64/60 Baseball Draft Recap.......Now with Bopp's Commentary

It's has been referenced as the grand event of Spring. The 64/60 Baseball Draft was held over the weekend at the Corporate Headquarters of both 64/60 Sports and the Bear Creek FP Factory. All 14 Owners/Co-Owners attended the draft and once again the event was a grueling 6 Hour event. To be honest I don't know how these walls could maintain all of the ego's in the room. So much baseball and life knowledge was passed around that Mitch Albom could pen Facts Of Life From the Factory and have another best seller. As always the food was spectacular as the Coleman's once again provided the old "deli tray" staple which is a common occurance during a Coleman sponsored event. Mamma France contributed a delicous Chili. In fact research is being conducted to see if Rich Coleman had more bowls of chilli than pitchers he drafted which was 10. People traveled from near and far to be together on this joyous day and for that I would like to send out a big Thank You for making it all possible. And I want to wish everyone the best of luck as we begin this long adventure filled with peaks and valleys and gutters and strikes.

Now for the Winners and Losers of the draft. In years past I have analyzed every teams draft pick by pick. I have commented on good picks and slammed the not so good ones. By years end half of my praised selections have been bust just as half the picks I have frowned upon have turned out to be productive. This year I have come to realize that it is impossible to analyze to 100% accuracy what a player will do in the upcoming season. I may feel that said player will be relegated to a bench role while another owner envisions a 30HR season. Therefore in my mind it is a terrible selection while to the owner of that player he was a steal. So gone are the days of Burty Ballgame breaking it down round by round. Fear not those of you who rely on Burt's 2,3 and sometime 4 cents I will still be giving out my opinions on the overall teams strengths and possible weaknesses and I will also select each teams best pick. The best pick will be a selection based on who I feel will be the best value selection for that team. So without any more intro the Commish recaps the draft.

1. Prestige Worldwide- Todd Whitley. Todd is back after a year hiatus from the 64/60 Todd has commited himself to this season and he has been rewarded already with the number one overall pick. Prestige Worldwide features a solid offense that could be spectacular should Cano, Posada, Ibanez and Lee continue their bounce back campaigns of 09. Justin Upton and Carlos Gonzalez are being counted on to continue their growth from last season as both are still very young. Offensively most numbers should be solid. HR's could be around the middle of the pack as Pujols looks to be the only 40HR threat and only Upton could be counted on for 30. Speed looks decent with both Pierre and Borbon able to swipe 40 but should one lose playing time SB could be an issue. Pitching won't blow you away from a name standpoint but both Hernandez and Jimenez are frontline guys. Saves is another problem area as Soriano is the only closer on the roster but as we all know Saves can be found once the season begins on the Waiver Wire. Burt's Best: Carlos Beltran Rd. 9. Yes this could be a complete waste of a pick should the injuries continue throughout the season but at this stage in the draft this is a low risk high reward situation.
Bopper Says......I think Todd got alot of solid value and extreme upside with his pitching in Rounds 10 and up......................Robinson Cano scares me as a top 50 player but at a weak position you can certainly justify the pick.

2. Bear Creek FP Factory- Josh Coleman. The Factory has plenty of issues it would seem. As many as 6 players are coming of terrible seasons in 09. However I love players coming off terrible seasons who still should have their prime seasons ahead of them. My success and failure will depend on 5 selections: Quentin, Young, Davis, Wieters, Atkins. Should 2 of these players perform to capabilites then my offense will be very solid if 3 should do it my offense will be great. I would love another 20/20 type player with some power and speed. Pitching wise I am very pleased. Once again though I have Zambrano, Kazmir, Nolasco, and Ervin Santana coming off bad/down years how many rebound will determine my success in the pitching dept. I like my closers however Jenks is one bad month from losing the job and Frasor hasn't yet won the job. So come Opening Day I could be searching for some help. Burt's Best: Nick Markakis 6th Rd. By season's end I am hoping Markakis has MVP type numbers with a Counting Stat Line of 30/100/100/15.
Bopper Says.......Had a very nice run from Round 8 to 11 picking up Cain, Soria and Nolasco..................The team as a whole underwhelms, thouhg pitching could be strong. But I trust Burt enough to guide this team to atleast a top 5 finish, even with a shaky Rounds 3-5.

