I would not have selected the Cubs if we could have drafted our franchise instead of randomly being assigned out franchise. Having to play home games in Wrigley Field means I have to draft more innings than other teams. That's already a disadvantage.

That being said, I knew from the start I would be using Jake Arrieta and Greg Maddux. So my draft strategy was built around that. In order to try an minimize the damage Wrigley Field meant to my pitching staff, I made an effort to spend more on great range whenever possible.
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Round 1, Pick 11
New York Mets
2006 Carlos Beltran?
It's ironic that my most expensive hitter ($7.95 million) has the worst batting average on my entire team (.275), but a .388 obp and .541 slugging should do fine in Wrigley Field. His A+ range should equate to at least 15 + plays in LF. The other player I considered here was David Wright (who went right after me), but I'll always take a switch hitter over a righty bat. If necessary, I could have switched to Beltran's 2009 357-pa season (.325/.415/..500).
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Round 2, Pick 12
Pittsburgh Pirates
1985 Rick Reuschel
I could have gone with Stargell, Clemente or Van Slyke, but didn't want two OFs with my first two picks. A number of RPs were reasonable selections here but I went with a SP with a very low HR rate (0.32). This would be a trend I would continue throughout the draft.
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Round 3, Pick 13
St. Louis Cardinals
1981 Andy Rincon
Ted Simmons would have been a nice pick for me, but he went early at pick 3. I also strongly considered '04 Scott Rolen (who went to RTG at pick 21), but I would have needed to draft some backup PAs at 3B. Rincon allowed 0 HRs and his walk rate is low (1.26), which is another requirement with the pitchers I was tergeting
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Round 4, Pick 14
Cleveland Indians
2007 Victor Martinez
I had the 2nd overall pick for the Twins franchise and I had assumed Joe Mauer would be one of pick1or2's top 2 picks, so I had jumped at a switch hitting catcher here. Mauer slipped to pick 6. No regrets, as Martinez has done well for me in other leagues. That being said, had Albert Belle slid to me, I would have jumped at that (he went two picks before my turn).
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Round 5, Pick 15
Kansas City Royals
2003 Carlos Beltran
Once the top pitchers went off the board, I was targeting my second Carlos Beltran here. His 2003 season is $1.2M cheaper than his 2006 season. But his AVG and OBP are both better than 2006. He's also an A++ range guy and will play CF for me. Both Beltrans are a bit light on PA (617 and 602) so I'll need some backup PAs in the outfield. I got three switch hitters already, two with great range.
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Round 6, Pick 16
Detroit Tigers
2006 Carlos Guillen
I love Carlos Guillen and I might have taken him even with an early Tigers pick, so I was perfectly happy to get him at pick 16. I kept switching back and forth between 2004 and 2006. The '04 season is a slightly better hitter and much better fielder but has only 583 PA and costs $600K more.
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Round 7, Pick 17
Chicago White Sox
2006 Mike MacDougald
Somehow, I missed that Bobby Jenks went at pick 4 and thought I had a steal grabbing him at pick 17. Mike MacDougald is one of six pitchers I drafted with 43 or fewer innings. I plan on using all 25 of my roster spots, with zero waste. Not an exciting pick, but White Sox don't have much in terms of stars.
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Round 8, Pick 18
Philadelphia Phillies
1980 Marty Bystrom
Yet, another short-inning pitcher with sub 1.00 whip, low walks and low HRs. I would have considered Bobby Abreu but he went one pick before me. I kind of figured that most of my picks where I'm picking this late will be RPs. Just biding my time until I get to pick early.
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Round 9, Pick 19
San Diego Padres
2020 Trevor Rosenthal
I knew I'd be picking RP here, and I was shocked that Rosenthal was still on the board this late. He's as automatic as any modern RP can be in this silly game. Sure, he may reach his pitch count before getting 3 outs, but there aren't many better than him.
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Round 10, Pick 20
Houston Astros
1981 Don Sutton
I was kind of hoping Alex Bregman would get to me, but he went at pick #11. With just two picks to go, I noticed that Jeff Bagwell was still on the board. I can't believe it! He would probably win the MVP for me, playing in Wrigley Field. But DougsDawgs crushed my hopes by taking him even though the 1B and DH position was already filled (he is going to play Pete Rose out of position just to fit Bagwell on his team). Soul-crushing. Anyway, I can't complain too much about getting a solid SP3 here. With Arrieta, Maddux as SP1, SP2 and Reuschel, I have a weird innings problem. That's 4 SPs with about 920 IPs. I do have a bunch of short-inning RPs so Reuschel will probably end up being a long reliever and spot starter.
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Round 11, Pick 21
Anaheim Angels
1991 Mark Eicchorn
Woo hoo! I finally drafted a RP with more than 57 innings. And he has a low 0.22 hr/9 and 1.43 bb/9. Perfect. I still need a 3B and would have considered Doug DeCinces but redcped took him at pick 16. Only 3 more rounds before my Cubs picks.
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Round 12, Pick 22
Cincinnati Reds
1985 Dave Parker
This was a weird pick for me. All of my hitters drafted so far were light on PAs and I felt like I wasn't going to have enough salary or roster spots to fill with enough backups. So I wanted a position player who had a good performance history with lots of PAs and was relatively inexpensive. Parker has 699 PA with a performance history avg of 120 runs created and only costs $6.1M. Done.
