A Review of My 2015 Fantasy Baseball Draft - Part 2

Last week, we had our annual fantasy baseball draft, and it sure was a doozy. I am going to break it down round-by-round in three separate parts (this is part two), but before we get started, I have given each team a nickname based on the jobber that they most represent. Here are my explanations.

Norman Smiley – Because my dance moves are sick.
Vinnie Vegas - This guy is a gambler, and I respect that.
3 Count - This guy looked like a boy band member in high school, so this is fitting.
Eugene - Idiot who tries to take other people's gimmicks, but he can't pull it off.
LA Gore - If you told me LA Gore was his real Dad, it would explain so much. He ruined his family line of being man enough to wear cutoff jean shorts.
Dr. Isaac Yankem, D.D.S. - I have no idea who this clown is, but somebody else referred to him as "a doctor, but not a real doctor." That describes dentists pretty well.
Bob Backlund - Crafty, sometimes unintelligible, but shockingly effective as he kicked ass in the 2014 season.
El Dandy - He's Mexican, and Bret Hart let us know that he should not be underestimated.
Zack Ryder - Had a moment of glory, but is now firmly stuck in jobber territory.
GI Bro - He thinks he's like Booker T, but he's just a cheap knockoff.
Viscera - Large and sexually charged. Has glasses that are referred to as "The Big Nasties."
Kerwin White - Shockingly good at golf.

You can check out the first part here, but now onto part two:

Round: 9 (Keepers: Jose Abreu)
(97) Kerwin White - Evan Gattis C
(98) Vinnie Vegas - David Wright 3B
(99) 3 Count - Elvis Andrus SS
(100) Eugene - Brett Gardner CF
(101) LA Gore - Lance Lynn SP
(102) Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS - Ryan Zimmerman 3B
(103) Bob Backlund - David Robertson RP
(104) El Dandy - Dellin Betances RP
(105) Zack Ryder - Michael Wacha SP
(106) GI Bro - Doug Fister SP
(107) Viscera - Ben Zobrist 2B
(108) Norman Smiley - Jose Abreu 1B
Best Pick: David Wright
David Wright had a really terrible year last year, but he definitely has the potential to bounce back to get to his 2013 form. He has been a very good player for a long time, and I think he is probably going to at least produce around the 100th most value this year, but he has the potential to be about 30 spots higher than that.

Worst Pick: Lance Lynn
I feel like Lynn reached his ceiling last year, and that is what you have to be expecting to draft him this high. He is a big time regression candidate, and there were a lot more exciting options available at this point, including his teammate, Michael Wacha.

My Pick: Jose Abreu
Bravo to me picking Jose Abreu in the 11th round last year. Kind of a no-brainer to keep him.

Round: 10
(109) Norman Smiley - Jose Fernandez SP
(110) Viscera - Alex Wood SP
(111) GI Bro - Rusney Castillo CF
(112) Zack Ryder - Jimmy Rollins SS
(113) El Dandy - Mat Latos SP
(114) Bob Backlund - Charlie Blackmon RF
(115) Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS - Mark Melancon RP
(116) LA Gore - Daniel Murphy 2B
(117) Eugene - Cody Allen RP
(118) 3 Count - Hyun-Jin Ryu SP
(119) Vinnie Vegas - Josh Harrison RF
(120) Kerwin White - Matt Adams 1B
Best Pick: Alex Wood
For some strange reason, Alex Wood got removed from the Braves rotation for part of the season despite being one of their best pitchers. He got back in the rotation and dominated some more. With him definitely having a spot in the rotation, I think he will provide excellent value for the 10th round.

Worst Pick: Jimmy Rollins
Again, there are a lot of middle infielders that I would rather have than Rollins, as I see no upside in the pick but plenty of room for downside.

