Ultimate Squad

[ALL-IN JD]

As I am sitting here bored in my hotel room I figured I would do a little write up on my Ultimate Draft Team, picking from the 12th spot:



1) Alex Rodriguez - planned on one of the big three third baseman and got the one I wanted. Planning on a big season from A Rod this year



2) Mark Texeira - Wanted to pair A Rod with either Youklis, Fielder or Tex so was happy with Tex



3) Victor Martinez - To say i was stunned to see him sitting there at 42 was an understatement. Was fully prepared to take my ace but could not pass on Victor



4) Sabathia - Needed to secure an ace an was glad to get a solid one like CC in the fourth



5) Josh Johnson - Pitching started going fast so I decide to pair CC with a friend and was happy with JJ as my number two.



6) Latos - Wanted to grab an OF but Rasmus went three picks earlier and did not see an OF worthy at that spot so grabbed Latos at that spot (hadn't hurt his arm yet, unlucky I guess)



7) Pierre - Definitely needed to grab an OF and with three big power bats I decided to grab a judy.



8) Mariano - Wanted to grab another but the best closer to ever live was still out there so I grabbed Mo.



9) Thornton - Decided to "reach" for a second closer. Definitely a gamble with only one OF so far but love Thornton this year. Can see Marmol-type numbers from him.



10) Wells - Time to go back to the offensive side, specifically OF, and grabbed Wells. Should be solid this year.



11) Desmond - Very high on Desmond this year. He is not your prototypical leadoff hitter but offers a nice power/speed combo and should score alot of runs



12) Span - Wanted another OF and Span will help in BA, steals and runs. Should be very productive this year. Guys like Pagan, Torres, Gardner, Crisp and Bourn already were gone so Span was the play.



13) Nishioka - Obviously not sure what I will get with him but he is a high upside guy at a good spot in the draft and though he was worth the risk



14) Chris Johnson - Grabbed my CI. Maybe a little early but I am hoping for a repeat from last year. 3B is a thin position so I was okay with drafting a second one to fill my corner.



15) Danny Espinosa - Definitely a high risk/high reward pick. Will be a BA drag but I like his power/speed combo



16) Magglio Ordonez - Pickings were getting thin in the OF so "reached' for Ordonez. Obviously using hope as a strategy here!



17) Ian Kennedy - Decide to grab my fourth starter and thought Kennedy in the 17th was really good value.



18) Chipper Jones - Filled my utility spot. Did not necessarily want to do it with a third 3B but Jones has looked awfully good this spring, and I fell for it!



19) Thole - Wanted a catcher that would not be an average killer and Thole definitely fills the bill.



20) Johnny Damon - YIKES! Needed an everyday day bat in the OF and I am counting on a motivated Damon.



21) Anibel Sanchez - Did not see an OF worthy of a pick here so I was more than happy to fill my number 5 starter spot with Sanchez.



22) Rafael Soriano - What I thought was a key pick here late in the draft. Glad to have Mariano's "handcuff".



23) Drabek - Not necessarily a need pick but I could do worse as a sixth starter. Definitely some upside here.



24) David DeJesus - Not a big DeJesus fan but a possible .300 hitting OF in the 24th round was well worth the pick.



25) Nady - Continued trying to get some OF depth in the later rounds and Nady could provide to be serviceable



Finished up the draft with Takahashi, Hammel, David Hernandez, Affeldt and Bradley

[Hells Satans]

Strong team. Great value with VMart. I love Desmond this year too.



I was in this draft as well from the 1 spot. This is by far my favorite team of all the ones I've done:



18 Jaso, John

25 Torrealba, Yorvit



1 Pujols, Albert

12 LaRoche, Adam

2 Zimmerman, Ryan



7 Zobrist, Ben

14 Aviles, Mike

15 Peralta, Jhonny



3 Cruz, Nelson

4 Stubbs, Drew

16 McLouth, Nate

8 Bourn, Michael

21 Ludwick, Ryan



13 Sanchez, Gaby



5 Weaver, Jered

6 Liriano, Francisco

9 Lilly, Ted

10 Kuroda, Hiroki

17 Niese, Jonathon

19 Pineda, Michael

20 Bedard, Erik

22 Uehara, Koji

11 Valverde, Jose



23 Coghlan, Chris

24 Wells, Randy

26 Burnett, Sean

27 Izturis, Maicer

28 Vargas, Jason

29 Penny, Brad

30 Demel, Sam



Short on saves (as usual), but Pujols/Zimmerman/Cruz is a lovely start.



