Overrated/Underrated Keepers

It's getting close to the end of fantasy season for some of us that means the title chase, for others it means time to look towards next year. As a guide for that bunch here is my lists of overrated and underrated keepers for 2007.

Overrated
10. Jason Bay--He's running less, his team is terrible and that won't change and he doesn't hit .300 over have an OPS over 1.000, Don't let anyone convince you he's a top 10-15 keeper, he's top 30 talent definitely, but other outfielders have better numbers and cost significantly less
9.Bob Abreu--His power is dissappearing at an alarming rate, 10 HR this year, and some point soon he's going to lose a step, don't let that happen for your team.
8.Jimmy Rollins--He produces in two categories, Runs and SB, is adequate in HR, and does little anywhere else. He's not worth the late 3rd round/early 4th round price tag many people want
7.Alex Rios--After a torrid april and may he's done nothing, absolutely nothing. I've seen him dropped in multiple single season leagues. Yet somehow people think he's a top 50 keeper. Not on my list
6. Scott Kazmir--May not throw again until Spring Training next year, the shoulder injury is more serious than the Rays seem to be letting on, plus he faded at the end of this year badly
5.Francisco Liriano--Remember King Felix from this years draft? How about Oliver Perez the year before? What about Mark Prior before that? Breakout, can't miss, pitchers consistently have troubles in their second year as a starter. The arm troubles don't bode well either. If you own him, move him for a stable starter like Chris Carpenter. Maybe a little less upside, but a lot less risk.
4.Rafael Furcal--Jimmy Rollins, except worse stats in pretty much every single category. Stay Away.
3.Ryan Zimmerman--Good player, but any talk of him being a top 75 much less a top 50 player is ridiculous. He has upside, but don't just pencil in those huge jumps in production that he would need to attain that level.
2.Jonathan Papelbon--Is he a good closer? Yes. Is he the next coming of Mariano Rivera? Give him a few more years. Remember how unhittable Lidge looked two years ago? Plus, who knows whether he will be a closer or starter next year. As a starter, he's got nowhere near as much value.
1.David Wright--22, 2, 17, 4, .241, .689---those are Wrights R, HR, RBI, SB, AVG, and OPS since the break. He is not the 35 HR, 120 RBI guy everyone seems to assume he is. He is not a top 5 pick, so don't let anyone tell you different.

Underrated
8.Jermaine Dye--Just keeps getting better. Has a perfect spot in that potent lineup and is in his prime. if you can get him for 5th-7th round talent, do it. He will produce.
7. Albert Pujols--quite frankly, no matter what he is underrated in fantasy baseball, no one comes close to him in value.
6.Travis Hafner--Ortiz gets all the pub, but Hafner is just as good. Ortiz has better power number by a little, but Hafner hits for a better average and comes alot cheaper
5.Johan Santana--Quick, how old is Santana? He's 27, 27!!! He's just getting ready to enter his prime. In fantasy baseball as far as pitching, there is him and then a gigantic, grand canyon size gap before the next player. He gives you elite numbers in every category and never has a bad year. If someone undervalues him or you can pry him away for someone more exciting (like David Wright), do it.
4. Miguel Cabrera-Let everyone drool all over Wright, the best 3B in the NL is this guy. He's 23, has no protection and is hitting close to .340 with better power numbers than Wright. This is the young 3B you want with that 1st round pick.
3.Lance Berkman--4th in the MLB in RBI, 9th in HR, 7th in OPS, top 30 in batting average, yet he's still somehow considered a second round or worse talent. How is that possible? Plus he's eligible at both 1B and OF
2.Gary Sheffield--Yeah he's been hurt all year, and there are question marks but in deep keeper leagues he's a bargain. We're talking about a guy who has been automatic for 100, 35, 120, .300 for over 5 years. Yet people are valuing him around 80-100 as far as the top players available. If you can get him for that type of talent, thank your lucky stars.
1.Matt Holliday--Look at Jason Bay's numbers. Now look at his. Now tell me how much better Bay is than Holliday. Holliday is a superstar that will not come cheap in the future, he's about to be a whole lot more expensive for the next 7-10 years.

24th Round

Round 24
Jackie- Casey Fossum (SP, TB) The tradition continues.
Durward- H. Carrasco (SP,RP LAA) Whatever, nothing special here.
SCHALL (from Ted)- Ian Kinsler (SS, Tex) Their hitting prospects usually turn out pretty good, nice pick.
Greg- Pedro Feliz (1B-3B-OF, SF) Multi position eligibility means he's probably worth a last round flyer.
Drew- Mike Timlin (RP, Bos) If Foulke isn't healthy this could be a great pick.
Shawn- (Sammy Sosa, OF, FA) The only thing worse than taking a AAA player is taking a retired player. Why not take Palmeiro?
Farmer- Jesse Crain (RP, Min) I'll just assume you know more about Minnesota pitching than me.
Bryce- Dan Micelli (RP, TB) Looks like he may be getting the closers job in Tampa, he probably won't keep it past the first few weeks, but whatever.
Brian- Edwin Encarnacion (3B, Cin) Tearing it up in spring training, could be a very good pick.
Jalopy- Kenny Rogers (SP, Det) Even if he has something left in the tank, he doesn't exactly tear it up away from Arlington. We'll see though.
Schall- Paul Maholm (SP, Pit) Decent pick.
Tim- Ambiorix Burgos (RP, KC) If you guys at the end of the freaking draft wouldn't have taken so long to pick, this guy would be mine. It really sucks, Nice pick. I'm pretty sure this is all Brian's Fault.
Best Pick-Burgos, damn you Brian
Worst Pick-Sosa, D-O-N-E

23rd Round Analysis

Round 23
Tim- Chris Duffy (OF, Pit) Not a terrible risk.
Schall- Adam Eaton (SP, Tex) Yeah, enjoy Eaton. He sucks.
Jalopy- Brandon Backe (SP, Hou) Good Pick. He'll break out sooner or later, he's too good not to.
Brian- David Bush (SP, Mil) Nothing special.
Bryce- Dallas McPherson (3B, Ana) I only need him for 15 games. We'll see how hot of a start he gets off to.
Farmer- Joey Devine (RP, Atl) Damn, you suck. He was definitely going to be my 24th round pick. Now you can vouch for everyone that I'm honest if they send me their picks. You suck.
Shawn-Josh Towers (SP, Tor) Pretty good use of a late pick.
Drew- Ron Belliard (2B, Cle) It's the 23rd round so no pick is really terrible, I doubt he makes it 2 weeks on your team though.
Greg- Preston Wilson (OF, Hou) I don't expect his numbers to be much, if any, lower than his average at Coors. Pretty decent pick.
Ted- Tom Glavine (SP, NYM) Not bad, his numbers have been trending downward for awhile now though.
Durward- B.J. Upton (SS, TB) How many AAA players do you plan on drafting? The D Rays aren't going to call him up unless Lugo starts off the year hit .200 or Lugo is traded.
Jackie- Paul Lo Duca (C, NYM) Everyone has to have a Catcher. He's not too bad.
Best Pick-Backe, he'll put it all together sooner or later, he's already decent.
Worst Pick-Upton, No pick is really that bad in the 24th round, but you should at least try to get one who has a chance to stay out of AAA

22nd Round Analysis

Round 22
Jackie- Kenny Lofton (OF, LAD) The guy still gets it done. As long as he plays, expect him to contribute.
Durward- Jorge Sosa (SP, RP, Atl) I think Farmer dumped on your pitching staff enough. I'll let you have a pass on this one.
Ted- Luis Gonzalez (OF, Ari) I think he's done. I'm expecting a Sosa like drop off soon.
Greg- Corey Patterson (OF, Bal) It's the 22nd round, he's had a good spring, why not take a chance on him.
Drew- David Eckstein (SS-StL) Decent SS. Gives pretty good numbers, nothing special.
Shawn-Tony Clark (1B, Ari) LAst years numbers were impressive, but wayyy off his career pace. Still probably worth a late round pick though.
Farmer- Scott Baker (SP, Min) Like Farmer said in his email to me asking me to pick him while he was out--"He's like Liriano, only in the beague leagues" I couldn't have said it better myself. The Twins have a pretty good history of developing big league arms.
Bryce- Josh Willingham (C, Fla) This guy could be an absolute beast at C. If he retains C eligibility for next season I wouldn't be surprised to see him the top rated C overall. Either that or nowhere near the top 25, one of the two.
Brian-Jae Seo (SP, LAD) Has looked great in the WBC. At least a few people were thinking about taking a flyer on him in the last two rounds of the draft.
Jalopy- Carlos Guillen (SS, Det) Not far removed from a great fantasy season. Worth a flyer this late.
Schall- Joey Gathright (OF, Tam) Could end up being the biggest steal of the draft. Has a ton of potential and with Delmon Young being demoted he's pretty much assured a spot in the lineup.
Tim- Jason Marquis (SP, StL) I like Marquis, I always have thought he's a bit underrated. Good Pick.
Best Pick-Gathright, Very good pick, huge upside, I'm already kicking myself for not grabbing him.
Worst Pick-Sosa,I think you may be deliberately doing this.

