I will start things off.
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Although I was mostly happy with how things turned out with my version 1 roster, I vowed that I would not draft an overpriced stud which would result in me drafting at the bottom of each round. The overall quality of the Federal League players is lower than the Expansion players, so it’s even more important to get a high pick (top 6 or so) in the round 25 draft. Also, all the small advantages of picking in the top half every single round adds up.
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Another thing I realized during the version 1 draft is that it isn’t necessarily an advantage to pick good players from crappy franchises early if it means passing up studs on strong franchises. Sure, your overall depth might be better, but at the expense of higher-quality studs. Instead of Frank Tanana and Randy Jones as my two SP1’s, maybe I should have instead taken a stud SP1 and then got stuck with a crappy SP1 later. Also, during the end-game, you have fewer options left. When I took Frank Tanana early, I no longer had all those crappy Angels available which made it more likely I would need a default player. In version 1.5, I am working backwards… deciding from the onset which franchises I am going to blow off. If it works out, I will have enough choices at my third OF and at RPs. Teams I am actively looking to avoid picking players early from are Dodgers, Braves, Browns, Reds. Franchises I am looking to draft studs early from include Yankees, Cardinals, Red Sox.
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Round 1.01
1909 Mordecai Brown, Cubs (SP1)
I don’t think I can remember ever getting the top overall pick in a random draw. In this format, I would have been happy with a top 7 or 8 pick. I was definitely taking a dead-ball SP here. In trying to keep my overall salary down, I knew I wasn’t going to take a super-expensive stud like Pete Alexander or Ed Walsh. I chose Mordecai Brown because he was the cheapest of the studs (slightly cheaper than Mathewson). With all the high-priced players surely to get picked in round 1, Brown’s salary should keep me drafting in the 8-10 range for round 2. Also, Brown has lots of innings and a very low HR rate. And it crosses off the Cubs, who weren’t very good during most of this era.
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Round 2.10
1919 Babe Ruth, Red Sox (OF)
I was certain that I was going to take a strong SP2 here. I probably would have taken Carl Hubbell, but he went two picks before me. I was deciding between Cy Blanton, Warren Spahn, Garland Braxton, Hal Newhouser, Spud Chandler, Harry Brecheen and Lefty Grove. All are excellent choices, but I wanted to keep my salary low enough to draft high in round 3. Braxton and Brecheen were the cheapest of these pitchers. I took a quick glance at the hitters and considered both ’36 Appling and ’19 Ruth. Either hitter would keep me drafting in the top 6 in round 3. Appling doesn’t normalize well, while this Ruth normalizes very well. Again, trying to pick a player whose value exceeds his salary and ’19 Ruth definitely is that player. Through two rounds, my “salary above average” would give me the 2nd overall pick to start Phase 2. So far, so good. I’m really hoping to get one of those aforementioned SP2’s in round 3.
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Round 3.06
1948 Harry Brecheen, Cardinals (SP2)
Going cheap with '19 Ruth moved me up to pick #6. Luke Appling went right in front of me, so that eliminated him as a tempting choice. I strongly considered knocking off the Browns here, with stud hitter Ken Williams, but I need to get more pitching. Warren Spahn and Cy Blanton got selected, but all the other guys I considered last round are still on the board. I’d love to somehow get two of them, which means I must pick one of them now. The Cardinals are getting thin on talent so that was the deciding factor. By the way, Mickey Mantle’s stud season is still on the board… I had to keep telling myself… don’t pick Mantle, don’t pick Mantle, don’t pick Mantle. I need to keep my draft position. Not sure I can pass on him again, if he makes it to me in round 4. Please, somebody else take him. EDIT: Footballmm11 takes him one pick later.
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Round 4.06
1928 Garland Braxton, Senators (SP2)
Keeping my salary low has paid off. I’m still sitting at pick #6. I was all set to take Spud Chandler here and hope Joe Cronin would get back to me. But then njbigwig drafted Cronin. Instead, I pivoted to Garland Braxton, since there really aren’t many available Senators that I want to roster, while there are lots of decent Yankees still available. I have three solid SPs now (M.Brown, Brecheen, Braxton) with a total of 839 innings. I need to address the offense now. 2B and SS are among the priorities. Both Giants middle infielders are still available (Frisch & Bancroft) but ronthegenius may take Bancroft and his A+ range soon. He may also take Hal Newhouser and try to get three solid SP2’s (to compensate for missing out on a stud SP1). I considered Bancroft here, but I will fine if Frisch falls. I can only take one Giant anyway and they still have studs Willie Mays and Jim Hearn left if I miss both infielders. I am still trying to figure out the best time to grab Browns OF, Ken Williams. Still too many great OFs left.
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Round 5.05
1943 Spud Chandler, Yankees (SP2)
Moved up to pick 5. I am stunned, just stunned that Spud Chandler made it back to me. I was all set to take Dave Bancroft here, but he’s just not a difference maker on offense. Chandler is a difference maker. I now have over 1100 really good innings with my four starting pitchers. I expect Braxton to pitch a lot in relief since his IP/G is below 6. This allows me to wait even longer on RP. This also means that I am going to be targeting Benny Kauff in the Federal League draft since I won’t need a SP. This allows me to wait on my last OF (or draft an OF that I can move to 1B and wait on 1B). My next three picks need to be 2B, SS and either 1B or 3B.
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Round 6.05
1923 Frankie Frisch, Giants (2B)
I was very relieved that Al Rosen went after my last pick in round 5, as I would have been too tempted to take him and kill my salary & early draft position. There was a run on 2B this round, and I was running out of good options, so I decided on taking Frankie Frisch over SS Dave Bancroft. I hate being the first to take a Giants hitter, as lots of good Giants are still left (including Willie Mays). The shortstops left are pretty weak, so I may try to wait a round or two before grabbing mine. I think I will be grabbing my 1B or 3B next round, although Ken Williams will be tough to pass up again if still there. Let’s see how the next round goes.
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Round 7.07
1954 Duke Snider, Dodgers (OF)
I was finally going to pull the trigger on Ken Williams, but ronthegenous grabbed him a few picks before me. I was somewhat relieved, because taking him would have increased my chances of getting stuck somewhere since all the other crappy Browns players are still available. I should really start to fill 1B, 3B and SS now as my offense is pretty weak (duh - that's what happens when you grab 4 pitchers in the first six rounds). So, I decided to gamble that I can still fill those three infield positions legally with my next three picks. Both Reiser and Wheat went, but the Dodgers’ best OF was still on the board. I know this pick costs me a shot at Pee Wee Reese and will really tighten the screws on my 1B, 3B, SS options, but I just can’t stomach losing a bunch of 3-2 and 2-1 games. Snider will end up being my most expensive hitter. This is a big risk.
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Round 8.09
1933 Billy Rogell, Tigers (SS)
Buyer’s remorse… I immediately regret taking Snider. A bunch of 1B, 3B and SS get taken. I had actually considered taking Dolph Camilli last round, and he went a few picks after me, then Kluszewski went. Dick Bartell went. Crap. Now, I really need to do same game theory analysis and figure out the right order to make these next three picks. There is a realistic chance I will get stuck b/c I got greedy with Snider. I noticed that ronthegenius only had Rogell and Hemus left, which means if I took Rogell now, he would be forced to take Hemus and that might start a SS run. I also knew that if I didn’t take Hal Trosky at 1B, I would likely end up with 1B Bonura or Tenney or possibly even get stuck depending on who calhoop and fatguyrd take at 1B. My long-term strategy was to grab a third OF late who also can play 1B, so I can blow off 1B and draft Benny Kauff in round 25. The third OF that I am focusing on is either Baby Doll Jacobson or Ed Roush (both play 1B). Holding my breath for the next two rounds.
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Round 9.07
1938 Harlond Clift, Browns (3B)
And here came the run on 1B. Trosky, Vernon and Chance all went. But I got a huge break when calhoop took Frank Chance (I couldn’t take). That left Gil Hodges for fatguyrd and Zeke Bonura and Fred Tenney for me and njbigwig. Tenney is the worst 1B available (offensively and defensively), so I am assuming njbigwig will take Bonura over Tenney. Regardless, there is no hurry on this position. I had to take my 3B now and Clift was the best available and the logical choice given my franchise needs. Note that had I taken Ken Williams, Harlond would not have been available to me, and I'd be squeezed even more.
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Round 10.07
1955 Smoky Burgess, Phillies (C)
Although there were still a number of catchers left, only a couple of catchers were available to me so I was happy to get draft Burgess here. He was the best offensive catcher left and he played for a franchise that didn’t have anything else I wanted or needed. I also considered Ed Roush, but I just couldn't afford to get defaulted at catcher. Looking ahead, I am hoping Roush gets past mpitt76 (he has only 3 OFs left that he could take). EDIT: mpitt76 probably should have taken an OF here, as he ended up getting defaulted at OF.
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Round 11.04
1920 Ed Roush, Reds (OF)
The low salary of Smokey moved me up to pick #4 (which was key because it bumped me ahead of njbigwig, who also needs a Reds player and a third OF). I woke up Saturday morning to see that mpitt76 grabbed his catcher (Del Crandall), so Roush was now mine. He will almost certainly play 1B for me, after I draft Benny Kauff in round 25. In retrospect, I maybe could have drafted Bancroft at SS instead of Frisch, taken a better quality 1B, blown off starting 2B, then grabbed Roush and played him at 2B. Roush isn’t exactly an offensive stud when compared to other firsbasemen, but he should provide 25+ plays at the position with his A+++ range.
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Round 12.07
1960 Gerry Staley, White Sox (RP1)