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Round 13, Pick 23
Oakland Athletics
2003 Tim Hudson
This pick was a roster-defining pick for me. I planned on just taking a RP or maybe a backup OF (Mike Davis) but when my turn came up, Tim Hudson was still left. Hudson has always done well for me at $80 and $100 million caps. I know $120M is pushing it a bit, but I needed one more SP. Had I not taken Hudson here, I would have strongly considered Kenta Maeda with pick #2 in the Twins draft. The problem is that Maeda isn't a great fit for Wrigley (just another reason why I didn't want to play in a stadium like Wrigley). I also considered targeting Derek Lowe with pick #3 in the Red Sox draft. Hudson is reasonably priced and has 240 innings which means I can use Reuschel almost primarily as my "Long A", which is huge since I have a bunch of short inning RPs.
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Round 14, Pick 24
Atlanta Braves
2022 Raisel Iglesias
I would've taken Terry Pendleton but he went early, at pick #6. So I just added another low-whip (0.84), low-walk (1.71), low-HR (0.00) reliever to the mix. I still need a starting 1B, 2B, 3B and OF/DH. I am targeting the Orioles (1984) Eddie Murray at 1B for his excellent range. Not sure about the other positions yet. Pitching is almost set after I added Arrieta and Maddux... just need a few more RPs.
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Round 15, Pick 1
Chicago Cubs
2015 Jake Arrieta & 1992 Greg Maddux
Nothing more to add here, as I was always taking these two guys. Never considered anybody else.
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Round 16, Pick 2
Minnesota Twins
1996 Chuck Knoblauch
I was really hoping that Rod Carew would slide to me as I was going to use one of his 2B seasons (not his .388 season at 1B). But it really wasn't a surprise that he got taken at 1A. I was a little surprise the 1B pick was Puckett and not Johan Santana, but I wasn't keeping close track of pick1or2's roster, once I started my vacation in Hawaii. I already knew I wasn't taking Maeda. I needed a 2B and Knoblauch seemed like the obvious choice. I also considered waiting on the Orioles' Roberto Alomar but I couldn't guarantee he'd be there at pick 4, plus I knew I wanted Eddie Murray from the Orioles.
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Round 17, Pick 3
Boston Red Sox
1973 Carl Yastrzemski
I was hoping Wade Boggs would make it to me, but he went at pick #2. I made the Yaz pick with the intention of using his 1970 monster offensive season at DH, but with the fallback option of using his 1973 season at 3B with his A+ range. I considered trying to get Pablo Sandoval at 3B from the Giants (pick 6), but that left me little salary left to fill the remaining holes I had left. Yaz' 1973 season is absurdly cheap ($4.8M) and it gave me much more flexibility at what I could do at DH.
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Round 18, Pick 4
Baltimore Orioles
1984 Eddie Murray
Well, Roberto Alomar would have slipped to me, so maybe I could have taken a different 1B, but this version of Eddie Murray always does well, and even if his offense declines due to better pitching at this cap level, he's a lock for 25-30 + plays at 1B. I still haven't officially decided what I'm doing at 3B and OF/DH.
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Round 19, Pick 5
New York Yankees
2021 Clay Holmes
This is a waste of an early pick from a strong franchise, but I simply wanted a cheap, but usable pitcher. Holmes has a 0.79 whip with 1.29 bb/9 and costs only $1.1M. At this point, I filled out the rest of my roster with: 2011 Beltran (Giants), 1979 Oscar Gamble (Rangers), 1977 Reggie Smith (Dodgers), a cheap backup C (Brewers) and 2013 Tanner Roark (Nationals).
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Round 20, Pick 6
San Francisco Giants
2011 Carlos Beltran
This part time Beltran has 179 PA with a slash of .323/.369/.551, so he fits perfectly backing my other two Beltrans.
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Round 21, Pick 7
Milwaukee Brewers
2008 Mike Rivera
Getting a .306/.377/.435 hitting catcher for 403K was a nice fit here. Yes, he has a D- arm, but V-Mart has 645 PA, so I won't have to use Rivera very often.
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Round 22, Pick 8
Texas Rangers
1981 John Butcher
calhoop grabs part timer Oscar Gamble with one his his 2 Rangers picks.... Nooooo! Back to the drawing board. I decide not to wait on Roark as my 13th pitcher and instead grab another low-inning cheap usable pitcher. Butcher has an 0.94 whip and allowed 0 HRs/ His 2.60 bb/9 is the highest on my team.
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Round 23, Pick 9
Los Angeles Dodgers
1990 Eddie Murray
All these great Dodger pitchers and calhoop grabs Reggie Smith with pick 2.... Nooooo! Now I am scrambling, as I am getting ready to go hiking and kayaking and will be offline for 5-6 hours. I was going to grab that really good partial season of Corey Seager and take the better Carlos Guillen (who was short PA), and hope that Ken Singleton is available with pick 10 of the Expos draft. but at the last minute I decide not to risk it, so I instead grab my second Eddie Murray to DH. He has a pretty good performance history and is a switch hitter, then I have about $2M to draft some backup PAs with my last pick.
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Round 24, Pick 10
Washington Nationals
2020 Andrew Stevenson
My three starting OFs and DH average about 640 PA per player. '11 Beltran gives me an additional 179 but I added 127 more with this stud. I've never used him before but his slash is .366/.447/.732. So all 25 players on my roster are good players and all will be used.

