Oh yes, roto drafting season is upon us and I recently had the chance to offer up my goods, er, participate in a 5×5 12-team draft that will be used by Yahoo! fantasy baseball columnist Andy Behrens for some upcoming joints. We’re going to play it out as well.

As is always the case, readers, if you aren’t interested in fantasy baseball, please move along and pretend you never read this in the first place. We’re heading into a pretty nerdy neck of the woods here.

The participants in the draft included luminaries from Rotoworld (patbooyah), The Hardball Times (Derek Carty), North Side Baseball (Tim Stuart), the Pine Tar Incident, and a smattering of Fantasy Baseball Cafe writers (Brendan Horton and the other FBC named creations). There was also something called DirtyScottsdale, whose affiliation I’m not sure of. Hopefully it’s something like a Dirty Sanchez.

Your EWC co-host Jackson (CJB) was also supposed to be in the mix, but had to autopick due to computer problems — possibly due to over-downloading something or other. I’m going to go through this round by round as a means of showing you my thought process during the draft. Overkill? Perhaps, but keep in mind people podcast these things in their entirety. Or perhaps you never had that in your mind at all. Good for you.

Round Team Player Pos Team Pick Time
R1 P1 Derek Carty Rodriguez, Alex 3B NYY
R1 P2 CJB Ramirez, Hanley SS FLA
R1 P3 Tim Stuart Cabrera, Miguel 3B DET
R1 P4 Brendan Horton Reyes, Jose SS NYM
R1 P5 Pine Tar Incident Rollins, Jimmy SS PHI
R1 P6 Shinsano Pujols, Albert 1B STL
R1 P7 patbooyah Holliday, Matt OF COL
R1 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Wright, David 3B NYM
R1 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Howard, Ryan 1B PHI
R1 P10 DirtyScottsdale Utley, Chase 2B PHI
R1 P11 FBC_mugrila Santana, Johan SP MIN
R1 P12 Andy Behrens Braun, Ryan 3B MIL

Fairly straightforward here. I was surprised to see Pujols still around at No. 6. I can see passing him up at 3 or 4, but not 5 and definitely not 6. It’s hard for me to imagine Cabrera outperforming Pujols this year. Getting Wright with the 8th pick would make me a happy drafter.

R2 P1 Andy Behrens Soriano, Alfonso OF CHC
R2 P2 FBC_mugrila Ortiz, David DH BOS
R2 P3 DirtyScottsdale Fielder, Prince 1B MIL
R2 P4 FBC Another Blown Save Crawford, Carl OF TB
R2 P5 FBC_raiders_umpire Sizemore, Grady OF CLE
R2 P6 patbooyah Ramirez, Aramis 3B CHC
R2 P7 Shinsano Peavy, Jake SP SD
R2 P8 Pine Tar Incident Beltran, Carlos OF NYM
R2 P9 Brendan Horton Guerrero, Vladimir OF ANA
R2 P10 Tim Stuart Phillips, Brandon 2B CIN
R2 P11 CJB Suzuki, Ichiro OF SEA
R2 P12 Derek Carty Roberts, Brian 2B BAL

Ok, this is where I set up my whole draft. I love waiting on starting pitchers. Why? Because it’s tough to know one year to the next who’s going to be great. Would it surprise you to see Cole Hamels or Carlos Zambrano win the NL Cy Young this year? Anything is possible.

However, waiting on starting pitching is now a bonafide trend. Everyone’s doing it, and as you’ll see later on, it’s creating these big clusters of decent No. 1 or 2 pitchers that are all being drafted at the same time. No thanks. Here I take one of the three near-guaranteed starters in Peavy (the other two are Santana and Brandon Webb). Watch how this pick sets me up for what I think a steal much later in the draft.

