This Team Is Enjoying Its 15 Minutes of Fame

[DOUGHBOYS]

I have a team that is doing well in the Draft Championships. Sixth or seventh Overall, I believe.
I don't want congrats or a pat on the back.
In fact, I expect this team to fall back and have a tough time competing for a league title, let alone doing well in the Overall.
Lets go over this team and we'll see if you feel the same way.
Here are the first 10 picks....

Goldy
Bumgarner
Greinke
Carpenter
Lindor
Melancon
Odor
Lucroy
G Richards
McCann

Not one of those players is clearly overplaying their draft spot. There is nothing extraordinary about any of those top 10 players. Garrett Richards is lost for the year. Really, the best I can say for the other nine is that they play every day (not so fast, Rougned!)
I broke one of my own rules of drafting in these first 10 picks. Selecting two catchers in the first 10 picks is a general no-no for me. But it was a case of the others 'slow drafting catchers, that made McCann enticing at the 10th spot.
Overall, this group meets the eye with a big shrug of the shoulders.
Here are the next 10...

11. DeShields
12. Lackey
13. Vogt
14. Piscotty
15. Fowler
16. Jh Peralta
17. Bour
18. Estrada
19. Ozuna
20. Motte

DeShields, Peralta, and Motte have contributed next to nothing results for this team. Lackey, Piscotty, Fowler, Bour, Estrada, and Ozuna are playing at a level in which I cannot expect to last the rest of the year. Although I believe Piscotty has the best chance of the group.
Still, for a team doing well, three complete misses in rounds 11-20 spells doom.
Peralta may contribute later. Delino even a lesser chance. And Motte has little chance of amounting to anything.
You may have noticed that I selected Vogt in the 13th round having already rostered two catchers. This is a personal delight of mine. In some drafts, a position is under drafted. There are probably nine or ten drafters that think 'I'll get that position later'. In this draft, it was Catchers. In DC's, if one of the Catchers has positionality (Vogt, 1B) and is slow drafted, I like taking my third Catcher early. Besides the peace of mind of backing up a position frequently injured, it frees up a draft pick later that does not concern the position.

21. Karns
22. Snell
23. Altherr
24. Benoit
25. Rasmus
26. P O'Brien
27. Duvall
28. Erik Johnson
29. Niese
30. Mark Reynolds

The selections of Altherr, O'Brien, and Johnson illustrate how early this draft occurred (January 15)
Besides Duvall, this group is a complete wash. Rasmus, Karns, and Reynolds have maintained their starting ways, but contributed little. Niese has become a nice sixth, seventh Starter.
Duvall the only light among a group of dark picks.

31. Profar
32. CJ Wilson
33. Tillman
34. C Young (P)
35. Brinson
36. Schebler
37. LaRoche
38.Bracho
39. Sabathia
40. Brito

Tillman the main contributor here. And I don't expect that to last.
Profar could end up being a sneaky pick here. Drafted as an Odor backup, the suspension of
Odor may be the best thing for this team in giving Profar more playing time and probably, more positionality.
Brinson and Schebler were pre-season favs of mine. I wish I liked Mazara as much as Brinson
The LaRoche pick was made before realizing he was such a blockhead.
Sabathia may turn out to be a good pick.
He is pitching impressively. Some can lose velocity and still pitch capably.
Right now, I'd rather a burrito than Brito.

41. Siegrist
42. Fulmer
43. R Liriano
44. Montas
45. K Tomlinson
46. E Nunez
47. K Broxton
48. R Flaherty
49. Luke Weaver
50. J Danks

Pound for pound, Nunez was my best pick. Of course, I can take absolutely no credit for the selection. The draft gave Nunez to me. I just selected a backup middle infielder hoping to get a little speed from the position.
Unlike other players, I feel that Nunez has a viable chance to be a 15/20 hitter this year.
The Numerish would spit on that comment.
But, I believe that Nunez has never received his chance. A little like Jose Bautista back in the day.
Nunez has always been thought of as a spare part. Both in real baseball and our game.
He's a horrible fielder, no matter where he plays. But, his bat plays.

