GSI Mock Draft: Round 18

4. March 2008  - Published by Jim Humbert
Comments (6)

The GSI staff is one round closer to wrapping the 2008 mock draft. Round 18 included an interesting mix of young talent, seasoned veterans and a few others hoping to avoid injuries. Take a look:

ROUND  1 | ROUND  2| ROUND   3 | ROUND  4  | ROUND  5  | ROUND  6 | ROUND 7
ROUND  8 | ROUND  9| ROUND 10 | ROUND 11 | ROUND 12 | ROUND 13| ROUND 14
ROUND 15| ROUND 16| ROUND 17 

205) HUMBERT #2 - Joey Votto, 1B, CIN

206) POLKING - Jack Cust, OF, OAK

207) WETZEL - Frank Thomas, DH, TOR

208) BOLTON - J.D. Drew, OF, BOS

209) BARTEL - Joe Borowski, RP, CLE

210) DINSMORE - Eric Gagne, RP, MIL

211) MUEHLENKAMP - Jay Bruce, OF, CIN

212) FISCHER - J.R. Towles, C, HOU

213) HUMBERT #1 - Carlos Ruiz, C, PHI

214) MURDICO - Kaz Matsui, 2B, HOU

215) SIMONS - Greg Maddux, SP, SD

216) CLASGENS - Mark Buehrle, SP, CWS

Fantasy Baseball

Comments

Jim Humbert
Jim Humbert
3/4/2008 8:25:35 AM #
Team #2 took a chance on Votto to fill in a UTIL spot. While guys like Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey get most of the talk around Cincy, Votto may actually be the one that steps up this year. He is still in a battle with Scott Hatteberg but it looks like Votto will at least split duties with the veteran.

Team #1 was targeting Towles only to see him go on the previous pick. Ruiz does not have the upside that the Astros catcher does, but his numbers will go up this season. He will not be sharing time with Rod Barajas and should be able to take advantage of a good Phillies lineup and great hitters park.

Obviously the biggest stretch of the round was Bruce. To Pete's credit the choice was made before the injury and signing of Corey Patterson. The best pick may have been Matsui. While he may not be the lead-off man in Houston, he'll still get on base and rack up steals. Picking up 30+ SB in round 18 is nice.
Jimmy Dinsmore
Jimmy Dinsmore
3/4/2008 11:13:50 AM #
Agreed about Matsui. Very solid pick. My Gagne pick was a little risky, but now I have two potential 40 saves guys. Not bad for sitting back on closers and letting others invest early in guys. Now I'm competitive in the category and have a shot to win that category and I didn't have to invest early in it. That's a win, in my book, or a save, or is it a hold?
Dan Clasgens
Dan Clasgens
3/4/2008 12:40:14 PM #
I added Mark Buerhle as my fifth starter, not too shabby. This guy should not still be sitting here with the 216th pick in the draft and is a better 2008 fantasy option than at least 6-8 starters taken before him in this draft. He is an innings' eater and has posted a WHIP under 1.300 in 5 of his 7 seasons. He bounced back nicely last season after a disappointing '06 campaign. Unfortunately for Buerhle he pitches for a White Sox team that won't score many runs and that plays its home games in one of the league's most homer-friendly ballparks.

My five-man rotation of Erik Bedard, Matt Cain, Francisco Liriano, Phillip Hughes, and now Buerhle give me one of this draft's best rotations and a distinct advantage.

The homer picks of Votto and Bruce are both too early and likely would not occur in other parts of the country. Keep in mind this league is NOT being drafted to be included in a "keeper format".
Jimmy Dinsmore
Jimmy Dinsmore
3/4/2008 1:16:25 PM #
Dan, I agree 100%. When I saw you take Buerhle, I said to myself, wasn't he already taken. Somehow, he slipped off my radar. He was the best selection of this draft. The Bruce pick was very Homer and even Votto.
Jim Humbert
Jim Humbert
3/4/2008 4:52:40 PM #
Just to defend the Votto pick, in ESPN live draft results as of March 4, he is ranked 221 and his average pick is 211. He was taken at 205 here - that's not much of a stretch.

He is also ranked 171 by FOX and was taken as the 163rd pick of the Baseball Cafe mock draft. CBS does not like him as much. Still, he is listed as a top prospect at every major site on the web.

So, I don't think it was too much of a homer pick.
Chris Murdico
Chris Murdico
3/4/2008 6:23:36 PM #
I took Kaz Matsui here to fill my middle infielder spot. Like Jim msaid, being able to pick up a guy that could potentially get 30+ steals this late in the draft is crazy, and no doubt a steal, no pun intended. Along with the steals, Kaz could score a bunch of runs for Houston, probably hitting ahead of big RBI guys like Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman, and Miguel Tejada. He won't help me in the HR or RBI categories, but I'll take the steals and "run" with them. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

As far as the debate goes on Votto and Bruce, I think Votto went at a good spot in the draft. If he can get the starting job over Hatteberg and hold onto it, he has the potential to have a good season. The Bruce pick, in my mind, was definitely a stretch. Until he solidifies a spot on the Reds roster, he really doesn't warrant a spot on any fantasy roster unless you're in a keeper league, or if you snag him in one of the last two rounds. Just one man's opinion.
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