R3 P1 Derek Carty Lee, Carlos OF HOU
R3 P2 CJB Upton, B.J. OF, 2B TB
R3 P3 Tim Stuart Martinez, Victor C, 1B CLE
R3 P4 Brendan Horton Teixeira, Mark 1B ATL
R3 P5 Pine Tar Incident Ordonez, Magglio OF DET
R3 P6 Shinsano Berkman, Lance 1B, OF HOU
R3 P7 patbooyah Martin, Russell C LA
R3 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Rios, Alex OF TOR
R3 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Abreu, Bobby OF NYY
R3 P10 DirtyScottsdale Granderson, Curtis OF DET
R3 P11 FBC_mugrila Jeter, Derek SS NYY
R3 P12 Andy Behrens Morneau, Justin 1B MIN

Mostly solid picks here, with the exception of Abreu. He’d probably be available two rounds later. Both top catchers go off the board, which was a little disappointing for me as someone who likes to take a top catcher if they slip to the 4th. Here I get Berkman, who I think is as good as the guys I passed on (Vlad and Beltran) to take Peavy.

R4 P1 Andy Behrens Ramirez, Manny OF BOS
R4 P2 FBC_mugrila Hafner, Travis DH, 1B CLE
R4 P3 DirtyScottsdale Figgins, Chone 3B, OF ANA
R4 P4 FBC Another Blown Save Atkins, Garrett 3B COL
R4 P5 FBC_raiders_umpire Tejada, Miguel SS HOU
R4 P6 patbooyah Webb, Brandon SP ARI
R4 P7 Shinsano Papelbon, Jonathan RP BOS
R4 P8 Pine Tar Incident Bedard, Erik SP BAL
R4 P9 Brendan Horton Markakis, Nick OF BAL
R4 P10 Tim Stuart Sabathia, C.C. SP CLE
R4 P11 CJB Lee, Derrek 1B CHC
R4 P12 Derek Carty Haren, Dan SP ARI

I was set to take Webb here. That’s nearly two full rounds without a starting pitcher drafted. But see what happens once one goes off the board? Suddenly you have Dan Haren getting picked as an elite pitcher at the end of the fourth round. I think that’s too high. I’d rather start the run than end it. Here I again attempt to stay ahead of the curve by taking Papelbon, who is the best of what I think is a shallow closer crop this year. I don’t like taking RPs this high, but as you’ll see I’m finished with relievers (perhaps to a fault). I couldn’t believe Tejada went in the 4th. I wouldn’t click him with Jackson’s finger. Before Tulowitzki no less.

R5 P1 Derek Carty McCann, Brian C ATL
R5 P2 CJB Nathan, Joe RP MIN
R5 P3 Tim Stuart Beckett, Josh SP BOS
R5 P4 Brendan Horton Lackey, John SP ANA
R5 P5 Pine Tar Incident Hamels, Cole SP PHI
R5 P6 Shinsano Dunn, Adam OF CIN
R5 P7 patbooyah Byrnes, Eric OF ARI
R5 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Kazmir, Scott SP TB
R5 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Putz, J.J. RP SEA
R5 P10 DirtyScottsdale Tulowitzki, Troy SS COL
R5 P11 FBC_mugrila Hunter, Torii OF ANA
R5 P12 Andy Behrens Pence, Hunter OF HOU

Here’s a mondo SP run, which enabled me to get a minimum 40 HR guy in the fifth round. I have no speed yet, but I’ll be at the top in HR, RBI and probably R. People forget Dunn hit nearly .270 last year. I like both the Hunter and Pence picks. Can’t argue with Putz either. Jackson gets Nathan by a twist of fate. Forever interlocked.

R6 P1 Andy Behrens Verlander, Justin SP DET
R6 P2 FBC_mugrila Rodriguez, Francisco RP ANA
R6 P3 DirtyScottsdale Young, Chris OF ARI
R6 P4 FBC Another Blown Save Guillen, Carlos SS, 1B DET
R6 P5 FBC_raiders_umpire Saito, Takashi RP LA
R6 P6 patbooyah Cano, Robinson 2B NYY
R6 P7 Shinsano Harang, Aaron SP CIN
R6 P8 Pine Tar Incident Kinsler, Ian 2B TEX
R6 P9 Brendan Horton Jones, Chipper 3B ATL
R6 P10 Tim Stuart Kemp, Matt OF LA
R6 P11 CJB Mauer, Joe C MIN
R6 P12 Derek Carty Smoltz, John SP ATL

Verlander here is great. I was waffling between Cano, Harang and Carlos Pena. Cano in the 6th is a steal and I needed a second baseman more than another pitcher. Still, I consider Harang to be the last of the very good 200K+ pitchers with a shot at winning 17-18 games. I like Smoltz too, but I don’t have the guts and every year I regret it. Jackson is drawn to another handsome Twin like moth to light.

