// DAs Mock Draft Evaluation

My favorite pick of round 1: Albert Pujols (1B-StL)
Player I would’ve passed on in round 1: Ryan Braun (3B-Mil)

Round 2

2.1 - Prince Fielder
2.2 - Alfonso Soriano
2.3 - Mark Teixeira
2.4 - Brandon Phillips
2.5 - David Ortiz
2.6 - Grady Sizemore
2.7 - Carl Crawford
2.8 - Jake Peavy
2.9 - Vladimir Guerrero
2.10 - B.J. Upton
2.11 - Carlos Lee
2.12 - Carlos Beltran

Round 2 features a lot of players with first round talent. Guys like Ortiz, Guerrero, Beltran, and Crawford have all been selected in round 1 in recent seasons and are all great grabs here. Guys who produce at those kinds of levels year in and year out are some of the best early round selections. Brandon Phillips makes the jump to round 2 this year, and is not being taken too early here, even though it may seem that way. Many people had concerns last year about Phillips being a fluke, but with back to back seasons producing at a high level, he should be here to stay and is a safe bet for at least 20/20, probably more like 25/25. At a position like 2B, that’s good value in round 2. For me, Teixeira at 2.3 and before David Ortiz is a little early, but I can appreciate the big season potential Teixeira has and showed in the past, and he’s still a relatively safe selection. Carlos Lee is a player who always seems to go late 2nd or early 3rd and is one of the best picks in that area. You can count on him for around 30/10 basically every year. B.J. Upton is an interesting pick this early and is definitely a big time talent. His contact rate is still a little low though and is someone I’m not willing to spend a pick quite this early on.

My favorite pick of round 2: David Ortiz (1B-Bos)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 2: B.J. Upton (2B/OF-TB)

Round 3

3.1 - Ichiro Suzuki
3.2 - Lance Berkman
3.3 - Victor Martinez
3.4 - Chone Figgins
3.5 - Justin Morneau
3.6 - Adam Dunn
3.7 - Manny Ramirez
3.8 - Magglio Ordonez
3.9 - Troy Tulowitzki
3.10 - Russell Martin
3.11 - Travis Hafner
3.12 - Curtis Granderson

No pitchers were selected in round 3 as most teams continued onward with their 3rd position player. Ichiro had his 7th straight season of .300+, 30+ steals, and 100+ runs last year. If you want someone to help with AVG/SB/R, it doesn’t really get any better. Travis Hafner was my selection here and is a pick I really like in round 3. As Element said during our draft, “Hafner was a borderline 1st rounder last season. He could be a mega steal in the late 3rd.” Magglio Ordonez is someone who could drop all over the place in a lot of drafts. After reemerging big time last year, Maggs is now someone who has to be considered this early. He didn’t top 30 HR’s though and hasn’t been one to post AVG’s this high in the past though, so I’m probably going to let someone else take him this year. He’s unlikely to perform at such a ridiculously high level again. Tulowitzki is going to be an interesting pick this year. He’s a viable option in round 3. Derek Jeter, who was selected in round 4, still comes in ahead of Tulowitzki on my rankings, but I still don’t mind Troy being selected this early.

My favorite pick of round 3: Travis Hafner (1B-Cle)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 3: Magglio Ordonez (OF-Det)

Round 4

4.1 - Josh Beckett
4.2 - Brian Roberts
4.3 - Aramis Ramirez
4.4 - Erik Bedard
4.5 - Derek Jeter
4.6 - Carlos Guillen
4.7 - Derrek Lee
4.8 - Alex Rios
4.9 - Brandon Webb
4.10 - Carlos Pena
4.11 - Robinson Cano
4.12 - C.C. Sabathia

