by Aaaron Fitt
March 16, 2006

DREAM DRAFT

BA staffers try their hand at team-building

Round-By-Round Round 1 Round 6 Round 2 Round 7 Round 3 Round 8 Round 4 Round 9 Round 5 Round 10

Teams J.J. Cooper John Manuel Aaron Fitt Chris Kline Alan Schwarz Will Lingo Will Kimmey Alan Matthews Matt Meyers Jim Callis

By The Numbers

Vote For Your Favorite Draft

Pick	Player, Position, Organization (Age as of April 1, 2006)
1.	Alex Rodriguez, ss/3b, Yankees (30)
2.	Josh Beckett, rhp, Red Sox (25)
3.	Scott Kazmir, lhp, Devil Rays (22)
4.	Casey Kotchman, 1b, Angels (23)
5.	Jeremy Bonderman, rhp, Tigers (23)
6.	Adrian Beltre, 3b, Mariners (26)
7.	Vernon Wells, of, Blue Jays (27)
8.	Jon Lester, lhp, Red Sox (22)
9.	Rafael Furcal, ss, Dodgers (28)
10.	Jason Varitek, c, Red Sox (33)

My Philosophy: Load up on power arms 25 and under, and take advantage of the draft's inevitable emphasis on prospects by snagging undervalued, established big league hitters in their mid- to late 20s.

My Draft: I was pleased to get four potentially dominant young pitchers, though Beckett and Kazmir have durability questions. In retrospect, maybe I should have targeted younger position players. Beltre, in particular, was a gamble.

Best Draft: I love John Manuel's top six but was less sold on the back of his draft. Still, a great mix of young, big league studs and superstars in their primes.

Worst Draft: Good, late picks Dan Haren and Brett Myers weren't enough to salvage Jim Callis' draft, which had too many boom-or-bust hitting prospects and pitchers with durability questions.

Best Pick: There is no reason Manny Ramirez can't continue to be baseball's best hitter for five more years. Can't believe he slipped to the sixth round--excellent value for Will Kimmey.

Worst Pick: Chris Volstad could move fast, but so many things could happen to derail him. It's hard to justify a pitcher with half a pro season in the top 100 players in baseball.

He Wasn't Taken?: Bobby Abreu is a five-tool star with four or five very good years left in the tank. How did he not get picked?

That Hurt: I passed on B.J. Upton in the second round so I could lock up a potential ace, but I still hoped to land Upton three picks later as a premium young hitter to complement my veteran stars. J.J. Cooper foiled that plan.