Fantasy Baseball- What Kind of League is right for you - part 3

The Counselor is IN:

This is a series to assist fantasy owners in selecting the best kind of league for you. Fantasy Baseball has numerous variations and differences which can either enhance your fantasy experience or lessen the enjoyment. I hope to bring some understanding for those new to Fantasy Baseball and give some options to the savvy veteran owners.

Fantasy Baseball Draft vs. Auction

Draft Leagues uses a method of taking turns to pick the players you want for your team.  The most common draft style is the snake draft.  The snake draft has the teams set in order.  If there are ten teams in the league (most leagues have between 8 and 16 teams), then it will go from 1 to 10 in order for the first round. Then the second round goes back from 10 to 1. This order is usually set up as either random or the inverse order of where teams finished from the last season.  

Ideally the draft should set up teams to have the teams have a fairly even superstar, great players, good players, average players, and sleepers.  The teams rarely work out that way but ideally by taking turns, the teams should be evenly matched.

Auction leagues are set up with each team having a set amount of auction dollars (not real money) and bidding on players.  The most common dollar amounts allotted teams is $260 since that was the amount used in the original rotisserie leagues. This can vary from league to league. In most leagues, the auction dollars are only tracked during the draft but some leagues will ensure that you stay under the cap during the entire season.

The auction owners take turns with one owner throwing out a player for a specific dollar amount (usually in $1 increments).  Each owner is given a chance to bid more on the player. When no one else bids a higher amount on the player, the owner who bid the most gets the player.  The money bid on that player is subtracted from owners allotted money. Then the next owner throws out a player and the process begins again.  You do have to have enough money to fill your entire roster.  There is equal opportunity for every owner to get specific players.  

There are very different strategies for each style.  The snake draft strategy is to spend the early round picking the stud players.  You need ;to get the big names early or you will not pick them up.  The middle rounds should be used to pick up good players to fill in your active roster.  The last rounds are used for picking up those flyer players and the undervalued guys.

The auction is a very different creature.  In the early rounds when people have a ton of money, you are often better served by throwing out players either you do not want or you do not want at the price that others will want them for. You do not want to sit back and wait for all the good players to be taken but you can be wise on what players you are willing to pay for early.  Some owners will draft early and overpay for players and be left with very little money for the rest of their team.  Other owners will sit back and keep all their money and not be able to get the top level players.  You do not want to be either team.  
If your auction is a live in person draft, then there is strategy to reading the other owners and bidding up players so they get the player at a higher amount of money.  Be aware of this strategy because you can find the other owner was doing the same thing to you or they had a hard number they were willing to pay for players.  Never bid a dollar more for a player than you are willing to get the player for.

The Counselor is OUT:

 

Fantasy Baseball- What Kind of League is right for you - part 2

The Counselor is IN:

This is a series to assist fantasy owners in selecting the best kind of league for you. Fantasy Baseball has numerous variations and differences which can either enhance your fantasy experience or lessen the enjoyment. I hope to bring some understanding for those new to Fantasy Baseball and give some options to the savvy veteran owners.

Redraft vs Keeper vs Dynasty

Redraft leagues are fantasy leagues where your league redrafts or re-auctions a team every season.  You get a fresh start at picking players every year. If you did poorly one season, then the next year you get a clean slate.  The same is also true if you won the league the season before. There is no reward to picking up potential players unless they break out this season.  It is better in these leagues to leave potential players for others to gamble on and pick up the proven commodities except as a late round selection or a cheap auction pick up.  

Keeper Leagues are leagues that allow you to carry a predetermined amount of players from one season to the next.  I have seen leagues that allow you to keep 3 players and leagues that allow you to keep 15 players from season to season.  In auction leagues, you can usually keep the player for the amount you drafted them at for a limited time.  Some leagues have contracts for auction leagues that you sign players longer term but then you have to keep those signed players. In draft leagues, often you can keep the player at the draft round you picked them up for.  In other draft leagues, the kept players come off of the amount of players you can draft.  

Keeper Leagues do reward you for draft well one season to the next since you can keep a certain amount of players.  A strategy in keeper leagues is to pick up some players with potential or that are rookies.  Since you can keep these players year to year, you might be able to find the next Pujols for a bargain basement price.  But you should primarily pick up trusted veterans for most of your team if you want to win now.  

