The "All-Acquisition" fantasy draft

Each offseason, the hosts of “The Bird’s Nest” spend weeks preparing for a fantasy draft. 

Originated by Paul Mancano and I, the themes of these drafts have spanned from selecting the best players to be managed by Earl Weaver to the greatest homegrown players in the franchise’s history. After the research is done, the big boards are laid out and the dust of the snake draft settles, we’re left with teams composed of greats. 

This year, paying homage to a busy offseason in which the Orioles have acquired the likes of Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward and Shane Baz, we landed on “The All-Acquisition Draft.”

The premise for the draft was simple: select the best players to ever be acquired by the franchise. 

Here are the basic parameters: the rosters were to consist of nine position players, four starting pitchers and two relief pitchers. The pool of players was those acquired by the Orioles, either via free agency or trade, after 1965, when the MLB Draft was implemented. This excludes Hall of Famers like Jim Palmer and Brooks Robinson, who were signed as amateur free agents prior to 1965, and Cal Ripken Jr., who was drafted by the team. The pool did not include those selected in the MLB Draft, waiver claims, or Rule 5 draft picks. Only a player's stats with Baltimore after 1965 were considered, even if they went on to have successful careers elsewhere, and they must have played the position at which they are being selected.  

Two important rules to note are that cumulative stats and longevity matter, meaning that a player is evaluated by their Orioles career, and not just their best 162. The value of a one-season wonder like Nelson Cruz would have to be weighed against the long, quality career of Jeff Conine, for example. It can be likened to how a front office might value contracts with team control. Additionally, for this draft specifically, the value given up in the acquisition, whether it be the monetary value of a free agent contract or the value lost in a trade, was not considered. 

Finally, here’s the most important rule: you, the fans, decide who fantasy drafted the best team.

Annie and I were joined by our old friend Matt Bonaparte for this exercise, and together, we drafted three quality squads. But which is best?

As luck would have it, I drew the first overall pick. With it, I selected arguably the greatest trade acquisition in Orioles history, Frank Robinson. You can’t draw up a better first season with a team than winning the MVP and the Triple Crown en route to a World Series. 827 games, 5 All-Star appearances and a .944 OPS later, Robinson was a no-brainer. 

Not picking again in the snake order until No. 6, I snagged the versatile Melvin Mora, who accumulated over 1,300 hits as an Oriole after his trade from the Mets in 2000. At the turn, Mike Cuellar and his 1969 Cy Young award were chosen to headline my rotation. 

Rafael Palmeiro’s 223 home runs made for a fine addition to the middle of the lineup, as did Jonathan Schoop’s pop at second base. Mike Bordick’s defensive prowess at shortstop rounded out the infield, joining Rick Dempsey and his 1983 World Series MVP. 

Don Buford, Mike Devereaux and Gary Roenicke combined for nearly 50 bWAR in almost 2,400 games played in my outfield, while another Cy Young winner in Steve Stone joined Cullar, Pat Dobson and Trevor Rogers in the rotation. Félix Bautista and Randy Myers, each with an ERA in the 2.00’s, made up my bullpen. 

Matt had the second overall pick, and somewhat surprisingly, selected Miguel Tejada, a three-time All-Star from 2004 to 2006. The shortstop hit over .300 in his 716 games as an Oriole, and would also serve as an indication for Matt’s impending draft strategy. 

First, though, with the No. 5 pick, Matt selected Ken Singleton, who appeared in nearly 1,500 games in Baltimore after his trade from the Expos in 1974, accumulating 30.0 bWAR, and later Scott McGregor, who appeared in 356 games and posted a 3.99 ERA. 

From there, Matt opted to prioritize peak over longevity, drafting big names like Roberto Alomar, Fred Lynn, Reggie Jackson, Corbin Burnes and Cruz. Though their times in Baltimore were comparatively short lived, they combined to make five All-Star appearances, posting some of the best single-season numbers the draft had to offer. 

Mickey Tettleton, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo, and the whopping 525 home runs between them, joined Alomar and Tejada in a powerful infield, while Chris Tillman and Miguel González joined McGregor and Burnes in the rotation. Brad Brach and Jesse Orosco manned the bullpen. 

After Matt’s surprising selection of Tejada at No. 2, Annie was left with back-to-back picks. She wisely used them to select two of the best players available in the draft in Adam Jones and Brady Anderson, both acquired via trade. The duo combined for nearly 3,400 games played and 67.2 bWAR in Baltimore. Recent Orioles Hall of Fame inductee Joe Orsulak would later join them in a stacked outfield. 

Her shortstop, J.J. Hardy, gave Annie her own defensive wiz at the position, while B.J. Surhoff and his 1,072 hits provided the pop at the hot corner. The slugging catcher Chris Hoiles, first baseman Randy Milligan and his impressive .388 on-base percentage and the speedy Jonathan Villar comprised the infield. 

Though she was left without Cuellar and McGregor, the two gems of the available pitching pool, Annie grabbed Scott Erickson, Wei-Yin Chen, Kyle Bradish and Dennis Martinez. She also added Tippy Martinez and his 105 saves as an Oriole, arguably the best reliever available, and B.J. Ryan. 

All rounded up, my team totaled 228.6 bWAR, with Annie’s team at 213.5, and Matt’s at 153.6. 

Here’s an easier look at the rosters:

Brendan 

C: Rick Dempsey

1B: Rafael Palmeiro

2B: Jonathan Schoop

3B: Melvin Mora

SS: Mike Bordick

LF: Don Buford

CF: Mike Devereaux

RF: Gary Roenicke 

DH: Frank Robinson

SP1: Mike Cuellar

SP2: Steve Stone

SP3: Pat Dobson

SP4: Trevor Rogers

RP1: Félix Bautista

RP2: Randy Myers 

Matt

C: Mickey Tettleton

1B: Chris Davis

2B: Roberto Alomar

3B: Mark Trumbo

SS: Miguel Tejada

LF: Nelson Cruz

CF: Fred Lynn

RF: Ken Singleton

DH: Reggie Jackson

SP1: Scott McGregor

SP2: Chris Tillman

SP3: Corbin Burnes

SP4: Miguel González

RP1: Brad Brach

RP2: Jesse Orosco 

Annie

C: Chris Hoiles

1B: Randy Milligan

2B: Jonathan Villar

3B: B.J. Surhoff

SS: J.J. Hardy

LF: Brady Anderson

CF: Adam Jones

RF: Joe Orsulak

DH: Harold Baines

SP1: Scott Erickson

SP2: Wei-Yin Chen

SP3: Kyle Bradish

SP4: Dennis Martinez

RP1: Tippy Martinez

RP2: B.J. Ryan 

Who do you think drafted the best team? Be sure to review the rules, watch the full fantasy draft podcast here, and cast your vote as a comment below. 

We hope you enjoyed this fun exercise, and be sure to let us know if there’s a draft theme you’d like to see in the future.