I recently took part in a 2012 fantasy baseball mock draft which probably helps explain the title of this post. Clever, huh? I was on the phone for the better part of the draft. I don’t tell you this to excuse my picks. I think the team is fine. I was going on memory though, so there’s no reason to ask why I took Gallardo with Greinke still on the board even though in my top 20 starters for 2012 fantasy baseball post I do have Greinke above him. Greinke would’ve been the right pick there, but they’re tomato-tomahto so it’s no big whoop. During a real draft I wouldn’t be shooting the shizz on a phone call though, especially not with Matthew Berry. Geez, I get it, I should draft Tyler Colvin. Chillax already! Anyway, here’s my 2012 fantasy baseball mock draft and some thoughts on certain picks:
JOE MAUER, GREY? REALLY? WOW, WHO ARE YOU?
Next thing you know I’m gonna draft Morneau and rename my team, “I Like Twins To Screw Me, In The Non-Sexy Way.” I could’ve took Alex Avila here instead, but I already drafted Dan Uggla, The Dread Pirate, David Wright and Adam Jones at this point and I felt like an average-only guy was a good way to go for one of my catcher spots. Kill two birds there. Corrects average issues and I don’t have to worry about drafting a catcher until the end of the draft now. Remember, I’m all about punting catcher in one catcher leagues, but in two catcher leagues you don’t want to punt both spots. This would be the first time I’ve ever drafted Mauer in a mock or otherwise. For those keeping track of my emotional state, it didn’t feel great. I felt dirty.
WHAT DO HOWIE KENDRICK AND ANIBAL SANCHEZ HAVE IN COMMON?
They’ll probably be on every one of my teams this year. I didn’t follow my top 40 starters for 2012 fantasy baseball exactly taking Beachy before Anibal. Here’s the thing: After I took Beachy some ‘perts groaned in the IM, wishing they had mock drafted him. I knew that. I knew no one would care when I took Anibal. See, people aren’t as smart as me, but you also have to be aware of public sentiment. If you want Beachy, which I do, you have to be willing to go above where others might take him, then double back to the guys you really like yet feel others might not be as crazy on. There wasn’t a peep in the IM when I drafted Anibal. No one cares about that cross-gendered named pitcher. Except us. Shh. Don’t tell anyone.
MY TEAM STINKS, BUT NOT REALLY
The projections at Mock Draft Central say my team is ranked 9th out of 12. It says I’m a 2 in Wins. Okay, no one can predict wins so everyone should just get a 7.5 in Wins and move on. It’s saying I’m a 2 in Ks. Not sure how that’s possible when all of my starters with the exception of Oswalt could have 180+ Ks. Mike Minor is my fifth starter. Mike Minor of a plus-8 K/9. It’s saying my WHIP is poor, which I agree with to an extent. That’s why I grabbed Oswalt, to help balance that out. The projections say my saves are low, but that can be corrected if Juan Abreu, my bet for Astro saves, gets 25 saves. Even if he doesn’t, I can acquire saves off waivers or mock trade someone. Besides Uggla and Mauer, the entire offense is balanced, and even Uggla and Mauer in theory will balance each other out. Whatever the case may be, this team isn’t a 9th place team out of 12 teams. Okay, that’s my mock, now mock me.
Nice team. How deep was the league?
Also: dag, yo, that’s a lotta late-round SAGNOF. Do you go into the draft expecting to pick up a bunch of that and draft around that plan, or did that just kinda happen with how this mock played out? Balancing my team is the biggest area I struggle in, so I’m trying to rearrange my thinking this year.
derp, 12 teams, says in the post. Sorry!
@Adam B, I grab any late round saves that I can, yeah…
How many teams drafted, and was Longoria not available with the 5th pick?
Assuming its a 12 team draft, I’d say you could end up a little short in HR/RBI as well as some of the pitching stats.
