AAA

Jay Bruce 1-4 R BB (.315)

Andrew McCutchen 1-5 (.276)

Neil Walker 0-4 BB (.161)

Steve Pearce 1-4 2B (.241)

Adam Lind 0-4 K (.355)

David Purcey 6IP 5H 2ER 4BB 9K

Kevin Mulvey 5.2IP 5H ER 4BB 5K

J.A. Happ 7IP 4H ER BB 8K

Adam Miller 5IP 4H 0ER(3R) 2BB 2K

Josh Fields 3-5 2R HR(2) 2RBI (.294)

Brent Lillibridge 1-3 RBI 3BB 2SB(7) (.159)

Brandon Jones 2-6 BB SB (.238)

AA

Carlos Carrasco 5IP 10H 6ER 2BB 6K

Oswaldo Sosa 3IP 8H 4ER 2BB 2K

Travis Snider 1-3 BB K (.182)

Ricky Romero 5IP ER BB 3K

Chris Tillman 5IP 4H 3ER 3BB 5K

Austin Jackson 1-5 2B R (.294)

Jose Tabata 1-3 2R RBI (.222)

Fernando Martinez 1-4 R BB (.261)

Nick Evans 1-3 2R BB (.342)

Mike Carp 3-4 R 2B 2RBI (.442)

Alcides Escobar 3-5 R 2RBI (.237)

Mat Gamel 1-4 R 2B RBI BB (.299)

Matt LaPorta 1-5 R 2B RBI (.275)

Cameron Maybin 0-3 R BB SB(4) (.273)

Brett Sinkbeil 6.2IP 6H 2ER 3BB K

John Jaso 2-3 3R 3B HR(3) 2RBI BB (.258)

Dexter Fowler 2-4 R 2B BB SB(6) (.314)

Chris Nelson 2-3 2R  (2)2B 2RBI (.250)

James Simmons 6IP 4H 0ER 0BB 5K

A+

Carols Triunfel 2-4 SB(4) (.152)

Julio Borbon 2-5 R 2B RBI (.245)

Kasey Kiker 5IP 10H 5ER 2K

Gerardo Parra 1-4 R (.303)

Sean Doolittle 1-4 R HR(7) 2RBI (.316)

Chris Carter 0-4 3K (.217)

Beau Mills 0-4 K (.193)

Nick Weglarz 1-3 R 2B BB (.233)

Ross Detwiler .2IP 3H 2ER BB K(started game but didn't finish 1st inning-injury?)

Matt Wieters 0-2 R RBI BB (.385)

Billy Rowell 1-4 2RBI (.300)

Daniel Moskos 4.2IP 5H 3ER 3BB 4K

Ryan Royster 1-4 (.258)

J.P. Arencibia 1-3 (.262)

A

Engel Beltre 1-5 R (.292)

Matt Latos 4IP 5H ER 8K

Kevin Ahrens 1-4 2B (.304)

Chris Parmelee 1-4 R 2B BB (.255)

Todd Frazier 1-4 (.314)

Andrew Lambo 1-3 (.324)

Mike Moustakas 0-3 R BB (.193)

Pete Kozma 2-4 2R 3B 2RBI (.328)

Michael Burgess 0-3 BB (.250)

Nick Noonan 1-4 (.325)

Angel Villalona 0-4 (.222)

Jesus Montero 1-4 R 2B RBI (.368)

Zach McAllister 6IP 2H BB 2K

Jason Heyward 1-4 (.312)

Caleb Gindl 4-6 2R RBI (.232)

I run an in-depth 17 team Dynasty League, complete with salary cap, free agency and arbitration, sizable minor league system (20 now, expanding to 25 with the March draft), and a strong core of owners.  This is a very involved league, and as such I had three owners who no longer felt they could devote the necessary time to their franchises.  I need to fill these spots soon, as our offseason kicks off in full swing with arbitration in November, followed by free agency starting in December with Type A free agents.

If you are a devoted fantasy player and have a good bit of time to commit to a more complex but fun league, please e-mail me at mherric1@yahoo.com or send an IM to mherric1 on Yahoo or AIM and I will answer any questions, give you the rules and rosters, and help in any way I can.

Thanks

Well what do we have going on today?  The FSL All-Star game is today, featuring players Jay Bruce, Cameron Maybin, and Jake McGee among others.  On the mound throughout the various leagues and levels are Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, JoJo Reyes, Mike Madsen(a personal fav), Matt Garza, and Gio Gonzalez, who was listed to start yesterday but was bumped back for some reason.