This is the point during the draft where I come to the realization that my relief pitching is going to suck. Not a surprise considering I blew off RP till now. It’s really hard trying to avoid defaults and still getting a strong roster all the way through. I would love to take RP2’s Harshman or Wolfgang here, but based on my analysis of what’s left, taking a RP2 over a RP1 at this point significantly increases my chances of getting defaulted at RP1. I expect Deacon Phillippe to go next round. As it stands now, I will probably get stuck with a crappy Athletics RP2 and a crappy Pirates RP2, since those guys are at the bottom of the RP2 rankings. I’m hoping RP1 Don Mossi, makes it back to me in the next round.
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Round 13.05
1954 Don Mossi, Indians (RP1)
Of course, Deacon Phillippe is still on the board, so I could have gambled last round and taken Wolfgang instead of Staley and grabbed Phillippe this round. Oh well. I’d love to take Harshman here instead of Mossi, but if Phillippe gets taken, I am defaulted at RP1. I still have to sweat the fact that both Pirates’ RP2s could go before my next pick. Mossi will be the best RP of the four that I draft in phase 1. Here come those 4-run blown 9th inning leads.
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Round 14.05
1960 Roy Face, Pirates (RP2)
Damn it. Deacon Phillippe is STILL on the board. I could have had both Harshman and Phillipe instead of Mossi and Face (both major downgrades). Oh well, this pick guarantees that I won’t get defaulted. I will need to address RP during Phase 2. Luckily I will get a high pick. Face's whip is ok, but he's HR prone and will probably only pitch in a mop-up role.
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Round 15.06
1927 Jing Johnson, Athletics (RP2)
When this draft started, I was planning on waiting on the A’s till the very end. I assumed their two RP2’s wouldn’t be highly sought after, and I was right. I think the key to avoiding defaults is working backwards and continually monitoring the bottom end of each franchise.
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Round 16
1902 Fred Tenney, Braves (1B)
Tenney was the worst 1B in the draft (i.e., almost 50 OPS# points worse than 2nd worst 1B). After some site-mail exchanges with njbigwig, I was pretty sure he was taking Zeke Bonura. I doubt Tenney will get any 1B starts as I plan on moving Ed Roush to 1B and hope to be drafting Benny Kauff in the Federal League draft. I do need to get some better RPs in the Phase 2 draft.
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Round 17.03
1918 Art Nehf, Giants (P)
Since I had the third lowest salary (w/ no defaults), I was picking 3rd. I assumed Toney and Nehf would go 1-2, so I would have a choice of Wyatt, Steele or if I wanted to go cheap, Niggeling. I was a little surprised Niggeling went at pick 1, but I guess midknight really wants Claude Hendrix in the Federal League draft. With Doak & Shocker as two of his SPs, I don’t blame him. I was happy to get Nehf’s 119 innings and his salary savings over rmarsh915’s Fred Toney selection moves me closer to #2 overall.
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Round 18.03
1942 Johnny Rigney, White Sox (P)
I knew I was taking another RP here (since my Phase 1 RPs kind of suck). I was hoping Nick Maddox would slip to me, but he went at the end of round 1. My choices were between Red Ruffing, Dizzy Dean and Johnny Rigney. I like Ruffing the best, but I have my eye on another Yankee, so I was all set to take Dizzy Dean, but then rmarsh915 took Jack Quinn from the White Sox, and I pivoted to the last White Sox pitcher, Johnny Rigney. He’s a bit cheaper than Dizzy and I like some of the remaining Cubs hitters better than the remaining White Sox hitters.
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Round 19.03
1945 Charlie Keller, Yankees (Bench)
I really need to grab my backup catcher - I have my eye on Roger Bresnahan (Cardinals) or Walker Cooper (Cubs). But there are still 8 catchers that I can draft, so I think I am safe to wait another round. After Elmer Valo got picked right in front of me, I was certain Charlie Keller would get taken this round, so I have to consider grabbing him now. The combination of Keller's offense and defense (plus he’s a lefty bat) makes him a great choice. Also, my ’19 Ruth is a bit short on PAs, so Keller is more than just a pinch hitter and defensive replacement – he’s going to start some games. The other key is that Keller's salary is low enough to move me ahead of rmarsh915 for the next round so if there is a catcher run, at least I'm ahead of him, in case it gets close. I absolutely will be taking a catcher next round. I can’t afford to default and lose out on Benny Kauff.
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Round 20.02
1913 Wally Shang, Athletics (C2)
Well, the catcher run happened… seven catchers went off the board after I picked Keller. I missed Cooper and Bresnahan. Only two options left to me (Wally Shang or Frank Gibson). Since Wally Schang was my third choice, that’s who I selected. In retrospect, I may have been able to wait a round on Charlie Keller. I could’ve stuck rmarsh915 with a default at catcher (had I taken Gibson instead), but maybe it will be good karma for me to play nice.
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Round 21.02
1908 Earl Moore, Philles (P)
Still picking second, I need to keep my salary down. A great pinch-hitter would be nice here, but I don’t want to get stuck with a $4-5 million third “other pitcher” to ruin my draft order in the Federal League draft, so I am going with a low-inning guy here. Jack Powell ($853K) was grabbed 3 spots in front of me. I am going to close out the Phillies pitching with $697K Earl Moore. One of the factors I used in making picks during Phase 2 is to draft a player from a franchise with the fewest players left. This means I am leaving myself many franchises with 3-4 bench hitters left. The expected pitcher run happened after this pick, so I’m glad I didn’t wait on my third "Other Pitcher".
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Round 22.02
1960 Dick Schofield, Pirates (Bench)
I would love to have taken a great pinch hitter here, but rmarsh915 is lurking right behind me in the draft order and I’m not sure if he has his eye on Benny Kauff or one of the top starting pitchers (maybe I should have defaulted him after all). Anyway, I can’t risk it by spending $2.5M on Donlin. I considered the Braves’ Tex McDonald and Zeb Terry but Schofield was $500K cheaper and maybe one of the Braves will make it back to me. Schofield does cover my infield and has the ability to get on base (434 obp#).
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Round 23.02
1931 Taylor Douthit, Cardinals (bench)
McDonald and Terry got taken, which wasn’t a surprise. At this point in the draft, I don't really need anything, but will try to grab the best players available, without hurting my draft position. At $763K, Frank Kellert is the cheapest “good hitter” left, but the Dodgers also have the $399K Cullenbine sitting there. I’m $2M ahead of rmarsh915 in lower salary, so have to grab a player that is cheaper than $1.6M to stay in control of my draft spot. Douthit is $1.5M, is a decent hitter and can also field, so easy choice. I still have lots of players to pick from with my last pick, so no worries about getting defaulted.
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Round 24.02
1939 Chet Laabs, Browns (bench)
rmarsh915 drafted a $1.8M player last round while Chisock grabbed the cheap Cullenbine, so now I have a $2.3M salary buffer, so I can draft almost anybody that is $3M or below. My choices here were pinch-hitters Chet Laabs, Heinie Manush or a defensive replacement (at 3B), John Kroner. Harlond Clift isn’t a terrible fielder at 3B so I went with Laabs. He might hit a couple of pinch-hit HRs. I've already discussed the Federal League draft with midknight and he is selecting Claude Hendrix, so Benny Kauff will be mine.
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Round 25.02
1914 Benny Kauff
Well, it wasn’t easy, but keeping my focus on the endgame paid off. It was really had to pass on studs like Mickey Mantle ($18M) in the third round and Al Rosen ($12M) in the fifth round in order to keep drafting near the top. It was right after my round 5 pick (Spud Chandler) that I determined I would be targeting Benny Kauff in the Federal League draft. There’s obviously a lot of luck involved, since a lot depends on what others do. Example: What if rmarsh915 had taken Art Nehf instead of Fred Toney in round 17? I would have taken Toney for sure. That salary difference would have certainly meant me dropping a few spots in the Phase 2 draft and probably out of the running for Kauff (unless the top 4-5 teams all take pitching). I will be keeping my eye on footballmm11’s team. He’s the guy who drafted Mantle and Rosen and chose talent over default-avoidance and as a result, he was usually picking last once Phase 2 began. Of course, nobody cares about or remembers the draft order once the season begins and he does have Mantle and Rosen for 162 games.
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Franchise	.	Pos	.	Player	.	Bats	.	PA162	.	HR	.	AVG#	.	OBP#	.	SLG#	.	OPS#	.	Def
Phillies		C		1955 Smoky Burgess		L		528		21		0.303		0.369		0.483		0.852		B-/C/C-
Reds		1B		1920 Edd Roush		L		689		4		0.334		0.390		0.466		0.856		B/A+
Giants		2B		1923 Frankie Frisch		S		744		12		0.335		0.388		0.479		0.866		B/B
Browns		3B		1938 Harlond Clift		R		702		34		0.281		0.407		0.537		0.945		B+/C
Tigers		SS		1933 Billy Rogell		S		711		0		0.289		0.374		0.400		0.774		C/A-
Red Sox		OF		1919 Babe Ruth		L		641		29		0.319		0.454		0.669		1.123		A/C-
Dodgers		OF		1954 Duke Snider		L		715		40		0.339		0.420		0.635		1.055		B/B
Fed Leag		OF		1914 Benny Kauff		L		707		8		0.369		0.448		0.549		0.996		C-/B+
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Athletics		C		1913 Wally Schang		S		267		3		0.269		0.394		0.440		0.834		C-/B+/A-
Yankees		OF		1945 Charlie Keller		L		207		10		0.304		0.414		0.596		1.010		A+/A-
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Braves		PH		1902 Fred Tenney		L		705		2		0.317		0.418		0.409		0.827		C/C-
Cardinals		PH/Def		1931 Taylor Douthit		R		157		1		0.323		0.383		0.464		0.847		B/A
Browns		PH		1939 Chet Laabs		R		375		10		0.291		0.356		0.476		0.831		C/B
Pirates		PH		1960 Dick Schofield		S		128		0		0.338		0.434		0.389		0.823		C-/C
				Weighted Average								0.320		0.407		0.527		0.934
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Franchise	.	Pos	.	Player	.	Thr	.	IP162	.	ERC#	.	OAV#	.	WHIP#	.	HR9#	.	BB9#	.	K9#
Cubs		SP		1909 Mordecai Brown		R		363		1.74		0.212		0.94		0.05		1.5		5.2
Yankees		SP		1943 Spud Chandler		R		267		2.03		0.221		1.01		0.23		1.8		5.5
Cardinals		SP		1948 Harry Brecheen		L		246		2.01		0.222		1.02		0.22		1.8		6.6
Senators		SP/RP		1928 Garland Braxton		L		230		2.01		0.216		0.98		0.37		1.8		4.7
Indians		RP		1954 Don Mossi		L		98		1.89		0.179		1.01		0.48		3.5		5.7
White Sox		RP		1960 Gerry Staley		R		122		2.24		0.231		1.03		0.53		1.8		4.0
Pirates		Mop		1960 Roy Face		R		121		2.50		0.230		1.08		0.76		2.3		5.1
Athletics		Mop		1927 Jing Johnson		R		55		2.66		0.222		1.08		0.46		2.8		3.2
Giants		RP		1919 Art Nehf		L		119		1.74		0.198		0.94		0.29		2.0		2.3
White Sox		RP		1942 Johnny Rigney		R		65		1.70		0.188		0.94		0.37		2.3		6.4
Phillies		Mop		1908 Earl Moore		R		28		2.82		0.233		1.18		0.00		3.1		7.0
				Weighted Average						2.02		0.211		1.01		0.28		2.2		5.3

