At last, opening day has arrived, and in conjunction, the start of fantasy baseball. Best time of the year!
I drafted a record 10 teams this year, all high stakes, though Yahoo Sports.
My final, and most important draft (not due to $ but bragging rights among friends), concluded last night. I’ll be going over each position, and which players I missed out on.
For context, this league is a 5×5 rotisserie 15-teamer.
Catcher:
Joey Bart (SF)
Bart was my final pick in the draft, as guys I was in on (JTR and Tyler Stephenson) went early. Apparently the giants made Bart untouchable in trade talks this summer, so I’m hoping the former top draft pick and get 600 ABs this year.
First Base:
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (TOR)
Very high on Lourdes this year, especially after he had such as strong finish last year. While he gives me a zero in steals, I’m hoping for a near .300 average and 25/90 season at a position that dries up fast. The multi-eligibility also helps (1B/OF)
Second Base:
Jorge Polanco (MIN)
Another position that drys up early, so I tried to take someone within the first 100 picks. I went pitching heavy in the rounds 3-6, so I jumped on my guy Jorge Polanco in round 6. A true 5 category player, I’m hoping for a plus average, 25+ homers and 10ish steals. Similar to Lourdes, he has eligibility at 2B/SS, which helps. His age concerns me a bit, but he was a high floor guy after I went risky in the first two rounds.
Third Base:
Adalberto Mondesi
Went all in with Mondesi hoping for 40+ steals. Steals dry up even faster in 15 teamer’s, and I didn’t want to have to target guys like Myles Straw or Tommy Edman in rounds when I wanted pitching. Mondesi will be an average drain, but has decent power (15+ homers) and can carry the SB category alone. Injury risk will always be there but I’m hoping I pick the season were he gets 500 ABs.
Shortstop:
Willy Adames (MIL)
One of the waiver wire golden tickets last year, went with Willy. Adames was far from my first choice at SS, but again, most of the guys I liked (Wander Franco, Witt Jr, and Trevor Story) were pushed up out of my reach. Projected by most sites for 30/10, I’ll take that all day in the 150+ range.
OF:
Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL), Franmil Reyes (CLE), Jesus Sanchez (MIA)
I drafted my team mainly on projections, specifically from Razzball and RotoChamp. I had the fifth overall pick, and every guy I wanted went before my turn. So, I went with Acuna Jr. Most projections have him for 30/30, and earlier in the week I had read a medical journal article, which noted that as many as 94% of the ACL-reconstructed players returned to full elite level training within 10 months after surgery and 89% participated in elite match play within 12 months. After hearing that I decided to take the plunge.
Franmil I have in a lot of places, and think he has a shot at 40+ homers with a decent average. He also gets to hit behind Myles Straw, Steven Kwan, and Jose Ramirez.
Seiya Suzuki was one of my sleepers this year. Have heard from many insiders noting how impressive he looks and gets to play in a pretty hitter-friendly division. 30 home runs with 10 steals and plus average is not out of the question.
Starting Pitchers:
Sandy Alcantara, Freddy Peralta, Kevin Gausman
Rounds 3-6 I went three straight SP’s. Alcantara I had last year and is the definition of oatmeal-level safe. 200 IP alone with such good ratios is incredibly hard to find.
Freddy Peralta is another guy I’m really high on. Think he’s a top 10 SP if the Brewers let him push 180 IP. All his metrics look great and the Brewers have a history of developing incredible pitchers.
Gasman was a no brainer. Had him in most the leagues I won last year, hoping to replicate the same results this year. AL East is a big step up from the NL West, but again, Toronto pitching coaching turned Ray into a machine, I think they can do the same with Gausman, who is already elite. AL East also has three strikeout-prone teams, something worth noting.
Relief Pitching:
Craig Kimbrel, Gregory Soto
My plan for closers was to wait until all of my important positions had been filled, and then I was going to pick up guys with a confirmed job on bad teams. However, Kimbrel fell to me in round 10, and I couldn’t let a 30 save guy go any later.
I also picked up Gregory Soto, the closer for the revamped Tigers in one of the last rounds. Lefty closers always scare me a bit, but Hinch said he’s his closer and he has pretty good stuff.
Players I Missed Out On:
JT Realmuto, Sal Perez
In a 15 teamer, these elite catchers are so valuable, and as a result both went early. Neither made it back to me, so I should have gotten more aggressive.
Luis Robert
Luis was there for me at pick #5, but I just couldn’t build up the cahonas to take him there. I was hoping he’d fall to me in the 2nd, but he ended up going at the turn. I think he’s in for a 30/30 season.
I’ve attached my team below, best of luck this year to everyone partaking in this amazing game!
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