3. Sexual Samurais- James Hardy/Butch Lemaster. The Salt and Pepper Shakers of the draft where at it again on Saturday. I will say though the Gilberts Over/Under for Gary's suprisingly went under, however Richard, always one to follow a trend, honored the Gary tradition on multiple occasions. As for the Baseball part of the Night the Samaurais somehow managed to have a legit roster without marking anyone of the list after being selected. Nice star power at the top of the Draft with Greinke and Verlander possibly being the best 1-2 punch in the league. Offensively they look to be know better than the middle of the pack in HR's with only Braun and Bay likely 30HR potential. Ellsbury is a SB filler but to be elite at the stat another player really needs to step up. Offensively the roster needs some tweaking but in Fantasy all you need is 4 really great players and one unheralded star to emerge and you will be a contender throughout the season. The Samurais have a start on offense. Pitching could be the strength of the squad. Weaver could be really good this season and Burnett can be spectacular at times. With the top talent of Greinke and Verlander the Samurais can live with an occasional blowup by Burnett. Webb could be the Wild Card should he somewhat resemble his Cy Young Days the Samurais pitching could be the leagues best. Lyon, Gonzalez and Dotel all are on shaky ground but all are CLOSERS which is all that matters. Burt's Best: Corey Hart Rd. 11 perhaps could have gone a few rounds later, nonetheless Hart is a potential 20/20 guy coming off the board after the top 10 rounds.
Bopp Says........Russell Martin went about 6 rounds earlier than I thought he would, but who knows what Martin will do this year(BAD VALUE just the same)................Not a Jason Bay fan, but Butch Hardy and the Sundance Kid connection had one of the best RD 1-5 drafts.
4. Arguementative 9irons-Rich Coleman. The former 64/60 Champ is trying to makeup for a pathetic showing during the NFL season. After looking over his draft I am confident that this season will eliminate the bitter taste of football. Utley and Rollins are top 5 performers at two weak positions. Upton and Rios could be the wildcards for this team. If both perform as they did last season the 9irons may have some struggles on offense but if both match potential then this squad could be great. Regardless of how effective these players are they will swipe 25 to 30 SB each and with the speed of Abreu, Choo and Bourn SB will not be a problem. The pitching has two good frontline guys in Halladay and Lester the back end of the rotation has some questions with Price, Kuroda, Scherzer and Porcello anything but for sure pitchers. And unlike last season the 9irons will compete in the SV department each week. Burt's Best: Alex Rios Rd. 11. Rios was terrible last season but still went 17/24. Any time a legitmate 25/25 guy is picked after the first 6 Rd you have a value selection.
Bopp Says........Clearly Richard sitting next to me at the draft should become his yearly ritual as it would appear he cheated off my paper throughout the draft......Honestly, pitching has the chance to hurt this team, and I think maybe a stud pitcher should have been selected over Sandoval in Rd 4. But on paper, this looks to be one of the top 3 teams in the league.

5. Hell and Damnation- After last seasons selection of Jose Reyes with the 3rd pick H&D is hoping for better production from the top spot. In somewhat of a suprise move to me H&D elected to go for the unanimous top Catcher in Joe Mauer. Mauer has more seperation from the 2nd player than any other postion. My only concern is that Mauer's power reverts back to the 15HR range. Should that occur the gap form him to McCann isn't as large. Regardless of where you stand on Mauer the selections of Tulowitzki in the 2nd Hill in the 4th and Ramirez in the 5th gives H&D Top 5 potential at the 4 weakest positions. Add in C. Pena as the CI and Uggla as the MI the INF of H&D could be the best in the league. At the expense of the loaded INF is the OF. Hunter, Hawpe and DeRosa is the weakest OF in the league. Hunter will really need to step up and remain healthy and reach 25/20 numbers. Sabathia and Papellbon are Top 5 at their respective positions and I really like Peavy and Hoffman as reliable options. Ted Lilly will really need to step it up this season to solidify another rotation spot. Burt's Best: Geovanny Soto Rd. 10 the overall value at 10 isn't great for Soto however the way the draft was going Soto wouldn't have been available in round 11. Soto will have a bounce back season this year and his numbers will resemble the ROY season from 08 giving H&D the best C duo in the league.
Bopp Says........Couple problems here-  The first 5 rounds really  need to be solid to compete and if Mauer and Hill regress a bit and Ramirez refuses to stay healthy in Chicago this offense will be near the bottom of the league.........The Good- Adam LaRoche was the steal of this draft without question.

