When it comes to the reserve draft on auction day, the new owners will be placed randomly after last year's first place finisher. And the reserve draft order will be the same as it ever was (13-1, 13-1, 13-1).
Here are the names (and e-mails) of the five new No Fehr owners:
Here are the results of the expansion draft: (Splendid Splinters, Matt Macomber's team, Tim Johnson's team, Jeff Thompson's team and the Master Batters). Any player listed with a "C" indicates that the player's salary will increase by $5 in 1999, when he begins the final year of his contract and becomes a "D" player. If you have any questions about the No Fehr salary structure, check out the No Fehr rulebook for clarification. Thanks to Greg (Winning O'Men) and Mike (Batbold) for their work on the draft.
Scroll to the bottom of this page or click here for the Expansion draft Scorecard, featuring some rambling commentary by yours truly on how the No Fehr league's newest owners did in the draft.
Splendid Splinters
RD. Owner: Bill Enos1. Rich Loiselle-10B 2. Kevin Brown-25C 3. Neifi Perez-12C 4. Stan Javier-4B 5. Derrek Lee-10B 6. Mike Grace-1B 7. Bret Boone-14B
Matt Macomber's team (unnamed)
RD. Owner: Matt Macomber1. Greg Maddux-34B 2. Delino DeShields-26B 3. Bill Mueller-4B 4. Roger Cedeno-10C 5. Tony Gwynn-26B 6. Jason Schmidt-4B 7. Rich Aurilia-1B
Tim Johnson's team (unnamed)
RD. Owner: Tim Johnson1. Rod Beck-29B 2. Tony Womack-10C 3. Butch Huskey-18C 4. Bobby Jones-17B 5. Kent Mercker-1B 6. Edgardo Alfonso-9B 7. Tom Glavine-24B
Jeff Thompson's team (unnamed)
RD. Owner: Jeff Thompson1. Mike Piazza-43B 2. Todd Zeile-11B 3. Karim Garcia-10B 4. Hideo Nomo-19D 5. Dave Mlicki-5B 6. Pedro Astacio-16B 7. Mike Hampton-15B
Master Batters
RD. Owner: Barry Hallman1. Hector Carrasco-5B 2. Jay Powell-3B* 3. Jon Nunnally-10B 4. Ellis Burks-24D 5. Mike Lieberthal-12C 6. Kevin Tapani-1B 7. Tony Graffanino-7B
*Note:Powell was later traded (with a first- and ninth-round reserve draft pick) to the Harry Careys (Doug) in exchange for Sterling Hitchcock (5B), Jeremi Gonzalez (5B) and Darren Dreifort (10C).
Here's one person's scorecard of how each of the No Fehr's newest owners did in putting the first pieces of their teams together. (Note:If anyone else wants to turn in their two cents on the expansion draft--or anything else, especially trade analysis--you're more than welcome. The more commentary, the better. Go ahead and send any editorial contributions to Doug.)
Splendid Splinters (Bill Enos): With the first pick of the draft, he went for the most obvious (and best) choice, Rich Loiselle (10B). His second pick, Kevin Brown (25C) doesn't come cheap, but he should be a cornerstone for the Splinters to build around. Neifi Perez (12C) was a solid pick in the third spot, although he could've gone for another Coors veteran (Ellis Burks) in that spot. Of the other picks, Bret Boone was the biggest gamble, but he could be a steal if early reports from Cincy are to be believed. Best pick: Loiselle. Most questionable pick: Javier went early in the fourth round, ahead of guys like Gwynn, Schmidt and Tapani. Total dollars spent: $76. Grade: B.
Matt Macomber's team: Rather than choose a closer with the second-overall selection, Matt went for Greg Maddux (34B), which is hard to argue with. The one advantage he has over Brown is that Matt doesn't have to sign Maddux to a contract. Matt comes out of the draft with some balance, but nothing spectacular. There's no closer here, and he's definitely in need of power heading into the draft (unless Gwynn continues his power surge). Signing Cedeno to a contract could be trouble, but DeShields should be solid at 26B this year. Best pick: Schmidt (4B). Most questionable pick: Roger Cedeno (10C). Total dollars spent: $105. Grade: C.
Tim Johnson's team: Instead of going for Jay Powell, Tim opted for the proven quantity in Rod Beck (29B), the new closer at Wrigley. Tony Womack (10C) is a great second-round pick, and Butch Huskey (18C) may just earn his contract. There's no other power source on the roster at this point, so Huskey will need company on auction day. Looks like everything fell into place for Tim, who was able to pick up Tom Glavine (24B) in the final round, closing out a very solid draft. Best pick: Womack. Most questionable pick: Bobby Jones (17B). Total dollars spent: $108. Grade: B.
Jeff Thompson's team: Jeff probably felt like there are plenty of closers available, but only one Mike Piazza (43B). So he made Piazza his first-round pick and passed on Powell and Carrasco, leaving them for Barry. Can't fault the pick, despite what Brett Butler says. (Looks like Jeff may be a Dodger fan, especially since five of his seven picks are current or ex-Dodgers.) Hard to believe a Rockie pitcher was selected in this draft, but Jeff took the bait and chose Pedro Astacio (16B) in the sixth round. He may continue to thrive at Coors, but I wouldn't put $16 on it...definitely a gutsy pick. Best pick: Karim Garcia (10B) in the third round. Most questionable pick: Astacio. Total dollars spent: (expansion-draft high) $119. Grade: C-.
Master Batters (Barry Hallman): Two possible closers in the first two rounds make the draft an unqualified success for the Batters. Jon Nunnally (10B) and Ellis Burks (24D) are solid picks, and Kevin Tapani (1B) could be a steal. Everything looks good here except for the lack of starting pitchers; if Barry can pick up some steals on auction day, he'll be fine. Signing Mike Lieberthal (12C) to a contract is questionable, only because Bobby Estallela is close behind in Philly. But if Lieberthal keeps hitting for power, he's not going anywhere. Best pick: Nunnally. Most questionable pick: Lieberthal. Total dollars spent: (expansion-draft low) $62. Grade: A-.