They say there's a song for everything so, with a little bit of imagination each decision/pick gets a song.
To begin...... Why did I commit to play in another schwarze draft league? = "Too Much Fun" by Daryle Singletary
I decided not to use the same strategy that I used in the first version and threw caution to the wind.

Round 1.4 - 1913 Walter Johnson (Senators) = Last Train to Clarksville" by The Monkees
At pick #4 I knew I wanted to take 1 of 4 pitchers, Walsh, Johnson, Alexander or Joss. Simply decided on Johnson since Walsh went at #2 and the Big Train was a bit cheaper than Pete and Addie.

Round 2.14 - 1953 Warren Spahn (Braves) = "I Got You/I Feel Good" by James Brown
With the salary of Johnson I knew I'd be thrown towards the end of round 2 and at pick 14 I wanted to get another starting pitcher. Was hoping Hubbell would fall to me but he was gobbled up by Chisock at pick 8. I consider Spahn a drop-off from Hubbell, even though his OAV is less he walks more and his HR/9 rate is higher as well. He should slot in nicely at the #2 rotation spot.

Round 3.11 - 1951 Eddie Joost (A's) = "Help Me Rhonda" by the Beach Boys
I was open to taking just about any hitter here and may have made a mistake taking Joost at this point. The 4 Shortstops that I had ranked at the top went in round 2 and earlier in round 3 so I bit the bullet and took the #5 guy on my list. Joost has a lower BA than I'd like but still has an OBP over .400 and was the best defensive SS left with that high of an OBP.

Round 4.10 - 1912 Tris Speaker (Red Sox) = "Baby I'm-a Want You" by Bread
A good pick in round 4 with a BA of .393, OBP at .464 and A+ range.

Round 5.13 - 1958 Whitey Ford (Yankees) = "Feelin Stronger Every Day" by Chicago
I considered Ford a very similar pick to Spahn who I took at #2. With a few less IP/162 than I wanted. I couldn't pass up shoring up the 3rd spot in my rotation here. Now I didn't need much if anything for my #4 pitcher and could concentrate on the rest of my lineup.

Round 6.10 - 1938 Hank Greenberg (Tigers) = "T N T" by AC/DC
Best slugging 1st baseman left at this point. Easy decision to make.

Round 7.11 - 1939 Lonny Frey (Reds) = "Flirtin With Disaster" by Molly Hatchet
Frey doesn't bring much to the table offensively but by this point in the draft 2nd base was picked over pretty hard. What is it with these drafts where 2B is such a magnet. Frey has A+ range so there's that. I seriously considered taking Reds catcher Lombardi instead with this pick.

Round 8.10 - 1920 Steve O'Neill (Indians) = "We Got to Get Out of This Place" by The Animals
At this point in the draft I really wanted to try to work my way up in the draft order. I felt drafting in the bottom half each round was hurting the quality of players I was now left to pick from. As the draft progressed I kept adjusting my lists at each position, (I'm sure I'm the only one who has to do that),and catcher was starting to get down to my last couple of choices. I also wanted to take a 3Bman or Outfielder here but didn't like the options beyond O'Neill at the catcher spot so took him. Besides his cheaper salary would help push me up in the draft order, a little.

Round 9.8 - 1930 Pinky Whitney (Phillies) = "Take it on the Run" by REO Speedwagon
Wanted to take a less costly relief pitcher here. Unfortunately I still needed a 3rd baseman and the run at 3B took off after my round 8 pick. Kell, Groh, Kurowski and Clift all went bye bye even tho I only could have drafted the last 2 at this point having my Tigers and Reds players already. Switching to 3B pushed me back to the bottom half of the draft again. UGH!

Round 10.10 - 1905 Mike Donlin (Giants) = "Hold on Loosely" by 38 Special
Still needing 2 outfielders I gave up on my idea of drafting a relief pitcher or 2 next. Had the 3 Pirates of Cuyler, Carey and Kiner penciled in but all 3 went since my R9 pick. It just amazes me how you can have 3 choices and all 3 disappear between picks. (Not really). Donlin brings a .356 BA and OBP over .400 but has a D rating in fielding. Squeeze that glove man.

Round 11.9 - 1930 Carl Reynolds (White Sox) = "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" by Jimmy Buffet
Reynolds is the last full-time player I needed in the outfield. He gives me a little added power and has a .359 BA. I feel pretty good with Donlin and Reynolds both hitting at the .350 level joining Speaker at .383 in the outfield. My lineup is complete, time for a drink.

Round 12.11 - 1957 Connie Johnson (Orioles) = "A Horse With No Name" by America
MY last SP to draft. Who is this guy? Wasn't there a better choice? His performance history shows he's only been used once. I think that's one time to many! At this point I know I'm screwed at having any chance to move up in the top half of the draft order since everyone will be drafting cheaper relief pitchers like me.

Round 13.11 - 1913 Ed Reulbach (Dodgers) = "Don't Bring Me Down" by Electric Light Orchestra
Just trying to limit damage at this point. I've already got 2 defaults to deal with as all the Cubs and Cardinals relief pitchers are gone.

Round 14.11 - 1910 Deacon Phillippe (Pirates) - "Livin on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
Rinse and repeat! Same as round 13.

Rounds 15.10 - 1914 Jim Bluejacket = "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road" by Loudon Wainwright III
Succky default player #1. This is the part I hate about this draft. I felt drafting in the bottom half really put you at a disadvantage and by round 13 you have very little control to draft from Franchises you still need. Hats off to mllama54 as he was the only one drafting in the 9 spot or later for making it work without getting stuck.

Round 16.10 - 1915 Rankin Johnson = "Ain't My Fault" by Brothers Osborne
Succky default player #2. With the last 2 Cubs RP going in round 13 before my pick I got pinned with a second default player.

Round 17.14 - 1952 Stu Miller (Cardinals) = " I Fought the Law" by The Bobby Fuller Four
Fulfilling my franchise RULE I decided to get at least 1 of them out of the way to start phase 2. Besides I need more GOOD innings in the pen.

Round 18.14 - 1926 Johnny Bassler (Tigers) = "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty
Took my backup catcher here just to avoid any chance of getting stuck at that spot. Good left-handed hitting catcher with a .447 OBP and A+ arm.

Round 19.14 - 1933 Stan Hack (Cubs) = "Beautiful Mess" by Diamond Rio
My 2nd required default makeup pick. Will help fill a few AB's for my starter Lonny Frey. Has a .350 BA and .451 OBP.

Round 20.14 - 1903 Bill Bernhard (Indians) = "Firecracker" by Josh Turner
Another arm for the pen. Has low BB/9 and HR/9 rates. I have way too many of these guys and 1 more to draft. My bullpen will probably blow up in smoke.

Round 21.14 - 1912 Hank Robinson (Pirates) = "One More Last Chance" by Vince Gill
Last pick of the Pitchers. Gives me a lefty in the pen and has low BB/9 and HR/9 rates like Bernhard.

Round 22.14 - 1925 Rube Bressler (Reds) = I'm A Believer" by The Monkees
Can't argue with a righty hitter off the bench hitting .348 and OBP of. 424.

Round 23.14 - 1942 Taffy Wright (White Sox) = "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers
Can't argue with a lefty hitter off the bench hitting .333 and OBP of. 432.

Round 24.14 - 1936 John Kroner (Red Sox) = "Hitchin A Ride" by Vanity Fair
2 choices here, went with Kroner over Fitz Gerald only because he was a utility player. Shoulda taken Fitz Gerald to go with my Team Name.

Round 25.14 - 1915 Alex Main (Packers) = "End of the Line" by The Traveling Wilburys
First off there's a huge discrepancy in the round 25 players from top to bottom. Definitely hurt the chances of improving your team by drafting towards the end of this round. The first 7 picks will definitely help teams. The next 3 picks will help a little and the last 6 picks won't be difference makers at all. I'm thinking I made a huge mistake and should have used the same strategy I did in the first version to get a top pick here instead. We'll see..

Without my default players who won't see any significant playing time:
Hitters: 6845-PA's, .331-BA, .413-OBP, .503-SLG
Pitchers: 2099-IP, .218-OAV, 1.01-WHIP, 1.98-BB/9, .33-HR/9

Finally....... The song that sums up my team overall which will also be my team name. = "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot

I really enjoy reading these but can't seem to find the time to do my own real write up. I think this version's team is really interesting so I thought I'd try an abridged version.

I figured once you get by Alexander and Brown and the first tier of pitchers, they were all relatively similar. Or similar enough that you could try to pick them later and concentrate in another area. The thought was to just go and mash, and try to pick up a serviceable staff in the later rounds. I didn't care if I picked last, I wanted the best hitting team I could find. Default be damned. I think it turned out pretty decent.