21st Round

Round 21
Tim- Mike Lowell (2B,3B, Bos) If I had known he had 2B eligibility he never would have lasted this long. Great pickup. Good risk this late
Schall- Rafael Soriano (RP, Sea) Eh, not a bad pitcher.
Jalopy- Jay Gibbon (1B,OF, Bal) Don't you draft him every year? Seriously? Don't you drop him after the first month every year? That's what I thought.
Brian- Austin Kearns (OF, Cin) They've made room for him in that outfield, now if he could just stay healthy you could have a decent pick.
Bryce- Carlos Silva (SP, Min) Pretty good Pitcher. I'm just trying to figure out why good pitchers like him are being left on the board in favor of AAA pitchers.
Farmer- Trot Nixon (OF, Bos) He's your Griffey. I don't remember him ever not being on your team. I guess you always need somebody to fill those DL spots.
Shawn- Kris Benson (SP, Bal) Eh, his wife's hot. She'll probably end up having a better career than him.
Drew- Jake Westbrook (SP, Cle) Not a bad pick, pretty stable pitcher with a bit of an upside especially for CG's Greg- Greg Maddux (SP, ChC) Eh, he's probably good for 12 wins
Ted- Bob Howry (RP, ChC) The Cubs closer situation has been anything but stable over the last few years so this could be a very good pick.
Durward- Brandon McCarthy (SP, CWS) Good pick, except that I don't see how he possibly breaks into that rotation. Every one of the top 5 has pitched lights out in spring training.
Jackie- Bruce Chen (SP, Bal) Chen's washed up.
Best pick-Lowell, I can't believe he has 2B eligibility
Worst Pick-McCarthy, at least Liriano and Reyes have a chance at a spot in the rotation

20th Round

Round 20
Jackie- D. Weathers (RP, Cin) Should get the chance to try and close games for them. Good Pick.
Durward- S. Shields (RP, LAA) Always picks up alot of wins in relief and has good numbers in other categories. Not a bad choice to round out your RP's.
Ted- Phil Nevin (1B, Tex) He bitched and moaned his way out of San Diego to a great spot in Texas. Should end up with decent numbers. Good Pick
Greg-Mike Mussina (SP, NYY) Not what he once was but he's pretty much guaranteed 15 wins. That's pretty good at this point of the draft.
Drew- Jacque Jones (OF, ChC) Eh, there were better OF's available.
Shawn- Wilson Betemit (SS,3B, Atl) Where exactly is Betemit gonna play this year? I don't see any spot in the IF and I haven't heard anything about him trying out the OF.
Farmer-Nick Johnson (1B, Was) Great pickup. Should give you a quality 50 AB's before going on the DL for the remainder of the year with a hangnail.
Bryce-Carl Pavano (SP, NYY) He was a keeper a year ago. It usually takes players at least a year, especially pitchers, to adjust to NY. I expect pretty big things out of him this year. Brian- Anthony Reyes (SP, StL) OK, whatever. We'll see if he makes the rotation. But really, would he not have been available in the last round?
Jalopy- Aaron Heilman (SP, RP, NYM) The Mets would be retarded not to stick him in the rotation. But these are the Mets so I expect him to start the year in the bullpen.
Schall- Ryan Madson (RP, Phi) If Gordon can't keep the closer's job it's a pretty safe bet this guy gets it. Not a bad pick up.
Tim- Joe Borowski (RP, Fla) I'm putting an over/under at 25 saves for all Marlins combined.
Best Pick-Pavano, really last year wasn't a total disaster and it took Mussina and Clemens a year to adjust as well.
Worst Pick-Betemit-I just don't see anywhere for him to play.

19th Round

Round 19
Tim-Brad Radke (SP, Min) Eh, he's good for a few CG's and steady numbers in other categories, you could do worse.
Schall- Nick Swisher (OF, Oak) I figure someone out there in Oakland has to develop into an offensive force, right. Very easily could be him. How did the A's win that many games with almost no offensive threats?
Jalopy- Mike Jacobs (1B, Fla) His numbers, although a small sample size, are impressive. Good Pick
Brian- Bobby Crosby (SS, Oak) Crosby seems like the prototype of a guy due for a huge breakout season. This could be a huge steal by Brian.
Bryce- Brian McCann (C, Atl) In the Braves series vs. the Astros he was the guy that scared me the most outside of the Jones' and Furcal when he was at bat. I have a very good feeling about him.
Farmer- Bengie Molina (C, Tor) I hate when athletes pull the "If I don't get the right offer, I'm gonna sit out a year" routine. How the hell is that going to help you get more money? That's just stupid. It's like when your a kid and there's always one kid who cries "if nobody plays with me then I'm going home"---what does every other kid there say "Fine, go home". I don't get why any player would do that. Accept a one year deal and move on with your life.
Shawn- Scott Linebrink (RP, SD) I guess you're banking on a Hoffman injury, right?
Drew- Shea Hillenbrand (1B/3B, Tor) Thanks Drew, he was my next pick. I planned on sliding him comfortably into that 3B hole. Good pick.
Greg-Chad Orvella (RP, TB) He's a possible closer, so decent pick.
Ted- Luis Castillo (2B, Min) The Minnesota manager plans to run more with him, but I doubt it lasts. Castillo hasn't lost a step, he's lost more like 4 or 5.
Durward- Milton Bradley (OF, Oak) Bradley has so much potential, and thus can always find a real life and fantasy owner that will take a chance on him. But Bradley is like that one really good looking psycho girl that everyone knows. Everyone tries to date her because she's hot, but it never works because she always does something psycho--like tell all your women friends that she's not afraid to "cut a bitch" if a girl messes with her man. Bradley's tempting but in the end, you're just better off without having to deal with him.
Jackie- L. Overbay (1B, Tor) Good pick, should have good numbers in that revamped Toronto lineup.
Best Pick--Overbay, should hit well if they slide him into a good spot in that lineup, which they likely will.
Worst Pick--Linebrink, I just figure if you're gonna draft a setup man, draft one from a team with an unsettled closer.

18th Round

Round 18
Jackie- Delmon Young (OF, TB) Rookies are risky, in the 18th round Young's a good pick. In the 10th round Hermida wasn't. Yes, this is still bothering me immensely.
Durward- Rocco Baldelli (OF, TB) In theory this is a good pick. A very good fantasy outfielder in the 18th round due to missing a year because of surgery. However, Baldelli was valuable because he could add 20 SB, he probably won't do that now. Plus in the first year back from that type of surgery players generally struggle.
Ted- Prince Fielder (1B, Mil) Good pick. He's got a chance to be very good.
Greg- Reggie Sanders (OF, KC) We officially have a run on Royals--3 in 3 rounds. That might be a record. Sanders still adds decent numbers although they will dip a bit by leaving St. Louis for that KC lineup.
Drew- Raul Ibanez (OF/1B, Sea) Decent Hitter. Not much else to say. There's a reason he lasted this long, he's a boring but nonetheless good pick.
Shawn- Tim Wakefield (SP, Bos) How come more people don't try and learn to throw the knuckleball? Seriously, this guys gotten a ton of years and a ton of money out of one pitch.
Farmer- Odalis Perez (SP, LAD) Looked allright in the WBC. Even if he's only a decent pitcher, pitching in Dodger's stadium makes him alot better.
Bryce- Chris Reitsma (RP, Atl) If he closes for Atlanta, I got a bargain, if he doesn't, oh well, it's only an 18th Round pick.
Brian- Curtis Granderson (OF, Det) Lots of young players in this round. Like the others he's a good risk at this point. Plus with rookie hitters you can usually tell very quickly if they are going to struggle.
Jalopy- Daniel Cabrera (SP, Bal) I think I like this Cabrera pick better than the Bedard pick, but I don't know why. It just seems like he's got the better chance to break out after Mazzeone gets ahold of him.
Schall-Gustavo Chacin (SP,Tor) Can we please get a restraining order preventing Ted from trading with Schall? Please? Chacin and a pack of Swisher Sweets for Beltre, especially after Beltre has been absolutely tearing it up in the WBC. It's for your own good Ted. Chacin's a decent player but he's not appreciably better than alot of pitchers who will be available on the waiver wire at the end of the draft.
Tim-Garret Anderson (OF, Ana) Pretty decent year last year, but those numbers are probably his ceiling now with all those injuries.
Best Pick-Fielder, has the chance to be very good.
Worst Pick-Chacin, I can't believe Schall picked up Beltre for this guy and Swisher. Ted, are you upset that I talk all the time about the Rolen trade and neglect to mention Valdes anymore? What's the deal? Anyway, who's on board for this restraining order?

