LABR of Love: A Self-Indulgent Draft Write-Up

For those who love to follow the big industry leagues, LABR (League of Alternate Baseball Reality) not only opened its draft season with their 15-team mixed league Tuesday, but they also opened their doors to me for first-time membership. Now I can’t exactly vouch for what the criteria is to receive an invite to such a prestigious club, but I’ll have to assume that, for me, it was, in no particular order, fantasy baseball knowledge, rugged good looks and a wit so sharp, you could shiv someone in the yard with it and the guards would never notice. Normally I take the Groucho Marx stance when some secret-handshake club comes a-calling, but considering a lot of the participants are as much friends as they are colleagues, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to beat them and talk smack for six or seven months while doing so. I quickly checked off that I would have the beef, sent in my R.S.V.P. card, and got my prep work done.

I always have a general idea as to what I am going to do in a draft, but given that I was picking 10^th out of 15 teams, I figured I would treat the early part like a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Depending on who fell to me, I would then make the necessary adjustments. You know…turn to page 56 instead of 34. I did say, however, that I would grab starting pitching earlier than I normally would like. Pitching has become a lot more consistent over these last few years and given that guys like Todd Zola and Jeff Erickson have been beating their chests regarding the change in trend for so long, I knew I would have to act fast with this crew. I had my mind made up about going with a starter in Round 3 and then, if I didn’t like any of the offensive options, again in Round 4. Obviously I would remain flexible, but I knew I would end up with two starters within my first five picks. From there, it was just a matter of how the draft went and which categories/positions I needed to address the most at each turn.

Here’s who I was up against in order of the draft:

So let’s go through it round by round and I’ll give you my picks and the thoughts behind them. Some explanations will be more detailed than others, but that’s only because the thought process was a little more intense at time. You can follow along with the big board if you like.

Andrew McCutchen, OF PIT (1.10)

In the spirit of full-disclosure, I spent the majority of my day trying to get the “please let Anthony Rizzo fall to me at 10” message out to the universe so that I could start my draft with a young, power-hitting first baseman who I also really liked as a player. Yes, this is a “business” but I hate having a team filled with guys I don’t even like to root for in real life. Unfortunately, as I was jumping on-air with SiriusXM for some pre-draft chatter, I immediately heard Steve Gardner say that at the No. 5 pick, he was going to take Rizzo, if available. That kick to the fantasy groin put me back to just seeing who was there and when it was finally my pick, I was deciding between McCutchen and Miguel Cabrera. Elite outfielder coming off a down year due to a spring knee issue or the power-hitting first baseman I tend to covet? Obviously I went with McCutchen as, not only do I believe a return to 20-20 with a .300 average, but with 15 teams and five outfielders needed, he was filling a position that will see its top 20 off the board within the first three rounds.

Buster Posey, C SF (2.06)

I know, right? A catcher? I never. But I did. I wanted Jose Abreu with my next pick but he went to Fantasy Sports Network’s Doug Anderson just two picks ahead of me. An elite first-baseman was not coming my way. I could have gone with Edwin Encarnacion, but his back issues and other little dings and dents always concern me. So in looking at who was available, I formulated a plan and grabbed Posey. He’s the No. 1 catcher on the board and with first base eligibility, if I didn’t land one of my later-round first base targets, I could always use Posey there and grab an extra backstop later. My favorite part of this pick was just how upset Paul Sporer and Jason Collette (check the 16-minute mark) were when I made it. The best catcher in the game and it pisses someone off? That’s fantasy draft gold in my book.

Jose Fernandez, SP MIA (3.10)

As I said earlier, my third-round pick was going to be a starting pitcher. I knew, in this crowd, I would need to do it. I was all set with my 2016 NL Cy Young pick Gerrit Cole atop my queue when suddenly I took another kick to the fantasy groin as Jeff Erickson snagged Cole with the first pick of the round. It hurt. It hurt a lot. Four starters were off the board and Erickson took Chris Sale with the final pick of the second round. I knew he liked Cole but never thought he’d double-tap the starting pitchers like that. Five more starters came off the board after that, but Fernandez was left to me, in what I believed to be a no-brainer. I’m not worried about the potential 180 innings cap for two reasons: 1. The strikeouts and ratios he can give me in 180 innings are better than what most starters can do with 200-plus innings, and 2. With his super team-friendly contract to avoid arbitration in place, he’s getting dealt to someone else who will buy out his remaining years with a long-term deal. That team will wait to see how he feels before even thinking about shutting him down.

