2007 Draft Review with Mike and the Mad Dog
March 17, 2007
Mad Dog: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh good afternoon everybody how are you today? Mike and the Mad Dog joining you on FAN in New York City. Mikey how are you doing this afternoon?
Mike: Ahm doing great dawg, a beautiful March Day in New York, what was it, negative 30 today?
Mad Dog: I gotta tell you Mike, it is cold out there cold cold cold. The only thing colder than the weather are the seats at the Garden during Knicks games.
Mike: Heh Heh Heh, another great season for Isaiah. But Dawg, really we're here today to talk about the DMB draft and break down what it means for the coming season.
Mad Dog: You know Mike... this is the... what does that say, 17th season of Diamond Mind Baseball.
Mike: 17 years... I mean you are going back to the days of Deion Sanders and which Williams was the better prospect, Bernie or Gerald.
Mad Dog: I still say Gerald was never given the chance.
Mike: Are you kidding me dog? You're just wrong. Bernie Williams has more postseason home runs than any player in baseball history.
Mad Dog: You're right Mike, you're right, Gerald Williams sucked.
Mike: Let's jump right in... How did this get on the schedule again?
Mad Dog: Apparently there was a large donation to the Tomorrow's Childrens Fund and Imus Ranch
Mike: <mumbles unintelligibly>
Mad Dog: umm...ok, Let's take a look at the first round.
Mike: It's hard to go wrong in the first round, but you have to look at the Dan Uggla pick at 7 by South Boston as the worst pick.
Mad Dog: Mikey, what're you talking about Uggla had 105 runs scored and 27 home runs
Mike: I know Doggie, I know, but his on base is average, he's not as young as Josh Barfield who was also available if South Boston HAD to go 2B there, which I'm not convinced they did, and he struck out over 120 times, not to mention nothing in his minor league history indicates a repeat of the good parts of his performance last year.
Dog: When you're right, you're right Mike, and you - are - right, that was a bad pick in the first. What about the best?
Mike: Well, I am going to have to go with the rookie ownership tandem from Sardine City. Cole Hamels is a lefty, great strikeout rate and you know he has a major future.
Dog: Can't argue with you there Mikey... great pick, great pick.
Mike: Let's move on.
Dog: OK there Mike, on to round 2 I say hands down the best pick is Wes Helms, highest available OPS with the 12th pick in the second round, hands down, hands down.
Mike: Good pick there dog, good pick, but the best in the round... a 31 year old journeyman with limited at bats. You don't know how he will perform in a 162 game season, you just don't know.
Dog: You're right Mike, I got carried away there
Mike: No kiddin'
Dog: So who's the best pick? Hughes, Gordon?
Mike: Nah, you are making a sacrifice to draft prospects that early, Young in the first round, Gordon and Hughes in the second, they aren't bad picks, you know, but they are risky ones.
Dog: So who's the best pick?
Mike: In the second... hmmm, gotta give the edge to Rich Hill, the commish coming through with a solid pick right there. I almost said Adrian Gonzalez because he is going to be a star for years, but good left handed pitching is hard to come by.
Dog: The worst pick is so easy on this one. Melky Cabrera... I mean what's Team Buddah thinking there.
Mike: I heard from an inside source at DMB draft central they didn't even show up. They just preprinted their picks and had the commish draft for them.
Dog: WHAT!!?!!
Mike: I can't say for sure, but that's the scuttlebutt.
Dog: Disgraceful
Mike: Let's move on, if we keep this up, the show will go until Imus comes on at 5:30
Dog: Hee Hee Hee, you're hot stuff Mike, ho-ot stuff.
Mike: The best pick of the third round is as easy to choose as the worst pick of the second.
Dog: Josh Barfield? I mean, you said he could have gone in the first.
Mike: No, I said he was the best pure 2B available, I wouldn't have drafted him in the first round.
Dog: Then who Mike?
Mike: Daisuke Matsuzaka
Dog: Hold on a minute Mikey, I mean, you said just a minute ago that draftin prospects this early was a risk and then you go an say Mashed Up Kaka is the best pick of the round?
Mike: Heh Heh Heh!!! WHAT did you call him?
Dog: Dicen Kookie Mashed Up Kaka
Mike: Da - i - soo - kay Mat - su -zaka
Dog: Dik - en - ookie Maks - um - gawa
Mike: Just call him Dice K, you're lucky Justin Duchscherer isn't the worst pick.
Dog: Ok there big guy, how can you say in one minute that draftin prospects is risky and then say the Japanese guy is the best pick.