17th Round

Round 17
Tim- Erik Bedard (SP, Bal) Mazzeone, the pitching Jesus, is going there. So this might not be a bad pick. I mean, he's made stars out of much worse pitchers.
Schall- Matt Murton (OF,CHC) What exactly is your strategy for picking outfielders? Do you automatically eliminate a player without any question marks? I'm just trying to figure out the process here. Don't get me wrong, I like Murton as a player, I'm just trying to figure out the strategy here.
Jalopy- Ryan Zimmerman (3B, Was) Sometimes I think that you guys pick some players just to see if you can get me to admit that I don't know anything about a player. Well, I know he's a pretty good prospect but that's about it.
Brian- Chris Young (SP, SD) I can't believe somebody picked him up this early. Bastard.
Bryce-Mark Loretta (2B, Bos) I don't understand you farmer, you keep the guy last year despite all your better judgement, then this year when he moves to one of the best lineups in baseball you pick Placido freakin Polanco over him. Another one of farmer's patented, "What the Hell?" moves.
Farmer- Kelvim Escobar (SP, LAA) Does anyone else root for him to change his first name to Pablo and then just take that and run with it? I mean like come to the stadium with white stuff in his mustache and sniff the rosin bag in between pitches, and ride around with like a 200 person crew just barking orders. Wouldn't that be intimidating to hitters? Am I the only one who thinks about this sort of stuff? Nevermind. Decent pick
Shawn- Esteban Loaiza (SP, Oak) Not a bad pitcher, always throws a ton of innings, and Oakland likes to keep their starters in the game. This could add up to alot of CG's for you. Good pick.
Drew- Paul Byrd (SP, Cle) I think the fact that Byrd was a sought after Free Agent pitcher show how terrible this free agent class was. He's not a terrible pitcher and may get 15 wins, but he isn't a "sought after" caliber guy. Plus pitching for the Braves is almost like hitting in Coors field. It skews the numbers.
Greg- Jeff Weaver (SP, LAA) Probably good for a few CG's, and some wins.
Ted- Aaron Harang (SP, Cin) I'm convince Cincinnati is some sort of pitching Bermuda Triangle. Pitchers who go there are just lost forever. When was the last time there was a good Reds starting pitcher? And unlike Rockies pitchers, there's no explanation for it. Anyways, I'm sure this guy is different though, it's gonna work out for you.
Durward- Kerry Wood (SP, RP, ChC) Seriously, has anyone ever fallen as far and as fast as Kerry Wood? This is the guy who struck out 20 in a game, the next Clemens or Ryan. Now, he might be a middle reliever at best. He's probably one more injury away from an alcohol and crack binge and dating a B level porn star.
Jackie- Brad Penny (SP, LAD) Penny has the stuff to be dominant in that ballpark. This could be a real steal if he can stay healthy.
Best Pick-Tie-Loretta and Young---I think the Sportsguy is going to have to add "Former Rangers Pitching Prospect" somewhere into his vengeance scale.
Worst Pick--Wood, We're going to have to invent some sort of phrase for when Kerry Wood screws you over as a fantasy owner. Something like You just got the Wood laid to you, or something like that.

16th Round

Round 16
Jackie- Matt Clement (SP, Bos) He didn't have great numbers last year but they weren't terrible and there's a good chance he could revert back to the sometimes dominant pitcher he was in Chicago. Good Pick
Durward- Francisco Liriano (SP, Min) I keep hearing he's going to start out in the bullpen. If so, he's got little to no value. Even if he starts, he likely will have a rough patch. He's going to be a very good pitcher, just probably not this year.
Ted- David Dellucci (OF, Tex) Dellucci isn't a bad player at all. Besides that terrible avg. he's pretty solid in every category. Good Pick.
Greg-Matt Morris (SP, SF) Morris really never got it together after Kile died. He had all the makings of a star pitcher but that just kind of crushed him. Maybe a change of scenery will help him.
Drew- Sean Casey (1B, Pit) I doubt he comes close to being the hitter he was in Cinncinnati. He had a nice cushy spot in the order and everybody pitched to him instead of the power threats. That won't happen in Pittsburgh.
Shawn- Keith Foulke (RP, Bos) It's getting late in the draft and most closers are gone so you might as well take a chance on a formerly dominant one.
Farmer- Bill Hall (2B,SS,3B,Mil) Where exactly is he going to play? He'll get some playing time, but do you really want a utility man on your team? What the Hell? You might as well draft Chris Burke while you're at it
Bryce- Ervin Santana (SP, LAA) Not a good pick. Good upside but likely will struggle this year as the scouting reports get out on him and the hitters adjust.
Brian-Chris Ray (RP, Bal) Can't knock picking a closer at this point.
Jalopy- Kenji Johjima (C, Sea) Japanese hitters other than Suzuki and Hideki Matsui have had a tough time adjusting here in the states. This is probably a bit early for him when you consider that fact.
Schall-Derek Lowe (SP, LAD) Everybody's been raving about how good he looks this spring. He can be dominant at times. We'll see if it continues into the season.
Tim-Robinson Cano (2B, NYY) He's going to have decent numbers but he's not the next Soriano. Still, he's a decent pick up at this point in the draft.
Best Pick-Dellucci, has good numbers despite his average. Plus a hitter in Arlington is always useful in fantasy baseball.
Worst Pick--Hall, the Util spots in a fantasy lineup don't actually have to be filled by real life utility players, just thought I'd clear that up for you.

15th Round

A this point in the draft Jackie and Greg agreed to switch picks for the rest of the pick

Round 15
Tim- Michael Barrett (C, ChC) Just for fun lets compare Javy Lopez, a keeper, with Barrett who got drafted in the 15th round. Lopez- 395 AB's, 47 R's, 15 HR's, 49 RBI's, .278, .78 Barrett-424 AB's, 48 R's, 16 HR's, 61 RBI's, .276, .824 This is a very good pick, Lopez-not so much
Schall- Brian Fuentes (RP, Col) Drafting a Rockies pitcher is like having drunken sex on Spring Break. Both involve massive amounts of alcohol, lowered expectations, it always seems like its a good idea, but in the morning-it's probably gonna burn when you pee. One key difference, there's no treatment for Rockies pitchers.
Jalopy- Jon Lieber (SP, Phi) Eh, decent pick. Solid pitcher.
Brian-Nomar Garciaparra (SS-3B,LAD) You know what Nomar's actually had pretty decent numbers the last two years, better than I thought-in the 12 games he's played in the last 2 seasons. Maybe he's just pulling a Griffey and taking a few years off in the later stages of his career. Speaking of Griffey, how awesome has he looked in the WBC? Amazing. Oh, and one more thing, What MENSA reject thought up batting Vernon Wells first in that lineup? That's like buying a $400,000 car and then going to Wal Mart to buy Rims for it.
Bryce-Oliver Perez (SP, Pit) Remember Schall's convincing argument that he was the next great thing. Farmer was 100% right on that one in the end.
Farmer-Mike Sweeney (1B, KC) He's still in the league? Seriously though, in limited time he had pretty good numbers last season. His problem has always been staying healthy though.
Shawn-Willy Mo Pena (OF, Cin) He's like Adam Dunn, except without all of Dunn's plate discipline, very scary concept. He may be the first player to hit more HR's than singles over an entire year.
Drew-Jose Guillen (OF, Was) Good value pick. He shouldn't have lasted this long. Greg-M Gonzalez (RP,Pit) One of the last closers with an almost guaranteed job. Not a bad pick.
Ted- Chris Capuano (SP, Mil) Not bad, the rest of his numbers don't really match his underwhelming WHIP. We'll see if his WHIP comes down or the rest of his numbers get worse.
Durward- Mike MacDougal (RP, KC) Better pick than Fuentes. Can't argue with picking a closer at this stage of the draft though, no matter who they are.
Jackie- Brady Clark (OF, Mil) After a huge start he faded quite a bit to end up with only decent numbers. He likely falls completely back to earth this season.
Best Pick--Barrett, real good numbers for a 15th round Catcher
Worst Pick-Clark-He's almost 33 and only really has 3 seasons under his belt with last year being the only season he played full time, not exactly the type of player that inspires confidence for better things to come.

