1) Trout - Nice winning the lottery for the first time ever in 11 years!
2) Puig - Had a pipedream of pairing Kipnis/Pedroia with Desmond on the turn but they went a few picks before my turn. Puig is going to be a headache for Mattingly and certainly is an injury risk but I think he is uber talented. I'm buying!
3) Bruce - Looking to continue building the power base and felt I couldn't go wrong with Bruce. Really liked the BA/HR combo from the first three as well as the steals from Trout and Puig. I also did not mind loading up on OF as I thought that OF was not as deep as in years past
4) Pence - Hosmer went at 4.10 and the one pitcher I would have grabbed, Wacha, went 4.12. Pence should have another great year and offers 5 categories so I was happy to have him. I also thought that I would make teams jump up and draft of'ers earlier, since I know had, leaving some SP to me, but it not work out that way.
5) Kinsler - I absolutely love Kinsler this year. Hitting near the top of an awesome offense and he seems to be quite motivated this year. I also expect him to run more. I though that I absolutely accomplished my goal on offense with my first picks and it was time to turn my attention to pitching
6) Bailey - Here is where it started to go south. The two guys I wanted at the turn Cobb and Tanaka went at 6.10 and 6.12. I had no problem taking Bailey as I think he is rock solid with 200 k's this year but really wanted the other pair.
7) Salazar - Knowing he never makes it back to me I jumped at the chance to take Salazar. Obviously worry about an IP restriction but the upside is huge. Nailed Harvey in the seventh last year so hoping to catch lightning in the bottle again
8) Gray - Feeling giddy about my offense so thought I would grab another pitcher. Love Sonny Gray this year and see him as a rock solid ace on a really good team in a really good park. No studs from my first three pitchers but a lot of upside
9) Seager - Did not want to grab a closer yet as they were not exactly flying off the board and with 3B being very thin I grabbed Seager. Love his power speed combo and think he fits perfectly with my offense
10) Hardy - Great to get 25 homers and 80 RBI from your SS if you can cover steals elsewhere and was more than happy to pair Kinsler with Hardy. 10 rounds in and the offense is really stacked, like the pitching and still a lot of closers left
11) Cingrani - And this is where it all went to hell. Quite a few teams had one closer so I decided that there was a good chance that a decent closer would easily make it back to me 30 picks later. WRONG!!!! I thought Cingrani at 11.1 was really good value and I wanted to add another quality starter and Cingrani was another with quite a bit of upside. I really, really liked the four starters I now had and was ready to grab two closers at the next turn
12) Lynn - Wouldn't you freaking know it, when it finally comes back to me 30 painful picks later the best closer left was Jose Veras!! Jose Veras!! There was zero chance I take Jose Veras so as my friend Shawn Childs said, "just punt at that point". Lynn should rack up wins and k's and was ecstatic to have him as my number 5 starter.
13) Machado - A healthy Machado is one of the top 3B and with my offense at it's current state he was a no-brainer as even if he misses the first few weeks he should deliver very impressive stats. I figured I could easily cover him the first few weeks without hurting my offense
14) A. Garcia - Sure is easy to draft when I don't have to worry about drafting a closer! I have targeted Garcia a lot this year and if he can steal 10-15 bases he can surely deliver nice value. Ecstatic to have him as my fifth outfielder and thinking my offense is just killing it at this point
15) Pineda - Back to pitching upside. Probably the biggest boom or bust pitching pick this year but felt he was well worth the risk. He looked really, really good this spring and if he can come anywhere close to the pitcher he was he will make for a fine number 5 starter. Wins and k's are going to be super strong but I am worried about E.R.A.
16) C. Johnson - Was very happy to get him. Hitting cleanup in Atlanta this year, coming off a very good year and will cover for Machado (and then possibly move to UT once Machado comes back). Thought he was a great fit
17) N. Walker - Needed to fill my MI and there was Neil Walker. Definitely not a sexy pick but certainly a guy that could bounce back and deliver a solid ROI.
18) Salty - Being really happy with SP so far I did not want to go the end of the draft catcher route so grabbed catchers with my next two picks. Salty should get 15-20 homers and he should be .260-.270 so I was happy to have him
19) R. Martin - Less happy with Martin but I felt i could easily cover his .220-.230 and he does offer impressive power/speed combo for a catcher
20) Morrison - Needed to fill my 1B spot and really wanted Loney but we went a round early. Morrison can hit but he has a problem staying healthy. Hopefully the DH spot will help him accomplish that and seems to be penciled in as an every day player
21) Arcia - Didn't see a pitcher that floated my boat and thought Arcia was a sneaky good pick. Not to worried about BA and I think he has some serious power. Nice guy to fill my UT spot
22) A. Bradley - More upside pitching. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be up at some point and will be an asset. This guy can chuck! Being sent down he dropped quite a few rounds so I was glad to scoop him up
23) Fields - My first closer!! All kidding aside I believe he will get a handful of save chance until Crain comes back (who I absolutely think is best RP in the Astros pen)
24) B. Wilson - Jansen had heart issues two years in a row and Wilson is back to being nasty. Will hold him as long as I can knowing he will be a monster for saves if Jansen does go down
25) B. Anderson - Yes, Brett Anderson. It wasn't too long ago that this guy was one of the better pitchers in the AL. Had a great spring and i'm buying the move to the NL. Colorado isn't the same death knell that it once was
26) Mejia - Got the news that he won the 5th starter spot right before my pick. Really nice upside and could be a steal at 26
27) Crain - I am convinced that he will be their closer by the end of April so I possibly could have a closer
28) Broxton - If healthy I believe he is the most logical choice to close for 6 weeks. Hoover got blasted this spring and Broxton has certainly done it in the past
29) Mujica - Totally a spec play. Can Uehara stay healthy for the entire year. No risk in round 29
30) Chamberlin - Number two in line in Detroit. Probably my first drop
Absolutely love the offense and pitching upside. Obviously my chances will hinge on finding a closer or two. I can hang my hat on getting Benoit and Henderson last year for $46 total so I can only hope for the same!