A number of squads looked to pick up their number 1 SP here as Beckett, Bedard, Webb, and Sabathia all came off the board. Webb is the pick among them that seems safest to me. Having put together three straight stellar seasons, I’d rather go with him over guys like Beckett and Bedard who have seen more bumps in the road. All are good options though. As ultimateplayer mentioned, “Brandon Webb is a great pick at this point. High K, low ERA and WHIP. He is a top 5 pitcher.” Bedard has all-world potential if he can keep up his K rate of last year over a full season, so he’s definitely a chance worth taking. Aramis Ramirez is another guy I really like this late. Basically he’s like Carlos Lee who I mentioned before except minus the steals. He’s going to get you his run production and 30 HR’s though, so he’s a nice grab here. Carlos Pena is another guy to watch in upcoming drafts, after exploding for 46 HR’s last year people could reach for him early. If he slips, don’t be afraid to grab him though. Round 5 is probably pretty appropriate for him, I say make the move if he falls into round 6, not too many players hit 46 HR’s. I’d pass here, but he still could pay huge dividends for his owners.

My favorite pick of round 4: Brandon Webb (SP-Ari)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 4: Carlos Pena (1B-TB)

Round 5

5.1 - Roy Oswalt
5.2 - Nick Markakis
5.3 - Hunter Pence
5.4 - Chipper Jones
5.5 - Miguel Tejada
5.6 - Dan Haren
5.7 - Cole Hamels
5.8 - Adrian Gonzalez
5.9 - Eric Byrnes
5.10 - Justin Verlander
5.11 - John Smoltz
5.12 - Garrett Atkins

In round 5, a few picks stood out to me. Chipper Jones is a guy I still really like and is a reasonable selection here. In 120 games, he’s usually able to produce a season’s worth of solid production. If you’re confident in your ability to plug someone when he’s out, having Chipper as your 3B could net you round 1 production. He could probably slip later than this, but he’s one of the 3B I will be targeting in drafts. Blacklabel’s mindset going into this pick was a very logical one. Around this time in drafts a lot of players rush into grabbing an SP, but this isn’t necessary yet at this juncture, if one doesn’t stand out to you. BL mentioned “I wanted to go with pitching here, but I have a lot of pitchers left on my list and I wanted to add the all around bat in Markakis.” Like he mentioned, just because most people have started to look at SP’s and that’s a logical pick to make, but that doesn’t mean you have to hurry and grab one. Markakis is a nice grab in round 5, and is probably a better selection than if he were to reach for someone like Dan Haren. Eric Byrnes is an interesting pick in this round. He recorded a 20/50 season last year, if he can come close to that production again, it’s an excellent grab. He’s a chance worth taking at this point. Tejada is a solid pick at this point, but is someone I’m a little wary of. His power has shown significant drop off and he’s changing leagues while being a target of an FBI investigation, I’ll pass for now.

My favorite pick of round 5: Nick Markakis (OF-Bal)

Player I would’ve passed on round 5: Miguel Tejada (SS-Hou)

Round 6

6.1 - John Lackey
6.2 - Chris Young (SP)
6.3 - Felix Hernandez
6.4 - Carlos Zambrano
6.5 - Joe Mauer
6.6 - Jason Bay
6.7 - Bobby Abreu
6.8 - Corey Hart
6.9 - Jonathan Papelbon
6.10 - Francisco Rodriguez
6.11 - JJ Putz
6.12 - Matt Cain

The first three closers come off the board here in round 6, pretty appropriately so. This is around where closers should be expected to start falling and Papelbon, Rodriguez, and Putz will lead the way. Bobby Abreu struggled through much of the first half last year and still came out with some really solid numbers. His power has dropped, but he’s still good for 15 HR’s and 20-25 SB’s. When you consider his run production on top of that, he’s a nice grab here. Corey Hart, similar to Abreu, is a nice power/speed threat. In the Brewers lineup, he’s not likely to have quite as good run production, but trump Abreu’s HR/SB and even approach a 30/30 year. Jason Bay struggled through much of last year and remains with the Pirates for now. I would’ve liked to see him get out, but either way he’s a solid bounce back candidate, albeit a minor risk as well. Matt Cain is the pick who stood out to me here. Cain turned it on in the 2nd half and didn’t deserve to total 16 losses, but round 6 is still a little early for me. He’s a decent sleeper candidate, but wait I would wait to grab him a little later. If guys like Harang and Halladay are still around, I would opt for them.