I did my first mock of the year the other day. Hardly an expert mock, but there wasn’t much autodrafting for most of it. This was auction format, let me know what you think:
C: Weiters
1B: Pujols
2B: Phillips
SS: Jeter
3B: Longoria
OF: BJ Upton
OF: Logan Morrison
OF: Coco Crisp
OF: Rios
UT: D. Wright
UT: Lind
SP: Bumgarner
SP: D. Hudson
SP: Latos
SP: Marcum
SP: Norris
RP: Soria
RP: Street
RP: Jim Johnson
RP: Capps
RP: Thornton
BN: Tabata
BN: Belt
The pen is pretty weak, but SAGNOF, right? They may not have faces, but they certainly have bloated ratios…
@Alcesto, MY WHIP could be a mess, but I have HRs and RBIs. If you take Beej, you don’t need Coco and vice versa. Your pitching is a little too stacked, which hurt your hitting. Jeter? Really?
@Grey, I also thought you were light on power. However, I counted based on your projections and you have 268 HRs. That puts you at 30 HRs above RCL average last year, and only 3 below the 271 average home runs for someone who placed 1st in an RCL. Even still you are well above average in power for a team that looks short. That means good drafting!
@Bourne, Thanks!
I think it’s very important to ignore the MDC projections. They project Minor’s WHIP to be 1.37. They also don’t have Abreu recording any saves, as far as I can tell. And somehow Valverde is going to record a WHIP of 1.29, making him actually less valuable than RP like Motte and a host of others.
I drafted a team using their projections and was not too thrilled with it. The key to winning using their projections seems to be to draft Alex Gordon, Kenley Jansen, Lawrie, Choo, Wells, Josh Johnson, Holland, Luebke, and Brandon McCarthy, to name a few. I don’t hate these guys, but would rather take other players where I would have to draft them.
@royce!, Yeah, agreed. Abreu may not get saves though, it’s still up in the air. Valverde’s WHIP is way too high there. And Minor’s… Speaking of which, how’s your baby girl doing?
@Grey, Overall she’s doing great. Last night was a bit tough, though. I don’t think she liked my wife’s dinner choice- a CA burrito and an IPA. But besides last night she’s been very mellow. I’m not a praying man, but I’m asking God to keep her that way. I really like sleeping. Please dear God let me sleep!
Re: Abreu- yeah, he might not get any saves, but I think that rotowire doesn’t have any projections for him at all, i.e., he’s not even a baseball player in their mind. So that pick netted you exactly nothing in their world.
@royce!, Yeah, that’s true re: Abreu. I’ll start by saying I’m ignorant, but baby’s can tell what a woman ate for dinner?
@Grey, Butting in here, but traces of whatever a mother eats and drinks are present in her breastmilk.
And that’s probably the first time that word has been used on Razzball.
@Steve, Let’s make sure it’s not the last time! So should new mothers not booze heavily?
@Grey, Best not to. Though alcohol is obviously less harmful at this stage than it is during pregnancy.
Speaking of which, I am two weeks dry.
@Steve, Do you miss the sweet taste of booze?
@Grey, I have the occasional pang, especially when I was at the in-laws for dinner the other night (!) but otherwise it’s been pretty easy.
@Steve, I’m guessing popping three Valiums is defeating the purpose.
@Grey, Well, I’ve been doing that for years anyway, so I guess I’m still better off.
@Steve, As Atmosphere sang… Trying to find a balance.
@Grey, re: boozing heavily, I was told recently that it’s okay to have a beer or two, but if you find yourself too drunk to drive, there will be enough booze in your breast milk to get the baby drunk. But if a new mother is drinking that heavily, they’ve got much more serious problems than having a child that keeps them up at night. Anyhow, in our case, I think it was much more the burrito- spicy food can get em gassy, being human and all.
I feel bad for the wife, bc she still can’t eat sushi for a while. We’ve gone for sushi a few times and she had to avoid all of the best stuff. More for me!
Fun subject! Baby farts!
@royce!, No sushi? Forget it, I’m never having a baby! So a baby can get the farts from burrito milk? This is an awesome conversation!
Cespedes signs with Oakland 4 year 36 million. Well he hit 20 hrs and bat .270
@Janice, That projection doesn’t sound too off.
