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Lockdown Dynasty - Whiskey Jacks roster

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  • Lockdown Dynasty - Whiskey Jacks roster

    20 team dynasty league startup was very interesting. I had an okay draft, with a good mix of major league and minor league assets. Projections put my team in 10th, which seems pretty accurate. I'll need some of my boom/bust picks to pay off, and I'll need to wait for Chris Sale and hope he returns strong. I'm counting on some of my farm guys jumping onto top 100 lists to package together for the additional core bats I'll need.

    Some commentary on the first 10 picks.

    Rd 1 - J. Ramirez - 3B - CLE - I wanted someone as young as possible with a proven elite record, and hopefully some SB's. Tall order. I love that Ramirez has 2 seasons with 7+ WAR. He figured out his mechanics from a poor 1st half to get back to the MVP caliber of the previous 2 years. Older than I wanted from 10th overall, but at 27, he's my anchor.

    Rd 2 - K. Marte - 2B/OF - ARZ - I was ready to grab J. Flaherty here, but he was scooped the pick before me. Also considered Pete Alonso (taken #32) and X. Bogaerts (#36). Marte gets the edge for SB + position flexibility, and I also loved seeing another 7+ WAR season... the MVP tier, in my mind. I often use K and BB rates to determine which hitters have the most sustainable skillsets. Ramirez and Marte both had stellar contact and discipline, with great power, and added SB. Solid hitting duo.

    Rd 3 - L. Giolito - SP - CWS - Robles (#45) and Gallo (#49) both scooped just before me. Debated Giolito (25) vs Clevinger (29), age was the deciding factor. I also love the bump Grandal's framing provides (until robot umps in 2022 at least), I love the CWS lineup potential for W's, plus Giolito has the prospect pedigree to make me a believer. Also, damn Mondesi is falling hard in the OBP format... tempting to grab him, but it would change the entire OBP team building philosophy for me. Would rather piecemeal my SB with hitters I like than cater the whole lineup to his lack of OBP. He went #58.

    Rd 4 - C. Biggio - 2B - TOR - Considered E. Suarez (already had 3B, is that a dumb reason to avoid?), M. Conforto (Power with high BB rate), and J. Hader (time for the 1st closer?). Biggio is my biggest reach so far. He typically suffers on lists due to the BA/OBP discrepancy, but his massive BB rate put him in my sights. 20/20 profile gives a high floor, OBP greatly improves the profile and ceiling. Plus, Vlad and Bichette scooped just before me in 1st and 2nd rds, and I wanted a high profile Blue Jay.

    Rd 5 - A. Rizzo - 1B - CHC - Rizzo is my safety pick. He had fallen too far, as the few dynasty lists I saw had him in the 50-60 range (this pick was 90th). Also considered M. Muncy (similar hitter, went #91). Still only 30, maintains incredible plate discipline and power, with a touch of SB, and OBP around .380-.400. Lots to like.

    Rd 6 - Z. Gallen - SP - ARZ - Had eyes on M. Soroka (taken just before), and Gallen replaces Soroka as the young insta-ace... also really wanted N. Madrigal here. Madrigal's numbers make you envision wild fantasies, and I did a lot of dreaming on him. My issues with Madrigal are, firstly, batting titles don't matter in OBP leagues. Ask Tim Anderson. HR/SB are more important than OBP (also ask Tim Anderson?). Madrigal offers SB, but how many? Success rate down at each successive level. If he's more of a 15-20 SB guy, and hits under 10 HR, it's hard to see the profile reaching the peak of my fantasies. Also, Biggio is my 2B, Madrigal is a fun toy but unnecessary.

    Rd 7 - JD Davis - 3B/OF - Another reach, much higher than most lists had him, but I love the guy. His batting metrics show a premier hitter. V. Brujan is another one I wanted here (taken #132), but had to make my big reach. Fortunately, X. Edwards is similar, and I was able to scoop Edwards in the 15th Rd.

    Rd 8 - D. Varsho - C/OF - ARZ - My biggest reach of the draft to this point. I was desperate for Varsho given his ceiling. Who's the last eligible catcher to nab 20 SB? Jason Kendall? Varsho seems like the next Schwarber defensively, just barely enough glove to earn C eligibility for a few years while the bat plays enough to move him to CF/LF, or play him as an OF starter 100-120 games and C backup. I also love Varsho's BB and K rates, so the combo of the type of bat I like, and the type of profile I like (HR/SB), the possibility of a unicorn was too much to wait any longer on. Varsho was the 31st prospect taken.

