My Nightmare of Pain

I took a little nap before the draft so I would be rested and fresh.That plan backfired as I had a dream of drafting the likes of Coco Crisp,Jay Payton and Marcus Giles.........Dont get me wrong they are all solid players but not for Fantasy Champions........Heres a breakdown of how really I did.



Red Monster

Round Pick Player Pos
1 11 Reyes, Jose (NYN) DH ...........All I can say here is WOW
2 14 Crawford, Carl (TB) OF ...........Speed Kills
3 35 Martin, Russ (LAD) C ............Byfar the best 5-tool Backstop
4 38 Hafner, Travis (CLE) 1B ............I needed some Power
5 59 Kinsler, Ian (TEX) 2B ..........Its HOT in Texas
6 62 Markakis, Nick (BAL) OF ............Underrated and Bad Team
7 83 Cordero, Francisco (CIN) P .........Big Ks
8 86 Wagner, Billy (NYN) P ............Big Blow-ups
9 107 Kendrick, Howie (LAA) MI ...........Sleeper.........Not this year.
10 110 Beltre, Adrian (SEA) 3B ...........Yuck,Dont like Seattle
11 131 Marmol, Carlos (CHN) P ........More Big Ks
12 134 Damon, Johnny (NYA) OF ..........This is where I fell apart.I wanted Josh (Hamilton) but got Johnny.
13 155 Arroyo, Bronson (CIN) P ............I panicked and couldnt find a SP
14 158 Myers, Brett (PHI) P ..........Felt I rebounded nice here but still needed more.
15 179 Perez, Oliver (NYN) P .........Ah Ha.....Finally found my guy since I missed Maine.
16 182 Milledge, Lastings (WAS) OF ...........My first real sleeper.
17 203 Longoria, Evan (TB) CI ..........We all Love EVA.
18 206 Percival, Troy (TB) P ...........A risky pick but hes got new glasses.
19 227 Heilman, Aaron (NYN) P .........Another Met.......New York Bias.
20 230 Giambi, Jason (NYA) DH ............Another Yankee but w/Roids.
21 251 Patterson, Corey (CIN) Bench ...........I panicked once again.
22 254 Fuentes, Brian (COL) P .........I love this guys name........Is it Spanish?
23 275 Parra, Manny (MIL) P ..........Talk about LOVE.......This is my super duper Sleeper of the year.
24 278 Diaz, Matt (ATL) Bench ...........I think hes got some power.
25 299 Cueto, Johnny (CIN) Bench ..............Another great last name.
26 302 Ethier, Andre (LAD) Bench ...........Might not play every day.
27 323 Loaiza, Esteban (LAD) Bench ..........Having a solid spring.
28 326 Santana, Ervin (LAA) Bench ..........Dont call him Johan.
29 347 Pena, Tony (ARI) P ............Probably my best pick in the draft...........He might get Saves.


ALL in all I think I did OK.........Allthough my whole draft strategy went out the window when Reyes fell to me at 11.......I did have a back-up plan but even that didnt include getting Reyes in the first round........My first pick was going to be Crawford so geting him in the 2nd was a bonus.......Russell and Hafner just kinda fell to me and after that I just filled the holes.......Marmol and Damon were not in my plans but the guys I had targeted for those rounds 11-12 went off the board so I panicked.......The next 3 rounds I had to get SP so I looked at my cheat-sheet and circled everyone that might get 200 Ks.......Bronson,Brett and Oliver........Hmmm.......Next I went with my sleepers of Lastings and Eva and looking back I could have done worse........After that I just winged it and tried to get Holds and some young players allthough why I picked Giambi is beyond me........I love the Manny Parra and Tony Pena picks.........

I think you had a good draft.