My Pick: Jose Fernandez
I try my best to be diabolical when it comes to fantasy sports. If there is a loophole, I want to find a way to exploit it. If there is any edge I can find, I will find it, and I will not feel bad about it; in fact, it will raise my self-esteem. I had a feeling that GI Bro wanted a player, so I casually threw out a trade offer to Kerwin White, plainly explained how I wanted to use his pick to screw over Xavier, and sure enough, Dempsey was in on the plan. We swapped our 10th and 11th round picks, and I chose Jose Fernandez, who Woods was planning on drafting with his next selection. Oh, and I still like Jose Fernandez. Yeah, he's out for the first couple months, and yeah, pitchers struggle with command when they come back, but those are normal pitchers. Jose Fernandez is a freak, in the most positive way possible, and if anybody can come back and dominate, it is going to be him.

Round: 11 (Keepers: Nelson Cruz)
(121) Kerwin White - J.D. Martinez LF
(122) Vinnie Vegas - Neil Walker 2B
(123) 3 Count - Alex Rios RF
(124) Eugene - Salvador Perez C
(125) LA Gore - Nelson Cruz LF
(126) Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS - Chase Utley 2B
(127) Bob Backlund - Lucas Duda 1B
(128) El Dandy - Yadier Molina C
(129) Zack Ryder - Pedro Alvarez 3B
(130) GI Bro - Melky Cabrera LF
(131) Viscera - Trevor Plouffe 3B
(132) Norman Smiley - Xander Bogaerts 3B
Best Pick: J.D. Martinez
Matinez seemed like a guy that may have just had a couple good months in Houston and his career had fizzled. Then he made some mechanical changes in Detroit and set the world on fire. If those changes are real, then this is great value. I doubt he's quite as good as last year, but he probably won't fall off as much as others may expect.

Worst Pick: Chase Utley
I hate doing this, because I LOVE Chase Utley. Even had him on my team last year. He had a really nice year for Chase Utley at this stage in his career, and that made him about the 120th most valuable player. That was when his body held up for the most part and he played about as well as can be expected. This pick lacks any upside, but because of age, provides significant downside.

My Pick: Xander Bogaerts
So my incredible plan to screw over GI Bro worked doubly well with the second half of that trade with Kerwin White. Full disclosure, GI Bro's real team name is Xandy Brogaerts, yet he did not get his man. He must feel like a pathetic loser, and he has implied to me as much. But I really like Bogaerts to live up to the promise he showed before last season. Going back to his original position will help him feel more comfortable and just having a year under his belt where he had to deal with struggles will lead him to success.

Round: 12 (Keepers: Aroldis Chapman, Christian Yelich)
(133) Kerwin White - Jayson Werth RF
(134) Viscera - Ian Kennedy SP
(135) GI Bro - Wil Myers RF
(136) Zack Ryder - Aroldis Chapman RP
(137) El Dandy - Adam LaRoche 1B
(138) Bob Backlund - Ben Revere CF
(139) Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS - A.J. Pollock CF
(140) LA Gore - Francisco Liriano SP
(141) Eugene - Howie Kendrick 2B
(142) 3 Count - Kenley Jansen RP
(143) Norman Smiley - Christian Yelich LF
(144) Norman Smiley - Trevor Rosenthal RP
Best Pick: Ben Revere
Is there really a difference between Revere and Chris Carter? I mean, yes, they are completely different players, but they are both excellent in one category, Revere in stolen bases, and Carter in home runs. Carter will get more RBI, Revere more runs. And yes, stolen bases are easier to come by, but the difference in batting average is probably enough to make up for that. Ben Revere isn't a very fun guy to have on your team, but he is an effective one.

Worst Pick: Kenley Jansen
I don't know how you take an injured closer over a healthy one, and there were plenty of healthy ones on the board. In fact, I picked one of them two spots later.

My Picks: Christian Yelich and Trevor Rosenthal
I managed to get an extra 11th round pick for a basketball trade, and then I turned that pick into Christian Yelich in the 12th, because Vinnie Vegas only wanted to keep Javier Baez, so he traded back up to the 11th, and I got Yelich at a steep discount. Nothing more to say there except I'm a genius.

I cannot express how undervalued closers are in this league. Rosenthal was just sitting there, and it came to the point where it was dumb not to draft him. Greg Holland had a historic fall last year, but to get Rosenthal at the end of 12 provides great value and gets my bullpen started in a nice way.