R7 P1 Derek Carty Konerko, Paul 1B CHW
R7 P2 CJB Zambrano, Carlos SP CHC
R7 P3 Tim Stuart Oswalt, Roy SP HOU
R7 P4 Brendan Horton Hernandez, Felix SP SEA
R7 P5 Pine Tar Incident Pena, Carlos 1B TB
R7 P6 Shinsano Hart, Corey OF MIL
R7 P7 patbooyah Gonzalez, Adrian 1B SD
R7 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Lincecum, Tim SP SF
R7 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Weeks, Rickie 2B MIL
R7 P10 DirtyScottsdale Wells, Vernon OF TOR
R7 P11 FBC_mugrila Young, Chris SP SD
R7 P12 Andy Behrens Furcal, Rafael SS LA

Here Pena almost falls to me a round later. I would have taken him too. Instead I finally get some speed with Hart. Not my favorite pick, but he could be headed for a breakout hitting fifth in a loaded Brewers offense. Lincecum going just a few picks after getting autopicked Zambrano has got to kill Jackson.

R8 P1 Andy Behrens Matsuzaka, Daisuke SP BOS
R8 P2 FBC_mugrila Matsui, Hideki OF NYY
R8 P3 DirtyScottsdale Rivera, Mariano RP NYY
R8 P4 FBC Another Blown Save Cain, Matt SP SF
R8 P5 FBC_raiders_umpire Zimmerman, Ryan 3B WAS
R8 P6 patbooyah Young, Michael SS TEX
R8 P7 Shinsano Posada, Jorge C NYY
R8 P8 Pine Tar Incident Valverde, Jose RP HOU
R8 P9 Brendan Horton Wagner, Billy RP NYM
R8 P10 Tim Stuart Swisher, Nick OF, 1B CHW
R8 P11 CJB Hawpe, Brad OF COL
R8 P12 Derek Carty Liriano, Francisco SP MIN

I’m no Yankees fan, but I like taking them when they drop. If Posada hits 20-30 points lower than what he did last year he’ll still more than make up for taking Dunn. I think it’s important to keep free flowing ideas of who you have relative to who you’re going to take. Balance. 

I’m fully against Valverde this year and this is what makes the closer class about four or five deep in my opinion. Valverde had a great year for a team that plays nothing but one run ball games. The Astros will usually be behind by two. I’d much rather have Capps or Soriano a round or two later.

I would have taken Zimmerman here had he fallen. As you’ll see this leads to what I think was a fairly bad sequence for me.

R9 P1 Derek Carty Dye, Jermaine OF CHW
R9 P2 CJB Cordero, Francisco RP CIN
R9 P3 Tim Stuart Renteria, Edgar SS DET
R9 P4 Brendan Horton Halladay, Roy SP TOR
R9 P5 Pine Tar Incident Bay, Jason OF PIT
R9 P6 Shinsano Gordon, Alex 3B, 1B KC
R9 P7 patbooyah Carmona, Fausto SP CLE
R9 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Uggla, Dan 2B FLA
R9 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Gallardo, Yovani SP MIL
R9 P10 DirtyScottsdale Jenks, Bobby RP CHW
R9 P11 FBC_mugrila Young, Delmon OF MIN
R9 P12 Andy Behrens Hill, Rich SP CHC

I waffled between Gordon and Beltre here, not really getting excited about either. Thing is, 3B really drops off right here and I definitely didn’t want to get into Troy Glaus/Edwin Encarnacion territory. Gordon has a ton of upside, but he’s no Zimmerman. Yet. Can’t argue with the other picks here (well, except Cordero), I like Bay to rebound and the 9th is about as late as he’ll go. I don’t like Halladay this year, but again, can’t argue with getting him in the 9th…ditto Carmona and Delmon Young.

