The All-star break is upon us and this is a convenient time to look back and
reward those who had the insight or just plain luck to draft players whose
numbers dwarf their salaries. Below is the all $10 or under team; in parenthesis
is the "ESPN player rater" ranking.
C - tough pickens...Fick $10 FA (165)Jarosik Park
1B - Derek Lee $4 (63) Long Dingers
2B - Junior Spivey $10 FA (51) Boston Archangels
3B - Tony Batista $4 (57) Axis of Evil
SS - Omar Vizquel $10 FA (79) October Fury
CI - Shea Hillenbrand $10 FA (78) Jarosik Park
MI - David Eckstein $2 (90) Long Dingers
OF - Tori Hunter $4 (10) Bayside Bar Bisons, * BEST PICK *
OF - Garret Anderson $10 (31) Bayside Bar Bisons
OF - Randy Winn $10 FA (50) Jarosik Park
OF - Tim Salmon $10 FA (64) NY Grey Hate
OF - Jacque Jones $10 (66) West Bridgewater Buddah-Bellies
DH - Juan Encarnacion $1 (69) Long Dingers
SP - Derek Lowe $5 (11) Boston Archangels
SP - Odalis Perez $10 FA (17) Jarosik Park
SP - Ramon Ortiz $2 (34) Long Dingers
SP - AJ Burnett $2 (35) Bayside Bar Bisons
SP - Roy Halladay $10 (37) Jarosik Park
SP - Vicente Padilla $7 (41) West Bridgewater Buddah-Bellies
RP - Eric Gagne $4 (30) Jarosik Park
RP - Eddie Guardado $6 (103) Bayside Bar Bisons
RP - Danny Graves $6 (114) October Fury
Honorable Mention: Jamie Moyer $1 (53), Mark Buehrle $9 (65), Robin Ventura $3
(80), Kenny Lofton $1 (82), Matt Clement $10 (85), Woody Williams $2 (93), Eric
Hinske $1 (105)
Useless info from the draft according to ESPN's Player Rater:
According to ESPN's player rater, Glenn's Bayside Bar Bisons drafted 3 players
in the top 10, by far the best in the league, Soriano (3), Guerrero (8), and
Tori Hunter (10). Not surprisingly, Glenn also led the league with the most
players drafted in the top 50, six.
Jarosik Park and Beerman (drafted under Wally Pipps) had NO players drafted in
the top 20 yet Paul's Jarosik Park sits at #3 and Beerman at #13 in the
standings.
By far the worst drafter on Auction Day was Gary's Boston Archangels who had a
disappointing 1 player in the top 20 and only 4 players in the top 100.
Kwan and Grindley both were only able to land one OF in the top 200 players! The
Windmills made it count by grabbing Barry Bonds (7) while the SnappleBoyz were
stuck with Brian Jordan (144) as its top OF.
There were 37 players undrafted who are now in the ESPN top 200. Vicente Padilla
was the #1 reserve pick (41). Jamie Moyer is currently the highest rated $1
player (53), putting to rest the Lofton, Patterson, and Hinske followers.
The October Fury has the lowest top rated starter, Jeff Weaver (98). Brian's
Axis of Evil has 4 sstarters (Lowe (11), Glavine (22), Moyer (53), and Leiter
(60)) ranked higher.
Catching is extremely hard to come by this year. Jorge Posada is the only one to
break the top 100 (99).
There have been 38 trades this year. Despite not becoming a league member until
May 3, John Stephenson's Beerman top the league with 12 trades; Josh's Long
Dingers have made 1. The Beerman have acquired $239 in salary and dealt $211 for
a differential of +28. The NY SnappleBoyz lead the league in positive
differential at +34 ($71/$37). The Suicide Kings have the worst differential at
-$47 (191/238). Despite being involved in one trade the Long Dingers are 2nd
worst with a -26 ratio (4/30). Not surprisingly this is the most lop-sided trade
in terms of salary exchanged.
The most players involved in a trade was 8 in which Gary and Brian swapped
Mientkiewicz, Lieberthal, Lieber, and Josh Hamilton for Mike Rivera, Olerud,
Lowe, and Mike Cuddyer.
The most salary involved in a trade is $111 where the Bayside Bar Bisons and
Suicide Kings swapped fantasy studs Randy Johnson and Vald Guerrero.
The Archangels have a barren farm system, trading it down to one player, Joe
Crede, while Beerman has 10 minor league players.
There have been 4 trades in which 7 or more players were exchanged; the
Archangels were involved in 3 of those.
