Discuss the ups, downs, and sideways of your 24x24 draft experience!

Let’s recap the draft from the WIS (Wow I Screwed up) 24x24 league.

First, I need to praise the structure and flow of this draft, because it got more and more intriguing as it progressed. I honestly believe this theme was worthy of a WISC Round 2. By the time you’ve drafted half your team, you’ve reduced your potential player pool to perhaps a quarter of where it started because of all the years and teams you have to ignore, plus all the other seasons of players already drafted. The number of pegs available to fit into the remaining holes dwindles rapidly until you’re forced into some very difficult decisions.

And then there are the unforced errors, the guys who look great at the time but later don’t fit as well as you’d hoped. You wanted to set up a platoon somewhere, but the other half never materialized. Or you wanted to stay as low in salary as possible, so you turned down a more expensive option only later to realize you wish you’d taken him. Or you misjudged the depth of a position, a year, or a team and realized it much too late.

I, of course, did all of those things. The end result doesn’t look too bad, but the sausage-making that went into it is not suitable for innocent eyes. The concept you have to appreciate here is the sunk cost fallacy. Once you’ve spent the money on someone, your psychology forces you to think you have to make that option work even when a better one presents itself. This leads to more errors, none of which can be undone.

Round 1, Pick 24: 1988 Teddy Higuera, SP, Brewers
The only advantage of picking last is a chance to vault to the top of Round 2 with a strategic salary pick, but my target of 1980 JR Richard went a few picks before me and I couldn’t get anyone cheap enough that I felt was worthy. I wanted to fortify the top of my rotation in the first two picks, and Higuera came in low enough to get me 3rd in R2. Still, I got the 18th pitcher of the round out of 18, and there’s no sugarcoating that disadvantage.

Round 2, Pick 3: 1969 Mike Cuellar, SP, Orioles
Best SP I could grab at this point. Now at least I have two I can be happy with, even if neither really dominates.

Round 3, Pick 9: 1984 Ryne Sandberg, 2B, Cubs
I looked at position scarcity, and after SP I felt like the biggest dropoff from the top guys was at 2B and SS. Of the best remaining at those two spots, Ryno felt like the strong move. Still happy with this pick.

Round 4, Pick 11: 1971 Bobby Murcer, OF, Yankees
I was hoping for Yaz, who was snatched up by nobagel69 two picks before me. There was so much depth at OF and 1B that I was tempted to avoid those spots longer, but Murcer brought a full package. I also might have taken 1987 Eric Davis instead, but he went about 15 picks earlier. Still content now. I have two strong hitters with speed who play good defense.

Round 5, Pick 16: 1975 Burt Hooton, SP, Dodgers
Now we come to my first regret. The group of SP I really like was dwindling fast, and I felt like I needed to get one more before long or I’d end up with La Marr Hoyt or some other disaster (apologies to whoever actually drafted Hoyt, who will probably go 4-0 against me now). But there were other decent pitchers left, and in retrospect it was much too early and the wrong guy to use up my Dodgers pick on. Seeing some of the Blue Crew who went in much later rounds added pang after pang to this one.
Ouch Factor: Willie Wilson, who would have made a perfect CF for me, went 3 picks later. And Lenny Dykstra 4 picks after that.

Round 6, Pick 17: 1987 Kal Daniels, OF, Reds
I’m very fond of this Daniels season for his awesome bat and speed, and though he’s under 500 PA I can certainly find a platoon mate from the RH side later. Now my lineup has three fast guys who are very productive. But I’ve now filled two corner OF spots early when there is tons of depth there, and scarcity at other positions means I’ll be much worse there than I had to be. Mollifying myself by thinking Murcer can play CF with his B+ range if worst comes to worst.
Ouch Factor: I really wanted 78 Dave Parker, but dlchow grabbed him 5 picks earlier.

Round 7, Pick 12: 1979 Gene Tenace, C, Padres
Hey look, La Marr Hoyt went this round! Maybe Hooton wasn’t so bad … I am seeing a lot of speed drafted around the league and at this point Tenace is one of two strong-armed catchers who does enough offensively to be at the top of my list. I looked through the Padres options and felt like that’s a team I don’t want to wait too long to take either, because they mostly stank. The other guy I weighed heavily here was Mickey Tettleton, who went two picks later.

Round 8, Pick 10: 1992 Rod Beck, RP, Giants
Great bullpen options aren’t exactly plentiful in this draft, and I wanted at least a couple solid guys. Shooter has 90+ strong innings, so I don’t mind dipping into the pen at this spot if I’m getting a lot out of him.
Ouch Factor: John Mayberry, who I’d been eyeing for 1B, went at the end of the round.

Round 9, Pick 6: 1976 Garry Maddox, OF, Phillies
The CF candidates I had targeted were starting to disappear, and I have been enamored of Maddox since I watched him glide across crappy turf outfields in concrete donut stadiums in the 70s. More speed and a .330 average don’t hurt at all. Filling up my outfield this early isn’t brilliant, though. But I can’t resist, and I’m certain he will track down everything in the air all season to justify the pick.
Ouch Factor: Several good 3B from teams I’d already used went off the board this round, and I still need one. Starting to think I should have paid some attention to teams and years, but I’ve just been filling spots to this point.