R10 P1 Andy Behrens Street, Huston RP OAK
R10 P2 FBC_mugrila Hoffman, Trevor RP SD
R10 P3 DirtyScottsdale Corpas, Manuel RP COL
R10 P4 FBC Another Blown Save Jones, Andruw OF LA
R10 P5 FBC_raiders_umpire Francoeur, Jeff OF ATL
R10 P6 patbooyah Capps, Matt RP PIT
R10 P7 Shinsano Beltre, Adrian 3B SEA
R10 P8 Pine Tar Incident Lowell, Mike 3B BOS
R10 P9 Brendan Horton Soriano, Rafael RP ATL
R10 P10 Tim Stuart Escobar, Kelvim SP ANA
R10 P11 CJB Sheffield, Gary DH, OF DET
R10 P12 Derek Carty Pierre, Juan OF LA

This is what you call an apology pick. A peane to the fantasy baseball gods. I wasn’t crazy about taking Gordon and Beltre was still sitting there, so…what the hell. I’m hedging my bets and I think one will pan out. Beltre is always underrated in drafts and I bet the guy who took Lowell behind me was thinking the same thing I was the round before — “I don’t want Glaus.”

Five closers go off the board. I like Street, Soriano, and Capps here. Juan Pierre should be good for 40 headaches and 10 shoulder aches while looking for waiver wire fill ins.

R11 P1 Derek Carty Thome, Jim DH CHW
R11 P2 CJB Myers, Brett SP PHI
R11 P3 Tim Stuart Fukudome, Kosuke OF CHC
R11 P4 Brendan Horton Sheets, Ben SP MIL
R11 P5 Pine Tar Incident Vazquez, Javier SP CHW
R11 P6 Shinsano Polanco, Placido 2B DET
R11 P7 patbooyah Victorino, Shane OF PHI
R11 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Burnett, A.J. SP TOR
R11 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Ellsbury, Jacoby OF BOS
R11 P10 DirtyScottsdale Shields, James SP TB
R11 P11 FBC_mugrila Kendrick, Howie 2B ANA
R11 P12 Andy Behrens Martinez, Pedro SP NYM
R12 P1 Andy Behrens McGowan, Dustin SP TOR
R12 P2 FBC_mugrila Billingsley, Chad SP LA
R12 P3 DirtyScottsdale Maine, John SP NYM
R12 P4 FBC Another Blown Save Snell, Ian SP PIT
R12 P5 FBC_raiders_umpire Cordero, Chad RP WAS
R12 P6 patbooyah Hudson, Tim SP ATL
R12 P7 Shinsano Cabrera, Orlando SS CHW
R12 P8 Pine Tar Incident Hughes, Philip SP NYY
R12 P9 Brendan Horton Damon, Johnny OF NYY
R12 P10 Tim Stuart Pena, Tony RP ARI
R12 P11 CJB Helton, Todd 1B COL
R12 P12 Derek Carty Thomas, Frank DH TOR

I like this McGowan/Martinez flip Andy does here, and I like getting Thome in the 11th round. I’d have taken Fukudome in the 13th, but this is a little too early for my blood. I dodged the pitching run again and took two incredibly unsexy players here, but I think they’ll be a big key to my draft. If Cabrera bats leadoff for the White Sox he’ll steal 25-30. I could be looking at 220 runs right here and both will likely hit over .300. Autopick is getting ugly.

R13 P1 Derek Carty Bonderman, Jeremy SP DET
R13 P2 CJB Lilly, Ted SP CHC
R13 P3 Tim Stuart Wood, Kerry RP CHC
R13 P4 Brendan Horton Kent, Jeff 2B LA
R13 P5 Pine Tar Incident Delgado, Carlos 1B NYM
R13 P6 Shinsano Wang, Chien-Ming SP NYY
R13 P7 patbooyah Isringhausen, Jason RP STL
R13 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Wainwright, Adam SP STL
R13 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Soria, Joakim RP KC
R13 P10 DirtyScottsdale Penny, Brad SP LA
R13 P11 FBC_mugrila Lidge, Brad RP PHI
R13 P12 Andy Behrens Gregg, Kevin RP FLA

If Wang had 50 more strikeouts where would he be drafted? Top 15? Top 10? This was my favorite pick of the draft and what I was talking about when I drafted Peavy. By taking a great starter early I sidestep two big SP runs and can afford to grab a guy like Wang, a legit 20-win contender, who people won’t touch due to his low K totals. With Peavy and Harang what do I need strikeouts for? I can throw Wang into my No. 3 slot and contend in wins all year. 

