Keeper

Yeah, I can definitely think of a few guys you could have taken before Cordero. Who are considerably younger.

I like Crosby and Malkin, but I guess if I had to choose which team to root for, it'd be the Wings even though they put a beating on the Hawks, just because Brett Lebda went to my high school. That and Datsyuk is one of my favorite players.

Heinie Manush Rich Harden

It's always a good tournament, but some teams really get screwed in the selection process. Like my brother's team, Eastern Illinois. 36-14 record. Top 5 (currently #2) in the nation in batting average and slugging (currently #3). Top 10 in home runs per game. Eastern beat 5 teams that made it into the tournament, including Oklahoma. EIU had one of the best shortstops in the country in Jordan Kreke and one of the best hitters in the country in Brett Nommensen, who only played half of the season because of a wrist injury. He hit .525 with a 1.010 SLG and a .652 OBP. EIU could have as many as 4 players drafted this summer. In the Big 12 alone, 8 teams made it. There's definitely some regional bias.

Yovani Gallardo has 8 Ks through 3 innings. But 56 pitches hurts his chances of having a truly monster game.

IMO the best rotations so far belong to (in no particular order) yankees228, Crespoblows, Dipreg, and possibly ORS. I'd like to think that when it's all said and done mine will be somewhere in the Top 5.

I'm not going to vote against it. Gom definitely makes out like a bandit here, but no one held a gun to redsoxrules' head to accept it.

I took Adam LaRoche because I didn't want to be the guy who got stuck with someone like Casey Kotchman at first. I actually like LaRoche more than Loney. Loney is a decent hitter and all with more upside, but I'm just not seeing it with the power. LaRoche isn't a superstar, but he's consistently decent and an underrated defender.

Adam LaRoche, 1B

6 starts this year for Hughes. Only 2 of them were quality starts. Sounds about right.

I took Vernon Wells because center field doesn't have much to offer right now. Definitely the best of the rest, I'd say.

Vernon Wells

Koji Uehara Tadahito Iguchi Kazuo Matsui Akinori Iwamura Kosuke Fukudome They've all been pretty good.

Cabrera isn't as bad a pick as he's made out to be here. He's a good center fielder. And while he's not an offensive force per se, he's definitely shown flashes of potential. Also, he's still only 24, so he has some time to figure things out.

Players I wanted but didn't get: Nick Markakis Felix Hernandez Matt Cain Chad Billingsley Matt Kemp Adrian Gonzalez Adam Wainwright Justin Verlander Tommy Hanson Kevin Slowey Denard Span Jered Weaver I am in like with my team. Not in love with it. My outfield will wind up being comparatively weak. First base is still a question mark. My rotation is solid. I don't know if any of them are perennial "aces," but they'll get the job done and keep me in games. Volstad probably has the most upside. My closer is lights out. My catcher is arguably the best defensive catcher in the game. Cano isn't the best second baseman, but he's a pure hitter. Escobar has decent range at short, and I like what he brings to the table offensively. Puts the ball in play, doesn't strike out much, but also grounds into too many double plays. I feel like I got lucky getting Longoria, even with the Number 4 pick. YOTN taking Tulo 1st overall was a gift. The Big Donkey strikes out a lot, but makes up for it with his power and OBP. And since he's my DH, his defense is rendered meaningless.

Huh, I only recently discovered Livan Hernandez is Orlando Hernandez's brother.

Haha, I was just about to post that one. One of the most lopsided trades ever.

Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek to the Red Sox for Heathcliff Slocumb.

Yeah, that's how I feel as well. You usually go into a season already knowing if your starting pitching is good or not. With the bullpen, you never really know. But Marmol's stuff is sick. Especially that slider. Also has a lot of movement on his fastball. His control sucks, though. And I'm not sure how he'll handle the closer's role. I haven't seen Ramirez pitch much, but he seems like one of the safer picks to shore up the pen.

You know it's over when your third string goalie is in the net. Game 2 was the backbreaker for the Hawks. The way this game is going, Game 3's win was meaningless. Good season, boys, but a disappointing finish.

Ubaldo Jimenez is a very nice pick. The only reason I didn't pick him is he has terrible command and sometimes bad mechanics, which makes him inconsistent. Makes a lot of guys swing and miss, has electric stuff, and hardly ever gives up the long ball. Had he been around for my next turn, I wouldn't have hesitated to pick him up. But IMO Lannan was the safer pick. Plus, he's a lefty and I wanted a lefty as my 4th starter.

Age matters less for closers, but Nathan is 34 whereas Jenks is 28. For that reason, I would've taken Jenks ahead of him as well. Not Zumaya, though.