Dynasty Leagues are similar to keeper leagues in the fact you can keep your players.  In most Dynasty Leagues, you can keep your entire roster from season to season.  You have a draft or auction every season to pick up free agents and rookies after the initial season’s auction or draft.  Players with potential and youth are a premium in these leagues.  Since you can carry the entire roster to the next season for the entire existence of the league, you need to think about winning now and you need to pick ups veterans but also need to think about how to win in 5 years from now.  

Part 3 will discuss the differences of Draft (AKA Snake Drafts) vs Auctions.

The Counselor is OUT:

    

Fantasy Baseball- What Kind of League is right for you - part 1- Roto vs H2H

The Counselor is IN:

This is a series to assist fantasy owners in selecting the best kind of league for you. Fantasy Baseball has numerous variations and differences which can either enhance your fantasy experience or lessen the enjoyment. I hope to bring some understanding for those new to Fantasy Baseball and some options to the savvy veteran owners.

Rotisserie vs Head to Head
Rotisserie Baseball, named for a  New York City restaurant where the concept was originated, - La Rotisserie Française, was the original fantasy sport.  Roto (short for Rotisserie Ball) complies statistics through out the season.  The stats are broken down into categories, usually between 8 and 12 categories.  The stat categories are split with half on offense and half on pitching. Typical statistic categories often are Homers, RBI, Stolen Bases, and Average on Offense and ERA, WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched), Wins, and Saves for pitching. Your stat categories are compared to all the teams in the league and each category is ranked.  If there are 10 teams in a league, a team will be give 10 points for the best in that category and all the way down to one point for the worst in the category.  Your points for each category are added together for a grand total.  The team with the most grand total points at the end of the season wins the league.  Your position in the league can change greatly day to day.  Earlier in the season the changes are more dramatic than later in the season.  In a league with 8 categories and 10 teams, an owner could have as much as 80 points or as little as 8 points at any time.  It is difficult to come close to the max or minimum points.

Head to Head is much more like Fantasy Football and is becoming more popular every season because of it. You play against another team in your league each week.  You are given points for winning categories against your weekly opponent (categories are the same type as used in Roto leagues). Those points compile to determine your ranking in the league.  The top teams make the playoffs.  The playoffs are usually win the week and play the next round, lose and go home. The best regular season team does not often win the league.

There are some strategic differences in the leagues.  In a Roto style, a team needs to be somewhat productive in category to be successful. With Head to Head, you can punt or minimized productivity in a category such as Saves or Steals and still win the league. I am a firm believer in not punting categories but some people are successful using this strategy

Part 2 will discuss Redraft Leagues vs Keeper Leagues vs Dynasty Leagues


 The Counselor is OUT:

Greatness of Fantasy Baseball is also Detriment

The Counselor is IN:

Ten years ago, Fantasy Football was only for sports geeks like me. Over the last decade, Fantasy Football has taken the nation by storm. It is no longer just for stat nerds.  I now know a higher percentage of people who participate in Fantasy Football than don’t. There are leagues for all levels of fans including Girls Only Leagues where it is accepted to pick players by the color of their jerseys and tightness of their behind sides.

Fantasy Baseball has not enjoyed the mainstream focus that Fantasy Football has.  Fantasy Baseball is the the father of all fantasy sports.  It was the original.  Yet it is primarily only for stat geeks. Most of the die hard baseball fans I know do not play fantasy baseball.  They only care about the stats of their team and do not desire to be distracted with Fantasy Baseball.

In my opinion, the greatness of Fantasy Baseball is also its detriment when it comes to attracting the mainstream public. This applies to both the traditional Rotisserie and the Head to Head Fantasy Baseball games. I will list four points why I think Fantasy Baseball is a superior game and why it limits the marketability of it.

1) Seven days a week compared one game a week.
There are baseball games every day of the week.  Most MLB position players will play 5-6 games a week. This compared to one game a week with the NFL unless it is their bye week.  

Advantage: One bad game will not kill you when you have several games a week. If your Star power hitting Outfielder strikes out 5 times in one game, he has the chance to come back and hit .400 and 4 homers for the rest of the week. In NFL, if your star Wide Receiver is shut out from catching the ball then you get no points for him.

Disadvantage: Many people don’t desire to keep up with their players every day of the week.  In a Head to Head league, you often change your line up daily.  In a traditional Rotisserie league, you still have to examine injuries, DL stints, and pick up for under performing players.

2) Fantasy Baseball season is longer than Fantasy Football.
Fantasy Baseball season is usually over 20 weeks and then the playoffs. The Fantasy Football season is usually 13-14 weeks and then the playoffs.