Effective Hitters

364

.437

.570

Effective Pitchers

1,575

2.56

.220

1.08

3.84

2.44

0.29

There's no DH so figure take away 100 innings from the crappiest pitcher and the numbers come down.

I'm curious to see the staff on other teams. I'm hoping it's not much lower.

No doubt it will be and I'll lose 100 games. But alas MLB is back and that will certainly wipe any sadness away.

I was doing my writeup in real time either before or after each round's pick, so it made it easier than waiting till the end. When there was a longer-than-usual pause and my turn was close, I'd review what I had written up to that point and tweak it a bit.

You got quite an offense there mpitt76. Not so much on the pitching side though. I'll be betting the over in your games.

Congrats to schwarze for another great draft.
Round 1.15: OF Babe Ruth (Yankees)
In the Version 1 draft, I had the 22nd of 24 picks in the first round. This time, I picked 15th out of 16. I'm assuming I'll choose last in the next version. Somehow, The Babe was still undrafted when my turn came, so it took me about one second to make my choice.
Round 2.9: SP2 Dazzy Vance (Dodgers)
I knew I wanted a quality starting pitcher with this pick, and all of the elite SP1 choices were long gone. I was torn between Carl Hubbell and Vance, but when Chisock took Hubbell with the pick just before mine, my decision was made.
Round 3.8: SP1 Noodles Hahn (Reds)
It's so hard to win in these kinds of leagues without decent starting pitching, so my thinking here was similar to the approach I took in Round 2. Basically, I was looking for the best available starter. There's a lot to like about Hahn's numbers, especially his 1.77 ERA and his 372 innings pitched.
Round 4.8: 1B Jimmie Foxx (Red Sox)
My original thought was to take another starting pitcher in this round, then worry about constructing an offense around Ruth beginning in Round 5. However, I couldn't justify passing on Foxx, and his .360/.464/.694 slash line, in favor of a No. 3 starting pitcher.
Round 5.7: 2B Eddie Collins (White Sox)
In Version 1, I ended up with the worst second baseman in the league (Frank White), and I didn't want that to happen again. So I put off taking a third starting pitcher once more, instead selecting a second baseman with a .372 average and B/B+ defensive rating. This may have been a rare wise decision, because by the time I picked again, four additional second basemen had been drafted.
Round 6.7: SP2 Bobby Shantz (Athletics)
I finally addressed a slot that I was planning to fill two rounds earlier. Shantz is a notch or two below my other two starters, but during his 1952 season, he pitched 295 innings and posted a 1.05 WHIP. He'll probably be making 50 or so starts, so I'm hoping he justifies my cautious optmism.
Round 7.8: 3b Freddy Lindstrom (Giant)
Even though I wanted Duke Snider, who was taken by schwarze with the pick right before mine, it's not easy to find fault with a seventh-round choice who has a .379 batting average. At this point, each of the four of the offensive players I've drafted has an average of at least .360.
Round 8.9: OF Larry Doby (Indians)
Of the center-fielders I had targeted before the draft began, Snider and Doby were the last two who remained. After I picked Lindstrom in the previous round, I immediately regretted my failure to select Doby instead. So when Doby was still on the board in the eighth round, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Round 9.9: OF Kiki Cuyler (Pirates)
My third outfield starter appears to be a value pick this late in the draft. His 1925 season is highlighted by a .357 batting average, a .598 slugging percentage and 41 stolen bases.
Round 10.11: C Muddy Ruel (Senators)
At this stage, most of the catchers were gone. Ruel provides pretty good offensive numbers at a reasonable price ($4.69 million).
Round 11.10: RP2 Oscar Tuero (Cardinals)
Another Cardinals reliever, Lindy McDaniel, was my first choice, but he was taken a earlier in the round. Tuero has impressive numbers, including a 1.02 ERA, but he only has 56 innings, and considering the lack of high-caliber relievers, I would have preferred more innings in this slot.
Round 12.8: RP1 Irv Higgnbotham (Cubs)
Higginbotham provides solid but certainly not spectacular numbers (2.12 ERA, 1.02 WHIP in 95 innings). I like my offense and starting pitching, but based on what's left, I can tell that the bullpen is going to be a problem area. Hopefully, it won't deteriorate into a disaster area.
Round 13.3: SS Bobby Wallace (Browns)
I mentioned earlier that Frank White, my Version 1 second baseman, is the league's worst at his position. I expect Wallace to be the Frank White of Version 1.5 for me.
Round 14.7 SP2 Dutch Leonard (Phillies)
Leonard, the fourth starter on a team with a three-man rotation, will serve as a long reliever.
Round 15.9: RP2 Harley Young (Braves)
A few rounds earlier, I realized that there was a very real chance that I'd have to default on a relief pitcher, no matter what strategy I employed. Shortly after drafting Young, who is unlikely to be of much help, the fact that I'd default on my final Phase 1 pick became official.
Round 16.9: default RP Ed Lafitte
Round 17.9: P George McQuillan (Phillies)
Finally, a reliever I'm happy to add to my team. I've frequently used the 1907 version of McQuillan as a closer, including numerous instances in high-cap leagues, and he's rarely disappointed.
Round 18.9: P Joe Wood (Red Sox)
Wood is the kind of low-ERA, high-inning long reliever I was unsuccessful in acquiring in Phase 1 of this draft.
Round 19.9: C2 Roger Bresnahan (Cardinals)
Bresnahan is one of many available high-end backup catchers. His 1912 season included 132 at-bats. He'll get at least that many at-bats on this team.
Rounds 20-24: P George Suggs (Tigers) and bench picks Lew Fonseca (Indians), Zeb Terry (Braves), Lloyd Waner (Pirates) and Heinie Manush (Browns)
Round 25: RP Rankin Johnson (Whales)
I felt fortunate to have the ninth pick in Round 25, because I knew OF Benny Kauff would go early, and there were eight available pitchers who would be assets to any staff. The round unfolded pretty much as expected, and I was able to add Johnson, a relief pitcher with a 1.58 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 127 innngs. Could it be that my bullpen will not be a pathetic as I originally feared?

Strategy: Getting the 14^th pick, assured me that I wouldn’t get one of the top-notch pitchers, I realized that Big Ed Walsh was no longer a possibility. May have the opportunity to pick a less expensive player and pick early in the second round. Will have to adapt to the player pool that is available when my turn come up. Need to focus on pitching, by having only ONE deadball pitcher I believe the talent will not be there to reign in all these big bats. I suspect the games will be high scoring.
All numbers quoted will be normalized.

Round 1.14 – RP1 Ferdie Schupp (Giants) 150 IPs and ERC of 1.55 ($8.3M)
Going for the “Hail Mary”. Two of the “usable” SP1s are still available in Russ Ford (Yankees) and Cy Young (Red Sox) if I take Schupp I will be 2^nd in the next round depending on who Nocomm and Juice select. Currently only FatGuy has picked a player with a lower salary and he needs a SP1. Hoping Ford slips through because the Yankees have so much available talent and I prefer him over Cy Young. Getting Schupp locks up the best closer with significant innings available. If I don’t take Schupp, I’d just take Ford and drop to the middle of the pack in round 2, fingers crossed.

Round 2.3 – SP1 Russ Ford (Yankees) 322 IPs and ERC of 1.79 ($13.7M)
Yahtzee! Juice ended up jumping me in draft position with Cochrane but had the decency to select Honus Wagner and FatGuy selected Ted Williams – I really hate seeing these terrific hitters coming off the board but I need to address the SP1 category. Getting Ford allows me to use Hilltop Park and it’s minus three factor to right field. I missed out on lefties Ruth, Gehrig and Williams – I will load up on right-handed hitters to take advantage of Hilltop Park. (LF = 0 RF = -3)
Two picks after Ford, RandyMarsh selects Cy Young – maybe I am on the right track. Apologies to Rmarsh915 but my South Park enthusiasm overcomes me.

Round 3.3 – SP2 Cy Blanton (Pirates) 270 IPs and ERC of 2.09 ($10.3M)
Wanted a hitter but the pitching talent was dropping quickly. (Kept the same sentence from version 1.0) Blanton was the best big inning starter available to me with 270 innings. Hated to remove Babe Adams (Pirates) as a possible set up but getting much needed quality innings was more important. I hope I don’t drop down too far in round 4.

Round 4.3 – SS Joe Cronin (Senators) B/A 722 PAs 331/410/493 ($8.6M)
I was planning to grab another SP here but a run on shortstops forced me to pass on Lefty Grove to adjust to the flow of the draft. Happy to get a solid SS but unhappy that Calhoop took Grove two picks later, now I have to hope that Hal Newhouser slips to me – my only other decent SP2 choice. It’s Wednesday Night, I have to leave to go bowling, Phil Rizzuto was last picked and nine people have to pick before my turn – fingers crossed.

Round 5.3 – SP2 Hal Newhouser (Tigers) 308 IPs and ERC of 2.12 ($11.4M)
Naturally, I let Schwarze know that I might be delayed if my turn come up, normally PedroCerrano calls me to let me know who came off of the board and I look at my printouts and have him pick for me however Pedro couldn’t participate in this draft. In case there is a run on a position over the next nine picks, like at SS earlier, I don’t feel comfortable providing a proxy.

• Bheid408 – Tris Speaker @ 4:56 PM (as I leave)
• Mpitt76 – Paul Waner @ 4:58 PM
• Dilligafdbp – Billy Pierce @ 5:13 PM
• Footballmm11 – Babe Adams @ 5:16 PM
• Mllama54 – Joe Medwick @ 5:24 PM
• Zephyr1949 – Bucky Walters @ 5:30 PM
• Six picks before I even get to the bowling alley within 35 minutes!
• Thejuice6 – Lefty O’Doul @ 5:59 PM
• Bowling starts 6:00 PM
• Midknight – Lefty Gomez @ 6:03 PM
• Chisock – Jeff Pfeffer @ 6:49 PM
• I am officially holding up the draft! You guys are killing me.

I can’t even take delight that Newhouser found his way on to me team, because I feel awful that I held up the draft. My apologies. And I didn’t even bowl well at all, perhaps it was because of the crossed fingers hoping I’d get Newhouser and not hold up the draft.

