FANTASY SPORTS BOSS FANTASY BASEBALL EXPERTS LEAGUE DRAFT ANALYSIS: ROUNDS 6-10

We went through the first five rounds of draft results for the Fantasy Sports Boss Fantasy Baseball Experts League which took place last Sunday by looking at the first five rounds.  Today we examine how rounds 6-10 went.  Yours truly took Carlos Gonzalez, Albert Pujols, Starlin Castro, Adam Jones, and Madison Bumgarner.  Let's see how the the next five rounds went for myself and the rest of the league.

ROUND 6

51.  Gio Gonzalez:  MY PICK!!  As I have said over and over, starting pitching is so deep that there is no reason to use a selection on this bunch until at least Round 4 and more likely Round 5.  Madison Bumgarner was my first starter which I took at the end of Round 5.  I now get another ace in Gio Gonzalez with pick number 51.  Two stud 200-K aces after taking hitters in the first four rounds. 

52. Ben Zobrist:  Zobrist falls under the title of "very good but not spectacular."  Contributes across the board without lighting up any one stat. 

53. Zack Greinke:  Would have taken Greinke if his elbow checked out but was too leery to pull the trigger.  Seems like he is all right after he tossed four scoreless Wednesday. 

54.  Freddie Freeman:  Could end up being a tremendous pick as Freeman is on the cusp of stardom.  Has hit seven home runs this spring as of this writing.

55. Matt Holliday:  Holliday is now a "boring old vet" and is slipping ever so slightly. 

56. Adam Wainwright:  Really wanted Waino and would have snatched him up if Gio was taken.  My pick as the darkhorse Cy Young winner this season, which is another year removed from Tommy John surgery.

57. Aroldis Chapman:  Way too early to pick Chapman despite the allure of what he could do as a starter.  If he does end up back in the bullpen as closer, this pick will look even worse.  James Shields, C.C. Sabbathia, or even Max Scherzer were better picks/

58. Ian Desmond:  Desmond is looking at a drop in both average and home runs this season due to outlier numbers in both categories in 2012.  Overvalued.

59. Joe Mauer:  Continues to be overdrafted due to his name value.  3 category guy in Round 6 is doesn't go well together.

60. Aaron Hill:  I like this pick because I have been a Hill apologist the last few seasons and he took off again in 2012 due to being comfortable in his new surroundings in Arizona.  Average could drop some but the rest of the package legit.

ROUND 7

61. Kris Medlen:  Medlen is a tough one to completely gauge in that we all know he won't pitch as well as he did the second half of last season which was out of this world.  However his stuff is top of the charts and even though the ERA will rise, it may not be as much as one would think.

62. Alex Rios:  Rios redeemed himself with a comeback 2012.  We all know he has the talent but Rios needs to stop with this on again/off again performances.  Still holding onto his power/speed game as he enters his 30's.

63. Brett Lawrie:  I admit I overrated him last season as his PCL numbers were inflated given his lack of pop in 2012.  Lawrie is also earning the injury-prone label well, with him starting 2012 on the DL with an oblique problem.  Batting lower in the order after hitting leadoff last season, his surprisingly good steals total last season is also going to tumble some.

64. Fernando Rodney:  Rodney is the second closer taken off the board and it is Round 7.  Not bad.  As far as Rodney is concerned, his development of his changeup has saved his career and turned him into a filthy closer.  I am becoming a believer after he dominated the WBC.

65. Jimmy Rollins:  There is a decent dropoff in my mind once Hanley, Reyes, Castro, and Tulo are off the board.  Rollins is coming off a very nice season now doubt but he is another year older and surely will hit the DL once....or twice.

66. Pablo Sandoval:  No way Sandoval should be picked over Aramis Ramirez.  Just doesn't stay healthy enough and production varies with his weight. 

67. Chris Sale:  About right as far as where Sale was drafted.  The elephant in the room is the fact Sale grossly violated the Verducci Rules last season and even in his splendid 2012, has an elbow flareup which is a decent concern.

68. Rickie Weeks:  Truth be told, this owner got bumped from the draft and ended up with this perennial bust.  Them's the breaks.

69. Yu Darvish: Love the strikeouts but the history of Japanese pitchers after their rookie years is not good.  Wildness has to stop in order for him to reach his potential.

70. Aramis Ramirez:  MY PICK!! Was one of the few owners without a third baseman at this point and so it was imperative and take ARAM who is an old favorite of mine.  Yes "old" as Ramirez is now 35 but he continues to produce his customary .300/25 HR seasons.  One more of that please.

ROUND 8

71. Victor Martinez:  MY PICK!!  Not sure if I reached a bit here but oh well.  Love having a catcher who plays everyday as I can't stand wasting potential games played.  While Martinez is coming off a missed 2012, he is such a naturally good hitter that he should be able to pick up where he left off in 2011 as a .300 hitting/15 HR guy.