14th Round

Round 14
Greg-Jose Contreras (SP,CHW) Contreras always had great stuff and last year he just figured it out at this level. He could be ready for a surge in production. Good pick.
Durward- Ivan Rodriguez (C, Det) I'm actually pretty impressed that nobody reached for this guy. He's a fine player, but nothing compared to what he used to be offensively. Right about where he should go in the draft.
Ted-Willy Taveras (OF,Hou) If Bagwell can play, Taveras is the guy that gets pushed out of the starting lineup. You may have drafted an Astros bench player two years in a row.
Jackie- J. Garland (SP, CWS) Decent Pitcher on a good team. Good pick.
Drew- Kevin Millwood (SP, Tex) Last time he signed a free agent contract he was terrible. He's going to be a bust, maybe not a Chan Ho type bust, but still a bust.
Shawn-Moises Alou (OF, SF) Continues to hit at a great pace even though he's older than dirt. Good pick at this stage.
Farmer-Shawn Green (OF, Ari) Eh, never really lived up to his potential. Average player.
Bryce-Justin Morneau (1B, Min) I'll take 30-100 potential at this stage of the draft. How did he last this long without Ted taking him? Who's drafting for Ted?
Brian-Jeremy Bonderman (SP, Det) All is right with the world. Ted has Mauer, you have Bonderman, it's nice to now that no matter how much life changes some things stay the same. Is this his breakout year Brian?
Jalopy- Todd Jones (RP, Det) If he's only half as good as he was in Florida, you have a good pick. We'll see though
Schall- Dan Johnson (1B, Oak) Good Young first Baseman with a little pop. Decent pick.
Tim- Brad Wilkerson (OF, Tex) Wilkerson's gotta have better numbers in Arlington. This could be a real good pick. Wilkerson has the talent he just seemed freaked out by that ballpark in Washington--kind of like the Astros pitchers when they get to the juice box their first time.

Best Pick-Contreras-has the stuff to be dominating, plus he's on a great team.
Worst Pick-Taveras, I know you needed speed but this is probably a little early for someone without a guaranteed spot.

Round 13

Round 13
Greg- Chris Shelton (1B, Det) I thought there were about 5 better available 1B. Maybe you'll pick up one of them as well later but this seemed a bit high for him.
Durward- Aaron Rowand (OF, Phi) Very good pick. Rowand goes to an extreme hitters park and should do well. He still has 30-30 potential. Very tough to find those guys at this stage of the draft.
Ted- Ryan Freel (2B-3B-OF, Cin) The guy had like 35 steals in 300 something AB's. If he gets 600 AB's we're looking at a better hitting Jose Reyes. Huge pick for Ted.
Jackie- Garrett Atkins (3B, Col) Atkins had decent numbers but doesn't project as a huge power hitter. However, the Rockies do have a 3B prospect like that in their system pushing for big league AB's. That might spell doom for Atkins.
Drew- Mark Ellis (2B, Oak) Good solid numbers. 2B is alot deeper this season than in the past.
Shawn--Jermaine Dye (OF, ChW) Huge numbers, just a little worried he won't repeat those numbers this year. The Sox played a bit above their heads last year.
Farmer- Joe Blanton (SP, Oak) Had a very strong second half last year and has the stuff to form a new Big 3 with Harden and Haren in Oakland.
Bryce- Javier Vazquez (SP, CHW) Struggled badly last time he went to a good team in a large media market. I'm hoping that there isn't a repeat.
Brian-Tom Gordon (RP, Phi) Cheap price for a pretty solid pitcher whose shown ability to handle the pressure--setting up for the Yanks is probably tougher than beign the closer for half the other MLB teams.
Jalopy--Freddy Garcia (SP,CWS) Numbers have been on a bit of a decline but he's still a solid pitcher.
Schall--Matt Cain (SP, SFG) Huge upside but San Francisco hasn't been real good at developing young pitchers once they get to the big leagues.
Tim- Scott Kazmir (SP, TB) Very good pick. His numbers at the end of last year indicate he's primed for a breakout year this year.
Best Pick-Freel---Very well drafted round, the best round probably of the draft. Of all the picks only Atkins was not on my list of players I wanted to get in the 2nd half of the draft. This round really cleared out alot of the players I had on my wish list
Worst Pick-Atkins-I really didn't think he'd get picked til the 20th round or so. Colorado isn't even sure he's going to start, they have a hotshot 3B prospect they are going to give a chance to compete for the job in spring training. Not terrible numbers for Atkins, I just thought this was real early for him to go.

Mid Draft Rankings

Ted
Last Year's Finish-10
IF-Mauer, Howard, Ramirez, Tejada
IF Rank-5
Analysis-A very nice, and very young IF. Definitely a strength of your team. All 4 have the potential to be 1st-2nd Round talent, if they all pan out you will definitely be in the hunt.
OF/Util-Lee, Winn, Beltre
OF/Util Rank-10
Analysis-You can tell where the early draft choices went. These aren't bad players by any means, but they aren't going to win you any championships. Plus you definitely have not picked up enough SB's and don't dominate in any category.
Offense Rank-10
Pitchers-C Zambrano, Zito, Sabathia, Street, Ryan
Pitching Rank-4
Analysis- Absolutely Right on target as far as pitching and that Ryan pick put you in a real nice spot as far as closers go.
Overall Rank-tied for 7th
Needs-Stolen bases, plus some sleepers in the OF to develop for you. Your pitching is right on target as long as you continue to make good picks. If you can pick up some talent to pack your OF and Util spots you definitely have a shot to compete. Very competitive draft so far but the lack of SB's and Run's hurt you as far as the ranking, but that should be easy to address.

Farmer
Last Year's Finish-6
IF-D Lee, P Polanco, A Rod, Furcal
IF Rank-2
Analysis-Basically you have every category covered. There is nothing that your infield doesn't do well. That's what happens when you have D Lee and A Rod there though.
OF/Util-Crawford, Burrell, Huff
OF/Util Rank-8
Analysis-You have alot less picks invested here than most players, which means you have alot of upside. I think you could use a little more power though.
Offense Rank-3
Pitchers-Pettite, Schilling, Webb, F Rodriguez, Jenks
Pitching Rank-9
Analysis-I think I was way too generous on this ranking. Schilling and Jenks are about as big of question marks as there are in the league. Who knows what they will give you. I just think that it's just as likely that they give you nothing as become top producers.
Overall Rank-6
Needs-Solid Pitching picks to back up some of your risks and some power in the outfield. Your picks from now on are definitely keys to your team, you have alot of potential to go either way-straight to the top or straight to the bottom.

Tim
Last Year's Finish-1
IF-Delgado, Roberts, Chavez, Jeter
IF Rank-9
Analysis-I think alot of people out there, including you, will disagree with this but I think that pretty much every single one of your IF's are overrated. They're decent players, just not great. Chavez especially is overrated. I don't think there's alot of anything in your IF, just average everything.
OF/Util-Wells, Bay, Hunter
OF/Util Rank-7
Analysis-I probably have your IF a bit undervalued and OF overvalued but it evens out. I like Bay, Wells, and Hunter and think they all have breakout potential--remember I never said Wells was a bad player, just that there was no way in hell he would steal 30 bases.
Offense Rank-12
Pitchers-Peavy, Duke, L Hernandez, Lidge, Dempster
Pitching Rank-7
Analysis-Peavy is very good, he's no Santana, but he's very good. I like Lidge and Dempster as well and think you have a top relief staff. I just think Duke and Hernandez are terrible picks though. I don't see Duke having a good year at all and Hernandez may be 40 for all we know and looks like a pitcher on the the tailend of his career.
Overall Rank-10
Needs-Stolen Bases and a ton of Starting Pitching. In fact forget SB, you need starting pitching. It's killing you right now, your relievers and Peavy are keeping it respectable but you aren't helping them out.