Round 10, Pick 7: 1977 Bert Blyleven, SP, Rangers
I’m funny in liking to have a SP go out there every game who I feel can keep me in the game. I was pretty sure I’d lose that feeling for the back of my rotation if I didn’t grab this season. I strongly considered 1982 Joe Niekro instead, and schwarze nabbed him a few picks later. My 3rd choice, Craig Swan, also was gone by the time I picked again. I should be happy, I guess. Sudden thought: What if I can get a great SP in the supplemental and have no use for the guy I picked 10th? That’s gonna feel silly, isn’t it? Should have gone for a hitter I definitely needed.
Ouch Factor: Al Oliver, another guy I liked for 1B, went 7 picks later.

Round 11, Pick 12: 1980 Joe Sambito, RP, Astros
Not a lot of lefty relievers worth taking, and Sambito gives me another 90+ innings. A lot of relievers went off the board in the round right after this, too. Happy with this one. But, again, my lineup has gaping holes and I’m drafting guys who have far less impact overall.

Round 12, Pick 8: 1989 Todd Burns, RP, A’s
Burns was far and away the best high-inning reliever on my board at this point. I didn’t see anyone else jumping out at me after the two painful picks before me (see Ouch Factor). The chance to lock down a deep pen to go with my completed rotation felt like a good move. If these guys put up crappy numbers in the pen, I’ll feel dumb, though. Also, have I mentioned the gaping holes in my lineup??
Ouch Factor: Cecil Fielder, another 1B target, went two picks before me, and Garry Templeton, my favorite remaining SS, went one pick before me.

Round 13, Pick 13: 1970 Bob Bailey, 3B/1B, Expos
Bailey’s bat had been staring at me for several rounds. His glove is another issue, alas. Also, my lineup is starting to get righty-heavy, and he has truly awful range at 1B so now he’s a wrong-side platoon guy at 3B. And there are some good corner IF in the supplemental draft who might leave him nowhere to play. Despite his gaudy stats, he is a DH in a no-DH league. The sunk cost fallacy plays in heavily from here as I try to build the rest of the team to justify this pick … and fail. I should have taken the half-season SS Hubie Brooks with my Expos pick instead, as I’d been staring at him for many rounds too. He went 8 picks later. The self-flagellation begins in earnest now.
Ouch Factor: NebHusker started the round with Jason Thompson, the last of the 1B I really liked. Also, Hubie. Sigh.

Round 14, Pick 8: 1981 Joel Youngblood, OF, Mets
Here’s a pick that at least makes some sense, because I need a righty corner OF to platoon with Daniels, and Youngblood hits .350 from the right side with the right amount of PA. No glove or speed, but at least he fits.
Ouch Factor: Though I didn’t necessarily need all his PA, Darryl Strawberry was on the board until dlchow took him just before me. I settled for my second Mets option. What would I have done with Strawberry, though? Seems kind of silly that I took Daniels 8 rounds earlier when I could have been happy with Darryl here, which is exactly what I knew would happen at the time but did it anyway.

Round 15, Pick 7: 1991 Bobby Bonilla, 1B/3B/OF, Pirates
Here’s where you’d be right to ask if I had any strategy in mind, because I still don’t know what I was thinking. BobbyBo is productive and versatile, sure, but he’s also awful at 1B and barely better at 3B, and I don’t have much need for more PA in the corner outfield. If I’d never taken Bailey and was just sticking Bonilla at 3B, this would have made sense. And I still might want a corner guy in the supplemental because I expect all the good SS and SP to disappear early. I’m staring at a lot of wasted PA and minus plays in the infield now and wondering how I got here.

Round 16, Picks 21-22: 1982 Rafael Ramirez, SS, Braves and 1974 Bill Freehan, C/1B, Tigers
The best way to handle an error is to compound it, right? Ramirez was as good an option left at SS and at least has great range with a decent bat and speed, so I can live with him if I can’t grab a stud in the supplemental. I’m starting to think a 1B or corner OF who hits lefty would be a great pickup in that round, and there are about 6-8 guys who would really be assets. I just can’t begin to guess where I’ll be drafting that round, and I don’t know if I should hedge my bets and at least cover every position with enough PA.

And that’s why the Freehan pick still boggles my mind. I needed a backup catcher but only 100 PA or so. I already have a budding logjam with Bonilla and Bailey, yet Freehan’s C+ range at 1B looked appealing compared to those guys. But he’s another righty.
Ouch Factor: This time it’s just me inflicting it. I had been looking at Andre Thornton as a solid 1B option (another RH, alas), but he went about 15 picks before me. This was a panic move because Freehan was my best remaining Tiger, I guess, and a very solid player who I felt wouldn’t last. … But why did I need to spend so much on him when I clearly won’t use all his PA and it will only hurt my draft position later? In retrospect, painfully poor decision making.