@Grey, So you aren’t a big Cepsedes fan? Did the promo scare you off or are you just not buying the hype. Still 20 HRs and .270 could put him in your top 20 given how shallow the position is this year.
@WallyCleaver, I’m writing a post right now for him for tomorrow.
@Grey, You the man. Thanks
@WallyCleaver, No problem.
@Grey: You sir are doing yourself a great disservice by having not yet watched Breaking Bad. Greatest show ever in the history of planet earth.
Also, great work on the rankings this year and thanks for all you do!
@quimmy, Thanks! Yeah, I know, I gotta start watching it. Over the winter with no baseball was the time too. Damn…
That’s not a real turtleneck!
@Long Bawls, Ha!
I’ve done three mock drafts using your top 300 as a guide. Interestingly, just like you did, I kept finding myself drafting Votto, Wright, Howie, Anibal, Lind, and Chacin. Pretty much exactly in all mock drafts. But the one that always ended up on my team (using your rankings) but who you didn’t get is Jay Bruce. Did someone jump up and grab him away from you or did you purposely pass on him? You have him ranked so high, so I was surprised not to see him on your team. Just sayin’. Peace.
@Yep, I said it!, I took McCutchen in the 2nd round, there was no way I was taking another outfielder immediately.
Alcides Escobar is poop.
@JoeC, Agree. He is pretty much the worst.
@Tom Thumb, Haters!
I see you drafted Chris Heisey. Do you think he’ll get 400 ABs this year, given Ludwick on the roster? Who would you rather have on your fantasy bench: Chris Heisey or Rajai Davis? Is it close?
@Yep, I said it!, He’s a late round flyer. Hoping he gets 400 ABs, but if it doesn’t look that way, then I’ll just grab someone off waivers in a 12 team league. He’s worth the flyer/risk.
Mocked earlier as well. Could not believe Ian Kennedy and Alex Avila going back-to-back at 42 and 43 in my draft. Meanwhile, I took Stanton and MadBum at 50/51. Cha-ching.
looked at your draft .
consulted my magic 8 ball .
outlook is ….. blurry .
@chata, Maybe your magic 8 ball is broke.
Stanton at #50? Who are these retards you’re drafting with?
@JoeC, he’s buried in the CBS default rankings at 67.
@sean, My main league uses CBS and I have to say, they have the absolute WORST rankings, projections and fantasy advice of ANY site by far.
However, as long as my opponents utilize all that crap information prodigiously, I am well-pleased (I am also pleased that I found a way to use the word “prodigiously” on Razzball!).
@JoeC, I agree CBS is bad #1 and espn is bad #2. I see CBS ha teamed up with rotowire this year to offer you two sources of horrible information for an additional $10… Haha nonsense
I’m sitting here wondering how I was able to draft a much better team than you in my only mock of the year thus far. Then I remembered that the only one available at the time I was around was a 10-teamer… so yeah.
Speaking of Oswalt… am I the only one who feels like they’re in an episode of The Twilight Zone with him prancing around dismissing teams, cherry picking a deal, demanding which league he’s in, how far from his tractor he’ll accept. Is he in his prime right now or a hefty fart away from retirement?
@Awesomus Maximus, Not sure if it needs to be hefty at this point. He’s starting to sound like Pedro. Maybe he doesn’t want to play anymore, not sure…
@Grey, Yeah, it sort of feels like a “suicide by cop” scenario (“retirement by demands”?).
@Awesomus Maximus, Yup, totally.
Grey – In a league where you play LF/CF/RF rather than 3 x OF (like my 12-team H2H – yeah I’m back for another year), how far, if at all, do you bump Car-Go up your rankings?
I ask because he is eligible at all three slots.
My new sneaks just arrived BTW – niiiiiice.
@Steve, Nice! I’d bump up to the beginning of the 2nd round.
@Grey, Thanks. I know the pairings are coming, but given the rest of your rankings, Prince appeals as the most likely, suitable ‘partner’ for him. Am I right?
@Steve, Yeah, that would work. Or Longoria, if he’s still there.