Jalopy
Last Year's Finish-3
IF-Helton, Figgins, Blalock, Peralta
IF Rank-4
Analysis-Good balance of speed and power, of course Figgins is the major source of speed, but still a very balanced IF.
OF/Util-Abreu, Griffey, Gomes, Giambi
OF/Util Rank-5
Analysis-I can't imagine Griffey and Giambi both having the year's they had last year, maybe one of the two, but not both. Your offense is balanced and good in every category.
Offense Rank-2
Pitchers-Prior, Carpenter, Isringhausen, Valverde
Pitching Rank-10
Analysis-I think you are banking way too much on Prior being a dominant starting pitcher again this year. If he's not, your pitching is screwed since you only have the 2 SP's in the first 12 rounds. Izzy and Valverde are solid but both are injury risks.
Overall Rank-tied for 3rd
Needs-Starting Pitching, starting pitching, starting pitching, and starting pitching. Oh, and a couple more OF and Util players to back up Griffey and Giambi. As long as you draft well from now on and Prior can stay healthy you are set up for a title run. You have a well balanced squad outside of your pitching and a superb offense.

Drew
Last Year's Finish-8
IF-Varitek, Thome, Ensberg, Renteria
IF Rank-8
Analysis-Your IF is way too reliant on Ensberg having another great year and Thome returning to form. It could happen but if it doesn't you're in big trouble.
OF/Util-A Jones, Pierre, Lane
OF/Util Rank-6
Analysis-This rank is assuming Lane busts out, Jones stays an MVP caliber player and Pierre returns to form so it could be too high, but I like the chances of that happening. Your OF is real well balanced and as long as you add a few good Util players you should be real solid in this category.
Offense Rank-7
Pitchers-Oswalt, Buerhle, Mulder, Wagner, Wickman
Pitching Rank-6
Analysis-Outside of Buerhle I like all of your picks, and I'm not even that down on Buerhle. This is a solid start to your pitching staff and you have plenty of potential to finish higher.
Overall Rank-9
Needs-Pretty much solid everywhere, just not real good anywhere. Add some strengths to your team. Become dominant in some category. You really aren't that far out of the race despite the ranking.

Jackie
Last Year's Finish-9
IF-Sexson, J Cantu, Lopez
IF Rank-12
Analysis-You just don't have that dominant player that sets your IF apart, plus you haven't invested alot of picks here so your IF is actually deceptively low in value. It should definitely improve in the last half of the draft
OF/Util-Beltran, Matsui, Francouer, Edmonds
OF/Util Rank-4
Analysis-Definitely the strength of your team so far. All 4 of your picks were solid, even though I'm not high on Francoeur. As long as Beltran rebounds from last season you are solid and have one of the better squads at this position.
Offense Rank-7
Pitchers-Halladay, Myers, Lackey, Rivera, Guardado
Pitching Rank-11
Analysis-The Myers pick killed you in my eyes. It was way too high and I don't think the guy is going to have a great season. Lackey is a solid pick. Myers just killed your ranking though. You definitely have potential to come back with some solid picks here in the middle of the draft though.
Overall Rank-11
Needs-Starting Pitching, SB's, and some quality sleepers in the IF. You really need Lopez and Cantu to work out and continue to get better more than anything else. Your overall rank is deceptively low. You have a huge chance to get better in the later rounds with some good picks and overall I think your draft has been pretty good. It's just a few wasted picks.

Schall
Last Year's Finish-2
IF-V Martinez, Pujols, Utley, Mora, Young
IF Rank-1
Analysis-I don't think there's a way to have a much better IF than this set. I mean, if you had A Rod at third maybe, but this is pretty impressive. You're definitely counting on your IF to carry you to victory, and there's a good chance they will.
OF/Util-Posednik, Mench, M Ordonez
OF/Util Rank-12
Analysis-Posednik fills your speed need, Mench is a fine player, and you know my feelings on Ordonez. Your OF is weak, but that's because you invested all your keepers and high picks in the IF which is a fine strategy.
Offense Rank-4
Pitchers-Harden, Schmidt, Hudson, Hoffman
Pitching Rank-8
Analysis-Your pitching has the potential to be really good but there are some huge injury questions with your top 2 SP's which holds you back. If they stay healthy, you're in great shape though. I'm not entirely convinced Harden is ready to be that fantasy ace SP just yet, but we'll see. He has great numbers when he's healthy.
Overall Rank-tied for 3rd
Needs-Basically just fill out your roster. Definitely a good start to a team. No real glaring needs besides OF and those guys are fairly easy to find late in the draft.

Durward
Last Year's Finish-11
IF-Konerko, Kent, Cabrera, Rollins
IF Rank-7
Analysis-Your IF is strong, probably stronger than I have you ranked actually. I wasn't a big fan of the Kent pick but overall you IF is solid in most every category.
OF/Util-Damon, Floyd, Drew
OF/Util Rank-9
Analysis-Your OF is also strong and solid in most every category. In fact, I can't figure out why I have you rated so low. This is a very good start to an offense. As long as you finish the draft strong you are in good shape.
Offense Rank-11
Pitchers-Willis, Colon, Haren, Nathan, Turnbow
Pitching Rank-3
Analysis-Your pitching is strong as well. There is some worry with Willis but he should be fine and also get a ton of CG. Colon and Haren are solid number 2 and 3 starters and your closers have really no question marks associated with them.
Overall Rank-tied for 7th
Needs-Just finish out your draft strong. You are alot closer to the top of the league than the bottom. You are solid in most every area and have had a very good draft. Just keep it up.

Shawn
Last Year's Finish-7
IF-J Lopez, D Ortiz, M Giles, T Glaus, Barmes
IF Rank-3
Analysis-Your IF is ranked high but it's probably not going to stay this high since most people don't have every position filled in the IF. Still it should be solid despite keeping Lopez.
OF/Util-Sizemore, Holliday
OF/Util Rank-11
Analysis-Both are solid players and Sizemore has a ton of upside but your OF is only barely better than Schall's. You guys are going to have to find some real steals at the end of the draft to fill out your OF.
Offense Rank-8
Pitchers-F Hernandez, J Smoltz, Patterson, D Davis, F Cordero
Pitching Rank-12
Analysis-Your pitching staff consists of a teenager, an almost 40 year old, two guys who've hit their ceilings and Francisco Cordero. Enough said.
Overall Rank-12
Needs-Closers, Outfielders, not having kept Lopez, and a time machine to undo some of your SP picks. You still have a shot but you have alot of ground to make up in the bottom of the draft. But hey, me rating you last has worked out good for you quite a few times before, so pretty much just ignore me.

Greg
Last Year's Finish-12
IF-Posada, Iguchi, Rolen, Reyes
IF Rank-11
Analysis-I'm not a big fan at all of Posada, Iguchi, and Rolen. Rolen has a chance for a huge comeback year but where you drafted him was way too high. He has to have huge numbers to validate that high of a choice and I don't think it's much more than a 70% chance he gets those numbers
OF/Util-Sheffield, Crisp, Hafner, C Jones
OF/Util Rank-2
Analysis-Crisp was probably a little high but the rest of your OF/Util is very solid. Hafner puts up huge numbers and Jones and Sheffield are givens. You're solid in every offensive category.
Offense Rank-6
Pitchers-Pedro, Sheets, Clemens, Benitez
Pitching Rank-2
Analysis-Benitez might have a terrible year and Clemens might not pitch at all, and then you would still have a decent staff with just Pedro and Sheets. If Clemens pitches this year you got the best value of the draft. But those question marks keep you from having the top staff in the league.
Overall Rank-5
Needs-SP as insurance in case Clemens gets hurt and some closers. Besides that just fill out your lineup well and you're golden. You aren't the '27 Yankees as some people believe but you have a solid club.

Bryce
Last Year's Finish-5
IF-Berkman, Soriano, Lugo
IF Rank-10
Analysis-Getting Lugo really saved my IF. I don't know how someone with his type of numbers, especially the SB's at his position lasts as long as he did in the draft. I didn't list Tracy here even though he'll gain eligibility 15 games into the season and that's where I'll play him. If I had listed him here it would have given me a huge bump in rating.
OF/Util-M Ramirez, Dunn, Bonds, Tracy, Hermida
OF/Util Rank-1 Analysis-I'm missing speed and Hermida was a huge reach but still my OF is very good. The power numbers are a given for my team thanks to these guys.
Offense Rank-5
Pitchers-Santana, Beckett, Lowry, Gagne
Pitching Rank-1
Analysis-I know nobody will probably agree with me but I see Beckett as a top AL Cy Young candidate this year. I don't know why I just feel he puts it all together this year. Lowry was amazing at the end of last year and looked almost unhittable down the stretch and if Gagne comes back at even 80% of what he was, I'm still in good shape.
Overall Rank-tied for 1st
Needs-A Couple top of the lineup type guys for speed and some R's and some closers. As with everyone else I'll need SP as well, it's just not as high of a priority.

