2018 SilverHwaks Edition.

Happy April Fool's Day..

We completed the 2018 version of the MI Roots Fantasy Baseball Draft last night. Unlike previous years, we actually did this one after the baseball season had started, which I'm not sure had a ton of impact. Regardless, something else that's different is that I also wanted to take a few minutes and blog about this draft. (maybe I'll even check it a year from now, provided I remember)

Before actually getting into the results, it's probably important that I start out with talking about my strategy: I had decided that I was going to focus on pitching this year. This strategy actually started with my keepers; I chose to keep five pitchers this year (Jacob deGrom, Andrew Miller, James Paxton, Ken Giles, and Jose Berrios), which I felt gave me a pretty decent start on the season. I also knew that there have been several years past where there has been pretty good offensive options late.

1st Round Selection: #6 Chris Sale | BOS - SP

• The question here for me was whether I was going to take Max Scherzer or Sale. I knew that I was going to have an ace either way. Originally I thought that I was going to take Scherzer first and hope that Sale was going to fall to the second round, but I hadn't considered that Jason had probably intended on drafting him first after letting him go. I ultimately decided on Sale over Scherzer though because Scherzer is over 30 years old and Sale isn't.
• Drafted after: 
• #7 Josh: Clayton Kershaw [K] - Josh
• #8 Don: Scherzer - Don
• #9. Jason: Corey Kluber - Jason 
• #10 Alan: Charlie Blackmon - Alan
• #11 Nate: Paul Goldschmidt - Nate
• #12 Nich: Manny Machado - Nich
• #13 Brad: Carlos Correa - Brad
• #14 Jeremy: Freddie Freeman - Jeremy 
• #15 Kyle: Francisco Lindor - Kyle
• Hindsight: No regrets here. Plan on keeping Sale for a long time.

2nd Round Selection: #16 Corey Seager | LAD - SS

• The key is in who was drafted before here. I had my eyes on Francisco Lindor but he was taken right before my pick. I decided that since Correa was also gone that it would probably be a good idea to reach on Seager, who was actually ranked in the 30s, because I didn't feel that I would be able to get him in the third round and wanted one of the top three shortstops that were available in the draft. I know it means that I probably won't be keeping him - Sale is too good - but I couldn't let him get by.
• Drafted after:
• #17 Josh: J.D. Martinez
• #18 Don: Stephen Strasburg
• #19 Jason: Carlos Carrasco
• #20 Alan: Alex Bregman
• #21 Nate: Jose Abreu 
• #22 Nich: Gary Sanchez [K]
• #23 Brad: Josh Donaldson
• #24 Jeremy: Anthony Rendon
• #25 Kyle: Anthony Rizzo [K]  
• Hindsight: Obviously we'll never know what would've played out had I let Seager go. Because of that, there are no regrets here either; I got the highly ranked shortstop that I was hoping to get. 

3rd Round Selection: #26 Robbie Ray | ARI - SP

• Another pitcher. That meant in my first three rounds that I had drafted a pitcher in two of them, which I was perfectly content with. Ray was the highest rated pitcher that was left at this point. I knew that he had an outstanding season last year and that the Arizona offense should be pretty solid again, which should help him get wins. 
• Drafted after:
• #27 Josh:Joey Votto [K]
• #28 Don: Edwin Encarncion
• #29 Jason: Jose Quintana
• #30 Alan: Aaron Nola
• #31 Nate: Dee Gordon 
• #32 Nich: Kenley Jansen [K]
• #33 Brad: Brian Dozier [K]
• #34 Jeremy: Craig Kimbrel
• #35 Kyle:Justin Upton
• Hindsight: Happy with the pick, given who was on the board still after it was made. There was no one selected after the pick I would've wanted. Kimbrel, as a closer, would've been tempting but not when I got a good starter.