Who are you watching today?

This worked out very well yesterday, so we'll keep with it.  Any questions you have that don't really require an entire diary, thoughts or observations, or any links you want to share with the rest of the community here, fire away.              

Ok, what's on tap today?  The FSL is off today, but we do have 5 interesting young arms going in various other leagues.  Michael Bowden makes his 6th start in AA tonight, hopefully he gets back on track.  Gio Gonzalez goes today, as well as Franklin Morales, and Phil Humber.  Jon Lester is starting tonight, this could be one of his last AAA starts before taking over the 5th spot in the Red Sox rotation.

Today also marks the MLB debut for one of my personal favorites, Chase Headley.  I'll be tuning into WGN at 2PM EDT to catch his first game.

What is everyone else looking forward to today?

What a day huh?  Over 11 hours to complete 3 rounds, and there were some obvious winners and losers.  I hate to kick someone when they're down, so I'm not going into the losers here.  What am I going to do is rank my top 5 drafts from Day 1.

5. Cleveland Browns- Phil Savage took the top OT on the board in Joe Thomas, solidifying the LT position for 10-15 years for the Browns.  Savage made a big trade to move back into the 1st round at #22 and grabbed the #2 rated QB in Quinn, who went 15-20 spots later than anticipated.  Savage made another deal in the second round, acquiring the #53 pick to take CB Eric Wright.  Wright is a 1st round talent if his head is on straight.

Cleveland comes away with three first round talents on Day 1, but it was costly.  The Browns traded their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and a 6th rounder this year as well as next year's first round pick to get the picks to acquire Quinn and Wright.  Those two players have to pan out for the cost of adding them.

Remaining picks: 5th round(140), 6th round(195), 7th round(213)

4. Indianapolis Colts- I scratched my head at first when Anthony Gonzalez came off the board at #32, but the Colts do need a true #3 WR, and Gonzalez is the most polished guy that was available I think.  He's a slot receiver that will go over the middle and make the tough catch, he runs precise routes which is critical in the Colts timing offense.  The Colts traded 2008's first round pick round pick along with #126 to add a 2nd round pick this year.  With #42, they took Tony Ugoh, a tackle from Arkansas.  I'm not sure if he'll become the heir apparent at LT for long time tackle Tarik Glenn, or if he'll be the new RT in a year or two, but I do think he was easily the best OL available, and the drop off at tackle was pretty big after Ugoh.  The third round was very good to the Colts, as they added two perfect Tampa 2 players in cornerback Daymeion Hughes and defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock.

Hughes is the prototypical Tampa 2 corner, he will team with Marlin Jackson, Kelvin Hayden, and Tim Jennings to provide depth at cornerback.  Ideally, Hughes will start at a corner spot opposite Hayden with Jackson providing depth at corner and safety.  Pitcock is a hard worker who puts in extra time on film and works as hard as possible to make the play.  He's not the most gifted guy out there, but he won't be outworked and is a coach's dream.  He'll fit in with Booger McFarland and Raheem Brock in the tackle rotation very well.

Remaining picks: 4th round(131 and 136), 5th round(169 and 173), 7th round(242)

3. Detroit Lions- The Lions started things off early with the #2 pick, taking Calvin Johnson, arguably the best player in the draft.  While the Lions don't have a good track record with wideouts in the first round, I think this pick was a no-brainer.  Adding Johnson to Roy Williams and Mike Furrey provides a core of receivers, with Tatum Bell and TJ Duckett in the backfield until Kevin Jones is back from injury.  This gives Jon Kitna more weapons to work with and make the Lions more dangerous offensively.  Many people feel the Lions need an upgrade at QB, and picked up the likely QB of the future in Michigan State's Drew Stanton.  He'll be able to play behind Kitna for a year or two, and learn from offensive coordinator Mike Martz.  

The Lions were even able to drop back in the second round and land Stanton, adding #74 overall as well as #43 where they took Stanton.  The Lions weren't done dealing, as they traded picks #66 and #145 to move up to #53, where they selected Ikaika Alama-Francis.  Alama-Francis played DE in college, but I expect to see him playing DT in the Tampa 2 scheme coach Rod Marinelli runs.  If he can maintain a weight of 275 to 280, he'll be a very solid guy in the tackle rotation for Detroit.  The Lions made another deal in the second round, sending picks #74 and #101 to the Ravens for the #61 selection.  The Lions added Gerald Alexander, a safety/cornerback from Boise State.  While Alexander doesn't have prototypical corner speed, like the Colts Dameiyon Hughes he doesn't need it in the Tampa 2.  He's a physical corner, who can help out in the running game.  I'd say he could see time in the nickel package at worst, with a shot at a starting spot.

