Draft Order
1. SethBeno
2. Tri State Titan
3. RotoKing
4. Cubbieblue
5. Kamakazek9
6. NEPats
7. Element
8. Dleoboyd
9. DAtaris17
10. SirDunkALot
11. Blacklabel
12. Ultimateplayer

We drafted 21 rounds snake style, based on standard 5x5 rotisserie rankings. Hitters scoring categories used are batting average, runs scored, homeruns, runs batted in, and stolen bases. Pitchers are scored by wins, earned run average, whip (batters allowed/innings pitched), strikeouts, and saves. The rosters positions used for the mock include Catcher-C, Firstbaseman-1B, Secondbaseman-2B, Thirdbaseman-3B, Shortstop-SS, three Outfielders-OF, and a utlity hitter which can be any position player or a designated hitter-DH. For the pitching rosters we used two Starting Pitchers-SP, two Relief Pitchers-RP and three pitchers that can be either starters or relievers. We also used 5 bench spots for the draft.

ROUND 1

1. Albert Pujols (1B-StL)
2. Jose Reyes (SS-NYM)
3. Johan Santana (SP-MIN)
4. Ryan Howard (1B-PHI)
5. Alfonso Soriano (OF-CHC)
6. David Ortiz (1B-BOS)
7. Alex Rodriguez (3B-NYY)
8. Miguel Cabrera (3B-FLA)
9. Chase Utley (2B-PHI)
10. Carlos Beltran (OF-NYM)
11. Carl Crawford (OF-TB)
12. Vladimir Guerrero (OF-LAA)

KegRollers - Very few surprises here, but one of the biggest stories in drafts this year will be how far Arod will fall. A consensus top 3 pick since moving to Texas in 2001, he failed to post at least 41 HR for only the second time in his last 9 seasons, and has had his drive to succeed questioned since his slump began in June last year. 7th may be slightly low given his track record, but looking at the 5 hitters taken ahead of him, I find it hard to justify taking Arod over any of them. Reyes at #2 may have been a stretch, especially considering that Crawford went at #11 and they posted almost identical numbers last season. TST is basically banking on the fact that Reyes will top his career year in ’06 with another one in ’07. Risky, but understandable considering the kid is only 23 and is one of the most amazing talents in the league right now.

kamakazek9 - Alfonso Soriano was the with best option of speed and power coming off of a 40 homerun 40 stolen base season. I don’t think he’ll reach those numbers this season, but he should get very close helping out with 4 categories. Now that Soriano is hitting in front of Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez at Wrigley is a bonus. I was considering Alex Rodriguez at this position.

ROUND 2
1. Travis Hafner (DH-CLE)
2. David Wright (3B-NYM)
3. Lance Berkman (1B/OF-HOU)
4. Matt Holliday (OF-COL)
5. Mark Teixeira (1B-TEX)
6. Grady Sizemore (OF-CLE)
7. Carlos Zambrano (SP-CHC)
8. Manny Ramirez (OF-BOS)
9. Aramis Ramirez (3B-CHC)
10. Chris Carpenter (SP-STL)
11. Carlos Lee (OF-HOU)
12. Justin Morneau (1B-MIN)

KegRollers - The second SP goes off the board here at the 22nd overall pick, giving RotoKing the top 2 pitchers in many owner’s rankings. An interesting strategy considering the apparent depth of the position this season and the quality of player who’ll certainly go within the next 4 picks before RK gets another chance at drafting his first hitter. The reigning AL MVP (Morneau) goes two picks later, right after Carlos Lee, a perennial .300-100-30-100-15 hitter who’s moving into a favorable park in Houston. Very good value with the last two picks in the round. Last thought of the round - Many owners remember they hype for Teixeira last year following his .300-43-144 season in ’05, and were sorely disappointed when he only hit .275-9-49 before the break. He slips from the early 1st round last year to the early/mid second here… the guy hit .291-24-61 in only 275 Abs in the second half last season, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a .295-45-140 effort in ‘07.

kamakazek9 - Manny Ramirez was my choice in the second round as I went with another outfielder. I typically don’t like picking up a player in the same position as my 1st round selection, but it was too hard to turn down his power. I was looking for more consistent power hitter after taking more of an all-around player in the first round and no one else really stuck out at this draft position.