Brian aka the draft filibuster man
Last Year's Finish-4
IF-Hernandez, Teixeira, Weeks, Wright
IF Rank-6
Analysis-When you start with Teixeira and Wright it's hard to screw it up too bad-you tried with the Weeks pick though. Hernandez has breakout potential though which keeps your rating up.
OF/Util-Vlad, Ichiro, B Giles, Jenkins
OF/Util Rank-3
Analysis-Good OF/Util, solid all around. Good numbers in every category.
Offense Rank-1
Pitchers-Johnson, Burnett, Lee, C Cordero
Pitching Rank-5
Analysis-I was very generous on your pitcher ranking and it's mainly due to how much I liked the Lee pick. The rest of the guys I could definitely do without. Johnson is poised for a breakdown, Burnett's never a given especially moving to the AL, and Cordero, well he's starting to grow on me so I won't rip him anymore. He's got better stuff than I gave him credit for.
Overall Rank-tied for 1st
Needs-You're gonna need a bit more speed in your offense and another power guy. Besides that you need SP. Your SP picks will determine how you end up because your offense is solid enough now that you can't really screw it up too bad.

Other People

Other Members of the league do their own analysis from time to time, so I'll just post the ones that have already been done in the first half of the draft

Schall's Analysis
1-6th Round Analysis
Round 6
Greg-- Scott Rolen (3b STL) A big risk here. Not a bad pick, but no one thinks that he'll ever put up 2004 numbers again.
Durward-- J. Damon (OF, NYY) A safe pick. Guaranteed runs in that lineup, but expect numbers to fall after leaving hitter friendly Fenway Park.
Ted-- Joe Mauer (C, Min) Well you get to continue your man love for Mauer, and continue ticking off Farmer (who still wants him badly) so if for no other reason props for that.
Jackie-- J. Cantu (TB-2B,3B) 117 rbi's on the Devil Rays? He is either the most unheralded star ever, or just a flash in the pan. My vote is flash in the pan.
Drew--Mark Buehrle (P, ChW) Consistency. Consistency. Consistency. The man goes 6 innings every start.
Shawn-- John Smoltz (P, Atl) I can't explain your fixation with John Smoltz, whether he's a closer or a starter. Is he your father?
Farmer-- Fransisco Rodriguez (P,LAA) First closer drafted, and not a bad one at that.
Bryce-- Barry Bonds (OF, SF) High risk, high reward. If it pans out for you, your outfield will be ridiculous. Might best be used at a UTIL spot though because of how often he'll sit.
Brian--Rickie Weeks (2B, Mil) Upside is huge, he just has to prove himself. Can't expect a Chase Utley-like breakout, but solid numbers from 2B makes this a good risk.
Jalopy-- Jhonny Peralta (SS,Cle) Looking for power from SS, but man, that guy strikes out way too much to be a good hitter in my book.
Schall-- Scott Podsednik (OF, CWS) My outfield situation was well discussed, and Podsednik gives me the staple I need. Oh yeah, and 70 steals will be nice too.
Tim--- Brad Lidge (RP, Hou) Excellent value here, even if the Astros dont have as many save situations this year. Credit King Pujols and his magic for Lidge slipping this far. Man, that was the most majestic HR ever.
BEST PICK: I honestly can't decide. Kind of a ho-hum round with people filling gaps in their lineups. Expect this to continue in ROUND 7.
WORST PICK: Not a big fan of the Smoltz pick.

2-7th Round Analysis
Round 7
Greg-- Coco Crisp (OF, Bos) He just reminds me of Corey Patterson; this is not a good thing.
Durward-- J. Nathan (RP, Min) Solid closer.
Ted-- Huston Street (RP, Oak) Exceptional closer.
Jackie--F. Lopez (SS, CIN) Fills a need. You'd better hope last year was the real deal. Wait, I've said that about your picks two rounds in a row...
Drew--J Thome (1B, CHW) A thought this was a little early for him, but not terrible. Could easily hit 40 homers back in the AL.
Shawn--Matt Holliday (OF, Col) Good pick, but I think Wells was the safer bet.
Farmer--Pat Burrell (OF, Phi) See above comment. I do like the Phillies lineup though.
Bryce--Josh Beckett (SP, Bos) Kind of a risk, but those are the types of pitchers drafted at this stage.
Brian-- A.J. Burnett (SP, Tor) Will he return to the CG machine that he once was? Maybe not with big money BJ Ryan waiting in the pen. Regardless, he should strike out a ton of AL hitters.
Jalopy-- Hank Blalock (3B, Tex) The boy has a sky high ceiling, but the local press has been harsh on him. Why were the Rangers looking to deal him? Why does he fade after the break? Why hasn't he learned to hit lefties? That said, I still think he's going to be a great hitter (recall the All-Star game incident...)
Schall--Jason Schmidt (SP, SF) Some risk here. Last year was a horrible year for him, but that's what I said about Colon when I drafted him last year. Seeing him one-hit the Cubs in Wrigley in 2004 - throwing 98 mph in the 9th - was enough for me.
Tim--- Vernon Wells (OF, Tor) Doing a good job of scooping up value when it slides your way. Hopefully the Jays revamped lineup will give him better pitches to hit.

Farmer
1-Keeper Analysis
You want keeper round analysis? You got keeper round analysis.

Good Points:
Shawn- You needed Grady Sizemore in the worst way and not only did you get him, you got him because Jackie e-mailed from Italy to override him being selected before you.
Bryce- Keeper winner. But a blind monkey could have made those keeper selections.
Jalopy- Bold picks taking two pitchers. I think that you have solidified your pitching staff, assuming they stay healthy. Time to start thinking long and hard about getting HRs and RBIs.
Schall- You pretty much need OF and pitching, which luckily is in abundance.
Durward- I liked the strategy of taking fewer keepers. The execution could have been better though. I'm betting you took Willis for the complete games, which is a big risk on the Marlins. On the plus side, who are the Marlins going to bring in to relieve Willis?

Bad Points:
Tim- Your power threat is a Canadian. Ask yourself this, when have the words "power" and/or "threat" ever been associated with Canada.
Shawn- Ugh. Javy Lopez as a keeper? The one player that wasn't on Funston's Top 100 list. The next lowest keeper? Andy Pettitte, but he was forced on me.
Jackie- Yeah, you know.
Farmer- Offense, good. Second best behind Brian's. But that run on starting pitchers really played hell with you. Your fantasy ace is the third best pitcher on his real team, once Clemens comes back. Still, better than Colon.
Greg- I was hoping that Sheets would fall to me and you didn't do yourself any favors by taking him. You have great pitching but you REALLY need offense. You're OPS needs work. Not like Drew's, but yeah. Good news though. You have the first pick in the next couple rounds.
My analysis doesn't include complete games as they are really hard to predict.

IF THE SEASON STARTED NOW:
1- Bryce
2- Farmer
3- Brian
4- Jalopy
5- Jackie
6- Schall
7- Tim
8- Shawn
9- Ted
10- Drew
11- Durward
12- Greg
(This is interesting and shows why the lower place finisher deserves the higher draft picks.)

2-10th Round Analysis
Well, I've completed my Round 10 Rankings. This the standings if the season started after Round 10.
1- Greg
2-Jalopy
3/4- Farmer
3/4- Brian
5- Jackie
6- Bryce
7- Shawn
8/9- Ted
8/9- Tim
10- Schall
11- Durward
12- Drew
A couple notes:
- Greg made some really great picks with the Rolen, Crisp, Chipper Jones, Clemens series. I'm assuming they stay healthy. Or they play this year. Highly risky but you don't win by playing it safe.
- Schall's combo of a one-dimensional hitter (Podsednik) and a low strikeout pitcher (Hudson) really hurt him.
- So far in this draft, I was planning on taking the following pitchers with my next pick when they went off the board: Sheets, Schmidt, Meyers, Patterson, and Duke. With the exception of Schmidt, it was reasonable to assume that that player would fall to me. This has really hurt.
- Two people are dominating two categories. Bryce in OPS and HRs. Brian in strikeouts and BA. Ted, Shawn, and Schall do not have a statistical lead in any category.
- Some people have more hitter than others. This will even out.
- Shawn is closer to the lead than he is to the back.
- Schall is closer to Bryce than he is to Durward.
-Durward is hurting more in ERA and WHIP. Though that is because Bartolo Colon is playing a big part of the combined ERA and WHIP. Don't take more high WHIP pitchers and don't worry as others draft pitchers who will bring their totals up.
- Drew needs batting average. Renteria is the only player he has that will break .290. Throw out Weeks, and Brian has no one that will hit below .300.

