Re: Who has the best EOG team?
draft:
To that end, Rotoworld is back with its annual 5x5, mixed-league mock draft of industry experts. The draft was hosted by Geoff Stein, Jason Pliml, and the gang at mockdraftcentral.com. After reading up on this mock draft, heading over to their excellent site and taking part in your own mock is a recommended endeavor. The league participants and comments on all 23 rounds are presented below.
1) Tom Kessenich, Krause Publications
2) Jason Grey, ESPN
3) Geoffrey Stein, MockDraftCentral
4) Matthew Pouliot, Rotoworld
5) Aaron Gleeman, Rotoworld
6) Brandon Funston, Yahoo!
7) Ray Flowers, Fanball
8) Scott White, CBS Sportsline
9) Nate Stephens, Rotoworld
10) Derek Carty, The Hardball Times
11) Chris Wesseling, Rotoworld
12) Dean Peterson, Stats Inc.
[SIZE=+1]Round One[/SIZE]
1.01. Hanley Ramirez, SS, FLA
1.02. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, NYY
1.03. Albert Pujols, 1B, STL
1.04. Pouliot: Jose Reyes, SS, NYM
1.05. Gleeman: David Wright, 3B, NYM
1.06. Miguel Cabrera, 1B, DET
1.07. Ian Kinsler, 2B, TEX
1.08. Grady Sizemore, OF, CLE
1.09. Stephens: Jimmy Rollins, SS, PHI
1.10. Matt Holliday, OF, OAK
1.11. Wesseling: Ryan Braun, OF, MIL
1.12. Josh Hamilton, OF, TEX
Round Recap: There's a clear-cut top five this year, though Ramirez at the top is the only constant. After they're gone, it's better to be toward the end of the round and snag two of the top 15; your sixth-ranked player may well be there in the last quarter of the round. Kinsler at No. 7 will be a surprise to some, but he was a top-five player when healthy in 2008.
Stephens Pick: Value at the shortstop position is very scarce after the big three are gone, so Rollins will be an appealing late first rounder in '09. I'm generally not keen on risk in the first round, but Rollins' low run total was extremely fluky and the ankle injury that bothered him in April isn't of long-term concern. Expect a big rebound.
Best Value: Despite sitting atop our rankings at the position, Braun was the third outfielder selected. He's one of the few players you can book at least a 35-100-100-15 season from, but perhaps even more intriguing is that Braun's 2008 campaign doesn't represent the upper limit of his capabilities.
Questionable Pick: Holliday is one fine player, but moving half his games from Coors Field to one of the toughest parks for hitters in the AL has to drop him out of round one. It's up for debate if he'll crack the top 10 among outfielders, let alone the top 10 overall.
[SIZE=+1]Round Two[/SIZE]
2.01. Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI
2.02. Wesseling: Johan Santana, SP, NYM
2.03. Ichiro Suzuki, OF, SEA
2.04. Stephens: B.J. Upton, OF, TB
2.05. Chase Utley, 2B, PHI
2.06. Carl Crawford, OF, TB
2.07. Evan Longoria, 3B, TB
2.08. Gleeman: Tim Lincecum, SP, SF
2.09. Pouliot: Mark Teixeira, 1B, NYY
2.10. Lance Berkman, OF, HOU
2.11. Justin Morneau, 1B, MIN
2.12. Carlos Beltran, OF, NYM
Round Recap: Santana and Lincecum will be the first two pitchers taken in almost all leagues. They were both picked in appropriate slots here, though you may be able to get them at a discount in some leagues. Longoria consistently goes this high, but he'll need to perform near the very top of his ability to justify it.
Stephens Pick: Upton's 44 steals were a nice surprise in 2008, but that he added just nine homers made him a disappointment However, Upton reminded us of his elite power when he smacked seven homers in the playoffs, and he did blast 24 homers in 129 games in 2007. The power will come back, and Upton will make a run at a 30-30 campaign.
Best Value: Utley and Crawford are both first-round picks if they're healthy and could look like bargains as early as the spring. Teixeira signed with the Yankees a week after the draft, giving him a higher projection in runs and RBI. All three picks would be worthy of the nod here, but I'll go with Crawford since I'm more confident in his health than Utley's and picking Teixeira seems like cheating.
Questionable Pick: Ichiro's consistency and durability often aren't given enough weight in fantasy leagues, but 15th overall is still too high for the 35-year-old. There are a number of outfielders higher on our board, and even if you're focused on rock-solid consistency someone like Carlos Beltran makes more sense.
[SIZE=+1]Round Three[/SIZE]
3.01. Prince Fielder, 1B, MIL
3.02. Brandon Phillips, 2B, CIN
3.03. Manny Ramirez, OF, FA
3.04. Pouliot: Alfonso Soriano, OF, CHC
3.05. Gleeman: Dustin Pedroia, 2B, BOS
3.06. Carlos Quentin, OF, CHW
3.07. Alex Rios, OF, TOR
3.08. Carlos Lee, OF, HOU
3.09. Stephens: Matt Kemp, OF, LAD
3.10. Vladimir Guerrero, OF, LAA
3.11. Wesseling: Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, BOS
3.12. Russell Martin, C, LAD
Round Recap: Some will question Ellsbury this high, but he was the 16th-best outfielder last year and has top-three upside if he can regain his April/May level of performance. He'll be a great value in most leagues. A few of the Tier 1A pitchers will be selected here in non-expert leagues, but it's more ideal to get them in round four.
Stephens Pick: I wasn't planning on loading up on speed so early, but I thought Kemp represented the best value at this spot. The centerfielder put up an 18-homer, 35-steal campaign as a 23-year-old, and he possesses significantly more power potential than that. If the power continues to come, Kemp could return first-round value.
Best Value: There were a lot of strong picks this round, but I'll give Soriano the nod here. He missed six weeks with a broken hand last year but still managed to put up a 29-homer, 19-steal campaign. He'll turn 33 this winter, but there's been no sign of him slowing down and another 35-homer, 25-steal campaign seems likely. That's borderline first-round value in round three.
Questionable Pick: None of the current crop of catchers is good enough to warrant a third-round pick, especially since the top four or five are so closely grouped. You'll be able to get the same value as Martin in round five, so don't be the first to take a catcher this year.
