Draft Wrap

Now that everyone has recovered from the draft, teams are setting their initial lineups for the opening of Spring Training on Wednesday. All players have already reported to camp and have been getting to know their new teammates.

The 2008 draft was probably one of the longest in league history, stretching out for around five hours. Most of the blame fell on Stump Matiash as usual, but it's more fun to pick on him than the other guilty parties. Vegas owner Eric Wickstrom was effective at cracking the whip and getting the draft moving along. Thanks go out to Eric and the Pucci brothers for keeping the draft board up to date. Maybe we can start a new tradition of rotating draft locations each year.

Almost all rule changes were soundly defeated. Custom stadiums were nearly banned but were voted to remain by one vote. The lone rule change that made it through the cracks was the 2-year stadium lease. Curiously the 3-year lease was also defeated, but what a difference a year makes! The new rule locks the owner into a stadium for a minimum two year contract starting this season. If a team folds or gets new ownership, the lease is voided. A team picking a custom stadium can update their stadium next season when the new disk comes out. This is only an option for teams choosing a current stadium (i.e. 2007 Yankee stadium, but not 1999 Yankee Stadium). Teams cannot upgrade from a 1955 version of their stadium to a 1972 version or a 2008 version.

Look for the round-by-round draft recap to be posted by next weekend. We'll look at some of the more questionable picks at that point and try to find out who will likely get the Kei Igawa Award this year for biggest (and most overhyped, espeically by their owner) bust! If you don't know who we award the pick to for the '07 draft, well...take a guess.

DMBL Mirror League

Yep it's here early this year. The DMBL Mirror League is now set up and extending its invitation. Every year, Butch Garretson sets up the Yahoo! league and tries to follow along with the transactions of the DMBL - all you have to do is sign up, you don't have to do anything more. It is a very convenient way to check up how your players are doing out there in the 2008 MLB season. It's a very handy tool when it comes to evaluating trades or deciding who to cut in order to make room for that guy you have to activate from the DL. Usually we get most of the league to sign up, but there are always a few stragglers that forget, so let's try to get all 14 members in there this time. All you need is a Yahoo! id, which by the way is free.

Finally, this is your last chance to vote for the Hall of Fame! Inductees will be announced on Draft Day.

Keeper Fallout: Vancouver Iron Fist

The last of the keeper reviews, Vancouver looks like they might put themselves back into contention after a down year in 2007. The Fist have an impressive rotation anchored by Jake Peavy and should have plenty of offense, featuring Chase Utley, David Ortiz, and newly-acquired Todd Helton. The Fist also have a lot of extra picks in the 2008 draft.

Shaky Keeper: Greg Maddux, pitcher. Maddux was probably kept for sentimental reasons more than anything else, though as a fifth starter, you can't complain. Maddux has been showing his age the last few seasons, even though he had a solid 2007 campaign.

Surprise Castoff: Jose Guillen, outfielder. Vancouver had a lot of players to protect and although Guillen would have been a nice way to round out the outfield, the Fist had to cut him. Guillen had an off year last year but should latch on with someone in the draft.

Keeper Fallout: Tampa Bay Plunkers

Bill Levesque brought DMBL baseball back to Tampa Bay after acquiring the Honolulu Sharks in the offseason. Will the Sharks return to the playoffs or will there be a learning curve? The Plunkers have a decent starting rotation and their offense has some upside. Sure they'll need a little luck and a good draft, but you never know.

Shaky Keeper: Jason Kendall, catcher. Added as a last minute move, Kendall was almost cut - and probably should have been. The catcher has been declining for the last two years and may be just about done. With Kenji Johjima already on the roster, Kendall may not make it to Opening Day.

Surprise Castoff: Jose Valverde, closer. Valverde was a surprising cut, especially since the club protected only one reliever - Pedro Feliciano.

Keeper Fallout: Sardine City Straphangers

In their first year of existence, the Straphangers were in rebuilding mode. Is that rebuilding project ready to blossom? Probably not just yet, but the Sardines ought to be a lot better than last year's dismal 13th place finish. Fans will be looking forward to Cole Hamels, Fausto Carmona, and Ryan Braun leading this very young team for years to come.

Shaky Keeper: Stephen Drew, shortstop. The Sardines have a very young team so they can afford to be patient with young prospects like Drew and Homer Bailey who normally wouldn't have found a place on more playoff-ready teams. It remains to be seen whether Drew develops into a useful player or fizzles out.

Surprise Castoff: Andruw Jones, outfielder. Jones is a hit or miss kind of player, and while he missed a lot this year, he still has a studly ceiling. Despite seemingly being in the league forever, Jones will only be 31 years old this April, so some team will take a chance with the slugger.

DC ships Soriano to Jersey

New Jersey traded their first round pick to D.C. for much-maligned outfielder Alfonso Soriano and D.C.'s seventh round pick in next year's draft. Soriano batted .274 last year for the Bushslappers with an .831 OPS. Overall, Soriano has struggled mightily in his DMBL career, despite his huge potential. Buddah GM/Owner Mike Hornick said that Soriano just "needed a change of scenery" and was confident that New Jersey was just the place for him.

Meanwhile, D.C. gets the fourth pick overall in the 2008 draft. D.C. owner Jamie Landsman had scheduled a flight to D.C. for draft day, but a last minute change of plans had Landsman staying at DMBL Draft Headquarters.

Keeper Fallout: Philadelphia Endzone Animals

The Animals were busy in the offseason making trades, trying to take the next step after winning their first division title in 2007. The offense, featuring Albert Pujols, Magglio Ordonez and Jorge Posada, looks to be strong, and the pitching staff, anchored by Johan Santana, is very young, but should be capable.

Shaky Keeper: Scott Rolen, third baseman. Rolen, a favorite of GM/Owner Anthony Pucci, seems to be on the downside of his career, putting up subpar numbers last year and could be a weak link in the otherwise strong lineup.

Surprise Castoff: Adam LaRoche, first baseman. With the acquisition of Mark Teixeira, there was simply no place left for LaRoche, so the Animals set him loose.