I remember last year Votto was the guy I’d think about taking in the 8th round or so because 1B is so damn deep. I know his value has climbed up since then, but you get my point.

Obviously, you want a bopper of some measure at 1B but you always have to look at who you could take instead of a 1B and at what position. I wondered aloud last year (not very loud, I respect my neighbors) if it really made sense to take any 1B not named Pujols in the 1st or 2nd rounds, considering you could nab an Utley or Kinsler and then grab a Votto or similar mid-tier 1B later on down the line. Chutley + Votto = Yahoo in October is what I’m sayin’.

I believe highly in position scarcity. I also believe in upside in the later rounds. I make a list of high upside guys to look out for in the last 5 rounds. Last year, Johnny O’ Sanchez, Youbaldoyoubetcha, and Aaaaaron Hill were in that list. I narrowly missed out on the first two and I just totally brain-whiffed on Hill, I’d forgotten he was still out there.

Still won my league, though.

Happy New Year, Greyyyyyyy, you the best!

Win/Win

Anywho… which 4 would you keep (LF/RF/CF, 1 utl, 1 C, no MI/CI)?:

Prince Fielder (obvious)
Matt Kemp (ditto)
Robinson Canó
Andrew McCutchen
Pablo Sandoval
Shane Victorino
Chris Carpenter
Josh Johnson
Javier Vázquez

It ain’t who you get, it’s when you get ‘em. Yogi said that. And then Billy Martin puked up grappa and scungili in his lap. Glory days!

CarGo seems like a bargain at that round.

Don’t get defensive about taking Homer Bailey in the 22nd round, bubby. As my main mensch Ron Shandler at BBHQ says about the later rounds, “Pursue upside… relentlessly.” He says that. I should know, I paid to read it. Sure, you could take a guy you know for certain is a 22nd rounder, but that means he’ll be dropped by May for somebody who’s emerged at that point as a Dude of Interest. Better to take Bailey and cut bait on same said May day, if need be. (“If need be” is a dreadfully awful clause, I think.)

I’ve done no rankings; I haven’t read yours yet. I’m still purging Christmas dinner from my intestinal walls — slow the hell down, Grey! Gray. Greigh. Grayyyy (Fonzie style)!

Now who the Fonz is Dane Cook and why does he have a website?

C- Jorge Posada (R4)
1B- Joey Votto (R2)
2B- Chase Utley (R1)
SS-Derek Jeter (R3)
3B- Michael Young (R5)
OF-Bobby Abreu (R6)
Chris Coghlan (R13)
Magglio Ordonez (R15)
Melky Cabrera (R18)
J.D. Drew (R19)
CI- Chipper Jones (R8)
MI-Clint Barmes (R22)
Util./DH-Jim Thome (R14)

SP- Chris Carpenter (R7)
A.J Burnett (R10)
Carlos Zambrano (R11)
J.A Happ (R16)
Derek Lowe (R17)
Brad Penny (R21)
Bronson Arroyo (R20)
Aaron Harang (R23)

RP-Trevor Hoffman (R12)

Bench- Ian Stewart (R9)
Yorvit Torrealba (R24)
Gary Matthews (R25)

Notes: – i regret Drafting Thome…period. I wasn’t aware he was a pinch hitter basically. As you can see i picked your brain and went with Votto and Stewart lol. I am in LOVE with my IF but kind of regret ignoring my OF till the later rounds because I dont really have pop. By the time i decided to pick up a second closer there wern’t any…….wait….forgot about my own Leo Nunez -_-

anyways, let me know what my strengths and weaknesses are!

Ian Stewart could be huge at 2B, but i’m worried about his K’s. That category cost me last year, and I think with 500-600 at bats, stewart could rack them up in bunches. Does that worry you? Do you play in leagues with K’s?

ManRam
Curtis Granderson
Jake Peavy
Zack Greinke
Jason Bay
Aaron Hill
Carlos Pena
Jose Reyes

I personally think that the aforementioned group falls in either “Did insanely good so I must draft them high” or “Had a terrible season, most people will forget about them”, so I’m wondering if they were drafted too high or low.

$5 Cano & $2 Gordon
FOR
$1 Fowler

(instead of a $3 Kendrick & $1 Callaspo)

You wrote that you’d rather me hold onto my young OF triumverate ($2 Bruce, $2 Rasmus & $1 Fowler), but I think it’s too good to pass up. I have plenty of salary cap space and my trading partner does not.

What say you?

Thanks.

MJC

@Paul Wilson: Heads, but it’s close. May find yourself with just a great bench for half of ’10.

HEADS
Stephen Strasburg
Neftali Feliz
Jayson Werth

TAILS
Jimmy Rollins
Clay Buchholz

@Steve: He would go around there, yeah.

@Jo: Berkman’s in the old man don’t expect a sudden resurgence tier. I don’t see him moving forward. Not sure where he went cause I’m in NY still for the holidays and that info is back in Cali.

What about this one:

$5 Robinson Cano & $2 Alex Gordon
FOR
$3 Kendrick & $1 Callaspo

@Commish Cauda (formerly Mike): I agree with Stephen. I’d take Gordon there and trade Fowler, if you really had to though, cause I wouldn’t mind keeping all three of those guys.

@big o: Yeah, took SPs a little early, but I agree my team is awesome.

@Jobu’s rum: As I said in the post, A-Gonz was just drafted and I needed a 1st baseman. It may have been at most a round early for Votto, but I needed one. When you need something, rankings take a backseat.

@pharmdriz: re: steals, Besides Lind I have a lot of 10 to 20 steal guys and I have Hanley. I think I’d be fine.

@Grey: Your mock-OF is so green, but there is so much mock-upside. I’m a fan. I’m not sure if I’m seeing enough SB on the mock-roster, but what do I know?

Bruce,
Fowler
Rasmus

I’d trade Fowler as his value is slightly higher than Rasmus and Bruce is, in my mind, untouchable.