Jackie
So, going off predicted stats for players, here's my list of standings after round 9 (which again justifies my point about greg's team getting to pick first every round! he didn't inherit a bad team... the only reason it came in last was b/c the players weren't played last year b/c the team wasn't kept up with!!!)
1 Greg
2 Brian
3 Bryce
4 Farmer
5 Tim
6 Durward
7 Jackie
8 Jalopy
9 Ted
10 Schall
11 Shawn
12 Drew

Brian
8th Round Standings
Here are the standings thus far. These do not take into account future picks or positioning via draft picks. Only current analysis of predicted finish in the league. Total rotisserie points in parenthesis.
1 - Brian (105)
2 - Greg (98)
3 - Jalopy (92)
4 - Bryce (91)
5 - Tim (89)
6 - Schall (82)
7 - Farmer (77)
8 - Ted (66)
9 - Durward (62)
10- Shawn (61)
11- Jackie (58)
12- Drew (55)
It seems like Greg is using the most of his leading round picks and Jackie is not listening to JB nearly enough.

Round 12

Round 12
Greg-A Benitez (RP,SF)
Benitez is always all over the map as far as performance. He's almost the definition of inconsistent. However, I don't know that the Giants have much of a choice but to stick with him even if he's terrible, so it's not a terrible pick, just probably a little high.
Durward-J. D. Drew (OF, LAD)
Real good pick, if he can stay healthy he can definitely provide the power your offense so desperately needs. Good time for a big gamble and you made a very good one.
Ted- Adrian Beltre (3B, Sea)
Another real good gamble. Even though his career numbers aren't great you gotta take a chance on him returning to 2004 numbers.
Jackie- Eddie Guardado (RP, Sea)
He somehow continues to get it done, I don't really know how. Just beware, because that end of career dropoff has to be coming soon, doesn't it?
Drew- Bob Wickman (RP, Cle)
Almost the same exact player as Guardado. Just continues to get it done.
Shawn--Doug Davis (SP, Mil)
Davis is a good solid player, I just don't know if he merits this high of draft spot. I think he's about as good as he's gonna get, which is fine, just not 12th round level.
Farmer-Placido Polanco (2B-3B,Det)
I don't see him hitting .330 again, in fact I don't think he even gets close, which seriously impacts his value.
Bryce-Julio Lugo (SS,TB)
35 SB this late in the draft, he's like a poor man's Jimmy Rollins. Only this is round 12, not round 4. This has to be one of the better bargains of the draft.
Brian-Geoff Jenkins (OF, Mil)
Solid OF, nothing spectacular.
Jalopy- Jonny Gomes (OF, TB)
If he gets 600 AB's this year, you have yourself a heck of a bargain. I think he gets around 500 which means you still have a heck of a pick.
Schall-- Magglio Ordonez (OF, Det)
Yeah, ok. Did anybody have Magglio going before Round 15? How about Round 18? I figured right around Round 20. The man is a shell of his former self, he's almost at Sammy Sosa level. Speaking of which, where are the steroid allegations about this guy? I mean he's a superstar until they start testing and then all the sudden his career is over. I understand he had a huge knee injury, but it still looks suspicious.
Tim- Ryan Dempster (RP, ChC)
I actually like this pick, Dempster always had good stuff he just could never keep it together for enough innings to be a starter. I think he's perfect for the closers role. Good pick.
Worst Pick-Ordonez, come on Schall, did you really think anybody else had him on their list.
Best Pick-Tie-Drew and Lugo, one brings speed and the other power to teams that really needed it.

Round 11

Round 11
Greg-Jorge Posada (C,NYY)
I suppose it's about time for a catcher run, probably time for 4-5 of them to go in the next couple days. Eh, not impressed.
Durward-Danny Haren (SP,OAK)
Haren really got it going in the second half of last year. He was really impressive. He definitely looks like the real deal and he has ace potential. Good Pick.
Schall (From Ted)-Kevin Mench (OF,Tex)
Mench has a ton of talent and good numbers but your OF is in trouble. I really think you needed Griffey or Edmonds last round and you didn't get either one.
Jackie-John Lackey (SP,LAA)
Great second half. Underrated even though he was a key contributor down the stretch for the Angels Championship run a few years ago. Definitely could become an anchor on your staff.
Drew-Jason Lane (OF,Hou)
Lane is in his prime and just getting used to playing in the bigs. His numbers last year were good but he's capable of alot more. A good addition to your offense.
Shawn-Francisco Cordero (RP,Tex)
I made a rule for this draft, it was called the no Cordero rule. I think both Cordero's are primed for a huge letdown this year.
Farmer-Bobby Jenks (RP,CHW)
Come on Farmer, what the heck is with this pick? Guillen changes who is closer is from week to week. There's about three relievers on that staff with closing experience. Plus Jenks has a bad habit of not coming to camp in shape and not taking baseball seriously. There's a reason numerous clubs gave up on this guy.
Bryce-Noah Lowry (SP,SF)
He struggled to start his second year, as most young pitchers do--watch out Zach Duke--but was superb down the stretch. He's got unbelievable potential and he should have a much better lineup behind him this year. I think he may be due for a Dontrelle type break out.
Brian-Ramon Hernandez (C,Bal)
Probably the best chance, along with Mauer, to jump up to the next level of catcher with Martinez. Pretty good numbers, but nothing great. That could change this year.
Jalopy-Jose Valverde (RP,Ari)
Nice numbers for Valverde, if he can stay healthy all year and keep his job he has a chance to become an elite closer.
Ted (From Schall)-CC Sabathia (SP,Cle)
Sabathia is only 25, how is that possible? It seems like he's been in the league forever. He's never quite put it all together but there's still plenty of time.
Tim-Livan Hernandez (SP,Was)
If Livan can return to his CG domination of a couple years ago this is a good pick. I'm not sure that is going to happen though which means all you get is a 31 year old(probably actually older) who has a ton of innings on his arm over the last 6-7 years.
Best Pick-Lowry, but there weren't alot of great picks. Just some good ones and a few terrible ones.
Worst Pick-Jenks, what were you thinking farmer? I know this is going to eat you alive for the remainder of the draft as well, which is a bonus.

Round 10

Round 10
Greg-Tadahito Iguchi (2B,CHW)
Eh, not impressed at all. There's quite a few 2B left with similar numbers and alot more upside.
Durward-Derek Turnbow (RP,Mil)
He's not a terrible pick as a 2nd closer but your offense is seriously lacking power and you left alot of power on the board in the form of Griffey and Edmonds to pick a 2nd closer. Not a smart move in my book. Ask your wife how the strategy of bypassing offensive needs to add closers has worked out in the past for her.
Schall(From Ted)-Melvin Mora (3B,Bal)
You pretty much had to take him but I don't know if he adds a whole lot to your team. Solid but unspectacular pick.
Jackie-Jim Edmonds(OF,StL)
Like almost all of the players in this round, he had solid numbers last year but is capable of putting up much better numbers. Plus he probably slipped a round or two, so this is a good value pick. It would have been an even better pick for your husband.
Drew-Edgar Renteria (SS,Atl)
I don't know what to think about him. Going back to the national league and being inserted likely into the 2nd spot in that lineup he should put up good numbers, with a sizeable boost in SB's. But he was just sooooo terrible last year, I don't know. I think it really depends on whether he can win and keep that cushy 2nd batting spot where you usually see a ton of fastballs, and he's a great fastball hitter.
Shawn-John Patterson (SP,Was)
Patterson seems to put up the numbers year after year but I don't know that he's a great pick in this part of the draft. Most people are looking for those solid performers without breakout potential and Patterson doesn't fit that definition. A bit of a reach.
Farmer-Brandon Webb (SP,Ari)
This is the type of pitcher that you usually see drafted in this range. Good numbers but the potential for alot better ones.
Bryce-Jeremy Hermida (OF,Fla)
I had nobody planned to pick, nobody that I really thought was a good value. Then I out thought myself and persuaded myself that this was a smarter pick than adding a few other players. He is one of the best prospects in the game, but this is just too high for him. Bad pick by me.
Brian-Cliff Lee (SP,Cle)
Very good pick by Brian. Lee is an overlooked pitcher and I can't really figure out why. I was actually thinking he might slip another couple rounds then I could pick him up. Very quality pick on a very good team, should help in all categories.
Jalopy-Ken Griffey, Jr (OF,Cin)
Huge numbers last year but hamstring and leg problems don't just go away and have a habit of popping up at least once or twice a season. Risky pick but it could work out real well for you.
Schall-Trevor Hoffman (RP,SD)
This is who I should have taken. Instead I let him slip to one of my biggest competitors. Bad move and it could really cost me. Hoffman is the last of the real solid, take their numbers to the bank type closers.
Tim-Torii Hunter (OF,Min)
If Hunter comes back and continues to steal bases at a pretty good pace then this is a steal, a great pick. I don't see that happening though which means he becomes little more than an average fantasy player.
Best Pick-Lee, it's hard to ignore a player with those numbers. Great pick.
Worst Pick-Hermida, the pick was terrible, there was nobody out there I really wanted that would have been a good pick and instead of being smart I made a huge reach