R14 P1 Andy Behrens Pedroia, Dustin 2B BOS
R14 P2 FBC_mugrila Encarnacion, Edwin 3B CIN
R14 P3 DirtyScottsdale Hardy, J.J. SS MIL
R14 P4 FBC Another Blown Save Lowe, Derek SP LA
R14 P5 FBC_raiders_umpire Gagne, Eric RP MIL
R14 P6 patbooyah Perez, Oliver SP NYM
R14 P7 Shinsano LaRoche, Adam 1B PIT
R14 P8 Pine Tar Incident Marmol, Carlos RP CHC
R14 P9 Brendan Horton Ryan, B.J. RP TOR
R14 P10 Tim Stuart Chamberlain, Joba RP NYY
R14 P11 CJB Johjima, Kenji C SEA
R14 P12 Derek Carty Wigginton, Ty 3B, 1B, 2B HOU
R15 P1 Derek Carty Blanton, Joe SP OAK
R15 P2 CJB Francis, Jeff SP COL
R15 P3 Tim Stuart Loney, James 1B LA
R15 P4 Brendan Horton Burrell, Pat OF PHI
R15 P5 Pine Tar Incident Saltalamacchia, Jarrod C, 1B TEX
R15 P6 Shinsano Hermida, Jeremy OF FLA
R15 P7 patbooyah Rowand, Aaron OF SF
R15 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Garko, Ryan 1B CLE
R15 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Weaver, Jered SP ANA
R15 P10 DirtyScottsdale Buchholz, Clay SP BOS
R15 P11 FBC_mugrila Arroyo, Bronson SP CIN
R15 P12 Andy Behrens Jones, Todd RP DET

It’s getting hard to really argue with much of anything at this point. I flirted with the idea of taking Johjima, if only because he fell so far. Also strongly considered taking Joba and B.J. Ryan here. Instead I get two guys that I think are set to have very good years. LaRoche isn’t a steal here — he’s usually available around the 14th, but I think he’s going to hit 35-40 HRs in one of the next couple years. Lots of people are predicting a breakout for Hermidia this year and he was gold down the stretch last year.

R16 P1 Andy Behrens Broxton, Jonathan RP LA
R16 P2 FBC_mugrila Cuddyer, Michael OF MIN
R16 P3 DirtyScottsdale Harden, Rich SP OAK
R16 P4 FBC Another Blown Save Wilson, Brian RP SF
R16 P5 FBC_raiders_umpire Percival, Troy RP TB
R16 P6 patbooyah Betancourt, Rafael RP CLE
R16 P7 Shinsano Lugo, Julio SS BOS
R16 P8 Pine Tar Incident Borowski, Joe RP CLE
R16 P9 Brendan Horton Rodriguez, Ivan C DET
R16 P10 Tim Stuart Bruce, Jay OF CIN
R16 P11 CJB Ibanez, Raul OF SEA
R16 P12 Derek Carty Bell, Heath RP SD
R17 P1 Derek Carty Soto, Geovany C CHC
R17 P2 CJB Griffey, Ken OF CIN
R17 P3 Tim Stuart Jimenez, Ubaldo SP COL
R17 P4 Brendan Horton Votto, Joey 1B CIN
R17 P5 Pine Tar Incident Neshek, Pat RP MIN
R17 P6 Shinsano Pettitte, Andy SP NYY
R17 P7 patbooyah Greinke, Zack SP KC
R17 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Hamilton, Josh OF TEX
R17 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Towles, Justin C HOU
R17 P10 DirtyScottsdale Schilling, Curt SP BOS
R17 P11 FBC_mugrila Baker, Scott SP MIN
R17 P12 Andy Behrens Rasmus, Colby OF STL

I’m getting into deep doo-doo with the lack of RPs, so I blow it off entirely. I love Brain Wilson and The Beach Boys, but the Giants sounds off-key like Mike Love. Troy Percival? I’d have considered him here. I think Lugo will bounce back this year and he’s not a bad backup plan for Cabrera.

I’m excited about Jay Bruce but the 16th Rd is too high. As I said before here, I don’t think he’ll even be the starter this season. Ditto Votto, who I also like, but will probably platoon at 1B. I felt dirty taking Pettitte, but picking up another 15 wins in the 17th round for my No. 4 starter isn’t bad.