    Rd 9 - Y. Darvish - SP - CHC - Pitching run. Taken since last rd: Montas, Hendricks, Greinke, Bumgarner, S. Gray, Syndergaard, AJ Puk, Wheeler, and Patino. I would have taken Darvish ahead of every one of those arms, so I did a little dance when the SP run was happening and somehow he made it back to me.
    Darvish's 2nd half numbers are mind-blowing. I'm taking a chance that he figured things out and is back to pre-TJ dominance, based on his 2nd half numbers.

    Rd 10 - C. Sale - SP - BOS - Pitching run continues with 8 more SP, 2 closers: Severino, E. Rodriguez, McCullers, S. Howard, Morton, H-J Ryu, Paxton, E. Diaz, and Chapman. I wanted Chris Sale soooooo badly here. Super stoked he made it to me. I'm amazed that Thor and Severino were both taken before Sale, as he has a more dominant record, and is only a couple years older. The glut after Sale seemed steep. (next pitchers taken were C. Kluber, G. Marquez, and S. Manaea) The Sale pick slightly hurts 2020 chances if a season happens. Greatly helps from 2022 forward. Aces are hard to find.

    C - J. Castro (Rd. 51)
    1B - A. Rizzo (Rd. 5)
    2B - K. Marte (Rd. 2)
    SS - D. Fletcher (Rd. 19)
    3B - J. Ramirez (Rd. 1)
    OF - JD Davis (Rd. 7)
    OF - I. Happ (Rd. 11)
    OF - A. McCutchen (Rd. 16)
    OF - M. Haniger (Rd. 18)
    OF - R. Quinn (Rd. 20)
    CI - L. Voit (Rd. 12)
    MI - C. Biggio (Rd. 4)
    UT - M. Carpenter (Rd. 30)
    UT - J. Wendle (Rd. 40)

    SP1 - C. Sale (Rd. 10)
    SP2 - L. Giolito (Rd. 3)
    SP3 - Z. Gallen (Rd. 6)
    SP4 - Y. Darvish (Rd. 9)
    SP5 - J. Means (Rd. 17)
    SP6 - M. Pineda (Rd. 23)
    SP7 - N. Eovaldi (Rd. 28)
    RP - T. Duffey (Rd. 24)
    RP - T. May (Rd. 25)

    BENCH

    RP - C. Knebel (Rd. 29)
    RP - T. Rogers - SF (Rd. 32)
    RP - M. Strahm (Rd. 41)
    RP - C. Martin (Rd. 46)
    SP - T. Thornton (Rd. 44)
    SP - T. Williams (Rd. 53)
    C - R. Chirinos (Rd. 54)

    FARM

    1 - D. Varsho - C - ARZ (Rd. 8)
    2 - E. Pena - OF - KC (Rd. 13)
    3 - R. Puason - SS - OAK (Rd. 14)
    4 - X. Edwards - SS - TB (Rd. 18)
    5 - Heriberto Hernandez - OF - TEX (Rd. 21)
    6 - Hedbert Perez - OF - MIL (Rd. 22)
    7 - E. Small - SP - MIL (Rd. 26)
    8 - A. Manoah - SP - TOR (Rd. 27)
    9 - J. Ryan - SP - TB (Rd. 31)
    10 - D. Jefferies - SP - OAK (Rd. 33)
    11 - S. Delaplane - RP - SEA (Rd. 34)
    12 - E. Duran - 2B - NYY (Rd. 35)
    13 - G. Celestino - OF - MIN (Rd. 36)
    14 - T. Davidson - SP - ATL (Rd. 37)
    15 - Canaan Smith - OF - NYY (Rd. 38)
    16 - R. Jeffers - C - MIN (Rd. 39)
    17 - J. Devers - 2B - MIA (Rd. 42)
    18 - R. Green - OF - NYY (Rd. 43)
    19 - O. Basabe - SS - MIN (Rd. 45)
    20 - D. Dunning - SP - CWS (Rd. 47)
    21 - T. Szapucki - SP - NYM (Rd. 48)
    22 - Yerry Rodriguez - SP - TEX (Rd. 49)
    23 - M. Yajure - SP - NYY (Rd. 50)
    24 - Yeison Santana - SS - SD (Rd. 52)
    25 - L. Kelly - SP - ARZ (Rd. 55)
    Larry David was once being heckled, long before any success. Heckler says "I'm taking my dog over to fuck your mother, weekly." Larry responds "I hate to tell you this, but your dog isn't liking it."

  • #2
    Based on my experience in MSGL there were 3 teams I was focused on during the draft: You, Rick and Keith. I thought you had an excellent balance of hitting/pitching and I would expect your team to compete especially if Sale, Pineda and the others bounce back. If that happens 2021-2025 will be your time to shine.