9th Round

As you may have noticed there was a trade of picks between Ted and Schall that affects where they drafted, just try and follow as best you can

Greg-Roger Clemens (SP,FA)
I'm not as convinced as I was back in January that he'll play another season. Regardless, it's probably a good risk to take in the 9th round. If it works out, your pitching is dominating, if it doesn't it's still fine.
Durward-Cliff Floyd (OF,NYM)
I was ready to bash this pick until I looked at the numbers. The numbers say this is a real good pick. I had no idea he had 34 HR's last year, and then throw in double digit steals-not bad at all. Maybe a little early.
Ted-Randy Winn (OF,SF)
You definitely needed steals so you picked up some here without sacrificing in other categories. Not a bad pick at all.
Jackie-Jeff Francoeur (OF,Atl)
I think this is waaaayyy too early for him. He broke out huge but faded quite a bit down the stretch. His avg split was .413 in July, .312 in August, and .247 in September, plus I don't think he had but maybe one hit in the playoffs.
Drew-Mark Mulder (SP,STL)
Solid pick but his WHIP is pretty high when compared to his Oakland days(besides his last year at Oakland). A WHIP of almost 1.4 is not good at all. Could be a sign of a letdown coming.
Shawn-Troy Glaus (3B,Tor)
I think that alot of people underrate this guy. You don't have those type of power numbers by accident. He really adds alot to your lineup.
Farmer-Aubrey Huff (1B-OF, TB)
I have been on the Huff bandwagon for awhile, but I'm officially off of it now. He's 29 now and he has never lived up to his potential. He has a beautiful swing but just never has really put it all together. He had a couple fine seasons but really has been an underperformer up to this point in his career
Bryce-Eric Gagne (RP,LAD)
Another gamble, we'll see if any of these guys stay healthy. If not, I'm pretty much screwed. He's only a year removed from being the best reliever in baseball so hopefully he can regain that form.
Brian-Brian Giles (OF,SD)
On the downward swing of his career but you got him at a fair price and he's still a very steady contributor. Good pick, and about time you made one.
Jalopy-Jason Giambi (1B,NYY)
I think he finally may be back. Could be a great draft choice or a flop but definitely worth a gamble at this stage.
Ted- Barry Zito (SP, Oak)
Zito's still got dominating stuff, which means he still has the potential to be a fantasy ace. I don't know if you had to trade up to get him. The only possible person who could have picked him is Tim, I don't think that would have happened. Plus now Schall picks ahead of me twice, I really don't like that.
Tim-Zach Duke (SP,Pit)
I think he'll probably pitch solid-not great like last year, but solid. The problem is he still pitches for the Pirates, who suck, which means he needs to pitch great to contribute in wins plus he could get discouraged if he doesn't win a few good starts early. I don't really like this risk at all.
Best Pick-Glaus, a really well drafted round though, probably the best so far. There were quite a few contenders for this award.
Worst Pick-Duke, I just don't like when a pitcher on a bad team is thrust into the ace role in his first full year starting. It doesn't usually work out well. Plus, I still can't believe you can argue Peavy could be better than Santana. If Santana ever has a first half even remotely close to what his second half's look like it would be the best season by a pitcher probably since the 60's. Plus Peavy is worse than Santana in every single category.

8th Round

Greg-Chipper Jones (3B,Atl)
I really want to bash you for this pick since you already picked a 3B and now you've used up both Util spots but actually it's not bad considering the phenomenal numbers Chipper always puts up when healthy. Plus there is a big drop off in offensive tlaent coming here soon and you got one of the last big contributors.
Durward-Bartolo Colon (SP,Ana)
Is Colon not the worst Cy Young winner in the last 10 years? I mean, how is Bartolo Colon a Cy Young winner? I find this unbelievable. Watch out for a slow start, Colon has a bad habit of taking a year off now and then. If you see phrases like "came to camp 40 pounds overweight" and "thinking about challenging the skinny Japanese guy in an eating contest"-you may want to think about trading him. They list him at 5'11" 250 lbs--yeah right. Try 280, maybe more. That is one big dude.
Ted-BJ Ryan (RP,Tor)
I can't bash this pick at all, a very shrewd move. You saw a player drop in the draft and even though you already had a closer you picked him up. I just knew he was going to drop to me, but it didn't happen.
Jackie-Brett Myers (SP,Phi)
I just want to know, did anybody have Myers anywhere near the top of their best available players left list? Anyone besides Jackie that is? Jackie you totally took my guy, the one I planned on taking...in the 15th round.
Drew-Jason Varitek (C,Bos)
This is probably about where he should be taken. And Javy Lopez should go in the next 2-3 rounds after he's taken...Oh wait, Javy's already taken, my bad.
Shawn-Clint Barmes (SS,Col)
Well, he's got the obligatory Deer meat injury out of the way early in career, I mean that happens to about every big leaguer at least once. How do you get injured carrying deer meat? These type of things need to be filmed. I also would like to see the look on everyone's faces when Berkman hurt himself playing flag football. My favorite will always be Brian Griese injuring himself by tripping over his dog. I gotta think you shoot the dog after that, am I right? How come they don't have more videos of this type of stuff? Oh yeah, good pick.
Farmer-Curt Schilling (SP,Bos)
So last year Farmer fills his entire OF with aging OF's who are injury risks. Apparently he's going to use the same method to fill his pitching staff this year. Too bad Kevin Brown retired, huh? Schilling seems done to me, I think the World series got him. Roger Clemens has always said a pitcher can always recover from arm problems but when the legs go he's done.
Bryce-Chad Tracy (1B-OF, Ari)
I had to deal with drafting after you last year Schall, now it's time for a little bit of payback. Tracy has a ton of upside plus should have 3B eligibility after 15 games.
Brian-Chad Cordero (RP, Was)
If I were to pick one guy destined to become this generations Jose Mesa of closers this is the guy. I mean this guy just screams fluke. Is there really that big of difference between him and Todd Jones besides age? I just don't see it, maybe someone can convince me, but I don't see it.
Jalopy-Jason Isringhausen (RP, StL)
As long as he's healthy, and that's always a huge issue-he's a top performer. Don't you wish you would have taken Ryan last round instead of having to take Izzy this round?
Schall-Tim Hudson (SP,Atl)
I think Hudson adds alot of stability to your staff because Schmidt and Harden weren't exactly the picture of health last year. I like this pick.
Tim-Brian Roberts (2B,Bal)
Well, the question is which Roberts will you get after the injury. Last years Roberts who was on his way to becoming a fantasy stud or the old Roberts, who was just so-so. I think it's worth the gamble though at this point in the draft.
Best Pick--Ryan--Two 100 K closers will really help you in that category. Nice Call on him.
Worst Pick-Myers--Mr. Price, I understand that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas but that really doesn't apply to the fantasy team since you'll still have these players when you return home. My advice, step away from the craps table for 15 minutes, get a cup of coffee and call your daughter to advise her on this draft. It's been all downhill since Sizemore. Wait, am I ripping on someone's dad now? This may be a first for me.