I've tried to get Aviles in every draft this year since I think he is the most undervalued player in fantasy right now.



1. Pujols (1B) - Well, duh.



2. Ryan Zimmerman (3B) - I was literally shocked that he made it back to 30. You know that feeling when you can't believe I guy might make it back to you and you are 3 or 4 picks away and the guy before you takes the player you want? Well, that didn't happen here. Around 25, I was hoping that one of Cruz or Zimmerman might possibly fall.....



3. Nelson Cruz (OF) - and they both did. Super happy at this point.



4. Drew Stubbs (OF) - Boom or bust pick. Hopeful he can hang on to leadoff job.



5. Jered Weaver (SP) - I'm higher on Weaver than most/all (I have him as the 5th best SP). He's basically been my first pitching target in every draft.



6. Francisco Liriano (SP) - I was targeting Morrow here (this was before he got hurt). Jupinka stole him before I could get him. A little surprised to still see Liriano at 90. Gladly take him.



7. Ben Zobrist (2B) - I'm a huge fan of multi-position players because I like to grind my bench through FAAB and being able to move guys really helps. I think Z is being a little underrated this year, especially if he bats leadoff.



8. Michael Bourn (OF) - Probably too early, but we needed more speed.



9. and 10: Ted Lilly (SP) and Hiroki Kuroda (SP): Very solid No. 3/ and 4 pitchers. Both should be good if healthy.



11. Jose Valverde (CL): Unfortunately, saves are a category.



12. and 13.: A. Laroche (1B) and G. Sanchez (1B): I like LaRoche this year since he'll be batting cleanup in front of Werth and Zimmerman. I also like screwing people who were waiting on 1B.



14. M. Aviles (MI): Love him. My pick for most profitable player of the year.



15. J. Peralta (SS/3B): Multi-position is the key. In a good lineup. Plenty of sloppy seconds.



16. N. McLouth (OF): I like him but recognize he could really suck.



17. J. NIese (SP): Another guy I've been targeting (and therefore taking early). Big park, should be better this year.



18. J. Jaso (C): I'm not a big take catchers early kinda guy, so I usually get the scraps. Jaso is the best of the scraps IMO, mainly because he will get more ABs hitting higher in the lineup and score more runs.



19 and 20: M. Pineda (SP) and E. Bedard (SP): Fraught with risk, but (1) they both have great arms; (2) they pitch in Safeco; and (3) SEA may have the best defensive team ever this year. Ask Chris Carpenter how much he misses Bo Ryan at SS in June.



21. Ryan Ludwick (OF): Meh. He's batting cleanup, i guess. Not a good pick.



22. Koji Uehara (RP) Banking on the fact that Kevin Gregg absolutely blows.



23: Chris Coghlan (OF): Could do worse for a 6th OF.



24: R. Wells (SP): Overrated in 2010 and Underrated in 2011. I like him.



25. Y. Torrealba (C): The NFBC rules require two catchers.



26. S. Burnett (RP): A prescient pick since the next day it was reported he will get some save opps. I have my Storen voodoo doll ready.



27. M. Itziurs (2b/3b): Plays multiple positions, steals bases, bats leadoff, likely gets hurt.



28. J. Vargas (SP): My intention is to start him only when he pitches at home or an equally cavernous park. We'll see.



29. B. Penny (SP): 10th pitcher. I like to overmanage my pitching staff so I need lots of SP.



30. S. Demel (RP): Every team needs someone to cut.



[ March 28, 2011, 09:33 AM: Message edited by: Hells Satans ]

[Paul Gromek]

Originally posted by ALL-IN JD:

As I am sitting here bored in my hotel room I figured I would do a little write up on my Ultimate Draft Team, picking from the 12th spot:



1) Alex Rodriguez - planned on one of the big three third baseman and got the one I wanted. Planning on a big season from A Rod this year



2) Mark Texeira - Wanted to pair A Rod with either Youklis, Fielder or Tex so was happy with Tex



3) Victor Martinez - To say i was stunned to see him sitting there at 42 was an understatement. Was fully prepared to take my ace but could not pass on Victor



4) Sabathia - Needed to secure an ace an was glad to get a solid one like CC in the fourth



5) Josh Johnson - Pitching started going fast so I decide to pair CC with a friend and was happy with JJ as my number two.



