Bay Area Baseball

Braun’s powerful swing and the grand slam you see in the commercials gets him to the top of our re-draft.

Original Picks
1 Justin Upton Arizona Diamondbacks
2 Alex Gordon Kansas City Royals
3 Jeff Clement Seattle Mariners
4 Ryan Zimmerman Washington Nationals
5 Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers

New Picks
1 Arizona Diamondbacks - Ryan Braun, OF - Arizona loves Upton’s superstar potential, but Braun is already the superstar run producer that every team wants.
2 Kansas City Royals - Justin Upton, OF - Upton still has the greatest potential of any player in this draft, and in a year or two he could be back at the top.
3 Seattle Mariners - Troy Tulowitzki, SS - Tulo is a franchise shortstop and Clement was unable to secure the job for a lousy Seattle team.
4 Washington Nationals - Matt Garza, RHP - The hard throwing Garza was 2-0 in the ALCS against Boston and would be the ace of the Nationals weak staff.
5 Milwaukee Brewers - Jay Bruce, OF - Sure losing Braun would be a huge blow to the Brewers, but Bruce, whose power is equally enticing, would be a nice consolation with the fifth overall pick.

You bet Joba Chamberlain goes in the top five this time around.

Original Order:
1 Luke Hochevar Kansas City Royals
2 Greg Reynolds Colorado Rockies
3 Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays
4 Brad Lincoln Pittsburgh Pirates
5 Brandon Morrow Seattle Mariners

New Picks

1 Kansas City Royals - Tim Lincecum, RHP - Should be no doubt about this choice, Lincecum won the National League Cy Young in 2008, while Hochevar went 6-13 with an earned run average north of 5.

2 Colorado Rockies - Evan Longoria, 3B - He went third in 06 and would move up if it happened again, Reynolds has been a disappointment while Longoria has all the makings of a perennial all star.
3 Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Joba Chamberlain, RHP - Righty flamethrower was drafted low because of injury concerns, he hasn’t done much to alleviate those by missing starts last season but his incredible repertoire would fit right in with the Rays’ pitching depth.
4 Pittsburgh Pirates – Matt Laporta, OF/1B – Sure Laporta didn’t sign with the Red Sox, who drafted him, but his premium bat would certainly be worth first round money in hindsight.
5 Seattle Mariners – Clayton Kershaw, LHP – The top high school lefty in the draft has experienced some major league success so far. His future looks bright and he should be in the Dodgers rotation this year. Seattle has to be happy with the selection of Morrow, but Kershaw’s upside as a lefthander surpasses that of the right-handed Morrow.

Sp1 -Cliff Lee, Indians - Put together an incredible season winning the Cy Young on a terrible Indians team.

Sp2 - Francisco Liriano, Twins - Filthy stuff and a return to health should see Liriano dominate in the fashion of the very best pitchers in the league.

Sp3 - Justin Verlander, Tigers - I’ll take a guy who can maintain high 90’s velocity into the late innings of a ballgame despite his rough 2008 season.

Sp4 - Zack Grienke, Royals

Sp5 - John Dank, White Sox - 3.32 era and strong late season performances get him in our rotation

LRP - Armanda Galarraga, Tigers - Rookie starter had great success one he entered the rotation.

LRP - Jensen Lewis, Indians - Very solid in closing role last year, should be effective again.

MRP - Joel Zumaya, Tigers - When healthy his 103 mph fastball is the type of thing that puts fear in the hitters.

MRP - Matt Thorton, White Sox - Lefties who throw as hard as Thorton don’t come around too often.

MRP - Kerry Wood, Indians - Flamethrower from Chicago brings his dominating curveball and bulldog mentality to Cleveland.

SU - Joe Nathan, Twins - Top five closer in the league for years now.

SU - Bobby Jenks, White Sox - One inning guy who has proved it on the biggest stages. He has excellent control and is able to pitch to contact effectively.

CP - Joakim Soria, Royals - Dominant closer with enough pitches to be an effective starter, Soria has a variety of weapons he uses to dominate hitters.