What Have I Learned?
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:48 pm
I'm in the midst of doing my eighth draft.
Eight drafts before the Super Bowl.
Yep, crazy.
I remember drafting in the Main Event in 2005. Cold. No drafts leading in. That WAS my draft.
Now, we can draft in a new draft every day. Amazing, really.
We try and learn something from each draft. We get a glimpse into what other drafters are thinking or liking.
We see where players coveted by ourselves are being taken by other drafters. We find that although we may dislike a player, others may love him.
Mostly though, we find things out about ourselves.
Going into these drafts, I was an open book. Sure, like everybody, there are players I wanted above others, but I wanted to let the drafts come to me.
Sometimes, we go into these drafts with that mentality, but stuff changes.
In my first draft, I took CarGo in the first round with the eighth pick. I didn't like it then, I don't like it now.
Nice way to start a drafting season.
But I'm ok with it, because that first draft started before last year ended.
I knew that CarGo, no matter how much time he seemingly enjoys missing, would be a solid five category player in a great environment. Eight drafts later, I wouldn't touch CarGo there. CarGo hasn't changed. I have.
It's the reason I like doing these drafts.
While drafting, we fool ourselves into thinking that each player drafted is the right player. We back burner the notion that of the 30 players drafted for a Main Event team, we will end up getting rid of half those drafted.
Each player, GOLD,....till they're not.
Amusing, in that we don't think about in-season while drafting and we don't think about drafting during in-season.
We treat the two as different entities of our hobby. One is futile without the other.
We see the best in each player we drafted. We see Tulowitzki with 6oo at bats if it were us that just drafted him. We see him with 400 at bats if on another team.
We talk about ceilings with our own players. We talk about floors for others.
We're human. We're competitive.
A Harper owner can bet a Tulowitzki owner on who would get more at bats in 2014. No odds needed.
The Harper owner will count on the position of shortstop limiting Tulo, while Tulo owners will bank on fences and youthful exuberance cutting into Harper's time.
Either could win. But both will feel they have the upper hand.
I've learned that I've almost completely shied away from players with bad attitudes.
Puig has not been drafted by me. Neither has Hanley. Neither has Starlin Castro.
These three and others may very well have big years. A bad attitude does not preclude that.
This is just, again, a personal bias.
I have learned about other biassssses...
I do not, in any way, equate Jay Bruce with Mark Trumbo.
Joey Votto will break your heart.
Ian Kinsler will never be the same.
Prince Fielder will feel at home.
Nobody ever talks about Adam Jones. I love players others never talk about.
I have a hard time considering Robinson Cano. For some reason, Mike Stanton with less power and more average creeps into my thinking.
I'm starting another draft soon.
These drafts are a little like tests.
The problem being that we have to wait alimost a year before seeing our grades.
Eight drafts before the Super Bowl.
Yep, crazy.
I remember drafting in the Main Event in 2005. Cold. No drafts leading in. That WAS my draft.
Now, we can draft in a new draft every day. Amazing, really.
We try and learn something from each draft. We get a glimpse into what other drafters are thinking or liking.
We see where players coveted by ourselves are being taken by other drafters. We find that although we may dislike a player, others may love him.
Mostly though, we find things out about ourselves.
Going into these drafts, I was an open book. Sure, like everybody, there are players I wanted above others, but I wanted to let the drafts come to me.
Sometimes, we go into these drafts with that mentality, but stuff changes.
In my first draft, I took CarGo in the first round with the eighth pick. I didn't like it then, I don't like it now.
Nice way to start a drafting season.
But I'm ok with it, because that first draft started before last year ended.
I knew that CarGo, no matter how much time he seemingly enjoys missing, would be a solid five category player in a great environment. Eight drafts later, I wouldn't touch CarGo there. CarGo hasn't changed. I have.
It's the reason I like doing these drafts.
While drafting, we fool ourselves into thinking that each player drafted is the right player. We back burner the notion that of the 30 players drafted for a Main Event team, we will end up getting rid of half those drafted.
Each player, GOLD,....till they're not.
Amusing, in that we don't think about in-season while drafting and we don't think about drafting during in-season.
We treat the two as different entities of our hobby. One is futile without the other.
We see the best in each player we drafted. We see Tulowitzki with 6oo at bats if it were us that just drafted him. We see him with 400 at bats if on another team.
We talk about ceilings with our own players. We talk about floors for others.
We're human. We're competitive.
A Harper owner can bet a Tulowitzki owner on who would get more at bats in 2014. No odds needed.
The Harper owner will count on the position of shortstop limiting Tulo, while Tulo owners will bank on fences and youthful exuberance cutting into Harper's time.
Either could win. But both will feel they have the upper hand.
I've learned that I've almost completely shied away from players with bad attitudes.
Puig has not been drafted by me. Neither has Hanley. Neither has Starlin Castro.
These three and others may very well have big years. A bad attitude does not preclude that.
This is just, again, a personal bias.
I have learned about other biassssses...
I do not, in any way, equate Jay Bruce with Mark Trumbo.
Joey Votto will break your heart.
Ian Kinsler will never be the same.
Prince Fielder will feel at home.
Nobody ever talks about Adam Jones. I love players others never talk about.
I have a hard time considering Robinson Cano. For some reason, Mike Stanton with less power and more average creeps into my thinking.
I'm starting another draft soon.
These drafts are a little like tests.
The problem being that we have to wait alimost a year before seeing our grades.
