Experts League Recap: The Dynasty Guru Experts League, Rounds 21-40

Previously I wrote about the setup of an experts' league I am participating in, along with 19 other fantasy writers from across the internet. As a refresher, here are the details:

20 team dynasty league
40 round snake draft, any player signed by a major league club at the start of the draft is eligible for any pick
4 hour per pick slow draft
Roster is C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, MI, CI, 5 OF, 9 P, 7 BN, and 10 minor league slots
Minor league slots are available for anyone that qualifies for a prospect list (less than 130 AB, 45 IP)
5x5 categories, with weekly lineup deadlines
$100 in-season FAAB
35 players kept each year out of the 40 on the total roster
No limit on the time a player can be kept
I have pick #18

I wrote up my first ten picks on last Wednesday, as well as my next ten picks on Friday, which you can find below:

Round 21 (418) - Jason Kubel, OF, MIN
Round 22 (423) - Mark Reynolds, 1B, MIL

Kubel came into the season on a minor league deal with the Twins, but the expectation has been that he will make the team, and will be seeing consistent playing time at DH and possible a corner outfield spot. It's essentially the same story with Reynolds, but at first base for the Brewers. Both have 25 home run upside if they can hit enough to justify being in the lineup.

Round 23 (458) - Hunter Harvey, SP, BAL
Round 24 (463) - Danny Espinosa, 2B, WAS

It's become pretty well known how big of a fan of Hunter Harvey I am, and think he's going to move quickly through the minors despite being a high school draftee. With Espinosa, it's entirely an upside play, as he was a 15 HR/15SB second baseman as recently as 2012. Whether he gets any playing time in Washington remains to be seen, but I like him as a MI option this late.

Round 25 (498) - A.J. Pierzynski, C, BOS
Round 26 (503) - Zach Lee, SP, LAD
Round 27 (538) - Ryan Cook, RP, OAK
Round 28 (543) - Raul Ibanez, OF, LAA

At this point, I started looking positional need, and didn't have anyone to plug into the catcher spot that was expected to start on Opening Day. With Ibanez, the outfield player pool was drying up extremely fast, and realistically he will make it clear whether he's worth keeping within the first few weeks.

Round 29 (578) - Bud Norris, SP, BAL
Round 30 (583) - John Lamb, SP, KC
Round 31 (618) - Colby Lewis, SP, TEX
Round 32 (623) - J.J. Putz, RP, ARI

More speculation to round out my pitching staff, as Bud Norris could end up in the back end of the bullpen or as a filler starting pitcher. With the strength of the top of my rotation, I don't really need either Norris or Lewis to provide a ton of production, but are both nice lottery tickets. I drafted Lamb just after the reports of his velocity returning starting circulating, and love the upside that originally made him a top 20 prospect, even if the odds of that are extremely low.

Round 33 (658) - Mark Ellis, 2B, STL
Round 34 (663) - Matt Harrison, SP, TEX
Round 35 (698) - Eric Chavez, 3B, ARI
Round 36 (703) - Joel Peralta, RP, TAM

You're probably noticing a trend here, as there was even more speculation. I think that Mark Ellis sees significant playing time this season, between second base and potentially elsewhere on the diamond, and is a nice hedge should Danny Espinosa end up starting the season in the minors. Chavez hit 9 home runs in about half a season last year, and makes for a good hedge at CI as well.

Round 37 (738) - Marco Gonzalez, SP, STL
Round 38 (743) - Chris Bostick, SS, TEX
Round 39 (778) - Ricky Romero, SP, TOR
Round 40 (783) - Paul Maholm, SP, LAD

With my last two prospects, I went with a pitcher in the Cardinals' system that could move quickly and be in their rotation by 2015, and another middle infield prospect of the Rangers that could be a 10 HR/20 SB type in a few years. Romero is a complete lottery ticket, and would likely be one of the first players cut should a specific need arise, and Maholm is nice insurance against the idea that the Dodgers' rotation can stay healthy for a whole season.

So what does the final roster look like?

Overall Thoughts:

I like how the team looks overall, although I am clearly light on saves. I do have some potential for them, with Soria, Peralta, Putz, and Cook, but I will probably end up in the middle of the pack only. There is a lot of risk for batting average potentially, but with it could come a lot of counting stats, which can be crucial in a league this deep. I absolutely love the potential that my rotation could be as soon as next year, with Stephenson and Cole likely up in 2015 and Giolito and Harvey by 2017.

Some Thoughts From Rounds 21-40:

• In a league this deep, it thins out at most positions really, really fast. Only catcher and maybe starting pitcher still had players that were worth anything after rounds 25 or so.
• Timing of how the draft goes is really affected by how things happen in real life. Ervin Santana lasted until the 21st round, because at the time he was drafted he still had not signed. Instead he now looks like a steal that late. Tommy Milone went in the 39th round, almost immediately after the news that Jarrod Parker would have surgery broke.
• Sean Manaea could end up being a steal in the 23rd round if the reports on him so far this spring continue through the season. He sounds like he is returning to the form that projected him as the top overall pick at times last year.
• By the end of a draft like this, you end up finding yourself looking longingly at players like Rafael Furcal and Brandon Crawford in the name of consistent playing time. It's a tough urge to fight, wanting to take upside instead of consistent ABs in the short term.
• Last four players taken were Mark Montgomery (RP-NYY), Derek Law (RP-SF), Brandon Drury (3B-ARI), and Cord Sandberg (OF-PHI).