Siegrist is a sneaky guy in the DC format. There are many times when a DC rotation looks bleak. A guy like Siegrist makes it look a lot better.
Fulmer, a surprise that he is up this early.
I'll ride the wave hoping for it to last longer than I think it will.
Broxton has shown nothing except that he is a good MINOR league player.

So, there you have it. A team with a few overachievers and a lot of under performers or injured.
Here it is in lineup style....

C- Lucroy
C- McCann
1B- Goldy
2B- Odor
3B- Carpenter
SS- Lindor
OF- Duvall
OF- Fowler
OF- Ozuna
OF- Piscotty
OF- Rasmus
MI- Nunez
CI- Bour
U- Vogt

P- Bum
P- Greinke
P- Lackey
P- Tillman
P- Estrada
P- Niese
P- Karns
P- Siegrist
P- Melancon

Formatted like this, you can see that I only have one Closer. And little in hopes of getting another (Siegrist, Motte, Benoit)
The bench is also shallow as most early DC teams are.

I feel that this team is good enough to contend for a league championship, but is only near the Overall top because of a few over performing players and the luck of getting Nunez rostered at such a late time.
There is also luck in drafting three Catchers in the first 13 rounds and having all of them stay healthy through the first two months.
Some times, we have to be honest with ourselves.
This team is the Philadelphia Phillies of DC teams.
Doing very well, but even their most ardent supporters expect it to last throughout the year.

[Likewhat17]

Nice write-up Dan. As long as you stay relatively healthy, there's always a chance or maintaining near the top there. I only have two entries in the draft championship this year, and one of them is enjoying the same type of success as yours at the moment (1st overall entering today).

I came out of the draft with what I thought was three closers (Wade Davis, Drew Storen and Fernando Rodney), only to have the Jays give the ball to Osuna instead in the ninth inning. Unless Storen finds some saves in Toronto or elsewhere, there's little chance that I'll be anything more than average in the saves category, and the biggest detriment to my chances of competing for that crown.

And while you don't think you have many guys who are grossly over-achieving, I think I have quite a few in that camp that will come crashing back to Earth soon.

I was also asleep at the wheel apparently in round 33 when I drafted an injured Brett Anderson. Lot of other places I could have gone with that pick that would make this team better. Just goes to show how you have to be on your game at all times.

Here's a look at what by draft looked like by comparison (drafted in early March)

1) Mike Trout
2) Chris Sale
3) Stephen Strasburg
4) Francisco Lindor
5) Wade Davis
6) Eric Hosmer
7) Matt Kemp
8) Hunter Pence
9) Justin Verlander
10) Brandon Belt

11) Dustin Pedroia
12) Drew Storen
13) Jay Bruce
14) Ben Zobrist
15) Josh Harrison
16) Derek Norris
17) Evan Gattis
18) Steven Souza
19) Rich Hill
20) Marco Estrada

21) Miguel Montero
22) Pablo Sandoval
23) Leonys Martin
24) Fernando Rodney
25) Brandon Finnegan
26) Jarrod Dyson
27) Jimmy Rollins
28) Chase Headley
29) Brandon Maurer
30) Matt Shoemaker

31) Ubaldo Jimenez
32) Melvin Upton Jr.
33) Brett Anderson
34) Freddy Galvis
35) Steve Pearce
36) Tom Murphy
37) Socrates Brito
38) John Jaso
39) Henderson Alvarez
40) Roberto Perez

41) Alex Reyes
42) Keon Broxton
43) Christian Colon
44) Mike Pelfrey
45) Darnell Sweeney
46) Arismendy Alcantara
47) Chris Gimenez
48) Michael Fulmer
49) Tyler Chatwood
50) Jake Petricka

[DOUGHBOYS]

I have team envy, Dave.
In poker terms, you have a lot more 'outs' than I do.
From the way I look at it, your team has a chance of being in the thick of the race over the full 26 weeks.
You have players that can be counted on for steady accumulation and players that are laying in the weeds such as Fulmer, Reyes, Finnegan, and even Storen if something should occur to Ozuna.
Love it, Dave.
Great job of drafting.