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MRLB NEWS & VIEWS
2004 Draft Hindsight Awards
April 28, 2004

Thanks to input from MRLB owners Tom Evans, Jim Vavrek, Steve Pawlak, Jon Erickson, and yours truly, the 2004 Draft Hindsight Awards (known 'round the globe as the DHAs) are now available.  Shunning my own advice to make only one selection per category, I chose two picks for the best middle round choice.  Hopefully the academy can forgive me.  Now on to the awards:

(Click here if you want to review the draft first)

BEST PICK EARLY ROUNDS (1-10)
Evans - Shawn Green (8, Vavster)
Vavrek - Josh Beckett (5, Flux Capacitors)
Pawlak - tie, Roy Oswalt (3, Vavster) and Scott Podsednik (8, Slim Shady)
Erickson - Carlos Lee (7, Bartman's #1 Fan)
Marcinkus - Richard Hidalgo (9, Bartman's #1 Fan)
"Good lineup + good team + good ballpark (for hitters) + good hitter = great pick"

BEST PICK MIDDLE ROUNDS (11-20)
Evans - Bill Mueller (15, Team Erickson)
Vavrek - Jermaine Dye (17, Camerano)
Pawlak - Richard Hidalgo (9, Bartman's #1 Fan)
note: Pawlak needs to update his math skills, thinking that 9 is between 11 and 20.
Erickson - Adrian Beltre (20, North Siders)
Marcinkus - tie, Jermaine Dye (17, Camerano) and Craig Wilson (16, Unlimited Access)
"Even after cooling off, a healthy Dye should put up 10th round type numbers"
"Wilson, eligible at catcher, has 30 home run potential in an everyday situation"

BEST PICK LATE ROUNDS (21-30)
Evans - Sean Casey (28, Z Money)
Vavrek - Sean Casey (28, Z Money)
Pawlak - tie, Hee Sop Choi (22, Z Money) and Craig Biggio (26, Bartman's #1 Fan)
Erickson - Michael Barrett (30, North Siders)
Marcinkus - Rondell White (28, Unlimited Access)
"Like Casey, White always is around .300, but a .300 hitting OFer with 20 HRs in the 28th
round is a steal"

WORST CASE OF "JUMPING THE GUN TOO SOON" ON A SLEEPER
Evans - Michael Young (8, Unlimited Access)
Vavrek - Milton Bradley (17, Slim Shady)
Pawlak - Jose Reyes (10, Flux Capacitors)
"Is he even playing??"
Erickson - Todd Walker (7, Z Money)
Marcinkus - LaTroy Hawkins (19, Team Erickson)
"A potential backup closer was taken while other starters still needed to be filled"

SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN DRAFTED, EVEN IN THE LAST ROUND
Evans - Dan Haren (30, Slim Shady)
Vavrek - Edwin Jackson (26, Flux Capacitors)
Pawlak - Jose Lima (24, Big League Chew)
"Jose Lima sucks!"
Erickson - Jerry Hairston, Jr. (Big League Chew)
Marcinkus - Joe Mays (28, The Phat Alberts)
"Out until September, there's no reason for him to be on a roster"

BEST OVERALL PICK
Evans - Shawn Green (8, Vavster)
Vavrek - Carlos Beltran (1, Krazee-Eyez Killaz)
Pawlak - Todd Helton (1, Team Erickson)
Erickson - Adrian Beltre (20, North Siders)
Marcinkus - Craig Wilson (16, Unlimited Access)
"With his catcher eligibility in existence but playing the field all year, Wilson should put
up numbers comparable to Posada and Pudge, drafted in the 3rd and 4th rounds"
Note: obviously some owners misunderstood this question, choosing who they thought
was the best "player" rather than the best "pick"

WORST OVERALL PICK
Evans - Billy Koch (14, Bartman's #1 Fan)
Vavrek - Brad Wilkerson (8, Krazee-Eyez Killaz)
Pawlak - Todd Walker (7, Z Money)
"Sorry Z...  ...you could have got T. Walker in the 27th round"
Erickson - Brian Giles (3, Unlimited Access)
Marcinkus - Todd Walker (7, Z Money)

Thanks to everyone for participating in the DHAs.  Hopefully we can all live and learn from our picks, and even hold a healthy grudge against those who voting against us!

-The Commish