Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Draft Buzz

I am getting ready to leave Jordan, and have spent the law few days observing mock fantasy baseball drafts. This has certainly passed the time better than "Freejack," which I have quickly grown tired of.

And I must admit I was surprised with many of the late risers in the drafts I have been privy to. Here is my list of a dozen draft risers:



1) Jeremy Bonderman, Detroit, pitcher- everyone knew this kid had alot of talent, but out of nowhere people are yelling "Cy Young!" I haven't seen this much excitement around a Tiger pitcher since the days of Frank Tanana and Dan Petry

2) Jeremy Reed, Seattle, outfield- this guy has alot of potential and will get a shot to produce in the revamped Seattle offense. People seem to think he will be a Corey Patterson without all the strikeouts

3) Justin Morneau, Minnestoa, first base- people are picking this youngster to hit 35-40 homers this year. There are alot of good first baseman this year, and Morneau is going 5-10 rounds before stars like Kansas City's Mike Sweeney.

4) Gavin Floyd, Philadelphia, pitcher- those of you loyal to my blog have heard this name before. This kid has the perfect build for a stud pitcher, and has downright nasty stuff. Philadelphia was hesitant to rush him into the rotation, but he should get a shot now that several Philadelphia hurlers are hurting- Vincente Padilla in particular.

5) Nick Swisher, Oakland, outfield- a top draft pick of the cursed capitalist Billy Bean, Swisher is expected to produce big numbers in the bottom part of the Oakland line-up. Buyer Beware- Swisher had an awful spring

6) Tony Womack, New York, second base- this man is like a cock roach. Or like the Viet Cong. He just won't go away. He hit over .550 this spring and will likely bat 9th for the Yanquis. But look for the aging Womack to wear down as the long baseball season progresses.

7) Chone Figgins, Los Angeles (American), utility- Figgins can play many positions and his versatility and base-stealing ability commanded alot of interest from fantasy owners. Be wary of Figgins losing playin time to Dallas McPherson and Adam Kennedy as they get into playing shape.

8) Huston Street, Oakland, relief pitcher- many expect Street to supplant Octavio Dotel at some point this season as Oakland's closer. Dotel owners beware!

9) Clint Barmes, Colorado, shortstop/second base/; JD Closser, Colorado, catcher; Garrett Atkins, Colorado, third base - this trio of Rockie youngsters could provide badly needed help for an owner desperate for infield slugging

10) Brando Inge, Detroit, catcher/third base- Inge's versailtiy is unique, and he may bat lead-off because of the injuries in Detroit and the dismissal of the lazy Alex Sanchez

11) Kevin Mench, Texas, outfield- Mench may emerge as a homerun threat in the deep Ranger outfield depth chart. He slugged 26 dongs in a little over 400 at-bats last year, so scan your waiver-wires for this meat-head

12) Jason Lane, Houston, outfield- the primary beneficiary of the injury to Lance Berkman, the power-hitting Lane should retain a starting position in the Houston outfield even after Berkman returns.

On a final note I would like to apologize for ending several of my sentences in this post with prepositions. That is reprehensible, but I am quite tired and it is hard to think clearly because I am so doped up on morphine.

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