Round 6.4 – C Roy Campanella (Dodgers) B/B+/B+ 580 PAs 326/392/586 ($6.7M)
Now I can focus on some hitters since I have 1,050 quality innings secured. On my shortlist (in order) are Al Rosen, Eddie Collins, Jackie Robinson, and Richie Ashburn – I get skunked on all of my top options, until this point in the draft I have been pretty lucky. (Bad Karma for holding up the draft?) Shift to catcher and grab one of the two remaining good options available to me. Took Campy over Ernie Lombardi because the Reds had better hitters available at positions that I still need to fill.

Round 7.6 – OF George Stone (Go Browns!) C/A- 716 PAs 366/432/535 ($8.4M)
I have every intention of selecting 2B Billy Herman but Zephyr1949 skunks me taking the best 2B option left to me. I need some decent bats and OF George Stone will play nicely in Hilltop Park. Suddenly I think of something John Lennon once said, “Instant Karma’s gonna get you”…

Round 8.6 – 2B Bobby Doerr (Red Sox) B/A+ 656 PAs 308/380/499 ($6.8M)
Was looking to match Hank Aaron with George Stone to have two solid outfielders but no, Calhoop is evil. Second base options have dwindled, eight picks earlier RTG grabbed Bill Sweeney, and Doerr’s is a much better option than Thompson the last second baseman. Forced to react to the flow of the draft.

Round 9.6 – 3B Whitey Kurowski (Cardinals) A-/B 603 PAs 322/381/521 ($6.2M)
Why Loan Calhoop? WHY? This references the ondeck commercial for small business loans with the “Loan Falcon” or “Loan Cannon” that causes mayhem for potential borrowers. Four people still need their first basemen: Calhoop, njbigwig, Schwarze, and Fatguyrd. If Calhoop selects 1B Zeke Bonura $7.5M instead of Frank Chance $6.2M, everyone’s first basemen would have fell nicely into place. I’d get Chance who I really wanted (Cubs), Schwarze would get Tenney (Braves) and Fatguyrd would get Hodges (Dodgers), instead now I have to keep the White Sox and Braves open so that I don’t get a default option – I can wait on this decision because the difference in Bonura and Tenney isn’t enough to pass on the upgrades at other positions. I wanted 3B Heinie Groh (Reds) but Rmarsh915 took him four picks earlier, happy to land Kurowski my only other acceptable option for third.

OnDeck TV Spot, 'Loan Falcon' - iSpot.tv

Round 10.6 – OF Bob Johnson (Athletics) C/B 696 PAs 329/428/540 ($7.1M)
Having only one outfielder, Johnson was my target since my last pick and was fortunate that he fell to me based on the “skunkings” over the last number of picks.

Round 11.8 – OF Vada Pinson (Reds) B/A 743 PAs 318/373/500 ($7.7M)
A centerfielder is my biggest need and the Reds have Edd Roush and Vada Pinson available, I’d love to get Roush. Only Mpitt, Schwarze and I can draft a Reds outfielder and Schwarze has been following me in the draft. In a shrewd move on Friday night while I am at home playing solitaire and Schwarze is out playing poker, Schwarze drafts his catcher thus passing me in the draft order. So now on Friday night I go to bed worried that Mpitt and Schwarze are going to grab the Roush and Pinson in round 11 before my pick. Luckily Mpitt takes his catcher, Crandall and naturally Schwarze grabs Edd (Double D’s) Roush – welcome to the team, Vada Pinson…

Round 12.9 – RP2 Willie Ramsdell (Cubs) 71IPs and ERC of 2.06 ($2.4M)
I really wanted SP2 Mike Garcia but Calhoop skunks me 5 picks before I can grab him. Believe I may have made a mistake here, wanted to get some good relief pitchers so that I will be able to use pinch hitters frequently and Nocomm just selects a Cubs relief pitcher with Higginbotham. Ramsdell is one of the better relievers still available to me. I was going to get a poor SP2, that wasn’t much better than the default options. The two remaining Phillie SP2s were the worst two pitchers available so I will gamble that one or both would be the last SP2 left.

Round 13.7 – RP2 Jack Harshman (Indians) 70 IPs and ERC of 2.06 ($2.9M)
I have two Indian relief pitchers available to me at this point, Jack Harshman ERC = 1.61 or Guy Morton = 2.48. Harshman’s numbers were much better so I go for the quality assuming no one wants the Phiilies, risking a default SP2 – feel it’s a good gamble.

Round 14.4 – RP1 Johnny Cooney (Braves) 104 IPs and ERC of 2.63 ($3.4M)
Nocomm and I both need a SP2 (Phillies available) and a RP1 (Braves available), I pick before Nocomm and want to keep it that way, so I select the RP1 and the lower salary to stay ahead of him, however 3 picks later Nocomm selects Dutch Leonard SP2 Phillies – I will now have a default.

Round 15.5 – 1B Zeke Bonura (White Sox) A/A+ 738 PAs 316/408/462 ($7.5M)
Solid first basemen, knew I was locked into him after Schwarze drafted White Sox, Gerry Staley in round 12.

Round 16 – SP2 George Kaiserling (DEFAULT – Mop Up) 279 IPs and ERC of 3.00 ($7.8M)
Plenty of mop up innings not much worse than Dutch Leonard with 248 IPs and 2.95 ERC - although the $100M fine assessed by Schwarze certainly hurts and seems excessive. LOL

Round 17.10 – C Bill Dickey (Yankees) A/B-/B 299 PAs 359/499/514 ($4.0M)
Looking to finally grab a Phillie early (since I missed out in phase 1) going to take George McQuillan as a closer for my team but Nocomm strikes again, grabbing McQuillan just before my pick. UGGH! Guess I’ll take Bill Dickey as a nice platoon with Roy Campanella at catcher. Okay to grab bat here will likely get a decent pitcher in round 25 - this assumption proves to be inaccurate.

Round 18.11 – PH Gavvy Cravath (Phillies) A/D- 302 PAs 344/449/662 ($3.8M)
Great pitch hitter to come off the bench.

Round 19.11 – RP Ray Prim (Cubs) 174 IPs and ERC of 2.12 ($6.0M)
Will serve as a long reliever.

Round 20.11 – PH/1B Merv Connors (White Sox) C/D 79 PAs 344/421/695 ($1.1M)
Great pitch hitter to come off the bench.


Round 21.11 – Eddie Moore (Pirates) 3B C/C+ AND OF A-/B+ 255 PAs 347/433/459 ($3.2M)
Can play some third base, pinch hit and defensive OF replacement.

Round 22.11 – RP The Iconic Earl Whitehill (Tigers) 174 IPs and ERC of 2.12 ($6.0M)
Will serve as a long reliever. Although Tom Ferrick had better numbers, selected Whitehill because of the lower salary in order to stay ahead of RonTheGenius in the draft because we both needed another pitcher at this point in the draft.

Round 23.11 – Utility Jimmy Jordan (Dodgers) good glove 331 PAs 270/301/298 ($2.4M)
Defensive player late in the game, qualifies at 2B, 3B and SS, will enable a more frequent use of pinch hitters late in the game.

Round 24.12 – RP Tom L Hughes (Braves) 172 IPs and ERC of 2.63 ($5.0M)
Was locked into Hughes – RTG couldn’t select him, higher salary but much better numbers than other option, will pitch in long relief.

Round 25.12 – Steve Evans (Feds) 1B D-/A 611 PAs 348/417/571 ($5.8M)
Upgrade bat at first base in platoon against righthanders. Surprised that he made it to pick 12 but happy since early on in the draft I focused on pitching because of a perceived shortage.

Picking 14^th, I grabbed the best pitching I could in this draft to try to suppress many of the big bats in this pool. Hilltop Park’s factor of -3 to RF should help my team’s pitching staff and lack of power hitters. I feel better about my team in version 1 so this team will probably do better. LOL
If I called any of you out or cursed you in my write up it is not personal and should be considered a badge of honor (I’m quite full of myself) but all is fair in love and a Schwarze Draft. As always Schwarze, get job - I love your creativity and desire to mix things up to keep it interesting. Well done sir!

Great writeups so far. Keep 'em coming.

Also, thanks for the kind words. I'm taking a short break from drafting, as I need to finish my prep for round 5 of juice's tournament. Version 2 of this theme will be closer to version 1 than version 1.5, but some unique rule differences will make it feel different than version 1. I've already got the basics ironed out. But that draft won't start until the version 1 season is over. Everybody from version 1 will get first dibs before I open to the public.

Jacks of no trades
Given my default players of Jack Quinn and Jack Farrell (plus a not great Jack Powell in the pen), I named my team after these Jacks who have no discernable value and are certainly not a jack of all trades, or any trades for that matter.

=========================================

Phase 1

Pre-draft:
In this first portion, I want to focus on the 8 hitting positions plus the "SP1" bucket. Given the amount of innings in this version, there will be plenty of opportunity to punt on pitcher spots. However, the SP1 bucket is the best chance to provide quality innings AND there's a disparity between the top and bottom of that group.

Pick 1.8: SP1 - 1910 Chief Bender [Athletics]
Pre-pick: There are 9 SP1s before a huge fall-off. Factoring in franchise value, you could argue that Russ Ford (Yankees) drops below that group, making 8 vaible options. Of the 8, there are two tiers: Johnson/Alexander/Walsh/Brown in the top tier and Mathewson/Young/Joss/Bender in tier 2 (Ford would be in this group as well). Tier 1 is definitely worth a 1st Round pick, but the second group is more iffy. At that point, some of the top SP2s start to get mixed in. Among the hitters, Hornsby is easily the top dog, given position and franchise. After that is a slew of the top slugging OF/1B. Even with the Yankees might and the bevy of outfielders and 1st basemen, all of Gehrig, Ruth, and Mantle are in the mix. So is Ted Williams, Cobb, Musial, and Foxx. It feels wrong to burn both a deep franchise and a deep position this early, but these guys are so good it could be the right thing to do. I'm sure I'll have a tough choice between a Tier 2 SP1 and one of these sluggers.