Round 17, Picks 27-28: 1986 Gary Lucas, RP, Angels and 1985 Bob Woodward, RP, Red Sox
I needed a few more bullpen innings still and these were the best options left for me. Lucas is a serviceable lefty who doesn’t walk many guys, and Woodward has a marvelous 27 innings.
Ouch Factor: Dodgers like Doug Rau, Tommy John, Davey Lopes and Bob Welch are just coming off the board now, and I realize I missed out on a lot of players I liked by taking Hooton so early.

Round 18, Picks 17-18: 1972 Dave Goltz, SP, Twins and 1990 Alex Cole, OF, Indians
Goltz fit a need for a serviceable spot starter and long man. I weighed taking a higher-inning and less effective Bob Tewksbury but saved a little money for draft position with Goltz, who was also my best Twins target left.

Cole was a total panic pick. I was right at my deadline, and I just couldn’t settle on anyone from my remaining teams and years who fit a real need. Cole has good enough range and hits .300 and has 97 speed, all nice assets, but I probably won’t come close to using his 256 PA and just wasted more money.
Ouch Factor: Ron Gant, another guy I’d eyed seriously much earlier, fell to this round.

Round 19, Picks 11-12: 1978 Harry Chappas, SS, White Sox and Olympic Stadium
I’m staying near the top of the order, which is good. Chappas is a cheap SS backup (it came down to him and Bucky F’in Dent). Olympic was my 2nd choice park, so I’m happy to grab it. I’m down to Royals and Cardinals, 1973 and 1983. I wanted to save two players for last so I could mix and match the best options after I see how the salaries are lining up for the supplemental.
Ouch Factor: Mitchell Page, another guy I’d eyed seriously much much earlier, fell to this round. Then Larry Walker fell off the supplemental draft list, making me worry more about what options I might have to make a big hitting improvement.

Round 20, Picks 13-14: 1973 Orlando Pena, RP, Cardinals and 1983 Butch Davis, OF, Royals
I’m sitting 7th in the draft order now with nearly a $2M cushion over the spot behind me, so it’s time to really decide what I’m likely to get in the supplemental and make my final picks work towards that goal. As it turns out there’s a decent gap above and below me in salaries. My only gamble is whether to take Willie Aikens to get a better 1B bat (and, ever so slightly, glove - D instead of D- range) and chance moving down 2-4 spots in the supplemental. The only reason to take him would be to focus on a SP in the supplemental, and falling a few spots down would probably knock me out of getting my targets.

So instead I spent just enough to fill out a usable roster and stay no worse than 7th and stay flexible. I’ve got my eyes on 1B or SP with the preference to a big lefty-hitting 1B (yes, I’m talking to you, Helton, Delgado and Olerud). But if the right SP is still on the board it will be a very tough call.
Ouch Factor: Kevin Brown disappears from the supplemental draft board, seriously lessening my chances at an impact SP.

Supplemental, Pick 7: 2000 Carlos Delgado, 1B, Jays
Though I briefly toyed with a shortstop upgrade, this choice came down to Delgado or Felix Hernandez. Felix would have moved to the top of the rotation, pushing everyone else down and Blyleven into spot duty/long relief. So the question was how much better is my team with those Felix starts instead of Blyleven. Data suggests Felix is worth about 0.50-0.60 of ERA, which is maybe 20-30 runs over the course of the season. Significant, to be sure. The sunk cost fallacy factors in again, though. I’d already committed to Blyleven so long ago, so I feel wedded. Who invented this damn psychology?!

I had to take a hard look at my lineup, where the pending disaster of a 1B-3B combination of Bonilla, Bailey and Freehan awaited me. It’s all a sunk cost. I’m stuck with them. How do I make the team much better now? That’s all that matters. Try not to think about the fact I could have had Randy Johnson or Todd Helton if I’d avoided all that wasted money.

Delgado is worth about 200 points of OPS over that field, and he’s a needed lefty, and he doubles a ton with a +2 park, and he plays at least average 1B (Bonilla and Bailey are serious D- range there). It’s a huge lineup boost for 162 games, and ultimately that made the difference for me. No looking back now!

Stat Summary:
6,651 PA with a slash line of.309/.392/.505, 217 HR, 186 SB/82 CS. $65,657,096
1488 IP with a 2.47 ERA, .210 OAV, 1.02 WHIP, 0.54 HR/9. $49,922,133

I don't feel comfortable predicting anything, except that I'll be regretting several things if the season doesn't go well. Heck, I'll regret them anyway. That's how I roll.

Awesome write up redcped! I think we all grappled with many of the same quandaries you had. Very fun draft.

"Stat Summary:
6,651 PA with a slash line of.309/.392/.505, 217 HR, 186 SB/82 CS. $65,657,096
1488 IP with a 2.47 ERA, .210 OAV, 1.02 WHIP, 0.54 HR/9. $49,922,133"

Amazing how close we are..... I'm .312/.390/.516 on offense and 2.40/1.03/ 0.50 HRs pitching. Only sig. difference is I have 100 more IP at 1,574 as I just kept adding LHP at the end.