6) Latos - Wanted to grab an OF but Rasmus went three picks earlier and did not see an OF worthy at that spot so grabbed Latos at that spot (hadn't hurt his arm yet, unlucky I guess)



7) Pierre - Definitely needed to grab an OF and with three big power bats I decided to grab a judy.



8) Mariano - Wanted to grab another but the best closer to ever live was still out there so I grabbed Mo.



9) Thornton - Decided to "reach" for a second closer. Definitely a gamble with only one OF so far but love Thornton this year. Can see Marmol-type numbers from him.



10) Wells - Time to go back to the offensive side, specifically OF, and grabbed Wells. Should be solid this year.



11) Desmond - Very high on Desmond this year. He is not your prototypical leadoff hitter but offers a nice power/speed combo and should score alot of runs



12) Span - Wanted another OF and Span will help in BA, steals and runs. Should be very productive this year. Guys like Pagan, Torres, Gardner, Crisp and Bourn already were gone so Span was the play.



13) Nishioka - Obviously not sure what I will get with him but he is a high upside guy at a good spot in the draft and though he was worth the risk



14) Chris Johnson - Grabbed my CI. Maybe a little early but I am hoping for a repeat from last year. 3B is a thin position so I was okay with drafting a second one to fill my corner.



15) Danny Espinosa - Definitely a high risk/high reward pick. Will be a BA drag but I like his power/speed combo



16) Magglio Ordonez - Pickings were getting thin in the OF so "reached' for Ordonez. Obviously using hope as a strategy here!



17) Ian Kennedy - Decide to grab my fourth starter and thought Kennedy in the 17th was really good value.



18) Chipper Jones - Filled my utility spot. Did not necessarily want to do it with a third 3B but Jones has looked awfully good this spring, and I fell for it!



19) Thole - Wanted a catcher that would not be an average killer and Thole definitely fills the bill.



20) Johnny Damon - YIKES! Needed an everyday day bat in the OF and I am counting on a motivated Damon.



21) Anibel Sanchez - Did not see an OF worthy of a pick here so I was more than happy to fill my number 5 starter spot with Sanchez.



22) Rafael Soriano - What I thought was a key pick here late in the draft. Glad to have Mariano's "handcuff".



23) Drabek - Not necessarily a need pick but I could do worse as a sixth starter. Definitely some upside here.



24) David DeJesus - Not a big DeJesus fan but a possible .300 hitting OF in the 24th round was well worth the pick.



25) Nady - Continued trying to get some OF depth in the later rounds and Nady could provide to be serviceable



Finished up the draft with Takahashi, Hammel, David Hernandez, Affeldt and Bradley Nice write-up. I like a lot of your picks. My first thought was that you might be short on power. What OF were available when you took Latos in the 6th?

[Edwards Kings]

Nice write-up. It is gonna be a lot of fun watching Teixeira and A-Rod rack up the points for your team this year. Live STATS! should be rolling and blinking like a pinball machine!

[ALL-IN JD]

LOL! Thanks Wayne.

[Glenneration X]

Jeff, Rob, both very nice teams and it was great seeing both of you these past couple weekends.



Jeff, you were really banging pitching early in both the Ultimate and Main, huh? I kinda went the opposite in my Ultimate. I grabbed an ace early, then waited a while.



I was thinking of posting an analysis of my Ultimate draft in the Fantasy/MLB threads along with those already posted with my Main Event squads, but since you started this thread I'll post it here.......



I was in the afternoon Ultimate, my first Ultimate ever and it was a tough tough group of players. I had the 13-slot and planned a similar strategy to my Citifield Main Event team. Go corners early, grab an ace, and then focus on scarce positions, waiting 'til the teen rounds for the majority of my OF and pitching.



1- David Wright

-AGon, ARod, & Longoria were all already gone. Tex, Fielder, Youk, & Howard were all still on the board. With only 4 picks 'til my 2nd pick, I went the 3B figuring at least one of these 1B would still be available at that slot.



