Fantasy Baseball 2012: My Results from Another 12-Team Draft

Here are my results from Monday's Sports Illustrated & Friends draft, a 12-team league consisting of my former Atlanta-based compatriots with the company. In five seasons, I have claimed two second-place finishes and one third-place honor.

In 2009, while on my honeymoon in Costa Rica, I watched Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge get nicked by a pitch in the American League Central one-game playoff against the Twins—but the umpires didn't call it. Had Inge been credited with the HBP, my team batting average would have been high enough to clinch the SI & Friends pennant.

Instead, Inge eventually got out, and I took second overall, thanks to the hundredth-of-a-point drop in team batting. Truly heartbreaking. It's a wonder me and the wife could dominate the couples-only limbo contest later that evening at our hotel in Guanacaste.

Anyway, here's my squad. (Note: Our quirky league has a cap of 200 pitching starts; so it's wise not to overload on aces early in the draft. And yet, that's exactly what happened with two owners.)

Round 1 (3rd overall): 1B Albert Pujols, Angels
Round 2 (22rd overall): SS Jose Reyes, Marlins
Round 3 (27th overall): OF Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
Round 4 (46th overall): 1B Eric Hosmer, Royals
Round 5: SS Elvis Andrus, Rangers
Round 6: SP Ricky Romero, Blue Jays (not a classic fantasy ace, but he'll be fine)
Round 7: SP Mat Latos, Reds (an ideal No. 2 starter, when healthy)
Round 8: OF Shin-Soo Choo, Indians

Breakdown: I had every intention of grabbing Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp with the No. 3 pick, but he was taken first (to the surprise of many); and after Miguel Cabrera went at No. 2, Pujols was the easy default selection. Reyes and McCutchen were also no-brainers in Rounds 2 and 3, giving me tremendous balance with corner infield, middle infield and outfield.

The Hosmer and Andrus choices for Rounds 4 and 5 were necessary luxuries; I could have easily grabbed pitchers Matt Cain, Dan Haren or Yovani Gallardo but opted for more offensive firepower. Sadly, Zack Greinke (the unofficial Cactus League Cy Young) was plucked from the ranks at No. 40.

Round 9: C Buster Posey, Giants (anything after the 88th pick is superb value)
Round 10: OF Brett Gardner, Yankees (solid choice for a third outfielder)
Round 11: SP Gio Gonzalez, Nationals (too much value to ignore)
Round 12: OF Cameron Maybin, Padres
Round 13: SP Brandon Morrow, Blue Jays
Round 14: RP Huston Street, Padres
Round 15: RP Carlos Marmol, Cubs
Round 16: 1B Ike Davis, Mets

Breakdown: I've invested a lot of time/resources on the strategy of waiting until Rounds 14 or 15 to grab a closer; and to my delight, the plan worked perfectly with Street, Marmol and Chris Perez at Round 19. In a highly competitive 12-team league, I would only want three premium closers, essentially guaranteeing that I'll finish no worse than third- or fourth-place in saves. Regarding corner-infield power, I'm thrilled to have Pujols, Hosmer and Davis as my three first basemen.

Round 17: SP Vance Worley, Phillies (let's keep the mojo from a great spring)
Round 18: OF Lorenzo Cain, Royals (seven-round value jump since March 17)
Round 19: RP Chris Perez, Indians
Round 20: 3B Chase Headley, Padres
Round 21: 2B Jose Altuve, Astros
Round 22: 3B Mat Gamel, Brewers
Round 23: RP Tyler Clippard, Nationals (my top-ranked super-sleeper)
Round 24: OF Mike Trout, Angels
Round 25: OF Eric Thames, Blue Jays (potential gem for this late)

Breakdown: There's nothing 'chalk' about the rules for drafting after Round 20. If you have supremely high hopes for a prospect, might as well grab the asset while you can. Any sort of 'reach' regrets would dissipate by mid-April.

In this draft, I waited forever to land a second baseman (Jose Altuve) and then happily scooped up Trout, baseball's top prospect, at Round 24. It's safe to say that Trout (a 20-20 candidate with a June 1 call-up) will have a significantly higher pre-draft value in March 2013.

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.