My favorite pick of round 6: Corey Hart (OF-Mil)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 6: Matt Cain (SP-SF)

Round 7

7.1 - Scott Kazmir
7.2 - Aaron Harang
7.3 - Roy Halladay
7.4 - Joe Nathan
7.5 - Brian McCann
7.6 - Billy Wagner
7.7 - Daisuke Matsuzaka
7.8 - Mariano Rivera
7.9 - Tim Lincecum
7.10 - Rickie Weeks
7.11 - Rafael Furcal
7.12 - Paul Konerko

In round 7 a lot of pitchers come off the board, including 5 SP’s and 3 RP’s. All of which are solid choices here. Lincecum is the only real risk of the bunch, but is worth a chance at this point. Matsuzaka struggled down the stretch and scares me a little this early, but is still a good option with big time K potential. I’m not sure of he’s on the level of Kazmir, Harang, and Halladay yet though. If you want a top level closer, Joe Nathan could be the one to target. He doesn’t miss time, has very low ratios, and will probably drop past Papelbon, Rodriguez, and Putz. Basically, he’s been totally nails in his four years as Twins closer, he’s a nice grab. Rickie Weeks and Rafael Furcal are good MI grabs here in round 7. Both have big SB potential and Weeks adds even a little extra power. Weeks has a higher ceiling and should be showing improvement at this point in his career. These are two of the MI’s that could be really good targets when heading into your draft.

My favorite pick of round 7: Rickie Weeks (2B-Mil)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 7: Daisuke Matsuzaka (SP-Bos)

Round 8

8.1 - Brad Hawpe
8.2 - Torii Hunter
8.3 - Yovani Gallardo
8.4 - Nick Swisher
8.5 - Ian Kinsler
8.6 - Alex Gordon
8.7 - Dan Uggla
8.8 - Rich Hill
8.9 - Jose Valverde
8.10 - Andruw Jones
8.11 - Fausto Carmona
8.12 - Vernon Wells

Round 8 features a couple solid 2nd OFers. Guys like Hawpe, Hunter, Swisher, Jones, and Wells come off the board here in addition to young bust out candidates like Yovani Gallardo and Alex Gordon. The OFers are all solid grabs all of which are established players with potential to outperform their draft position. Gallardo is a guy to target in drafts if you’re playing against some opponents that might not be aware of how good he is yet. In expert leagues, he’ll likely go around this early, but if you can find him a few rounds later you’ll be picking up a nice sleeper option. Carmona is an interesting pick here too. He had a great 2007, but many people maintain that the jury is still out on him. As a groundball type guy, I’d expect him to end up more like Derek Lowe or Chien-Ming Wang than Brandon Webb, who aren’t round 8 SP’s.

My favorite pick of round 8: Torii Hunter (OF-LAA)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 8: Fausto Carmona (SP-Cle)

Round 9

9.1 - Takashi Saito
9.2 - Ryan Zimmerman
9.3 - Bobby Jenks
9.4 - Jorge Posada
9.5 - Delmon Young
9.6 - Brad Penny
9.7 - Howie Kendrick
9.8 - Juan Pierre
9.9 - Francisco Cordero
9.10 - Houston Street
9.11 - Trevor Hoffman
9.12 - Michael Young

A bunch of closers continue off the board here as a couple teams pickup their 2nd closer and others grab their 1st. Saves can be collected late for cheap, but at this point in the draft I do think it’s good to have a guy you can rely on. It’s like SB’s; at this point in the draft most people usually have a legit base stealer they think they can rely on. In a Roto league, you don’t want to leave a category unaccounted for if avoidable. Saito is a good one to target, he goes a bit after the “elite” closers, but if healthy he will basically provide the exact same production. Ryan Zimmerman is a solid 3B candidate to pick up later in drafts, and in my opinion, should’ve been selected before Gordon. As Dleoboyd noted during the draft, “Chipper Jones, Garrett Atkins, and Adrian Gonzalez were all taken in the 5th round, and I don't really see where Zim provides significantly less than them - 9th round seems like a steal when you look at it that way.” I do think the 9th round is pretty appropriate, but he makes a nice point that Zimmerman is good value here. Kendrick and Michael Young are both solid later MI grabs here, both are solid all around roto players at positions that get a little thin at this point.