ROUND 3
1. Hanley Ramirez (SS-FLA)
2. Derrek Lee (1B-CHC)
3. Ichiro Suzuki (OF-SEA)
4. Jake Peavy (SP-SD)
5. Derek Jeter (SS-NYY)
6. Garrett Atkins (3B-COL)
7. Jason Bay (OF-PIT)
8. Roy Halladay (SP-TOR)
9. Vernon Wells (OF-TOR)
10. Miguel Tejada (SS-BAL)
11. Roy Oswalt (SP-HOU)
12. Jimmy Rollins (SS-PHI)

KegRollers - The second SS off the board is Hanley Ramirez, a bold statement by Seth, with proven veterans like Jeter, Tejada, Rollins, and Michael Young all still available. While Hanley’s SB total should stay around 40, his power numbers came out of nowhere (1 HR per 57 Abs in his minor league career, 1 per 37 in ’06) and I doubt that he’ll come close to 17 HR again. Peavy is the third SP taken, despite his poor ’06 first half. While Peavy improved on his 1st half ERA, his BB rate and WHIP increased, and his K/9ip went down. That said, the pick is dependable, as Peavy is still in that top tier of pitchers with Halladay and Oswalt, and the 3rd to 4th round is the right time to grab these live arms.

kamakazek9 - After watching Hanley Ramirez go, I felt there was going to be a little run on SS and wanted to get the solid #shortstop that will help with all categories. Derek Jeter gave me three players with solid batting averages. It also affords me to take a big homerun hitter with a poor batting average if I need power later in the draft.

ROUND 4
1. Andruw Jones (OF-ARI)
2. Brandon Webb (SP-ARI)
3. Bob Abreu (OF-NYY)
4. Paul Konerko (1B-CWS)
5. Joe Mauer (C-MIN)
6. CC Sabathia (SP-CLE)
7. Jermaine Dye (OF-CWS)
8. Francisco Rodriguez (RP-LAA)
9. Dan Uggla (2B-FLA)
10. Chone Figgins (2B/3B/OF-LAA)
11. Ben Sheets (SP-MIL)
12. Robinson Cano (2B-NYY)

kamakazek9 - Normally, I try to draft a closer in the 4th or 5th round. With zero taken at this point in the draft I felt why not go for the best. At the top of the position are Francisco Rodriguez and Nathan and I went with my personal preference.

ROUND 5
1. Johnny Damon (OF-NYY)
2. Brian McCann (C-ATL)
3. Rafael Furcal (SS-LAD)
4. Michael Young (SS-TEX)
5. Prince Fielder (1B-MIL)
6. John Smoltz (SP-ATL)
7. Felix Hernandez (SP-SEA)
8. Joe Nathan (RP-MIN)
9. Carlos Guillen (SS-DET)
10. BJ Ryan (RP-TOR)
11. Adam Dunn (OF-CIN)
12. Ryan Zimmerman (3B-WAS)

kamakazek9 - Prince Fielder, was the best available player on my list.

ROUND 6
1. Scott Kazmir (SP-TB)
2. Jim Thome (DH-CWS)
3. Brian Roberts (2B-BAL)
4. Cole Hamels (SP-PHI)
5. Rickie Weeks (2B-MIL)
6. Daisuke Matsuzaka (SP-BOS)
7. John Lackey (SP-LAA)
8. Jeremy Bonderman (SP-DET)
9. Juan Pierre (OF-CHC)
10. Victor Martinez (C-CLE)
11. Troy Glaus (3B-TOR)
12. Aaron Harang (SP-CIN)

kamakazek9 - Jeremy Bonderman was my choice in the 6th round as I needed to get a top SP who will get around 200 K’s and Bonderman fit the bill. He's a very nice late 1st starting pitcher. I didn’t go for starting pitcher earlier because there are so many pitchers that are great or are very similar this year.