Overview - To be continued

Ok, I will join this. Probably better now before my team's trajectory gets obvious. I assume Carlton won't lose every start and that Leonard won't win every start.

Background - I'm a lifelong Royals fan in my late 50s. I paid pretty close attention to every season from 1978 to present, minus several months of exasperation because there are better uses of time than watching 12 game losing streaks. The only jersey I own is Mark Gubicza (Royals HOF), and it always seemed like the teams in his era could have made the playoffs a lot more than they did. I am glad we have wild cards now, but we needed them then since the Royals are often surprising in the post season. In fact, they have lost to very few clubs in the post season, so my baseball hate is limited to the early 80s Phillies, the mid 2010's Giants, and the Yankees most every season. I do have the typical small market contempt for big spenders as well, but I blame the lack of a cap more than any specific owner.

I only started WIS during the pandemic and have played about 40 seasons, so I still have plenty to learn and shift strategy more than more experienced owners might. I will detail that more than my general method here, but the general method involves many pages of spreadsheets and usually values certain stats over emotions. USUALLY.

That said, it really sucked that my #1 pick round was the damn Phillies. I was only 11 years old in the 1980 World Series, but it was heartbreaking to finally crush the Yankees only to lose to Philly. Also, the Astros were my #2 team in those days, and had a solid lead when I was forced to turn off the TV and proceede to lose it. So, it was really HARD to start the draft building around Schmidt & Carlton, but it seemed obvous I should. I was also cost sensitive from the start, hoping to use the best version of each. By that metric, my draft was a success. The season? We shall see.

Round 1 Pick 18 Mets Armando Benitez
Drafting close to the bottom, I expected to draft mostly RP and bench players. Benitez had a statistically awesome season at about 40k/IP, which seemed my price point for good RP. He stayed as the legit starts from the Mets fell off the board, but after the pick I started to realize the last several rounds would put me back in the teens on drafting, and nearly every team has a good RP option. So, I resolved to try for other pieces when possible.

Round 2 Pick 19 Pirates Don Slaught
Don played for the Royals for a stint, and I recall my father's entire office chanting "On, Slaught!" during a game. Slaught doesn't really seem good enough to start in this league, but I had started thinking about the best options at each position and realized I would probably not be getting ANY of those. So, the notion of 250 PA from the right and 500 from the left began to take hold. Slaught's 1992 season fit the bill nicely, but this made me very focused on a handful of LH catchers later. I missed Hassey repeatedly and was sweating every Cubs pick later on.

Round 3 Pick 20 Cardinals Felipe Lopez
I remained interest in having some good backups, especially if I ended up taking a serviceable and good fielding cheap player. Lopez seems a great PH and Sparky can play him about anywhere except catcher. Plus, this is the 20th pick. I don't hate the Cardinals, but they are cross state rivals so avoiding one of their big names was vaguely positive.

Round 4 Pick 21 Guardians Bert Blyleven
Blyleven is a good pitcher to get in at the 21st pick, but his best seasons were with other clubs.I do like his 1984 numbers except for the IP mismatch with Carlton (245 v 360). It is possble to do a 3 starter rotation with 360 IP, but Bert needs a tandem to play that role. I went through the draft assuming it could be Benitez although I might swap later. I felt like my 3rd SP was a decent take for the 21st pick.

Round 5 Pick 22 Royals Dennis Leonard
I really like Leonard, and I was listening live when a line drive largely ended his career from damaging his pitching hand. He might have been in the HOF conersation if his career were longer. That said, he had nearly 300 IP in a season, so the 3 SP with tandem is coming together nicely. In round 22. Sentiment would have favored Gubicza, but the IP metric did not.

Round 6 Pick 23 Tigers Ron LeFlore
I want to use this space for to thank Billy Consolo, one of Sparky's assistant coaches, who I have never met but who indirectly got me tickets to a game in Detroit in 1993 before the strike. I have never been as annoyed by the Tigers for winning our division as I was with the A's later in the 1980s. I like LeFlore's range, speed, and overall hitting stats in 1976, and he is a "nearly" viable starter with 607 PA. I am confused why WIS thinks Ron should be my DH with Carlos May in the OF, because I think range is pretty important. I think he had a cheap season too, but spending $5.5m for my 9 slot who can definitely steal if he gets on seemed a good use of pick 24.

Round 7 Pick 24 White Sox Carlos May
I really assumed I would be getting a RP here, but 1972 Carlos May is close to 130 in most "+" categories and could play 1B or DH. He cost UNDER $5m, probably because his fielding is suspect. I was hoping he ended up at DH since he might need an occasional game off with 647 PA, and I expected to have some decent bench hitting. I thought this player was a great pick 24, and I was feeling really good about how the low picks ended up. But, I was not super excited to be relying on the Padres and Angels for what should have been my lowest pick rounds.

Round 8 Pick 1 Phillies Mike Schmidt & Steve Carlton
WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE THE PHILLIES? That said, there were plenty of great seasons for each at several price points in case I could not afford the best season for each.

