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DOUGHBOYS
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Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:00 pm

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Post by DOUGHBOYS » Mon Apr 13, 2020 10:59 am

There are some players I won't draft. There re variety of reasons in why I will not draft these players.
One is very personal.
Some are seasonal.
Some are personalities.
Some are because I believe they are constantly over priced.
None of these players are forever non-picks. I take it season by season.
Le't's talk about a few of them....

I will not draft Anthony Rendon. I believe he is a swell player and a wonderful hitter.
The reason is personal. Nothing to do with baseball.
I've told a few of you the reason out of print.
It's not that big of a deal.
Just a guy being a creepy guy. But I will not draft Rendon.

I will not draft Yasiel Puig.
It's funny...when Puig is on a team, every player says he's a great teammate. When gone from the team, the real story comes out.
The infamous Puig-Greinke confrontation is legendary.
Simply, Puig has a head three times larger than the Grinch.
Some would say that that is no reason not to draft him.
Maybe they're right.
But, nearing the end of Spring Training and as of now, no team has signed Puig.
It's rumored that contending teams do not want to rock their team boat by signing Puig and the non-contending teams do not want to shell out the dollars needed to sign a potential headache.
He is caught between a rock and a hard place.
Teams are practicing social distancing from Puig. So am I.

I have not drafted Ryan Braun since his glory years. He has become a Pain In the Ass (PITA). Usually when calling a player a PITA, it is a good thing.
Maury Wills was a great PITA. So was Ichiro. DJ Lemahieu even qualifies as a PITA.
PITA's are continually under rated players who continually over achieve.
Ryan Braun is NOT that type of pain in the ass.
He is a pain in the ass to manage. He takes Chipper Jones breaks from the field. He won't play because of a strain. He won't hit because of a cranky back or a cold. Then hits a single, double, and a homer when returning.
I don't want to manage a player that cannot be counted on.
As much as I hate seeing Joey Votto walk with runners in scoring position is as much as I'd hate myself for looking at my roster and seeing the hard-to-manage Braun on it.

I don't think I have ever drafted Noah Syndergaard. If I did. I forgot. Syndergaard and his hype have had him overpriced since day one.
Yes, he throws hard.
Yes, sometimes he has great games.
Yes, the press loves him.
BUT, I don't remember one season EVER, when I said to myself that Syndergaard would have been a good pick.
I may be enticed if he is ever traded.
It just doesn't seem that destiny is on the side of Thor having that hyped up season with the Mets that everybody thought he would.
It's a big 'duh' not to draft him now or even next year.
Unless something changes when he comes back, I believe Syndergaard will follow a career path of Steve Avery or even Steven Matz in that they were way over-hyped and never could match that helium.

I won't draft Shohei Ohtani. The Angels treat Ohtani like a museum treats the Mona Lisa. They bring him out for a few showings, afraid of something going wrong so they limit the appearances.
The NFBC also made the 'either/or' decision about Ohtani's usefulness as a pitcher/hitter.
That is going to make it tougher for his owners.
I wouldn't want some of those managerial decisions.
Maybe next year, the Angels will take the wraps off Ohtani and hopefully, the NFBC does the same.
Then, he would become an intriguing pick.

I can't have a list like this without talking about Joey Votto.
The Reds have come into the season LOADED.
They have a leading home run hitter in Suarez. They signed a Japanese star in Akiyama, They signed Mike Moustakas. They signed Nicolas Castellanos.
Their rookies like Senzel, Winker, and Aristedes Aquino all look like they can play.
With that in mind, I watched Votto carefully in Spring Training. I wasn't watching for where he hit the ball.
I was watching for HOW he hit the ball. Particularly with men on base.
He choked up. Almost all the time. Even when men were not on base.
And with two strikes, he took that swing that announcers love... and I hate.
He swings like a girl in order to make some kind of contact.
Great for the late 1800's.
Not great nowadays.
How bad was Votto for fantasy players last year?
In almost twice as as many plate appearances, Joey Votto had 15 homers and 47 rbi....the same as Tim Beckham.
Votto is going where he belongs in drafts. Late.
He'll be hitting second in a premier lineup....and wasting the opportunity.
Votto has been Cincy's star hitter for the last 10 years.
Now, one of their worst.
Walks will even be harder to come by for Votto. Why walk Votto now? The threat of an extra base hit has nearly vanished.
Better hitters are behind him.
When the best a player can do is walk, he may as well be the ninth hitter on a Little League team.
NOT the second hitter in a good lineup.
And not on my roster.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

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