Carlos Gonzalez, OF COL (4.06)

I wondered if I should go with another starter since four more came off the board between this and my last pick, bringing the total number of starters taken to 16 out of the first 48 picks (33.3%). However, with thoughts that the field may back off a little on pitching in these next two rounds, I thought another hitter was best. Outfield made the most sense and while I was going to reach for Jason Heyward and be the sucker, I opted for the injury-risk and took CarGo’s power. Even if I only get 130 games out of him, he’s still more than capable of jacking 30 bombs in that span. I pondered Adam Jones for a bit, but I’ll take me some Coors Field lovin’ here.

Danny Salazar, SP CLE (5.10)

I had every intention of going back to the starters with this pick and watched as another three came off the board, including Johnny Cueto, who I was eye-balling. When it got to me, I had some decent choices, but I have been coveting Salazar all this time and didn’t think he’d come back to me as picks 11 through 15 all needed pitching. I truly believe, and even have Ray Flowers backing me, Salazar could finish the year as the top hurler in that Cleveland rotation.

Evan Longoria, 3B TB (6.06)

This pick apparently sent a chill through the Twitterverse and landed me some criticism. Third base gets ugly pretty quick, so I knew I needed a rock for my hot corner. Ranked above Longo and still available to me were Matt Carpenter, Matt Duffy and Mike Moustakas, none of whom I wanted. I don’t see Carpenter repeating that power, Duffy is solid but not a power guy and really…is anyone falling for this Moustakas crap? I know Longo hasn’t been himself lately, but I believe I can still get a .270 average with 25-30 home runs. It’ll be closer to 25, but I’m still more than happy with that, as his RBI and runs scored totals will also be rock solid. He’s always been a favorite of mine, so maybe there’s some bias in my thinking, but he was likely the best power-hitting third baseman still left on the board.

David Robertson, RP CHW (7.10)

You all know how much I love closers, but I suppressed that urge which I first felt two rounds ago and released it here in the seventh. Robertson has a solid K-rate and he’s on a nice, competitive team which should afford him ample opportunities. His job security is also pretty strong, something that is always important with regard to closers.

David Ortiz, DH BOS (8.06)

A few more closers went and there wasn’t a whole lot on the board at this point that had me too enamored. Lots of options, but I wanted someone who would stand out for me. Given the way this draft was going and I was zigging when I’m usually zagging, I went for the power of ‘Old Man’ Ortiz in his swan song season. Sure he’s old. Sure he’s only good for the utility position. But the guy is still good for 35-40 home runs with 100-plus RBI. Besides, with my plan in motion (remember, I had it set once I took Posey), I wasn’t going to need the roster flexibility of the utility spot.

Starlin Castro, SS NYY (9.10)

I knew it was time to start taking care of my middle infield as the guys picking behind me were all light on second base and shortstop and a run was coming. There were plenty of interesting names out there and maybe Castro was a bit of a reach here in the ninth round, but sometimes you have to make an early move if it’s a guy you really want. I’m a big believer in that a change of scenery will indeed help Castro. Yankee Stadium is hitter-friendly and maybe he steals some extra bases for me. Hell, the kid’s just 25 years old, people. Twenty-six come late March. He’s just getting into his physical prime. Add to that the eligibility at both second base and shortstop, a part of my plan, and you’ve got yourself one heck of an infielder.

Mark Trumbo, 1B BAL (10.06)

It has been no secret that I have long-admired the power of Trumbo. These last two seasons have been a little rough, but he’s healthy and hitting in a very friendly ballpark in Camden Yards. Not to mention that he’s also going to be hitting right behind Adam Jones and Chris Davis. Plenty of pitches for him to hit this year. He also has eligibility both at first base and in the outfield. So long as he’s dropping Trumbombs on the opposition’s starting pitcher, he will occupy first base for me and allow me to leave Posey at catcher, get full value for him and truly have that distinct advantage at the position that Posey brings.