Round 9 Pick 2 Padres Mark Loretta
Loretta definitely did not feel like a 2nd pick - but having sorted out my SP and with Gynn taken, Sheffield was the other contender. I wanted a solid hitter and great fielding at 2B, and was concerned that 2B in the near future would not fall enough for me, so I decided to pick the position player and worry about the OF later.

Round 10 Pick 3 Astros Carlos Correa
Similar in some ways to Loretta. Both are solid hitters and have strong fielding profiles at positions that have the potential to make a lot of errors. Neither hits well enough to command a huge salary, but neither will be in a top leverage position in my line up either.

Round 11 Pick 4 Angels Kendry Morales
This was s spur of the moment decision. I really did not like any of the Angels options, but did not want to wade into RP territory just yet. By this point, I had found a solid RP for each of the last several rounds which I thought would be available late, and didn't want to create complications. Between Morales & May, I pretty well did need to consider 1B/DH settled - but there was a cheap season available for one of them, just in case.

Round 12 Pick 5 Reds Reggie Sanders
I really wanted Foster here, but it was not meant to be. I was surprised to see Joe Morgan available, but I had picked up Loretta assuming he would not. Maybe I could DH him, but I considered that situation settled. Reggie had fewer seasons to pick from that Foster, but 1995 was pretty solid and affordable, so I went with it. This was one of my biggest last minute shifts of the draft, but he seems playable in the middle of the batting order.

Round 13 Pick 6 Athletics Reggie Jackson
I didn't really like adding the hated former Yankee to my hated Phillies, but the stats were SO good. I was sweating every pick in hopes he would drop and was ready to swap to Ozuna or someone else if needed. But there has been a lot of talent in the A's at various times, so I got lucky.

Round 14 Pick 7 Braves Chris Martin
Just another RP with really really good stats. He was closer to $60k/IP - not sustainable, but nice to get a couple of very good RP with the solid ones. Plus, with the savings from LeFlore & May, I had mapped out a path to completion under which I could afford him. Barely.

Round 15 Pick 8 Cubs Rick Wilkins
I was sweating this pick even more than Reggie Jackson. Once Hassey's best seasons were taken, he seems the best LH platoon catcher available, and I thought he would drop this far since he did not have enough PA to start everyday. But, it was easy to imagine someone else making the same calculatons. Yes, I had some RP set aside, but no reason to think I could get Maurer and it seems a big drop on LH catching if I lost him.

Round 16 Pick 9 Twins Craig Breslow
Maurer was gone, as I predicted. At this point, I felt like I had a solid line up and SP trio. That meant getting just the right mix of bench options and RP, and I had about 5 options from every team. I was always considerig the "what if" for using the cheapest version of a current starting player if I came into a substantial upgrade. But, spending all the remaining money on quality RP and the right mix of bench help seemed like a nice path, and Breslow worked with it.
Truth is, I really really wanted Dennys Reyes for this pick and I thought he would drop. I thought wrong.

Round 17 Pick 10 Red Sox Tanner Houck
I was not at all sure that Houck's 2020 stat corrections would fall to me, nor that I could afford them at the end, but it seemed worth trying.

Round 18 Pick 11 Orioles Zack Britton
I was not confident he would drop, but I knew I needed RP options with more than 50 IP to make the numbers work. I really liked how many playable seasons at varous price points he offered, so this pick made the rest of the draft far less stressful.

Round 19 Pick 12 Yankees Mariano Rivera
I did not think Rivera would be available for pick 12. Although I didn't consider him a serious option, I had noticed the range of IP/price points. When he was available, I started to look at the disruption from using a more expensive season than Detances/Nelson/Gordon would have cost, and in so doing I noticed a recent "partial season" error in my planning which threatened to upend my entire last few picks. After a couple of hours of panicked math, I decided I could afford this pick.

Round 20 Pick 13 Giants Jarlin Garcia
Who the hell is Jarlin Garcia? Just some rando around $40k/IP whose stats seem MUCH better than that. I had a created a couple of spreadsheet ratios to find value in weird places, and one of those jumped off the page at me. Time will tell if I trust that stat going forward.

Round 21 Pick 14 Brewers Greg Goossen
Another player I don't exactly recall. Probably because he was on the bench and I was a newborn. But yeah, I get to represent the Pilots with a VERY solid pitch hitting option that can back up 1B better than Carlos May could.

Round 22 Pick 15 Rangers Julio Borbon
I wanted bench speed, but ideally some better PH stats that Borbon. Still, I had to reshuffle and save money, and I decided Lopez/Goossen might suffice on PH if I had a PR and defensive replacement options for cheap. But for Mariana, I probably would have picked someone else.

Round 23 Pick 16 Dodgers Rich Hill
I was not sure Rich would drop. LAD have many sold RP options, but I also needed 100+ IP and his stats are great for $40k/IP. Plus, there were cheaper options in case round 24 went off the rails.

Round 24 Pick 17 Nationals Tim Foli
Not as much as Wilkins or Reggie, but I was sweating this pick a bit. He was the right price point and is a solid defensive replacement at every INF position. In fact, he seemed the most flexble option of this type in the last few rounds, and I was worried someone else would see him that way. In my ideal world, I would have ended with a RP where there were five solid options, not just the one precise rando who checked certain boxes better than most.