@Grey, Ah yes. For some reason I had Car-Go in my mind as a bit of an average risk, but I guess he’s really not.
Who’s your main 1B target if you don’t get one in the first 2 rounds? Hosmer? I know you have Konerko higher than him but I get the impression you’re not buying…
@Steve, I’d draft Konerko, Hosmer, etc. Votto’s going a lot later than I have him, so hopefully I just get him.
@Grey, Gotcha. Yahoo has Votto at 6, which is a bit unfortunate. BTW do you think Beane is looking at Cespedes as a fantasy transaction? Hoping he gets off to a blazing hot start and then trade him?
@Steve, Nah, I doubt it.
Ive done a few mocks and I always end up with beachy, chacin, and minor. Guess im drinking the proverbial razzball koolaid too ha.
OT: I saw how you ranked the infields in terms of depth, but where would outfield fit in there? After shortstop and thirdbase? Ive never seen such a shallow OF.
Bonus points if you can tell me which players’ real name is my screen name (hint he’s in your top 100)
@Melvin Emanuel, That’s Beej… I’d put outfield as deeper than 2nd base. If it’s a five OF league, it does get a bit hairy towards the end.
i went into a mock today with your rankings and came away with what i think is a very solid team…but was also ranked by MDC as i think 8 out of 12…thoughts?
C- Alex Avila (11)
C- Lucroy(23)
1B – Votto (1)
2B – Kinsler (3)
SS – Asdrubal Cabrera (6)
3B- Youkilis (8)
OF- Cruz (4)
OF – Heyward (9)
OF- Morrison (13)
OF- Wells (20)
OF- Rasmus (22)
UTIL- Prince (2)
CI – Lind (15)
MI – Kendrick (10)
Pitchers:
Grienke (5)
Bumgarner(7)
sanchez(12)
Bell (14)
Morrow(16)
Soria (17)
Holland (18) couldnt resist
Kenley Jensen (19)
Oswalt(21)
@poop, Yeah, that doesn’t look like an 8th place team. Your team is stacked. In a real draft with better leaguemates, you won’t be able to take Prince in the 2nd round after taking Votto. Here it didn’t hurt you too badly, though your OF might be a bit of an issue.
Any chance the razzball draft tool gets published this week?
@RandomItalicizedVoice, It should…
@Grey, I completely agree with you on Kendrick this year. He looks like one of the most undervalued guys out there this year considering he makes a greater impact on all three categories compared to other 2nd basemen.
I don’t know the particulars of your draft (who was taking what, eg runs on 2nd), but is 8th round appropriate in 12 team leagues, or try and hold out another round or two if you can?
@ChillmanCometh, I like Kendrick a lot too, but I’m actually feeling the thin air pull of Cuddyer in Coors. Those are the 2 second basemen I’m aiming for this year if I don’t get a deal on Cano or Kinsler early (Cuddyer has 2B in Yahoo).
@ChillmanCometh, and let’s replace three categories with five categories.
@ChillmanCometh, I actually thought the 8th round was really cheap. Couldn’t believe he was still there then.
I guess I don’t get the McCutchen pick in the 2nd. I’d like to know who else is there. I think Wright in the 3rd could be really nice though. Most are down on Wright which is a good time for him to break out of his bad couple years in a row. I may have to grab him if I don’t get Longoria, who I covet.
I’m aiming for Lind at the end of my draft fo sho. I too believe he could be a nice surprise. I didn’t realize he’s still not 30 years old.
@frank rizzo, I don’t remember who else was still on the board in the 2nd, sorry.
I did a mock draft and ended up grabbing both Nelson Cruz and Dan Uggla to kill my average. Later, I went with Krispie as my third OF (J-Upton was my #1 pick), adding Rasmus, Wells and Pagan later.
So…would you have grabbed Nickolas Markakolas (who was was still on the board when I picked Young) to help balance out the average or stick with the counting numbers?
@CT Old School, Yeah, I would’ve grabbed Markakis.
Which pair of RP’s would you want? Trying to narrow down some keeper choices and these are my options based on Salaries.
