Hanley Ramirez: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

The calendar may read Feb. 13, or Valentine's Day Eve (for those who forgot to buy flowers, candy or Baseball Prospectus's preseason annual for their significant other), but it's never too early to start preparing for baseball drafts. To wit, I partook in a practice draft for Mock Draft Central on Thursday, featuring fantasy experts from Fantasy Baseball Trade Market, FOX Sports, Crucial Sports, Crooked Pitch, Wise Guy Baseball, MLB Front Office and, of course, Accuscore (a Fantasy Clicks Friend of the Program), among others. The mock draft comprised 12 teams, 23 rounds and standard 5x5 roto scoring rules. And as luck would have it, I drew the No. 2 overall pick in Round 1 -- leaving me with the automatic choice of landing either Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez, Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols, Mets 3B David Wright and even Alex Rodriguez ... without much internal debate or consternation.

Before I reveal the draftees, here are my minimum parameters for drafting hitters and pitchers:

Hitters
**After Round 1 (assuming Hanley is gone at No. 2), I will favor guys who exceed my baseline requirements for all five categories. In other words, if given the choice of Adam Dunn's 40 HRs, 103 RBIs, 81 runs, 7 steals and .245 average OR Vernon Wells' 28 HRs, 92 RBIs, 15 steals, 102 runs and .293 average ... I'd probably side with the speedier Wells every time.

**I will make a concerted effort to win steals, runs and RBIs. Given the exorbitant cost of home-run hitters these days (even one-trick ponies), I'm mentally prepared for a 7th- or 8th-place finish in HRs ... provided I'm rock-solid elswhere.

**When in doubt, I will favor positional versatility (which, ironically, could make Dunn more attractive this year -- more on that below).

Starting Pitchers
**I won't draft anyone who suffered a major shoulder or elbow injury in 2008.
**I favor pitchers who consistently yield a 6.8 K/9 ratio.
**I will only select pitchers with a K/BB track record of 2.3/1. (I despise walks ... sorry, Dice-K).
**I will only target pitchers with a consistent WHIP (walks + hits per inning) of 1.34 or less.
**I will only grab pitchers with an ERA track record of 3.79 or below.
**I likely won't take a pitcher who experienced a surreal jump in innings pitched last year ... or, at the very least, one without a track record for 190 innings.

Here's my team that comprised 23 players (9 pitchers, 5 outfielders, 2 catchers, 1 1B, 1 2B, 1 SS, 1 3B, 1 middle infielder, 1 corner infielder, 1 Utility/DH). At No. 2, I had fully intended to take Pujols; but as luck would have it, Hanley fell into my lap.

Round 1 -- SS Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
Round 2 -- OF Alfonso Soriano, Cubs (just two years removed from 40/40)
Round 3 -- OF Carlos Lee, Astros (would've eclipsed highs in HRs and RBIs in '08, before injury)
Round 4 -- SP Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks (the No. 1 pitcher on my draft board)
Round 5 -- OF Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox (Fanball magazine's No. 1 outfielder in AL leagues)
Round 6 -- SP Roy Oswalt, Astros
Round 7 -- RP Joe Nathan, Twins (my favorite reliever)
Round 8 -- SP John Lackey, Angels
Round 9 -- C Ryan Doumit, Pirates (after Matt Wieters, the talent drops big-time)
Round 10 -- SP Justin Verlander, Tigers
Round 11 -- SP Kevin Slowey, Twins (should be a WHIP master in '09)
Round 12 -- 1B/3B Carlos Guillen, Tigers (he'll have OF eligibility by April 10)
Round 13 -- SP Aaron Harang, Reds
Round 14 -- SP Scott Baker, Twins
Round 15 -- 3B Alex Gordon, Royals
Round 16 -- OF Denard Span, Twins (I couldn't find one publication that doesn't project stardom)
Round 17 -- RP Huston Street, Rockies
Round 18 -- OF Elijiah Dukes, Nationals
Round 19 -- C Jeff Clement, Mariners
Round 20 -- 2B Orlando Hudson, Free Agent (assuming he joins a team in the next 30 days)
Round 21 -- 1B/DH Billy Butler, Royals
Round 22 -- OF Michael Cuddyer, Twins
Round 23 -- 2B Akinori Iwamura, Rays

Here are the picks for Rounds 1/2 of the experts' draft. To view the other 21 rounds, Click here.