My favorite pick of round 9: Takashi Saito (RP-LAD)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 9: Brad Penny (SP-LAD)

Round 10

10.1 - Jeff Francouer
10.2 - Chris Young (OF)
10.3 - Matt Kemp
10.4 - Hideki Matsui
10.5 - Pedro Martinez
10.6 - A J Burnett
10.7 - Orlando Cabrera
10.8 - Rafael Soriano
10.9 - Jermaine Dye
10.10 - Shane Victorino
10.11 - Edgar Renteria
10.12 - Gary Sheffield

After the round of the closer, comes a round where only one closer is selected. Soriano is a good pick here though and could make the jump into the ranks of the better closers in the league. A.J. Burnett, Gary Sheffield, and Pedro Martinez potential rebound candidates taken here. Guys like these have high ceilings, but also definitely have some risk. Of the three, Pedro feels a little out of place here. I wouldn’t take a chance on him until at least a few rounds later. Shane Victorino is a nice grab here. In his first year starting full time in Philly, he established himself as a solid power/speed threat. He faded down the stretch with some injuries, but should be able to keep his power numbers up all year and could approach 20 HR’s. Chris Young and Matt Kemp also offer solid young OF bats with upside. Young, who went 32/27 last year is only an improved AVG away from jumping way up in drafts.

My favorite pick of round 10: Chris Young (OF-Ari)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 10: Pedro Martinez (SP-NYM)

Round 11

11.1 - Manny Corpas
11.2 - Mike Lowell
11.3 - Adrian Beltre
11.4 - Francisco Liriano
11.5 - Ben Sheets
11.6 - Javier Vazquez
11.7 - Jason Isringhausen
11.8 - Kelvim Escobar
11.9 - Brad Lidge
11.10 - James Shields
11.11 - Chad Cordero
11.12 - John Maine

A few more closers come off the board in round 11, as our draft continued to see the closer pool dry up even a little earlier than usual. Francisco Liriano, 2006’s best story comes off the board here after not playing last season with elbow surgery. ESPN is reporting that he is throwing all his pitches without any problems and could be a nice sleeper candidate this season. Javier Vazquez is probably an even better grab here though. Vazquez has found a home in Chicago and has been stellar since August 2006. It could be that his rollercoaster ride since leaving Montreal was the reason for his up and down play. After last season’s re-emergence, I like him for another really solid year this season. If he can do it, he’ll way outperform a round 11 pick. Ben Sheets, Adrian Beltre and James Shields also offer nice value picks here.

My favorite pick of round 11: Javier Vazquez (SP-CHW)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 11: Mike Lowell (3B-Bos)

Round 12

12.1 - Oliver Perez
12.2 - Jered Weaver
12.3 - Josh Hamilton
12.4 - Jim Thome
12.5 - Adam Wainwright
12.6 - Chien-Ming Wang
12.7 - B.J. Ryan
12.8 - Rich Harden
12.9 - Brett Myers
12.10 - Joakim Soria
12.11 - Phil Hughes
12.12 - Jeff Kent

More bust-out candidates here in Josh Hamilton, Adam Wainwright, and Phil Hughes as well as injury comeback candidates in Rich Harden and B.J. Ryan. All are worth chancing at this point and offer solid potential. About Wainwright, Tri State Titan mentioned “I’m a big fan of Adam Wainwright. I was expecting a breakout last season, I was half right, guy was lights out second half.” If he can make it a full season this year, he could pay big dividends. Thome is a nice grab here and could offer big time power later on in drafts. Myers is also an interesting pick as he moves back to the rotation. In 2005 and 2006 he was a great SP option and could return to that form this season. Jeff Kent is a solid add for 2B at this point, but is the player who doesn’t belong in this round for me. With the players still available at other places I would’ve waited longer at 2B and picked up a guy with greater potential.