6. Ohio River Carp- Bill Fenney- The Carp once again selected ARod however this year he wouldn't have been available in Rd 3. Votto and Zimmerman give the Carp a very nice 1B/3B/CI trio and Werth is a good across the board producer. Offensively this team should be solid in AVG and Run Production Stats Berkman and Nick Johnson are good AVG guys and Johnson could score 100 if he reamins healthy this season. Berkman isn't the 40HR guy of a few years ago but 30 are a legit possibility and 90/90 seems reasonable. The offensive key to this team will be Adam Jones. Jones really needs to be a 20 HR guy with 25-30 SB. Speed could be a real issue with this team as only Werth and Morgan considered SB threat thus the importance of Jones stepping up his game this season. The pitching staff could be really good. Lee, Hanson and Santana all have the stuff to be dominate at times. Oswalt isn't the player of 3 years ago but he is still a reliable option. Wilson is a very underrated closer and Francisco is really good when healthy. Liriano, Lindstrom, Putz and Rauch could all have value or all could have no value as their roles have yet to be determined. Burt's Best: Jason Heyward Rd. 16. Heyward is a complete Wild Card but to draft a player who could be a 300/20/80/80 guy with some speed this late is great value.
Bopp Says........Joey Votto and Tommy Hanson were both reaches that could have been had a round or two later, particulary Votto....................Overall though, a very good team with balance on both sides.

7. B'Ville Stars-Mike McClung. Prince Fielder is the best all around power guy in the game. 40/100/100 seems to be a given but unlike Howard and Dunn Fielder will give you a 280-300 AVG. Pedroia is a nice 2nd Rd pick giving you a Top 5 player at a weak position. Jeter is another solid performer but given his increasing age is a duplication of 09 a given? Offensively the Stars should contend in HR/RBI/Runs every week. With the along with the afroementioned players you have Adam Lind,Granderson, and Kubel. All have 30 HR power and all could have over 80 RBI on the year. Speed could be an issue as only Jeter, Damon, Pedroia and Granderson potential 20 SB guys and none of the 4 are elite threats. The Pitching could be really good Wainwright and Beckett. Baker is a solid option and I really like what I saw out of Latos last season. Harden and Bedard could make this rotation great but as we all know they are anything but a certain. Franciso Rodriguez and Billy Wagner are the lone closers both could be really good while both could be disasters it would be nice to add another closer into the mix. Burt's Best: Scott Podsednick Rd. 24. Before you criticize let me explain. I am in know way a Podsednick fan but he will be given 500 AB in KC and given the Stars struggle with SB Podsednick could give them a 40 SB guy thus with the 24th pick the Stars greatly improved their team value.
Bopp Says..........Gordon Gekko would be proud as the value that the stars found with pithcing in the later rounds is tough to match. Garza, Baker, Hudson, Bedard, Latos and Harden in Rounds 11-21...........Offense options are going to have to be found throughout the season on the Wire as it appears to have been a 2nd thought in his drafting process.

8. BC Dingers-Christopher Lee. Me and my partner in the NFBC rarely agree on many things and his assement of his team and mine are very different. Kemp, Wright and Sizemore does give the Dingers 3 30/30 type players within the first 5 rounds Ichiro is a really good complement to Adam Dunn thus providing aid for the 230 AVG. Andrus, Weeks and Stewart aren't certain contributors but the potential for big things are there. Offensively the Dingers could be really really good depending on how somethings work out but barring injury the offense will be top 3 in the legue at worst. At the expense of offense was the pitching. Therefore Yovanni Gollardo is the Ace. Christopher's thinking is that he will manage his pitching staff on more of a day by day approach and if anyone in the league can devote the proper time and research to execute this properly it would be Chris. Anderson and Sanchez are nice arms. SV's could be an issue as only Aardsma and Qualls the full time guys however it does appear as though Jenks will start the season on the DL thus giving Thorton the oppurtunity to take the job. Burt's Best: Hunter Pence Rd. 11. I really like Pence to have a breakout season this year .300/30/80/80 type of year.
Bopp Says.........This Motherfucker Can Draft!!!!!

9. Maccabi Hebrewers- Josh Gilbert. In his first 64/60 draft Josh shook things up George West style trading the 12th pick of the draft for the 9 spot and selected the first of many Cabrera's in Miguel. The offensive success of this team will depend on how quickly Jose Reyes returns from injury and the development of Nelson Cruz and Andrew McCuthen. Cruz needs closer to a 300AVG this year and McCutchen needs to develop quickly into the 25/25 player he will one day be. The pitching should be solid with Johnson, Kershaw, Shields, Buchhoz and Cueto. Cookie Cordero has always been a reliable option and he better once again as Cordero is the lone closer of the bunch. In all Gilbert drafted 5 Cabrera's. Burt's Best: Johnny Cueto Rd. 14. I really like Cueto this season. The decline in K numbers from last year is concerning but it was nice to see Cueto being effective without missing bats. He learned to pitch last season hopefully this season he can pick and choose his spots more often and the K numbers from 08 return.
Bopp Says.........Clearly, Jose Reyes in the 2nd Rd was questionable(to be nice). But Gilbo managed to mildly recover throughout the draft........Pitching will be very strong IMO, but unfortunately his pithcers might finish with more HomeRuns this year than his offense does.