Round 1
1. Albert Pujols, Cards -- Chris Spencer, Fantasy Baseball Trade Market
2. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins -- Jay Clemons, Sports Illustrated
3. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees -- John Halpin, FOX Sports
4. Jose Reyes, Mets -- Rob Reed, PLAYERtrack
5. David Wright, Mets -- Mark Haverty, Crucial Sports
6. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins -- Mary Poplawski, Fantistics -- Insider Baseball
7. Ryan Braun, Brewers -- Tim Williams, Accuscore
8. Grady Sizemore, Indians -- Adam Ronis, Newsday
9. Ian Kinsler, Rangers -- Mike Lombardo, Wise Guy Baseball
10. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies -- Knox Bardeen, Crooked Pitch
11. Josh Hamilton, Rangers -- Brad Stewart, MLB Front Office
12. Mark Teixeira, Yankees -- Ray Flores, Fantasy Baseball Cafe

Round 2
1. Chase Utley, Phillies -- Flores
2. Lance Berkman, Astros -- Stewart
3. Ryan Howard, Phillies -- Bardeen
4. B.J. Upton, Rays -- Lombardo
5. Carlos Beltran, Mets -- Ronis
6. Matt Holliday, Athletics -- Williams
7. Tim Lincecum, Giants -- Poplawski
8. Evan Longoria, Rays -- Haverty
9. Prince Fielder, Brewers -- Reed
10. Johan Santana, Mets -- Halpin
11. Alfonso Soriano, Cubs -- Clemons
12. Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox -- Spencer

Now that Adam Dunn has found a home with the Nationals ... my Clicks bet from last week is officially on: Assuming Dunn makes it through the season relatively injury-free, I will make a gentleman's bet with the world that he'll finish with 38-41 HRs, 98-103 RBIs AND 7-8 stolen bases. If I am wrong on ANY of the above predictions ... I promise to eat nothing but Golden Grahams (the only mainstream breakfast cereal that I dislike) the week leading up to my wedding, from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3 (save the rehearsal dinner).

... Here's my early, early list of the top 30 first basemen in 5x5 mixed leagues (HRs, RBIs, batting average, steals, runs). It goes without saying, this list is subject to change ... about a hundred times before April 1.

1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals (the Kobe Bryant of the MLB?)
2. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
3. Mark Teixeira, Yankees (is 140 RBIs within reach?)
4. Ryan Howard, Phillies (I will no longer doubt his diverse talents)
5. Justin Morneau, Twins
6. Lance Berkman, Astros
7. Prince Fielder, Brewers
8. Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
9. Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
10. Derrek Lee, Cubs
11. Adam Dunn, Nationals (the former outfielder is D.C.'s new first baseman)
12. Victor Martinez, Indians (wayyyyy overdue for an all-world campaign)
13. Joey Votto, Reds
14. James Loney, Dodgers
15. Carlos Pena, Rays
16. Carlos Guillen, Tigers (gotta love the 1B/3B/OF versatility)
17. Chris Davis, Rangers
18. Hank Blalock, Rangers
19. Paul Konerko, White Sox
20. Adam LaRoche, Pirates
21. Casey Kotchman, Braves
22. Mike Jacobs, Royals
23. Conor Jackson, Diamondbacks
24. Jason Giambi, Athletics
25. Daric Barton, Athletics (an OBP machine)
26. Pablo Sandoval, Giants (should have catcher eligibility, too)
27. Carlos Delgado, Mets
28. Todd Helton, Rockies
29. Gaby Sanchez, Marlins (perhaps the best pure prospect at 1B)
30. Travis Ishikawa, Giants

Even in the seemingly objective world of fantasyland baseball, it's darn-near impossible to make draft judgments based solely on the numbers -- and not personal opinions (likes and dislikes). But, with the fantasy gods as my witnesses, I swear the following list of "Do Not Draft" players purely excludes the one-trick ponies (minus saves) and pitchers who are way too casual about their alarming walk rates -- and not just the unbearable stars from the Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs (my least three favorite teams):