My favorite pick of round 12: Jim Thome (DH-CHW)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 12: Jeff Kent (2B-LAD)

Round 13

13.1 - James Loney
13.2 - Jeremy Bonderman
13.3 - Ted Lilly
13.4 - Johnny Damon
13.5 - Matt Capps
13.6 - Carlos Delgado
13.7 - Akinori Iwamura
13.8 - Ken Griffey Jr.
13.9 - Jeff Francis
13.10 - Jonathan Broxton
13.11 - Kevin Gregg
13.12 - Todd Jones

A few teams scramble for another closer here as we get down to the last couple guys. Capps, Gregg, and Jones have pretty solid job security though, so don’t be afraid to grab them when you get to the end of your closer list. Damon, Delgado, and Griffey offer some decent value grabs here as older, so now slightly underrated players. Akinori Iwamura is premature here in my opinion. While he agreed that the pick was early, kamakazek mentioned that “it might not be that bad a pick once he gets 2B eligibility.” I would look at Iwamura as a late round possibility for when he adds 2B, but wouldn’t chance it with him this early.

My favorite pick of round 13: Matt Capps (RP-Pit)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 13: Akinori Iwamura (3B-TB)

Round 14

14.1 - Eric Gagne
14.2 - Tim Hudson
14.3 - Jacoby Ellsbury
14.4 - Todd Helton
14.5 - Joba Chamberlain
14.6 - Kosuke Fukedome
14.7 - Kenji Johjima
14.8 - Tony Pena (RP)
14.9 - Chad Billingsley
14.10 - Clay Buchholtz
14.11 - Joe Borowski
14.12 - Johnny Peralta

Some interesting sleeper grabs here in Joba Chamberlain, Clay Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Kosuke Fukudome. Chamberlain and Buccholz do not have solidified rotation spots and both may not begin the year there, however, both have big time potential and could be huge for their owners this year if they make their way into the rotation fairly early or in Joba’s case, even as an MRP. Fukudome is a power/speed threat who could be a nice add here much like Ellsbury who showed some real tools in his call-up last season. Chad Billingsley is possibly the best pick of them all though. Billingsley re-entered the Dodgers rotation in June last year and looked very good. He looks like a once top prospect that could be ready to really make an impact now. Johjima is a solid catcher, but I would rather use that pick to grab someone like Billingsley or Pena here, someone with more potential. His 15 HR’s, 60 R, and 60 RBI won’t be much different than the guys available at the very end of the draft.

My favorite pick of round 14: Chad Billingsley (SP-LAD)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 14: Kenji Johjima (C-Sea)

Round 15

15.1 - Brian Wilson
15.2 - Adam LaRoche
15.3 - Aaron Rowand
15.4 - Dustin McGowan
15.5 - Billy Butler
15.6 - C.J. Wilson
15.7 - Derek Lowe
15.8 - Jeremy Hermida
15.9 - Jared Saltalamacchia
15.10 - Ian Snell
15.11 - Ubaldo Jimenez
15.12 - Edwin Encarnacion

By round 15 we’re usually looking at potential guys. Adam LaRoche stands out here though as more of a sure thing and still a really nice option. Dleoboyd mentioned, “I really like the Adam LaRoche pick this late. 1B is such a deep position you can find a 30 HR guy even at this point in the draft. Derek Lowe is another solid SP who you know what you’re getting with at this point. Butler, Hermida, Encarnacion, Snell, and McGowan are nice grabs here. All have shown something at the MLB level and definitely have the potential to improve. In retrospect, I don’t really like my Jimenez pick here. Like the guys I just mentioned, he has potential too, but I don’t think he’s quite on the same level yet and I would probably look for him a couple rounds later if I could do it again.

