Who would you draft, if you could?

[Clovidequano Dovatha]

Okay, folks. I'll try to keep things as simple as I can here, but some of my posts in this thread may be a bit long, even with some pictures included along the way. Please try and bear with me here, all right?

In one of my dynasties, which has recently finished its 1877 playoffs, where relevant, I currently have human managers running teams in four leagues for it. The teams in question with human managers, are as follows, and their leagues will be listed in parentheses, so you can hopefully keep things straighter here, as I mention things here:

St. Louis Archers (American Baseball Federation)
St. Louis Cardinals (Major League Baseball)
Washington Generals (North American Baseball Association)
Philadelphia Chroniclers (Tea and Coffee Union)

I will start with the worst team in the overall ABF, team record-wise, and then go from there, including screenshots as possible and appropriate. Which means I will be staring with the Minnesota North Stars, from Bloomington, Minnesota. Included below are screenshots of the highest-rated players in the ABF draft pool, and draft order. But before you see those screenshots, I will first list each team's likely greatest needs to fill during the ten-round draft, one team at a time. I will go in order of their drafting position, for clarity's sake.

The Minnesota North Stars finished eighth in the Western League, and will be drafting first. Their likely greatest needs are at third base, shortstop, center field, starting pitcher, and relief pitcher, but those may not be in exact order of need here.

The Florida Flamingos finished eighth in the Eastern League, and will be drafting second. They likely most need help at third base, shortstop, center field, right field, and starting pitcher.

The St. Louis Archers (Currently run by my human manager Shelton Webster) finished seventh in the Western League. They will be drafting third this time around. And they most likely need help at catcher, shortstop, center field, and relief pitcher.

The Baltimore Terrapins finished seventh in the Eastern League. They will be drafting fourth. They likely most need help at catcher, second base, third base, both corner outfield positions, and relief pitcher.

The California Angels finished sixth in the Western League. They will be drafting fifth. They most likely need help at catcher, third base, and pitcher.

Atlantic City's Gamblers finished sixth in the Eastern League. They will be drafting sixth. They most likely need help at all the infield positions from first to third, but most especially at second base, I think.

Kansas City's Diesels finished fifth in the Western League, and will be drafting seventh. They most likely need help most at catcher, second base, third base, both corner outfield positions, and relief pitcher.

The Cooperstown Legends finished fifth in the Eastern League, and will be drafting eighth. They most likely need help most at catcher, second base, left field, and pitcher.

The Chattanooga Choo-Choos finished fourth in the Eastern League, and will be drafting ninth. They most likely need help most at catcher, third base, center field, right field, and starting pitcher.

The New Orleans Crescents finished third in the Eastern League, and will be drafting tenth. They most likely need help most at first base, both corner outfield positions, and pitcher.

The San Diego Friars finished fourth in the Western League, and will be drafting eleventh. They most likely need help at catcher, first base, second base, and shortstop the most.

The Nevada Heat finished third in the Western League, and will be drafting twelfth. Their greatest needs are most likely first base, second base, third base, and both corner positions.

The Georgia Peaches finished second in the Eastern League, barely being beaten out by the subleague winner at the end of the regular season. They will be drafting thirteenth. They have some serious potential to contend for a while with a still-young Elmer Flick, Al Orth, and even Mookie Betts and Akinori Iwamura, among others. Their greatest needs now are probably at catcher, first base, shortstop, and center field, I think.

The Houston Railmen gave the eventual overall league winner a serious challenge for the pennant, but fell short in the regular season to them, finishing second in the Western League. They will be drafting fourteenth. Their greatest needs are most likely up the middle in the infield, the corner positions in the outfield, and at pitcher.

The overall league champion, the Portland Pioneers, who took their first overall league title, barely beat out the Railmen, in a hard-fought pennant race. They will be drafting fifteenth. They most likely will need help at first base, all the outfield positions, and relief pitcher.

The overall league runner-up, in first place for the Eastern League, and multiple-time league champion, was the Cleveland Spiders. They will be drafting last in each round, most likely, if and whenever possible, this time around. They most likely need most to improve at catcher, first base, third base, and starting pitcher.

If you need more information about each team, as things now stand with them, a month before the draft, even after seeing a few screenshots, please feel free to ask, and I'll provide it as best as I can. Thank you for bearing with me here, with this post, if you have made it this far in it now.

After we discuss the Archers for a while, I will try to share information about the other necessary teams and/or leagues that have yet to be discussed before the relevant drafts on December 15, 1877, as the need or desire arises, as briefly and as clearly as I can. Hope you enjoy the screenshots that will periodically be seen later in this thread, if at all possible, and all, of course.

Please feel free to comment on them and other information I may provide periodically in this thread, folks, as you like and can, and as respectfully and all as possible. I'd really appreciate it, and I think any number of other people who might see this thread would too, somehow. CD out.

[CBeisbol]

Somehow you posted all that and failed to give hardly any relevant information

Based on what's there, I'd draft Nomo.