Advantage: The longer Baseball season help the cream float to the top. Some teams will start off fast but they have to maintain the pace. It is a marathon instead of the sprint of Fantasy Football.

Disadvantage: We are a fast food generation. We want things quick and fast and get bored with things that take time. Many Fantasy Baseball owners will get bored and stop paying attention after the first month. These owners rarely return next year.

3) Defense is half of your stats in baseball.
Pitching is half of your stats. Fantasy Football rarely uses defensive stats. A small minority use Individual Defensive Players. Even with IDP, the offense stats usually over weigh the IDP stats.

Advantage: Pitching is a key to baseball and is half of the stats of Fantasy Baseball leagues. It allows the owners to find a balance between their offensive and defensive teams. It is a closer representative of owning your own team. Defensive is a huge part of any NFL game but is rarely relevant in Fantasy Football.

Disadvantage: Offense is “sexy”. Chicks dig the long ball. Many fans do not care about defense and do not wan to mess with tracking stats for it.

4) Baseball is more entrenched with stats than football.
Statistics are a for most baseball fans. Football fans are not usually that focused on the stats.  

Advantage: Fantasy sports are based on statistics and comparing to other teams stats.  Fantasy Baseball is tied closely to specific statistics. Many fans can rattle off what the stats of their favorite players. It is a perfect marriage.

Disadvantage: It is difficult to change and tweak the stats used in Fantasy Baseball because of the tradition. It is much easier to change the values of a touchdown, field goal, or 10 yard rush.

 The Counselor is OUT:

Fantasy Baseball Prospects 2010

The Counselor is IN:

Here is a list of prospects that I like. Prospects are young players who may still be in the minors, rookies, or other young guys yet to fulfill their potential in the majors.


SP Wade Davis - Tampa Bay
Davis is built like a Tight End- 6'5" and 220lbs. He has 4 solid pitches including a 90+ mph fastball. He was a strikeout fiend in AAA with 7.9 per 9 innings. I expect Davis to make the Rays rotation out of camp.


SS Alcides Escobar - Milwaukee
Escobar is known for his defense but put up very impressive offensive numbers in AAA last year- .298 BA and 42 SB. He can add a lot of speed to your team for low price.


SP/RP Neftail Feliz - Texas
Feliz had a good year in AAA last year but was outstanding as a reliever for the Rangers with a 1.74 ERA. It is possible he might move to the rotation and if he does, his average and whip will go up but I look for him to adapt. He is a year or two away from dominating but is worth picking up especially in keeper leagues.


OF Jason Heyward - Atlanta
Heyward blew through the minors last year and showed why he is a great hitting prospect. He could make the starting lineup in the outfield for the Braves by Opening Day.


1B Justin Smoak - Rangers
Smoak will be pushing Chris Davis for the 1B starting position by this time next season so Davis better pull it together today. Smoak brings a good glove, batting average, and on coming power. Look for Smoak to start in AAA and light it up.


2B Scott Sizemore - Detroit
In the weakest fantasy position, Sizemore could make a difference this year for your team. He brings 20/20 potential with .300 BA. He is the kind of kid you will root for even if you are not a Tigers fan or own him on your fantasy team.


OF Austin Jackson - Detroit
Jackson would still be in the minors this season if he was still with the Yankees farm system. But Jackson was traded to the Tigers and they are licking them chops to see what this speedster can do. He is slated to be the opening day starting Center Fielder for the Tigers. He should steal between 25-35 bags.


OF Julio Borbon - Rangers
Borbon is the starting Center Fielder for the Rangers. He is a more polished Jackson and may have a bit more speed. I believe Borbon will swipe 30-40+ bases for you.


The Counselor is OUT:

MLB Fantasy Dynasty Draft

The Counselor is IN:

As The Fantasy Sports Counselor, I like to experience new and unique fantasy leagues. I am currently in the middle of a unique fantasy baseball draft. Most fantasy baseball leagues will not start drafting until very late January through early April but this one starts early. This will help me get prepared for the rest of the fantasy baseball drafts by forcing me to examine players now.

The league I am participating in is a a MLB Fantasy Dynasty Draft over at Talk-Baseball.com, a fun baseball centric forum. The draft preparation started with each team selecting a roster of a current MLB team (set on Jan 1, 2010). Not only do you have that team's roster as a base but their salary total for last season as your salary cap. You use last season's salaries for players and have to stay under that cap. Here are their categories: OFFENSE: OBP, HR, R, RBI, SB and PITCHING: W, S+H (saves plus holds), SO, ERA, WHIP.

