Comments on: Fuentes and DeRosa, 2009 Fantasy Implications

By: BigFatHippo

BigFatHippo — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:01:43 +0000

@Steve: We do for the most part. But we've always had one or two that can't make it every year and do it by phone. These are the poor saps who end up with Cliff Lee for 7 dollars and Scrappy doo for 10. Wait a minute.........you might be on to something.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:52:51 +0000

@Grey: @BigFatHippo: Slightly dumb question, but do all the participants in an auction draft need to be in the same room at the same time?

By: BigFatHippo

BigFatHippo — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:49:09 +0000

@Steve: Ha Mostly tortured and melted plastic army men over an open fire. Won't mention what we did to Ken and Barbie.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:45:27 +0000

@BigFatHippo: Did you pull the wings off flies when you were a kid?

By: BigFatHippo

BigFatHippo — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:41:41 +0000

@Grey: Indeed, the president of my hometown bank has been in our league since the beginning. Outsmarting him is the ultimate high. He's one of them bidding up to 65 for Arod while I'm holding back and getting Utley for 42 and Sizemore for 38. Can't wait to see how it shakes out this year. Guys will have to overspend for pitching just to try to keep up with my staff.

By: Grey

Grey — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:32:52 +0000

@BigFatHippo: Auctions drafts are the ultimate fun. The day of my auction draft is like Xmas morning when I was 7.

By: BigFatHippo

BigFatHippo — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:27:59 +0000

@Grey: I'm hoping so, we'll see what happens. Arod's always been the top guy in our league with Pujols #2. So I'll throw those two out early and watch the bidding. I love auction drafts, I can be pretty evil running up the bid. It's like watching hyenas ripping up a carcass when you throw Arod in between em.

By: Grey

Grey — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:12:02 +0000

@BigFatHippo: If you think Hanley is going to go for that much less than Arod then you have to make that move instead.

By: BigFatHippo

BigFatHippo — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:01:18 +0000

@Grey: Thanks, I'm leaning towards Hanley because Arod went for 70 last year and Hanley only 40. I'll only have 212 left to spend so need to be as thrifty as possible, but not at that top pick. So here's my thinking: Hanley gives me speed and power. The only bat I'm keeping is Ludwick at $5 and I'll target Dunn for more power. I'm projecting Dunn goes for 15-20. So Hanley/Dunn for maybe 70 is better value than Arod/Sizemore for maybe 100.

By: Grey

Grey — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:51:20 +0000

@BigFatHippo: I'd go for Arod, Hanley, Pujols then Reyes. I wouldn't normally put them in that order but in your case I am because you need a big bat that could give you 35+ HRs and 100+ RBIs.

By: BigFatHippo

BigFatHippo — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:43:00 +0000

@Grey: Time to start thinking about my auction draft.

I’m pitcher heavy on my keepers so will need a big impact bat to jump start my offense. Out of these top 4 guys who would you target to spend up to 60 bucks on?

A Rod
Pujols
Reyes
Hanley
(Wright will prolly be kept for 28)

By: Freak

Freak — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:10:15 +0000

fcuking stupid cfuking officials inthe cojlts game.

I’m’ gonna haveto slap a bithc.deaths iwll folloow.

By: Grey

Grey — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:28:27 +0000

@Steve: Yeah, I'll probably start putting up the top 20s the following Monday.

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:25:48 +0000

@Grey: Gotcha. Order to be revealed in your overall top 20? The suspense builds...

By: Grey

Grey — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:23:57 +0000

@Steve: At five the first tier ends. It's Arod, Wright, Reyes, Ramirez, Pujols (not in that order in my mind) then wild card.

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:22:27 +0000

@Grey: Yeah - there's something about the last pick that feels right. Why #5 this year? I asked the question with 12-teamers in mind, BTW.

By: Grey

Grey — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:18:48 +0000

@Steve: Every year I like the last pick so you can double up on two guys. This year you want 5 or the last pick.