This was a fun draft, and once I had Jackson & Wilkins, I was nearly on cruise control until the end. But, I'm sure I have made fundamental errors and I look forward to learning what they were. Any backchannel feedback then or now is appreciated. I might be too short on IP, or might have grabbed someone whose actual performance is far below my expecttions, but the team feels balanced with 9 good hitters, some speech, some great sluggers, and a pretty consistent pitching staff.

Thank you to NebHusker for making this happen, I will keep my future league thoughts for a separate post.

Some questons about a future version of this draft. If feedback is limited or divided, I might toss up a google form instead. I'm giving each idea a short tag so you don't have to copy/paste entire messages.

1. START DATE How soon? Should we wait until the World Series ends around May 1, or start drafting sooner? Maybe MUCH sooner? I am super busy the April 5 weekend, but I could imagine completing a draft before then (or starting it after, or asking someone to take the lead for 5 days).

2. CAP Should the salary cap go down slightly, to perhaps $115m or $110?m. I think most people can afford the best version of most players, but a slghtly lower cap could really value picking players with both awesome and cheaper variants.

3. SNAKE Should we snake it up a bit? Someone will ALWAYS get thei 1st picks in the early rounds or the late rounds, but I will post two systems in a separate post that distibute the pain a bit. The first one would de-link drafting order from initial team like we just just, but the 2nd one would snake where the other teams in your division have a "similar" experience in that the whole division would pick early & late depending on which team you draw into.

4. Other ideas. I am less convinced on any of these but maybe there is a clear sentiment.
PRE-ANNOUNCE - everyone declares their "top two" picks first, and the we draft the remainder as we did. I suppose this could happen for more than the top two picks as well.
EXCLUDE PLAYERS - from the club who just won the World Series. But then we have to wait untl May, and have to decide if it is all versions of a player, or a team's version of a player, or just the particular season. I am not convinced the problem this solves is worth the complication.
ROSTER RULES - having to represent most/all decades, or limiting the number from a single decade, could provide some mild complexity without radically changing everything. My current team has all decades - 1960s (2), 1970s (5), 1980s (2), 1990s (3), 2000's (5), 2010s (4), and 2020s (4). I could imagine a "4 per decade" cap or limiting the number from 2020 specifically, or even imposing slightly greater conditions on the best draft order positions.
DECLARE YOUR FIRST PICK TEAM - I guess this could be done based on season record or record at a certain pont in the current season, but it might deter new people if someone does not re-up.
SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT - in case you have a new idea that I didn't mention at all.

Snake, version 1. Similar to the current league, this de-links your team/division from others in your divisions.

1	2	23	4	21	6	19	8	17	10	15	12	13	14	11	16	9	18	7	20	5	22	3	24
2	1	24	3	22	5	20	7	18	9	16	11	14	13	12	15	10	17	8	19	6	21	4	23
3	24	1	2	23	4	21	6	19	8	17	10	15	12	13	14	11	16	9	18	7	20	5	22
4	23	2	1	24	3	22	5	20	7	18	9	16	11	14	13	12	15	10	17	8	19	6	21
5	22	3	24	1	2	23	4	21	6	19	8	17	10	15	12	13	14	11	16	9	18	7	20
6	21	4	23	2	1	24	3	22	5	20	7	18	9	16	11	14	13	12	15	10	17	8	19
7	20	5	22	3	24	1	2	23	4	21	6	19	8	17	10	15	12	13	14	11	16	9	18
8	19	6	21	4	23	2	1	24	3	22	5	20	7	18	9	16	11	14	13	12	15	10	17
9	18	7	20	5	22	3	24	1	2	23	4	21	6	19	8	17	10	15	12	13	14	11	16
10	17	8	19	6	21	4	23	2	1	24	3	22	5	20	7	18	9	16	11	14	13	12	15
11	16	9	18	7	20	5	22	3	24	1	2	23	4	21	6	19	8	17	10	15	12	13	14
12	15	10	17	8	19	6	21	4	23	2	1	24	3	22	5	20	7	18	9	16	11	14	13
13	14	11	16	9	18	7	20	5	22	3	24	1	2	23	4	21	6	19	8	17	10	15	12
14	13	12	15	10	17	8	19	6	21	4	23	2	1	24	3	22	5	20	7	18	9	16	11
15	12	13	14	11	16	9	18	7	20	5	22	3	24	1	2	23	4	21	6	19	8	17	10
16	11	14	13	12	15	10	17	8	19	6	21	4	23	2	1	24	3	22	5	20	7	18	9
17	10	15	12	13	14	11	16	9	18	7	20	5	22	3	24	1	2	23	4	21	6	19	8
18	9	16	11	14	13	12	15	10	17	8	19	6	21	4	23	2	1	24	3	22	5	20	7
19	8	17	10	15	12	13	14	11	16	9	18	7	20	5	22	3	24	1	2	23	4	21	6
20	7	18	9	16	11	14	13	12	15	10	17	8	19	6	21	4	23	2	1	24	3	22	5
21	6	19	8	17	10	15	12	13	14	11	16	9	18	7	20	5	22	3	24	1	2	23	4
22	5	20	7	18	9	16	11	14	13	12	15	10	17	8	19	6	21	4	23	2	1	24	3
23	4	21	6	19	8	17	10	15	12	13	14	11	16	9	18	7	20	5	22	3	24	1	2
24	3	22	5	20	7	18	9	16	11	14	13	12	15	10	17	8	19	6	21	4	23	2	1

Snake, version 2. Your team drafts on a schedule similar to others in your division. We could even randomize the orders that each of the 6 divisions appear on the spreadsheet. Someone always goes first and last, but this one means your division competitors had a similar experience. I could do this using the 4 divisions from 1969 as well, but WIS had different wild card numbers that way, I think.