League and Putz
League and Nathan
League and Jansen
Nathan and Jansen
If I decide to not keep Bourjous (already keep Ellsbury, Hamilton and Jennings for OF, we start 4), I could keep
Leauge, Nathan, and Jansen.
What is the best option if I keep 2 and should I consider keeping 3 and not keeping Bourjous?
@Jeff, what about Putz and Jansen?
@ChillmanCometh, Too expensive to keep those together. Putz is $20, Nathan and Jansen are both $15, and League is $12. $32 is the max I can pay for 2 of them.
@Jeff, League, Putz…. Those prices are way too high.
@Grey, $320 for 15 players.
@Jeff, So you have more to spend on your entire team?
@Grey, $320 is what we get for all 15 players. I’m pretty set on 11 of them. My last 4 spots will be filled by some combination of the following. Ideally I would like to keep 2 RP’s so I don’t have to think about them for some time in the draft. We only have 8 FA pickups throughout the year so you need to have all your positions filled and have good depth.
Final decision comes down to Bourjous, M. Montero, Goldschmidt, Putz, Nathan, League, and Jansen. I can keep 4 of these in some way shape or form.
@Jeff, Bourjos, Goldschmidt, Putz and League…
@Grey, If I don’t keep Montero and keep Bourjous and Goldschmidt then I can keep any combination of RP’s. With that in mind should I go Putz and Jansen or should I stick with League or Nathan since they have the jobs to start the season?
@Jeff, Keep Putz and League…
Not too bad. The main concerns are BA, which is potentially fluky, and OF depth on offense, which is to be expected in a league this size that starts five (I assume – otherwise, forget that statement). Also, your pitchers might be sent to the WHIPing post, but those projections are way off as far as strikeouts go. I thought Mauer was one of your best picks considering your team to that point. Pretty solid, and I’m sure better than a 9th place team.
@Big Magoo, Thanks!
@Grey et al: Trade by Matt Moore and Mike Adams for his Daniel Hudson? 12 team roto keeper league w/holds. I’m thinking yes… thoughts?
@Bill Lumbergh, make that “my Matt Moore…”
@Bill Lumbergh, Sounds fair, I wouldn’t.
just did a mock and got votto at 4, then longo? what? then i went pence and uggla for my first 4 picks…. got lester as my 1st SP.
im liking the yahoo ranks for where i sit.
longoria falling to me with the #4 pick in the 2nd rd? totally ridiculous, so yes its just a mock/dream…. pitchings so deep im not taking one til the 5th or 6th, then again in about the 8th or 9th…..
@Tony, I’d say Votto and Longoria is a pretty nice start for a draft. Hard to mess that up too badly.
Grey man, I’m all about hitting but you gotta have some pitching. Cant go all upside. You got one guy that is certain to be close to his projections. Your pitching is poop..and all your readers build teams with poop for pitching also. Razzballians will win HR & RBI by 50/150 and get killed in pitching. Guys, get some a top guy and draft big Berk later on!!
@Lance Berkman, Oh, Berk, I feel like you’re only concerned with boosting your own ADP.
mock draft party at greys,,,we are going to need a bigger place,hehe,,your getting us fired up for baseball,great job as usual boss
@AL KOHOLIC, Thanks, AL! You hear Steve’s not drinking? He can be the DD.
@Grey, I don’t know if y’all will fit in my car.
http://img.timeinc.net/time/2007/50_cars/gremlin.jpg
@Steve, Is that you in the picture?
@Grey, Maybe you’ve got one more girl reader than you thought you had…
@Steve, Very sneaky!
@Grey, Nah – I’m all man.
Don’t try and tell me you’ve never rubbed your groin against a car before.
@Steve, Yes, it was wearing a bra and chrome grill.
Drew Storen for James Shields in a keeper league. Which side are you taking? Also – Garza v Kennedy v Romero. Pick 2.
@EGGBOAT, Shields… First two….
Ruh-roh… I don’t like the sound of that, Yogi!
