Surveying the Field
Mar. 11th, 2024 10:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
billroperI've spent some time the last couple of days going over the new APBA baseball card set in advance of the draft a couple of weekends from now. As opposed to last year, which had no starting pitching available in the draft but a whole lot of hitting, this year has not a lot of hitting available but a whole lot of starting pitching available under the pitching cap for our league.
I am drafting last again this year (which is a good thing, as it means my team did well, as in a combined record of 107-55 worth of well), but it means that my draft strategy is like a leaf upon the wind, dependent on the whims of the other seven teams drafting in front of me. On the other hand, there is *so* much starting pitching that will be available in this draft that I should be able to find *something* that I can add to my rotation, which has a lot of good names that spent a lot of the season injured last year. I have two full-time starters spread out across four different names (Ohtani, Fried, Woodruff, Kershaw), which is going to make roster construction entertaining.
In other amusing news, I got all of those pitchers save Kershaw in the same rookie draft back in 2020. Which we held in my back yard due to COVID. Kershaw is the longest tenured player on the team, as I drafted him in 2009.
I have a number of monstrously good position players coming back -- Ohtani, Acuna, Freeman, Soto, and Julio Rodrigues -- and the quite serviceable Ozzie Albies at second base, but shortstop, third base, and catcher are about to be problematic with very few better solutions available in the draft or -- I suspect, having looked at the other teams! -- by trade. There are some teams that have assets that they could move, but finding a good matchup is going to be difficult.
Last year, I was able to flip Zac Gallen from a surplus of starting pitching for the rights to draft Julio Rodriguez, which worked out well for both teams. This year, my only surplus asset is Bryce Harper and he is going to cover DH at bats when Ohtani can't play and back up Freddie Freeman, so I *could* deal him, but it would have to be a really good offer to move him.
We'll see what happens.
I am drafting last again this year (which is a good thing, as it means my team did well, as in a combined record of 107-55 worth of well), but it means that my draft strategy is like a leaf upon the wind, dependent on the whims of the other seven teams drafting in front of me. On the other hand, there is *so* much starting pitching that will be available in this draft that I should be able to find *something* that I can add to my rotation, which has a lot of good names that spent a lot of the season injured last year. I have two full-time starters spread out across four different names (Ohtani, Fried, Woodruff, Kershaw), which is going to make roster construction entertaining.
In other amusing news, I got all of those pitchers save Kershaw in the same rookie draft back in 2020. Which we held in my back yard due to COVID. Kershaw is the longest tenured player on the team, as I drafted him in 2009.
I have a number of monstrously good position players coming back -- Ohtani, Acuna, Freeman, Soto, and Julio Rodrigues -- and the quite serviceable Ozzie Albies at second base, but shortstop, third base, and catcher are about to be problematic with very few better solutions available in the draft or -- I suspect, having looked at the other teams! -- by trade. There are some teams that have assets that they could move, but finding a good matchup is going to be difficult.
Last year, I was able to flip Zac Gallen from a surplus of starting pitching for the rights to draft Julio Rodriguez, which worked out well for both teams. This year, my only surplus asset is Bryce Harper and he is going to cover DH at bats when Ohtani can't play and back up Freddie Freeman, so I *could* deal him, but it would have to be a really good offer to move him.
We'll see what happens.