ROUND 7
1. Chipper Jones (3B-ATL)
2. Howie Kendrick (2B-LAA)
3. Carlos Delgado (1B-NYM)
4. Chris Ray (RP-BAL)
5. Hideki Matsui (OF-NYY)
6. JJ Putz (RP-SEA)
7. Bill Hall (SS-MIL)
8. Rich Harden (SP-OAK)
9. Felipe Lopez (SS-WAS)
10. Brett Myers (SP-PHI)
11. Jered Weaver (SP-LAA)
12. Mariano Rivera (RP-NYY)

kamakazek9 - Hideki Matsui completes my starting outfield. Matsui should rebound very nicely so do not be afraid to grab this guy. I was targeting Glaus here with his shortstop eligibility, but he didn't make it back to my 7th round selection.

ROUND 8
1. Billy Wagner (RP-NYM)
2. Huston Street (RP-OAK)
3. Rocco Baldelli (OF-TB)
4. Jason Schmidt (SP-LAD)
5. Delmon Young (OF-TB)
6. Todd Helton (1B-COL)
7. Julio Lugo (SS-BOS)
8. Bobby Jenks (RP-CWS)
9. Chad Cordero (RP-WAS)
10. Scott Rolen (3B-STL)
11. Takaski Saito (RP-LAD)
12. Corey Patterson (OF-BAL)

kamakazek9 - Bobby Jenks gives me two solid closers. Jenks is top strikeout closer who may get close to 100 of them and his totals are very much like a starting pitcher but with saves. His high earned run average from past season worries me a bit, but he's still a solid number #2 RP. I was hoping to land Jason Schmidt here but he went four picks earlier.

ROUND 9
1. Dan Haren (SP-OAK)
2. Magglio Ordonez (OF-CWS)
3. Gary Sheffield (OF-DET)
4. Chris Young (OF-ARZ)
5. Dontrelle Willis (SP-FLA)
6. Brandon Phillips (2B-CIN)
7. Alex Rios (OF-TOR)
8. Chris R Young (SP-SD)
9. Trevor Hoffman (RP-SD)
10. Justin Verlander (SP-DET)
11. Nick Swisher (1B-OAK)
12. Mike Mussina (SP-NYY)

kamakazek9 - After missing out on Schmidt last round I elected to draft Dontrelle Willis. It was still a bit early for the hitters I was aiming to land later in the draft and I didn't like the ones that should go off the board around this time.

ROUND 10
1. Adam LaRoche (1B-PIT)
2. Josh Barfield (2B-CLE)
3. Matt Cain (SP-SF)
4. Kelvim Escobar (SP-LAA)
5. John Patterson (SP-WAS)
6. Rich Hill (SP-CHC)
7. Torii Hunter (OF-MIN)
8. Richie Sexson (1B-SEA)
9. Michael Barrett (C-CHC)
10. Jason Giambi (1B-NYY)
11. A.J. Burnett (SP-TOR)
12. Barry Zito (SP-SF)

kamakazek9 - Here I wanted a power hitter and Richie Sexson he fits the bill. With Jeter, Ramirez, and Soriano I felt I could take the hit in batting average for the power numbers Sexson will provide.

ROUND 11
1. Curt Schilling (SP-BOS)
2. Jonathan Papelbon (RP-BOS)
3. Brad Lidge (RP-HOU)
4. Randy Johnson (SP-ARZ)
5. Joe Crede (3B-CWS)
6. Bronson Arroyo (SP-TEX)
7. Eric Gagne (RP-CLE)
8. Chad Tracy (3B-ARZ)
9. Brian Fuentes (RP-COL)
10. Edwin Encarnacion (3B-CIN)
11. Jeff Francouer (OF-ATL)
12. Andy Pettite (SP-HOU)

kamakazek9 - Joe Crede may be a little underrated as 100 RBIs are certainly attainable along with 30-35 homeruns. The only bad thing is his back could go out any day with those bulging disks he plays with.

