**2023. Rockem Sockem 22 Preview:**

**Ahh Florida…thankfully I think Rockem is done with visiting the wang of the United States. Spring Training, World Baseball Classic, that sums it up. Hassles all around, league members on the precipice of life changing events, yet through it all I heard multiple times from all different people how happy they were to be in this, together. THAT makes it all worth it my friends. So much love to you all, because for every racist uber driver we come across there is a friendly guy selling you street meats who doesn’t speak english.**

**Onto the preview. This is the most wide open draft and the most wide open MLB has been in our 22 years. No consensus anywhere, could be 100% wrong with my views below and I would not be shocked if the team I pick to finish 12th wins the whole thing; it is going to be a fun year of baseball. **

**Noticing anything familiar? I just copied and pasted that from last year, just changed 21 to 22. It is even more wide open this year. Injuries are already playing a role (Thanks WBC!) and breakouts will happen like a teenager after a pizza party. **

**On top of all that uncertainty we have rules changes for 2023. Will lefty averages shoot through the roof, will SB totals rival Vince Coleman? Will absolutely nothing change?!? Can’t wait to watch it with you guys as the season plays out. **

**As always I am just dealing with your team as of the draft with my takes; I can’t keep track if you picked up Johnny Hotnuts or slipped the tongue to Malcolm McVultureSave. I am not going off past managerial performances either…some of you have taken August off in previous seasons. I am also doing this before I read your responses to my questions, any connection is just serendipitous. In Draft Order…**

**Bull:**

**1) How would you rate your draft (feel free to create your own scale)? **

**En Fuego…..like Shawn’s back after day one in Miami **

**2) One pick you were stoked about, one you should have changed? **

**Burnes/Cole on the snake. Never a scenario I considered ever…..but the obvious choice at the time. It changed the draft for me because it forced me to go all offense and not upset with any of my choices for the next 12 rounds. Should have taken Brusdar before Lang……but oh well. **

**3) Whose team are you most impressed with? **

**I’m cheating off Bird. Definitely Vig’s team. He broke the apps that Jay Moon and I were using by punting positions. **

**4) Green or Yellow? **

**Stupid question. Gators are green **

**5) Stand or Sit? **

**Stupid question. There’s a toilet seat for a reason. **

**6) Favorite part of the trip/draft experience? **

**The sea life.**

INSERT STUPID PICTURES HERE.

**7) Anything to say to your competitors? **

**That was actually one of the most enjoyable drafting experiences in league history. On point and tight…..6 hours. Long live Puddin’head Wilson and Chief Beef O’Queef!**

**Commish’s Take:**

**The pudd'nhead lover himself opened up the draft with the envious #1 pick and bet the farm on the giant Judge. Could have gone a few ways, all have risk/reward but I think he was really looking at his first snake with the Judge grab as he went Pitch-Pitch to have a power bat and two great arms to feast on. **

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**Behind Judge, Cole and Burnes, Bull went for 2 options, fairly steady producers (Albies, Correa, Lowe) and Orioles (Rutschman, Gunnar, Santander, Mateo). Hey man, we give sh!t to Vig and Eben for picking Yanks, Bull’s team should just move into Camden yards…this could the right year to do it though, because none of those picks look like a stretch..If a few later picks like Baez return to form, look out for Big Bull…or if the O’s implode, welcome to Bodymore Murderland. **

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**On the arms side Burnes/Cole/Ray make a strong push for best Staff here with Gilbert and old man Wainwright (he didn’t retire?!) rounding out starters. He also got a lock down closer with Clase and some longer shots Lange and Cancer Man Hendricks. Overall Bull is looking pretty primped up, just like an empanada cumshot…eww.**

**Commish’s Prediction: Top 3rd. Can the 1st pick win two years in a row? Bull is gonna damn well try. **

**McNally:**

**1) How would you rate your draft (feel free to create your own scale)?**

**Much like my cab driver on the way to the house… I made a few wrong turns along the way.**

**2) One pick you were stoked about, one you should have changed?**

**I know this answer isn't usually one's first pick, but I'm pretty stoked about Turner. I wanted him and definitely thought Bull was taking him.**

