Yes, this is true. I think marlowe picked a bit early b/c he figured batandball wouldn't take Mattingly (diff. era). Of course, had somebody else wanted Mattingly, he could have orchestrated a quick trade to move up and batandball would have had to re-pick.
Keep in mind that if you pick early (i.e. sombody was skipped), your pick is not a LOCK until your time slot arrives or until the skipped owner(s) make a selection, wihchever comes first.
So pick early at your own risk.