A recent experts draft featured fantasy analysts from sites like Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, WhatIfSports and Rotowire, along with FOXSports.com experts.
Review the pick-by-pick results. Below is my analysis of the 21-round extravaganza.
Some of the comments might sync up with my rankings, but I promise not to make my own picks the “best” in every round. Maybe in 18 or 19 rounds, but definitely no more than that.
Round 1
Best pick: Ryan Braun at No. 11 is a great value – he’s no worse than the second-best outfielder on the board, and offers guaranteed, elite production.
Worst pick: With all due respect to my colleague Mike Harmon, I’d be terrified to build my fantasy squad around Alex Rodriguez at No. 10. Since his hip surgery, he hasn’t been the same player, and he doesn’t run much anymore. Beware!
Biggest question mark: Is Ryan Howard the top-flight slugger who averaged 49.5 homers and 143 RBI from 2006-09, or the guy who hit 31 homers last season?
Round 2
Best pick: David Wright is a terrific value at No. 18, especially compared to Evan Longoria at No. 4. There’s hardly any difference between those guys.
Worst pick: Roy Halladay and Felix Hernandez were 14th and 17th, respectively. Taking any pitcher that high is risky business.
Biggest question mark: Will Chase Utley bounce back from his injury-plagued 2010? If so, he could offer first-round production again.
Round 3
Best pick: Justin Upton had a disappointing 2010, but he’s a nice pick at No. 30.
Worst pick: Ichiro is 37 years old, and plays for a team that can’t knock him in when he’s on base. He’ll need to bat .683 to have value in this round.
Biggest question mark: Nelson Cruz was picked 31st, which is exactly where I have him in the overall rankings. A writer I like a lot always says that “health is a skill,” and Cruz was on the DL three times last season. He carries tremendous fantasy potential, along with the possibility of disappointment.
Round 4
Best pick: Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo will hit .300 with 20 homers, 20 steals and 100 runs scored. He’s worth a pick 10 or 12 slots higher than No. 47.
Worst pick: Astros third basseman Chris Johnson might hit 20 homers this season, and is an interesting late-round sleeper. As a fourth-rounder, he’s a huge reach. Or, as my New York friends might say,”Yooooooooge!”
Biggest question mark: Will Zack Greinke have a monster rebound season with the Brewers after failing to come close to repeating his 2009 Cy Young campaign?
Round 5
Best pick: Victor Martinez is rock-solid at No. 54. He’ll DH a lot this season, which should help him avoid wearing down in the second half.
Worst pick: Austin Jackson at No. 56, huh? Even if he repeats his crazy-high .394 BABIP from last season, he still doesn’t deserve to get picked anywhere near this slot.
Biggest question mark: Was Derek Jeter’s subpar 2010 a sign of age, or a fluke? I’d guess the former, but thought the same thing before his big 2009.
Round 6
Best pick: I’ve got Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen ranked 25th overall, so you could say I like him at No. 67. You could also say that I’m an idiot for not drafting him in the third, fourth or fifth rounds.
Worst pick: Elvis Andrus is pretty good, but he brings no power to the table. This was about three or four rounds too high for him.
Biggest question mark: Cubs closer Carlos Marmol walks waaay too many people for anyone – including his own manager – to trust him. I’ll be avoiding him like the plague in all drafts.
Round 7
Best pick: Jayson Werth is probably going to bat .270-.280 with 30 homers, close to 100 runs/RBI and 10-15 stolen bases. He’s a bargain at No. 74.
Worst pick: Speed guys are a dime a dozen, especially if they’re injury risks and aren’t the most popular players in their clubhouses. Jacoby Ellsbury at No. 79 is far too rich for my blood.
Biggest question mark: Dan Hudson had 11 outstanding starts for the Diamondbacks last season. Is he on his way to stardom, or did he pitch over his head?
Round 8
Best pick: As much as I loved getting Carlos Santana in this round, Hunter Pence was a terrific pick at No. 85. Getting his kind of guaranteed power/speed production here is great.
Worst pick: Royals second baseman Mike Aviles has an abominable walk rate, and could lose his job to Chris Getz at some point.
Biggest question mark: How much power will we see from 21-year-old Mike Stanton? The Marlins outfielder could be a monster – 40 homers are within reach.
Round 9
Best pick: Delmon Young might not walk enough for stat geeks like me, but he had 68 extra-base hits last season, and he’s only 25 years old. More good numbers are coming.
Worst pick: Jorge De La Rosa has plenty of talent, but he also walks too many batters and pitches half his games in Coors Field. He’s no more than a fifth starter in standard-leagues.
Biggest question mark: Will Grady Sizemore be able to shake off the rust after two injury-plagued seasons and re-establish himself as a fantasy star?
Round 10
Best pick: Cardinals up-and-comer Colby Rasmus is 38th overall on my board, making him an unbelievable value at No. 110. Can’t Rasmus and Tony La Russa just get along?
Worst pick: Plenty of luck factored into Jaime Garcia’s 2.70 ERA last season. He won’t be terrible, but he probably won’t be anywhere near that good again, either.
Biggest question mark: Will Brett Anderson’s arm issues reappear? If not, the young Oakland southpaw could take a big step forward.
Round 11
Best pick: My fantasy man crush on the “Flyin’ Hawaiian,” Shane Victorino, is pretty significant. He’s a really good pick at No. 123.
Worst pick: I like Shaun Marcum. Nice K/BB numbers, solid starter, etc. I just don’t think he needed to be drafted this high.
