Fantasy baseball draft: FSTA happens in Vegas

Las Vegas: high rollers, flashy parties - and naturally, fantasy baseball drafts.

This past Monday, I participated in the Fantasy Sports Trade Association's MLB experts draft for the fourth straight year - one for every baseball season I've been at KFFL. The '08 draft was my first real dip into an industry setting. It was also a harsh welcome to the field.

The second was one of my first industry titles. The third was a disappointment; I finished near the bottom.

This event, in which I picked 11th out of 13, was my favorite of all of them, mainly because it was covered fantastically - along with the rest of the industry conference at the Mirage - by Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio. Plus, we finished the 29-round draft in one night for the first time in my years of participating.

More craps, less drafting of crap.

Check out the results. Look at the list of participants. Recognize a lot of those names, I bet, right? The skill this draft draws each year is one reason I'll keep going back.

Team KFFL

* - was with Texas Rangers during draft, before Tuesday trade

The gameplan:

1. Draft a third baseman with one of my first two picks if one of the widely considered top 5 was available.
   • In a January draft, you must keep your core as safe as possible. Grabbing Votto and Zimmerman established my BA foundation - and with Dunn, much of my power base. Zimm has 30-homer power and a .300 BA profile. In a mixed bag at third base this year - heard many complaints about failing to find a hot cornerman from several drafters later on - I was pleased to acquire a high-end option.
   

   Votto a dropped anchor

2. Net one high-K ace and focus on high-K arms thereafter.
   • My pick of Dunn in Round 4 and Jeter in Round 5 changed this plan on the fly. I gambled on Hanson being there in 6, and it worked. He was near the bottom of those I'd accept as an ace, and he can still put up top-10 SP numbers.
3. Wait on 2B and MI.
   • I landed Beckham and Zobrist, my two undervalued targets. In a league this deep, the midrange options with growth potential at 2B that trumped those at other spots were much more valuable. I expect both to rebound.
4. Acquire one elite closer, and pluck values.
   • The Marmol pick aided in my quest for strikeouts, too. As I'd seen in previous mocks, experts are letting closers fall. I typically have, too, but if that keeps happening, the risks in taking midrange and low-end stoppers will be negated or even practically eliminated. Street in Round 13? I'll take it.
5. If I can't grab early-round swipes, fill out a much of my SB from OF who also have 20-20 potential, or something close. Avoid one-trick ponies.
   • Tabata's power and Hunter's speed didn't fit the picture, but outfield carries ample statistical gap fillers available in the mixed late rounds. Hunter's consistency (albeit declining ability) was a gift in Round 15.
   • Per our pre-FSTA projections (initials to be released soon) my drafted starting lineup would produce 174 steals if I start Raburn at utility (5 swipes) ... and 186 if I start Espinosa. Understandably, this is a vacuum scenario, but I used some league history for the last two seasons, which both included 14 teams. Last year, 201 swipes topped the league (14 roto points), followed by 178 (13), 176 (12), 166 tied at 10.5, 164 (9) and 161 (8). It was a category in which I fell behind, finishing at 132 swipes (6). In '09, 14 was 211, and 10 was 158. At least I have a better head start than in recent years without putting my steals eggs in one or a few baskets.

They say you can't win your league on draft day, but I didn't lose it. Confident? Cocky? Perhaps, but my plan fell into place.

Zobrist an X-factor

Other quick hits:

• My middle infield will make or break this team.
• I liked Ron Shandler's pick at No. 2: Ryan Braun. Five-category consistency sometimes falls to the wayside for positional scarcity. I expected to have Braun in my first-round wheelhouse. The pick made for an interesting opening stanza and had the conference abuzz.
• Ryan Howard dropped to the third round. I was out of the running because of my first-rounder, but that's solid value, regardless of concerns about his slipping game. Howard's owner, USA Today's Howard Kamen, also grabbed another slipper in his sixth-rounder, Brian McCann.

How'd I do? Who had the best draft? While you're at it, check out other coverage of the draft at Fantasy Windup, the blog of USA Today's Steve Gardner.

More excitement on the way for KFFL Baseball: Fantasy baseball projections and cheat sheets, Fantasy Baseball Sleepers, Fantasy Baseball Diamond Duels and the KFFL Baseball Analysis Draft (K-BAD).

In the meantime:

• Catch up on how the latest MLB transactions impact your fantasy baseball draft with our Hot Stove.
• Welcome Mastersball, including exclusive drop-ins from Lawr Michaels and Todd Zola, to the KFFL family.
• Bookmark my Rounding the Bases, Nicholas Minnix's Finger Nickin' Good and Keith Hernandez's Foul Territory.

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