We had the now 13-team Yahoo! Friends and Family draft today. It's a 5 x 5, standard Yahoo! format (C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, CI, MI, 4 OF, 2 U, 9 SP, 3 Bench). And there's a 1250 IP cap. Here's my squad:

By Round

1.8 Robinson Cano
2.5 Giancarlo Stanton
3.8 Felix Hernandez
4.5 Alex Rodriguez
5.8 Eric Hosmer
6.5 Alex Gordon
7.8 Carl Crawford
8.5 Cameron Maybin
9.8 Mat Latos
10.5 Joe Nathan
11.8 Brandon League
12.5 Frank Francisco
13.8 Matt Thornton
14.5 Austin Jackson
15.8 Justin Morneau
16.5 Chase Utley
17.8 Aroldis Chapman
18.5 Justin Smoak
19.8 Jeremy Hellickson
20.5 Kerry Wood
21.8 Tyler Greene
22.5 Sean Rodriguez
23.8 Jake Peavy
24.5 J.P. Arencibia
25.8 Brian Matusz

By position

C J.P. Arencibia
1B Eric Hosmer
2B Robinson Cano
3B Alex Rodriguez
SS Tyler Greene
CI Justin Morneau
MI Chase Utley
OF Giancarlo Stanton
OF Alex Gordon
OF Carl Crawford
OF Cameron Maybin
U Austin Jackson
U Justin Smoak
P Felix Hernandez
P Mat Latos
P Joe Nathan
P Brandon League
P Frank Francisco
P Matt Thornton
P Aroldis Chapman
P Kerry Wood
B Jake Peavy
B Sean Rodriguez
B Brian Matusz

Strategy

I really didn't like the No. 8 pick very much. In a 13-team league, I wanted to go position scarcity, so I went with Cano narrowly over Hanley Ramirez, solely due to durability. On the way back I was hoping for Ramirez (No. 16) or Ian Kinsler (No. 17), but settled for Stanton at No. 18. It's not position scarcity, but category scarcity as power has been down the last couple years. (I thought about Jose Reyes there, too, but too much injury risk and not enough pop with my first two picks in that case).

The innings cap does a strange thing. It means one horse starting pitcher can get nearly 20 percent of your total numbers. That makes them the most valuable producers category for category, but because everyone waits on pitching for some reason, you probably don't want to reach in Round 1 or early Round 2. I was hoping for Tim Lincecum in Round 3, but settled for Felix Hernandez as I did in my home league. You really only need 2-3 ace starters (half your IP allotment), and then fill in the rest with closers and high-K set-up men. Mid-level starters abound on the waiver wire and can be picked up for matchup purposes as needed.

In Round 4, it was either ARod or Dan Uggla, and I went for the 3B rather than filling my MI slot. I could have gone either way. Rounds 5 and 6 (Hosmer and Gordon) just seemed like good values at that point. There was no strategy involved. In Round 7, I felt it was worth gambling on Carl Crawford. I needed steals, and in a shallow league like this, I'm quite sure I can find an OF to fill in capably for a month if need be. And if Crawford ever gets fully healthy, he's probably a second-round pick. Round 8, I solidified speed with Cameron Maybin.

In Round 9, I got what I hope will be my second ace in Mat Latos. If he and Felix can log 425 IP, I can mix and match the rest. In Rounds 10-13, I went best available closer. You need saves, and relievers don't hurt you in Ks (because of the cap), WHIP or ERA. They might even keep pace or help in wins if they can get 4 or 5. The ideal staff in this league is probably three aces and six closers. I went two aces, four closers and a few closers in waiting and high upside starters.

The rest of the draft was just filling in with upside - Utley, Morneau, Austin Jackson (10 HR last year, should run more) and lottery tickets like Peavy and Matusz.