“Chacin, 11-14 with a 3.62 ERA last season, must become a more consistent strike thrower and work deeper into games to take the next step. O’Dowd, in an interview with The Post last week, expressed concern over Chacin’s offseason work habits.
“I would say he could have worked a little harder this winter. I am not really happy about that,” O’Dowd said.”
http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_19945950#ixzz1mJac57Za
@JoeC, Eh, and Hamilton and Miggy are drunks. It’s offseason noise.
How do I go about getting a pic with my comments? I’ve loaded an avatar in my forum profile, but it isn’t showing up.
@royce!, Set up an account at gravatar.com and go from there…
@Steve, Do I need to set one up there to get it to show up here? B/c is the only place that I post comments, so I don’t need it to follow me around the intertube.
@royce!, That’s how I got my sneaker pic to appear. Nothing to do with my forum avatar.
@royce!, It only shows up for inline comments not the first one you make. Not sure why that is.
@Grey, So it should show up here, right?
@royce!, I’m happy to be corrected, but I don’t think it displays what you have as your forum pic.
@royce!, If you set it up at gravatar.com it should show up there… Steve’s right, nothing to do with the forum pic.
This is apropos of absolutely nothing, but Justin Verlander told me on Twitter today that while playing golf, he double-bogeyed the 18th hole to shoot 70. Which for those that don’t know is pretty effing good.
I’d always thought that Smoltz was the best golfing baseball player but a little more research tells me that McGwire has a handicap of +2 but the most amazing revelation of all was that Livan Hernandez – yes, THAT Livan Hernandez – is a scratch golfer.
@Grey – let me know if you want a translation.
@Steve, You tell him Grey called him a schmohawk? I don’t know what scratch golfer means.
@Grey, It means if the par of a course is 72, he should should shoot around 72. It’s good.
@Steve, Is par always 72, making 70 very good? For some reason, I can imagine Livan being good at golf and even better at riding in the cart.
@Grey, The range is generally between 70 and 73, but most are probably 72.
@Grey, But from what else Verlander said, it looks like his 70 was on a par-72 course, making it real good.
@Grey, The average US golf handicap is something like 16 I think. Which means that someone with that handicap will shoot around 88 each time they go out – or will average that over a bunch of rounds.
@Steve, I’m guessing then that each stroke you cut off 88 is a major victory for your handicap? What’s your handicap?
@Grey, It’s more complicated than that (Wiki it if you want to make your eyes bleed) but that’s basically correct.
I hardly play anymore (family, wonky shoulder etc), but back in the day I played off a 9 for a little while but was an 11 or 12 for the most part.
Whereas breaking 70 would have been a huge deal for Verlander, breaking 80 was a big thing for me.
@Steve, Playing off a 9 means that’s your handicap? So if I”m a scratch golfer and you’re a 9 handicap does that mean if we play each other I give you a 9 stroke lead?
@Grey, There ya go!
(and yes to your first question)
@Steve, I feel like I learned something today!
@Grey, Glad to have helped. Now get yourself some check pants and go for it!
@Steve, I already have checkered pants!
@Grey, Awesome. Though you should probably get some of these:
http://images.jugglemail.com/users/loudmouth/emaillist30Mar07_USOpen2007_LogoOverride.jpg
@Steve, You’re right, on it!
Here we go…
@royce!, here we go again!
@royce!, YES!
@royce!, awesome!
@royce!, ok, done now
@royce!, Now you’re talking.
@Steve, Now I just gotta get some new shoes to share with the razzballitans! Actually, what I really want is some gear from this site I jsut discovered while looking for PCL Padres stuff: http://www.ebbets.com/category/BaseballJerseys/a
I’m thinking the Crackers best describes me…
@royce!, Ohhhh – some good shizz right there.
@Steve, Yeah, I just want everything they make. Probably start with a Seattle Rainiers on Bonham Boogers shirt, though. Or maybe Shenandoah Hungarian Rioters…Also a Quebec Braves cap, coz it’s not every day you see a ballcap with a “Q” on it. Aw, screw it. I want all of it.