Remaining picks: 4th round(105), 5th round(139, 154, and 158), 7th round(255)

2. Carolina Panthers- Carolina started the day with the #14 pick, and it wouldn't have been a surprise to see eventual 1st round pick Jon Beason go to them at that spot.  However, the Panthers were able to get Beason #25, while also adding picks #59 and #164.  Beason can step into the weak side spot or fill in the middle for oft-injured Dan Morgan.  With their 2nd round pick, the Panthers landed Dwayne Jarrett, a guy projected to go in the mid to late 1st round.  This was very good value here, as he will form a solid receiving core for the future with Steve Smith and Keary Colbert.  Jarret doesn't have to produce right away, but can learn behind Smith and Keyshawn Johnson.

With the #59 pick acquire from the Jets in the Beason deal, the Panthers landed the top center in the draft, USC's Ryan Kalil.  Kalil was projected to be a late first or early second round pick, so landing him near the bottom of the second round was a steal.  Kalil will be part a big part of the rebuilding of the Panthers line over the next couple of seasons.  In the third round, the Panthers added DE Charles Johnson.  In time, he could really benefit from playing opposite Julius Peppers on the Panthers D-Line.  Johnson was another guy who had been mentioned as a 1st round pick at one point in time.  I think John Fox will be able to get the most of him, maybe even using him as a situational pass rusher this season.

Remaining picks: 4th round(118), 5th round(155 and 164), 7th round(226)

1. San Francisco 49ers- Could we have scripted a better first day?  I think not.  With our first round pick, we landed Patrick Willis, the best linebacker in the draft.  He'll be to fight for a starting job this year and likely win out.  He's a big addition, pairing with Brandon Moore to form a quick, powerful, destructive tandem in the middle of the 3-4.  He's a future Pro Bowler, and a great addition to our team.  The Niners then traded up into the late first round, sending next year's 1st rounder and #110 to New England for the 28th pick.  With that selection, we added our future LT, the second best LT prospect in the draft.  Staley is a guy who can be a part of lineup for 10-15 years, whether he starts off at RT or we shift Jonas Jennings to RT this year.

The Niners made another deal in the second round, sending the 42nd pick to Indianapolis for the Colts 2008 1st rounder and #126 in this year's draft.  There was quite a debate on the two trades, but I think we come out great here.  We swap first round picks, likely moving only 8-10 spots farther down in the first round next year.  We dropped 16 spots in the 4th round here.  In doing so, we added a top 3 OL, something we could not have done at #42.  Joe Staley is head and shoulders above OT Tony Ugoh who the Colts took with our 2nd round pick, so the slight drops we make in the 4th round this year and the 1st round next year aren't significant in the big picture.

With our two 3rd round picks, we filled two big needs.  Wideout Jason Hill was selected at #76, and the hope is he can win a starting job this year.  He was projected in the late second round, so adding him in the third is a bit of a steal.  His production dropped off last year, but it seems it was due to family issues.  If that is the case, we landed a first round talent in the third round.  With our second third round pick, we grabbed defensive end Ray McDonald.  McDonald is another guy with 1st round talent, but two ACL injuries lowered his draft stock.  If healthy, he gives the Niners a 4th first round talent in the first 3 rounds.

Remaining picks: 4th round(104, 124, 126, and 135), 5th round(147), 6th round(186)

[EDITOR'S NOTE] - Thanks to gatling for getting this posted. And my sorrow to Braekneck as the Michael Bush dream is dead as a doornail....at least for now!

