SOSH Real Fantasy Draft 2014: Draft Order, Rules, and Draft Thread

Yelling At Clouds

Post-darwinian
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
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Logglobo Vlandignorf said:
My pitching staff has zero lefties.  I'll fix that by drafting:
 
Charlie Furbush, RP
 

 
 
He has a funny name, he strikes out a ton of guys, he kills lefties, and he's not bad against righties.  Also he's entering his prime and his peripherals have been improving and he doesn't give up home runs.   Etc. etc., he's really good.
 
 
http://youtu.be/m1agaZinJHg
 

Scoops Bolling

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Jun 19, 2007
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Furbush was the other lefty I was considering when I took Matusz. Excellent pick at this point.
 
As for KFP, I've PMed him that we'll be autoskipping him if he doesn't make at least one pick. So, consider him skipped until he comes in and posts something.
 

Leskanic's Thread

lost underscore
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Jul 16, 2005
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Just to clarify, so I don't step on any toes: if Kramerica doesn't pick within 12 hours of Mak's selection, with KFP on hold, I'll be good to go to grab my next guy, yeah?  I'll likely be up at 1am PDT, and would rather pick then to keep the ball rolling for the morning shift back east.
 

Scoops Bolling

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Leskanic's_Thread said:
Just to clarify, so I don't step on any toes: if Kramerica doesn't pick within 12 hours of Mak's selection, with KFP on hold, I'll be good to go to grab my next guy, yeah?  I'll likely be up at 1am PDT, and would rather pick then to keep the ball rolling for the morning shift back east.
Correct
 

Leskanic's Thread

lost underscore
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All right then.  Thanks to Profar's injury, I need someone who can take over and start at SS for me over the next few months.  Guess it's time to make Juan Lagares feel like he's not the worst hitter on my team.  The Albuquerque Hermanos select Adeiny Hechavarria - BP3
 

 
He's not good at the plate.  I mean, historically bad last year.  But that's OK, since his bread and butter is his reputation for being a stellar defensive player.  Of course, that didn't really translate either, as he had a -1.7 UZR for the season.  So I'm taking a dumb gamble here.  But he's still young (about to turn 25), and having a starting position guaranteed for another year due to his team's lack of depth (thanks, Loria!) means he has room to grow into his skills.  Specifically, I'm betting on him bringing in those defensive abilities that have been his calling card, and potentially dragging his bat up from "historically bad" to just "bad."  
 
In general, he's going to be the backup middle infielder on my team, and potentially a pinch runner (though he needs to cut down the CS for that to be on his resume).  But, as I said above, he'll be starting for now.  Oliver's projections are optimistic and say he's a 1.7 fWAR player this year.  I doubt he's that good, but given the options at short out there now, I'll take the gamble on the young guy with room to grow and a starting job (for now).
 
PMing Scoops.
 

Scoops Bolling

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Well, well, well! I gave a lot of thought to taking this guy over Matusz, before deciding that with 3 RHP already in the pen, I might be better served going in another direction. Yet here he is, still available over 50 picks later. Delightful.
RP5-Joel Peralta

 
Peralta is a late bloomer, but that's not entirely uncommon among relievers. Over the past 4 years he's been an effective workhorse of a set-up man, pitching 65-70 IP with nary the slightest bit of a platoon split. His extreme flyball tendencies makes him a little more prone to HRs than an arm like Herrera or Jones...of course, he's the 120th RP off the board, not the 20th...but he should be a good fit with the excellent outfield defense that Shadynasty's will roll out. Given the arms in front of him, Peralta will only need to fill a 7th inning role, and that's just going to be unfair for opposing teams.
 
C-Iannetta
1B-Swisher
2B-Wong
SS-Baez
3B-Donaldson
CF-Bourn
LF-Jackson
RF-DeJesus
DH-Quentin
 
SP1-Scherzer
SP2-Latos
SP3-Tillman
SP4-Stroman
SP5-Jackson
 
RP1-Herrera
RP2-Jones
RP3-Withrow
RP4-Matusz
RP5-Peralta
 
Backup C-Molina
Utility INF/OF-Forsythe
 
That team wins a shit ton of games.
 