Mike: come on Doggie, a guy with 10 years experience in professional baseball can hardly be considered a prospect. This is NO Hideki Irabu.
Dog: OK, you got me, who's the worst pick.
Mike: Another easy one doggy. Brian Roberts? Not even the best 2B picked in the round, a PRIME candidate to show up in the steroid scandal and what is he 30, WAY too early for him.
Dog: Good point Mikey.
Mike: The 4th round featured 3 more prospects going off the board including the Arizona duo of Chris Young and Carlos Quentin, but in my estimation it is still wayyy to early to go prospect shopping unless you are completely out of contention for the coming year and are stacking your scout team for the future.
Dog: I still think you are kind of a contradictin' yourself over the Japanese guy -
Mike: I ALREADY explained how you were absolutely wrong about that, should we cover it again?
Dog: I hear ya, I hear ya, I hear ya Mike, but you got to admit it's kind of converversial.
Mike: Anyway, the best pick in the 4th?
Dog: Well, Newark samwitched the round with the first and last pick, but I think I would say Kevin Youkelaylee by the Sardine Boys is the best pick there.
Mike: Who, oh Youkilis... solid pick, solid pick, I would have gone with Marlon Anderson, in terms of defense, multiple position eligibility, etc, but Youkilis is young and has some of the same qualities.
Dog: What about the worst pick Mikey?
Mike: NJ & South Boston are fighting for it on this one. Wickman, by NJ wouldn't have been a horrendous pick except they had three better closers available to them in the dispersal draft and passed on not one, not two, but ALL three of them. Baffling, just baffling.
Dog: So which one is it Mikey?
Mike: Wigginton by South Boston. He's old, never produced like that before in his career and is in a real world situation in Tampa Bay which could easily see him ridin the pine.
Dog: Let's go to the phones, Vinny from Brooklyn, you're on the FAN
Vinny: I want to propose a couple of trades.
Dog: OK, go ahead Vinny.
Mike: <groans audibly>
Vinny: ok, I think that DC is just stacked at outfield for this year, I mean Crawford, Soriano, Beltran, Holliday and then Frank Thomas at DH, one of those guys is going to have to sit.
Mike: What's the trade Vin?
Vinny: OK, how about DC sends Soriano to South Boston for Chris Carpetner
Mike: Well... that would certainly be a good trade for DC if they could make it.
Dog: Come on Vinny, get real, South Boston isn't going to make that trade. Soriano is going to strikeout more times than Carpenter is going to strikeout batters.
Mike: Could we stop with the ridiculous Soriano for the moon trade offers please. He is a nice player, but he isn't a DMB superstar.
Dog: That is like the 10th silly Soriano offer I have heard today. Where did all these DC fans come from all of a sudden? It is like the Troy Aikman era Cowboy fan all over again!
Mike: I heard Vinny overnight last night peppering Schmoozy with about 50 different unrealistic scenarios.
Vinny: umm, uhhh
Mike: You know, you don't really sound like you are from Brooklyn there Vinny.
Dog: Who is this really?
Vinny: um, uh, well, this is Jamie Landsman.
Mike: The owner and general manager of the DC Bushslappers?
Jamie: uh, yeah, gotta go
Dog: Is he gone? Is he gone?
Mike: Yeah, the line's dead. I can't believe that just happened.
Dog: I- uh I- umm.. Let's move on to round 5
Mike: Oh could we. I mean how big was the donation to the Imus Ranch anyway?
Dog: Big!
Mike: OK, the 5th round
Dog: Best pick of the round, Mike, would have to be Frank Thomas, despite the roster inflexibility it gives D.C.
Mike: ...and the rather bizarre behavior of the owner, I would have to agree to pick up numbers like that in what could be a championship season for the Bushslappers is a real coup.
Dog: The worst pick?
Mike: Coco Crisp, far an away. South Boston once again going with the real world Red Sox player over the best choice for The Gang.
Dog: Can't argue with you there Mikey, the 6th round was probably the most interesting round of the draft for me Mike, not a single prospect was drafted and there was an interesting mix of guys with good futures, solid veterans and only one real question mark as far as I am concerned.
Mike: Lookin at the players drafted I am forced to agree with you. Eric Chavez coming off a down year, Pudge, Howie Kendrick, the 6th round was a victory for almost every team.
Dog: If we were looking at 2008 or 2009 Howie Kendrick was probably, probably the best pick of the round, but for 2007 I am picking Nate Robertson.
Mike: Of course you are doggie, because you look at a guy's ERA and make decisions based on that. Sardine City came through again and grabbed Pudge. He has a very good defensive rating and in that real life lineup should drive in and score close to 100 runs.