Decision: As expected, the top 4 SP1s go early, as does Hornsby. Mathewson goes as well. (The one curveball was Chisock taking Sisler, but that was presumably to knock the Browns out of the way and undercut salary-wise to move up.) That left me with three of the Tier 2 starters in Cy Young, Joss, and Bender, or to move over to hitting and take Ted Williams or one of the other sluggers. Most of the hitters were too expensive and I know I'm going to make a lot of hitters picks coming up, so I focus on the pitchers. Joss is the best ERC# of the group, but he's got the crazy inflated salary that would move me way down the order. I thought long and hard between Cy Young and Bender. Young gives me 443 IP, which would allow me to really punt on a few pitching spots. But while his salary isn't bloated, it comes in JUST higher than schwarze and calhoop. Bender only has 270 innings, but his ERC# is similar to Young's and best of all, his salary moves me ahead of all seven who have picked ahead of me. Burning the A's hurts (I put them together so I know they have some talent!), but Bender checks every other box for now.

Pick 2.7: OF - 1948 Stan Musial [Cardinals]
With my SP1 out of the way, time to focus on hitting. The top 4 studs have gone (Williams, Ruth, Hornsby, and Gehrig) as well as a few cost-saving choices at shallower positions. I focused on a group of 3 hitters (would have been 4 but I couldn't take Foxx from the A's franchise)--1911 Cobb, 1956 Mantle, and 1948 Musial. Both Cobb and Mantle can play CF and of course can mash; Musial can't play center but is just as good of a hitter and has an extra 50 PA. I ended up deciding on Musial for two reasons--one, he was much cheaper at just under $14m (compared to $19m and $21m for the other two) and two, the Cardinals have fewer remaining options especially on the hitting side. Musial also gives me a bit of flexibility with ratings (albeit not great ones!) at 1B as well as OF.

Pick 3.7: OF - 1956 Mickey Mantle [Yankees]
Whoa, Mantle is still on the board. Now those feelings of panic that accompany every schwarze draft where you're now sure you're doing something wrong. Ugh. Mantle does have a bloated salary at $18m+, which will move me down, but come on, it's Mickey Mantle. Right?! Oh well, I've now filled no difficult positions (2 OF and 1 SP) and burned 3 of the deepest franchises (Yankees, Cardinals, Athletics) so hopefully I can complement these three studs with some talent. Hopefully.

Pick 4.13: RP1 - 1909 Babe Adams [Pirates]
Only took until Rd 4 to violate my pre-draft strategy of focusing on hitters and the SP1 bucket. My top hitters available are mostly OF still and I don't want to burn my 3rd spot there already. I also looked at opting for the best non-OF, which was between 3B 1953 Al Rosen, 2B 1949 Jackie Robinson, 2B 1920 Eddie Collins, and C 1951 Roy Campanella. Rosen probably would have been my top choice here but his salary is quite high ($12m) and like the other hitting choices, his franchise still has some viable options. That pushed me to look at pitching, where 1909 Babe Adams combined a shallower franchise (Pirates) with a lower salary ($6.1m) that will move me up a few spots next round. Given I opted for the lower IP of Bender in Round 1, Adams and his 139 superlative innings will help there. I hope I don't regret this when I get stuck at C or 2B or SS later this draft. [Editor's note: I did get stuck.]

Pick 5.10: 3B - 1953 Al Rosen [Indians]
Ugh, it happened again. My runner-up choice from my last pick is sitll on the board! These drafts always have a way of making you second-guess yourself. The Indians are a strong team and Rosen has a high salary, but he's the best 3B in the draft and by a sizable margin. I'm starting to get a little concerned about my HR-reliance (Musial, Mantle and Rosen all hit 39+) in a league filled with plenty of deadballers but these guys all also hit for average and Rosen and Mantle are great defenders as well. This will move me back down the draft order but screw it.

Pick 6.13: C - 1938 Rudy York [Tigers]
My best remaining options are a handful of OFs, but I've only got one spot left there. I still have options at 2B and SS and none of them stand out. But at Catcher, there are two guys who are head and shoulders above the rest. Rudy York is slightly better than Ernie Lombardi, and the Tigers have less available to me than the Reds, so I decide to go with York.

Pick 7.10: 1B - 1937 Dolph Camilli [Phillies]
The draft at this point went blazing fast and I got caught out without my computer. I tried to pick from my phone but as I was checking, it seemed that ALL of my top options had gone. I decided I couldn't risk it and waited to get back to my laptop...and sure enough, my top 6-7 choices had evaporated. At this point, my top options are a pair of 2B (Sweeney and Doerr) plus a couple Braves OFs (Holmes and Aaron). Dave Bancroft is the top SS but I also want to keep Jim Hearn alive and feel there are plenty of SS options. Finally, at 1B, my two best options by far are Ted Kluszewski and Dolph Camilli.

Looking more at 2B, there are 5 remaining options and all are available to me. Only one other owner, njbigwig, can take Doerr. If he goes another direction, I can wait and take Doerr at the very end. I decided to pass on 2B and go with Camilli who was the best hitter still available for me and there was not much left on the Phillies. [Editor's note: This choice did not age well.]

Pick 8.12: OF - 1930 Mel Ott [Giants]
I almost IMMEDIATELY regret my pick. Taking Camilli took one of the 5 2B off the board for me, fellow Phillie Fresco Thompson. The very next two picks were Bill Sweeney and Lonny Frey. Oh no. There are now just 3 2B left and it's an interesting situation. I can take McManus or Doerr; njbigwig can take Doerr or Thompson; and rmarsh915 can only take McManus. njbigwig can choose to just wait and take Thompson at the end of the draft, but Doerr is better. If he opts for Doerr, now it's a race between me and rmarsh915 to get McManus (the other defaults as neither can take Thompson). Let me check the order...ugh, yup, both pick before I get to go again. Oh well, we'll just have to see what they decide to do. UPDATE: rmarsh915 took McManus; now will see if njbigwig takes Doerr. If he does, I'm obviously screwed. If not, does that mean he's waiting on Fresco Thompson all the way? Or just waiting on Doerr for now? UPDATE: njbigwig took Doerr. I'm defaulted. I guess at least I can punt on that position and maybe snag Kenworthy in the Federal League round.

Okay, it's actually my pick now. I was going to take a SS here if I needed, but once schwarze took Billy Rogell (Tigers) and then ronthegenius actually jumped ahead of me to take Solly Hemus (Cardinals), the draft was down to 3 shortstops and I had all 3 franchises available. I thought about taking Roy McMillan (Reds) who I liked the best, but decided to just save the Reds/Browns/Braves and wait it out. That freed me up to take my 3rd and final OF, one of the best hitters left in Mel Ott.

Pick 9.11: RP2 - 1916 George Dumont [Senators]
McMillian goes right ahead of this pick, so now I'm definitely going to wait out the SS position. Time to get back to some pitching and Dumont is a very nice reliever on a team with not much else left. I was also eyeing some of the White Sox pitchers, but they have multiple good ones left. I'm also not enamored with any of the SP2s, so will just wait on them and see who falls.

Pick 10.8: RP2 - 1958 Barry Latman [White Sox]
Latman is just too good to pass up at this point.

Pick 11.3: RP1 - 1915 Carl Mays [Red Sox]
In looking at my options, my puzzle is getting harder to fit. I still need to keep the Browns and Braves alive. Of the other teams, they all have a SP2 still available except the Red Sox. So I need my Red Sox player to be an RP1, which means picking between Mays and Cy Morgan. I go with Mays.

Pick 12.3: SP2 - 1945 Claude Passeau [Cubs]
After the fact, I realize I made a crucial mistake here--because I'm defaulting on my 2B already, I don't absolutely NEED the Red Sox player here. I'll end up not picking one franchise and if Mays/Morgan both go, the Red Sox could be that franchise. The bigger threat to me was not being able to get all 3 of my SP2s, so what I should have done here is taken Johnny Vander Meer of the Reds as he was the last available option. Of course, mpitt76 snagged him later this round and put me in a real bind. I realized this too late and now need my draft to go perfectly because the last Braves SP2 is gone now as well, so I need to get the Braves SS and then get my 3 SP2s from the Cubs, Dodgers, and Browns. I am up to 3rd in the draft order now but that doesn't prevent one of the two Cubs SP2s left going ahead of me, so I grab Claude Passeau. That leaves 2 Dodgers and 2 Browns at SP2, and I still need Logan (Braves) as my SS.

Pick 13.6: SP2 - 1920 Burleigh Grimes [Dodgers]
Welp, that's not good. Both Browns SP2s are gone as is one of the Dodgers. Luckily at least Grimes makes it to me here. One small silver lining is that nocomm999 took the Browns SS, Bobby Wallace, which gives me the slightly better of the two remaining in Johnny Logan. Alas, I'm double-defaulted at this point.

Pick 14.10: SS - 1955 Johnny Logan [Braves]
Pick 15.11: 2B - 1914 Jack Farrell [DEFAULT]
Pick 16.11: SP2 - 1915 Jack Quinn [DEFAULT]
The rest of my picks are locked in now. Logan is my SS. The Jacks (Farrell at 2B and Quinn at SP2) come in as my defaults. This draft has officially gone of the rails for me. [Editor's note: It gets even worse.]

=========================================

Phase 2
Turns out I misinterpreted the rules and thought that the default rule for draft order would only apply to the first round of Phase 2, but it applies to ALL of them! So I'll be picking in the bottom 3 the whole time. My own rule suggestion has come back to really bite me!