Why Not Grebeck?

New Member
Feb 29, 2008
378
Welp, it's that time again...time to pick a starter, since I've now lost three of them to injury/steroids and my stupid Henry Owens pick continues to follow me around like an albatross around the neck of a Seattle Mariner. (it's possible I have interpreted that poem incorrectly).
 
The starters left are a mixture of blarg and horg, guys in their thirties who are projected for ERAs near five with no upside and a guarantee of below average production. I don't think I'm quite ready for that, instead I'll take good old friend Franklin Morales, SP5.

 
 
The last time we saw dear, dear Franklin, he was doing the walk of shame back to the dugout after nearly blowing game six of the ALCS. Had things gone differently after that, his appearance could have made him a goat in Boston forever. Instead, it was one of the few times a break didn't go Boston's way during that magical October. Thing is, Morales has always been kind of miscast as a reliever, and especially as a LOOGY. For the short amount of time Morales was starting in Boston, he was quite good - things just kept getting derailed due to injury and the fact that a lefty in the 'pen was simply more valuable to Boston than a weird conversion experiment during his tenure here.
 
Well, he's back with Colorado this year and he'll be in their rotation. He's finished spring training with an ERA under 3, a bunch of Ks, and he looks ready to contribute. He's a lefty, he's under 30, and there's still a chance for him to have a fine career as a starting pitcher. The Burbank Bombers will give him that chance.
 
Also what the hell is up with that baseball card?? I found it on Google images and it is TERRIFYING.
 

Why Not Grebeck?

New Member
Feb 29, 2008
378
Considering my bullpen right now is just Soria and Henry Owens, it's time to draft a primary set-up man. Let's go with Al Alburquerque.
 

 
I don't really 'get' Al Alburquerque. He's one of those guys that everyone raves about, yet every time I see him on a mound he's walking the entire park and blowing the game. I did some reading about him, and apparently his slider is awesome - like, one of the best in the league. There are very few guys left who have great skills and health left, so I'm going to take a chance on him. He was kind of elite in a small sample in 2012, so maybe things will be better for him this year? He's a little too Marmol-ish for my tastes, but when you have to draft a thousand starters, you have to roll the dice on some guys in other positions and hope they can put it together. 
 

MakMan44

stole corsi's dream
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Aug 22, 2009
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Shit. I just found someone I'm excited I might be able to grab....which means he about to get taken by Scoops.
 

Why Not Grebeck?

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Feb 29, 2008
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You really dropped the ball on that one, though the fact that he spells his name with an extra 'r' in it would have been super confusing.
 
Even still, his jersey would have been your #1 best seller.
 
Leskanic's_Thread said:
The Albuquerque Hermanos are officially disappointed that they waited too long to draft hometown hero Al Albuquerque.
 

Scoops Bolling

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Well, bench player time I guess.
BP3-David Lough

He can backup all 3 positions and steal some bases off the bench. Yay.
 

MakMan44

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Actually, I like the pick Scoops. He's rated insanely well on defense. Getting a guy who can net you a win or so above replacement on his defense alone is pretty nice. 
 
EDIT: Yeah, he was pretty damn good last year and all his projections are pretty good for a guy you're getting this late. 
 

Leskanic's Thread

lost underscore
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Just got in; working on my pick.
 
edit: All right, gonna fill out my bench and get a super utility guy to cover a bunch of positions.  The Hermanos welcome Steve Lombardozzi - BP4
 

 
Looks like he will begin the season as the starting 2B for the Orioles, which will give him a lot of chances to try to get his on-base skills back up to where they were in the minors.  Even if he never does do that, he will provide plus infield defense at 3B and 2B, and can be a backup corner OF (and presumably 1b, if necessary).  Continuing our tradition of looking for young players who have room to grow, he will be 25 for much of the season.  With this addition, we feel reasonably confident that we have a lot of mix-and-match pieces to put together different lineups and to sustain the inevitable injuries around the field.
 
