55 thoughts on “2020 WGOM Draft: Round 17”

  2. I looked long and hard at bench players, and a few other relievers, but when it comes down to it, I almost drafted this guy 2 rounds ago instead of Papelbon, so putting him into my bullpen next to Papelbon and Hoffman makes me excited about my team's ability to shorten games.

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    I mean, it's right there in his nickname. He stands 24 innings pitched away from eligibility on Baseball Reference's "Career Strikeout Rate per 9" list. But if he were eligible, he'd be 5th all-time. That's what you want in a reliever, right?

    2. Between Cy Young and Warren Spahn plus having John Hiller in the pen, I feel like at least half my innings are already covered.

      1. Yeah, I wasted all my early picks on outfielders, so now I've gotta get creative with pitching...

        1. I don't know if "wasted" is the correct word for Mays, Clemente, Griffey, Jr. Griffey pissed me off because I was choosing between him and one other guy and I figured you'd pass on him since you already had Mays in CF.

  3. If I'm going with a third reliever, he has to be a lefty. 4-time all star, 8 seasons with 30+ saves, career ERA+ of 138 over 20+ seasons. Not HOF but Hall of Pretty Good.

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    1. It was between him and K-Rod for me. Specifically because of the sinister (left-handed) reasons. I'll have to find a lefty later.

  4. That K-Rod pick was a pretty good one. Kind of wish he was still there for me to take right now, though I don't think I would have thought to pick him, anyway.

    Instead, I'm going for a right-handed version of my last pick: A fireballing starter with big strikeout rates who's career was drastically changed by injuries. This guy has the sixth-highest all-time strikeouts per nine innings, and had a few productive years as a reliever, so having him pre-injury as a right-handed reliever would be pretty sweet.

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  7. Round 17r SelectShow

    I'm going the playoff route with my bullpen. An inning or two from a starter and then give it to Chapman in the 9th.

    1. I know he was a good pitcher but I wouldn't have been able to bring myself to put him on my team.

      1. why? other than him being no Tippy Martinez, that is. (I know he had a drinking problem during the first half of his career)

  8. Round 17, Pick 6 SelectShow

    Time to start the bench and the first choice can pinch hit or field probably anywhere in the infield.

  9. round 17 pick 7 SelectShow

    I need a backup(?) catcher, so I'll take the guy that Mickey Mantle was named after. Looks to have been a good defensive catcher and offensively was pretty much a 1930's version of Joe Mauer. Also similar to Mauer, a head injury (from a HBP) cost Mickey at least a couple more productive seasons. I don't get any platoon advantages with him and Berra both batting left-handed, but now I also don't have to think about matchups, I can just split playing time 50/50.

    1. I had typed up a few rounds ago that I was taking him, then realized he was a lefty (and I already had Dickey) so I erased it and took Tenace

  11. I've probably got to have at least ONE old-timey pitcher on my team. I figure he can alternate between fifth starter and long reliever. He can provide a fair bit of value with the bat, too (he'll be perfectly acceptable as a fifth outfielder).

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    Maybe in this timeline, he won't get injured at age 24.

  12. Ok, y'all are getting me antsy about bench players.

    But before I go there, I have my eye on another pitcher. This one had a strange journey through his career. In his youth, he was a fireballing stud. Debuting at 19, led the league in Ks and K9 at 21. But with much better control than his much more famous teammate, so that he led the league in K:BB at 21 and 22 (something his famous teammate only did once, more than a decade later).

    And then arm injuries turned him into a junk baller in his mid-20s. His K rate was a third lower than his peak, but he still managed to be a league-average starter into his late 30s. I figure the young version can be a high-leverage reliever and the older version a long reliever and spot starter. Kind of a cross between Sandy Koufax and Jamie Moyer.

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  14. I don't really like picking certain types of players, but this guy is in a category that's rapidly dwindling, so I guess I'd better move now to get one.

    No stranger to big moments, he demonstrated an indefatigable spirit that made him the childhood hero of a player selected earlier this round, one who shared his team, position, & primary distinguishing characteristic. He learned his signature skill on a golf course, and apparently earned his lifelong nickname while still an infant due to "the particularly aggressive way he breast-fed." He will likely be the most quotable player on my team.

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        1. His other inner circle HOF quote:
          "Ninety percent [of my salary] I'll spend on good times, women, and Irish Whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."

    2. I didn't realize Tim's mom was in high school when Tug was a minor leaguer and got her pregnant. Ick!

  15. Someone mentioned him a couple of rounds ago so I thought I better take him now. Most of my starters were not injury prone, so on the bench I'm looking for versatility so anybody can be given a day off or pinch-hit for.

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  16. Finishing up my rotation with

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    There was a contemporary of his who I also strongly considered (also a diminutive righty), but this guy's success in the American League was my tiebreaker.

    1. I was going off a list of players ranked by WAR7. Now I've scraped that and I'm making my own list of guys I'd want on my team.

        1. Yes. And when you consider using them as a part-time player, WAR doesn't really tell you the story of how they'd do in a limited role.

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