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All aboard the Expert Express
by Geoffrey Stein on January 12 2008
On Sunday Jan. 6, Mike Kuchera was kind enough to invite me to an expert league draft that now appears in the draft guide over at his site, Fantasy Baseball Express.
Scoring was normal 5x5 rotisserie with 23 starting spots: one 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, MI, CI and DH, with two Cs, five OFs, and nine Ps (starting or relief).
Here is the team that I drafted out of the No. 6 spot:
Round 1, Pick 6: 1B Albert Pujols, Cardinals -- Despite a less-than-stellar lineup around him, I still have Pujols at No. 3 on my draft board, so I was more than happy to grab him at sixth overall. Something never clicked last season, as the slugging first baseman set career lows in home runs and runs scored. The aforementioned surrounding cast could have a lot to do with it, so I`m not expecting much more than the 32 homers, 103 RBI and 99 runs of a season ago.
Round 2, Pick 19: OF Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners -- Hi, I`m Geoff, and I`m addicted to Ichiro. It`s hard not to love the mid-.300 batting average, 30-plus steals and 100-plus runs scored that the Japanese import seems to put up on a yearly basis.
Round 3, Pick 30: 2B Brian Roberts, Orioles -- There is only one reason to draft a .290-12-57 hitting middle infielder in the third round: steals. Coming off a career-high 50 swipes last season, Roberts is good for another 35-plus this year, whether he`s playing in Baltimore or Chicago.
Round 4, Pick 43: P Erik Bedard, Orioles -- Needing a solid starter to anchor my rotation, I grabbed Bedard, the No. 1 pitcher remaining on my board. Despite missing the entire month of September, the lefty put up an excellent stat line, which featured 13 wins, a 3.16 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 221 strikeouts in 182 innings pitched.
Round 5, Pick 54: OF Nick Markakis, Orioles -- Three Orioles with my first five picks? Yikes. ... It`s hard to argue against Markakis, though, as the 24-year-old outfielder will give me a positive contribution in all five offensive categories, evidenced by last season`s .300-23-112-97-18.
Round 6, Pick 67: SS Miguel Tejada, Astros -- Wait, Tejada doesn`t play for the Orioles anymore? I want a redo. ... In all seriousness, as gut-wrenching as drafting him seems, Tejada won`t hurt my team in any category while offering the potential to hit for a good average and decent power numbers from a middle infielder.
Round 7, Pick 78: C Brian McCann, Braves -- With nothing at the top of the board really catching my eye, I decided to anchor my catching position by grabbing McCann. Projecting the 24-year-old backstop is tough, but I expect nothing less than the .270-18-92 of a season ago.
Round 8, Pick 91: OF/1B Nick Swisher, White Sox -- Wanting some power for my team, I went with Swisher, who I absolutely love on the South Side of Chicago. The move from pitcher-friendly McAfee Coliseum to hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field gives the newest member of the White Sox an excellent opportunity to match his 2006 homer total of 35.
Scoring was normal 5x5 rotisserie with 23 starting spots: one 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, MI, CI and DH, with two Cs, five OFs, and nine Ps (starting or relief).
Here is the team that I drafted out of the No. 6 spot:
Round 1, Pick 6: 1B Albert Pujols, Cardinals -- Despite a less-than-stellar lineup around him, I still have Pujols at No. 3 on my draft board, so I was more than happy to grab him at sixth overall. Something never clicked last season, as the slugging first baseman set career lows in home runs and runs scored. The aforementioned surrounding cast could have a lot to do with it, so I`m not expecting much more than the 32 homers, 103 RBI and 99 runs of a season ago.
Round 2, Pick 19: OF Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners -- Hi, I`m Geoff, and I`m addicted to Ichiro. It`s hard not to love the mid-.300 batting average, 30-plus steals and 100-plus runs scored that the Japanese import seems to put up on a yearly basis.
Round 3, Pick 30: 2B Brian Roberts, Orioles -- There is only one reason to draft a .290-12-57 hitting middle infielder in the third round: steals. Coming off a career-high 50 swipes last season, Roberts is good for another 35-plus this year, whether he`s playing in Baltimore or Chicago.
Round 4, Pick 43: P Erik Bedard, Orioles -- Needing a solid starter to anchor my rotation, I grabbed Bedard, the No. 1 pitcher remaining on my board. Despite missing the entire month of September, the lefty put up an excellent stat line, which featured 13 wins, a 3.16 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 221 strikeouts in 182 innings pitched.
Round 5, Pick 54: OF Nick Markakis, Orioles -- Three Orioles with my first five picks? Yikes. ... It`s hard to argue against Markakis, though, as the 24-year-old outfielder will give me a positive contribution in all five offensive categories, evidenced by last season`s .300-23-112-97-18.
Round 6, Pick 67: SS Miguel Tejada, Astros -- Wait, Tejada doesn`t play for the Orioles anymore? I want a redo. ... In all seriousness, as gut-wrenching as drafting him seems, Tejada won`t hurt my team in any category while offering the potential to hit for a good average and decent power numbers from a middle infielder.
Round 7, Pick 78: C Brian McCann, Braves -- With nothing at the top of the board really catching my eye, I decided to anchor my catching position by grabbing McCann. Projecting the 24-year-old backstop is tough, but I expect nothing less than the .270-18-92 of a season ago.
Round 8, Pick 91: OF/1B Nick Swisher, White Sox -- Wanting some power for my team, I went with Swisher, who I absolutely love on the South Side of Chicago. The move from pitcher-friendly McAfee Coliseum to hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field gives the newest member of the White Sox an excellent opportunity to match his 2006 homer total of 35.
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