Those are super close. I'll be interested to see how others' came out.

My offense is at .307/.399/.520 with 218 HR but only 65 SB/29 CS

Pitching is 1455 IP - 2.15 - .205 - 1.04 - 0.46 HR/9 (includes a 30 IP mop up)

Offense 6138 PA .308/.393/.541 289 HR 192/64 SB

Pitching 1512 IP 2.13 ERA .212 1.03 .49 HR/9

Only drafted in snake style pick the best player drafts before. Quite a unique experience with this format. Learned a lot!

More than you really ever wanted to read about my thought processes for this draft:

Round 1
I'm picking 17th. Maybe one of the pitchers I want will fall to me....of the ~10 or so I had on my list, 13 were gone in the first 16 picks. It was a tossup between Schmidt and Rickey! for me, and so I went with the lower salary to get a higher pick in Round 2 for whichever starter I want from the remaining pool.

Round 2
Ryan has the lowest ERC# among remaining starters by a decent amount. He's a little light on innings, but the savings means I'll be at the top of Round 3 to pick Rico Pet...

Round 3
...well, there goes THAT idea. There are still some decent SS available, but no one stands out and screams "Draft me!". The next scarcest position is arguably catcher, (Note: Looking back on it, I don't think this is actually true.) Maybe I should have considered 1977 Fisk, but Porter has the highest OBP# of any of the top catchers left...and an A+ throwing arm, so Porter it is.

Round 4
There's a few of the same pitcher here. I pick Koosman out of the hat because he's left-handed. He's not a great pitcher, but he's unlikely to get me beaten very often.

Round 5
OK, time to find my shortstop...ugh! I can't have HoJo because of Koosman. I can't have the good Barry Larkin season because of Ryan. Come on down, Rick Burleson?!?!?! Nope....not gonna do it. 3B? Well....there's Darrell Evans sitting there. Good on base, good power, pretty good D...and it's a team I'm probably not going to pan for gold later. (In retrospect, I SHOULD have drafted Sheffield in the 3rd round, Porter/Fisk in the 4th, and a slightly-worse RHP version of Koosman in this round, but live and learn.)

Round 6
OK - now I have a plan.

1) Keep the overall salary low to be able to get my SS in the supplemental draft.
2) When in doubt, choose defense over offense.
3) Prioritize walks and homers on offense and preventing same on the pitching staff.
4) Play my home games in Sicks.

Oquendo plays great 2B and draws a good number of walks. I can hide his lack of power in the #2 hole or (preferably) at the bottom of the lineup. (Note: I'm going to curse this pick more often than any other because of missing out on useful Cardinals.)

Round 7
We've had a little bit of a run on relievers, so I take a peek at them. Based on preventing walks and homers, it's not close - Jones is by far the best choice on the board for me.

Round 8
Time to reach in to the bag of mediocrity that's left at SP for me. Nolan gives up a few more homers than I'd like, but he's got a good ERC# and is the best SP available to me...either him or Joe Niekro.. I draft Nolan so that I can leave the Astros open to draft Cesar Ced...

Round 9
...well, there goes THAT plan. I still need another outfielder, and Brett Butler's name comes up a lot in my searches. I can't grab one of his good CLE years because of Doug Jones, and his best SFG year is blocked by...Doug Jones. Crap. It comes down to 1990 SFG vs 1992 LAD, and I see more help available in Chavez Ravine than at the 'Stick.

Round 10
One more grab into the bag of mediocrity that is the SP position. I'm looking down the list in my search - gone, gone, gone, I'm not sure--gone, gone, surely he's gone, but let me check....waitaminute!!! No one's drafted Bill Gullickson?!?!?! Time to drink...and hope....and he drops to me. I won't be surprised when he's my best starter this year.

Round 11
Remember that ludicrous plan described above? I've filled out my positions except for SS (supplemental), 1B, and my 3rd OF slot. I've got four solidish starters and my closer. A lot of the guys look close to the same to me among what's left. Time to execute Step 4 and draft Sicks. I thought it might give some impetus to the idea of owners drafting the extreme parks they needed to execute their best-laid plans (Municipal, Astrodome, Dodger Stadium) - as is clear, this is not the first time I'm wrong this draft.

Round 12
Another dilemma pick: Best available starter to me under my criteria, or my 3rd OF? Alejandro Pena vs. 1975 Jim Wynn. They're both good options, but I can grab the 1972 Wynn (I still haven't grabbed my Astro *grumble, grumble*) later if he's still available.

(Editor's note: 1972 Wynn was still available. I never got around to grabbing him. Jim Wynn went undrafted.)

