Mock Draft Results: The "Wait on Pitching" Strategy

I was invited to participate in the Big Leagues Magazine 14 team, 28 round, mixed league mock draft on Monday night. This mock was my second within 24 hours, and after using the "draft middle infielders early" strategy on Sunday night, I wanted to use a different strategy, but had not placed a finger on which strategy before the draft started. After seeing how the first few rounds went, my strategy smacked me in the face. I was going to use the "Wait on Pitching" strategy, and I think it worked out pretty well.

Sometimes it is good to go into a draft with a pre-determined strategy, but if things don't go as planned, owners sometimes fail to adjust to what the draft is bringing to them. I usually head into my drafts with a list of targets, but if the flow of the draft is telling you something, you must act accordingly. And that is what I did on Monday night.

The fantasy experts who participated in this draft were the following;

Teams:

1. Mike Stein (FantasyJudgment)
2. Ben Pasinkoff (Ben's Baseball Bias)
3. Victorious Secret
4. Alex Hume (Bullpen Banter)
5. Kyle Mensing
6. Keith_WeTalkFantasySports
7. David Wiers (RotoGraphs/Bullpen Banter)
8. Jon Williams - Advanced Fantasy Baseball
9. Fake Teams
10. Brett Talley (TheFantasyFix.com)
11. Dwade
12. Andrew Townes
13. Team JmeD
14. Michael Jack Schmidt

If I am not mistaken, DWade writes for FanGraphs.

Here is a look at the team I drafted and a link to the complete mock draft results can be found here:

Big Leagues Magazine Mock Draft Results

My "Wait on Pitching" Strategy:

Fake Teams

I like the way my pitching staff turned out, with Cain and Chapman at the top, and three very underrated starters Hiroki Kuroda, Tim Hudson and A.J. Burnett, and two young starters with upside: Erasmo Ramirez and Alex Cobb. Chapman is the wild card here, as some think he can be a top 10 starter in baseball this season. And we already know that manager Dusty Baker doesn't like the idea of moving Chapman to the rotation. If he fails as a starter, I have one of the best closers in the game, as they won't waste him in a set up role.

Kuroda, Hudson and Burnett are all older starting pitchers, but all three won 16 games and put up a mid-3's ERA last year. Grabbing these three starters in the 14th-17th rounds of a 14 team league was like getting that unexpected raise at work.

I think I did a good job grabbing hitters early, but after taking a closer look, I lack that big stolen base threat on my roster. But, I do have some power with Gonzalez, Ramirez, Konerko, Laroche, Cespedes, CarGo, among others. I am down on Braves catcher Brian McCann this season, as he is coming off shoulder surgery, but I could not pass him up in the 12th round.

I have to admit, I drafted Rockies outfielder Carlo Gonzalez with the 9th overall pick, but looking back, I whiffed on Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, as he was still available at 9th overall. I was shocked that he was not taken at 4 or 5.

One first round pick really stood out for me was Buster Posey taken at #4 overall. Number 4!! There were other picks that left me scratching my head, but that is what makes these mock drafts so much fun, as you can try different strategies. Maybe the guy picking 4th was using a strategy where he wanted the best hitting catcher and reigning NL MVP, or maybe he is a Giants fan and couldn't pass him up. It happens.

I am glad I participated in this mock draft as it proved to me that the "Wait on Pitching" strategy is probably a strategy fantasy owners should consider come draft day 2013. Heck, if you participate in multiple leagues, give this strategy a shot. I know I am.