After selecting your team, you take the 40 man roster and cut it down to 10-25 players. You need to be conscience of last year's salaries and the fantasy value of these players. You could take the full expected 25 man roster for a team but it should depend on the team you select.

After submitting keep roster, they have a 15 round draft of available free agents but you take on their salaries from last season. There is a lot of strategy to this. You have to weigh the fantasy potential of the player against their salaries and your team needs. Since you are not going in empty handed, you may or may not have specific positions of need that may need to be filled first. A small market team will be looking for more value and potential of a player over a fantasy stud that has a huge salary.

After the draft, you can have a roster up to 40 players until late in March where you have to set your 25 man roster. You must have your team lineup meet (Active-C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, IF, LF, CF, RF, [yes you have to have 20 games at an outfield position to qualify] OF, U, SP, SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, RP, RP- and 6 bench spots and one spot for a DL) and be under your salary cap. You also need to leave enough room to pick up other players for injuries and replacements.

I selected the Texas Rangers, since they are my favorite team and were still available. There are some benefits to picking the Rangers and some challenges. The big benefit is this team is loaded with young talent at the position players which have low salaries. They have a solid starter in Josh Feldman, who is young, talented, with #1 pitcher potential for #5 starter salary. They also have a solid closer and set up guy. The challenges I face in selecting the Rangers stem from their lack of quality starting pitching beyond Feldman and some of their young talent has not produced on the field yet such as Chris Davis at 1st base.

My first two picks were the high salaried stud pitcher - Roy Halladay and then the more moderate salaried Cy Young winner Zack Greinke to shore up my pitching staff. I then picked up 1B Kendry Morales, who has a fairly low salary, so I can let Chris Davis sit on the bench and develop as a prospect.

This is a fun experience and different than any other fantasy league I have been a part of. If you are looking for a new fantasy baseball challenge, let me encourage you to check out a MLB Fantasy Dynasty Draft. It will bring a lot of new wrinkles to your fantasy baseball season.

As the draft continues, I will try to update FSC on the status of my team and the challenges I face.

The Counselor is OUT:

Ten Fantasy Auction Strategies for Keeper Leagues

The Counselor is IN:

An auction keeper league is a very different creature than a straight draft league. Because of the differences, the strategies are vastly unique.


Here are Ten strategies to consider:

1) Know the other owners and their draft tendencies, if this is a live auction (my favorite style). It is important to know who will bluff you to drive up the price on a player and who will drop out when they hit their ceiling price. You need to note who is a fan of a team because some of these fans will desperately attempt to get players from his team to the point of over paying for them. Some players will typically spend their money very fast to get the top players and then pick up dollar players and some will horde their money to the end in an attempt to pick up the late auction sleepers.

2) Don't draft like a fan. It is fun to have players from your favorite team on your fantasy team but do not overspend for them. If other owners know you are a fan of a team, they will intentionally throw out players for you to overspend on. Do take advantage of the other fans in your league but do not let yourself be abused with it.

3) Know what players were kept and what players let go from last season. A team will let a player go from their team for a couple of reasons. They either did not like the player for the salary which they had them at (or at all) or they did not have room for them on the keeper list. In my keeper auction league, some teams just miss that a player is a future stud and they will let him go. But other owners have so many good players that they can not keep them all. If a team does not know how good a player is, it is a good chance they will not bid on them so you might be able to get a deal on the player at the end of the draft. If a team lets a player go because of they did not have room for them, it is a good chance that they will attempt to get this player back so you can throw that player out early in an attempt to get this team to overbid for him.

4) Know the positions that are short on quality players and the teams that need them and know the positions that have an abundance of quality players for the teams that need them. If most of the good 2nd basemen were kept but there are several teams that still need that position then you should adapt the projected price for those players even if you must overpay for them. If there are 20 quality Outfielders and only 15 Outfield positions left, then you can wait and pay below market value for your needs.

5) Mix up the players that you throw out for bidding. During the auction, teams take turns throwing out players. A common strategy is to throw out players that you do not want. This is a sound strategy to keep those players hidden that you want but it can bite you if you get stuck with the player that you throw out. Other teams will notice if you do not bid on any of the players that you throw out. You should mix it up and throw out some players that you really would like at different stages in the draft. If the player is sleeper, then do not throw them out. If you throw out a stud pitcher like CC Sabathia and bid high on him, then you will not lose much because the salary is always going to be high for a Top Tier player.