Round 13
It looks like there's been another run on relievers, so I need to grab another before the pickings get too slim. Two guys at the top of my board: 1980 Tom Burgmeier and 1992 Terry Leach. Leach gives up fewer homers; Burgmeier gives up fewer walks. Leach has better "traditional stats"; Burgmeier pitched more innings and is left-handed. Leach is cheaper, and it looks like there's fewer owners that can take a good Burgmeier season. I go for Leach and resign myself to picking up left-handed reliever dregs later.

Round 14
The $750K I saved moved me up two spots this round. I'm drafting 4th, and now it's time to draft the part-time players that will combine to play 1B and OF while saving me some salary dollars. Rick Monday is about the best OF left available to me on a $/PA basis, and ~450 PAs is about the perfect number for the big half of a platoon. I think about Jim Wynn, but draft Monday.

Round 15
Monday only cost $4.4M -- how did I slip from 4th to 8th in the draft?! I can't be slipping too low...one of the SS is on the line! I haven't really looked at 1B yet (I gave a passing thought to drafting the Big Hurt or Dick Allen in previous rounds, but they went before I was ready for them), but I have very little doubt there's a flawed slugger waiting to be drafted in the next couple rounds. I've got my starters...there's a few relievers still on my list...but I don't have a mop-up guy. I could just see myself being stuck spending $1M on the worst pitcher remaining for my last season/team combo, and that $800K being the difference between Trevor Story and Edgar Renteria. There were 2 $200,xxx pitchers available to me, and when looking over the relative teams, I saw better bench options for the Phillies than the Angels. (I put the name Greg Gross in my back pocket.) So that's how you get Urbano Lugo drafted when the Toy Cannon wasn't.

Round 16/17
Time to look for that flawed slugging 1B since I floated from Pick 8 to Pick 2....and then the heavens open up and out drops Andre Thornton. He can't defend much better than I can, but defense seems to be relatively unimportant at 1B...and he can hit. He's got ~475 PA - so he'll need to share a caddy with Monday. Hey, you....the guy in the Hall...wanna come caddy for Rick Monday and Andre Thornton? Al Kaline can't move, but he fields what he gets to cleanly, and he can still hit a little.

Round 18/19
I need a guy who can stand at a few different positions around the infield while not being a complete zero at the plate...Jerry Davanon fits the bill.
I need a guy who can run into a mistake occasionally as a pinch-hitter...Bruce Bochy does that while backing up Porter (and not having a noodle arm in the process), so welcome to the team.

Round 20/21 - 22/23 - 24/25
At this point I had my team filled out. I had my lefty reliever in Tom Burgmeier (remember him? He's still there)....I had my reliable pinch-hitter in Greg Gross....I had my pinch-runner in Gary Redus...

...wait a second. Redus is a Red....I don't have any Reds *glares angrily at Gary Nolan*

At this point I had my team filled out. I had my lefty reliever in Burgmeier....I had my pinch-runner in Richie Hebner (58 speed!)....I had my reliable pinch-hitter in...well, crap - none of Gross's seasons fit what I need...I had my defensive replacement 1B in Tim Teufel *record-scratch*

(But John....Tim Teufel doesn't even PLAY 1B. Yes, but he plays 2B competently...and Jose Oquendo is a great defensive 1B as well as 2B. Hopefully I can make Sparky understand this when it comes to defensive replacements.)

I posted that I had my team filled out. It's the same six players that I wound up drafting, in the same years. (Burgmeier, Castro, Hood, Teufel, Hebner, Hutton). I just had to figure out which ones were most valuable to the plan (i.e. where the other options sucked more).

I went:
Burgmeier/Teufel (who can occasionally run in to one while playing a decent 2B)
Castro/Hebner (Castro doesn't strike anyone out, but he rarely allows walks, and his homer rate is decent - Hebner hits .300 and is cheap)
Hood/Hutton (Hood walks WAY too many, but his HR rate is spectacular...and he throws lefty; Hutton gets on base at a decent clip for a 3rd/4th option PH)

I draft 3rd in 18/19 and know that, if I draft the guys I want, I wind up with a salary just north of $100M. I don't see how three owners can get below me....especially since several of the ones around me need to make a $2M ballpark investment.

Supplemental Round
I wanted to get one of the top 3 shortstops (A-Rod, Tulo, Story). I got my choice of them - 2000 A-Rod,. Not his peak BA year, but lots of power, walks at a good clip, and plays good defense.

To Sum Up
Hitters: 5897 PA, .298/.400/.482, 184 HR, 185 SB/61 CS, 1.157 BB/K ratio, B-/B- defense (better when you leave out the bench players)
Pitchers: 1490 IP, 2.73 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .226 OAV, 2.567 K/BB ratio, .42 HR/9.

My approach to this type of draft is based on these premises.