**I would change any one of the 7 or 8 injured players I drafted.**

**3) Whose team are you most impressed with?**

**Bull. A lot of balance there.**

**4) Green or Yellow?**

**Yellow. But you should be buying Orange.**

**5) Stand or Sit?**

**I sit. But I don't really care as long as we're talking front to back. Those other people are the real animals.**

**6) Favorite part of the trip/draft experience?**

**- The quiet, peaceful beer and smoke I had by the pool solo waiting for you guys to return from the game. Just waiting for it all to happen!**

**- The late night hanging with those of you who stayed up after the game. (Thank you, Mr Catalina)**

**- The walk to the store with Big Bull.**

**7) Anything to say to your competitors?**

**Much love, hugs & kisses… now gimmie that damn trophy!**

**Commish’s Take: This was the first year I put the players in during the draft so I was a bit more focused on working than d!cking around and I thought Donny had a proper squad. Then, in the cold light of doing the preview the following week, it seems every player Don drafted is hurt/Day to Day…aren’t we all?**

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Even without the injury worries, I am a bit confused about McNally’s cast of players. He flew in late with a 12 pack and no backpack, was up all night chit chatting with Catalina, and dove in with a pretty solid 1-2 of Turner/Riley and then gambled on deGrom. Not bad, Not bad at all, Robert, Springer and Marte, should be a solid OF, A bit weak up the MI (teehee) but OK at the corners with Chapman and Cron. **

**For arms Fried, Glasnow, Bassitt, Gonslin on paper should work but injuries already are scary. His best move may be his new dance craze, The Hesley Presley Bullpen Hip Shake sweeping the nation, wait Don drafted 2 Closers!??! It is the apocalypse…Honestly, this team confuses me the most, I had no idea where to put them. **

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**Commish’s prediction: Middle Third. When I am confused by a team I usually slap them in the middle, I can see Don winning or 12th, so let’s split the difference. **

**Fatone:**

**1) How would you rate your draft (feel free to create your own scale)?**

**- FAF! Lots of new names on the squad, I feel like more than ever, excited to see how it pans out.**

**2) One pick you were stoked about, one you should have changed?**

**- Excited to watch Ohtani pitch for Dogzilla, hope to get out there and watch him pitch live. The game vs Toronto last weekend was nuts, so much fun and wild to come down to Trout and Ohtani with a chance to win in extras. Also stoked I held out for a catcher and didn’t pull the trigger early. Really struggled with tounfs 10-12, not anyone I really regret but felt like I was screwing that up.**

**3) Whose team are you most impressed with?**

**-Toms, that’s a real solid start to the draft. Would love to see another first timer this year.**

**4) Green or Yellow?**

**-Red. But I think it leans way more yellow than green.**

**5) Stand or Sit?**

**-Sit mostly but have been mixing it up the last few months.**

**6) Favorite part of the trip/draft experience?**

**-Man I hate to miss these but glad many of you got together and had a blast. F Miami!**

**7) Anything to say to your competitors?**

**-Good luck peeps, love you all!**

**Commish’s Take:**

**Unfortunately there is a live warrant out for Fatty in FLA so he couldn’t join in person (smart man) and drafting remotely hasn’t worked for him yet…well either has drafting in person!!!**

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**But seriously folks, tip your waiters and wif-fi providers. There are two teams this year that just feel meh to me. Again, I could see them winning, but I don’t think they will and this is the first. I guess a lot has to do with Acuna. He is back to mega star status? I need to see it first. Ohtani pitch is good, but were there better options (Cole, Burnes) on the board? Nolan, X-man, Rhys as ‘big’ bats? (Editor's note: Sorry Rhys) not the most boner inducing. Vinnie Paisano and Nick the Greek are good mobsters, but one note bats…**

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**Wait a second, this Don drafted multiple closers as well??! Jesus, it really is the end of days…Well it has been fun boys. Hader, Iglesias and possibly Gallegos and Adam give Fatty a hell of a pen, and with Framber and a few Devil Rays, I guess he could make some noise, but..and I mean butt…like fart. **

