitchers I still like equally well. The only hitters I like right now are either too unproven or too old for a true dynasty draft.
Stuck between pitching and hitting, I've decided to take...neither.
With their first round pick, the Burbank Bombers select...Andrelton Simmons, SS.
Simmons just turned 24 years old. He is the best defensive player in baseball, and it's not close. Anyone watching him play can see it. Advanced stats back it up. He'll certainly be a worse hitter than anyone else taken in this round, but he somehow ran into 17 home runs last season. That's quite a lot of power for a young, skinny dude. There's no doubt he's got enough power to stick in a line-up for the next decade and a half.
Heck, according to the version of WAR that ESPN uses, Simmons lead ALL SHORTSTOPS in WAR this year. At age 24. There's a shot he'll get even better. There's very little chance he'll get much worse.
It's a hoary old adage, but defense doesn't slump. Simmons is going to be the Bombers' rock up the middle for the next ten years.
Another thing to mention with Simmons. His BABIP was awful last year - .247. If he gets back to his .310 mark from his rookie year - which seems plausible given his speed - his slash stats will be right back up to the mid 700s. At which point he's a clear allstar with his defense.
And that's without improvement in actual ability. Give him a decent aging curve and Cooperstown is within the realm of possibility.
MakMan44 said:
I was considering him in the second round but this is Red Sox board (as someone else mentioned). Punto it is.
Frank said:
Agreed, nice write-ups.
Also, I like the back-to-back usages of the same image. That's pretty genius.
I've been told that I'm up next...but don't the new guys get their 2nd round picks before I do, slotting in at the end of the round? Or do I retain my 'wheel' spot since the new guys slot in to the draft order where their teams are scheduled to be?
I'd prefer to retain the wheel if possible. I just don't want to pick out of turn.
I'd prefer to retain the wheel if possible. I just don't want to pick out of turn.
Yeah, my understanding is those were just their skipped picks they were taking, but going forward they're drafting in the spots of the teams that they took over.
With the 1st pick in the second round, the Burbank Bombers select Stephen Strasburg, SP.
My goal going into this draft was to leave the first two rounds with a dominant hitter and a clear #1 pitcher. With the wheel, though, I was left with a conundrum facing the hitter selection. I would have taken either Braun or Pedroia had they fallen to me, but with both of them gone I was left deciding between a player with a world of potential but very little track record (Bogaerts) and a 31-year old hitter with power and OBP skills, but with poor defense and a spotty track record (still unpicked.) Lacking the clear impact hitting star I wanted, I opted for Simmons, who I considered the best overall baseball player under 25 left on the board. If all breaks right, he's got a shot at being a hall of famer.
The problem with this pick is that it leaves me staring at a very anemic lineup. I'm going to need people to come to my games, so I thought about taking the power hitter again with this pick, but I couldn't pass up my last chance at a true #1. There will still be good hitters left next round. What there won't be is a legitimate, dominant ace - someone I can pencil in for game 1 of the World Series without thinking twice.
I spent a day or so agonizing over three different pitchers, all of whom I think are reasonable to take here. One has the best pure stuff and pedigree, but has a spotty injury history already. The other has put up the best sheer numbers, but seems to have the biggest injury red flags of anyone in the game. The third is durable and consistent, but lacks the upside of the other two.
In the end, I opted for choice #1, Strasburg's stuff and potential. It's possible that his career will always be derailed by injuries, but there's something slightly comforting about the fact that he's gotten his TJ surgery out of the way already and has proven that he's fully recovered. He's the most likely of any pitcher left to pull a vintage Pedro on us and rattle off a decade of Cy Young contention, though he hasn't proven himself on that level yet and he may never get there. Interestingly, most critiques on him are that his pitching is 'too predictable,' so we'll be sure to hire an excellent pitching coach and work with him on that. His control, command, speed...all of that is among the best in the game already.
The other reason that I chose Strasburg is marketability. There is no other player left on the board - hitter or pitcher - that will get people as excited to come to the park. Strasburg games are an Event, and they have been since his first day in the bigs. Forced to compete in a major market like Los Angeles, it's important to have a star or two that can act as the focus of the ad campaign. Between Strasburg's chance to do the unreal every 5th day and Simmons' otherworldly defense, isn't this a team you already want to watch?