ROUND 12
1. Ian Kinsler (2B-TEX)
2. Ervin Santana (SP-LAA)
3. Chris Capuano (SP-MIL)
4. Dave Bush (SP-MIL)
5. Mark Prior (SP-CHC)
6. Mike Piazza (C-OAK)
7. Brad Hawpe (OF-COL)
8. Ramon Hernanedz (C-BAL)
9. Jacque Jones (OF-CHC)
10.Tom Gordon (RP-PHI)
11.Frank Thomas (DH-TOR)
12.Francisco Cordero (RP-MIL)

kamakazek9 - Ramon Hernandez is the 4th catcher on my list and after watching Michael Barrett and Mike Piazza go at the catcher slot I wanted to grab one before it was too late. I would have taken Kenji Johjima if Hernandez had not made it back to me.

ROUND 13
1. Erik Bedard (SP-BAL)
2. Anibal Sanchez (SP-FLA)
3. Jose Valverde (RP-ARZ)
4. Josh Beckett (SP-BOS)
5. Joel Zumaya (RP-DET)
6. Kenji Johjima (C-SEA)
7. Jeff Kent (2B-LAD)
8. Stephen Drew (SS-ARZ)
9. Adrian Beltre (3B-SEA)
10. Scott Olsen (SP-FLA)
11. Edgar Renteria (SS-ATL)
12. Coco Crisp (OF-BOS)

kamakazek9 - Joel Zumaya is another top power pitching reliever capable of 100 strikeouts. Taking Zumaya this high, I'm showing the belief he will become the closer in Detroit this year. I don’t know when so saves might not be as great as some of the other relievers still available, but with an excellent arm, Zumaya will help with strikeouts, earned run average, and whip ratios.

ROUND 14
1. Chuck James (SP-ATL)
2. JD Drew (OF-BOS)
3. Jorge Posada (C-NYY)
4. Bob Wickman (RP-ATL)
5. Jeremy Hermida (OF-FLA)
6. Adrian Gonzalez (1B-SD)
7. Jason Isringhausen (RP-STL)
8. Freddy Garcia (SP-PHI)
9. Jon Garland (SP-CWS)
10. Mike Cameron (OF-SD)
11. Nick Markakis (OF-BAL)
12. Octavio Dotel (RP-KC)

kamakazek9 - Freddie Gacia may be a bit of a surprise 3rd starting pitcher. I feel that if Arroyo could move over to the National League and do as well as he did than Garcia could do even better given his stronger track record in the American League.

ROUND 15
1. Ivan Rodriguez (C-DET)
2. Adam Wainwright (SP-STL)
3. Salomon Torres (RP-PIT)
4. Chien-Ming Wang (SP-NYY)
5. Tadahito Iguchi (2B-CWS)
6. Derek Lowe (SP-LAD)
7. Joe Borowski (RP-CLE)
8. Alex Gordon (3B-KC)
9. Javier Vazquez (SP-CWS)
10. Todd Jones (RP-DET)
11. Taylor Tankersley (RP-FLA)
12. Nate Robertson (SP-DET)

kamakazek9 - Tadahito Iguchi is a solid second baseman capable of 20 homeruns 70 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Those numbers may not sound great, but they are solid enough for mid rounder starting second baseman. He’s a white sox, which is a plys for me and this completes my hitting starters. Now that I have my starting hitters I will fill out my pitching staff.

ROUND 16
1. Pat Burrell (OF-PHI)
2. Jonny Gomes (OF-TB)
3. Eric Chavez (3B-OAK)
4. Raul Ibanez (OF-SEA)
5. Willy Taveras (OF-COL)
6. Corey Hart (OF-MIL)
7. Nick Johnson (1B-WAS)
8. Brad Penny (SP-LAD)
9. Nomar Garciapara (1B-LAD)
10.Armando Benitez (RP-SF)
11.Jonathan Broxton (RP-LAD)
12.Michael Cuddyer (1B-MIN)

kamakazek9 - Brad Penny is my 4th starting pitcher. He was an all-star last year and plays for a solid team. Penny won’t have to be the number one starter in LA and he should put up very solid numbers.