Dog: Worst pick there Mikey?
Mike: Calling a guy who hit 36 home runs last year in DMB the worst pick in the 6th round is tough to do but Milton Bradley is a nut, you never know what you are going to get from him and in an already shaky lineup, Marietta should have gone another way.
Dog: Can't argue with you there Mike, the guy is an absolute lun - a - tic.
Mike: Seriously, to look at the Marietta line up you have a lotta risks, a lotta risks, and if all of those risks don't pan out and Liriano doesn't win 90% of his starts the Mighty Men are going to look like Mighty Mice before it is all over.
Dog: ...and the Liriano deal cripples them for 08
Mike: ...gotta agree with you there dog, the Mighty Men are going for it this year, let's take a look at the 7th and 8th. Mighty Men owner David Landsman was heard cursing mightily in these next two rounds as two of his favorites, Nicky Punto and Jon Rauch went to other franchises.
Dog: Apparently he's a big fan of the Nick Punto slurpee.
Mike: Well dog, they are delicious.
Dog: Maybe that's why you and he share a body type there Mikey.
Mike: Have you learned anything about sports in these last fifteen years doggy?
Dog: Maybe it's time for a break.
Mike: and we're back, Mike and the Mad Dog, on the fan in New York City. Dog, let's look at the 7th Round.
Dog: Alright Michael, the 7th round it is, let me take a quick look here as I am not really familiar with, Pedro Feliciano... Isn't he an opera singer?
Mike: That's Jose Feliciano, you're on your game today dog. Best pick in the 7th round is probably Danny Cabrera. The guy has major upside, has electric stuff and has Leo Mazzone tutoring him every day for the real life Orioles. He should provide value for years to come.
Dog: ... and the worst pick Mike?
Mike: Darren Oliver. I mean Hoboken GM Mark Hrywna basically said his team has no chance this year, so why draft any player over 30 for any reason and in this case why, in the world would you draft a 36 year old middle reliever. There wasn't a young guy with mediocre numbers he could have drafted?
Dog: True Mike. Very true, but Mike, the Cutters are over .500 in the preseason.
Mike: Come on Dog, over .500 in the preseason? What does that mean?
Dog: Not a whole lot. You know Mike the 8th round featured 14 more picks by these teams.
Mike: I always felt like the 8th round... you're halfway through the draft... the 8th round was a good time to start picking prospects. Your starting rotation is probably filled, your starting 9 is probably also complete and now is when you might take a risk on an ineligible guy.
Dog: Gotta agree with you there Mikey, some of these young unknown quantity guys guys went SOOO early.
Mike: You're right Dog, you're right.
Dog: Who's your best pick in the 8th?
Mike: In the 8th, I gotta give it to the Mighty Men. Homer Bailey might be the 2nd best pitching prospect in baseball, but Kei Igawa is a proven commodity. He led the Japanese league in K's three times. Playing in Yankee stadium for that lineup he should strikeout close to 200 guys and win 15-18 games. Draftin him there is like makin a solid 1st round pick for '08. Now I could be wrong, Igawa could end up doin nothin in real life, but Bobby Valentine called me personally and said, "Mike, the guy could be better than Matsuzaka." No one else has said that really, but Bobby knows the Japanese market better than most.
Dog: For this year though, Igawa is a wasted pick.
Mike: Good point. Good point. For this year I like the Punto pick. He is a super sub in terms of eligibility and will be starting at 3B for the Twins in real life so he will definitely be eligible again next year. He obviously is good for the clubhouse look at the loyalty he inspires in his GM who was legitimately distressed over not being able to protect him.
Dog: What about the 9th round there Mikey?
Mike: Well... We have our first genuine surprise. Paul LoDuca and his what.. .320 batting average, still available... in the 9th round?
Dog: You know Mikey, he is kind of wacky, maybe the other owners think he is a clubhouse problem.
Mike: Just because guy goes through a bad divorce doesn't make him wacky
Dog: Well, after Kris Benson you would think the Mets would learn.
Mike: Is Jeanie letting you play golf this weekend?
Dog: Nope... Jeanie's going shopping with her friends... I have the kids all day Saturday.
Mike: I see.
Dog: Jeff Niemann has got to be the worst pick of this round. He currently doesn't even appear on the TB real life depth chart.
Mike: Yeah, but Stump Matiash knows pitching talent
Dog: Come on Mike!! Gimme a break, he has had a real run of good luck. Clemens making that deal with the devil and pitching for 20 years... Pedro's remarkable resurgence in the National League, 2003 Kevin Brown.