I'll PM Kramerica, since I assume KFP doesn't need to hear from me again.
 

Leskanic's Thread

lost underscore
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Why Not Grebeck? said:
You really dropped the ball on that one, though the fact that he spells his name with an extra 'r' in it would have been super confusing.
 
That's a good point -- I keep forgetting he doesn't spell it the same.  Well, then fuck him.  He will be our nemesis!
 

MakMan44

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Aug 22, 2009
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Sweet, I'm back up again. Alright I'll grab a lefty reliever here. 
 
Aaron Loup RP 
 
Keeps the ball on the ground, doesn't walk many guys and his FIP/xFIP doesn't show much of a split. 
 
EDIT: PM sent. 
 
Pitchers get injured like all the time.  Having eight starters seems about right.
 
I'll go with:
 
Robbie Erlin, RP
 

 
He's 23, and a lefty.  He put up great numbers in the minors.  He struggled at first in the MLB, but after a late-season callup, put up a 1.97 ERA and 3.02 FIP over five starts to finish the year.
 
Also, he pitches in well, which is good.  Everybody needs to pitch in and work together for a team to have success.
 
For this season, I'll plan on using Erlin as the primary 6th starter/swingman, convert Nelson to a power reliever, and keep Sanchez ready as a reserve.  In the event that all my pitchers actually do stay healthy, it won't hurt to have a lefty with great control and a deceptive delivery in the bullpen.
 

Scoops Bolling

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Logglobo Vlandignorf said:
 
Sorry, but I'm pretty sure Parker isn't eligible... he just missed the Rockies' top three prospects at #4, and he didn't play in AAA or above last year... 
 
(I'll have my pick up in a minute!)
This is correct. Parker was #4, and hence is not eligible for this draft.
 

The Tax Man

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Jun 8, 2009
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Piching depth is importnat.  And this kid has dominated every level of professional baseball with solid K numbers and low BB rates.  He touched AAA last year and is ready to contribute at the MLB this year.  I'll break him in as middle reliever but he's really #7 on the SP depth chart. 
 
RP Rafael Montero
 

 
PM sent
 

The Tax Man

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Alright he's not nearly as ready as Montero.  But he's got a big fastball and put up some nice K numbers last year in A and AA . I think his fastball plays immediately in the pen and I hope he can continue working on his change/changeup to be my 7th starter.  
 
RP Robbie Ray
 
PM was already sent.  
 

Scoops Bolling

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The Tax Man said:
Alright he's not nearly as ready as Montero.  But he's got a big fastball and put up some nice K numbers last year in A and AA . I think his fastball plays immediately in the pen and I hope he can continue working on his change/changeup to be my 7th starter.  
 
RP Robbie Ray
 
PM was already sent.  
Not eligible.
 

The Tax Man

really digs the Beatles
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Jun 8, 2009
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Alright I need a lefty in the pen and I'm striking out trying to find a decent young starter in the minors.  So I'm gonna go with RP Neal Cotts.  He's older than I expected at 34 years old.  But he strikes out a ton of guys.  
 
 

Why Not Grebeck?

New Member
Feb 29, 2008
378
A-Rod pick is awful. He won't even play this year, and in the future all he'll do is make people mad. And if he does play well, do you think he'll be okay with a bench role on your team, or will there now be a needless line-up controversy? 
 

MakMan44

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Aug 22, 2009
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terrisus said:
I thought we were waiting for
He-who-shall-not-be-named Because-he-could-be-a-legitimate-pick-now
to be picked before that happens.
Not his fault ARod got picked before he did
 

BigMike

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Sep 26, 2000
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Well counting on this guy still having an arm.  I am going to take him an make him a one inning guy, much like the Yanks did with Betances.  
 
Ruby De La Rosa  RP5
 
 

MakMan44

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Aug 22, 2009
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Crap, I wanted him. Unrealistic I guess. 
 
Nice pick, making him a reliever is probably the right call.