72. Desmond Jennings:  Truth be told I really liked Jennings with the exception of average and that stat looms over a lot of what I do in a draft since it doesn't swing as much as some other numbers.  Jennings is pretty much B.J. Upton II.

73. Jonathan Papelbon:  I am expecting a run on closers now as Round 8 is where I thought the big names would start going.  Have no interest in joining them.

74. Ryan Howard:  Terrible pick.  Although I can understand a play on Howard for a bounceback season, not anywhere near this round.  Way too many questions marks to go this high.

75. Jason Kipnis:  I really like Kipnis and think his second half fade last season was just a natural progression for a talented kid who is still not a finished product.  Carries a ton of potential fantasy baseball juice.

76. Dan Uggla:  Another awful pick.  Uggla is a shell of his former self and his average has gotten so bad he was benched at the end of last season.  If he doesn't hit 30 home runs, he has zero value which is what I think will again be the case. 

77. Mariano Rivera:  Knew once Papelbon went, Rivera would not be far behind.  I love seeing closers picked because that means the players I want are another spot closer to me.

78. Carlos Santana:  Yeah I took V-Mart over Santana but that is because I am annoyed at the awful averages he has put up lately.  The power is real good though so I can't take that away from him.  Santana just may not turn into the hitting monster he once looked like he would be.

79. Alex Gordon:  Gordon is just all right.  Has talent but his power is not anything to write home about and his steals are inconsistent. 

80. Johnny Cueto:  I never look to draft Cueto despite the very good numbers.  Just one of those guys you all like more than me.  Lack of K's are the biggest reason I never own the guy.

ROUND 9

81. Yadier Molina:  The catchers are starting to go off the board which I am fine with at this point.  Overall this draft is going the way I preach that it should.

82. James Shields:  Had Shields all lined up to pick when it got back to me.  Guy has been one of the most underappreciated starters in baseball, combining 225 K stuff with good ratios.

83. C.C. Sabbathia:  Great value here.  When you are playing with other experts, injury concerns usually get guys to drop in the draft quite a bit.  I bring you Sabbathia who is an ace on ability alone but all those innings could be taking a toll on his body.

84. Josh Reddick:  Reddick was phenomenal in his breakout last season as far as his power is concerned but a very high K rate will make him an average liability.

85. Carlos Beltran:  Aging and very injury prone.  Time to sell this former top stock once and for all.

86. Elvis Andrus:  Andrus has been overrated for awhile as he really only supplies runs and steals and the latter category slipped badly last season.  Alicides Escobar does the same thing and he comes 10-12 rounds cheaper.

87. Shin-Soo Choo:  Very good pick.  Best of the round.  Choo in Cincy should get back to the 20/20 level.

88. Mark Trumbo:  Not good.  Trumbo was exposed in the second half of last season and his power completely dried up as pitchers took advantage of the holes in his swing. 

89. R.A. Dickey:  Dickey going to the AL East is awful for his value and he is looking at a very sharp rise in ERA and WHIP.

90. Max Scherzer:  MY PICK!! Could be sitting on a Cy Young season.  Really.  Scherzer also could lead the major leagues in strikeouts.  Really.

ROUND 10

91. Matt Harvey:  MY PICK!! Harvey has been completely locked in on the mound since coming up last season, rocking a K rate over 11.00.  That is some serious strikeout potential and Harvey could very well be one of the best value plays in the game.

92. Matt Moore:  Basically Moore and Harvey are the same pitcher, with only sometimes shaky control keeping them from stardom.

93. A.J. Pierzynski:  Whatever.  Pierzynski took some sort of "magic potion" to put up those numbers last season at 35.  In a contract year.  No way he comes close to that this season as he stands to be one of the bigger busts in the game.

94. Martin Prado:  Prado is another guy who I think is overrated.  Nice player for sure but one who is more valuable in real life baseball than in fantasy baseball.  He just doesn't do any one thing good enough.

95. Anthony Rizzo:  Really like this pick.  Rizzo has massive potential after he tore it up in the minors last season and than came up and hir for power with the Cubs.  Makes for the perfect UTIL or CI guy.

96. Brian McCann:  Will likely miss all of April and skills seem to be deteriorating rapidly.  Not good.

97. Adam Dunn:  Dunn is the ultimate feast or famine guy.  As nice as it is to see those 40 home run on your roster next to his name, the .190 average takes away much of that shine.  Remember this when you draft guys like Dunn.  The pluses they bring in pop is offset by the negative average.

98. Jason Motte:  Motte is a tremendous closer and at the end of Round 10 I admire the restraint of other owners when not reaching for ninth inning guys.

99. Roy Halladay:  Tough call on Halladay who could very well be on a sharp decline after years of very heavy usage.  His velocity is down more than a little and it has not come back this spring.  In Round 10 though this is a risk worth taking.

100. Mat Latos:  Despite solid numbers, Latos just doesnt wow me.  I don't know what it is but he is just not for me. 

There you have it.  As always let us know your thoughts on the picks.