Starting Pitchers
Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox
A.J. Burnett, Yankees
Andy Pettitte, Yankees
Ryan Dempster, Cubs
Ben Sheets, Free Agent
Gil Meche, Royals (I like the K's rate ... but the ERA is too cumbersome)
John Maine, Mets
Brett Myers, Phillies
Joe Blanton, Phillies
Bronson Arroyo, Reds
Randy Wolf, Dodgers (year-in, year-out ... he's eminently replaceable)
Oliver Perez, Mets
Jeremy Bonderman, Tigers
Mike Pelfrey, Mets
Dustin McGowan, Blue Jays (the ERA keeps growing and growing)
Jesse Litsch, Blue Jays (his only drawback -- a low K/9 rate)
Joe Saunders, Angels (his numbers suggest a return to earth is imminent)
Kevin Millwood, Rangers
Anibal Sanchez, Marlins

Relief Pitchers
Brandon Lyon, Tigers (he'll get saves -- and that's it)
Brian Fuentes, Angels (as part of my pro-Jose Arredondo boycott)
Mike Gonzalez, Braves (he missed his window to be a dominant closer)
Aaron Heilman, Cubs (never been a big fan)
George Sherrill, Orioles (left-handed, soft-tossing closers normally don't last)
Fernando Rodney, Tigers (a shrinking violet when the pressure's on)
Eric Gagne, Free Agent (ditto for Big 'E')
Chris Perez, Cardinals (way too many walks to be a reliable closer)

The geniuses at Fantasy Baseball Index have convinced me to steer clear of taking Daisuke Matsuzaka in all drafts this year -- unless he falls past Round 10 in deeper mixed leagues and Round 13 in shallow AL-only leagues (which would never happen). Here's their reasoning:

**Given Dice-K's dangerously high walk rate (5.04 BB/9), he's more likely to post a 4.41 ERA (compared to last year's 2.90)
**Consequently, a high walk rate almost always leads to a mediocre B.A.B.I.P. ratio
**Only 6.1 percent of his flyballs ended up as home runs in 2008 (the MLB average is 11 percent)
**And, given his absurdly high pitch counts, Dice-K is a prime candidate for burnout in the coming years (if not sooner)

In my neverending search to break down all the mind-numbing statistics that exist in fantasyland baseball, I stumbled upon a term that's easy to say but oh-so-hard to explain to the average fantasygoer: the D.I.P.S. ratio.

In its clincial definition (according to ESPN.com), DIPS, or Defense Independent Pitching Statistics, is: "A pitcher's ERA, independent of the defense behind him. This formula, based on essays by Voros McCracken, assumes that all pitchers have consistent BIPA (Batting Average on Balls in Play -- not counting homers or strikeouts), and adjusts accordingly. The DIPS ratios on ESPN use the DIPS 2.0 formula, are not park-adjusted, and do not adjust for knuckleball pitchers."

Next week, I'll try to put a human face on a stat that only a sabremetrician could love.

My on-again, off-again "man-crush" for Astros ace Roy Oswalt is back on -- and it's not just because he had the guts to call-out Alex Rodriguez for his high-profile dalliance with steroids. (Side note: Why are so many players slow to critique these steroid- or HGH-addled athletes who are steadily killing MLB's long-term reputation? What do they have to gain by protecting the Fredos of the MLB family?)

No, my primary reasoning for putting Roy-O back on a pedestal stems from his stellar finish in August and September: In 12 final starts, after beginning the season with an ERA pace that would make even Kevin Millwood blush ... Oswalt posted four wins, three complete games and two shutouts, while registering a 0.95 WHIP, 1.86 ERA and 66 strikeouts over 87 innings. In other words, I got a Round 2 or 3 value on a fifth-round pick in Thursday's mock draft. Oh joy!