Round: 13 (Keepers: Johnny Cueto)
(145) Norman Smiley - Anibal Sanchez SP
(146) Vinnie Vegas - Andrew Cashner SP
(147) 3 Count - Homer Bailey SP
(148) Eugene - Yordano Ventura SP
(149) LA Gore - Johnny Cueto SP
(150) Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS - Shin-Soo Choo LF
(151) Bob Backlund - Jose Quintana SP
(152) El Dandy - Fernando Rodney RP
(153) Zack Ryder - Michael Pineda SP
(154) GI Bro - Russell Martin C
(155) Viscera - Oswaldo Arcia RF
(156) Kerwin White - Joc Pederson LF
Best Pick: Shin-Soo Choo
There were some pitchers I liked in this round, but I think Choo will bounce back and get near his old established levels. This is the part of the draft where hitting starts to thin out while plenty of pitching is still available, so I Choo Choo Choose Choo as the best pick in this round.

Worst Pick: Russell Martin
I feel like Russell Martin is just as valuable of a catcher as the next 10-12 guys that went after him. Is he really going to provide more than Yasmani Grandal or Wilson Ramos? I really doubt it, and catching is tough, so they can fade fast, and Martin is no spring chicken.

My Pick: Anibal Sanchez
This was a tough decision, as there were a few guys who could provide similar value. Sanchez's health is definitely a concern, but he has shown the ability to make it through a season fully healthy, and I'm hoping he can repeat that. I strongly considered Yordano Ventura, and even now I can see the merits of either pick.

Round: 14
(157) Kerwin White - Jhonny Peralta SS
(158) Viscera - Justin Verlander SP
(159) GI Bro - Khris Davis LF
(160) Zack Ryder - Austin Jackson CF
(161) El Dandy - Zach Britton RP
(162) Bob Backlund - Jedd Gyorko 2B
(163) Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS - Jered Weaver SP
(164) LA Gore - Collin McHugh SP
(165) Eugene - Alcides Escobar SS
(166) 3 Count - Martin Prado 3B
(167) Vinnie Vegas - Eric Hosmer 1B
(168) Norman Smiley - Danny Salazar SP
Best Pick: Jedd Gyorko
I love Jedd Gyorko. I loved him last year, and it was tough to see him go this year, but there were a few middle infielders still high on my board, so I passed him by. I think he bounces back and gets back to his 2013 levels, but it's probably for the best that we separate for a while, as it will make our reunion all that more wonderful.

Worst Pick: Justin Verlander
Stick a fork in him; he's done (as a top level pitcher). His ceiling means he could be about the 150th most valuable player, but that ain't nothing to hang your hat on.

My Pick: Danny Salazar
So, this is definitely the worst pick in the draft, as the Indians sent him down, and I dropped him to pick up Daniel Norris, but before that happened, I wrote this ballad:
Oh, Danny boy, my team, my team is drafting, from round to round, one day you'll be mine. I have no idea the melody of the song from there, but Salazar is a guy everybody loved last year, and I love him again this year, maybe even more. I think he lives up to his potential this season, as he really put things together at the end of last year.

Round: 15 (Keepers: Brian Dozier)
(169) Norman Smiley - Jean Segura SS
(170) Vinnie Vegas - Yan Gomes C
(171) 3 Count - Justin Morneau 1B
(172) Eugene - Jake Odorizzi SP
(173) LA Gore - Dallas Keuchel SP
(174) Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS - Rick Porcello SP
(175) Bob Backlund - Erick Aybar SS
(176) El Dandy - Curtis Granderson RF
(177) Zack Ryder - Joe Mauer 1B
(178) GI Bro - Brian Dozier 2B
(179) Viscera - Glen Perkins RP
(180) Kerwin White - Rougned Odor 2B
Best Pick: Jake Odorizzi
I really like Odorizzi this year. He really put it together after a rough start last year, and there is no reason to expect him to regress. I could definitely see him going about 50 picks higher next year.