Pick 17.15: Bench - 1922 Lew Fonseca [Reds]
This was both a very exciting and a very disappointing pick. On the disappointing part, I have to make this pick because I defaulted my 2B spot, robbing me of the chance to grab some nice pitching or an elite pinch-hitter. But on the exciting front, given that I need all that, it was great to get Fonseca and his 335 PA, solid OPS, and A+ range at 2B. And as a nice bonus, he comes from the Reds franchise, one of the two that I HAVE to draft in this phase. I thought about waiting and hoping to get Kenworthy in the Federal League round, but there's too much uncertainty there and I can't trot out Jack Farrell for 162 games. Fonseca is good enough that even if I end up with Kenworthy, I can still put Fonseca to good use.

Pick 18.15: P - 1919 Phil Douglas [Cubs]
I was deciding between 3 choices here: (a) my C2, so I get a nice partner for York and don't default again; (b) a pitcher, since they are going fast and I need to get at least a couple hundred innings here to avoid having to rely at all on Quinn; and (c) Possum Whitted, who would give me 167 PA more to throw into my 2B equation, along with an OPS over 1.000 and B-/B+ fielding...and of course, an amazing name. Possum was the luxury choice. Taking a C2 was the super safe choice. So I split the difference and went with the pitching. Once I decided on that, I was mostly looking at 3 of the higher-IP guys, two Cubs (Prim and Douglas) plus Hank Robinson from the Pirates. Given both Possum and Earl Smith (a nice C2 option) are Pirates, I decided to save them and go with a Cub. Douglas got the nod for the HR9 advantage as I'm ending up with a nice low-HR pitching staff and some pretty decent pop on the offensive side, so can put my squad in a hitters park. Will I luck out and have Possum make it back to me? If I do, will I be willing to roll the dice and not take a C2?

Pick 19.15: C2 - 1924 Earl Smith [Pirates]
This is a tough one. There are a couple pitchers still available worth considering--1911 Buck O'Brien gives 51 IP at 1.88 ERC# and Hank Robinson is still around, though I don't need the innings volume as much anymore. I still need two pitchers and one Browns player, but I (hopefully) will be fine there. [Editor's note: Hey, for once, I was fine there.] That shifts my focus over to offense. Catchers are going fast and I have one vulnerability left which is Walker Cooper of the Cubs, as I took Douglas last round. There are 6 left and I can take 5 of them, though that would go to 4 if I take the other option I'm looking at--bench player Possum Whitted of the Pirates, who is still around. Among the catchers, my top two remaining choices are Earl Smith (also of the Pirates) and Babe Phelps (Dodgers). I prefer Smith, but also am considering taking Phelps and hoping that Possum is around one more round, though that feels like wishful thinking at this point. Ugh, I think the correct thing to do is take Smith here. I can't take Whitted without really risking another default at C2--that's not the WORST thing since I'm already picking near the bottom for Round 25, but I do actually need a backup C to play. Taking Phelps could make some sense to just hope Possum is around, but that seems unlikely and then I'd miss out on both Possum and Earl Smith from the Pirates. UPDATE: Hold on a second, now zephyr1949 just dropped in and took Walker Cooper. So I can guarantee a C2, but only if I stay away from all 5 franchises still left there. Unfortunately, Possum is from one of those5 and after looking, there's not an obvious candidate elsewhere. UPDATE: I went with Smith. Goodbye Possum :(

Pick 20.15: P - 1905 Jack Powell [Browns]
Possum was picked shortly after, alleviating some of my regret over passing on him. Among remaining hitters, my best options are a couple of pinch hitters (like Bill Burgo) or a couple 2B options in Mickey Witek (Giants) who only has 106 PA or Riggs Stephenson (Indians) who is a lesser hitter but slightly better fielder and comes with 347 PA which would give me all my 2B PA in combination with Fonseca. However, I also can still potentially get Kenworthy in the Federal League round, and there are some other Bench options besides Stephenson that should be around later (like Tony Piet). I still need my Browns player and there's not really much left. Three hitters, none of whom would play much. Two pitchers, one of which is Satchel Paige who would just be a mop-up guy. There is a short inning (30 IP) 1905 Jack Powell, and I still need two pitchers. He's not quite as good as a pair of A's pitchers (Dennis Burns and Fred Heimach) or Tom L. Hughes from the Yankees, but he's relatively close and comes with 0.00 HR# which is nice. If he's there, probably should take him. If not, will wait on one of the hitters for late (or Paige) and take one of the other relievers here. UPDATE: Went with Powell. [Editor's note: In hindsight, I probably wish I had gone with Burgo or a better reliever here as getting defaulted a 3rd time wouldn't have hurt much.]

Looking ahead I don't really need any more innings, but there are a few pitchers left who would improve some of the medium/low leverage innings. Given I have 2 of my 3 "other" pitchers from that bucket, will probably focus on Bench hitters for the next couple picks. Biggest needs, in order: 2B at-bats, pinch hitters, RH outfield/1B at-bats (Camilli, Ott, and Mantle all may need a rest here and there as they're under 700 PA).

Pick 21.15: P - 1926 Howard Ehmke [Athletics]
Change of plans. A bunch of pitchers have gone and now I'm down to just 6 available options while 8 owners still need a pitcher. Ugh, I should probably take one here to not be defaulted again. Although, at this point, I'm already picking near the very bottom, maybe being defaulted isn't a big deal? Oh well, there's not really a hitter I'm desperate for. The A's, especially, don't have much left, with just George Kell and Jimmy Dy.kes (who put this group together? oh yeah, that was me). Howard Ehmke isn't terrible as a pitcher, though I don't really need all 160 of his IP. But he makes sure I won't get defaulted and doesn't hurt my hitting options much.

Pick 22.15: Bench - 1923 Riggs Stephenson [Indians]
Down to just the bench now. Riggs Stephenson is still there as is Mickey Witek, a better value per-PA but with just 106 of them. I considered both and Witek is also the last Giants player I can take, whereas all 3 Indians are left. I also considered Taylor Douthit as a righty OF who could platoon some with my lefties. Ultimately, there are other reasonable Taylor-like options but if I don't get Stephenson or maybe Piet--and then don't get Kenworthy in the 25th Round--I could be in trouble at 2B. UPDATE: Douthit goes to schwarze just a few picks later.

Pick 23.15: Bench - 1902 Herm McFarland [White Sox]
I need a RH platoon bat so naturally I end up opting for the lefty option, lol. Ultimately, it came down to Herm McFarland, a lefty OF, or Dick Gernert, a righty 1B/OF. I opted for McFarland for a few reasons: (1) he's a better per-PA value, with a higher OBP and better fielding (B-/A- in the OF), (2) he's more useful as a true bench player since he's faster (pinch-running) and a good fielder (defensive replacement), and (3) he's the last White Sox player left whereas there are all 4 Red Sox bench players left (this helps me not get defaulted as I'm down to 9 players left and if I take Gernert, that would go to 5 as opposed to 8).

In any case, my 1B/OF are all lefties (Mantle is switch), my infield is all righties, and the one place I have a L/R option at catcher, it's lopsided with my righty having 586 PA and my lefty just 136. Oh well.

Pick 24.16: Bench - 1956 Ed Fitz Gerald [Senators]
Wouldn't have mattered if I defaulted, but didn't need to. Fitz Gerald (seems like a typo?) was the final pick and while he's not good, he at least comes with a .381 OBP# and can play catcher.

=========================================

Phase 3

Pick 25.16: 2B - 1914 Bill Kenworthy [Federal Lg]
Phase 2 left me just $9k behind mpitt76 for the last pick. But it didn't matter. I'm relatively happy with Kenworthy here though now I of course wish I had used my Phase 2 picks a bit differently. Fonseca is the better fielder, but Kenworthy has more power. Riggs Stephenson will shift to a utility role, playing 2B, 3B, and OF. Stephenson was the worst semi-regular on my roster, so while I didn't really upgrade much on Fonseca, I did upgrade the other half of my 2B tandem.

Ballpark: Baker Bowl
Looking at my team, we are relatively high SLG and medium/low on BAVG. Surprisingly, my pitching staff is very low HR9 (I tend to draft high HR, high BB, low OAV staffs). I have pretty good range in the IF with decent fielding. Looking at my divisionmates, most of that holds as well. Among my ballpark options, I have more neutral-ish options like Ebbets Field, extreme options like the Baker Bowl, and in-between options like Sportsman's Park (III) and Briggs Stadium. Given I have plenty of innings and not much difference between my 1200th best inning and my 1500th, I decide to go extreme--Baker Bowl it is!

Post-mortem
My draft was humming along nicely until the 7th round, when I got greedy and made the Camilli pick instead of just locking in my 2B. This cost me my first default. From that point on, I was reeling. My Carl Mays pick in Round 11 cost me my second default and really derailed my draft. In Phase 2, I was happy with the Fonseca pick, though both (a) it cost me another useful player thanks to my default and (b) I was able to get Kenworthy in the 25th Round which rendered this pick much less useful. After being too bold and double-defaulting, I overreacted in Phase 2 and wasted a couple picks trying not to default again, when I was already stuck at the end of the draft. Specifically, I should not have taken Jack Powell in the 20th Round. Riggs Stephenson didn't cost me as much draft capital, but still cost me a better bench player in Douthit and Stephenson was rendered completely unnecessary by Kenworthy. Speaking of, getting Kenworthy with the very final pick was a nice value, but made the previous errors and decisions all the more painful in hindsight.

Still, I was able to pile up a bunch of value in elite hitters (I have myself 2nd behind thejuice6 in position player value) while still building a reasonable pitching staff. If I can make it into the playoffs, I can throw Bender plus some elite bullpen arms for probably about 1/2 the innings. My defense is very solid up the middle and decent on the corners. We'll see if it's enough to be competitive.

=========================================

LINEUP

My offense has two studs in Musial and Mantle, followed by 3 more very good bats--Rosen, Camilli, and Ott. My catcher tandem of York and Smith are very good as well...all of those players have .400+ OBP#. Those positions will fill the top 6 of the batting order. My 2B will be Kenworthy and Fonseca and will bat 7th. And Johnny Logan will play SS and bat 8th.