@royce!, How can you not love a team called the Parklsey Spuds?
Or the Nevada Lunatics?
Grey – the Cleveland Spiders are there too.
@Steve, Los Angeles Looloos! Should hit close to home for Grey. Ha!
@royce!, Wow, that is good!
@Grey, Rube Waddell played for them for a bit. Connie Mack actually sent Pinkertons out west to bring him back.
http://flannelofthemonth.blogspot.com/2010/05/rube-waddell-and-los-angeles-looloos.html
@Grey, @royce!: That 6 T-shirts for $99 is a pretty sweet deal.
@Steve, I know what I’m getting for Valentine’s Day. From royce!, to royce!
@royce!, Ha! If they ship here and it’s not prohibitive, I could be all over that. Exchange rate is pretty good right now.
@Steve, Should be the Shuttheeffup Spiders.
@royce!, Some fantastic team names too – at least one of which I will be using this year.
@royce!, House of David — ha! Who’s you picture of?
@Grey, http://www.ebay.com/itm/1921-Tip-Top-Bread-Ducky-Davis-SGC30-/130607596728?pt=US_Baseball&hash=item1e68d1c4b8#ht_500wt_850
(stole it from a recent SB nation post though)
@Grey, Still on the fence about using Ducky or http://www.silvitablanco.com.ar/imagen/garfield/Garfield-113-older_molly.jpg
Right now I feel like a cross between the two. Garfield the Duck.
@royce!, I like Ducky better.
@royce!, Do they have a Looloo where it actually says Looloo?
@Grey, Nah, I only see the one that just reads Los Angeles. A cursory search didn’t uncover any other kind of jersey on google images.
Apparently in 1903 the Looloos played the “Cripples” (http://www.ulwaf.com/LA-1900s/01.08.html). Trying to figure out where they were from. Not surprised that they didn’t remake those jerseys. Yeesh.
@royce!, The Looloos vs. the Cripples ended in a 0-0 tie.
@Grey, And fun was had by all!
@royce!, I’m sure their coach told them it was all about good sportsmanship.
@Grey, And what they heard was “we are going for pizza after the game.”
Or whatever the 1903 version of pizza was. Probably something made out of opium. (God I miss pizza).
@Grey, Oh, so it appears that the PCL teams frequently changed their nicknames, so discovering who the Cripples were might be difficult.
http://www.milb.com/about/page.jsp?ymd=20060308&content_id=45982&vkey=about_l112&fext=.jsp&sid=l112
Highlight? The Oakland Dudes.
@royce!, It takes a special kind of person to root for the Cripples. Also, it takes an even more interesting person to write about historical minor league teams.
PLEASE RATE
Pos Name Team Pick
C Alex Avila DET R7 P3 Comment
C Geovany Soto CHC R20 P10 Comment
1B Albert Pujols ANA R1 P3 Comment
2B Brandon Phillips CIN R5 P3 Comment
SS Emilio Bonifacio MIA R12 P10 Comment
SS Dee Gordon LA R14 P10 Comment
SS Ian Desmond WAS R18 P10 Comment
3B Ryan Zimmerman WAS R4 P10 Comment
OF Mike Stanton MIA R2 P10 Comment
OF Jay Bruce CIN R3 P3 Comment
OF Brett Gardner NYY R8 P10 Comment
OF Logan Morrison MIA R13 P3 Comment
OF Josh Willingham MIN R17 P3 Comment
OF Joes Tabata PIT R22 P10 Comment
DH Jesus Montero SEA R15 P3 Comment
SP Madison Bumgarner SF R6 P10 Comment
SP Gio Gonzalez WAS R9 P3 Comment
SP Jordan Zimmermann WAS R10 P10 Comment
SP Brandon Morrow TOR R16 P10 Comment
SP Ryan Vogelsong SF R19 P3 Comment
RP J.J. Putz ARI R11 P3 Comment
RP Juan Abreu HOU R21 P3 Comment
RP David Robertson NYY R23 P3 Comment
@Hustler, How many teams?