[Clovidequano Dovatha]

Well, I did try to keep things as brief as possible, at least in the first post. I can always elaborate, and take more screenshots, if requested and all, of course. What else do you want to know about the various teams in the league? CD out.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by Clovidequano Dovatha

What else do you want to know about the various teams in the league?

About the teams? Absolutely nothing

If you want to know what players people would want to draft, people should know about, I dunno, the players. Maybe

[Clovidequano Dovatha]

I'm a bit right-handed heavy in certain areas, for the entire organization, so those who can throw lefthanded, if not also bat lefthanded, might be good. I'm hoping to grab at least two, if not at least three, of the following, but that may not be possible. Lou Boudreau, Mike Trout, Mark Langston, Moose McCormick, Don Aase, Tex Carleton, Anthony Gose, Jeremy Affeldt, and/or Whitey Kurowski, for example. Buster Posey is in the draft pool, as well, among others, but with other teams definitely needing catchers along with us, I don't think we'll be able to draft him. I am hoping we get a chance to draft both Boudreau and at least one of Trout, Langston, and/or Gose, but I don't like our chances of that happening right now.

I think Minnesota and Florida will not let either Trout or Boudreau fall to me, if not both. If Trout and Boudreau are both gone by the third pick, I might pick Gose, McCormick, Langston, or some other lefthanded prospect, but I'm not sure yet. I definitely want to solidify center field this year with a good player for the Archers. We've been looking for a number of years, since the beginning of the franchise, and it would be nice to lock down the position for once, with a definite high-quality player there.

Marty Marion is on the Archers, and he can play all the infield positions from first to third. He's likely to play third next season, so if I can get a good shortstop, and a decent catcher, that wouldn't hurt. Also some more lefties, especially on the pitching side, might really help the organization considerably, I think, if they're of decent enough quality.

The American Baseball Federation, of which the Archers are a part, will be starting a new minor league for the 1878 season, which should allow a good number of those currently in Triple A for its organizations to then be shifted down to the soon-to-be-created Double A level under the ABF. Cities have already been selected, and team names decided on. Most, if not all, of their related items will be ones that low has created over the years, I think.

The Archers, as a team, just finished their third straight season under .500, with a record of 66-88, 24 games out of first. I'm going to include some screenshots, in the next couple of posts, so you can see what at least some things are like for them at the present time. Hopefully these screenshots will help you when and if you decide to try to advise me of who I might be wise to draft, if I can, for them.

With no further ado, I will now provide several screenshots. Thank you in advance for any advice here you may be ready, willing, and able to provide to me. CD out.

[Clovidequano Dovatha]

Continuing from last post, more screenshots. That is all. CD out.

[Clovidequano Dovatha]

Some information about our top club in Peoria, Illinois. More team-related screenshots likely to come soon. CD out.

[NoOne]

the draft pool dictates what you pick, not what your team needs.

mainly, because most draft picks fail, but also because it's anwhere from 2-10 years before they make the MLB and you have no choice in the matter how fast it happens or if at all. Most of your team will be replaced by then, too. it's difficult to forecast need so many years in advance.

so, you draft best talent available.

as with everything, there are nuances.

i like to put players in tiers. the difficult part in this is deciding what an equivalent batter and pitcher is.... that depends on too variables in settings - like statistical era, and other things.

anyway, if they are in the same tier, i consider them equal, because the differences are negligible. in those instances. what i need in mid-term future will come into consideration (mil depth tells me what i am low on along with 10-year payroll screen in front office tells me when i need it before, if anything is creeping up on me)

but, i'm not counting on that player.. i am adding it to a diminished list of in-house alternatives. always have more than one option going, except when you hit the lottery with a top-pick panning out after a couple years (or at least developing consistently and retaining originally scouted ratings is key)

you stockpile the highest quality talent possible. what doesn't fit, you try to trade for a maximum return. sometimes you take risks on which MiL prospect you keep those last couple years of development. you send a couple out at a redundant position and they end up with a better career.

can't worry about that sort of hindsight nonsense. learn from it sure, if it was a mistake.. if it's just random luck you cna't predict beyondn what information you have at hand in the moment. if the inromation was sound, yo made the right decisions, regardless of results. play the odds, in other words.

In general, i have a lot of SP talent and a few batters with power that i can find. rarely do i have a hot-shot reliever or obp-type batter. those are not great draft pick investments in most contexts, unless they were late picks and surprises, of course.

most teams are in demand for an SP, if not this year, then the next, lol.

in order to do that, you need to draft a lot of SP and early. you have a 3-man rotation, so this is less important for you.. significantly so.

i also take great notice of draft pool distribution.. this is where a big budget and a good scout pays off... it reduces false negative to teh point you can easily see an ebb and flow of talent.

when i see "more" of a certain type at the top of the list, like SP, i know it's a deep draft for SP. in those years, i know i can draft a batter or two before i get 2-3 SP with enough pitches to be a SP even in the 5th round in good years, wihtout pure luck.

again, you need to take what i say about SP and just about 1/2 it... lol.