33. Oakland Raiders-Zach Miller, TE Arizona State
    
34. Detroit Lions-Marcus McCauley, CB Fresno State
    
35. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Buster Davis, MLB FSU
    
36. Cleveland Browns-Ryan Kalil, C USC
    
37. Chicago Bears-Michael Griffin, FS Texas
    
38. Arizona Cardinals-Brandon Meriweather, FS Miami
    
39. Atlanta Falcons-Tony Ugoh, OT Arkansas
    
40. Miami Dolphins-Aaron Sears, OT Tennessee
    
41. Minnesota Vikings-Anthony Gonzalez, WR Ohio State
    
42. San Francisco 49ers-Sidney Rice, WR South Carolina
    
43. Buffalo Bills-Antonio Pittman, RB Ohio State
    
44. Atlanta Falcons-Charles Johnson, DE Georgia
    
45. Carolina Panthers-Brandon Siler, MLB Florida
    
46. Pittsburgh Steelers-Anthony Spencer, DE Purdue
    
47. Green Bay Packers-Tanard Jackson, CB Syracuse
    
48. Jacksonville Jaguars-Tim Crowder, DE Texas
    
49. Cincinnati Bengals-Jon Beason, OLB     Miami
    
50. Tennessee Titans-Josh Wilson, CB Maryland
    
51. New York Giants-Eric Wright, CB UNLV
    
52. St. Louis Rams-Craig Davis, WR LSU
    
53. Dallas Cowboys-Steve Smith, WR USC
    
54. Kansas City Chiefs-Doug Free, OT Northern Illinois
    
55. Seattle Seahawks-Michael Bush, RB Louisville
    
56. Houston Texans-Jonathan Wade, CB Tennessee
    
57. Philadelphia Eagles-Brian Leonard, RB Rutgers
    
58. New Orleans Saints-Rufus Alexander, OLB Oklahoma
    
59. New York Jets
    
60. Miami Dolphins
    
61. Baltimore Ravens
    
62. San Diego Chargers
    
63. New York Jets
    
64. Detroit Lions

Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. has posted his latest mock draft here.

Some players of interest here on Niners Nation: "7. Minnesota (6-10)

Projected pick: +LaRon Landry, S, LSU
Needs: WR, DE, CB, TE, C/G, DT
CB Hall would be a strong consideration. The team could also reach for WR Ted Ginn Jr. or DE Jamaal Anderson. With that in mind, the Vikings would be wise to entertain any trade-down offers that would keep them in the top 20 and give them an extra pick or two later on. If they can't move, the Vikings should take Landry, one of the elite prospects in this year's class.

8. Atlanta (7-9)

(from Houston)
Projected pick: Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville
Needs: S, DE, OT, DT, RB
The Falcons would love for Landry to fall to them at No. 8, where they now pick following the Schaub trade. They also should strongly consider OT Levi Brown. However, don't be surprised if new head coach Bobby Petrino steers GM Rich McKay in the direction of Okoye, who played for Petrino at Louisville. The 19-year-old has bulked up to 300-plus pounds and recently ran the 40 in the 4.8-second range at an on-campus workout.

11. San Francisco (7-9)

Projected pick: +Alan Branch, DT, Michigan
Needs: WR, OLB, DT/DE, S, OT, RB, ILB, C
Branch's stock is dropping due to concerns regarding his work ethic and conditioning. However, it will be awfully tough for the Niners to pass on a 323-pounder with his type of mobility.

12. Buffalo (7-9)

Projected pick: Patrick Willis, ILB, Mississippi
Needs: RB, CB, ILB, DT, TE
Willis has the workout numbers to match his production as a three-year starter in the SEC. The Bills could reach for RB Marshawn Lynch here but they'd be wise to go with Willis instead, and then draft a running back such as Ohio State's Antonio Pittman in Round 2.

17. Jacksonville (8-8)

Projected pick: Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska
Needs: S, DE, QB, WR, DT
The Jaguars could use this pick on a better pure pass-rusher or on a safety like Nelson, but Carriker is the better value in this scenario. At 296 pounds, Carriker has the size, strength, quickness and technique to develop into a quality every-down starter at the next level."

I tend to agree here, even with the questions about Branch right now, he's the kind of talent that you really have to take a chance on.  

While Don "Biggest Douche in the Universe" Banks may not like the Niners offseason moves, at least one writer does.   Jeffri Chadiha has an article up saying we've made the best moves so far.  He's actually one of the guys at SI that I really enjoy.  If it wasn't for their Truth and Rumors section and a couple of writers like Chadiha, I don't think I'd pay SI.com much attention at all.

[EDITOR'S NOTE] - Thanks to gatling for picking up on this story. Ashely Lelie is a guy who has underachieved but has the potential to do big things. I'll get a scouting report put together on him in the coming days.

They don't have the contract details, but ESPN has Lelie inking a 2 year deal with the Niners.  I think this could work out well, if he can actually catch the damn ball.  He has the speed we need at the position, and maybe playing outside of the West Coast offense he can be better utilized.  What do you guys think?

[EDITOR'S UPDATE - 11:43AM] - Looks like the Cowboys are finalizing a deal with Leonard Davis, and it's expected to exceed the deals of guards Derrick Dockery (7 years, $49 million) and Eric Steinbach (7 years, $49.5 million). I'm fine with that considering he's been an underperformer. A big body's nice, but I thik I'll manage to survive.