Here's my draft

1 ) Hanley Ramirez -- controversial for the 1st overall pick, but I like the speed/power combo at a rare position.
2 ) BJ Upton -- a 20/20 guy at 2B after Utley and Phillips were gone. I like to fill out my infield.
3) C. Granderson -- couldn't pass on him at this point. 25/25 potential.
4 ) D. Lee -- I expect 40 HRs from him as he recovers from his injuries.
5) F. Rodriguez -- I like to fill in my closers before worrying about starters and he was the best on the board at the time.
6) T. Saito -- filling in my closers
7 ) R. Zimmerman -- growth years. I expect big things in the new hitter-friendly park in WAS.
8 ) C.B. Young -- a bit of a stretch here if his BA doesn't improve, but clear 30/30 potential.
9 ) V. Wells -- due for a bounceback year after injury.
10) F. Liriano -- my first SP. Injury risk. Big upside if healthy.
11 ) J. Shields -- underrated starter.
12 ) AJ Burnett -- good if healthy.
13 ) H. Bell - solid Middle reliever for Holds. Potential Saves if Hoffman falters.
14 ) H. Blalock -- age 27. Coming off injury. 30 HR/100 RBI potential
15 ) G. Sherrill -- my last closer after a big run on them.
16 ) J. Varitek -- I suppose I need a catcher. He walks a lot which helps in this format.
17 ) J. Upton -- big gamble. Hoping for some speed here.
18 ) I. Snell -- solid starter. Good stats, bad team.
19 ) O. Hudson -- filling my MI position.
20 ) M. Bradley -- loads of talent. 2cent brain. Starting the year at DH.
21 ) P. Neshek -- solid MR for Holds. Potential Saves if Nathan gets traded.
22 ) R. Sexson -- bounceback year.
23 ) O. Dotel -- MR for Holds.
24 ) B. Bonser -- Who wouldn't want a guy named Boof on their roster? I expect a big year. Finally in shape.
25 ) J. Sanchez -- 5th starter for SF? I drafted him for the 1 strikeout per inning.
26 ) E. Velez -- speedster at a MI position. Late round SBs
27 ) J. Bruce -- probably starting in the minors. Could be a good pick. Could be a bust. Dusty Baker is the wildcard.
28 ) J. Kubel -- continues to grow after injury season in 2006. Could easily hit 25+ HRs.
29 ) J. Duchscherer -- loads of talent. Last season ruined by arthritic hip. SP or RP -- averages about 1 strikeout per inning.


Overall I was happy. I filled my offense early and made sure I had 3 solid Closers and Middle Relievers. I took some talented pitchers with good supporting stats -- although they may not get much support from their teams. Like all seasons, time will tell if my gambles work out or not.

ive got to say, i really like the avalon team here....lots of young upside.

Reyes fell to No. 11???? I thought for sure that was a typo!!!
W-O-W. Is all I got to say.

Yea, kinda strange. I had decided to take either HRam or Reyes as my number 1 pick. I just wanted to get away from ARod for some reason. I had no idea that by picking HRam I would end up seeing Reyes fall all the way to 11th.....strange.

This was my first Roto Draft and my first one on TSN so I had no clue about anything. However, my team did not end up being that bad. Now the tough part is managing a roto team.

1 Cabrera, Miguel (DET) -----------------Everything points towards a great year
2 Bedard, Erik (SEA) -------------- Last year's numbers could not be ignored
3 Teixeira, Mark (ATL) ------------ Great half in Atlanta last year plus he is in a contract year
4 Abreu, Bobby (NYA) ------------ not that happy but he was the most complete OF out there
5 Verlander, Justin (DET) ----------- Cy young candidate with great upside in all categories
6 Cano, Robinson (NYA) ---------- Not proud of picking another Yankee but Kinsler went before my turn
7 Halladay, Roy (TOR) ---------- I didnt mean to pick him. However, having one of my bluejays can not be that bad
8 Corpas, Manuel (COL) -------- Had to pick him with all top notch closers gone
9 Young, Michael (TEX) ---------- Went with him over Renteria only because Renteria sucked in the AL
10 Sheffield, Gary (DET) ---------- Needed to fill those OF positions. He has a combination of speed and power.
11 Hamilton, Josh (TEX) ---------- If spring training tell anything, this guy will have a monster year in Texas
12 Gordon, Alex (KC) -------- Needed to fill my MI position and he was the option with the most potential
13 Soriano, Rafael (ATL) ------- Needed another closer. Poised for a big year.
14 Bourn, Michael (HOU) ------- I felt that I got my slightly more powerful Pierre about 30 picks later.
15 Lidge, Brad (PHI) -------- Another closer with tonnes of potential
16 Towles, J.R. (HOU) --------- Digged deep to get the best catcher available
17 Betancourt, Rafael (CLE) --------- Will get Hlds and perhaps the chance to close if Borowski sucks as usual.
18 Lugo, Julio (BOS) ------------ I hate this pick
19 Willis, Dontrelle (DET) ------------ If he does good, great. If he does not , oh well
20 Shields, Scot (LAA) -------- more Hlds with good numbers
21 Ankiel, Rick (STL) --------- 30 HR potential that late is great
22 Maybin, Cameron (FLA) --------- Trying to catch lightning in a bottle
23 Carpenter, Chris (STL) ---------- Could be a steal if he returns in the second half
24 Bonds, Barry (SF) ----- He is Barry bonds..... if he signs
25 Greinke, Zack (KC) -------- Always had the stuff, could this be the year?
26 DeRosa, Mark (CHN) ---------- Plays lots of positions
27 Duncan, Chris (STL) --------- I'll take 30+ HR potential this late any day
28 Garza, Matt (TB) --------- Remember this pick
29 Turnbow, Derrick (MIL) ---------- Tonnes of SO and chance to close if Gagne blows up again.