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We’re into round eight now. Take a look back and read the write-ups for round 1, round 2,  round 3, round 4, round 5, round 6, and round 7.

• Round 8 : Pick 1(85) - @seniorcircuit - Torii Hunter - After filling two scarce infield positions and one of the catcher spots I was looking for more 20/20 outfielders. I think Hunter will get comfortable and come close to his numbers of 2007. I think 90/23/85/20/.280 is a reasonable projection for him in 2009.
• Round 8 : Pick 2(86) - @jasoncollette - Roy Oswalt - Hopefully the Oswalt we saw from April to June is gone forever. From July 1 on last year, 10 wins, a 2.22 ERA is the Roy we all know and love. Last year’s 3.54 ERA was the highest of his entire career; quite impressive considering his home ballpark. Oswalt continues to go later than I think he should in drafts.
• Round 8 : Pick 3(87) - @dowdyism - Chad Billingsley - A low 3’s ERA and in the neighborhood of 200 strikeouts - I’ll take that for my number two starter any day of the week.  Billingsley did tack on over 50 more innings in 2008 than in 2007, but his numbers stayed consistent across the board.  The broken leg he suffered is the offseason is reportedly completely healed, so I am looking for a repeat of 2008.
• Round 8: Pick 4(88) - @therotofeed - Ervin Santana - Most people don’t know this, but his given name is also Johan Santana.  For reals. He didn’t want to get mixed up with the original Johan so he chose Ervin on the basis that he thought it sounded cool. I think another season like last year sounds cool, and that he’ll do it. He’s not yet 26 years old and he was flat out dominant in 08.
• Round 8 : Pick 5(89) - @sporer - John Lackey - A draft day value last year thanks to starting the season the shelf for six weeks, Lackey was elite upon arrival due in large part to a 91% strand rate. However, the wheels fell off in the 2nd half of the season again tied to strand rate which was merely 69%. On the whole, he remains an upper crust starting pitcher that can be counted on for 200+ innings with good ratios and enough strikeouts to remain effective and help your fantasy team’s bottom line.
• Round 8 : Pick 6(90) - @tommystv - Scott Kazmir - I don’t go pitcher early, but when I do go I go hard. Took Kazmir as best pitcher on the board. For the longest time he was a legit pitcher that just couldn’t get Ws, well the Rays win now.
• Round 8 : Pick 7(91) - @xxldaddyo - Troy Tulowitzki - After seeing the run on pitchers, we were tempted to continue the streak by taking Dice-K, but there were far more #2 pitchers still available than there were quality shortstops. Tulo will be back in 09. He hit .321 in the 2H last year and should be good for .290 / 100 R / 15+ HR.
• Round8 : Pick 8(92) - @jefeboy - Aubrey Huff -I guess most folks don’t expect him to repeat his 2008 numbers. I don’t either, but if he comes close he’ll earn this spot easily. I need some power, and while he may not get 32 again, he’s got to be good for 25+.
• Round 8 : Pick 9(93) - @fakebaseball - Jay Bruce - Since I’ve taken mostly older, steadier players (which isn’t how I usually draft, but younger players have been flying off the board in this particular draft), at the end of the 8th I went with a higher-risk upside pick in Bruce. I don’t think .275/27+ HR/10 SB is unreasonable in’09, and runs and RBIs should be good as well, hitting in the middle of the order as he’s projected. Best-case, he’ll put up Jason Bay-like numbers, which would make him a steal late in the 8th round.
• Round 8 : Pick 10(94) - @TheRoundtable - Daisuke Matsuzaka - When you select Dice-K, you need to know that your WHIP is going to take a hit. He gives you a heart attack on the mound every five days, but you can’t argue with the ultimate results. 18 wins last season and he could have had three or four more had he not missed a month. Batters don’t hit well against him, and he’s adjusted to the MLB better than anyone could have expected. If I’m only sacrificing WHIP, the other stats certainly make up for it at this point. Plus, the run on starting pitching had me thinking that Webb looked lonely.
• Round 8 : Pick 11(95) - @Angels2717 - Rich Harden - The only thing that worried me about this pick was the chance of injury. But a healthy Harden is a monster pitcher. With run support from the Cubs, if stayed healthy, he should produce some great numbers. I usually wouldn’t go for a second pitcher at this point, but there wasn’t much options and I wanted another solid pitcher.
• Round 8 : Pick 12(96) - @crookedpitch - Chone Figgins - If healthy, this guy could play in 150+ games. If he sees 150+ games he’ll steal 50+, bank on it. I am with this pick.