Drew Smyly, SP TB (11.10)

Having now likely reached on two or three hitters, it was back to the pitching. There were a few options I liked, but I just kept coming back to the strikeout rate Smyly posted last season between Triple-A and the majors. Do I believe it will stay that high? Maybe not, but anything real close to a strikeout per inning is just fine with me. On a more personal note, knowing how the saber guys tend to love him and that he’s a current Ray and former Tiger, I felt like this pick would also get under the skin of Sporer and Collette. It’s likely that the Rays baby him a little and limit him to 150-160 innings, but that’s what late-season pitcher streaming is all about.

Gerardo Parra, OF COL (12.06)

Perhaps a bit of a reach here, but in looking at the outfielders available and the number needed by those picking nine through one and back, I didn’t think he would make it back to me. He enjoyed a nice breakout season last year, is playing in Colorado and the Rox opted to deal away Corey Dickerson which puts Parra in a place to play every day. Sure, he’s never hit a home run in 194 plate appearances at Coors, but that’s about to change. Also grabbed him for the speed he offers, something my team might be a little light on here.

Wei-Yin Chen, SP MIA (13.10)

Back to pitching and build up that rotation. Chen was rock-solid when pitching for the Orioles last year. His ratios looked good and his peripherals all checked out.  Now he moves into a pitcher-friendly park and faces a pitcher instead of a DH? I expect that K-rate to climb and that ERA to maybe come down just a bit.

Ben Zobrist, 2B CHC (14.06)

Back to the middle infield now and again, with a need for position flexibility. Zobrist may not be the 20-homer guy he once was, but he qualifies both at second and the outfield and should enjoy being a veteran leader for a young club with his favorite manager at the helm. I’m sensing some rejuvenation with some good, not great, production.

Will Smith, RP MIL (15.10)

Even closers on bad teams have good value, especially if his job security is strong. It actually is for Smith, though I would have liked to have handcuffed him to Jeremy Jeffress, but missed out. His K-rate is outstanding and he’ll be the guy just as long as he doesn’t fall apart early in the season. If he makes it through the first two months as the closer, I should be in great shape with him. If not, there are always saves available on the wire.

Denard Span, OF SF (16.06)

I wanted to fill out my outfield a little more here, so I went with Span to get a boost in average and runs scored. I’m also hoping for 10-15 steals to supplement me in the one category I think I lack the most. He’ll lead off and play center field for the Giants this season and there’s no reason to think, barring injury, he can’t hold off Angel Pagan.

Miguel Montero, C CHC (17.10)

The catcher pool was starting to look real thin, so I opted to grab my second backstop now, before all of the mildly-productive guys were gone. If Montero can hit me .250 with 10-12 home runs, I’m psyched. That will make for a very nice tandem behind the plate.

Mitch Moreland, 1B TEX (18.06)

He’s often overlooked in most drafts because there’s nothing exciting about him. However, we’re talking about a .260-.270 average with at least 20 home runs. He smacked over 20 in two of the last three years and the one in which he didn’t, he was hurt and limited to just 184 plate appearances that season. The Rangers will happily leave him at first so that Prince Fielder can stay at the DH spot. He’s a respectable corner infielder and my third first baseman.

Brandon Finnegan, SP CIN (19.10)

He’s young, he’s a lefty, his strikeout rate is rock-solid and he works with a 50 percent-plus ground ball rate. He may only be allowed to throw 150 innings at the most, but if he can keep his ratios down and those strikeouts up, I’ll take those numbers through late July/early August. Good sell-high candidate to Erickson who I expect to be blinded by his hometown love for the Reds.

Avisail Garcia, OF CHW (20.06)

I still like Garcia. I really do. He’s only 24 years old with developing power, so while this might not be his peak, he should be, if he can ever-so-slightly improve his plate discipline, on the rise. Yes, his outfield defense sucks, but the White Sox don’t exactly have a multitude of options. He could also just slot into their full-time DH role depending on whether they do something crazy like sign Dexter Fowler. Either way, Garcia should see strong at-bats and pay me a decent dividend on this investment.

Alexei Ramirez, SS (21.10)

Rick Wolf had joined Kyle Elfrink and Adam Ronis in broadcasting/analyzing the draft for SiriusXM Tuesday night and my stolen base deficient team probably had him quoting Top Gun as he cited my “need for speed.” I also needed a little depth in the infield, so I looked for some middle infielders with any remote speed to contribute. Ramirez is on the downside of his career, but the small-ball of the National League could help him rejuvenate to 15 steals. I do not, unfortunately, see a rise in power going from the Cell to Petco.

