We’ll be wrapping up analysis of our mock auction from a few weeks back this week, and I wanted to bring you analysis from two more participants in the mock before we did. And give you a chance to win an FG+, since I mucked up the first shot at it this morning with an easy one.
Every year we develop fantasy crushes. We are all susceptible to them and no one can fault you for latching onto a player whom you think is going to have a breakout season. Usually it’s some highly-touted rookie ready to burst onto the scene who becomes everyone’s darling and sometimes it’s a third or fourth-year player whom you’ve watched as he learned the MLB ropes and things are, in your opinion, about to click. And then there’s Allen Craig. Read the rest of this entry »
As long and grueling a process as it may have been, deep down, I still love a good old fashioned auction-style draft (yes, I read the comments on Mike P’s draft recap, so hopefully now, that inane debate doesn’t spill over to here). I love snake-style drafts too, don’t get me wrong. There’s usually a little more chatter and pick praise/criticism because people’s focus isn’t split by steady budget calculations. But in a snake-style draft, you automatically know that there are certain players you won’t get based on your draft position and while you may be making your own picks, your competition’s selections have a much greater impact on the choices you make in each round. In an auction-style draft, within reason, you can have anyone you want so long as you have the money to spend. Technically, everyone is up for grabs. You might have to make a sacrifice or two (or three or four even) to get someone, but it remains your choice whether or not to bid or spend. If you really want a guy, you make sure he is nominated at a time when you have the money to afford him, and probably a few bucks extra in case someone else covets him as much.
That being said, it’s time to talk about this particular mock auction along with my strategy and thought process… Read the rest of this entry »
The first lesson I learned from this draft is one I want to share with you even before the table of players and prices; it’s just that important. Do not try to do an auction draft on a phone. Snake drafts are unpleasant but doable; auctions are a recipe for disaster.
Lesson learned? Good! Here are the National League starting pitchers who were drafted in the recent Rotographs and friends mock auction. Read the rest of this entry »
Paul Sporer of the internets (and the infamous starting pitcher draft guide) on was gracious enough to power through our mock auction with us, so then I pestered him to talk a little more about his team. I spotted a few interesting things about his lineup and wanted to ask him some questions. Here’s our exchange!
Yesterday, Eno Sarris published the results of our epic mock auction draft. Lucky for me, I have no life and I love auctions, so I was happy to draft for as long as it took. Heck, I’m ready for another seven hours of drafting already! I am a veteran of auctions, having participated in leagues that use this style since 2001. All the rules were standard, except we had 14 teams, instead of the 12 I have almost always valued players for. In all my years of experience in auctions though, every single draft has taken unexpected twists and turns. This one was no different. This is my crazy mock auction draft story.
They deserve your sympathy and gratitude. The 14 managers that came in on three separate days and drafted for hours and hours just for your pleasure — they deserve some praise. So, rip up their teams if you will, but maybe add a thank you on the end. Cause this behemoth took almost seven hours, and if it was anyone’s fault it took that long, it was mine, except that auctions take forever. In any case, it was about seven hours that these guys spent for your pleasure.
Well, some of the pleasure was ours. Auctions are fun. In a snake draft, if a guy likes a player just a fraction more than you, you don’t get a chance to draft the player. But in auction, you can spend exactly as much as you want on the dude.
Well, exactly as much as you want in the moment. There are always regrets.
You’ve probably seen guys like David Wiers, Chris Cwik, and Howard Bender discussing their mock draft teams. And I mean, that’s cool and all, but I just want to talk about my team. Well, sort of — I mainly just want to ramble on about this draft that absconded with six weeks of my life (not full-time, obviously, but the constant iPhone e-mail checking drove everyone around me nuts). For those of you just waking up after a bit of holiday season hibernation, we’re talking about a way-too-early Rotographs mock draft: 12 teams, ESPN rosters, 23 rounds. Eno Sarris covered week-by-week breakdowns (1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-23) but Cwik has been kind enough to provide the whole thing in a public Google Doc here. So here’s what I was able to cobble together:
Edit: The entire draft can be found in this Google document set up for your viewing pleasure.
The RotoGraphs crew has already finished one (slow) mock draft, and while there has been plenty of position and round based evaluation, what follows is a team evaluation. I’ll be the first to admit my mistakes and I’m not too proud to laugh at them either.
My final team is as follows, displayed in standard ESPN format. While normally 25 man rosters is the norm, I’ll have two empty BN spots. I would have filled those spots with two relievers. Read the rest of this entry »
And six weeks later, a team was born…
That’s right. After just six short weeks and hundreds of emails, we finally finished the RotoGraphs Ridiculously Early Mock Draft — Slow Draft Style. The process was definitely cumbersome, to say the least, but we all made it through relatively unscathed. Our fearless leader and draft overseer, Eno Sarris, published the results five rounds at a time (the links to all can be found in this post) and now it’s time to reveal our teams. Well, I don’t know if everyone is going to do it, but here’s mine: Read the rest of this entry »