[NoOne]

And, i wanted this to be a short and sweet post --

someone writes more than me! HA!

Cd, if we start replying to each other too foten, we will write entire novels. No worries, there'll be weeks or months betwen visits intermittently for me.

[Clovidequano Dovatha]

So, given all that you have said here, NoOne, of the players visible for the ABF's draft pool in the screenshot above, who would you think would likely be the best player still available at the third position in each round, if not all rounds, for the Archers?

At least by your current estimation, and given the basic needs of the aforementioned teams in question here, that is.

Do you think Trout will still be there after the first two picks by Minnesota and Florida? If not, who would you likely draft? Just curious, that's all. Thank you. CD out.

[Clovidequano Dovatha]

Any more thoughts related to the players seen from the posted screenshot of the next ABF draft pool, in terms of who the Archers might want to draft, if they could? Who do you think Minnesota and Florida might pick, given the posted information about them and the visible draft pool, before the Archers pick third? Please feel free to comment, if and when you like, folks. Thank you. CD out.

[Clovidequano Dovatha]

Presently backing up one of my dynasties, prior to certain leagues' drafts. Hopefully, once the drafts happen, my teams will be able to fill their respective needs reasonably well, at least, if not quite well. That is all. CD out.

[Clovidequano Dovatha]

Mike Trout first to Minnesota, Ron Santo to Florida. Scout suggests Hideo Nomo, but thinking Anthony Gose, Moose McCormick, or Lou Boudreau might be better picks for me at this draft position here. What do you think, folks? Need more lefties or switch-hitters in the organization, I think. Have also stated the Archers' current needs, as well. CD out.

[NoOne]

EDIT -- mike trout, i would take mike trout... lol.. .if you have "real" players simply look them up on baseball ref.. any SS with better BA/power numbers than trout? take him... or, if there's some 10-cy young capable type SP, take him lol. when they are both amazing options, can't go wrong.

Bah! they stoleD them from you!

---------------

i'm sure this is so belated it doesn't matter. i don't see enough info the in the screenshots, and there were too many posts to read through to refresh my memory. but, it's moot.. i can't see the ratings. Potential may be a good way to sort, but you should never choose a pick from it alone. it mildly correlates...

how your league differs from mine will cause some changes to how i look at things, A large league will cause a larger shortlist, because there is more talent coming into the league, albeit still proportional. a 10 team league may not see as consistent of quality each year as a larger leageu. if you are drastically different than ~30 teams, that is a big factor. you have a smaller rotation? that's a huge factor to consider.. so, read this relative to a mlb-like environment, then translate how that should differ to your league, if you want to use it in any useful way.


very basically, this is how i make a top-5 to 10 pick... if the studs are going to be there, i am only looking at those that distunguish themselves head and shoulders above the rest... a shortlist helps.

now, that i have what i consider equvalents for my pick (any round this works), i won't get distracted by players i can likely get later or have already deemed not as good.

top-10 pick only: I look a the batters, and if none of them are the 80+power out of 100 type, i'm very unlikely to spend a top5-10 on a non-future-hof batter.

simply need too many SP and they don't last long... Need to draft them often in first round and take a batter when they are exceptional.

later in first round, i am less strict about that, but still lean toward SP. i'm willing to also take a super-BA/obp/soeedy guy, escpecially if he plays CF/SS very well. i'll also consider a phenomenal CL at that point too.

once i have a teir of players relative to current pick selected, team need is a big deal.. i'm not taking something i have a ton of, unless it is WAY better. I can always trade the previous prospects, if needed, but that is less efficient. you lose value in trades very often, even if it makes you stronger at the MLB level overall.

each position on my team has a schedule (loosely), and i rotate through as many as i can by stockpiling prospects and trading for better prosects as i go. the draft often dictates the order in which i replace players or if someone gets replaced earlier etc.. it all has to be understood to shift resources elsewhere to maintain efficiency over time.

All of that above goes for naught if you have inaccurate scouting or some ugly TCR hits take place with that player -- more often than not, your scout simply scr%wed the pooch, as the old chuck yaeger flight simulator used to tell me. You have no way to know the future, so these things will happen. it shouldn't impact how you draft, unless you are picking players that do develop and you still don't win championships. you have to accept the problem isn't the randomness, but evealuation... if the randomness is the main cause of problems, you know you are powerless to do anything about that. keep flipping the coin, and it comes out your way eventually.

[Clovidequano Dovatha]

Well, I probably would have taken him, had he still been available, but couldn't take him, as mentioned above. So took Nomo, if memory serves me correctly. Took Gose later, among others. Was at Opening Day 1878, but something happened, so I'll have to resimulate the last three months, after going back to my latest backup for the relevant dynasty. Which also means I'll have to recreate the new minor league I was planning to have start in 1878 as well, among other things. But that hopefully won't be a problem, ultimately, of course.

Thank you for your input, NoOne. Please stay as safe as you can, and all, I hope. CD out.