Here’s some thoughts on my draft.

First up, I love the draft as an event - despite the fact that it started at 11pm GMT, and it was daylight saving night - which meant 1am became 2am, and I got to bed at around 2.30am, it’s a blast - and starting later means I can have a few cheeky homemade fruit vodkas beforehand to loosen the thought process! 


I was drafting 11th, which meant I was the reverse of Speedy, picking 11th, then 14th, then 35th... so the plan was to be aggressive and load up on what I considered to be shallow positions. My plan was to avoid the top end SPs and concentrate on hitters. Because I had 21 picks between alternate round I over-drafted some folk to be sure of them, and I had to grab my equivalent to Scott’s Ben Zobrist ManCrush, yes that’s you Jean Segura.


C: Yan Gomes (10). Pretty pleased with this, especially since Plan A of Carlos Santana went at the start of Rd 5 before I could get him. Hopefully he builds on a successful last year and provides 15+ HR at a decent Avg with some useful RBIs. Backup catcher is Stephen Vogt (21). Who? Well it was the 21st Rd, I'd had enough strawberry vodka, and I needed a backup C.


1B: Albert Pujols (4). The first of my injury worry picks. Hopefully the aging bones keep going for another year and in that line up he should be good for 20+ HRs and 90+ RBIs. If not and he gets crocked then it’ll be a trade or a waiver claim.


2B: Robinson Cano (1). After Jose Bautista was taken before me in the 1st Rd, plan B for my first pick was Robby Cano who I gave a slight nod to over Altuve. IMO 2B is wafer thin for guaranteed top production, and that Seattle line-up looks beastly (Cap-tip to Scott for the Austin Jackson pickup - I think that’ll pay off handsomely). Plus Cano seems to be involved in mid-year contentious trades each year, so that’s a plan if he starts slow, and I can trade him for a bucket of balls and a 2005 NL champs penant.


SS: Hanley Ramirez (2). Three picks after Cano I overdrafted HanRam to set the middle inflield. Toss up between Ramirez and Tulo, but Tulo will find a way to get injured and probably won't play more than 100 games. If he plays a full season I made the wrong choice. If Ramirez doesn't flourish in Boston, or if he gets crocked, then this could be the disaster pick, but an upside of a 25+ HR, 100+ RBI, 80 Run season is possible and that’ll do for a 2nd Rd pick. Backing up is Jean Segura (20). My third straight year of drafting him. No idea why, except I’m still believing that his half year delivery from 2013 is the norm despite all the evidence being to the contrary, and a 20th Rd punt seemed a fair gamble for someone who might steal 30 bags.


3B: Kyle Seager (6). Happy to get Seager back after he delivered well last year for me. I considered Chris Davis on the hope he’d deliver a huge comeback season, but went risk averse with a fitter, younger, more promising option in a better line-up. If he delivers and Segura doesn't, I'll put in for a ManCrush trade and will overdraft Seager every year henceforth.


LF: Justin Upton (3). His success depends how the leadoff guys get on base, but I’d be disappointed with less than 20 HR and 100 RBIs. Ramirez will provide cover when he's eligible.


CF: Leonys Martin (15). Needed a CF and needed some steals. It was either him or Ben Revere, and I figured even with the Rangers injury curse, Martin would be a safer bet. Backup comes in the form of (and yes I feel dirty for drafting a Cub) Dexter Fowler (25).


RF: Jason Heyward (5). Reliable production, and batting 2nd in the Cards lineup should give plenty of run potential with a little SB and HR to boot. Backup, if needed, comes in the, could-be-great-could-not, form, of Gregory Polanco (17).


SP: Speedy, drafting several spots ahead of me, was on my wavelength each time. I’d have loved a top 4 of Harvey, Arrieta, DeGrom and Wacha. As it is I’ve settled for Iwakuma (7), Sonny Gray (8), Doug Fister (12), Lance Lynn (13), Chris Archer (14), Kyle Lohse (18), Josh Collmenter (22) and the punt at the end Carlos Martinez (24).

I feel pretty good about that lot. No stars, and I won’t win the K category many weeks, but solid, dependable, low ERA, low WHIP, and most should be on winning teams. SP is so much of a crapshoot with injuries. Last year I took Yu Darvish in the 2nd Rd, the year before that Strasburg.


In the relief pitching category I missed out on Huston Street. How in the heck he fell to the 11th Rd I have no idea after his last few years (another cap-tip to Scott, who I reckon has a top team this year). I was having him 6 picks later. Drew Storen and Papelbon should provide solid reliable saves, and Joakim Soria will be Detroit’s closer before the end of May when Joe Nathan finally falls apart. Darren O’Day and Joe Smith for holds should be OK, but the waiver’s the place for Holds - who the hell knows how it’ll shake out. No one drafted Tony Sipp, and I wish I'd got Quackenbush for the comedy name.


Overall, I feel good about the team. Injuries permitting. As it stands now I didn’t whiff on any picks, and that’s a good start. Bring on the competition.