I don't have a traditional leadoff hitter so Mel Ott will go there, followed by Musial, Rosen, Mantle, and Camilli (allowing us to go L/L/R/S/L/R). The catcher spot will hit 6th, with Smith getting all 136 PA of his PA against righties and York taking the rest. Camilli is the smallest PA regular at 604, will spell him some against lefties by playing either Fonseca or Stephenson. I have some flexibility with Rosen and Musial being able to play 1B and Stephenson having 3B and OF capability, or could just play Fonseca (the better hitter) out-of-position at one of those spots.

LF Ott
RF Musial
3B Rosen
CF Mantle
1B Camilli
C York/Smith
2B Kenworthy/Fonseca
SS Logan


PITCHING STAFF

Bender is our ace with Passeau and Grimes joining him in the rotation. All have 239+ innings. Latman will close, with Babe Adams and Dumont setting up. Phil Douglas, Ehmke, and Carl Mays will provide long relief and Jack Powell will give some Setup B help.

SP1 Bender
SP2 Passeau
SP3 Grimes

Long Douglas, Ehmke, Mays
Setup Adams, Dumont, Powell
Closer Latman

Great job. Hope we get a few more... Can't wait to read ronthegenius' writeup. Does he regret the Gehrig pick? Does he wish he'd drafted Ruth?

Posted by schwarze on 4/8/2022 11:09:00 AM (view original):
Great job. Hope we get a few more... Can't wait to read ronthegenius' writeup. Does he regret the Gehrig pick? Does he wish he'd drafted Ruth?

Tldr:
Yes, very much so
Oh god yes

First thing I'll confess. I had absolutely no plan to start with. I was going to wait to see who I got in round 1 and then I'd formulate a plan, or so I thought.

Round 1-12 Mort Cooper SP2 - Cardinals
I'm getting excited because Joss keeps falling and I figured I'd get no shot at a stud SP1 drafting in the #12 spot. Yep, it happened, at #10 diiligafdbp grabs him and I'm left wondering who to take. I decide that taking a top tier SP2 was the way to go. My only concern in taking Cooper is it eliminates Musial & Medwick.
Round 2-5 Cy Young SP1 - Red Sox
Taking Cooper allowed me to move up 7 spots in the order and I thought might as well grab my SP1 and after Ford went 2 picks before my slot I was left with what I figured was the best SP1 left in Young. Would've grabbed Ted Williams but he went 3 spots ahead of me.
Round 3-10 Bill Terry 1B - Giants
Hubbell went in round 2 and Terry was my next Giant in line. I really wanted my 2nd SP2 and Grove and Braxton were still there so No problem I'll snag one of them next round.
Round 4-9 Phil Rizzuto SS - Yankees
My first panic pick. Grove & Braxton both go a few picks ahead of me and I literally have no plan B. Lots of good solid outfielders left and some quality SP2 are still available. With Cronin and Appling both gone Rizzuto was next in line so I hit submit post and immediately regretted it.
Round 5-6 Robin Roberts SP2 - Phillies
My second "what have I done pick". Gomez, Newhouser & Chandler all went right before me and instead of forgetting about another pitcher and going for a quality bat I stuck with my tunnel vision and quietly cursed myself.
Round 6-8 Joe Berry RP1 - Athletics
Didn't really want to take a relief pitcher this early but A's were flying off the shelf and he was arguably the best of who was left. It afforded me another advantage as I was able to move up 5 spots in the next round.
Round 7-3 Zack Wheat OF - Dodgers
At this point I know I need to grab a 2B but at this point there are still 4 available to me so I'm not too worried. I take Wheat as he's always done pretty well for me.
Round 8-3 Marty McManus 2B - Browns
I'm locked into McManus as my other 3 options all went after my Wheat pick. I avoided the default zone as football decided to take Camilli instead of grabbing my only option.
Round 9-2 Heinie Groh 3B - Reds
After Kell goes in round 8 I'm getting very limited in my 3B options. Don't want to go through what I did with my 2B situation so I grab my best option.
Round 10-2 Ray Narleski RP2 - Indians
Totally forgot how good the RP were in the other pitcher category and got fixated on grabbing a closer as soon as I could. I needed OF help but took a chance there wouldn't be a run on them. Wrong again, the next 4 picks are outfielders, 3 of which are on my list. Really wanted Kiner for some power but he went right after my pick. Now I'm essentially playing defense the rest of the way.
Round 11-2 George Gibson C - Pirates
Had to take Gibson so I could leave as many options as possible as I still need 2 more outfielders.
Round 12-1 Pete Alexander SP2 - Cubs
One my few options at OF, Carl Reynolds, goes in the middle of the last round. If I take Alexander it eliminates Frank Schulte of the few OF options I have left. As it turns out Schulte is the only outfielder not taken in the draft. I know there only a few owners left that need OF help so Grover was a better option.
Round 13-2 Eddie Matteson RP2 - Senators
Was basically tied into this pick with having nothing but pitching options left with the Senators. Couldn't take Crowder as I already had my 3 SP2 so Matteson it was.
Round 14-1 Hank Aguirre RP1 - Tigers
Rinse and repeat of previous round. 2 choices and Aguirre was the best of the two.
Round 15-1 Wally Berger OF - Braves
After sweating it out for the last 4 rounds I'm locked into my last 2 picks. Thats the good news, bad news is I have 2 bottom feeding picks at the position. I guess it's better than defaulting, we'll see.
Round 16-1 Johnny Mostil OF - White Sox
Okay, onto Phase 2 and I'm picking second. What could go wrong?
Round 17-2 Fred Toney P - Giants
Would've taken Niggleling for my closer but midknight grabbed him. I thought taking Toney would knock me down a few picks with his bloated salary but he's too tempting to pass up.
Round 18-2 Jack Quinn P - White Sox
Staying at pick 2 was a nice surprise and I figured taking Quinn would keep me there, although schwarze is breathing down my neck.
Round 19-2 Elmer Valo Bench - Athletics
He'd been on my radar since the beginning of Phase 2 so I was happy to get him. Unfortunately it gave room for schwarze to jump ahead of me in the order. A move I was never able to overcome the rest of the draft.
Round 20-3 Frank Gibson C2 - Braves
The C2 tsunami hit and I was standing there daydreaming and got washed out to sea. Here's where schwarze threw me a life jacket and didn't default me. Much appreciated.
Round 21-3 George Winter P - Tigers
Nothing much to say here except I needed a pitcher and he was cheap and available.
Round 22-3 Red Schoendienst Bench - Cardinals
These next 2 rounds totally messed up my plans. I wanted Schofield but schwarze grabbed him one pick before. I needed 2B help and was hesitant to take Schoendienst since he only plays 2B but pulled the trigger anyways.
Round 23-3 George Strickland Bench - Indians
Total brain fart on my part. I wanted Stephens but midknight took him and instead of going cheap and taking Cullenbine I grabbed and salary handcuff.
Not only did I not put a dent in schwarze's lead on me I let Chisock get within $3,000.
Round 24-3 Sherry Robertson Bench - Senators
Just took the cheapest guy available as to not lose my draft position for Phase 3.
Round 25-3 Eddie Plank P - Federal League
I knew Hendrix and Kauff would go 1 and 2 so My choice was Plank or Ford although I seriously considered Ted Easterly to help my atrocious catching. I ultimately took Plank to get a LH starter.

For me this draft was more difficult to navigate, especially Phase 1, than version 1 was. I have no expectations on how I'll do. If I finish .500 I'd be satisfied.

So the question remains... who do you take if you are picking number 2 in round 25?

Oh I’d have taken Kauff no question

I have some rudimentary "value" measures. Figure I'd post them here in case anyone else found them interesting.

A couple notes: (1) since I used this metric in part to draft my team, of course it will be biased in favor of my team!; (2) I did not adjust for "usable" PA/IP, so owners who drafted, say, 1700 good innings but can't use them all will still have a higher inflated value here.

BEST HITTERS

Owner	Hitters
mpitt76	21722
footballmm11	21563
thejuice6	20499
dilligafdbp	18584
mllama54	18402
nocomm999	17976
chisock	17620
ronthegenius	16891
zephyr1949	15370
njbigwig	15251
midknight	14692
calhoop	13911
schwarze	13892
bheid408	12431
fatguyrd	12389
rmarsh915	8244

BEST PITCHERS

Owner	Pitchers
njbigwig	12637
rmarsh915	12423
calhoop	12401
schwarze	12109
bheid408	11538
footballmm11	10640
zephyr1949	10037
mllama54	9535
midknight	8555
chisock	8148
ronthegenius	7339
fatguyrd	7099
dilligafdbp	6336
nocomm999	5747
mpitt76	5678
thejuice6	5249

*For these next two tables, note that my value metrics aren't calibrated between hitters/pitchers, so these are only useful relatively-speaking.
MOST HITTER-HEAVY

Owner	Hitter%
thejuice6	80%
mpitt76	79%
nocomm999	76%
dilligafdbp	75%
ronthegenius	70%
chisock	68%
footballmm11	67%
mllama54	66%
fatguyrd	64%
midknight	63%
zephyr1949	60%
njbigwig	55%
schwarze	53%
calhoop	53%
bheid408	52%
rmarsh915	40%

MOST PITCHER-HEAVY

Owner	Pitcher%
rmarsh915	60%
bheid408	48%
calhoop	47%
schwarze	47%
njbigwig	45%
zephyr1949	40%
midknight	37%
fatguyrd	36%
mllama54	34%
footballmm11	33%
chisock	32%
ronthegenius	30%
dilligafdbp	25%
nocomm999	24%
mpitt76	21%
thejuice6	20%

*As I mentioned above, the hitter/pitcher calibration isn't equal, so this is biased in favor of hitting-heavy teams.
BEST COMBINED (you can just ignore me at the top, lol)

Owner	Total
footballmm11	32203
mllama54	27937
njbigwig	27888
mpitt76	27400
calhoop	26312
schwarze	26001
chisock	25769
thejuice6	25748
zephyr1949	25407
dilligafdbp	24920
ronthegenius	24230
bheid408	23969
nocomm999	23723
midknight	23247
rmarsh915	20668
fatguyrd	19488