Tony Cingrani, RP CIN (22.06)

Well now here’s a lesson for all of you who don’t put players in your queue. I, who am on Real Time Fantasy Sports almost every day with the Mock Draft Army, got booted mid-draft for the first time. I actually got booted a few times earlier, but never when it affected my pick. By the time I got back into the draft room, Cingrani came off my queue and three other picks were made after. I wasn’t going to have them go back, so I stayed with the pick. Obviously I like Cingrani and actually believe he'll be moved into the closer’s role sooner than later because J.J. Hoover (forgive the pun) sucks. Earlier than I would have liked and would have been happier with a starting pitcher or another middle infielder with stolen base potential, but what can you do? These things happen.

Erick Aybar, SS ATL (23.10)

Another starting middle infielder with some light steals potential. Nothing flashy here, but now have three guys who qualify at short and two at second base.

Daniel Norris, SP DET (24.06)

He’s cancer-free and now lives in a van parked near Lake Michigan! The feelgood story of 2015 is currently penciled in as the No. 3 or 4 starter for the Tigers. Being a fly-ball pitcher doesn’t suck so much now that Comerica is home and not the Rodgers Centre, and he’s got some pretty good command. No, the strikeouts aren’t great, but he should keep his ratios down and be a good balance for the tail-end of my pitching staff.

Anthony Gose, OF DET (25.10)

A back-up outfielder is always nice to have and one with strong stolen base potential is exactly what I needed. And let’s face it…does anyone believe that Cameron Maybin will hold down the job in center without, at least, becoming a platooner? Plus I’m hoping that my back-to-back Tigers picks got me further under the skin of Sporer and Collette.

Daniel Hudson, RP ARI (26.06)

That f***in internet connection again! Booted out of the draft room once again, Hudson was plucked off my queue as I fought the Comcast Blues and anxiously waited for the reboot to finish. In truth, the Diamondbacks seem to have been grooming Hudson to be a closer and maybe Brad Ziegler loses the job? It could happen. Rather use Hudson during the week than suffer the wrath of a crappy, low-end starter.

J.A. Happ, SP TOR (27.10)

Speaking of crappy, low-end starters…..YEESH! What the hell did I do? Nothing good on the board and most of the young potential call-ups were gone. Here’s hoping the work of Ray Searage sticks with him and I only start him on the road.

J.R. Murphy, C MIN (28.06)

On the off-chance that neither Trumbo nor Moreland work out for me, I have a catcher-on-the-rise to fall back on should Posey be needed at first. Murphy should be a better bat than Kurt Suzuki and, at worst, the same defensively. I could easily see him taking over the starting job.

Socrates Brito, OF ARI (29.10)

He’s outfield depth who should see some pinch-running opportunities and he could also end up a late-game defensive replacement for Yasmany Tomas. Looking at cheap steals here with some upside of playing his way into a larger role. Plus, his name is Socrates and anyone who ever wondered why I drafted  Arquimedes Caminero last year….well….now you see a pattern.

Overall, I really like my team right now. I think my hitting is strong and while I may struggle with stolen bases, I believe I am doing well in the other four offensive categories. Also, the position flexibility I have is going to be a ginormous help. To be able to mix and match between infield and outfield throughout the season means that I shouldn’t miss a game from any position. Here’s the formula I’m using to calculate the output:

14 hitting positions x 162 games each = mad, crazy productive numbers

The pitching front is where I need the help. In looking back, I probably should have gone with another starter and then reach on Castro and Trumbo, but my fear of losing either hitter was stronger than my affectation for any of the starters I saw on the board. I’m more than sure there will be a number of pitchers available to me via FAAB, and, in truth, I think I’m only going to be concerned with two spots. I can stream that shit with my eyes closed!

Thanks for indulging me here as I blather on about my first LABR draft. Hopefully, you’ve learned a little something or can at least take something away from here and relate it to one of your own drafts. If not and you’re reading this far down, well I commend you on your ability to see things through.

Best of luck to you in all your drafts!