R18 P1 Andy Behrens Longoria, Evan 3B TB
R18 P2 FBC_mugrila Kouzmanoff, Kevin 3B SD
R18 P3 DirtyScottsdale Kennedy, Ian RP NYY
R18 P4 FBC Another Blown Save Accardo, Jeremy RP TOR
R18 P5 FBC_raiders_umpire Upton, Justin OF ARI
R18 P6 patbooyah Wilson, C.J. RP TEX
R18 P7 Shinsano Okajima, Hideki RP BOS
R18 P8 Pine Tar Incident Willis, Dontrelle SP DET
R18 P9 Brendan Horton Bourn, Michael OF HOU
R18 P10 Tim Stuart Fuentes, Brian RP COL
R18 P11 CJB Fields, Josh 3B, OF CHW
R18 P12 Derek Carty Sherrill, George RP SEA
R19 P1 Derek Carty Maddux, Greg SP SD
R19 P2 CJB Zito, Barry SP SF
R19 P3 Tim Stuart Drew, J.D. OF BOS
R19 P4 Brendan Horton Johnson, Randy SP ARI
R19 P5 Pine Tar Incident Baldelli, Rocco OF TB
R19 P6 Shinsano Guthrie, Jeremy SP BAL
R19 P7 patbooyah Taveras, Willy OF COL
R19 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Matsui, Kaz 2B HOU
R19 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Johnson, Kelly 2B ATL
R19 P10 DirtyScottsdale Gorzelanny, Tom SP PIT
R19 P11 FBC_mugrila Garza, Matt SP TB
R19 P12 Andy Behrens Varitek, Jason C BOS

I thought George Sherrill here was savvy, since if he’s traded to Baltimore he’ll be their closer. A couple good starters going off the board late in Gorzelanny and Garza. Okajima here isn’t a bad idea as a handcuff to Paps, but my Guthrie pick had me second guessing myself. I think Guthrie is a good pitcher, and he’s likely to be the No. 1 guy if Bedard is traded, but he can’t win more than 10 games on that awful team.

R20 P1 Andy Behrens Shields, Scot RP ANA
R20 P2 FBC_mugrila Bailey, Homer SP CIN
R20 P3 DirtyScottsdale Pierzynski, A.J. C CHW
R20 P4 FBC Another Blown Save Peralta, Jhonny SS CLE
R20 P5 FBC_raiders_umpire Carpenter, Chris SP STL
R20 P6 patbooyah Buehrle, Mark SP CHW
R20 P7 Shinsano Lyon, Brandon RP ARI
R20 P8 Pine Tar Incident Patterson, Corey OF BAL
R20 P9 Brendan Horton Santana, Ervin SP ANA
R20 P10 Tim Stuart Kuroda, Hiroki SP LA
R20 P11 CJB Reyes, Al RP TB
R20 P12 Derek Carty Lopez, Felipe SS, 2B WAS
R21 P1 Derek Carty Slowey, Kevin SP MIN
R21 P2 CJB Glavine, Tom SP ATL
R21 P3 Tim Stuart Prior, Mark SP SD
R21 P4 Brendan Horton Marcum, Shaun SP TOR
R21 P5 Pine Tar Incident Guillen, Jose OF KC
R21 P6 Shinsano Meche, Gil SP KC
R21 P7 patbooyah Capuano, Chris SP MIL
R21 P8 FBC_raiders_umpire Napoli, Michael C ANA
R21 P9 FBC Another Blown Save Blalock, Hank 3B TEX
R21 P10 DirtyScottsdale Anderson, Garret OF ANA
R21 P11 FBC_mugrila Hernandez, Ramon C BAL
R21 P12 Andy Behrens Youkilis, Kevin 1B BOS

I’d hoped to draft both Tony Pena and Brandon Lyon as potential closers of the Diamondbacks, since that’s such a saves cash cow. But Pena went way too early in the 12th. People expect Pena to win the job because he has better stuff, but as of now Lyon has a 50% chance. If he somehow ends up with the job I have a huge steal here. If not I’ll drop him and try to get a legit second closer amidst the usual saves scramble that yeilded guys like Kevin Gregg and Manny Corpas last year. I took Meche as a flyer. I do expect the Royals to be close to .500 this year and he had solid first-half last season. Most likely he’ll be dropped unless I hear something really positive during the spring.