Fanhouse Fantasy Draft: Extra Base Knox

We just concluded our fantasy draft here at Fanhouse. I have to say that I like what I did here.

It's a 12-team, rotisserie mixed-league using standard 5X5 scoring categories and rosters that include two catchers, a first baseman, a second baseman, a shortstop, a third baseman, a corner infielder, a middle infielder, five outfielders, a utility hitter, nine pitchers and three bench players.

Here's the Extra Base Knox team:

Round 1(3) - Albert Pujols, Cardinals - Wright and Hanley Ramirez went with the first two picks. Pujols is the best remaining player so I went with him. I'll take his massive offense in four of the five categories and smile all the way.

Round 2(22) - Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners - I made a tough decision here between him and Justin Morneau. I love Ichiro's speed and great batting average. With such high batting averages from my first two picks, I should be able to grab a big home run hitter with a low average later in the draft if I choose.

Round 3(27) - Carl Crawford, Rays - I didn't go power, I went speed again. Crawford plus Ichiro will pretty much guarantee my team is near the top in stolen bases.

Round 4(46) - Adrian Gonzalez, Padres - Here's some of the power that I need. Gonzalez probably won't duplicate his 2008 numbers, but he's good for 30 home runs and 100 RBI.

Round 5(51) - Shane Victorino, Phillies - The early starting pitcher run happened without me. So, I went with another speed guy. I'll take his 35-40 stolen bases and hope he can continue his home run growth.

Round 6(70) - Chris Davis, Rangers - I upset a few guys with this pick as they were hoping Davis would fall into the seventh round. His 35-plus home run potential and triple digit RBI hopes weren't getting by me in the sixth.

Round 7(75) - Chone Figgins, Angels - Power... Speed... Power... Speed... Starting to see a trend here?

Round 8(94) - Jose Valverde, Astros - This is the first pick that I wasn't totally in love with. I'm a big fan of the strategy of grabbing an elite closer and then not buying saves any more. Brad Lidge (who I really wanted) went two picks before me and Papelbon was gone, so I grabbed the next best thing.

Round 9(99) - Scott Kazmir, Rays - The psuedo-aces were falling fast as this draft was very heavy in starting pitchers going early. I usually wouldn't take Kazmir (even though he's a good ADP value here) as I'm not sure about his ability to maintain health. But, there was a huge drop-off after him, so I pulled the trigger.

Round 10(118) - Andre Ethier, Dodgers - I was ecstatic that Ethier fell to me. He had a second-half breakout last season that leaves me drooling for more in 2009. I'm hoping for 25-plus home runs and another .300 batting average.

Round 11(123) - Brian Fuentes, Angels - OK, I'm off script here. Two closers in the first eleven rounds? This just isn't me. That being said, Fuentes is going to rock in his new digs. He could approach 40 saves.

Round 12(142) - Brad Hawpe, Rockies - Hawpe is another outfielder who had a great second half last season. If he can build on his split from 2008, Hawpe could come close to hitting 30 home runs and batting .300.

Round 13(147) - Josh Johnson, Marlins - Johnson is back from Tommy John surgery and is ready to show off his ace-like skills. His 8-1 record in the second half last year with a 3.36 ERA is just a sampling of what you'll see all year in Florida.

Round 14(166) - Derek Lowe, Braves - This ground ball master is having a freakishly good spring. I'm expecting a great ERA and anywhere from 13 to 15 wins from Lowe in 2009.

Round 15(171) - Jose Lopez, Mariners - Here's another guy that I was thrilled to find still available in the 15th round. Lopez could hit 20-plus home runs this season and rise above the .300 mark in batting average. That would be a great value in this round.

Round 16(190) - Khalil Greene, Cardinals - I'm dying for a shortstop and Greene is just tearing it up this spring. I'm hoping that his .418 batting average with 17 RBI in 67 spring at-bats will translate into a much needed rebound year for the Cardinals.

Round 17(195) - Jeremy Hermida, Marlins - Every season I buy into the "Hermida is a sleeper" sermon. Heck, half of the time I'm the one preaching it. He's hitting .317 with four home runs this spring and I'm doing something here that I said I wouldn't; buying in to Hermida again.

Round 18(214) - Kevin Gregg, Cubs - He's been named the Cubs closer and should get a bunch of opportunities to rack up saves with such a good team. This seemed like a good value here. I should do very well in saves this season.

Round 19(219) - Dioner Navarro, Rays - I missed out on the elite catcher run. The middle tier catchers all went earlier than I had hoped as well. When Ramon Hernandez went before me I figured that I needed to get going on filling the first of my two catcher spots. Navarro is young enough to continue growing as a hitter. But, I am not expecting such a high batting average this season.

Round 20(238) - Chien-Ming Wang, Yankees - Wang won't help me in strikeouts at all. But, if he's really healthy, pitching for that stacked lineup should get hims a nice win total.

Round 21(243) - Jonathan Sanchez, Giants - The Giants are improved and Sanchez has a pretty rockin' strikeout to walk ratio this spring (15:2 K:BB). I'm going to hope for double digit wins and more strikeouts in 2009 than he posted in 2008.

Round 22(262) - Chris Volstad, Marlins - When I was watching Grapefruit League action, I made the statement that Volstad put on the best pitching performance I personally witnessed. He didn't overpower hitters. He just made them look really, really bad. I'm hoping he'll continue this trend and post double digit wins for me in 2009.

Round 23(267) - Miguel Olivo, Royals - Pickin's were getting really slim at this point for the catcher position. I decided to go with a guy who's "killing it" this spring. He's batting .333 with four home runs thus far and if he continues to hit like that, I'll be a happy camper.

Round 24(286) - Manny Burris, Giants - Burris won the starting second base job today and should be a cheap source of stolen bases. He's a great value in the 24th round and could steal 25-plus bases.

Round 25(291) - Kendry Morales, Angels - I'm filling out my bench here. I wanted to fill it out with prospects who were performing well in spring. Morales is batting .405 with ten doubles and three home runs this spring. He has outfield eligibility right now but will be playing first base for the Angels. Extra position eligibility is a bonus for me.

Round 26(310) - Brett Gardner, Yankees - Here's another kid who's on fire this spring. He'll be batting ninth for the Yankees as their new center fielder. Let's hope he continues hitting well with a little pop and, most importantly, steals some bases.

So, let me have it! I'd love to hear if you think I stand a chance...