2013 Fantasy Alarm Readers Mock Draft #3 Analysis

Posted by Ivar G. Anderson on 01/26/2013 | 2 Comments

Tags: 2013, Fantasy Alarm, Fantasy Baseball, MLB, Mock Draft, ADP

Not much better than spending a cold January evening (at least, it's cold here in the Detroit area) than engaging in some banter with other fantasy baseball mock draft addicts while trying to get a handle on which players I want to target this 2013 season.  The results of the draft are at the bottom of this post, and if you really want to see the breakdown by team, drop me a line so I can send you the link to Google Drive.

Have an iPhone or iPad?  Get the #1 selling Fantasy Sports tool this season!  Fantasy Alarm's award winning 2012 Fantasy Baseball App!

Next week's draft is already posted at MDC.  Just look for the Fantasy Alarm draft on Thursday, January 31 @ 8:30 PM EST.  Password is Alarm 4, and make certain to insert a space before the numeral.  Also, if you have a preference concerning the roster size or stats, let me know and I will do my best to accommodate your needs.

Here are the picks that make me go "Hmmm..." as I look over the results from this week's mock draft.

Round 1-5

Steve missed the beginning of the draft, and I expect that was the reason Posey went in the first round.  Some of the ADPs on MDC are ridiculous, by the by.  For example, there is no way Yadier Molina should have an ADP of 27 (thanks for pointing that out, Rich).  Once again, Verlander was the third SP off the board, and while I have no issue with Kershaw going before Justin, I just cannot get my head around Strassburg being the #2 SP taken, given his anticipated IP limit again this season.  The man has yet to pitch in the 8th inning in the majors.  I am totally buying in on his teammate, Bryce Harper as indicated with my second round pick.  It was him or Tulo, and I think Tim McLeod was glad to capitalize on my choice with his pick immediately following me.  Tim also pondered why we don't value Matt Holliday higher this season, and to be frank, I have no idea.  He's a guy I make a point to keep in any league I can, so why I keep ignoring him in drafts is beyond my ken.  There is a tier of the top three 2B, consisting of Cano, Kinsler and Pedroia, and in a 12 team league you can expect them to be gone by the end of the 3rd round.  After that, you are scrambling with Zobrist, Kipnis, Phillips and Altuve.  I keep saying it, middle infield quickly becomes a wasteland this season, as it has over the past few years.  I like any of the three SPs taken in the 4th round, although I would have preferred to grab Cliff Lee or Matt Cain over my pick of Gio Gonzalez, but as opposed to MI, starting pitching is deep again, and once you have two top pitchers in the early going, you can wait to fill out your rotation.  Fifth round pitcher run just proves this point, with King Felix, Kimbrel (best of the closers), Greinke, Hamels, Weaver and Bumgarner.  Any of those SPs would serve you well as a SP1, and if you get him as a SP2, you are doing very well.

Round 6-12

Scott Gilroy started off the 6th with another SP, again demonstrating the SP depth in 2013.  I feel Choo is going to shine in Cincy this season, even if he is asked to switch to CF.  I usually worry when a position change accompanies a league switch, and those two factors may knock Choo's train off the rails initially, but I am going to be targeting him in the 6th or 7th rounds this season.  I will not be looking to grab Napoli, he of the hip necrosis and will let him go to other teams unless he falls significantly in my drafts.  Ron aka Caveman really ticked me off when he took Scherzer, who I had queued up as my SP2, forcing me to adjust my strategy and take Andrus for his steals.  I don't think Kung-fu Panda should last until the end of the 7th, but if that trend continues, I will be capitalizing frequently.  Of course, here I was luck enough to grab Wright, but if I was without a 3B, Sandoval would be my next choice.  Despite what I said about MI being a wasteland, I do like Hill here in the 8th round.  You really don't know which player will show up from year to year, but he is generally productive offensively, just not across the board in 5 categories.  I am a big fan of Aoki this year, and hope against hope that decision will not be huge mistake.  I prolly should have taken Willingham, but I liked the power/speed combo with Aoki more than the pure power from Willingham.  Mr. Justmann likes Rizzo, I have gathered, and I gots to say, I agree as well.  He's a CI you can wait on to snag.  Wim is a nice guy, but there were many expletives spoken when he grabbed Dunn in the 10th.  You should know if you join one of my mocks, that Dunn is hands off.  Kinda like Tim McLeod with Yu Darvish last year.  When Cueto went one pick before me in the 10th, I shifted my attention to Kennedy, but I would have much preferred the Reds' hurler for my staff.  Players like Escobar and Swisher are the kind of guys that can help you big time in winning your league.  Nothing flashy, just steady production.  What you want towards the end of the first half is players that pose little risk and provide good stats.  I like Scott's pick of Coco at the end of the 11th for the steals, but am not enamored of Ryan Howard this year.  I may warm up to him if he looks good this spring, but for now, I am avoiding him in drafts.