I had a lot of fun last night participating in my first real draft of the year over at Mock Draft Central. The league is a 12 team roto league called Battle of the Fantasy Gods. Here’s how I did drafting from the 12th spot at building my 23-man roster. Remember that we have no bench spots, so all of these guys will start for me each week.

I also spent the night on twitter broadcasting my thoughts, picks, and asking for opinions. Thanks to @fakebaseball, @tmo119, @piraterev, @xxldaddyo, and @angels2717 for hanging out, listening and not laughing at all of my picks. Follow these guys on twitter as well as keep up with my updates too at @crookedpitch.

1. Catcher: Joe Mauer - I grabbed Mauer in the 5th round after Soto, Martin and McCann went earlier. I’m looking forward to his .320+ batting average this season and hope he’ll approach triple digit runs scored and double digit home runs.
2. Catcher: Ryan Doumit - I wasn’t expecting to grab another catcher of this quality, but I did so in the 11th round and can safely say that I have the best catcher tandem in the league. I’m not sure if Doumit will hit over .300 again due to his high hit rate, but .280 or so would be great. Especially if he can approach 20 dingers.
3. First Base: Mark Teixeira - Teixeira was my 2nd round pick at #13 and I expect big things from him hitting in that Yankee lineup.
4. Second Base: Brandon Phillips - I took Phillips in the 3rd round as I felt there was a huge drop off in talent at the second base position after him. I love the power / speed combo.
5. Short Stop: Jimmy Rollins - Rollins was my first round pick and I feel very fortunate that he fell to me at the #12 pick. His speed / power combo also excites me.
6. Third Base: Alex Gordon - At around the 5th round I decided to wait a while for a third baseman. I waited until the 14th round and grabbed Alex Gordon. I’d love it if he hit 20 home runs this season, but it’ll more likely be in the high teens. He could also steal double digit bases for me and since his walk rate is rising, and his strikeout rate is dropping, I’d love to see his batting average climb a bit too.
7. Outfield: Nick Markakis - I took Markakis in the 4th round and I’m looking for triple digit runs scored, 20+ home runs, 10+ stolen bases, and a batting average above .300. Shouldn’t everyone’s standards for a 4th round pick be so high?
8. Outfield: Chris Young - My 8th round pick was Young and I’m going to need my 2008 .300 hitters to stay above .300 to supplement Young’s .250 average. But Young’s 20+ home runs and hopefully 20+ stolen bases will be nice.
9. Outfield: Jay Bruce - In 413 at-bats Bruce hit 21 home runs. So, in 2009, his first full season, I’m hoping for 30+ home runs. The 90-100 RBI that would come with that would be nice for a 10th round pick.
10. Outfield: Nick Swisher - My 17th round pick isn’t even going to get full time at-bats on his new team. I’m hoping that Swisher gets traded from the Yankees or some portion of the log jam there does, or this pick is a bad one.
11. Outfield: Adam Lind - Lind was a 19th round pick to finish out my outfield. I’d love to see him prove that 2007 was an outlier and that the rest of his career at a .300+ batting average is the norm. 20+ home runs would be a gift to me as well.
12. Middle Infielder: Howie Kendrick - Kendrick is a big injury risk, I know this. But, if healthy, he could hit above .300, blast 10 home runs and steal 20 bases. That’s a big if. Plus I got him for a value price in the 13th round at pick #156 when he had an ADP of 130.
13. Corner Infielder: Billy Butler -Two thirds of my corner infield spots play for Kansas City. Am I screwed or what? I hope that Butler can hit north of .290 and come close to 20 home runs in 2009, which wouldn’t be bad for a 20th round pick.
14. Utility: Jason Bartlett - With my last pick of the draft (23rd round) I wanted some more speed. I grabbed Bartlett and hope he’ll reach 20 stolen bases and not hurt me anywhere else.
15. Pitcher: Jonathan Papelbon - I took Paps in the 6th round and he wasn’t the first reliever selected, Francisco Rodriguez went in the 5th. He’s going to notch a lot of saves pitching for the Red Sox. Which I am going ot need since I did not draft another closer.
16. Pitcher: Josh Beckett - Beckett was my 7th round pick and I hope he’ll rebound in 2009 to get his ERA below 4.00 and bring his win total back up.
17. Pitcher:  Scott Kazmir - After Beckett, I wasn’t going to take another pitcher so early. But, when Kazmir was still available at my 9th round pick (#108) I had to jump on him since his ADP was 68. In theory, that’s 6th round talent in the 9th round. Score!
18. Pitcher: Rich Harden - Wish list for my 12th round pick: 1)Please stay healthy! 2)Keep your ERA close to 3.00. 3)Please stay healthy! 4)10+ K/9 ratio would be fantastic. 5)Did I mention please stay healthy?
19. Pitcher: Gavin Floyd -  I’m not expecting 17 wins again from my 15th round draft pick. But 12 wins with 150 strikeouts and a 4.00 ERA would be nice.
20. Pitcher: Matt Garza - I grabbed Garza in the 16th round and expect similar numbers to Floyd from him; 12 wins, 150 strikeouts, sub 4.00 ERA.
21. Pitcher: Max Scherzer - I reached a little bit for my 18th round pick here. I’m hoping for Scherzer to stay in the rotation all season and continue his 10+ K/9 ratio pace.
22. Pitcher: Manny Parra - Parra is my 21st round pick and if I get 10 wins from him and 135 strikeouts with an ERA around 4.00, I’d be happy.
23. Pitcher: Mark Buehrle - 10 Wins, 4.00 ERA, 130 strikeouts. That’s all I want from this 22nd round pick.