1. Draft the best player available at the time irrespective of what draft position it puts me in the next round.
2. Draft these positions first in any order.
   1. SP1
   2. SP2
   3. 3^rd in the batting order
   4. 4^th in the batting order
   5. Leadoff hitter
3. Draft these next
   1. SP3
   2. SP4
   3. Defense up the middle.
   4. Closer.
4. There is some debate but your first 16 players drafted will determine how successful you are.
   1. 8 position players
   2. 900 SP innings
   3. 1 closer
   4. 3 middle relievers.
5. Of course, you need supplementary parts to win it all. But not before you have your base. That is why I didn’t care how much I spent early.
6. The best player I had available in Rnd 1 was Gooden (SP1).
7. 2^nd Rnd brought me my (3^rd place hitter) Barry Bonds.
8. I picked up my (SP2) in Fritz Peterson. A good 1-2 punch in my starting rotation. One right and one left.
9. 4th Rnd brought me my (Cleanup hitter) Frank Thomas. A good 1-2 punch in the middle of my order Bonds-Thomas. One Left and one right.
10. I had to deviate slightly and pick my SS in the 5^th round since the SSs were disappearing. I decided to go with Burleson over Templeton. A slightly better defender over a slightly better hitter. He will bat 8^th against RHP and 2^nd against LHP.
11. I decided to go 2B. I chose Whitaker over the field because of his BA. He would also bat 2^nd in my order against RHP and 8^th versus LHP. Also Detroit was pretty thin so grabbing a Tiger was a bonus.
12. I jumped in to take my (SP3) at this point in Dennis Leonard. A 20 game winner with decent supporting numbers.
13. With my 8^th round pick, I finally took my leadoff hitter and a strong outfield defender in Al Bumbry. He also provides some SB capability.
14. With my 9^th pick, I drafted an RBI guy to bat 5^th. Tony Perez (3B) was one of the best during that time period, though his fielding is not that great.
15. My 10^th pick nabbed me my SP4 in Dave Roberts. His ERC# was the best on the board at this point. I was debating between him and Joe Niekro who was drafted earlier that round.
    1. I now had 4 SP with 270 IP each and with ERC# 1.92, 2.18. 2.56, and 2.52.
16. At this point there were no really great catchers left. I decided to create one. With my next two picks I drafted Brian Harper and BJ Surhoff. One bats left and one bats right. Each with about 400 Abs. Harper hit .325 and Surhoff .299. Each with a decent arm. My catchers will bat 6^th.
17. My 13^th pick was for my 7^th place hitter and 3^rd OF. It was between Bass and Gant. I chose Bass because he was switch hitter. Luckily, I picked up Gant later on.
18. My 14^th pick was for my closer at this point, Mike Marshall.
19. Since I had filled all of my primary positions through this pick I knew in the supplemental draft I could pick an upgrade to closer or if someone else with better credentials at another position.
20. Picks 15 – 24 were just for filling out my bullpen and bench players. Highlights of these picks were a defensive replacement for 3b (Ontiveras). And Ron Gant as my 4^th OF.
21. My supplemental pick was for my closer Fernando Rodney.

My stats are for my starting 9 ( including my 2 catchers)

5,670 PA ,167 HR,.313 BA,.393 OBP, .491 SLG, and B-/B- fielding. My bench of course will see very little activity.

My pitching is

1,778 IP, 2.27 ERA, .219 OAV, 1.06 WHIP .That is for 4 SPs and 7 relievers.

Posted by redcped on 7/14/2020 5:57:00 PM (view original):
Those are super close. I'll be interested to see how others' came out.

I've added a "Stats" tab to the Draft HQ spreadsheet that includes a bunch of team-level summary statistics.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rC8FMZ7pLK1RhKbqNsNkQC-p5XFAsvvuwWjKKfkPa6U/edit?usp=sharing

NOTE: It does NOT include the Supplemental picks, only the initial 24 players from the main draft.

Great write ups and analysis so far! I basically at first tried to stay in the top half of the salaries but that strategy went away quickly as the lower priced starters went quickly so I gambled with Glavine, Ramon Martinez, and Mike Krukow. I certainly hope they are not total gas cans or I might have some softball scores.
My stat lines are a robust team batting average of. 321/OBP .378 which is ok for me. 236 Hrs and 215 SBs Defense is good at B/B-
Pitching line IP1871 so I have plenty of my 3 high priced later round picks are gas cans. 2.53 ERA .204 OAV 1.04 WHIP

Posted by footballmm11 on 7/14/2020 10:22:00 PM (view original):

Posted by redcped on 7/14/2020 5:57:00 PM (view original):
Those are super close. I'll be interested to see how others' came out.

I've added a "Stats" tab to the Draft HQ spreadsheet that includes a bunch of team-level summary statistics.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rC8FMZ7pLK1RhKbqNsNkQC-p5XFAsvvuwWjKKfkPa6U/edit?usp=sharing

NOTE: It does NOT include the Supplemental picks, only the initial 24 players from the main draft.

This is pretty awesome...

My takeaway:
My pitching sucks. It always sucks, so I'm not surprised. I'm just hoping my defense and home park mitigate that slightly.

I'm fully expecting something like 69-93, so....