2- Ryan Howard

-Fielder, Youk, & Tex who all preferred went bang, bang, bang before my pick. Still, I'm happy with Howard here.



3- Jon Lester

-Was surprised to see him still available here, happily grabbed a true ace.



4- Brian McCann

-When Rollins went two picks earlier, that left McCann as the choice for me to address a scarce position. I thought about grabbing Verlander and hoping that Carlos Santana made it back to me, but decided to just address #1 catcher right here. Santana didn't make it back.



5- Rickie Weeks

-Again, was surprised to see him still available at the end of the 5th, couldn't pass on a power/speed option at a MI position that was slipping.



6- Justin Morneau

-Just couldn't watch him pass and give someone else this value. Grabbed him for corner and if he stays healthy, tremendous value. This also served the double purpose of weakening the 1B pool for the rest of the league.



7- Elvis Andrus

-Again, a value pick who seemed to slip a bit that offers speed, upside, and a scarce position covered.



8- Carlos Marmol

-No closers were taken as of yet, seemed really late and being on the end, I was covering myself for the run I just felt was about to come. Grabbed a premium option that will help with K's considering I've been waiting on SP.



9- Phil Hughes

-It was time for a 2nd starter. There were a lot of options I liked at this point. I grabbed Hughes because I see a breakout this year with a lot of wins potential, something many of the other available options I like will be limited in. With Lester & Hughes, I think I have a decent 1-2 for wins and K's.



10- Matt Weiters

-This pick gives me an edge at catcher over most of the league when combined with McCann. Another scarce position covered with an upside option and another pick that I'm thinking will reduce the scarce options for the rest of the league.



11- Adam Jones

-Young, upside pick due for a breakout that slipped a touch. I have Jones on several teams this year. If he just produces as much as last year, he's worth close to this pick. If this is the year he puts it all together, he could be solid value.



12- Ricky Nolasco

- Was looking closer here, but a ridiculous run right before my pick emptied the options. I shift to SP with Nolasco. Same skills as last year, same upside, going 6 rounds later. I'm happy with this #3.



13- Derrick Lee

-Seems late to me. I grab him for Utility and hope to further delete the 1B pool for the rest of the league.



14- Jordan Zimmerman

-One of several young upside SP's I love in the early teen rounds. Zim's one of my faves. Looks dominant this spring.



15- Grady Sizemore

-I've put all my injury speculation this year in the OF with Sizemore & Beltran. I have one or the other or both on almost all my teams.



16- Ricky Romero

-Not really sure why he was here so late. I just couldn't watch him go by yet again. I really like the way my SP is coming together considering I waited on it.



17- Peter Bourjos

-Have him on almost everyone of my teams. I'm really invested in his upside.



18- Carlos Beltran

-See Sizemore.



19- Michael Pineda

-See Zimmerman.



20- Alexi Ogando

-Needed a 2nd closer and rolled the dice on Ogando. Oh well, maybe he provides me some SP value.



21- Johnny Gomes

-OF pool is getting depleted. At least he should get close to fulltime AB's and has decent power. Should also contribute a handful of steals.



22- Jed Lowrie

-Needed a MI and didn't love any of the options. I'll grab Lowrie here and hope he gets some AB's early and a full time job in a month or two.



23- Carlos Carrasco

-Upside SP I've grabbed in most leagues.



24- Kyle Drabek

-Haven't gotten him too often, but fits the bill of upside SP I usually like to focus on in later rounds.



25- Alex Gonzales

-I needed a MI until Lowrie gets the full time job. I know noone buys into his stats from last year, but he's still starting and should still provide power.



26- Sergio Romo

-Oblique, oblique, oblique. C'mon give me at least a couple early season saves.



27- Rick Porcello

-See Kyle Drabek.



28- Justin Masterson

-See Rick Porcello.



29- Jeff Francouer

-Will get AB's while I wait on Sizemore & Beltran. Hopefully he starts hot. Will be dropped early in the season.



30- Fukodome

-See Francouer.



[ March 28, 2011, 10:10 AM: Message edited by: Glenneration X ]

[Jim Christie]

Main Event at Citi Field League 5 11th pick



1. Carlos Gonzalez; was very happy to have him drop to 11; I was thinking 1B as in Teixeria but wasn’t going to pass on Cargo

2. Ryan Zimmerman; 1st decision, my partner Tim McCarthy wanted Howard and I wanted a solid 3B; Howard would have hurt average IMO and Zimmerman is solid.