Biggest question mark: Will top prospect Jeremy Hellickson become a force in the Rays’ rotation, or just another inconsistent rookie?
Round 12
Best pick: Sure, Chris Young only batted .257 last season. He also hit 27 homers with 94 runs, 91 RBI and 28 stolen bases. He should have been taken in the fourth round. What were we all thinking?
Worst pick: Johan Santana isn’t scheduled to return until at least the All-Star break. He’s a late-round stash, at best. I wouldn’t draft Santana in a standard league unless my bench was very deep.
Biggest question mark: Will Matt Wieters rebound after his disappointing first full season as a big leaguer? He was on everyone’s hype list a year ago, and one subpar campaign shouldn’t scare us all away.
Round 13
Best pick: Pablo Sandoval had a disappointing season, but he still has loads of talent. Even if he only gets part way back to his 2009 numbers, he’s a value here.
Worst pick: Brad Lidge has dominant stretches, but he has to be near the top of the list of closers likely to lose their jobs in the middle of the season.
Biggest question mark: Will Adam Jones produce the star-quality season some people have been waiting for? After his big 2009, last year was a bit of a disappointment.
Round 14
Best pick: I love Drew Stubbs. Love, love, love him. He’s a 30-30 guy waiting to happen, and his batting average should improve, too. This was my favorite pick of the draft, except for the small fact that I didn’t make it.
Worst pick: My man Harmon took a White Sox starter in a blatant display of homerism (just kidding, Mike – sort of). Edwin Jackson and US Cellular Field are a match made in home-run heaven.
Biggest question mark: One year ago, Jason Bay was a top-10 fantasy outfielder. After a season marred by a concussion and CitiField’s faraway fences, can he bounce back? In Round 14, it’s worth finding out.
Round 15
Best pick: I’m pretty sure Mark Reynolds isn’t going to bat .195 again this season. I do think he might hit 40 homers. He’s a top-100 player on my board.
Worst pick: Though this draft occurred before the Rays signed Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, I didn’t hate any of the other picks, so let’s go with Triple A-bound outfielder Desmond Jennings.
Biggest question mark: Will Brian Roberts’ back issues keep him off the field again? If not, he’ll end up being a great value here.
Round 16
Best pick: Most steal guys are a dime a dozen, but Juan Pierre is a threat to lead the majors in stolen bases every single season. This late in a draft, he’s worth it.
Worst pick: Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan were both picked in this round, though they’ll battle each other for the closer’s job. One of them is guaranteed to be a bad pick, but both probably are because of the uncertainty of their job status. Other surefire closers were available.
Biggest question mark: Will James Shields bounce back from his horrendous 5.18 ERA in 2010? Since it was mainly fueled by bad luck, the answer here is yes. That’s why I picked him.
Round 17
Best pick: Howie Kendrick gets no respect. He’s not a superstar, but he’ll hit 10-12 homers, steal 15 bases, and bat close to .300, and that’s without any improvement. He’s a terrific pick at No. 203.
Worst pick: Setup men Clay Hensley and Brian Fuentes were reaches as potential closers here. Biggest question mark: Will Lance Berkman bounce back as the Cardinals’ right fielder, or has he begun a late-career decline? He was awful against southpaws last season, so he might need platoon help.
Round 18
Best pick: A second basemen that has averaged 31 homers over the last two seasons in the 18th round? Sign me up! Aaron Hill is a .270 career hitter, and last year’s bad BABIP luck suggests that his .195 BA was a big fluke. He’s the 10th second baseman on my board.
Worst pick: There weren’t any terrible ones here, but I’m not a big fan of Rockies outfielder Seth Smith. Until he learns to hit lefties better, he’ll always be in danger of getting platooned. Biggest question mark: Javier Vazquez was one of baseball’s top 10 pitchers in 2009, but imploded with the Yankees last season. There won’t be many bigger wildcards available on draft day.
Round 19
Best pick: Domonic Brown’s potential makes him an interesting pick at No. 219, but for a final outfield spot I prefer the solid, dependable Ryan Ludwick. PETCO Park won’t do him any favors, but we’re still probably looking at a 20-80 season from him.
Worst pick: Brandon Webb doesn’t need to be taken as a flyer in standard leagues. I know it sounds tempting, but the guy has started one game since the end of the 2008 season. He’s more likely to be a wasted draft pick here than anything else.
Biggest question mark: Carlos Beltran has played in 145 games over the last two seasons. Can he still hit? Will he steal any bases? Is he going to get hurt again?
Round 20
Best pick: Miguel Montero is 10th in my catcher rankings, so it’s hard for me not to like him in the 20th round of a standard league draft. What a terrific fantasy backup to have.
Worst pick: I really didn’t hate anyone in this round, even counting setup men like Daniel Bard and Scott Downs. I didn’t like Magglio Ordonez too much, but I could see taking him here.
Biggest question mark: Will Travis Snider live up to his immense power potential and become a fantasy force for the Blue Jays? Remember that he just turned 23.
Round 21
Best pick: I’m a fan of Sean Rodriguez, who averaged 24 homers in the Angels’ organization from 2007-09. He qualifies at both second base and outfield, and should get plenty of playing time (though the Rays juggle their lineup more than most teams). Rodriguez stole 13 bases last season, too.
Worst pick: Baltimore’s signing of Kevin Gregg certainly makes Koji Uehara look like a waste of a pick. Too bad we couldn’t see the future when this draft occurred.
Biggest question mark: After being banished to the bullpen for much of 2010, will Carlos Zambrano re-establish himself as a productive fantasy starter? He showed encouraging signs down the stretch last season.