When I drew the 23rd pick in the first round, I immediately knew this wasn't going to be easy.
Round 1: Felt fortunate to get a staff anchor in Gaylord Perry and his 356 innings pitched.
Rounds 2 and 3: Turning to offense, I was looking for a top-of-the-order speedster as well as someone who could bat third or fourth. I've always had pretty good luck with both Tim Raines and Gary Sheffield's '92 season, when he played third base for the Padres, hitting .330 with 33 home runs. These were not difficult choices.
Round 4: I wanted a #2 starting pitcher, and I'm not sure that Jerry Reuss will fill the bill, but he appeared to be the best available option.
Round 5: I was planning to pick another pitcher. However, I knew that Barry Larkin was still available and afraid he'd be gone by the time I picked again.
Round 6: I've used John Denny's '84 season many times, and it's usually turned out well. That said, this was probably a little too early to take a long reliever.
Round 7: Steve McCatty's one quality season was 1981. I didn't see any better options at that point in the draft.
Round 8: Going into the draft, I knew I wanted a middle-of-the-order outfielder who also could be used at first base. Frank Robinson was exactly the kind of player I had in mind.
Rounds 9 and 11: Thinking about potential closers. Two of the best remaining options were Randy Myers and Grant Jackson.
Round 10: I was going to take Grant Jackson with this pick, but at the last moment, I switched to Tony Oliva, who I intended to use as a corner outfielder who would get 600 at-bats. As it turns out, Oliva will not be a starter. Luckily, I was able to get Jackson with my next pick.
Round 12: Cecil Fielder and his 51 homers were taken to play first base. He'll start the season as the cleanup hitter. If he doesn't produce, Frank Robinson moves from the outfield to first base, and Fielder moves to the bench.
Round 13: Jim Sundberg is a safe but certainly unspectacular option at catcher. Can't expect much more this deep in the draft.
Rounds 14-17: Mostly a bunch of bullpen additions, some better than others. The highlights of those rounds were the selections of fourth starter Rick Rhoden in the 16th round and starting second baseman Tom Herr, who could turn out to be a key player even though he wasn't taken until the 15th round.
Rounds 17-21 were used on second-tier relievers and bench players.
Supplemental pick: Picking 13th, I was planning to take a relief pitcher unless a top starter, such as King Felix or the Big Unit, somehow lasted until it was my turn to pick. That didn't happen, but much to my surprise, Ichiro Suzuki was available when I picked. Even though I needed a pitcher more than I needed an outfielder, Ichiro's '04 season (.372 average, elite defense) was too tempting to pass up.He should fit in well with Tim Raines at the top of the order. The trade-off, of course, is that my bullpen could be a season-long problem.

I really don't have a sexy write-up. Truth be told, I didn't really do any research for this ahead of time. I decided to just go with a "fly by the seat of my pants" approach and review the best available options prior to each pick. I knew a few franchises I wanted to clear early because I felt the provided fewer options. There are a couple picks I regret, but I feel largely good about my team.

1. Rod Carew - 13 of the 15 picks before me were pitchers, so I knew I had to go pitcher. However, when I looked, Carew was so far ahead of the remaining hitters with his .388 BA, and there were no truly elite pitchers left, so I took Carew. I knew it would make pitching very difficult, but I had to do it. It didn't hurt that he was also a Twin, which was a weaker franchise for good options.

2. Wilbur Wood - Immediately after taking Carew, I set my sights on Wood. He's not a stud, but he has high IP, he's reliable and he has low walks. He's a stable force in the rotation and I was happy to get him here.

3. Bob Milacki - This pick seemed like a no-brainer. There were other Orioles I had my eye on, but Milacki would instantly move me from the bottom to the top of the order, and I would get to pick again relatively quickly. I missed out on some good options later because of this pick, but I didn't regret it.

4. Larry Gura - Similar to Wood. Good IP, low walks, not going to hurt me too much with a good defense behind him.

5. Jim Rice - Red Sox were a franchise I was hoping to wait a bit on, but I couldn't pass on Rice here. 742 PA of .970 OPS is a pretty easy choice.

6. Zane Smith - I liked Smith here because he provides a good RP who can start if needed, and keeps my payroll down. I had a couple other Pirates I would've liked, but I think Smith made sense here.

7. Dan Gladden - I was hoping to fill another lineup spot here, but Gladden was too good to pass up as a platoon/PH/defensive sub option in the OF. His .351/.410/.447 slash and B+/A- defense were too tempting not to take.

8. Steve Ontiveros - I knew my rotation wouldn't be great, so I decided to make a run at some stud RP. I think this is one of my better picks. It also got me to the top of the draft board, where I would stay for a while.

9. Cleon Jones - Again, I would've preferred to go elsewhere with this pick, but I felt Cleon's offense was too good to pass up. Also, with SP options dwindling, it was about this point I decided I was going to go with a SP in the supplemental round and needed to keep myself in a good draft position.

10. Ben Oglivie - I was surpised to see a guy with his offensive numbers still available here, so I decided to go for it and live with any consequences. I think it worked out in the end.