4th Round Selection: #36 Jacob deGrom [K] | NYM - SP

• First keeper off the board. Felt that deGrom in this place was pretty good value. 
• Drafted after:
• #37 Josh: Marcell Ozuna
• #38 Don: Dallas Keuchel [K]
• #39 Jason: Rhys Hoskins
• #40 Alan: Yu Darvish
• #41 Nate: Carlos Martinez 
• #42 Nich: Chris Archer
• #43 Brad: Miguel Cabrera
• #44 Jeremy: Masahiro Tanaka
• #45 Kyle:Starlin Marte
• Hindsight: Archer is the key here. He was a guy that I had wanted pretty bad. Felt that Nich had actually reached for him here. He was the next guy on my queue. 

5th Round Selection: #46 Buster Posey | SF - C, 1B

• Seeing Archer go before I had a shot to take him meant that I wasn't letting Posey get by. He was the one guy that I had wanted in this draft, especially since he had been hitting pretty well during Spring Training and he's the elite catcher in fantasy baseball. I also feel taking him in the 5th Round gives pretty good keeper value as well, especially if we get anything in place with being able to make trades in the future. 
• Drafted after:
• #47 Josh: Whit Merrifield
• #48 Don: Nelson Cruz
• #49 Jason: A.J. Pollock
• #50 Alan: Roberto Osuna
• #51 Nate: Khris Davis 
• #52 Nich: Miguel Sano
• #53 Brad: Andrew McCutchen
• #54 Jeremy: Madison Bumgarner
• #55 Kyle: Robinson Cano
• Hindsight: Can't regret taking the one guy I wanted.. even if there are a couple of names on the drafted after list that I also really wanted.

After five rounds in I was feeling pretty good. I had accomplished exactly what I was hoping to do: grab a top shortstop, Posey (especially if I didn't feel he would fall), and solidified my starting pitching. I felt that I actually had the strongest team forming at this point.


6th Round Selection: #56 Edwin Diaz | SEA - RP

• When I first took Diaz I felt that it was a little high. However, the more I think about it, I'm actually pretty cool with it. I know that he had a good start to the season and am certainly hoping that it continues. 
• Drafted after:
• #57 Josh:Felipe Rivero
• #58 Don: Justin Verlander [K]
• #59 Jason: Jake Arrieta
• #60 Alan: Wil Myers
• #61 Nate: Billy Hamilton 
• #62 Nich: Gerrit Cole
• #63 Brad: Yoenis Cespedes
• #64 Jeremy: Elvis Andrus
• #65 Kyle: Jonathan Schoop
• Hindsight: There's no one in the list drafted after Diaz that makes me regret the selection. Combine that with I was able to stay on track on continue to improve my pitching and I'd say that it was a good choice.

7th Round Selection: #66 Aroldis Chapman | NYY - RP

• Chapman was near the top of the list so I took the "Seager route" and drafted him since I knew he wouldn't be around when I picked the next time, as I was about to have a run of guys I kept.
• Drafted after:
• #67 Josh: Zack Grienke [K]
• #68 Don: Lance McCullers Jr.
• #69 Jason: Cody Allen
• #70 Alan: Mookie Betts [K]
• #71 Nate: Corey Knebel  
• #72 Nich: Javier Baez [K]
• #73 Brad: Jameson Taillon [K]
• #74 Jeremy: D.J. LeMahieu
• #75 Kyle: Adrian Beltre
• Hindsight: The selection of Chapman gave me a reliever list so far of Miller, Giles, Diaz, and Chapman. That's a pretty good four to start with. It also opened up the door for me to only have to worry about finding two more, which opened up other options. This might have actually been a key move, without realizing it.

8th Round Selection: #76 Andrew Miller [K] | CLE - RP

• Second keeper off the board. Felt this was a little high for Miller. Unfortunately the reality is that non-closers don't have as much value in this league as it's currently constructed because they don't get saves. Regardless, he was someone that I wanted to remain on my roster.
• Drafted after:
• #77 Josh: Lorenzo Cain
• #78 Don: Jose Ramirez [K]
• #79 Jason: George Springer [K]
• #80 Alan: David Price
• #81 Nate: Luis Castillo 
• #82 Nich: Noah Syndergaard [K]
• #83 Brad: Joey Gallo
• #84 Jeremy: Eric Hosmer
• #85 Kyle: Justin Smoak
• Hindsight: Probably could've let Miller go and gotten someone more effective that actually will get saves. Miller should eat up innings though. Still happy.