6) Spend some of your money early, in the middle rounds, and some for sleepers. You need to be able to spend some of your money for those studs if you want to win but you do not want to run yourself down to a dollar a player after just bidding on 2 players (I have seen this). You need a balance approach to how you spend money. It is not bad to have a few positions left with $1 max but you do not want a lot of them.

7) Never bid an extra dollar on a player that you are not happy with. I completely understand the desire to bid of a team up. But if you bid out of your comfort zone, you are playing a game of Russian roulette with your auction money and may get stuck with a player that you do not want.

8) Stay focused even with distractions. An auction is a much longer type of draft than a straight draft. You have to prepare for the marathon and be ready for it.

This time of the year there are lots of distractions on the TV during an auction (or even a draft). Between the Final Four Tournament, NBA games, MLB Pre-Season, and NFL Draft discussion, it is easy to get your mind off of the auction. Use this to your advantage over those not paying attention and do not get caught up in it. If you have to watch the big game, DVR the game. This time is for the auction only.

9) Know how much money each of Owners have and how many positions they will need at all times. As the draft goes on, you should know who can out bid you on certain players and if they have a need for that player or if you can steamroll for a certain player.

10) Have a good time and relax. There is no reason to join a fantasy league unless you are doing it for the pleasure. The auction is a huge part of fun. Don't be so relax that you overly consume adult beverages (recipe for a disastrous draft) but you do not want to be so tense that you miss the very reason you joined the league. Have FUN!


The Counselor is OUT:

Accolades for Michael

The Counselor is IN:

A couple of weeks ago, Michael Kaplan agreed to join the staff of the Fantasy Sports Counselor. In just a few days, he was receiving notice from sites like Cowboys Pride, Sports Jabber, and the Bleacher Report. His wonderful article "A Closing Conundrum" has grabbed even more attention. I just received notice that Fox Sports has picked up his article. Congratulations Michael and keep up the fan... (wait for it) tastic job!

The Counselor is OUT:

Top Baseball Sleepers

The Counselor is IN:

I received a comment from one of our readers. I thought I would respond to it with a post about prospects.

dodgerfan32 said "...thank for helping me win my league last year. who is your top sleeper?"

Dodgerfan32,

Thank you for reading our posts. I am very excited that we were able to help you win your league last year. I hope you will be able to repeat this year. Here is a list of my top sleepers for this year.

Pitchers
1) David Price (SP) (TB) - I know that Price pitched great in the playoffs last year but most people will still try to avoid Rays pitch because Rays Pitching has historically been terrible. Price is young and his potential is very high.

2) Chris Volstad (SP) (FLA) - This 22 year old had a great partial season last year. He started 14 games and won 6 games. He posted a 2.88 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. I look for a break out year for Volstad.

3) Carlos Marmol (Closer) (CHC)- Marmol has fully transitioned from starter to reliever. He is in competition to be the closer for the Cubs and he has a major inside track. Anytime you can pick up a closer that is under the radar, you should do it. Marmol should be successful closing as he demonstrated with seven saves last year.

Hitters

1) Adam Jones (OF) (BAL)- This young outfielder should be available in the late rounds of the draft or an auction. He has 5 steals already in Spring Training. I think he should easily have double digit homers and 20+ steals this season.

2) Jed Lowrie (SS) (BOS)- Here is a guy that was dropped in a keeper league I am in. I will be trying to pick him up at my auction. It appears that Lowrie has won the starting SS job. He also will qualify for 3B in most leagues (45 games last year). Last year's stats are not impressive but I look for 2009 to be the break out year for this 24 year old.

3) Nelson Cruz (OF) (TEX)- Nelson is a late bloomer of a prospect at 28 years old. He had a great year last year in AAA with 37 Homers, 98 RBI, 24 SB, and a .346 BA. He is competing for the starting job. If he wins a starting job, he could be a steal for you since he should be a late round guy. I would take him even if he does not win the job out of Spring Training. Oh yeah, he will be hitting in the homer friendly "The Ball Park" in Arlington.

4) Chris Davis (1B,3B) (TEX)- Davis is another Ranger's prospect that I love. Davis played 51 games at 1B and 32 games at 3B last year for the Rangers. He should qualify for both positions. In 80 games last year for the Rangers, he hit 17 homers, 55 RBI, 1 SB, and 285 BA. He had another 23 homers in the minors last year. He is only 22 years old.