Listen to The Fantasy Alarm Show Saturday 10 PM- 1 AM EST, Sunday 5 PM to 8 PM EST and Wednesday 11:00 PM EST to 1:00 AM EST on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio XM channel 87/Sirius 210.

Round 13-18

Everything I've read or heard this offseason about Morneau makes me think he is a great value here in the late 13th round.  If he's healthy, expect good things in 2013.  Caveman sniped me with Bonifacio in the 15th round, but I am happy to have a chance to take Machado, although I would like him to have SS eligibility as well as being a 3B option.  Not sure we are going to see any rookies break out this season like Trout and Harper, but Machado has a good shot to produce in Baltimore.  For what it's worth, I also foresee Jurickson Profar, Dylan Bundy and Wil Myers as hot ticket rookies to target in keeper and dynasty leagues.  Drafting Corey Hart was prolly a mistake, as his knee surgery is going to keep him out until May at least, and you have to worry about his production even when he returns.  Lincecum is a decent risk here in the 16th, but he will not grace any of my rosters this year.  Remember when the Nationals gave Werth that big contract?  Not working out so well, is it?  He's become a fantasy afterthought, and for me, while this is prolly where I might take him, there are better options in my humble opinion.  Like Drew Stubbs, who I snagged 3 picks later.  I cannot endorse Mr. Gilroy's Homer Bailey selection at the end of the 17th...Bailey is DTM at this point; I've given him plenty of rope and he has choked the life out of my teams too many times to count. 

Round 19-23

One thing to remember about these drafts, is that I set them up as 6x6 with holds and OPS.  Thus, Mr. Justmann taking Storen, who recently lost the closer role in Washington, makes sense if you need a guy to give you holds.  That is the reason why I took Gregerson in the 20th.  Of course, it always makes sense to take good set-up guys as they provide the necessary stats to help out your pitching totals even if they don't give you saves.  Vulture wins (doesn't apply in my leagues since I am switching W to QS this season wherever possible), Ks, ERA and WHIP all count in most leagues.  The Rondon pick is one you need to monitor throughout the spring, as there is no guarantee he will come north with the Tigers as their closer, but he doesn't face much competition, either aside from Phil Coke.  Again, I can point to the back to back picks of Beachy and Vogelsong by myself and Mr. Mcleod in the 22nd round to demonstrate the pitching depth this year.  i would suggest grabbing an ace early, but if you don't, you can do well and finish mid-pack even without a true SP1.  Final pick:  Yonder Alonso.  Not too shabby, Mr. Gilroy.

Do not be shy about joining our weekly mock drafts.  Despite the fact that some of the participants are "experts," they are, just like the rest of us, guessing about how the players will perform.  Plus, no reason not to take advantage of their knowledge by jumping in and perhaps sniping one or two of their "sleeper" picks.  Additionally, I have made some great friendships through participating in mock drafts, and continue to meet new draft addicts like me, which can be a distinct advantage if you ever need to fill an empty league slot at the last minute.

Remember to check back frequently for the 2013 Fantasy Baseball content that will be populating our site as we get closer to Opening Day.  I will be covering Starting Pitching again, and once I've finished the Starting Rotation Analysis, I will be posting the 2 Start Pitchers and Waiver Wire Pickup articles weekly.  If you ever have a question, about starting pitching or any other aspect of fantasy baseball, you can contact me at ia@fantasyalarm.com, and I will try to get back to you within 24 hours.