11. Joaquin Andujar - I regret this pick the most. So many good Cardinal options went after this, but it was a bit of a panic pick. I knew I still needed at least one more SP in this portion of the draft. I'm okay with Andujar, I just think my Cardinal pick could've been better spent. He brings a decent number of IP and low walks (I'm sensing a trend here).

12. Tony Bernazard - I'd never heard of the guy before this. But I needed a 2B and his .301 BA with B-/A defense was more than good enough to fill the role.

13. Brian Downing - I had a couple better fits at C on my rader, but both matched a year/franchise that I had other options for. This one may get tough, as Downing only has 596 PA and I have no other C, but his offense should be good.

14. Steve Howe - Solid addition to the pen that brought me back up a few draft slots.

15. Travis Fryman - Since I was set on using my supplemental pick on a SP, I needed a SS and the pickings were slim. Fryman isn't great, but I could've done worse than 20 HR and B/B defense at SS.

16a. Doug Rau - cheap reliever with a 256 ERC+...yes please.
16b. Tim Wallach - 3B was my last positional need. Like Fryman, Wallach isn't a stud by any means, but his .857 OPS and B-/B defense are good enough.

17a. Ken Griffey Sr. - stud PH/sub OFer (.384/.424/.570) who also helps me improve draft position
17b. Jerry Mumphrey - solid PH/defensive OF sub, bringing more salary relief. These picks took me from 12th to 7th.

18a. Ron Dunn
18b. Bob Sebra - A decent hitting scrub and a mopup guy. These two picks were all about moving me up the board for the supplemental round.

19a. Gene Locklear - a bit more than I wanted to spend, but options were limited and he's a good-hitting bench player
19b. Yankee Stadium I - I wanted a -1 hitting park that slightly reduced HRs as well. I would've loved my initial pick of Tropicana, but obviously it was illegal. -2 Yankee Stadium will have to do. Hopefully it doesn't hinder my offense too much.

20a. Jimmie Hall
20b. Joe Hoerner - nothing but cost-saving scrubs here. I was prepared to take Pat Jarvis if needed to fill out my rotation, but once I realized I could get a Top 5 pick, I was fairly confident I could get Johnson or King Felix, based on the remaining needs of the owners ahead of me.

21. Randy Johnson - JACKPOT! The quality of my team was still up in the air, but landing Johnson here completes the squad and makes me feel cautiously optimistic about the team I put together.

Offense: .320/.383/.502, 200 HR
Pitching: 1,449 IP, 2.34 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .219 OAV, 1.84 BB/9, 0.54 HR/9

I was surprised by some of the early jockeying for higher draft position, especially given the depth in the supplemental pool. I tried to get enough pitching and focus on positions where I thought the pool was the thinnest early.

First pick was a toss up between Maddux and Marichal. Opted for Marichal with more innings and as '92 had more depth at more positions.
Grabbed Yount in the second as there wasn't a ton out there at SS, but had regrets with Bonds and Raines going right after.
Don Wilson in the third was unsexy, but wanted to lock in quality innings. Groaned watching OFs like Lynn and CIs like Sheffield follow.
4th round I changed my mind at the last minute and grabbed Fisk as best catcher left. Had considered Sax for the same reason at 2B and then came the stomach punch as Frank Thomas who I had penciled in at 1B went a couple picks later.
5th round I took Seitzer. No idea why I didn't grab an OF here instead. Dumb pick, but did seem to set off a run on 3B at the top of 6th.
6th round locked in LH relief with McGraw. Still no OF or real big bats in the lineup.
7th round finally grabbed Billy Williams at OF. He offered nice flexibility as well as he's equally inept at OF and 1B. Schwarze naturally grabbed Matlack who I had penciled in next pick. Tony Philips went late in the round who I was hoping to plug in at 2B
8th round more innings with Mike Witt whose team, CAL, and year 1986, didn't have a ton of other options. Not sure I've ever used him though. Schwarze's pick of Eddie Murray was another annoyingly good one.
9th round I took the last 2B I thought was playable, '92 Baerga. In retrospect there were several good 2B in the supplemental round. If I would have just grabbed a good OF early and punted 2B (or 3B) I would have been much better off.
10th round I took Mike Morgan. Wasn't expecting to, but he was the last starting pitcher left that I had highly rated and was surprised he was still there. I had really hoped Lonnie Smith was going to fall to me, but he went early in the round.... still scrambling for OF-1B
11th round. Settled for Jeff Burroughs after watching better OFs going ahead of me and then watched schwarze pick a better one, Hickman, right after me, Couldn't believe a stadium went and one I'd never heard of at that!
12th round. Mike Jorgensen who is roughly half a playable 1B. perfect!
13th round John Franco for more LHP.
Rest of the draft was alternating RPs and cobbling together enough OF at bats that I could hopefully displace with someone decent in the supplemental rounds. I was surprised by how many quality relief innings were left late and how the bats were completely depleted by the late rounds.

Bottom line I should have grabbed a stud 1B or OF earlier. A lot of pressure on Billy Williams to produce!