where are you getting those numbers for wieters from????

in 09, he had 354 AB at the MLB level with 9 HR 35 R 43 RBI

he had 246 post AS break ABs with 6 HR 25 R 33 RBI

you lose all credibility when you start posting fictitious numbers

i probably wouldn’t consider mccann until the 8th, but like mr. sarris suggests early C value can be in the eye of the drafter!

also why i struggle with victor martinez. he can get ab at DH or 1B…and if he gets banged up, there’s a good chance his bat gets into the lineup somehow. i could see well over 100 rbi for him, but still get nervous thinking about where to take him. my league chronically underdrafts C, so there’s a chance he could be around in the 4th or 5th. would 4th round for victor be a no-brainer??

isn’t it easier to find a decent hitting OF late? i’d expect that OF to hit for a higher average than your typical late catcher.

which early pick/late pick combo would you prefer:
.300 catcher/.270 outfielder
.270 catcher/.290 outfielder

considering scarcity of talent in a mid and late combo it might look more like:
.300 C / .275 OF
.265 C / .290 OF

both of them favor the early catcher. the second one by a lot. just making the point that 85% fewer at bats doesn’t bother me if the C is truly a better hitter than the OF available.

runs and rbi, huge difference if your C is a team’s #3 hitter. didn’t build any data to compare other stats tho.

i’m really not trying to be difficult. only once can i remember drafting a C in the top 10 rounds myself (mccann in the 10th two years ago, similar case almost).

i just wonder at what point should we not turn one down…for example, i’d take joe mauer in the 7th inning. maybe earlier. now, for me, the question becomes ‘how much like joe mauer can wieters be?’

I took Wieters in the 7th round (pick 74 overall), after having filled C, 1B, SS, 3B, OF 1, and SP 1. Obviously every draft will be different, but considering I believe Wieters will perform close to the level of James projection of production, he seemed like a reasonable choice there. Overall, I’m pleased with how the roster looks, and I’m curious to see the finished product looks.

After boring you with the details of the mock, I’ll just mention that while there are 30-40 HR guys around McCann, some of them have warts I’m just not willing to deal with, namely guys like Adam Dunn and Carlos Pena. That’s a lot of BA damage. There just seem to be few true locks for 30+ HR’s that can contribute even neutrally to BA, that it seems sacrificing 30+ for 20-25 and a neutral to positive BA at a scarce position would be something to consider. I hate to defend the catcher position, as I don’t typically like to take one high given the inherent risk of injury, and the lack of AB’s, but my thinking is changing a bit.

As far as drafting guys who don’t have a full season of solid contributions under their belt in the top 10 rounds,I don’t make a habit of it, but circumstances will lead me to do so on occassion. If a player is a blue chip prospect, has displayed a solid BB rate and a passable to good K rate in the high minors and limited time in the Majors I’ll usually give consideration to that player in the 7-10 round range if need be to secure them. Thanks for your thoughts so far.

2) If you are in the habit of taking guys in the first ten rounds that have never put together full seasons of solid production, and you take catchers before the late rounds, then Wieter’s potential added ABs are certainly a plus.

3) I’ve seen that philosophy attempted myself. It’s a bear. It’s so much work finding out which catcher is playing, and you lose a roster spot that would often go to an injured star. You can start the year doing it, but once you have an injured star or two and you are looking at playing that second catcher at util, you’ll stop trying to max out those ABs at catcher. I prefer to do it in the final month or two if I’m injury-free and can afford to spend a spot on a part-time player.

4) Good luck with that. McCann is a 20-HR guy going among the 30-40 HR guys. Picking him early will certainly cost you some ABs, Rs, HRs, RBIs on the other position players going around him. (Adam Lind, Justin Morneau and Ryan Zimmerman, for example).

1- With Gary Matthews dealt, and Hideki Matsui interested in receiving some OF starts, would you bump Napoli up or down your rankings if it were announced he’d get some starts at DH? He is obviously a thumper, so it would allow more opportunities to hit HR’s and accumulate counting stats, but it would also allow him a greater opportunity to hurt your BA. Seeing as it’s possible that Matsui may spell Rivera on occasion in the OF, and open up a DH spot for Napoli to man on a day off where Mathis starts, this seems like it could be a possibility.

2- With the possibility of Wieters DH’ing on his off days and thus receiving more opportunities to contribute positively in all stats (since his BA projects to be a positive, and any more AB’s would obviously help all counting stats), shouldn’t Wieters be valued about where he’s being drafted? He has a high ceiling, and seemingly high floor, and he should receive more AB’s than his catching counterparts, including premier NL catcher McCann, and Victor Martinez (who isn’t a lock to DH or man 1B much given the log jam at 1B/3B/DH for the Red Sox).

Final question in a wordy post. In roto leagues with daily changes, a medium sized bench, and a games played cap of 162 games per position, should any thought be given to getting a couple mid tiered catchers to accumulate all 162 games played at the position? Or perhaps a thumper and an average guy (think AJ P and Napoli). It really seems like a decent opportunity to get a slight leg up on the competition, but I’ve never seen it fully explored.

I’m currently taking part in a mock draft at the fantasy baseball cafe with a 5×5 roto setting (in theory since it is a mock) and I’m drafting as if it is daily changes, and a games played cap. For the sake of interest, I took McCann and Wieters (1 catcher league, 1 utility, 3 OF, no IF, CI, MI) to see what a team would look like going this route. Thus far I’m pleased with what I have (12 rounds in). Like you, I like filling out my roster with SP, RP, OF late as there is a ton of depth at those positions. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, and fun article, enjoyable read.