Latest mock draft, based on final stats

Just to spice things up a bit, our newest I-75 Strat-O-Matic League Mock Draft rankings are accompanied by two separate evaluations, based on scales of 1-10. They are: 2010 I-75 League value, and future value. Then of course there's the familiar "Last month's rank." A reminder that these picks are not yet matched up to particular teams, as we'll wait for the Hot Stove league dust to settle for that. This is our assessment of the 12 most valuable players available for the 2010 draft. If you want to compare lists, here's how we ranked them on Sept. 1.

1. Matt Wieters, C, Orioles. A big wait-and-see with regard to how Strat evaluates his defense out of the gate (some thoughts posted here). He was about league-average in catching baserunners, but he did nail almost 40% of potential basestealers in 2008 in the minors. This article says ESPN's Keith Law compares him offensively to Mark Teixeira and defensively to Joe Mauer. DriveLineMechanics evaluated all 2009 catchers defensively and slotted Wieters 17th. Let's guess he'll be a 3 (+1) e10 or 3 (+2) e10. His .804 OPS vs. righties and 354 ABs plus tremendous upside give us no qualms about leaving the 23-year-old in the No. 1 slot. 2010 value: 8. Future value: 10. Last month rank: 1.

2. Ben Zobrist, OF-IF, Rays. Scored 91 runs, drove in 91 runs and walked 91 times. Bet that's never happened before in major league history. To a guy whose last name starts with Z. And has a kid named Zion. Switch-hitter who hits both ways. Hits for average (.297) and power (27 homers) against both righties and lefties. Stole 17 bases. Plays seven positions and made just seven total errors. Wish he were unlimited, but with a .405 on-base average it may not matter. The question is, having done this in his first full-time year, what can be expected in real-life 2010? Here's a roundup of articles on Zobrist covering everything from his 2009 MVP qualifications (here too) to how much of a falloff can be expected in 2010. Best article on how he got so good so fast, and his chances of even improving, is here. Best thing in his favor: A history of great plate discipline, even in the minors. For those of you who fawn over high OB numbers, trade up to the No. 2 spot. 2010 value: 9.5. Future value: 8.5. LMR: 3.

3. Chris Carpenter, SP, Cardinals. Take away his 2007 and 2008 seasons of negligible stats, and Carpenter has a three-year streak of WHIPs of 1.06, 1.07 and 1.01, and a three-year streak of opponent's batting averages of .231, .235 and .226. While he's coming off a career year, he also is a graduate of the Tommy John Surgery Club for Men. He's undoubtedly the best starter available in the 2010 draft, but you'd better be prepared at his age (34) for the possibility of him being unretainable after the season. 2010 value: 10. Future value: 7.5. LMR: 2.

4. Chone Figgins, 3B, Angels. His value is his on-base ability, particularly against righties (.428) and his speed (42 stolen bases). He's not the six-position wild-card he once was; and he'll hit for very little power, despite coming close to his career high in extra-base hits. Drops off substantially against lefties. But if you need a leadoff guy for one season, and a decent third baseman to boot, you can't do any better than this. 2010 value: 9. Future value: 8. LMR: 5.

5. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pirates. Came back to earth in September with just one homer, after eight in August. But an .836 OPS for a rookie in 433 ABs with 10 outfield assists and 22 stolen bases ain't half bad. Regarded as a five-tool player; how many of those come along? 2010 value: 8. Future value: 9. LMR: 6.

6. Tommy Hanson, SP, Braves. Hanson experienced some wildness in the first half of the year -- 20 walks in 41 innings -- but really settled down in the second half -- 26 walks in 86 innings. A very good sign. Plus, he strikes out nearly a guy an inning. Not very well balanced; stack your lineup with lefties against him in 2010 and he may only come out as a .500 pitcher. But at 6-foot-6 and 23 years of age, his value is mostly in his potential. Mull this over: One blogger suggests the Braves make him their closer. 2010 value: 7.5 Future value: 8.5. LMR: 7.

7. Andrew Bailey, RP, A's. A sub-1.00 WHIP and a sub-.200 batting-average-against? Versus both lefties and righties? Are you kidding me? 91 strikeouts in 83 innings? This is Mariano Rivera-like quality with another 10-to-15 innings thrown in. He's only 25; just bear in mind that closers can be fickle (see Brad Ziegler); they're always a couple of bad outings away from banishment to middle relief. 2010 value: 8.5. Future value: 7.5. LMR: 9.

8. Garrett Jones, OF/1B, Pirates. What a beast this guy will be if you just play him against rights. Average: .333. OBA: .426. Slug: .620. That's an OB+slug of 1.046. Comes with 314 at-bats. He's 28 years old. Inability to hit lefties diminishes his value. 2010 value: 8. Future value: 7.5. LMR: 12.

9. Chris Coghlan, LF, Marlins. Lefty-swinging 24-year-old ended up with 504 ABs for Florida and a dynamic .390 on-base average (.385 vs. LHPs, .391 vs. RHPs). Stroked 31 doubles, but considered below average defensively. CBS Sports likes him for NL Rookie of the Year, noting that he became the first rookie to lead the NL in hits after the all-star break. 2010 value: 8. Future value: 7.5. LMR: NR.

10. J.A. Happ, SP, Phillies. The 6-foot-6 rookie lefty was battered in September and lost his spot in the rotation going into the postseason. His numbers against right-handed batters swelled too, diminishing his 2010 value. With righties now hitting .244 off him, his spot in our top 12 has become endangered. This analyst thinks Happ is due for a "rude awakening" in 2010 (Question 6), citing among other things, his "unsustainable strand rate." 2010 value: 7. Future value: 8. LMR: 8.

11. David Price, SP, Rays. His numbers from Aug. 1 through the end of the season reflect the David Price that everyone was excited about following his 2008 postseason performance. A post-All-Star Game WHIP of 1.20 and an OBA of .241 show that he is heading in the right direction. Analysis of that here. Overall card for 2010 is still of questionable value; limited fifth starter at best. 2010 value: 5. Future value: 9.5. LMR: 4.

12. Aaron Hill, 2B, Blue Jays. Really, this 12th spot comes down to which Blue Jays infielder you like best, Hill or Marco Scutaro. Like power (36 homers for Hill), or on-base (Scutaro's OBA numbers are .389 vs. LHPs, .376 vs. RHPs)? Youth or experience? Hill is 27, Scutaro is already 34. Hill is better defensively; Scutaro will steal more bases. It's a tough call, but that's why we're here. Hill. Ask us again next month. 2010 value: 7.5. Future value: 7. LMR: NR.

Dropped from rankings: Joel Pineiro (10), Marco Scutaro (12).