AL East	1	4	3	2	17	20	19	18	9	12	11	10	21	24	23	22	13	16	15	14	5	8	7	6
AL East	2	3	4	1	18	19	20	17	10	11	12	9	22	23	24	21	14	15	16	13	6	7	8	5
AL East	3	2	1	4	19	18	17	20	11	10	9	12	23	22	21	24	15	14	13	16	7	6	5	8
AL East	4	1	2	3	20	17	18	19	12	9	10	11	24	21	22	23	16	13	14	15	8	5	6	7
AL Central	5	8	7	6	21	24	23	22	13	16	15	14	17	20	19	18	9	12	11	10	1	4	3	2
AL Central	6	7	8	5	22	23	24	21	14	15	16	13	18	19	20	17	10	11	12	9	2	3	4	1
AL Central	7	6	5	8	23	22	21	24	15	14	13	16	19	18	17	20	11	10	9	12	3	2	1	4
AL Central	8	5	6	7	24	21	22	23	16	13	14	15	20	17	18	19	12	9	10	11	4	1	2	3
AL West	9	12	11	10	1	4	3	2	17	20	19	18	13	16	15	14	5	8	7	6	21	24	23	22
AL West	10	11	12	9	2	3	4	1	18	19	20	17	14	15	16	13	6	7	8	5	22	23	24	21
AL West	11	10	9	12	3	2	1	4	19	18	17	20	15	14	13	16	7	6	5	8	23	22	21	24
AL West	12	9	10	11	4	1	2	3	20	17	18	19	16	13	14	15	8	5	6	7	24	21	22	23
NL East	13	16	15	14	5	8	7	6	21	24	23	22	9	12	11	10	1	4	3	2	17	20	19	18
NL East	14	15	16	13	6	7	8	5	22	23	24	21	10	11	12	9	2	3	4	1	18	19	20	17
NL East	15	14	13	16	7	6	5	8	23	22	21	24	11	10	9	12	3	2	1	4	19	18	17	20
NL East	16	13	14	15	8	5	6	7	24	21	22	23	12	9	10	11	4	1	2	3	20	17	18	19
NL Central	17	20	19	18	9	12	11	10	1	4	3	2	5	8	7	6	21	24	23	22	13	16	15	14
NL Central	18	19	20	17	10	11	12	9	2	3	4	1	6	7	8	5	22	23	24	21	14	15	16	13
NL Central	19	18	17	20	11	10	9	12	3	2	1	4	7	6	5	8	23	22	21	24	15	14	13	16
NL Central	20	17	18	19	12	9	10	11	4	1	2	3	8	5	6	7	24	21	22	23	16	13	14	15
NL West	21	24	23	22	13	16	15	14	5	8	7	6	1	4	3	2	17	20	19	18	9	12	11	10
NL West	22	23	24	21	14	15	16	13	6	7	8	5	2	3	4	1	18	19	20	17	10	11	12	9
NL West	23	22	21	24	15	14	13	16	7	6	5	8	3	2	1	4	19	18	17	20	11	10	9	12
NL West	24	21	22	23	16	13	14	15	8	5	6	7	4	1	2	3	20	17	18	19	12	9	10	11

Hopefully, I have no copy-paste errors in making these. Each row adds up to 300, so I think they are correct.

Here's my draft recap! Overall it was a blast. Thanks again for running it, Husker.

As this was my first draft, I approached it with a general strategy of drafting for value and effectiveness early on, letting that guide my team composition. I had a few ballpark options, including the Astrodome, but didn’t commit to a direction until I saw how my roster was shaping up. I was fairly locked into selecting two starting pitchers with my Astros picks, which influenced my choices leading up to that point.

Round 1 - Mets (16th Pick): Howard Johnson (SS/3B, 1989)
I’ve had a lot of success with ‘89 HoJo, and given the 16th pick, getting a high-impact offensive shortstop felt like a strong move. The D- range at SS is a sacrifice, but his .500+ SLG and versatility made it worth it. His high salary reduced flexibility a bit, but I felt comfortable locking in a strong bat early.

Round 2 - Pirates (17th Pick): Mike Gonzalez (RP, 2004)
Not seeing an SP I loved, I pivoted to a high-impact bullpen arm, grabbing Gonzalez. His elite left-handed relief seemed like a valuable piece, especially with lefties sometimes harder to come by later in the draft.

Round 3 - Cardinals (18th Pick): José Oquendo (UTL, 1988)
With quality players like Yadi and Rolen still available, I opted for ultimate flexibility instead. Oquendo can cover almost every position, doesn’t give up many outs, and allows me to adjust for matchups. How his bat performs in a $120M league is a question mark, but his versatility is undeniable.

