Re-Draft Madness

First of all, let me note that my yearly redraft league is quirky in its scoring. It is a H2H, points-based league. Steals are worth 1 point (usually it is 2), which skews the whole thing toward the power players. Luck can be a major factor, in that the whole thing is basically decided during one-week playoff rounds (much like fantasy football, which I hate).

As a traditional roto player, it took me a few seasons to get a grasp on the best players, but this format has really grown on me. I have played in this league for quite a while now, and I have a first- and second-place finish to my credit.

Another quirk: Closer value. It hit me like a ton of bricks the first season -- I noticed that people were taking closers starting late in round 2 and early in round 3!! And when the flood gates opened, you could definitely see 6 teams in a row take a closer.

It blew my mind. Closers score the fewest amount of points every week; they have little to no chance of posting a 50-point week; and at the end of the season they contribute the fewest points to your team. For years, I have been determined to take advantage of this ridiculous trend, and I always came away with a strong team....but my train-wreck situations at closer seemed to always end up costing me huge in the end. I would advance in the playoffs, only to be upset by someone who outscored me 60-12 or something at the 2 RP positions. One year, I even tried drafting two middle relievers instead (and I was totally loaded everywhere else)...and I lost in the second round of the playoffs.

The year I won the league I made a deadline deal for, funnily enough, Jose Valverde, and it was the key to everything. This year, I tried to do what I've always done, but I told....no...forced myself to sacrifice a pick and take a closer in the first 4 rounds. All this explanation for taking Papelbon....lol

Anyway here's my squad. I had the 12th pick of 14 teams -- and oh yeah -- Utley went 10th and ARod went 11th (huh???). I almost fell off my chair thinking I would get ARoid.... I'm still chugging from the fountain of youth, as you will see. Chapman could be panning out for me just in time to carry me through the playoffs.

C- Ryan Doumit

1B- Miguel Cabrera (first pick)

2B- Aaron Hill (fourth pick)

3B- Jorge Cantu (seventh pick)

SS- Elvis Andrus (10th pick)

OF- Matt Holliday (second pick)

OF- Andrew McCutchen

OF- Adam Jones

DH- Nolan Reimold; or could be Travis Snider

Bench- Kevin Kouzmanoff; Gaby Sanchez; Matt LaPorta; Ian Desmond

SP- Tommy Hanson (fifth pick)

SP- Dan Haren (sixth pick)

SP- Clayton Kershaw (eighth pick)

SP/Backups (I use this slot for 2-start week-players for the most part): Shaun Marcum; Wade Davis; Jeff Niemann; Aroldis Chapman

RP- Papelbon (third pick)

RP- Dotel (ninth pick, and only the crappy closers left at this point -- Capps, Wood/Perez, Lyon/Lindstrom, thats it)

So...how did I do?