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:36:52 +0000

@Rudy Gamble: @Grey: Thanks guys. Look forward to the post on the subject. Another general (non-specific?) one while I'm in information-gathering mode - got a favourite draft spot?

By: Grey

Grey — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:30:44 +0000

@big o: I want Billingsley instead of Volquez. I'm looking at Billingsley as a guy who could win the 2009 Cy Young; Volquez I'm looking at as a guy who had an ERA north of 4 in the 2nd half and whose control is not good and will have a high WHIP.

By: big o

big o — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:24:46 +0000

@Grey: please elucidate , as i'm having trouble with a trade offer . the guy wants billingsley for volquez . thanking you , in advance .

By: Grey

Grey — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:06:47 +0000

@Steve: I don't think you should draft a starter in the first round, but that doesn't mean it's the death of any team. It just makes drafting for that team harder. But it has nothing to do with the usual advice 'perts throw at you -- how unpredictable pitching is. Rudy is right, top level pitching is predictable. I simply argue, you can succeed more often taking pitching later on because of the sheer abundance of it. Sure, Lincecum would help your team, but I'd be fine with Billingsley.

By: Rudy Gamble

Rudy Gamble — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:31:58 +0000

@Steve: Actually, I’d say that was more of an over-specification vs. generalization. I was definitely more bullish than Grey on starting pitchers last year (http://razzball.com/groaning-at-bad-punditry-%E2%80%93-drafting-starting-pitchers-in-the-first-3-rounds/) but that was because I had very good feelings on Santana, Peavy, and Webb that were proved about 80% right (Peavy pitched well but got injured).

I hate all rules that start with ‘Never’ like ‘Never draft a starter in the first round’. But that doesn’t mean I support it every year (that would just be negating a negation which is an equal sin in my book). For the past two years, I’ve argued Santana was worth the #2 pick and it proved out both times. This year…not so much.

We’ll be writing a post on this at some point before the draft….

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:06:25 +0000

@Grey: @Rudy Gamble: Boyz - a question of a more general nature. This might well be an over-generalisation, but it seems that you, Rudy, are more of a take-pitching-early kind of guy, whereas you, Grey, do not seem to be quite so big on this approach. Do either of you have a feeling as to which has been the more successful strategy? Or has success/failure been determined by what you have done in later rounds or during the season?

By: big o

big o — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:22:33 +0000

@IowaCubs: don't go blabbing my sleeper pick all over rotoauthority . it's supposed to be a secret .

By: Grey

Grey — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:33:35 +0000

@IowaCubs: I think he should be in the 13th round, but I think this move to the Angels will have people moving him in the 9th or 10th. This is a great move for his value. People tend to underrate Coors closers and overrate their hitters. In Coors, Fuentes was a hidden gem. It Bobby Grich-ville he has no place to go but down. I think he'll be fine, but I'd just be careful about going hard after him. He's a Donkey-corn. Don't think he's a $12 Salad.

By: IowaCubs

IowaCubs — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:46:52 +0000

@Grey: @sean: Really? Even after moving to a more pitching friendly environment? How was it that he had a WHIP of 1.10 at Coors? I think Fuentes is in Kerry Wood territory, somewhere in the 13th round is about right, whereas with the Rockies, he was more around the 15th or so. Dontchathink?

By: Grey

Grey — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:26:46 +0000

@Steve: Hehe @sean: That's a decent observation. I wouldn't be surprised if you're right. That's why I tried to highlight the fact that it wasn't that long ago that he lost the Rox job to Corpas.

By: sean

sean — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:13:06 +0000

Fuentes’ arm angle and the way he slings the ball really worries me from an injury perspective.

I also think that Fuentes is likely to be overvalued in drafts because his name is fresh in owners’ minds with the late season trade talk and hot stove talk in the offseason. He’s quickly joining the list of $12 salads.

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:58:30 +0000

Asdrubal is leaking value, you might say.
Snigger.

By: big o

big o — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:42:38 +0000

now THAT’s funny !!