    Comment


    • #3
      Jesse - you always find minor leaguers and I liked that you went with risk and upside grabbing Pena and Puason early. J2 success rates of the top guys has improved and if nothing else they should be good trade chips which I suspect is more the angle here. Really like the Sale pick as well. During the draft I had a vision to grab both Thor & Severino but then Thor went so I grabbed Sevy but then never pivoted to Sale which I'm not sure why. Sevy to me was the better play but then my window of contention needs those extra years. When Sales comes back your top-3 SPs should be a huge advantage for at least a couple of years as I really like Giolito and Gallen too.

      This is going to be such an interesting league as I think a lot of teams will be dealing with varying windows of contention so it will be interesting to see which owners properly diagnose their window vs. shoot their wad too soon. I have no doubt you will be the former as you have never not been a formidable opponent.

      Comment


      • #4
        Some more thoughts after reviewing rosters over the weekend. I'm glad you took Gallen in the 6th, I was torn between him and Woodruff so I'm happy you made the decision for me and then that he made it to me. The more I look at your pitching the more I like it, as I said earlier once Sale is back the rotation is quite good for the next 2-4 years and your relief corps is solid too. I like your catcher strategy and wanted to do that myself but couldn't pull it off. I think waiting until late to fill the spot was the way to go, I decided to go with Jansen in the 20's and then back him up with a Sisco late in the draft, hoping that one of them will pan out. Between Castro and Chirinos I think you will be fine until Varsho comes up. About the only pick that gave me pause was Haniger, just thought there was too much risk given his injury but it is really a minor nit-pick as I basically did the same thing a round later with Polanco and between the two Haniger has more upside.

        Nice balance in your minors and I found you frequently sniping guys I was going to pull the trigger on: Pena, Pauson, Celestino, Smith to name a few.

        Comment


        • #5
          Next to GITH's team, I like your team the best. You have great flexibility - if things go well the next couple years, you have quality minor leaguers to deal for upgrades, or for the proper ransom you can deal Chris Sale. If they go badly, you have some youth, Sale returning, quality minor leaguers, and some players to deal for the future, and you look really good for 2023 and beyond.
          I'm just here for the baseball.

          Comment


          • #6
            As always Jesse, you rock the draft...the Sale pick killed me, as you know I'm in on him big time. You're going to need more power, IMO, but that's about the easiest thing to come by. One big bat and it makes all the difference. Probably should have mixed a little more hitting in with your early pitching picks, but that staff you have is really good. I'm not as bullish on Gallen as most seem to be, but that just means I'm probably wrong.

            Excellent minors picks, who knows what the timeline is for them, but the pedigree is certainly there. Overall, another Very good job done by you...
            "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
            - Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

            "Your shitty future continues to offend me."
            -Warren Ellis

            Comment


            • #7
              Lots to like about this team for sure. The power/speed combo to start and the pitching staff are something I am very envious of. The Pena and Puason grab in 13th and14th got a big groans from me. Standing O for Darvish/Sale picks in 9/10. Really nice all around team and Great post too.

              Comment


              • #8
                If they can stay healthy the top of that rotation is deadly. The offense is a little older (like mine), but that's the sacrifice for putting together a better pitching staff, a strategy which I obviously support.

                Comment


                • #9
                  This team finished 2nd for me, and I'm thrilled. I didn't make a single trade to upgrade, as I wanted to feel things out. I struggled a lot with the 2 weekly lineup changes for the first half of the season, and only started using FAAB more liberally at the end. Now that I feel comfortable with the format, I'm loving the lack of player contracts, as there were more juicy FA pickups than I expected. I also got bupkis from catchers all year and waited too long to promote Varsho before being required to, but felt pressured to promote him early so gave up his ML eligibility to chase a title.

                  My draft was pretty awesome in hindsight. Jose Ramirez put up a possible MVP year, Gallen and Giolito confirmed their elite status, Darvish 9th round, are you kidding me?? Some picks I would change, Ketel Marte 2nd rd was a disappointment, Varsho wasn't worth the premium i paid, but still glad to have him. Chris Sale, if substituted for any productive 2020 bat, might have been enough to edge me into 1st, but I'm still overjoyed to have Sale coming back, perhaps allowing me to deal an ace for a big bat. Not sure I have the cojones though, owning 4 aces like Darvish, Giolito, Gallen, Sale is hard to dismantle.
                  Larry David was once being heckled, long before any success. Heckler says "I'm taking my dog over to fuck your mother, weekly." Larry responds "I hate to tell you this, but your dog isn't liking it."

                  Comment

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