Round 4 - Guardians (19th Pick): Cliff Lee (SP, 2008)
This was probably my least favorite pick. I wasn’t sure where to go, and while Lee had a couple of usable seasons, he felt more like a depth piece than an ace. His first start (10.38 ERA) has me concerned, but time will tell.

Round 5 - Royals (20th Pick): Whit Merrifield (2B, 2021)
I was happy to see Merrifield still available. Initially, I planned to use his 2017 season, but cap constraints led me to his 2021 season. While I worry about his bat in a $120M league, he gives 720 PAs, elite 2B defense, and speed for under $4M, making him a solid value pick (I think).

Round 6 - Tigers (21st Pick): Dave Rozema (RP, 1977)
At this stage, I expected to fill out my bullpen, and Rozema gave me a high-quality reliever without breaking the bank.

Round 7 - White Sox (22nd Pick): Aaron Bummer (RP, 2020)
Another bullpen piece. I’ve had success with Bummer’s 2020 season, and though it’s only 25 IP, I figured I could make up the innings elsewhere (which I’m not entirely sure I did).

Round 8 - Phillies (23rd Pick): Ron Reed (RP, 1979)
With Zach Wheeler and John Kruk sniped right before me, I pivoted to a long reliever/spot starter. Reed’s 120 IP ended up being crucial, as my rotation’s innings total was a bit thin.

Round 9 - Padres (24th Pick): Clay Hensley (RP, 2006)
A quality bullpen arm was an easy choice with the last pick of the round.

Round 10 - Astros (1st Pick): Justin Verlander (SP, 2022) & Roger Clemens (SP, 2005)
I knew I wanted an elite 175 IP from 2022 Verlander, so my second pick was about balance. I considered Mike Scott but opted for 2005 Clemens, valuing his control (low BB totals) given my team’s questionable defense. These two solidified my rotation.

Round 11 - Angels (2nd Pick): Vladimir Guerrero (OF/DH, 2004)
Ohtani and Trout were long gone. Bobby Grich was a consideration, but that would’ve moved Merrifield to OF, weakening my lineup. I took Vlad for his strong bat, planning to slot him at DH.

Round 12 - Reds (3rd Pick): George Foster (OF, 1977)
I had options like Seaver, Bench, Votto, and Morgan but prioritized offense. Foster’s near .500 SLG and CF eligibility made him the pick.

Round 13 - Athletics (4th Pick): Mark McGwire (1B, 1996)
McGwire’s 1996 season gave me another power bat, though with lower PAs. Oquendo’s flexibility helped mitigate that concern.

Round 14 - Braves (5th Pick): Ronald Acuña Jr. (OF, 2023)
With Chipper gone, I debated Hank Aaron but ultimately went with Acuña’s 2023 MVP season. His power/speed combo made him an elite leadoff option.

Round 15 - Cubs (6th Pick): Sammy Sosa (OF, 2001)
I needed an SP, but my short list (Arrieta, Maddux, Darvish, Hendricks) was gone before I had the chance. I considered Sutter but instead finished my OF with Sosa, locking Vlad into DH.

Round 16 - Twins (7th Pick): Johan Santana (SP, 2004)
With concerns about my rotation, I was happy to land Santana, giving me another 200+ IP ace.

Round 17 - Red Sox (8th Pick): Carlton Fisk (C, 1977)
I assumed the big names (Pedro, Nomar, Yaz, Boggs) wouldn’t make it to me, and I wasn’t sure I had the cap space anyway. Fisk filled my starting catcher spot.

Round 18 - Orioles (9th Pick): Manny Machado (3B, 2018)
I needed a 3B, and with limited options beyond the Orioles, I locked in Machado. Due to cap constraints, I couldn’t use one of his best seasons, but he brought good PAs and elite defense.

Round 19 - Yankees (10th Pick): Gary Sánchez (C, 2016)
A-Rod nearly fell to me, which would’ve made my Machado pick feel worse, but he got taken right before me. I took Sánchez as my backup catcher, hoping his bat plays well.

Round 20 - Giants (11th Pick): Rod Beck (RP, 1993)
Back to relievers, I grabbed a reliable arm in Beck. He’s well-known in the game and should provide solid innings.

Round 21 - Brewers/Pilots (12th pick): Brandon Kintzler (RP, 2013)

I had several options lined up here, including some who were taken before (Fiers, Lauer) and after (Goossen, Donaldson) my pick. Ultimately, I chose Kintzler for his 77 IP and solid peripherals.

Round 22 - Rangers/Senators (13th pick): Joe Grzenda (RP, 1971)

At this stage, I needed to boost my innings total, so I selected Joe Grzenda, a 70+ IP reliever who fits well in a middle relief/setup role. While he may not be remarkable, he won't hurt me either. I had Matlack and Smolinski in mind before him, but they were taken before it got to me.

Round 23 - Dodgers (14th pick): Ryan Brasier (RP, 2024)

Gonsolin would have been my preferred pick, but I didn’t have the budget to secure him. Instead, I opted for Ryan Brasier’s 2024 season at under $800K, which offered great peripherals, though the results remain uncertain. In hindsight, I should have focused on acquiring more innings here, but I didn't find many appealing options.