9th Round Selection: #86 James Paxton [K] | SEA - SP

• Paxton was the last keeper that I decided on. What ultimately made me want to keep him was that I knew he had a ton of potential. 
• Drafted after:
• #87 Josh: Carlos Santana
• #88 Don: Yasiel Puig
• #89 Jason: Kris Bryant [K]
• #90 Alan: Sonny Gray
• #91 Nate: Zack Godley 
• #92 Nich: Adam Jones
• #93 Brad: Shohei Ohtani (pitcher)
• #94 Jeremy: Chris Taylor
• #95 Kyle: Luke Weaver
• Hindsight: If I had taken his injury history into account, I probably would've kept someone else that I would've gotten later. Keeping three players in a row probably wasn't the smartest choice, although it didn't impact me with the guys that were chosen after Paxton.. for this round.

10th Round Selection: #96 Ken Giles [K] | HOU - RP

• If it matters, Giles was the second to last keeper I decided on. I just think that the Astros are going to win a lot of games and he'll have plenty of save opportunities.
• Drafted after:
• ##7 Josh: Jon Lester
• ##8 Don: Travis Shaw
• ##9 Jason: Ronald Acuna Jr.
• ##0 Alan: Sean Doolittle
• ##1 Nate: Brad Hand 
• ##2 Nich: Domingo Santana
• ##3 Brad: Kyle Seager
• ##4 Jeremy: Marwin Gonzalez
• ##5 Kyle: Raisel Iglesais
• Hindsight: No regrets.

After 10 Rounds I was still feeling pretty good. I had the opportunity to take a lot of guys that I wanted, which meant that I was focusing on the quality pitching that I had originally set out for. I just wasn't sure about having Paxton being kept, even if I was getting him for a great value. However, since he's a guy I'm pretty sure I won't look at keeping next year, it may be time to see what I can get for him...

Trade offer on the table: Robbie Ray, James Paxton, Ian Happ, and Kyle Schwarber to Nich for Chris Archer, Miguel Sano, Adam Jones, and Jake Odorizzi. I think that this is something that would actually intrigue Nich since it's a pitcher upgrade and that he would get two Cubs (and future keepers) out of it. I think that I'm giving up a lot here but it gets me Archer (who I could keep in the 4th Round next year.. which is a conflict because of Posey and deGrom) and Sano, which are two guys that I really wanted before the draft started. It also opens up the door for me to move Chris Davis if he's terrible and I would think should help my hitting numbers.

11th Round Selection: #106 Ian Happ | CHC - 2B, LF, CF, RF

• I originally selected Happ because he has great defensive versatility and because I figured that he would be a good trade piece for me down the road. Going into the draft he was someone that I was hoping was going to fall pretty low because he would be off other people's radars. However, since he has started out hot, I figured I better take him before someone else did.
• Drafted after:
• #107 Josh: Jeurys Familia
• #108 Don: Daniel Murphy
• #109 Jason: Brandon Morrow
• #110 Alan: Ozzie Albies
• #111 Nate: Trevor Story 
• #112 Nich: Nomar Mazara
• #113 Brad: Wade Davis
• #114 Jeremy: Scooter Gennett
• #115 Kyle: Rich Hill
• Hindsight: There's no one in the next 10 that I'm really regretting not getting a chance to draft. Also, after making the trade offer to Nich, I feel that drafting Happ here gives me the chance to upgrade in a few spots while also helping him out.

