Well, I had never done an AL-only league before, and figured I ought to do a NL-only league as well.
The rules of the league are a standard ESPN league (5 OF, MI, CI, 9 P), and its a 5x5 roto league.
My roster, and then some thoughts about the draft:
C - Miguel Montero (ARI)
1B - James Loney (LAD)
2B - Felipe Lopez (STL)
3B - Pablo Sandoval (SF)
SS - Everth Cabrera (SD)
MI - Clint Barmes (COL)
CI - Ian Stewart (COL)
OF - Matt Kemp (LAD)
OF - Andrew McCutchen (PIT)
OF - Chris Young (ARI)
OF - Marlon Byrd (CHC)
OF - Scott Hairston (SD)
UT - Blake DeWitt (LA)
P - Tim Lincecum (SF)
P - Jonathan Broxton (LAD)
P - Cole Hamels (PHI)
P - Billy Wagner (ATL)
P - Jonathan Sanchez (SF)
P - Leo Nunez (FLA)
P - Takashi Saito (ATL)
P - Mike Adams (SD)
P - Ross Ohlendorf (PIT)
BN - Oliver Perez (NYM)
BN - Delwyn Young (PIT)
BN - Edinson Volquez (CIN)
From the draft itself:
- There was at least one of the 10 owners who was doing all sorts of random things during the draft. I had the 9th pick out of 10, and somehow came away with Kemp, then Lincecum. Some of the more "creative" picks from that owner: Chris Iannetta in the 2nd round, Carlos Zambrano in the 3rd, and Jason Bay at #8 overall.
- I ended up taking a lot more pitching early than I had intended, but it seemed hard not to after watching who was left on the board at my picks.
- I liked how the rotation turned out, with Lincecum and Broxton anchoring it, and a lot of high strikeout starters. Saves somehow seem like almost too much, with Broxton, Wagner, and Nunez. Saito is the handcuff for Wagner, so those are probably the same saves. The interesting one to me is going to be Mike Adams, who I think has a good chance of getting the closing job when Heath Bell ends up traded somewhere else.
- My offense seems solid, although i'm not ecstatic about it. There's not enough power for my liking, but I think that's not unusual considering my pitching. A lot of speed and a solid batting average, so theoretically I could go get some power at some point.
- I kept hearing that single-league drafts, you want to get ABs. Players can't accrue counting stats without ABs. So I tried to target players with pretty solid jobs, even if their upside was limited. Hence the selection of Blake Dewitt. He also has the added bonus of qualifying at 3B for ESPN as well.
- Lots of positional flexibility, with Sandoval qualifying at 1B, Young at 2B and OF, and Stewart at 2B and 3B.
- Volquez, if he returns at all this season, could be interesting. I figured I'll stash him on my DL spot until I need it, and go get someone in the mean time.
Overall, I think that this team turned out all right, not amazing. ESPN has me ranked middle of the pack, as it appears that I don't have enough of anything really. I probably need one more starting pitcher, and may have to move some saves to get it. It is early though, and we will see how it goes as the season progresses.