Backyard Baseball 2001 Draft: Fifth Round Recap and Analysis

If you are reading this for the first time and you don't know what this is, please refer to my previous article entitled "The Backyard Baseball Project". We then held the Backyard Baseball 2001 Draft Lottery. On Tuesday April 23, we began the draft. Slowly we are getting it done. Our owners have busy schedules with school wrapping up, which is why you might think this is all coming to you slow. Nevertheless, our GMs love  Backyard Baseball and are dedicated to building their franchises. If you aren't all caught up on the draft, here are the links to rounds 1-4:

First Round
Second Round
Third Round
Fourth Round
Also, let's take a look at each team's current roster.

Little 500 All-Stars (managed by Connor Boehm)Home field: Tin Can Alley
1) Pablo Sanchez
2) Mark McGwire
3) Chipper Jones
4) Stephanie Morgan

Kingston Bunt Smokers (managed by Will Fitzgerald)
Home field: Dirt Yards
1) Curt Schilling
2) Derek Jeter
3) Carlos Beltran
4) Alex Rodriguez

Grand Salamis (managed by Tommy Mantice)
Home field: Steele Stadium
1) Sammy Sosa
2) Frank Thomas
3) Jose Canseco
4) Mike Piazza

Vinnie the Gooch's All-Stars (managed by Eric Benjamin)
Home field: Cement Gardens
1) Ken Griffey Jr.
2) Achmed Khan
3) Randy Johnson
4) Cal Ripken Jr.

Crazy Fishes (managed by CJ Revis)
Home field: Sandy Flats
1) Pete Wheeler
2) Kiesha Phillips
3) Luanne Lui
4) Angela Delvecchio

Orange Wombats (managed by Grant Smith)
Home field: Playground Commons
1) Barry Bonds
2) Kenny Lofton
3) Vladimir Guerrero
4) Nomar Garciaparra 

Now, let's waste no more time getting to the fifth round. 

1) (25 Overall) Little 500 All-Stars (Connor Boehm)- Juan Gonzalez

I think Juan-Gone is a little underrated. He's a great hitter, he's got decent wheels and he's a great fielder. He's basically a poor man's Sammy Sosa, and I think there are a couple other of these models still available in this draft. Gonzalez is a very good player and a great pick-up for this team. 

2) (26 Overall) Kingston Bunt Smokers (Will Fitzgerald)- Jeff Bagwell

I figured it was only a matter of time for Will to take Bags, being an avid Houston Astros fan. Bags is a perfect first baseman for any team. And also, props to him for playing baseball the way it should be played. Yes, Bags wears eye black, something I did very often when I played little league. Bags will be a great fit for this team, and I know Fitz will love managing him. Bags also hits very well and has alright speed. Good pick.

3) (27 Overall) Grand Salamis (Tommy Mantice)- Barry Larkin

Barry's a good option and good pick here. One of the last shortstops left on the board. He's a good hitter, he's fast, and he's one of the best fielders around. Good pick here. 

4) (28 Overall) Vinnie the Gooch's All-Stars (Eric Benjamin)- Jocinda Smith

CJ accused Eric of employing the "screw CJ" strategy after he made this pick. Jocinda's a good hitter, but I think she's a little overhyped. CJ also said he thinks her ratings lie, and I think there is some value to that statement. She's a solid fielder and a solid hitter, but not a whole lot more than that.

5) (29 Overall) Crazy Fishes (CJ Revis)- Mikey Thomas
Mikey's all bat. He's a good hitter but not a great runner. Not a bad option here though. He's a good fielder and he has a very strong arm. My biggest concern with him though is the fact that he's always sick, and if I'm CJ I have to take precautionary to keep him from infecting the whole team. But Mikey's a decent player and this isn't a bad pick.

6) (30 Overall) Orange Wombats (Grant Smith)- Annie Frazier
I'm not crazy about Annie either. Annie has good ratings but whenever I have her on my team, she seems to fail me. Maybe I don't know how to manage her, or maybe she's not as good as her ratings suggest. But I like that Grant is finally drafting a backyard kid. That will create some diversity and a better blend of talents. But I think he could have gone with someone better here. Where is Tony Delvecchio? And why hasn't he been taken yet? This isn't a bad pick, however I am skeptical.


So that concludes the fifth round of the Backyard Baseball 2001 Draft. What's your take on it? Whose team is looking the strongest right now? Do you think anyone has made any mistakes? What do you think? Comment, or let me know on the Facebook fan page or on Twitter @vellvita7. The next round should be here soon. As always, thanks for reading!