Worst Pick: Justin Morneau
Although I used to refer to him as Justin MorYES, those days are long since gone. He was good last year, but he is going to be in a platoon situation, and he'll be another year older which means more worries about regression and injuries.

My Pick: Jean Segura
I took Segura to finish out my middle infield. He was excellent in the first half of 2013 before fading towards the end. I think a lot of his fade had to do wit him being in the majors for the first time, so I don't see that as being an issue. As for 2014, it was a total disaster of a year, especially off the field. I think he gets back to slightly below where his 2013 numbers ended up, and I have no doubt that he'll be incredibly valuable in the steals department.

Round: 16
(181) Kerwin White - Yasmany Tomas RF
(182) Viscera - Asdrubal Cabrera SS
(183) GI Bro - Koji Uehara RP
(184) Zack Ryder - Steve Cishek RP
(185) El Dandy - Danny Santana SS
(186) Bob Backlund - Shelby Miller SP
(187) Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS - Drew Storen RP
(188) LA Gore - Michael Cuddyer RF
(189) Eugene - Steve Pearce 1B
(190) 3 Count - Matt Cain SP
(191) Vinnie Vegas - Lorenzo Cain CF
(192) Norman Smiley - Drew Hutchison SP
Best Pick: Shelby Miller
I think Miller could take a huge step forward this year, so I was very disappointed that he was snagged before I could take him at the end of the round. The stuff has always been there, but his command has come and gone. I think he settled down last year, and I think his stuff could take him to another level.

Worst Pick: Yasmany Tomas
I think this is a total hype pick as all the other Cubans have been dominating, so why not this guy? He might turn into a good player, but I think it is going to take some seasoning in the minor leagues, and the bat isn't enough of a guarantee to hang on to him.

My Pick: Drew Hutchison

A solid Plan B. Hutchison is a guy that a lot of the fantasy gurus (who all know just as much as you and me) are touting for this season, which really angered me, because had they not, I probably could have gotten him four rounds later. Anyway, Hutchison has a lot of statistical markers that he could be much better this season than he was last year, and I got a Blue Jay pitcher after the unfortunate injury to Marcus Stroman.

And that wraps up Part 2. Part 3 should be up in a couple days.

The Longest Fantasy Baseball Story Ever Told - Part Seven

For a review of where we have been so far:

Part One - The Draft
Part Two - The Start of the Season
Part Three - Becoming a Seller
Part Four - The Rebuild
Part Five - The Trade Deadline
Part Six - The Stretch Run

And that leads us to the playoffs. By hook or by crook, with a whole lot of luck thrown in, my team not only made the playoffs but secured a first round bye. In an ironic twist, my opponent would come out of the two teams that I sold off my best assets to. It was the Greinke/Longoria/Uehara trifecta that bested the Braun/Tanaka combo.

In the biggest game of the season, my offense let the moment overwhelm them. Only Ben Revere, Jorge Soler, Eric Hosmer, and Leonys Martin had what could be described as average or better weeks. Meanwhile, our opponents were crushing the ball. We lost by 6 runs, 10 home runs, 20 RBI, 27 points of batting average, and a single stolen base. Only the last one really hurt, as it was necessary to get the victory. My ragtag group of players gave it their all, but it would not be enough to get a victory...

But my pitching would not be denied. Led by a 13 strikeout, one hitter from Jake Arrieta and two saves and a win for both David Robertson and Hector Rondon, my pitching managed to dominate in four categories. But, due to two pickups immediately picking up saves for my opponent, we were tied in Saves going into Sunday. I had one move left, and I had to decide whether it would be worth using it. Ultimately, I decided that I have to make the championship to win the championship, and I pulled the trigger to pick up interim San Diego Padres Closer, Kevin Quackenbush. He did not get a Save, but luckily, David Robertson did which locked up every pitching category for my team. The week would end in a 5-5 tie. Despite us having the same record, my seed was higher and hence I would be moving on to lead my team into the championship.

