I participated in the WCOFB main event Friday night for the second year in a row. The format: 14-team mixed league, standard hitters, 10 pitchers (6 SP, 2 RP, 2 P) and eight bench spots. In a high stakes league like this, trading is prohibited (rightfully so). Despite losing all three of my closers within the first two weeks of the season as well as my third round pick (Dustin Pedroia) for the majority of the year, I won my league by 18 points last year, finishing in the top-10 overall and making a good chunk of change in the process. Of course, I'm not going to deny I also had some things go my way, and I must say, my draft this year might have been the most competitive I've ever experienced, so I'm not expecting similar results this time around. Here's my team, drafting from the 11 slot:
C – Carlos Ruiz (25)
C – Josh Thole (26)
1B – Ryan Howard (2)
2B – Aaron Hill (7)
SS – Yunel Escobar (14)
3B – David Wright (1)
MI – Chone Figgins (9)
CI – Ike Davis (12)
OF – Jacoby Ellsbury (4)
OF – Colby Rasmus (6)
OF – Juan Pierre (8)
OF – Carlos Quentin (11)
OF – Seth Smith (18)
UTIL – Carlos Pena (13)
SP – Jon Lester (3)
SP – Ubaldo Jimenez (5)
SP – Jordan Zimmermann (15)
SP – Travis Wood (16)
SP – Ian Kennedy (17)
SP – Erik Bedard (19)
RP – Jonathan Papelbon (10)
RP – Mike Adams (27)
P – Derek Holland (20)
P – Tim Stauffer (21)
B – Jake Westbrook (22)
B – Jake Peavy (23)
B – J.D. Drew (24)
B – Kyle Lohse (28)
B – Freddy Sanchez (29)
B – Luke Gregerson (30)
B – Kevin Jepsen (31)
B – Rafael Betancourt (32)
I had my heart set on Alex Rodriguez at No. 11, but not to my surprise, Shawn Childs took him at pick No. 8. I then strongly debated Wright versus Mark Teixeira, but thinking one of the first basemen would fall, I reluctantly selected the former. I really wanted Matt Kemp in round 2, with Prince Fielder the alternative, but neither fell to me, so I was left with Howard. And while I'm OK with Lester in the third, I would have preferred Clayton Kershaw. I was far from happy with the start of this draft.
During the follow up Q & A to the Yahoo Friends and Family draft, a whopping four participants answered my pick of Jacoby Ellsbury as the "reach of the draft." I actually don't totally disagree, especially with speed guys like Brett Gardner and Coco Crisp available later, and yet, I still couldn't help myself here and took Ellsbury again. It may look like overkill after also selecting Juan Pierre and Chone Figgins, but I was able to counter that by taking guys like Carlos Pena and Carlos Quentin. And while it's true I can't trade any excess stolen bases (and this assumes things go right), remember, I'm not just competing against 13 other league mates in this category, it's really 125 others (there are nine leagues), so it won't be too excessive if I'm somehow fortunate enough to be a factor in the overall standings. As for Ellsbury specifically, according to Baseball Monster, he was the 14th most valuable fantasy hitter in 2009, and I'm not letting a rib injury thanks to a collision with Adrian Beltre change my perception all that much. Hitting at the top of the order (or not) will be key.
I strongly debated Davis versus Pena in round 12, so it was to my surprise when the latter was still available 21 picks later. Of course, that could easily be a curse in disguise. Right or wrong, I've found myself waiting on catchers in all my leagues this year.
Even after last year's disaster with my closing situation (pretty tough getting a "1" out of a possible 126 points in a category, and in this case, I didn't even "punt." I wasted three valuable rounds as well), I somehow came away with only Jonathan Papelbon this year. Here's to Heath Bell getting traded or me having some luck on the waiver wire. While I drafted middle relievers in hopes of getting some cheap saves, those last guys on my bench might not be long for my team, since this league allows two weekly lineup changes, I need to add more starting pitching.