I'm Taking A Break From the WBC To Write About Fantasy Baseball

That was a scary 5 minutes. Crisis...averted. I can always count on the incompetence of the American national team. We just don't care.

Last night(approximately 11:30 PM Daegu time) we held the EWC Champions League draft. Last year, I participated in the first ever EWC fantasy league. It was a 20-person league of death that I barely survived. My team started strong, faded quickly and bottomed near the cellar. Using most of my limited fantasy skillz I was able to claw my way into contention. I peaked at 6th place around early August. The top 12 or so guys were invited to join this season's champion's league. I finished 11th. Go me.

The following is a breakdown of my team and my prediction for the season...

C - I was faced with a choice in the 4th round. Take Geovany Soto. Take a reach on an OFer that I don't really like. Draft Dan Haren. I snagged Geovany at the end of the 4th round. I drafted Haren in the 5th.

1B - I was picking 4th overall. Ramirez, Pujols and Wright went in that order. Miguel Cabrera also has eligibility at 3B. Grady Sizemore and Ryan Braun were also considerations, but I just get the feeling that Miggy could be a top 3 player at seasons' end. I think Braun is going to have muscle aches all year and Grady is stuck batting lead off when he should be batting lower.

2B- I snagged Kelly Johnson in the 12th round. I think he could be a 15/15 guy for homers and steals with a solid OPS. You could do a lot worse at 2nd than KJ.

SS - I watched Stephen Drew and Michael Young go right in front of me. I got Rafael Furcal in the 7th. I think he has top 50 value, IF he stays healthy. Big, big if, but he'll be leading off for one of the most potent offenses in the NL. "

3B- I grabbed Crush Davis in the 6th round. Did I reach? Possibly, but I think he's a guy with top 50 value. He could be an OPS monster this year.

LF - I grabbed Carlos Quentin in the 2nd round. If I had it to do over, I would have taken Manny over TCQ, but I was blinded by my fierce loyalty. If TCQ were caught with steroids, I would probably start watching cricket. I also didn't think that TCQ would have made it to me in the 3rd round. The idea of TCQ having a huge season for someone else sickens me.

CF - Lastings Milledge in the 10th ahead of Jay Bruce and Justin Upton. He has the most experience of the 3 and is arguably the safest. He's a 20/20 threat with upside. As long as he keeps his head on straight, he's not losing AB's. The Nats could have a nice offense this year.

RF - Jayson Werth in the 13th round. As long as he gets the AB's, he's a 20/20 lock with a solid OPS. Pat the Bat went 2 picks later. I think Werth is the better value.

Util - Justin Morneau. He was the best hitter left at my pick in the 3rd round. I took him ahead of Kevin Youkilis(injury concern) and Nick Markakis(crappy team concern). The only other guy I was considering here is Matt Kemp and I'm not sure where he's going to hit. He could bat 2nd, he could bat 7th. I know Morneau is going to hit in the middle of the Twins lineup.

Bench - I picked up Salty in the 19th round. If you spend a high pick on a catcher, you should have some insurance. I also think Salty is going to see time at 1st and DH for Texas. If he gets 400 AB's, I could see him approach 20 homers. Torii Hunter was still around in the 17th. I'm not a huge Torii fan at all, but an .800 OPS from a bench guy is something I'll take. Plus, he could go 20/20 this year. He just fell short last year. I needed some SB's and I didn't want to sacrifice other cats. I also got Carlos Guillen at the end of the draft. Purely for OBP purposes.

Starting pitching- I love my starters. I grabbed Dan Haren in the 5th round. I love the fact that he rarely gives up walks. It guarantees that he'll have a lower WHIP than he should. He'll post 15+ wins, an ERA around 3.00ish and a sub 1.25 WHIP with a solid number of K's. He's an anchor. I wanted Yovani Gallardo in the 7th, but Francisco Liriano was still around. I can't take YoGa over Liriano. I just can't. I wound up getting Yovani in the 8th. I grabbed Joba in the 11th round. Joe Girardi has said that he wants Joba to get 30 starts. That should put him around 160/170 innings. I'm fine with that from my #4 starter. I also snagged Jair Jurrgens in the 18th. I'm a big fan of The Surgeon.

Relief Pitching - Ok, I've made a conscious effort to not pay for saves. I grabbed Matt Capps in the 14th. The choice was between him and DJ Qualls. Capps will have fewer saves vultured. I grabbed Travis Hoffman in the 16th. I may have to get one of his setup guys off the wire if this pulled muscle doesn't improve. I also grabbed Jose Arredondo in the 18th. I think he's a solid setup guy for the first few months, then he takes the closer job from Fuentes. I was thrilled to get him. This is the first league I've been able to snag him in. Manny Corpas was my 20th round pick. I think he ends the year with double digit holds AND saves. Jeff Samardjzia was my pick in the 21st round. I'm secretly hoping he claims a bullpen slot and spends the year as a lights out reliever.

Overall - I really like this team. The starting pitching could be really special. 3 of my top 4 have top 10 starter upside. That's the key word for this team. Upside. I should change the name to the Daegu Upside. Most of the guys are fairly young, but accomplished players. Lastings Milledge is a prime example. This should be a fun year. I'm not thrilled with my bullpen, but I think there are a ton of saves and holds waiting on the waiver wire.