@Grey, 14 team 5×5 scoring
@Hustler, I don’t love the three ctachers, even if Jesus is just a DH right now, but that’s a small issue. I think your team is solid. Your offense is a bit one thing or another. Meaning there’s not a whole lot of balance outside of Phillips. Most of your hitters give you power or speed, which could be an issue in the season if this were to play itself out.
@Grey, Mock Draft Central is predicting me 10th
@Grey
I’m still trying to figure out your perceived fascination with Bourjos. Granted you took him in the 10th round, and I couldn’t see your other choices here….but you seem a bit high on him for me. Under normal circumstances I would like him and his speed/limp wristed power combo, but mitigating that are a couple of issues for me:
1) His Hip is all Youky – He has already said this year that his hip has bothered him for a couple of years and last year it hurt in spring and never really got better. This year he will “manage the pain”. He sounds like me, but I’m 36 and on the wrong side of fit….oh yeah, and I design websites instead of stealing bases. That’s not what I want to hear, especially when followed up with the fact he might need surgery after 2012. Does that sound like a guy who will turn it loose on the basepaths this year? Not to this guy.
2) PT – I’m not talking about Physical Therapy (see above), but the all important playing time. I know Scioscia (damn that’s tough to spell) likes speed and Aybar and pixie dust, but he’s got a glut of OF on his hands, especially if Trout lights it up in spring and makes the team becoming a “far better” Bourjos. Bourjos has skills, but in a lineup that is still power starved (even with Albert), will he give your beloved Peter the AB’s he needs to be fantasy relevant…much less 10th round relevant? Doesn’t Vernon Wells have contracts to not live up to and doesn’t Bobby Abreau have walls to run away from?
All sass aside, after a draft and an auction this year (not mocks mind you, drafts), I haven’t had the courage to draft Bourgos or Stubbs even though they fell well past their ADP’s. The main reason was neither seemingly have guaranteed playing time. Dusty gets fed up with young guys quicker than the ho’s on Cougar Town…and the Angels have a OF log jam that even an industrial sized Costco container of WD-40 couldn’t help guarantee AB’s to your man.
Hey, I love your rankings and your wit and your mustache, but if I have to tweak your Bourjos OCD meds a bit, just meet me in the park at midnight. I’ll be the guy not taking unnecessary risks (besides impersonating a doctor in a park at midnight)
@Jonance, 1 has me concerned and it might cause me to bump him down in my rankings if he’s hurting in the spring. 2 is a bit contingent on 1, but if he’s healthy he’s the kind of guy Scioscia will play all the time. Thanks for the kind words!
Love the draft. Has made me rethink strategy a bit.
@Terrence Mann, Cool…
@Grey, Seeing that you felt the need to take Mauer to balance out Uggla, would you consider targeting someone else at 2nd so you could wait on catcher?
@Grey, So given an old school do over, about what rounds would you consider Bourgois a reach, fair value, and a steal?
I say reach is 10. Fair value 14. Steal 18+
@Jonance, 14 is great value in a 12 teamer.
Mock Drafts are by far the dumbest thing in the world.
here’s the link to the draft results:
http://www.mockdraftcentral.com/draft_grid.jsp?id=187395&color=0
Grey: thank god that’s not my team I would quitt lol. The only players I like offensively are maueer, mccutchen and uggla is alright
Grey, I’ve seen a few of these expert draft results on MDC and there is usually one person who drafts (nearly) nothing but pitchers for the first 8 or so rounds. There was someone in your mock who did that. What is their point? They’re just distorting things for others.
Yeah that sounds really STOOPID. Unless you want an offensively challengedteam why would u draft all pitchers for the first 8 rounds ???
I draft David Robertson in the 1st round, Kosuke Fukudome in the 2nd and Ryan Hanigan in the 3rd. WHO CARES!!!??? It’s a mock Draft!!! Everyone will have forgotten about the results in the next two hours..
I am just curious. I have the #1 pick in one of my drafts and I am leaning away from taking Pujols or M. Cabrera at the moment and thinking about grabbing someone else. So my question, if you had the #1 pick in the draft, who would you take?