My goal going into this draft was to leave the first two rounds with a dominant hitter and a clear #1 pitcher. With the wheel, though, I was left with a conundrum facing the hitter selection. I would have taken either Braun or Pedroia had they fallen to me, but with both of them gone I was left deciding between a player with a world of potential but very little track record (Bogaerts) and a 31-year old hitter with power and OBP skills, but with poor defense and a spotty track record (still unpicked.) Lacking the clear impact hitting star I wanted, I opted for Simmons, who I considered the best overall baseball player under 25 left on the board. If all breaks right, he's got a shot at being a hall of famer.
The problem with this pick is that it leaves me staring at a very anemic lineup. I'm going to need people to come to my games, so I thought about taking the power hitter again with this pick, but I couldn't pass up my last chance at a true #1. There will still be good hitters left next round. What there won't be is a legitimate, dominant ace - someone I can pencil in for game 1 of the World Series without thinking twice.
I spent a day or so agonizing over three different pitchers, all of whom I think are reasonable to take here. One has the best pure stuff and pedigree, but has a spotty injury history already. The other has put up the best sheer numbers, but seems to have the biggest injury red flags of anyone in the game. The third is durable and consistent, but lacks the upside of the other two.
In the end, I opted for choice #1, Strasburg's stuff and potential. It's possible that his career will always be derailed by injuries, but there's something slightly comforting about the fact that he's gotten his TJ surgery out of the way already and has proven that he's fully recovered. He's the most likely of any pitcher left to pull a vintage Pedro on us and rattle off a decade of Cy Young contention, though he hasn't proven himself on that level yet and he may never get there. Interestingly, most critiques on him are that his pitching is 'too predictable,' so we'll be sure to hire an excellent pitching coach and work with him on that. His control, command, speed...all of that is among the best in the game already.
The other reason that I chose Strasburg is marketability. There is no other player left on the board - hitter or pitcher - that will get people as excited to come to the park. Strasburg games are an Event, and they have been since his first day in the bigs. Forced to compete in a major market like Los Angeles, it's important to have a star or two that can act as the focus of the ad campaign. Between Strasburg's chance to do the unreal every 5th day and Simmons' otherworldly defense, isn't this a team you already want to watch?
Write up to follow as I'm heading out the door right now for the DMZ.
3B Josh Donaldson
Someone please bold and PM as I'm posting from mobile.
3B Josh Donaldson
Someone please bold and PM as I'm posting from mobile.
Okay, the chart should be up to date with all of the recent shifty shenanigans. Let me know if something's askew:
http://sumnerhayes.com/static/fantasy/SOSH%20RealFantasy%202014.html
http://sumnerhayes.com/static/fantasy/SOSH%20RealFantasy%202014.html
Shoring up my middle infield for the next decade plus, the Pollos take Jurickson Profar - SS
Having gone with an older player in Pedey with my first pick, and deciding to take my chances with whatever pitching is left in later rounds, I'm going young here. He didn't blow up the board last year, but then again, he was only 20. With a stable starting position and continually growing skills, I am confident in his ability to perform for the team in 2014, and well into the future. I'm with John Sickels that his comps are Alan Trammel and Barry Larkin.
While I know Jurickson will mainly be a 2B, I don't think it's asking too much to slide him over to short for Dustin on the ABQ Hermanos. (He can move back to 2B by the time he turns 30...in 2023.) The potential productivity from having these two as DP partners is invigorating.
edit - KFP has been PM'ed.
Having gone with an older player in Pedey with my first pick, and deciding to take my chances with whatever pitching is left in later rounds, I'm going young here. He didn't blow up the board last year, but then again, he was only 20. With a stable starting position and continually growing skills, I am confident in his ability to perform for the team in 2014, and well into the future. I'm with John Sickels that his comps are Alan Trammel and Barry Larkin.
While I know Jurickson will mainly be a 2B, I don't think it's asking too much to slide him over to short for Dustin on the ABQ Hermanos. (He can move back to 2B by the time he turns 30...in 2023.) The potential productivity from having these two as DP partners is invigorating.
edit - KFP has been PM'ed.