The odds were stacked against me in the championship. I was not only playing the number one seed, but he also had seven moves left to secure players as he pleased in the final week. This was another part of my reasoning to pick up Quackenbush as I could use Saves in the final week but stats like Wins and Ks would be tough to get since he could add pitchers as he pleased.

Still, my pitching was strong, and I figured my offense would bounce back after a lousy week. One of these things would prove true. Offensively, both teams were bad. Still, by the end of the week, he pulled away in RBI and average, but I pulled away in stolen bases. Saturday, he solidified his lead in runs. Meanwhile, despite all of his possible moves (he would end up using all seven), my pitching was proving strong. I took care of business in saves thanks to Quackenbush and Robertson getting a save, Rondon getting three, and Stroman adding a 4 inning save in there for good measure. I also had big leads in ERA and WHIP but barring a miracle, he was going to be too much for me in strikeouts.

Going into Sunday, a chance of getting the outright victory was slim. Unless my team got some major power on the final day, I would not be able to close his home run lead, so he was going to win five categories. Still, I could force the tie and split the big winnings for the championship as there are no tiebreakers in the championship round. I had three starters going, he had two, but I had a one win lead. With Cole Hamels, Alex Cobb, and Danny Salazar, I felt great about my chances.

Unfortunately, before the early games started, Salazar was a late scratch so they did not give him too many innings. It was 2 on 2 at this point, but I had what were likely my two best pitchers. Alex Cobb finally ran out of steam, as he had a pour outing against Salazar's replacement and the rest of the Cleveland Indians. Meanwhile, Hamels gave up only two runs in eight innings, but the Phillies only scored one.

One of his pitchers was Jordan Zimmermann, whose team also only gave him one run of support. Unfortunately, that was plenty, as he only allowed one baserunner in a no-hitter on the final day of the season. With all of his extra moves, he was able to get the tie in wins and beat me 5-4-1.

There would be no Natural Light celebrations. There would be no team of destiny stories. We were hard luck losers, but I was still damn proud. Usually, the almost champs never have their story told, but with the heart, determination, and chemistry of 25 guys coming together to make a team deserved to have their story shared with the world.

There are so many things that I could expound on, but let's take a break until we get to part eight of the longest fantasy baseball story ever told.

The Longest Fantasy Baseball Story Ever Told - Part Five

There has been a lot that has led up to this point. First off, I drafted a team that did not fully work out as planned. Then, I got some good luck early on in the season and put together a very solid record. After that, my luck ran out, I saw the writing on the wall and traded away most of my top assets. But then, I managed to make some savvy moves and put together a couple wins.

We last left off where I talked about getting Hosmer and Verlander on the team, but there was a third reason that the second week of July was so important for me. That third reason?

Chris Carter turned into a BOSS. In my draft review, I mentioned that only the most die hard Chris Carter fans would actually hold onto him long enough to take advantage of his value. Well, guess who is a massive Chris Carter fanboy? THIS GUY. And oh man, did it pay off. Hosmer and Abreu each hit over .400 and hit two bombs, Chase Utley added two bombs and two stolen bases, and Chris Carter added four homers in six games to help carry my offense to another big victory. It got me to three straight victories going into the All-Star Break and everything seemed to be coming together for my team.

With the post All-Star week being a 10 game marathon stretch, it took a total team effort. It also took an old love coming home.

I reacquired Danny Salazar in free agency.

With Salazar back in the majors, I knew he had to be mine. I had the Google Alert set up for him so I could monitor when he would be coming back. Along with Stroman and Hamels, Salazar added double-digit strikeouts with two wins. Combined with three saves from David Robertson, my offense was able to combine a total team effort to give me the edge in a 5-4-1 victory as my team was able to make up the difference and pull off a tie in RBI on the final day of the week.

With only having three acquisitions remaining and the trade deadline coming on August 1st, I needed to do everything I could to bolster my roster. Well, everything without giving up valuable assets. My first trade was a real blockbuster.

I traded Brad Miller and the right to swap 13th round picks for JJ Hardy.