3. Cliff Lee; I was waiting as each pick went and Felix was still there, alas, he went at 9 so I took Lee over Kershaw.

4. Hunter Pence; I really like him, solid in and out and a solid #2 OF for us.

5. Shane Victorino; OF was going quick so I took my 3rd OF; was happy with my top 3 OFer’s

6. Carlos Marmol; I took the first Closer and think Marmol is the cream of the crop.

7. Billy Butler; 1B thinned out (well, it thins out quickly) so I took Butler (will the power materialize? I asked this same question last year).

8. Aaron Hill; needed a 2B I was looking Beckham and my partner wanted Hill (this one may hurt)

9. Daniel Hudson; taking #2 at 9.11 wasn’t in my game plan just worked that way.

10. James Shields; need pitching, a bit early? I like him he is solid IMO

11. Hiroki Kuroda; a fine #4 IMO(that said, Hudson not really a #2 so these last 3 pitchers hopefully solidify the staff)

12. Craig Kimbrell; would have really gone against the grain back in round 7 but Neftali went 2 picks before I took Butler, closers then flew off the board and we take Craig)

13. Luke Scott; DH, power, possible 1B qualifier

14. Yadier Molina; #1 C; like him and can he steal 10+ this year?  doesn’t hurt the average

15. Travis Wood; had to shore up the pitching;

16. Carlos Ruiz; not a bad #2

17. Asdrubal Cabrera; OK, a reach here; he has had a great spring and I don’t mind him as our SS.

18. Jonathan Niese; I am very high on this guy and he really brings our staff together IMO

19. Logan Morrison; if the doubles turn to HR (and I think they do) a solid 4th OF

20. David Murphy; starting CF as Borbon struggles; great potential

21. Jeff Niemann; round 21 nice depth for SP

22. Alexi Casilla; 2b/SS needed speed

23. Kevin Kouzmanoff; needed a CI nice power potential even on Oakland

24. Carlos Carrasco; I love him

25. Brett Cecil; great potential

26. Chris Sale; why not at 26

27. Orlando Cabrera; my partner Tim McCarthy is from Cleveland 

28. Todd Helton

29. Jeff Francoeur; needed another OF

30. Lonnie Chisenhall; did I mention my partner is from Cleveland; he believes he will be up soon and will rock; I agree

I also enjoyed Citi Field and Glenn, it was nice to finally meet you; Jeff, nice meeting you also.

[Jim Christie]

ooppss, this was an ultimate page; oh well, never wrote a capsule of my draft LOL

[Hells Satans]

Originally posted by Hells Satans:

Strong team. Great value with VMart. I love Desmond this year too.



I was in this draft as well from the 1 spot. This is by far my favorite team of all the ones I've done:



18 Jaso, John

25 Torrealba, Yorvit



1 Pujols, Albert

12 LaRoche, Adam

2 Zimmerman, Ryan



7 Zobrist, Ben

14 Aviles, Mike

15 Peralta, Jhonny



3 Cruz, Nelson

4 Stubbs, Drew

16 McLouth, Nate

8 Bourn, Michael

21 Ludwick, Ryan



13 Sanchez, Gaby



5 Weaver, Jered

6 Liriano, Francisco

9 Lilly, Ted

10 Kuroda, Hiroki

17 Niese, Jonathon

19 Pineda, Michael

20 Bedard, Erik

22 Uehara, Koji

11 Valverde, Jose



23 Coghlan, Chris

24 Wells, Randy

26 Burnett, Sean

27 Izturis, Maicer

28 Vargas, Jason

29 Penny, Brad

30 Demel, Sam



Short on saves (as usual), but Pujols/Zimmerman/Cruz is a lovely start.



I've tried to get Aviles in every draft this year since I think he is the most undervalued player in fantasy right now.



1. Pujols (1B) - Well, duh.



2. Ryan Zimmerman (3B) - I was literally shocked that he made it back to 30. You know that feeling when you can't believe I guy might make it back to you and you are 3 or 4 picks away and the guy before you takes the player you want? Well, that didn't happen here. Around 25, I was hoping that one of Cruz or Zimmerman might possibly fall.....