Andre Iguodala: AP

Changing the subject to fantasy hoops ... so, you want to trade for Andre Iguodala (20.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.2 3-pointers since Jan. 13)? And you're willing to pay a steep price to add the 76ers jumping-jack to your team, eh? Well, I hope you brought your proverbial fantasy checkbook ... because here are the scenarios where Owner B would actually part with him:

Realistic 1-for-1 Trade Options
David West (the perfect PF/SG switcheroo)
Joe Johnson (comparable stats across the board)
Dwight Howard (only recommended in roto leagues)

2-for-1 Trade Options
Lamar Odom/Luol Deng for Iggy
Mehmet Okur/Marvin Williams for Iggy
Andre Miller/Greg Oden for Iggy
Richard Hamilton/Nene Hilario for Iggy
Charlie Villanueva/Al Thornton for Iggy

2-for-2 Trade Options
Corey Maggette/David Lee for Iggy/Josh Howard
Brandon Roy/Josh Smithfor Iggy/Rasheed Wallace

Here's a sampling of the recent out-of-this-world performances from the NBA's bumper crop of point guards:

**Utah's Deron Williams has scored between 31-35 points in his last five games.
**Williams also has also racked-up double-digit assists in 10 of his last 13 games.
**Cleveland's Mo Williams has surpassed the 40-point mark (44, 43) twice in the last two weeks.
**In those two games, he also dropped 18 assists on the competition.
**Milwaukee's Ramon Sessions has 36 assists in his last three games.
**Randy Foye, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook have scored in double digits in 13 of their last 14 games.
**Charlotte backup D.J. Augustin is averaging 23 points in his last three games.
**Indy's T.J. Ford posted 14 points and 13 assists on Wednesday vs. Milwaukee.
**Steve Nash has at least 8 assists in 12 of his last 13 games -- capped by a season-high 21 vs. Detroit.
**And in the last two weeks, Chris Paul (vs. Philly on Jan. 26) and Nate Robinson (vs. the Clippers on Feb. 11) tallied at least 27 points, 14 assists, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in one game.

As the countdown to All-Star Weekend continues, here are my 10 choices, by position, for the East and West's best 3-point specialists (dating back to Jan. 13):

Eastern Conference
PG -- D.J. Augustin, Bobcats (3.3 triples per game -- 68 points in his last three games)
SG -- Nate Robinson, Knicks (no one jumps higher when launching a triple)
SF -- Rashard Lewis, Magic (great source for points, rebounds and 3-pointers)
PF -- Al Harrington, Knicks (an out-of-nowhere fantasy force this season)
C -- Troy Murphy, Pacers (an underrated monster in points/rebounds/3-pointers)

Western Conference
PG -- Randy Foye, Timberwolves (2.1 triples per game)
SG -- Jason Terry, Mavericks (ditto for the other J.T.)
SF -- Peja Stojakovic, Hornets (2.6 triples per game -- 17.7 points in the last 30 days)
PF -- Steve Novak, Clippers (more on him below)
C -- Matt Bonner, Spurs (Big Red is averaging a healthy 1.9 triples per game)

I would love to say the above subject header was a direct quote from my SI.com colleague, Lonny Krasnow; but truth be told, his question from Wednesday night -- albeit similar in tone -- also featured a slew of cuss words that might've made comedian George Carlin cringe a long, long time ago. But hey, who can blame Lonny? After all, Novak singlehandedly earned Count Chocula's Henchmen (my team) a much-needed victory in the ultra-competitive SI.com & Friends hoops league, nailing six 3-pointers in the Clippers' come-from-behind OT victory over the Knicks. (Novak also tallied 23 points and seven rebounds on the night.) In the last 30 days, Novak (6-foot-10, 208 lbs.) has averaged 11.7 points and 2.5 3-pointers, while shooting 91 percent from the charity stripe and 52 percent from the field -- the kind of numbers that'd make any fantasy owner stand up and shout.

Even if they had never heard of him three weeks ago ... or cannot remember his name right now.

... This utterly ridiculous clip from the Donny & Marie Show in the late 1970s ... as America's favorite brother-and-sister singing duo (along with singer/songwriter/actor Kris Kristofferson) perform their own, ahem, "special" tribute to Star Wars-mania. From the dancing/singing Storm Troopers to the odd musical choice of The Temptations' 1966 hit, "Get Ready" ... it's a TV trainwreck only rivaled by The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, minus Eve Plumb (smart career move, EP). Why am I showing these clips on Fantasy Clicks? Well, I just wanted to give Detroit Lions fans some perspective in life: At least your 0-16 season didn't end with a Wookie hug.