So, there you go. How’d I do?

What was my best pick? Worst one?

Here are a few links to the results of the draft:

• Draft Grid
• Team Rosters
• Draft Results

The top prospect in all of baseball is finally getting the call, and this won’t be a short cup of coffee for Jay Bruce. Tuesday evening will mark day one of Bruce’s tenure in the Reds outfield, as they face off against The Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bruce was hitting .364/.393/.630 with nine doubles, five triples, ten home runs and eight stolen bases in 184 at-bats at Triple-A Louisville. He’s got nothing else to prove in the minor leagues, and should be owned from day one in all fantasy baseball formats.

No word as to who is being removed from the  roster to make space for Bruce. Most people think it will be  Corey Patterson, but we won’t know for sure until the press conference at 4:00 PM today.

Well, if the names in the title didn’t make you sit up straight and salivate, wait until you hear this. They’re almost here!!!

Arguably the two biggest names in prospectdom (I’m making words up now) are getting close to big league promotions. What in the heck are you going to do with your waiver priorities if they both hit the wire at the same time?

• Clayton Kershaw | AA Jacksonville Suns | Los Angeles Dodgers - Rumor has it, that Kershaw is going to be called up for a Saturday match-up with the Los Angeles Angels. So, what does he do in his final minor league tune up? He got shelled. Yesterday, Kershaw gave up five earned runs in 3.1 innings as his ERA ballooned to 2.21. However, if you look at the bright side, that’s the first time he’s given up an earned run since tax day, April 15th. He’s still striking out more than a batter per inning, and has 40 strikeouts and 11 walks in 36.2 innings of work. Expect many, many teams to execute the #1 waiver wire priority status if it’s made official that Kershaw will start Saturday. And check out Alex Eisenberg’s latest article about Clayton Kershaw at THT.
• Jay Bruce | AAA Louisville Bats | Cincinnati Reds - Let me get the bad out before I get to the warm, fuzzy stuff about Jay Bruce. Bruce is striking out too much at AAA right now. His contact rate is 75.36% as he’s struck out 34 times in 138 at-bats. But, he’s going to have to work on that “in the bigs” as Baseball America just made Bruce the prospect of the day today and stated that a promotion of Jay Bruce to Cincinnati could be imminent. Bruce has slash stats of .348/.375/.609 with seven doubles, four triples, seven home runs, and seven stolen bases in his 37 games at Triple-A. The biggest prospect in all of baseball seems to have nothing more to learn in the minor leagues.