3. Nelson Cruz (OF) - and they both did. Super happy at this point.



4. Drew Stubbs (OF) - Boom or bust pick. Hopeful he can hang on to leadoff job.



5. Jered Weaver (SP) - I'm higher on Weaver than most/all (I have him as the 5th best SP). He's basically been my first pitching target in every draft.



6. Francisco Liriano (SP) - I was targeting Morrow here (this was before he got hurt). Jupinka stole him before I could get him. A little surprised to still see Liriano at 90. Gladly take him.



7. Ben Zobrist (2B) - I'm a huge fan of multi-position players because I like to grind my bench through FAAB and being able to move guys really helps. I think Z is being a little underrated this year, especially if he bats leadoff.



8. Michael Bourn (OF) - Probably too early, but we needed more speed.



9. and 10: Ted Lilly (SP) and Hiroki Kuroda (SP): Very solid No. 3/ and 4 pitchers. Both should be good if healthy.



11. Jose Valverde (CL): Unfortunately, saves are a category.



12. and 13.: A. Laroche (1B) and G. Sanchez (1B): I like LaRoche this year since he'll be batting cleanup in front of Werth and Zimmerman. I also like screwing people who were waiting on 1B.



14. M. Aviles (MI): Love him. My pick for most profitable player of the year.



15. J. Peralta (SS/3B): Multi-position is the key. In a good lineup. Plenty of sloppy seconds.



16. N. McLouth (OF): I like him but recognize he could really suck.



17. J. NIese (SP): Another guy I've been targeting (and therefore taking early). Big park, should be better this year.



18. J. Jaso (C): I'm not a big take catchers early kinda guy, so I usually get the scraps. Jaso is the best of the scraps IMO, mainly because he will get more ABs hitting higher in the lineup and score more runs.



19 and 20: M. Pineda (SP) and E. Bedard (SP): Fraught with risk, but (1) they both have great arms; (2) they pitch in Safeco; and (3) SEA may have the best defensive team ever this year. Ask Chris Carpenter how much he misses Bo Ryan at SS in June.



21. Ryan Ludwick (OF): Meh. He's batting cleanup, i guess. Not a good pick.



22. Koji Uehara (RP) Banking on the fact that Kevin Gregg absolutely blows.



23: Chris Coghlan (OF): Could do worse for a 6th OF.



24: R. Wells (SP): Overrated in 2010 and Underrated in 2011. I like him.



25. Y. Torrealba (C): The NFBC rules require two catchers.



26. S. Burnett (RP): A prescient pick since the next day it was reported he will get some save opps. I have my Storen voodoo doll ready.



27. M. Itziurs (2b/3b): Plays multiple positions, steals bases, bats leadoff, likely gets hurt.



28. J. Vargas (SP): My intention is to start him only when he pitches at home or an equally cavernous park. We'll see.



29. B. Penny (SP): 10th pitcher. I like to overmanage my pitching staff so I need lots of SP.



30. S. Demel (RP): Every team needs someone to cut. Interesting to look back at what I wrote not that long ago. I was so happy about my first 3 picks (Pujols, Zimmerman, Cruz), and I've gotten virtually nothing from the 3 of them except a few HRs. Add in Liriano in Rd 6, and the front of my draft has been flat out awful so far.



But somehow (recognizing that standings are pretty meaningless at this point) this team is has 117 points. Pretty crazy to me. Definitely lucky to make some good picks in the mid rounds: Zobrist, Sanchez, Aviles, Coghlan. Izturis have all been excellent. Targeting Weaver in my drafts has worked out well.



And although I've overpaid for Edwin Jackson by about $200, my FAAB picks in this league have worked out well: Lohse, Santos, Lucroy, and Moseley all have provided good value.



Scott Sizemore $55

Edwin Jackson $256

Dustin Moseley $23

Jonathan Lucroy $13

Sergio Santos $16

Kyle Lohse $10

Esmil Rogers $25



Anyway, just goes to show you how much your draft game plan really means sometimes.



One would think that the offense would get better once Zimmerman gets healthy, Pujols remembers who he is, and Cruz gets healthy before he gets hurt in, but I'm assuming the opposite will happen.