Round 24 - Nats/Expos (15th pick): Ryan Zimmerman (3B, 2005)

With my pitching slots filled, I turned to a pinch-hitting option and selected Ryan Zimmerman. Though he has limited plate appearances, his bat could be crucial in high-leverage situations. This pick wrapped up my draft.

Summary:

Looking back, there are a few decisions I might have made differently. While I don’t believe this team will struggle terribly, my underinvestment in pitching may prove costly in both quantity and quality. I strongly considered setting the team in the Astrodome to compensate for my innings total falling just short of 1400, but I ultimately decided against stifling my offense in a pitcher-friendly park. My expectation is a near-.500 record with many high-scoring games, both won and lost.

Here is a short survey on next version of this league. https://forms.gle/WJYG2L27R1KkXNDy9

Here is a recap of my roster:

Position Players
C: '07 Victor Martinez 645 pa, .301, .374, .505, A/A/B
1B: '84 Eddie Murray 705 pa, .306, .410, 509, B/A+
2B: '96 Chuck Knoblauch 701 pa, .341, .448, .517, A-/D+
3B: '73 Carl Yastrzemski 652 pa, .296, .407, .463, D/A+
SS: '06 Carlos Guillen, 622 pa, .320, .400, .519, C/B
LF: '06 Carlos Beltran 617 pa, .275, .388, .594, A/A+
CF: '03 Carlos Beltran 602 pa, .307, .389, .522, B/A+
RF: '85 Dave Parker 699 pa, .312, .365, .551, C/C+
DH: '90 Eddie Murray 645 pa, .330, .414, .520

Backups
C: '08 Mike Rivera 69 pa, .306, .377, .435
OF: '11 Carlos Beltran 179 pa, .323, .369, .551
DH: '20 Andrew Stevenson 127 pa, .366, .447, .732

Total Offense: 6263 pa, .311, .399, .524

Pitching Staff
SP: '92 Greg Maddux 268 ip, .210 oav, 1.01 whip, 2.3 bb/9, 0.24 hr/9, 2.16 erc#
SP: '03 Tim Hudson 240 ip, .223 oav, 1.08 whip, 2.3 bb/9, 0.56 hr/9, 2.29 erc#
SP: '81 Don Sutton 234 ip, .230 oav, 1.01 whip, 1.7 bb/9, 0.34 hr/9, 2.20 erc#
SP: '15 Jake Arrieta 229 ip, .185 oav, 0.86 whip, 1.9 bb/9, 0.39 hr/9, 1.54 erc#
SP5: '85 Rick Reuschel 196 ip, .215 oav, 1.06 whip, 2.4 bb/9, 0.24 hr/9, 2.21 erc#

RP: '91 Mark Eichhorn 82 ip, .219 oav, 0.93 whip, 1.4 bb/9, 0.22 hr/9, 1.70 erc#
RP: '81 Andy Rincon 57 ip, .214 oav, 0.90 whip, 1.3 bb/9, 0.00 hr/9, 1.75 erc#
RP: '81 John Butcher 43 ip, .186 oav, 0.94 whip, 2.6 bb/9, 0.00 hr/9, 1.50 erc#
RP: '80 Marty Bystrom 36 ip, .195 oav, 0.97 whip, 2.3 bb/9, 0.25 hr/9, 1.78 erc#
RP: '21 Clay Holmes 28 ip, .184 oav, 0.79 whip, 1.3 bb/9, 0.64 hr/9, 1.36 erc#
RP: '22 Raisel Iglesius 26 ip, .185 oav, 0.84 whip, 1.7 bb/9, 0.00 hr/9, 1.33 erc#
RP: '06 Mike MacDougald 25 ip, .213 oav, 1.00 whip, 2.2 bb/9, 0.36 hr/9, 1.90 erc#
CL: '20 Trevor Rosenthal 27 ip, .091 oav, 0.40 whip, 0.9 bb/9, 0.00 hr/9, 0.28 erc#

Total Pitching: 1491 innings, .209 oav, 0.98 whip, 2.0 bb/9, 0.33 hr/9

Possible suggestions for the next version.

Instead of each round consisting of drafting from one franchise, each round would be based on our draft pick number. So in round 1, everybody selects their first two players from their designated franchise. Round2, everybody selects their third player (i.e., pick #2 from whichever franchise they draw as #2), etc. This way, everybody can pick their "better players" early, and save the backups and secondary RPs for the later rounds. If I have 7th pick in the Dodgers franchise, I know I will get to pick my Dodgers player early (round 6), and not in round 22.

The nice thing about doing it this way is that there is no waiting. One round per day. You don't have to wait for the person in front of you.... We could literally have all 24 round 2 players posted in a few hours. You could even set it up for 2 rounds per day (12:01 am through noon is round 1. 12:01 pm through midnight is round 2, etc....)

Other tweaks you could make to keep things fresh...
Varying salary caps
Vary the eligible seasons
DH vs. no DH
Clones vs no clones
Have an initial draft, where we each get to choose our franchise (those picking later can at least avoid being in divisions w/certain owners)

Reminder that the next version is hoping to draft soon!

https://www.whatifsports.com/forums/Posts.aspx?topicID=545931