12th Round Selection: #116 Kyle Schwarber | CHC - LF

• To be honest, I panicked here. When the countdown was getting under 10 seconds, I ultimately decided on Schwarber over Gregory Polanco, who is actually eligible in two outfield positions. I saw Polanco do some great things against the Tigers on Opening Day but ultimately went with Schwarber because he'd be a great trading chip to go with Happ. 
• Drafted after:
• #117 Josh: Rick Porcello
• #118 Don: Ryan Braun
• #119 Jason: J.T. Realmuto
• #120 Alan: Hector Nerris
• #121 Nate: Johnny Cueto 
• #122 Nich: Alex Colome
• #123 Brad: Polanco
• #124 Jeremy: Kenta Maeda
• #125 Kyle: Danny Duffy
• Hindsight: I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't realize that there were three solid starting pitchers on the board still - along with two pretty solid closers. Twelve rounds in is not the worst time to have your first mistake of the draft. I should have went with either Porcello, Cueto, or Duffy here.

13th Round Selection: #126 Kelvin Herrera | KC - RP

• Back to another closer. Herrera left me with only one closing spot, which I felt was a good time to make that move. I was also under the opinion that he had a pretty strong grip on the job at Kansas City. 
• Drafted after:
• #127 Josh: Trevor Bauer
• #128 Don: Salvador Perez
• #129 Jason: Garrett Richards
• #130 Alan: Ivan Nova
• #131 Nate: Jon Gray 
• #132 Nich: Taijuan Walker
• #133 Brad: Arodys Vizcaino
• #134 Jeremy: Yadier Molina
• #135 Kyle: Blake Snell
• Hindsight: This was still a good pick. There is a chance had I grabbed a reliever in the last round that I would have been open to grabbing another solid starting pitcher, like Bauer or Gray. Still happy to have another solid closer.

14th Round Selection: #136 Marcus Stroman | TOR - SP

• Another one of my boys was on the board so I grabbed him. I had originally thought that Stroman might still be around if I waited another round - or two - but decided not to take the chance. 
• Drafted after:
• #137 Josh: Evan Gattis
• #138 Don: Paul DeJong
• #139 Jason: Dinelson Lamet
• #140 Alan: Aaron Sanchez
• #141 Nate: Blake Treinen 
• #142 Nich: Matt Carpenter
• #143 Brad: Rougned Odor
• #144 Jeremy: David Robertson
• #145 Kyle: Willson Contreras [K]
• Hindsight: He's a solid starting pitcher and I got him later than what I had anticipated. That's a pretty good thing to happen. Treinen was an interesting option here but I decided against him since there were still closers in good situations on the board.

15th Round Selection: #146 Jason Kipnis | CLE - 2B, CF

• Kipnis had been in my queue for a few rounds at this point. Even though I already had Happ who could play second base, I thought that Kipnis wasn't going to be around much longer. He also has had a pretty strong spring. 
• Drafted after:
• #147 Josh: Jeff Samardzija
• #148 Don: Julio Teheran
• #149 Jason: Eddie Rosario
• #150 Alan: Christian Yelich [K]
• #151 Nate: Michael Fulmer [K] 
• #152 Nich: Jake Odorizzi 
• #153 Brad: Brad Brach 
• #154 Jeremy: Cole Hamels
• #155 Kyle: Kyle Hendricks [K]
• Hindsight: Bit right in the butt! Going away from my strategy cost me a chance at three starting pitchers that would have been great additions. This was a time where I wasn't looking at starters, which ultimately cost me Samardzija, Teheran, and Odorizzi.

Still feeling pretty good after the 15th Round. Also see the importance of finding a strategy and sticking to it. Had I grabbed one of those starting pitchers in this past round, there's a good chance I still would've had a shot at Kipnis or another second baseman that could have gotten the job done. The worst thing is that I would've been locked into Brandon Drury. However the main takeaway here is the two times I looked away from starting pitching, it cost me, which I'll explain later when I get into the free agents.










 Round Selection: ##6

• More text
• Drafted after:
• ##7 Josh:
• ##8 Don: 
• ##9 Jason: 
• ##0 Alan: 
• ##1 Nate:  
• ##2 Nich: 
• ##3 Brad: 
• ##4 Jeremy: 
• ##5 Kyle:
• Hindsight: Even more text