My favorite pick of round 15: Adam LaRoche (1B-Pit)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 15: Ubaldo Jimenez (SP-Col)

Round 16

16.1 - Tom Gorzelanny
16.2 - Josh Fields
16.3 - Willy Taveras
16.4 - Joe Blanton
16.5 - Mark Buehrle
16.6 - Bob Howry
16.7 - Hiroki Kuroda
16.8 - Rocco Baldelli
16.9 - Jason Giambi
16.10 - Curt Schilling
16.11 - Josh Willingham
16.12 - Geovany Soto

A few unknowns going here in round 16 including import Hiroki Kuroda and the Cubs’ young catcher Geovany Soto. At this point in the draft taking risks like this can pay big dividends and won’t hurt you too bad. Some of my favorite picks of the round are more established guys though. Rocco Baldelli is a sleeper a lot of guys have targeted in years past. This could be the season he finally starts to drop more. With his power/speed combination, he’s a nice grab later on in drafts. Josh Fields and Josh Willingham are guys with high ceilings who offer nice potential here. A nice back of your fantasy rotation starter could be Curt Schilling this year. Battling injuries last year he still posted an ERA under 4 and a WHIP under 1.3. In Boston, that presents a good opportunity for wins.

My favorite pick of round 16: Rocco Baldelli (OF-TB)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 16: Jason Giambi (1B-NYY)

Round 17

17.1 - Zach Greinke
17.2 - Brian Bannister
17.3 - Joel Zumaya
17.4 - Milton Bradley
17.5 - Michael Bourn
17.6 - Justin Upton
17.7 - Ramon Hernandez
17.8 - Troy Percival
17.9 - Dontrelle Willis
17.10 - Joey Votto
17.11 - Randy Johnson
17.12 - Jason Schmidt

Troy Percival could be a really nice late grab in drafts. He looked great last year and now moves to Tampa Bay and will likely get a chance to close. While, Michael Bourn is a nice sleeper for SB’s if he assumes the full time role he is expect to receive in Houston. My selection of Randy Johnson here generated some discussion. SethBeno and Dleoboyd agree that his age alone is reason to avoid him in drafts. Johnson still was very effective last season though, and if he stays on the mound I think he’s a nice grab here. Joey Votto could be a name many people don’t know. Votto looked great in his call-up last season, he should assume the starting 1B role if the Reds know what’s best for them and offers nice potential in the later rounds. Many of our drafters liked the Dontrelle Willis selection here. Personally, he scares me even this late. His BAA, BB’s, and HR’s have all gone up the past two years and he’s going to the AL now. I think the ship has sailed on Dontrelle Willis.

My favorite pick of round 17: Michael Bourn (OF-Hou)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 17: Dontrelle Willis (SP-Det)

Round 18

18.1 - Carlos Marmol
18.2 – J.R. Towles
18.3 - Evan Longoria
18.4 - Kevin Youkilis
18.5 - Troy Glaus
18.6 - Jeremy Accardo
18.7 - Rafael Betancourt
18.8 - Matt Garza
18.9 - Felipe Lopez
18.10 - Ryan Theriot
18.11 - Mike Napoli
18.12 - Stephen Drew

I like the selections of a couple MRP’s here. Filling up your extra P spots on your roster with guys like Marmol, Accardo, and Betancourt can really help ratios and could present chances for saves if the pieces fall right. Those guys are nice grabs here and should be late round targets this year. J.R. Towles, like Soto is another young catcher worth taking a chance on. We know what you’re going to get with the other guys at this point, so you may as well try one of those two youngsters. If it doesn’t work out there will be FA catchers who are just as good as the Pudge Rodriguez’s of the world anyway. Evan Longoria is getting a chance to compete for Tampa Bay’s 3B job this spring and is someone to watch as we move forward. Stephen Drew is still a good prospect, but probably shouldn’t be taken ahead of guys like J.J. Hardy or Khalil Greene.