Mike: True, True, he has had some good luck, but you have to admit Matiash can really unearth the pitching gems.
Dog: You're right Mikey, you're right.
Mike: Let's pick up the pace here doggy, I can see the finish line
Dog: Round 10
Mike: Best pick, have to say Jonny Estrada, seems like the injury woes are behind him and he can smack the ball around the yard.
Dog: Worst pick has to be Brett Tomko
Mike: Unreal, how does he get picked under any circumstance.
Dog: BRETT TOMKO!!!???!!!
Mike: The hot rumor is Mighty Men manager Graig Nettles is going to be using a home & away 5th starter, platoon.
Dog: BRETT TOMKO!!!???!!!
Mike: Round 11 Doggy?
Dog: BRETT TOMKO IS TERRIBLE!!!
Mike: Round 11 Doggy?
Dog: Who's the other half of the platoon?
Mike: The worst pick of round 11, Mark Hendrickson
Dog: Ohhh man Mikey what are Nettles and Landsman thinking!!
Mike: I don't know, but you can flip a coin for the best pick of round 11. A great year from either Cliff Lee or Mark Buerhle and we will be saying how did those guys ever last until the 11th round.
Dog: In the 12th we had one of the strangest occurrences in DMB history.
Mike: You know Dog the more I look at the draft of the Mighty Men the more I think that David Landsman is clinically insane.
Dog: Hehehe!!
Mike: I mean drafting Kerry Wood and then cutting him before the draft even ended, what were they thinking? Could they let the guy throw a couple of pitches?
Dog: Right again Mikey, I couldn't believe that.
Mike: Well, the cut clearly makes Wood the worst pick. Whadda ya think? Jim Edmonds the best?
Dog: Tulopia....
Mike: Who?
Dog: Tulowhatsit
Mike: Tulowitzki
Dog: Yeah... him
Mike: Yeah, he's definitely solid, definitely solid. Say Justin Duchscherer for me.
Dog: heeheehee
Mike: OK, onto the 13th.
Dog: Best pick Mikey?
Mike: Zach Duke, no question. I don't care that he had a down year, if you can get the first pick overall from 2006 in the 13th round in 2007 and he is 24 years old, that is the best pick in the round. Three time champion Butch Garretson unearthing another late round gem. He will probably win 15 games for the Sugar Bears this year.
Dog: Worst pick Mike?
Mike: Well, you hate to kill any pick here, because who the heck knows what you are going to get out of these guys, but Gavin Floyd... ugh, I wouldn't take that guy on my team if you paid me.
Dog: I know you mean Mike, Kaz Matsui might be the best pick of the round though. He hit .345 last year after joining Colorado.
Mike: Another good choice Doggy, this late if the guy you draft has potential upside for '08 you did alright.
Dog: Right you are Mikey, what about the 14th?
Mike: Flip a coin between Lester and Wilkerson here. Wilkerson seems healthy this spring and could return to 30+ home run form in Texas and Lester, cancer free was possibly a bigger prospect than Papelbon before the 2006 season.
Dog: The worst Mike?
Mike: Who cares at this point dog, no one is listening? Although you can certainly question David Landsman's poor decision making skills again. Using a 14th round pick on Kevin Kouzmanoff and then trading him for a 15th round pick 20 minutes later. Baffling, baffling
Dog: The 15th?
Mike: eh... any of the picks could be good, any of them can be bad, what's the difference at this point.
Dog: What about the supplemental rounds Mikey?
Mike: Are you kidding?
Dog: Come on Mikey, just a couple of more minutes.
Mike: I am going to kill Chernoff for this.
Dog: heeheehee You're hot stuff Mike. OK, let's wrap it up, who was the best pick in the draft?
Mike: ummm.... I gotta say Matsuzaka in the 3rd round there Doggy. 10 time all star lasting until then, even though he is going to take a scout team slot for this year. He is a top of the rotation talent and guys like that are hard to come by.
Dog: Worst pick in the draft?
Mike: Melky Cabrera, I know Yankees are valued in DMB because of the amount of Yankee fans among the ownership, but you come on. You have to pay attention to real player valuation and what it would mean in terms of DMB.
Dog: Well Mikey, that wraps it up, an exhaustive recap of the Diamond Mind Baseball 2007 draft, brought to you by Budweiser, those are real brewers of genius, aren't they Mike. I can't wait untilt he 2008 draft, can't you. Say sumthin funny Mike, say sumthin funny
Mike: Shoot me.
Dog: hee hee hee, and we'll be back after this.