The 1999 Spring Draft - Wabash Valley Strat-O-Matic League

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THE 1999 SPRING DRAFT
SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1999 · THE COMMISSIONER'S BASEMENT
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The 1998 cards came the third week of February, and for three weeks after that nobody in this league got anything done. There has never been a set of cards like these and there may never be again. Two men passed Roger Maris in the same summer. Every one of us knew who was going first. The only question was who would get Sosa.

We started at 8 a.m. Jeanne made two coffee cakes. Ted and Miles mailed me their lists in February, in order of preference, and I picked for them off their lists, crossing off names as they went, which means Ted's first pick was made by the commissioner reading out loud off a sheet of hotel stationery from Sarasota. Twenty-five rounds, snake order: worst finish in 1998 picks first in round one, and the order turns around every round. We were done at 3:40.

Here are the first three rounds, with what each man did in 1998, which is what his card is made from.

ROUND ONE

1	Ted	Mark McGwire, 1B. 70 home runs, the new record, with 147 runs batted in.
2	Don	Sammy Sosa, OF. 66 home runs, 158 RBI, and the National League MVP.
3	Curtis	Ken Griffey Jr., OF. 56 home runs, and you get the center field glove along with them.
4	Bob	Roger Clemens, P. Went 20-6 with a 2.65 ERA and 271 strikeouts and won the Cy Young.
5	Miles	Alex Rodriguez, SS. 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases. A shortstop.
6	George	Juan Gonzalez, OF. 157 RBI and the American League MVP.
7	Gene	Larry Walker, OF. Won the National League batting title at .363.
8	John	Greg Maddux, P. Led the National League with a 2.22 ERA.

ROUND TWO

9	John	Albert Belle, OF. 49 home runs and 152 RBI.
10	Gene	Pedro Martinez, P. Went 19-7 in his first year in Boston.
11	George	Tom Glavine, P. Went 20-6 and won the National League Cy Young.
12	Miles	Mo Vaughn, 1B. Hit .337 with 40 home runs.
13	Bob	Manny Ramirez, OF. 45 home runs and 145 RBI.
14	Curtis	Mike Piazza, C. Played for three clubs last year, traded twice in one week in May, and hit everywhere he went.
15	Don	Kerry Wood, P. Struck out 20 Astros on May 6 and was Rookie of the Year.
16	Ted	Trevor Hoffman, P. 53 saves.

ROUND THREE

17	Ted	Bernie Williams, OF. Won the American League batting title at .339.
18	Don	Greg Vaughn, OF. 50 home runs, and in most years that leads the league.
19	Curtis	Randy Johnson, P. Traded to Houston at the end of July and went 10-1 for them.
20	Bob	Derek Jeter, SS. Hit .324 for the Yankees, who won 114 games and the World Series.
21	Miles	Craig Biggio, 2B. 51 doubles and 50 stolen bases in the same season.
22	George	Barry Bonds, OF. Became the first man with 400 home runs and 400 stolen bases.
23	Gene	Cal Ripken Jr., 3B. Sat down on September 20 and ended his streak at 2,632 games.
24	John	Tom Gordon, P. 46 saves for the Red Sox.

EACH MAN'S TOP THREE

Ted (Snowbirds): McGwire, Hoffman, Bernie Williams. Ted said on his list, in capital letters, "IF McGWIRE IS GONE, CALL ME." I didn't have to.

Don (Dugout Dons): Sosa, Kerry Wood, Greg Vaughn. Two of the three biggest home run cards in the set on one club. Don has not stopped smiling since March, even at 45 and 57.

Curtis (Coal Diggers): Griffey, Piazza, Randy Johnson. Curtis always drafts the best player on the board and worries about the rest later, and some years the rest never comes.

Bob (Blue Sox): Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Jeter. The best first-round pitcher in years. Bob is our pitching man and has been since 1979.

Miles (Night Owls): Rodriguez, Mo Vaughn, Biggio. Miles built for speed and got it. What he didn't get is pitching, which he knows, and which he mentions in every letter.

George (Hornets): Juan Gonzalez, Glavine, Bonds. I'd have called this a good draft in March. By August it looked like the best one in the room.

Gene (Special Deliveries): Walker, Pedro Martinez, Ripken. I'll admit the Ripken pick was sentiment. He was on the board, I have had his card on my club in some year or other since 1982, and I wasn't going to start a season without him. Curtis laughed out loud. I'd do it again.

John (Cannonballs): Maddux, Belle, Tom Gordon. Picking last in every round, as a champion does, and he still came away with the best ERA card in the set. That's John.

Next spring's draft will be the 22nd, with the 1999 cards. Mail owners, I'll want your lists by the middle of February.

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Last updated Saturday, September 25, 1999