
It's that time again. With the 2010 draft exactly one month away, its time to unveil our first mock draft of the new decade. While we have our crystal ball out, lets first look to see the projected keepers for each team:
Glenn: CC Sabathia, Aaron Hill, Adam Dunn, Manny Ramiez, Brian Roberts, Carlos Pena
Anthony: Albert Pujols, Grady Sizemore, Joe Mauer, Ian Kinsler, Curtis Granderson, Tommy Hanson
Rob: Matt Holliday, Adrian Gonzalez, Derek Jeter, Dustin Pedroia, John Lackey, Yovani Gallardo
Matt: Carl Crawford, Joey Votto, Johan Santana, Ben Zobrist, Pablo Sandoval, Adam Jones
Adam: Carlos Beltran, Aramis Ramirez, Victor Martinez, BJ Upton, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Lee
Steve: Roy Halladay, Hanley Ramirez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Bay, Kevin Youkilis, Bobby Abreu
Bobby: David Wright, Josh Hamilton, Nick Markakis, Robinson Cano, Dan Haren, Justin Verlander
Kevin: Ryan Howard, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Chris Carpenter, Cliff Lee, Javier Vazquez
Hodge: Ryan Braun, Justin Morneau, Brandon Phillips, Jason Werthm, Andrew McCutchen, Adam Lind
Justin: Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum, Jon Lester, Jose Reyes, Miguel Cabrera, Mark Reynolds
Chris: Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Zack Greinke, Josh Johnson
Dave: Alex Rodriguez, Chase Utley, Evan Longoria, Ichiro, Kendry Morales, Adam Wainwright
Based on these keeper projections, here is how we see round 1 going:
Glenn - Josh BeckettWhile our newest member has a tough task in front of him, having two of the top 5 picks in the draft will certainly help. By keeping 5 hitters, he has put him self in a situtation where he has to take a pitcher with one of his two picks. Josh Beckett is the best pitcher in the draft and wont be available come pick #5.
Anthony - Clayton KershawComing of a tough year which saw him become a seller before Memorial Day, Russo enters the draft with 5 solid hitters. With his second round pick at the end of round 2, he is going to be forced to take a starting pitcher. While some in the front office are pushing for Ubaldo Jimenez, the thought of pairing emerging aces Tommy Hanson and Clayton Kershaw may be to tantilizing to pass up.
Rob - Andre EithierLet's face it, the crop of outfielders in this draft is weak. While there is talent at the top, the depth is just not there this year. The lack of great OF options along witht the fact that Rob is only keeping one (Holliday), points to him taking the top OF on the board with this pick. Coming off a 31 HR 106 RBI season, Eithier is the way to go here.
Matt - Matt CainThe usually pitching-rich Matt is coming into 2010 with only Johan Santana in the fold. We know the organization emphasizes pitching and Cain is a young ace who flies under the radar as San Francisco's #2 stater behind Lincecum. Matt will take the top pitcher in the board in this spot, and that's Cain.
Glenn (from Adam) - Brian McCannHaving already addressed his need for another legitmate ace, Glenn will look to fill a position that very few teams will be able to do adequately. As far as catchers go, its Mauer, V-Mart, McCann, and then everybody else. With Mauer and Martinez being kept, drafting McCann here will add to what should be a solid offensive squad in '10.
Steve - Ubaldo JimenezHere is yet another team keeping only one pitcher which means this is another team looking to take the top starting pitcher left on the board. Ubaldo was quietly dominating in the second half last year and is top 10 fantasy starting pitcher in the making. Pairing Jimenez and Halladay would give Steve a dangerous 1-2 punch to build his staff around.
Bobby - Lance BerkmanKeeping 2 top class pitchers will allow Bobby to go offense in this spot. Having kept 2 OF, Bobby will be able to address his biggest need: first base. Berkman is not that far removed from being considered a fantasy stud and the 1B class in this draft is very weak. Gambling on the Big Puma in this spot could pay huge dividends.
Kevin - Shane VictorinoI'm not wasting time writing about Victorino; he can go eat a dick.
Hodge - Jake PeavyBy keeping 6 hitters, Hodge will have to take the best pitcher on the board here. Jake Peavy is only 2 years removed from a season where he won 19 games, had an ERA of 2.54, and struck out 240 in 223 innings. With Peavy returning to health this past year, he is absolutely worth a shot here.
Justin - AJ BurnettHere is how we see this pick going. Justin will look for offense to supplement is ridiculous pitching staff, but wont find a player he is willing to take. He is set at SS, 1B, and 3B and no available 2B, OF, or C is worthy of a first round pick. So Justin will look to make his strength even stronger by adding arguably the top strike out pitcher in this draft.
Chris - Chad BillingleyWe see this one playing out a lot like the pick before. Chris will look to add an OF, 2B, or 3B but the available players will still be available by the time his next pick rolls around. Team scouts have long been enamored with Billingsley's stuff and coming off a down year, this may be the only opportunity for Chris to grap the long-coveted SP.
Dave - Cole HamelsSince he is keeping only one pitcher, Dave will look to that position here. The guess here is that he continues his love for all things Philadelpha and takes the former Phillies ace who was considered a top pitcher coming into 2009.