I made this trade with the same person that I got Gregory Polanco and Justin Verlander from, and I literally couldn't have added less in the deal. His last pick was the 13th round. Also, he ended up picking higher than me, so it turned into Brad Miller for JJ Hardy. Miller was not consistently starting and JJ Hardy could at least provide that while hopefully finding some of his previous power stroke.

And finally, I made one more push to further strengthen my pitching.

I traded Drew Hutchison and a 10th round football pick for Justin Masterson, Alex Cobb, and a 15th round football pick. 

I had wanted Alex Cobb for a really long time, but I wasn't really willing to give up enough to actually get him. Finally, with this team totally out of the playoff picture, they decided to help beef up their football roster and get rid of some pitchers. Justin Masterson had just been traded to St. Louis, and I thought he could turn things around. It turned out I was very wrong about that thought.

I had won four in a row and got creative to add some pieces to both my hitting and pitching. But would it be enough for the stretch run? Tune in next time to find out. 

The Longest Fantasy Baseball Story Ever Told - Part Two

We last left off this story right after the draft. A lot of people believe that a strong draft is the way to build a championship team. I believe that the draft is the first chapter of a long book, and I will trade my mother if I think I can get good value.

So the first thing that I did after the draft was get myself a real shortstop and got Chris Owings. I also took advantage of 3 DL spots, so I could add Derek Holland and pick up Tanner Scheppers to start for my team on Opening Day. I added Tyler Skaggs and immediately dropped him after his first start. So, yeah, my early pickups did not pay off, but the 25 pickups didn't start until halfway through week one, so I was still fine. I did manage to pickup Nate Eovaldi early on who had some good moments before falling apart in the second half, but he would stay with my team for a very long time.

Halfway through the second week of the season, I was convinced that Ryan Braun was not going to be healthy enough to tap into his power potential and began my efforts to trade him. It would take me nearly two months to trade him, but it would be worth it when it finally happened.

Anyway, things were going shockingly well for my team in the standings. Nate Eovaldi and Chris Tillman helped lead my pitching and carry the team to victory in Week 1. After that, both Jose Abreu and Justin Upton had four home runs to help my offense carry me to a victory in Week 2. In Week 3, BJ Upton's three steals and multi-homer weeks from Votto, Moustakas, and Braun helped me enough to pull off a tie. In Week 4, Jose Abreu hit five home runs, and Chris Carter added three in what may have been his only valuable week during the first half of the season. After the first month, I was 3-0-1.

I also wisely Brandon McCarthy twice in this span, but don't worry, I would drop him before he actually got things turned around and started dominating. I did pick up Hector Rondon who solidified my relievers and also Drew Hutchsion who had some nice moments throughout the year. Unfortunately, my luck was about to run out.

In Week 5, my offense completely shit the bed, and my pitching wasn't much better. In Week 6, we got a lot of strikeouts and home runs but didn't do much else for another loss. In Week 7, Hutchison, Tillman, and Tanaka all threw complete game shutouts, but that was still only enough to get me a tie.

Week 7 also marked Danny Salazar being sent to the minors who I replaced with Jaime Garcia. I immediately tried to trade him for an underperforming Pablo Sandoval. The owner told me that it was close, but he needed a solid third base option in return. A few days later, I noticed that David Freese was coming off the DL. One minute after adding Freese, I made an offer of Freese and Garcia for Sandoval which was enough to get the job done two hours later.

I traded Jaime Garcia and David Freese for Pablo Sandoval.

I turned two free agent pickups into a hitter that was just about to get over his cold streak and hit very well for the rest of the season, so that worked out well.

Still, things were not going so well in the standings. Pablo Sandoval did help in his first week with multiple homers, and Justin Upton added three to get me my first win in a month. After that, I didn't have enough to win despite double-digit strikeouts from Tillman, Hamels, Greinke, and even David Robertson.

I was ten weeks into the season, and my team was 4-4-2. If the season ended today, I was in the playoffs, but there were a lot of holes in my roster and the guys that I bet on just didn't seem to be paying off. I was ready to make a change, and change was going to be drastic.