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**Commish Predictions: Bottom Third. Don’t think we will be flying to Manhattan Beach for Dinner this December… **

**Wilson:**

**1) How would you rate your draft (feel free to create your own scale)? **

**Underwhelmingly automated. My fantasy baseball draft was an apt mirror of MLB. It involved lots of data, metrics, comparative analysis and two different drafting Apps…and ended up with a team that statistically makes sense in fleeting moments on a spring Saturday to some finicky algorithm…but which has no heart and soul. No sleepers, no long shots, no domineering personalities, nothing to say "A team was born." It's just a series of modest and unimaginative decisions made in reaction to eyeballs on software. My future goal is to return to the days when I'm just blurting out names. **

**2) One pick you were stoked about, one you should have changed? **

**I should have drafted Nestor Cortez – who was born for this unruly age of pitch clocks and opaque rules – and taken a pass on Joey Gallo.**

**3) Whose team are you most impressed with? **

**Moon's. I always like Moon's teams, because he frequently steals my first idea, which is probably why he hasn't won in a very, very long time. **

**4) Green or Yellow? **

**Green. **

**5) Stand or Sit? **

**Stand. **

**6) Favorite part of the trip/draft experience? **

**Per usual…the side moments with friends in sunny settings. As time passes I've come to enjoy these sporadic interactions more than major league baseball. Baseball is still the best sport under blue skies. And time – as it is experienced between the foul lines – has an elegance that the 21st century desperately needs. But all the rule tinkering, eyeball grabbing, profiteering and marketing of major league baseball has left professional baseball meaning a lot less to me than it once did, and the reunion of old friends is about the only thing that has thrown it a lifeline.**

**7) Anything to say to your competitors? **

**If this particular team wins, just know that it's only because you lost (and thank you for the past two decades).**

**Commish’s Take: Wilson had a lot of questions and thoughts on his mind this weekend…predominately being, can I draft all of the Yanks and Rockies as per usual? Maybe some other stuff too, but Yanks and Rocks, Yanks and Rocks…with a side of Ju-Rod (ohhh, now I get it) and tasty Trout. That one-two could be mega, but I got a feeling he is going to need them to be Co-MVP’s if this team is even going to sniff free eats. **

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**Rizzo, Torres, Holmes, LeMahieu all before the 10th round. Wow…I don’t think Cashmen would draft those guys that high…Toss in Oswald and his shocking lone Rockie, Hand, and you got a Wilson Bomb. Like, bomb in the movie term. **

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**This team needs help. Maybe it will come in the form of a pretty good 1-2 of Spencer Strider and Shane Bieber, but like his 1-2 bats, those guys are gonna need Cy-Young level years to float this team to the Eets A Boat. I don’t see it. Run Wilson Run. **

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**Commish’s Prediction: Bottom Third. Neezer will be stepping into the freezer come December … and paying for dinner. **

**Jeff:**

**1) How would you rate your draft (feel free to create your own scale)? **

**On the scale of bad decisions made on Rockem trips - this draft is a poolside gatorade vodka shot. It goes down kinda easy / kinda not. You are well aware that this is a bad idea and will most certainly cause some unintended negative consequences in the semi near term. **

**2) One pick you were stoked about, one you should have changed? **

**Speaking of which.. I have never owned Freeman or Semien - not my kind of picks. But my kind of picks have landed me zero full season trophies. Happy to have Pete and Manoah back, balances out the my team / not my team vibe. Manoah is 24, was 33rd on the player rater last year (3rd in Cy Young voting) and available in the 6th round? Rinse and repeat. **

**3) Whose team are you most impressed with? **

**BK and Moon methinks. SPD’s team is intriguing. All 3 of his OFs may be injured simultaneously, but when you are playing with the house’s money, you go big. **

**4) Green or Yellow? **

**Chartreuse. Purple frost is the best though. **

**5) Stand or Sit? **

**Stand by me **

**6) Favorite part of the trip/draft experience? **

**The time spent. Always the time spent. Means the world to me. **

**7) Anything to say to your competitors? **

**Love you all. Best league ever.**