My favorite pick of round 18: Carlos Marmol (RP-ChC)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 18: Stephen Drew (SS-Ari)

Round 19

19.1 - Kelly Johnson
19.2 - J.J. Hardy
19.3 - Jay Bruce
19.4 - Chris Duncan
19.5 - Aaron Hill
19.6 - Joe Crede
19.7 - Colby Rasmus
19.8 - Kerry Wood
19.9 - Yunel Escobar
19.10 - Cameron Maybin
19.11 - Hank Blalock
19.12 - Raul Ibanez

A few nice value picks here in round 19. Kelly Johnson, Raul Ibanez, Hank Blalock, Aaron Hill, and Chris Duncan all offer nice production as bench players at this point. Hardy started really strong last year, and then slowed down. A lot of people missed his turn around in August and September though. If he slips in your draft to this point he could be a real nice grab. Young guys like Jay Bruce and Cameron Maybin will be given chances to compete for OF spots this year and could be nice sleepers here. I don’t really like the selection of Colby Rasmus here. He still hasn’t played above AA ball and could use another year of seasoning. Expect the Cardinals to give him at least some of the year in the minors to prepare a little more.

My favorite pick of round 19: J.J. Hardy (SS-Mil)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 19: Colby Rasmus (OF-StL)

Round 20

20.1 - Wily Mo Pena
20.2 - Hideki Okajima
20.3 - Kevin Slowey
20.4 - Pat Burrell
20.5 - Kevin Kouzmanoff
20.6 - Scot Shields
20.7 - Chris Carpenter
20.8 - Ryan Garko
20.9 - Ryan Freel
20.10 - Gil Meche
20.11 - Micah Owings
20.12 - Corey Patterson

A few underrated big bats come off the board here. Wily Mo Pena, Pat Burrell, and Kevin Kouzmanoff have real power and could outproduce this draft position. In a full time role, if Wily Mo Pena shows some improvement or gets a little lucky he could hit 35 HR’s. Corey Patterson is still unsigned, but is a nice add here. If he finds a team where he can play he can still steal 30+ bases and hit over 10 HR’s. I find it hard to believe that a team like the Cardinals wouldn’t be interested. Chris Carpenter is an interesting grab here. He will likely miss the first half of the year, but could be nice down the stretch especially for H2H leagues rather than Roto formats like this one. Make sure you have generous DL spots to plug him on though if you take that chance. In a competitive Roto league, he’s probably not worth it.

My favorite pick of round 20: Wily Mo Pena (OF-Was)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 20: Chris Carpenter (SP-StL)

Round 21

21.1 - Brandon Morrow
21.2 - Rafael Perez
21.3 - Khalil Greene
21.4 - Bronson Arroyo
21.5 - Andy Pettitte
21.6 - Homer Bailey
21.7 - Andrew Miller
21.8 - John Patterson
21.9 - Jamie Walker
21.10 - Conor Jackson
21.11 - Brian Fuentes
21.12 - Ivan Rodriguez

As we finish up in round 21, it’s a good time to take a chance on guys like Andrew Miller, John Patterson, or Brandon Morrow, young pitchers with some nice stuff. Patterson has struggled with injuries the past few years, but when healthy in 2005, produced like a fantasy #2 starter. Guys like Walker and Fuentes are also good grabs here as ratio helpers and potential save candidates. Jamie Walker could win the Orioles closer job outright and a guy like Fuentes will help your ratios while being just one injury away from helping saves too. The only downfall with a guy like Perez is that he probably isn’t even second in line for saves, I would probably opt for someone in a position like that (Jon Rauch, Aaron Heilman, etc.) over him here.

My favorite pick of round 21: John Patterson (SP-Was)

Player I would’ve passed on in round 21: Rafael Perez (RP-Cle)

-Dustin Ward - RotoKingdom Staff Writer