ROUND 17
1. Barry Bonds (OF-SF)
2. Tim Hudson (SP-ATL)
3. Josh Johnson (SP-FLA)
4. Hank Blalock (3B-TEX)
5. Bartolo Colon (SP-LAA)
6. Chad Billingsley (SP-LAD)
7. Kei Igawa (SP-NYY)
8. Conor Jackson (1B-ARZ)
9. Scott Podsednik (OF-CWS)
10. Curtis Granderson (OF-DET)
11. Mark Buehrle (SP-CWS)
12. Ian Snell (SP-PIT)

kamakazek9 - Bartolo Colon is my fifth starting pitcher and although he'll start the season on the disabled list, I feel should bounce back tremendously. Remember that Colon was CY Young winner just 2 years ago.

ROUND 18
1. Roger Clemens (SP-FA)
2. Russell Martin (C-LAD)
3. Carlos Quentin (OF-ARZ)
4. Marcus Giles (2B-SD)
5. Mike Gonzalez (RP-ATL)
6. Anthony Reyes (SP-STL)
7. Emil Brown (OF-KC)
8. Kevin Millwood (SP-TEX)
9. Geoff Jenkins (OF-MIL)
10.Melvin Mora (3B-BAL)
11.Pedro Martinez (SP-NYM)
12. Mark Teahan (3B-KC)

kamakazek9 - Kevin Millwood is my sixth starter and the ace in Texas, which means nothing. Millwood should be good for wins and strikeouts and that’s all I am asking forhere.

ROUND 19
1. Ken Griffey Jr. (OF-CIN)
2. Jorge Cantu (2B-TB)
3. Ryan Freel (2B/OF-CIN)
4. Jason Jennings (SP-HOU)
5. Wilson Betemit (SS/3B-LAD)
6. Lyle Overbay (1B-TOR)
7. Kerry Wood (P-CHC)
8. Jhonny Peralta (SS-CLE)
9. Jason Varitek (C-BOS)
10. Jeremy Sowers (SP-CLE)
11. Ryan Dempster (RP-CHC)
12. Moises Alou (OF-NYM)

kamakazek9 - Wilson Betemit may be a stretch and might not even be starting, but I think he is in the mold of Ryan Freel a couple years ago. There really isn't a place to put him although he might see the majority of time at third base this season, but he should always be in the lineup and producing.

ROUND 20
1. Scot Shields (RP-LAA)
2. Jose Lopez (2B-SEA)
3. Scott Linebrink (RP-SD)
4. Gary Matthews Jr. (OF-LAA)
5. Clay Hensley (SP-SD)
6. Ryan Shealy (1B-KC)
7. David Weathers (RP-CIN)
8. Morgan Ensberg (3B-HOU)
9. Greg Maddux (SP-SD)
10. Dave Roberts (OF-SF)
11. Seth McClung (RP-TB)
12. Akinori Otsuka (RP-TEX)

kamakazek9 - Morgan Ensberg provides the much needed protection incase Crede’s back implodes and he is always a good second option.

ROUND 21
1. Troy Tulowitzki (SS-COL)
2. Milton Bradley (OF-OAK)
3. Matt Garza (SP-MIN)
4. Ray Durham (2B-SF)
5. Randy Wolf (SP-LAD)
6. Joel Pineiro (P-BOS)
7. Nelson Cruz (OF-TEX)
8. Dan Wheeler (RP-HOU)
9. Jose Contreras (SP-CWS)
10. Cla Meredith (RP-SD)
11. Daniel Cabrera (SP-BAL)
12. A.J. Pierzynski (C-CWS)

kamakazek9 - Randy Wolf is the number 4 pitcher in LA. I like his potential in a favorable pitcher's park.

kamakazek9 - After seeing the top three catchers, second basemen, and top five or six third basemen go early I decided to concentrate on other areas of my team. I was still able to pick up starters in those positions later on that I view as viable options. This strategy meant my outfield and pitching staff as a whole benefited.