10. Hendo Colonels- Dave Hobson. The trend setter of the 64/60 is back again for what he hopes to be another playoff season. After looking at his draft I cannot pinpoint what his exact strategy is but perhaps this season Mr. Hobson plans on keeping his secret to himself. Howard/Teixeira are a very good start in the Run Production areas. Overall offensively Mr. Hobson should be a steady performer as only SB could be problematic. For this Offensive Unit to become something special Vernon Wells will need to live up to his contract with a big season. Pitching should be strong if Carpenter remains healthy. Broxton is as good as it gets in the closers role. Floyd and Dempster are both suited well for there spot on the team. Rodriguez must remain as effective as in 09 for the pitching to be better than average. Burt's Best: Leo Nunez 23rd. Nunez is the clear cut favorite to be closer on what should be a good team. Anytime you can get what should be a solid end game option with the 23rd pick you have made out well.
Bopp Says........With Burt on this one, as I am not sure what Dave was going for here. Nothing about this team really stands out to me..........I'll say the The Colonels of Hendo had no picks that I would call horrible, they also had none that I would consider great. A pretty vanilla draft from top to bottom.

11. Tude Smackers- Jesse Ward. The Defending Champ is back at it hoping to defend his title and perhaps this time the pursuit won't be tainted. Picking from the back of the draft Tude Smackers took a Top 5 3B a Top 5 2B and the 2nd best C option with McCann. This took care of 3 of the weaker positions and was a very solid start.If Mark Reynolds can match his 09 season he was a steal in the 4th RD. Like most teams the Smackers Offensive success will depend on a handful of players. Will Furcal be anything but a middle of the pack SS option. How about Ludwick 08 or 09? Does Soriano have anything left? Should two of the three be favorable the Smackers offense will be better than the league average. The Smackers certainly leaned to the Bullpen for their Pitching nabbing Rivera, Bell, Marmol, Fuentes and Wood. The SP is really going to be dependent on Vazquez being the NL version rather than the AL pitcher of years past. Burt's Best: Dexter Fowler Rd 18. This selection isn't based on value nor what I feel the player will do. I don't know if Fowler's numbers will warrant the selection I do know however the Fowler is the lone SB threat on the roster. So if Fowler manages to hit .250 and Steal 35 to the Smackers he would warrant the selection.
Bopp Says.....I like Irontowns draft, but the drafting of 80 relief pitchers followed up by the trade of his 1st rd pick, changes the realistic winning expectations I would have for this team.................Reynolds and Hamilton in Rd 4 & 6 will have alot of say in how successful this team is.

12. Rubber Duckies- Tim and Nathaniel Davidson. The 64/60 newbies of the Football season decided to take a swing at baseball. Tim Lincecum was the first selection by the Rubber Duckies and apparently the decision wasn't exactly agreed upon. Though they may not have agreed on the decision as long as Lincecum pithces to the Cy Young Form of 09 the Duckies won't be disappointed. Holliday, Phillips and Gonzalez are a nice foundation for a offense as the three combine to build all 6 areas. Injuries could be a concern as the Duckies may lead the 64/60 with DL stints over the last 5 years as Jones, Drew Brothers, Vlad, Manny and Scott Rolen all have a sketchy past. To be a offensive threat the Duckies will need 2 of the following to be a steady performer and for Jay Bruce and Beckham to bud into stardom. On the rubber Jurrgens is the two behind Lincecum. The Duckies landed both Chapman and Strasburg so the question will be what will they do if neither make the MLB rosters. Do you take a 0 in that slot and wait till they are called up? Huston Street is the lone closer on the roster so help will most certainly be needed in that area. Burt's Best: Stephen Strasburg Rd. 22. Who knows what he will be like. Will he be the next Tommy Hanson or Dwight Gooden. Or will he be more like the Ben McDonald's of years past. If you are willing to take the 0's untill he is called up. The possibility of having a Top of the Rotation Stud that late is a gamble worth taking.
Bopp Says.........This was not a bad draft at all...BUT...No other team in the league has a better chance at either winning it all or plummeting to the bottom of the standings like the Duckies. Upside is everywhere, but alas, Upside does not always match Production.