What columns do you want? If it's just the names of the players picked, those are at the bottom. If there's more that you want, it'd be fairly simple to add.wibi said:
Had a few directions I could go here. Decided to go with my gut...
Chris Sale, SP, White Sox
He's a lefty, he's 24 years old, and he placed in the top 10 in WAR, xFIP, and K/9. He also just misses out on the top 10 in BB/9. It's certainly risky drafting a young pitcher this early, and part of me wanted to go back to the well for my lineup again. But this kid is a top 10 pitcher already as he's combined for the 8th most WAR of all SP in the last two years.
While I can most certainly get another solid bat in my lineup with my next pick, I wouldn't be able to get a bonafide #1. As for the concerns about his drop in velocity at the end of his rookie campaign? It jumped back up and stabilized into the mid 90's throughout the summer last year. I'm not concerned.
Plus, this is his wife.
and more, just because...
Chris Sale, SP, White Sox
He's a lefty, he's 24 years old, and he placed in the top 10 in WAR, xFIP, and K/9. He also just misses out on the top 10 in BB/9. It's certainly risky drafting a young pitcher this early, and part of me wanted to go back to the well for my lineup again. But this kid is a top 10 pitcher already as he's combined for the 8th most WAR of all SP in the last two years.
While I can most certainly get another solid bat in my lineup with my next pick, I wouldn't be able to get a bonafide #1. As for the concerns about his drop in velocity at the end of his rookie campaign? It jumped back up and stabilized into the mid 90's throughout the summer last year. I'm not concerned.
Plus, this is his wife.
and more, just because...
Sale vs. Strasburg was so close for me. Sale is a better pitcher right now and doesn't have a major injury yet, even though everyone seems to think it might be coming soon.
People discriminate against him because he doesn't look like he should be a dominant starter. People sold Pedro short for years for the same reason. The dude is super young and just keeps producing.
People discriminate against him because he doesn't look like he should be a dominant starter. People sold Pedro short for years for the same reason. The dude is super young and just keeps producing.
k, I can spit out a one-column csv or text file pretty easily if it starts acting up again.wibi said:
As I mentioned when I took Scherzer, I had a group of hitters I saw as being closely comparable in value and while I was pretty sure I knew which I wanted, they were still tightly grouped enough that I was willing to wait until my 2nd pick. Well, they were all still available, but Donaldson struck me as the safest bet of the bunch because his value comes from a fairly well rounded set of skills. He walks at a good clip, while not striking out too much. He hits for some power, and he's a decent base runner. He's a plus defender at 3B, despite being a fairly recent convert to the position. While some of the other guys I was considering generate most of their value from one or two of those things, Donaldson has such a broad skill set that he can regress in a couple areas and still end up a premium 4-5 WAR kind of player. He may never post 7+ WAR again...then again, who knows, maybe he will.Scoops Bolling said:
And like Scherzer, he looks like a bit of a doofus.
Ok woah woah woah here people.. Enough with taking my players.
I was sure one of Bogarts, Profar, Sale or Strasburgh would fall to me.
That's been a harsh few picks. Back to the drawing board so!!
All good pick ups!
I was sure one of Bogarts, Profar, Sale or Strasburgh would fall to me.
That's been a harsh few picks. Back to the drawing board so!!
All good pick ups!
Heading off to work but I wanted to get my pick in so the draft could keep moving. Can someone PM the next guy?
Next up? Kramerica Industries selects CF, Adam Jones.
Next up? Kramerica Industries selects CF, Adam Jones.
Some up to date facts:
- Exactly 0 players have gone in the same spot they went in last year. This includes three players (Bogaerts, Puig, Hernandez) who were ineligible for last year's draft.
- Two players (Dustin Pedroia and Mike Trout) went within one pick of where they went in last year's draft
- Eight first rounders (Harper, Posey, Stanton, Hernandez, Longoria, Verlander, Heyward, and Braun) went lower in the first round than they did last year, while nine 2013 first rounders moved up from their previous first round spot.
- Chris Davis (22nd overall this year) was the lowest 2013 selection among this year's first rounders (173rd overall in 2013)
- By my count, we still have eleven first rounders from last year who have not been selected, including one Top 10 pick.
- There were three players taken in the first round that were taken last year after the third round. They are all first basemen (Goldschmidt, Freeman, Davis).