Tune in next time for part three of the longest fantasy baseball story ever told.

The Longest Fantasy Baseball Story Ever Told - Part One

With the end of the regular season comes the end of fantasy baseball. This was probably my proudest fantasy baseball season, as I managed to buy, sell, and compete all at once. I don't do drugs, so trades are what I imagine crack would be like. I managed to make seven trades this season, and that doesn't even include the trades I made before the draft to move up and down as I bought and sold picks from other sports. With that, there are three important things to know about this league.

1. We have a baseball, basketball, and football season, so we can trade guys between sports. We compete in the individual sports and compete for an overall championship as well.
2. We are introducing keepers this year. Very limited, as you can keep two guys for each sport, and it costs two rounds higher than when the guy was drafted. Free agents are ineligible.
3. You are only allowed 25 free agent acquisitions throughout the entire season. This makes every move way more stressful than a normal league and adds way more strategy to the free agency process. There is no streaming pitchers every week, but maybe you can make a Sunday pickup to put your team over the edge.

There is only one place to start this story, and that is with my draft. After you see my draft, you will understand why I had to make trades. Anyway, here is what I was able to acquire (Note: There were trades before the draft that altered some of my picks, so that is why I did not pick until 19):

19 Carlos Gomez, Mil OF  
23 Evan Longoria, TB 3B  
26 Joey Votto, Cin 1B  
38 Justin Upton, Atl OF  
54 Zack Greinke, LAD SP  
78 Masahiro Tanaka, NYY SP  
83 Wilin Rosario, Col C  
91 Matt Cain, SF SP  
98 Cole Hamels, Phi SP  
115 Chase Utley, Phi 2B  
126 Jose Abreu, CWS 1B  
134 Jedd Gyorko, SD 2B  
139 Danny Salazar, Cle SP  
146 B.J. Upton, Atl OF  
150 David Robertson, NYY RP  
163 Leonys Martin, Tex OF  
179 Koji Uehara, Bos RP  
187 Chris Tillman, Bal SP  
198 Chris Carter, Hou 1B  
235 Jose Veras, Hou RP  
246 Mike Moustakas, KC 3B  
259 Ubaldo Jimenez, Bal SP  
270 Josh Johnson, SD SP  
283 Edwin Jackson, ChC SP  
294 Derek Jeter, NYY SS  

The highlights obviously start with my first pick, Carlos Gomez. An outstanding player in all categories and before I go on about him, I should mention my first trade:

I trade Carlos Gomez and an 8th round football pick for Ryan Braun and a 15th round football pick.

My analysis of this trade: Whoops. I thought Ryan Braun's wrist was healed and I'm not a huge believer that PEDs make a large difference. I stand by the latter, but the former was just poor research on my part.

Other lowlights include my Joey Votto pick which did not work out. I was targeting Stanton there, and he got scooped up right before my pick. I was heartbroken and immediately trying to trade for Stanton, especially since I was living in South Florida at the time so I attended multiple Spring Training and regular season Marlins games. It never came to fruition, and Votto's most positive contributions was when he was only occupying a DL spot instead of starting.

Matt Cain wasn't very good, as I was targeting Anthony Rizzo with that pick, but since I already had Votto and was targeting another first baseman later in the draft, I didn't really need him. Gyorko and Salazar were two young players that I expected to take steps forward, but they both decided to jump backwards instead.

Finally, my last six picks were all dropped within the first six weeks of the season, but to be fair, I only drafted Jeter as a joke since it is free to add guys before the season starts. I replaced him with Chris Owings.

But there were highlights. Greinke, Tanaka, and Hamels were all great values that could lead my starters and Robertson and Uehara were great closers to get later on. As for hitters, the only real highlight was Jose Abreu. That was a great pick, but it may have been my only great pick, as only the biggest fanboy of Chris Carter would actually have held onto him throughout his entire cold streak to be paid off for when he became red hot during the second half of the season.

Looking back, this is a solid team. A good pitching staff that is going to have to carry a disappointing offense. But this is the longest fantasy baseball story ever told, so we'll get into that next time.