An Alternate Approach to Contender Drafting?
By Karl Farmer - Contributing Writer
03/17/2005
I took a different approach to this year’s rookie draft than some of our other writers. As a reminder, our league is a 26-team, 35 player one with the draft featuring rookies or those without cards that were not retained. My draft plans were a reflection of those points brought up by the others. There were definite drop-off points in talent in the draft, and the players you pick depend on your current or future needs.
I don’t have as good of a team as the other playoff contenders, such as the juggernaut owned by fellow Stratogist Rick Speciale, but I have a very weak division this year, so I did not have to draft completely for this year. Rick’s team and draft recap can be found under “How A Contender Drafts” in the Rookie Draft section of our home page. I’m a contender too, but I went about things a bit differently:
PEDRO’S MINI-ME
My picks were #s 16, 28, 29, 49 and 75. I needed a starting pitcher to help me compete this year, so I traded pick 16 for Bronson Arroyo. After Zack Greinke, there really weren’t any pitchers in the draft with lots of innings that could make an immediate impact. Now, Arroyo is not Pedro Martinez. He had fewer K/IP and fewer innings (but fewer HR allowed), but since they both pitched for the Red Sox, I could easily match the ballpark effect and team defense behind them.
I could never get Pedro for the 16th pick in a rookie draft, but Arroyo is not a bad substitute at that level. By the way, Pedro was moved in our league this year, for a pick that became David Wright. Not a bad swap for a rebuilder.
Moving on, I swapped picks 28 and 49 for Ben Broussard and Scott Linebrink. Linebrink could be compared to Otsuka, Takatsu, etc…There wasn’t really a Broussard-type available in the draft, so I figured getting him with pick 28 made up for spending a little more on Linebrink. In sum, I took three of my picks and got full-time players I needed, including a combined 260 innings of < 1.20 WHIP from Arroyo and Linebrink, and 400AB of a 1B with decent power and defense who had a good 2nd half in Broussard.
Finishing up, I had picks 29 and 75 left. We begin our draft via email, with 6-10 picks occurring every day, and usually stop the email portion around the end of round 3. This way, draft day doesn’t drag on for 8 hours, and it also adds an element of fun to it, since one gets more time to think between picks, and you have an opportunity to try and work a trade during the draft, which can be nearly impossible during a normal draft.
RYAN HOWARD
Anyway, by the time we got to pick 20, one of my top-ten wish list guys, Ryan Howard, was still available. I did not think I would have a chance to get him at 29, so I quickly emailed everyone I could with the next 5 picks and offered them 29 and any upgrade we could work out. I found a taker at pick 24. He gave me 24 & 91 for 29 & 75 (I really wanted Howard, and therefore upgraded him from 91 to 75 to do so).
I figured I was done now. My next picks were 91 and 104. However, my next target was Chris Shelton. Shelton was as unheralded as you can get at the big league level, a Rule 5 draftee of the Tigers plucked from Pittsburgh. I figured neither Howard nor Shelton would play much in 2005, but 2006 could be different. Both of these guys had put up OPSs over .900 in the minors, and both tore up the AFL. I found a taker and swapped picks 91 & 104 for 73 & 144, allowing me to take Shelton.
To me, this was a successful draft. Like Rick Speciale, I got a mix of players to help me now as well as two for the future. I knew I was in no position to get an Upton, Wright or Mauer, but I was still able to make the best of it. Remember, if you don’t like the picks you have, swap them for something you do like. Sounds simple, but you’ll be surprised how many people don’t do this.