Rookies
1) Cameron Maybin (OF) (FLA)- Maybin should be the lead of hitter for the Marlins. He has 14 stolen bases in the minors last year and another 3 for the Marlins after he was called up. He also had 12 homers in the minors. Maybin is a 5 tool prospect that should produce decent this year but is a gem in a keeper league.

2) Travis Snider (OF) (TOR)- Snider demonstrate some power in the minors last year with 20 homers. He looks to be a year or two away from a break out year but worth a late round pick in a redraft league and worth an earlier pick in a keeper league.

3) Elvis Andrus (SS) (TEX)- Yes another Ranger on my list but to my defense, Elvis is in the building. I would have to draft this kid just for his name but lucky for me, he can play. This 20 year old is good enough to move All Star Michael Young to 3B. He has already won the job.

The Counselor is OUT:

Fantasy Baseball Rankings- Catcher National League Only

The Counselor is IN:

Rank	Player		Team
1	Brian McCann		Braves
2	Russell Martin		Dodgers
3	Geovany Soto		Cubs
4	Ryan Doumit		Pirates
5	Bengie Molina		Giants
6	Chris Iannetta		Rockies
7	John Baker		Reds
8	Kenji Johjima		Mariners
9	Ramon Hernandez		Reds
10	Yadier Molina		Cardinals
11	Pablo Sandoval		Giants
12	Chris Snyder		D Backs
13	Miguel Montero		D Backs
14	Carlos Ruiz		Phillies
15	Angel Salome		Brewers
16	J.R. Towles		Astros
17	Ivan Rodriguez		F/A
18	Jesus Flores		Nationals
19	Brian Schneider		Mets
20	Nick Hundley		Padres

The Counselor is OUT:

Fantasy Baseball Rankings- Catcher American League Only

The Counselor is IN:

Rank	Player		Team
1	Joe Mauer		Twins
2	Victor Martinez		Indians
3	Mike Napoli		Angels
4	Matt Wieters		Orioles
5	Kelly Shoppach		Indians
6	Jorge Posada		Yankees
7	Jarrod Saltalamacchia		Rangers
8	Dioner Navarro		Rays
9	A.J. Pierzynski		W Sox
10	Gerald Laird		Tigers
11	Jeff Clement		Mariners
12	Kurt Suzuki		A's
13	Kenji Johjima		Mariners
14	Taylor Teagarden		Rangers
15	Jason Varitek		R Sox
16	Miguel Olivo		Royals
17	Max Ramirez		Rangers
18	Ivan Rodriguez		F/A
19	Rod Barajas		B Jays
20	John Buck		Royals
21	Josh Bard		R Sox
22	Gregg Zaun		Orioles

The Counselor is OUT:

Fantasy Baseball Rankings- Catcher Mixed League

The Counselor is IN:

Rank	Player		Team
1	Brian McCann		Braves
2	Russell Martin		Dodgers
3	Joe Mauer		Twins
4	Geovany Soto		Cubs
5	Ryan Doumit		Pirates
6	Victor Martinez		Indians
7	Mike Napoli		Angels
8	Bengie Molina		Giants
9	Chris Iannetta		Rockies
10	Matt Wieters		Orioles
11	Kelly Shoppach		Indians
12	Jorge Posada		Yankees
13	Jarrod Saltalamacchia		Rangers
14	Dioner Navarro		Rays
15	A.J. Pierzynski		W Sox
16	Gerald Laird		Tigers
17	Jeff Clement		Mariners
18	Kurt Suzuki		A's
19	John Baker		Reds
20	Kenji Johjima		Mariners
21	Ramon Hernandez		Reds
22	Taylor Teagarden		Rangers
23	Yadier Molina		Cardinals
24	Jason Varitek		R Sox
25	Pablo Sandoval		Giants
26	Chris Snyder		D Backs
27	Miguel Olivo		Royals
28	Miguel Montero		D Backs
29	Carlos Ruiz		Phillies
30	Max Ramirez		Rangers
31	Angel Salome		Brewers
32	J.R. Towles		Astros
33	Ivan Rodriguez		F/A
34	Jesus Flores		Nationals
35	Rod Barajas		B Jays
36	John Buck		Royals
37	Brian Schneider		Mets
38	Josh Bard		R Sox
39	Gregg Zaun		Orioles
40	Nick Hundley		Padres

The Counselor is OUT: