Hanley Ramirez is obvious and thus boring to talk about but hopefully fun to watch. I'm not going to trade him to Liss this year, I promise, as this year I, drumroll, .... know the rules! This Yahoo! format is very different with their innings maximum. That means you need impact starters with high Ks and it's really dumb to dump saves, as there is no way to load up on starters and attack wins and Ks on the cheap.

Thus, I quickly followed up with Greinke. I wouldn't even think about a starter before round seven in standard mixed leagues. But it's good to play in an unfamiliar format that forces unfamiliar strategies.

Pablo Sandoval is a freak who is fat. How many of those are there? Charles Barkley was one. John Daly, I guess. (You know if you Google "fat golfer" you go right to Daly's mug?) I think Sandoval is probably the best pure hitter in baseball outside of Albert Pujols.

Johan Santana with the 55th pick is a steal, he'll be top five and has a chance to be No. 1 now that the elbow has been cleaned up.

After Johan, things took a turn for the worse. Basically, 2012 came early for North Jersey the days leading up to this draft. No power. Flooding. My hot water heater decided to empty out into my basement after my wife turned up the water full blast (fine, Mr. Technical, she told me to -- same difference). So I was disconnected and thus missed Brian Roberts take a turn for the worse. I figured it out as soon as Pianow started snickering virtually on the chat board. I had a guy in the house banging away on my dryer (kids: never try to try the carpet padding in the dryer -- bad idea!). The picks are flying by at a million miles an hour. It was sickening to see you may well have whiffed so early. But I had time to recover, I hoped.

Hunter Pence and Denard Span continued my batting average and cheap speed strategy. I know Pence can't convert, but I want reckless out of my nickel-and-dime speed guys. And Span could steal 40 and I think he has 15-to-20 homer pop (I wish he hit more doubles though last year to prove it).

Bell and Wilson were the mid-level closers you have to suck up and draft in this format. You can't get the cheap ones with fleas because their ERA/WHIPs won't help and likely will hurt.

Coghlan like Span could and should run more. I think he's a .300 hitter despite the elevated BABIP. Kubel looks like a guy coming off a peak year, but he was viewed as the best hitting prospect in the majors before those knee injuries derailed him. I believe, against righties anyway.

Posada and Swisher were cheap power. Swisher had 21 on the road so I'll pray for 35 and hope it gets answered. The environment is ideal. Plus you have to take that average out for a spin. There's no need for your team to hit .300 in this skilled a league.

Vernon Wells is a cleanup hitter and could steal 20, hit 30 bombs or hit .300. He's just 31. I'll settle for two of the three but this is a one-of-three price. De La Rosa I love in reality and he fits the bill here of high K/9, absolutely critical. This gives me at least 600 Ks out of my top three starters and reasonably 650. With the closers, I'm up to 800 with a sub-1.20 projected WHIP.

Ryan Theriot was a desperate play for steals. I don't believe even the seven homers either. I've been offered Kerry Wood for him already, to show you how I'm not worse off at least. I know that Frasor has lost the closer gig apparently to Kevin Gregg. But he's too good and Gregg stinks too much for that to last. Plus, Minnesota beckons. Frasor, unlike Gregg, can help even if he doesn't close in a league where innings are capped.

Barmes -- cheap power and a little speed. He's a big guy, so I believe in the 20 homers given Coors. Barmes looks stuck hitting eighth, which is terrible. But this was a Roberts-insurance play. The first of two. Teahen was the best available third baseman, I swear. He gives me more position flexibility, which is important considering we are allowed only three reserves. He's hit 16 homers on the road the past two years (combined). He could hit 12 at home this year (pretty please). He also chips in on the bases a little.

Hudson is hitting second in front of two all stars. Okay, you're right, maybe Sandoval is the third best hitter after Mauer, too. Matt LaPorta got a lot of "good picks." I owned him forever in a dynasty league. It's now or never. There's 30 power upside with decent average even in the bad park. His ISO last year was .200 despite the bum hip.

Rolen is just giving the Reds some respect for giving him the two-year deal. Are they complete fools? Erickson? Michael Wuertz is the type of cheap ERA/WHIP decent K reliever you need -- in 2009. In 2010, probably not. This is like drafting a placeholder. And you have to respect the 100-plus Ks.

I love Morrow, I'll confess. I feel about him like I felt about Edwin Jackson last year. His stuff is too good for the results not to catch up. But Jackson, to be fair, was past his control woes and Morrow is not. John Maine is a flyer as a decent K guy if Morrow craps out. I need one of these guys to be league average with a plus-7.0/9 K rate.