Round 7
Best: OF Randy Arozarena TB (Moose) – I know everyone was
focused on starting pitching, but this is a unique young talented prospect with
playing time that you rarely find available in the draft. His historic
postseason performance alone changed him from waiver wire fodder and a late
pick to a legend and a surefire keeper for years to come.
Runner-up: SP Zac Gallen ARI (Donkey) – Hindsight is 20/20
and this was a highly unusual circumstance given how little we know of the
injury at the time, but gotta give props to Jed for taking a risk. Looks like
it will payoff handsomely, possibly for years to come.
Worst: OF Nick Castellanos CIN (One Nut) – Nit picky as most
first rounders were chalk, but this is an example of when Yahoo rankings aren’t
quite accurate. At 29, with a lifetime 162-game average of 77/23/85/2/.324,
Casty doesn’t have any standout skills and doesn’t even walk at a good rate or
contribute to SBs. Give me Gallo’s career 89/41/89/7/.330 at two years younger
and a round later… or Sano… or Franmil… or Kepler…
Runner-up: SP Zach
Wheeler PHI (Cowhide) – I don’t really have a problem here; he’s just the worst
of the first round SPs. I’d like him a lot more if his K/9 didn’t drop to 6.7
last year, but for someone with a lot of high picks it makes sense for Dave to
start with stability.
X Factor: 3B Ke’Bryan
Hayes PIT (Montezumas) – When I traded into the first, I was fully planning to
take an SP, but everyone I was considering was taken. Hayes reminds me a bit of
Lindor, who was supposedly a defense-first prospect, then came up and never
stopped hitting. The 2020 production in 24 games amounts to a 107/32/69/6/.442
season. That’s a pretty small sample, but not insignificant. Unfortunately he’s
on PIT too. Lots of risk here.
Round 8
Best: OF Joey Gallo TEX (Montezumas) – The overall body of
work in 2020 wasn’t great, but it’s important to view all 2020 stats in the
context provided. When you take 2019-20 rate of production over 600 abs, it’s a
superb 88/37/86/7/.351 line. And he’s still just 27! If the dead ball is real,
mashers may be super valuable again.
Runner-up: UT Nelson Cruz MIN (Donkey) – In every sport,
there are examples of players who defy age—and Cruz’s job is cushier than
most of them. Even at 40, sitting on the
bench and getting up five times to crush balls and jot around the bags isn’t
going to cause a lot of strain. The age risk
is well worth this draft slot, especially when he has been an automatic
90/40/100/.360 the last SEVEN seasons.
Worst: SP Dinelson Lamet SD (Ex-Presidents) – Elbow issues that
started a year ago and carried into the next season? That’s a hard pass for me,
no matter how talented he is.
Runner-up: SP Chris Paddack SD (S. Napalm) – There were some
warts that were hidden in the impressive numbers during his breakout 2019
campaign that became apparent last year. The hype hasn’t died down enough, so
the draft slot may be warranted but the fact that he has never developed a
quality third pitch is a big concern. Though I can’t blame anyone for looking
for SP upside.
X-Factor: SP Julio
Urias LAS (Montezumas) – Speaking of SP upside… it’s a lot easier to take
chances when you have four of the top 30 picks. Still, for all of the hype (I
mean “Mexican King Felix” was supposed to be a complement when he first came
around), Urias’ production is ho hum with 8.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 and a 3.45/1.24
in his career. Just 24 and healthy with no inning limit, it’s time to see where
this goes.
Round 9
Best: SP Joe Musgrove
SD (Grit B&B) – One of the underlying stats I always like to look at is
K-BB% as it is hard to disguise the frequency in which a players strikes out or
walks batters. BUT it can be deceiving if the K rate is insane as it allows for
a strong K-BB even with an equally extreme walk rate. Of the FA starters
available, the SPs that had a K% of at least 24.0% and a walk rate below 6.5%
included Musgrove, all the TJS stars, Paddack, and Jordan Montgomery. He’s just
28 and this could be the season it all comes together.
Runner-up: SP Pablo
Lopez MIA (Cowhide) – Pablo has quietly become a burgeoning ace. His K upside
has always been questionable, but he added a fifth legit pitch in the last year
and has never struggled in four seasons – despite only just turning 25 a few
weeks ago. At worst he’s a solid SP4. At best, he’s an ace.
Worst: C Yasmani Grandal CHW (Knuckle) – As a guy who holds
off drafting a catcher until the late rounds or sometimes not at all, I can’t
underwrite spending a top pick on a catcher under normal circumstances– even
one as good as Grandal. But when you’ve
already kept a catcher, this is just confusing.
Runner-up: OF Teoscar Hernandez TOR (Ring) – This presents a
somewhat hypocritical evaluation as I was both surprised to see TScar last this
long and even more surprised to see the ever-OBP-conscious Dagan select him.
With a lifetime 32% K rate, TScar’s consistent.230/.300 production in every
seasons preceding 2020, tendency for monumental streakiness, and being one
(cheap) cog in a crowded lineup of emerging hitters sounds like a lesson in
frustration.
X-Factor: SP Lance McCullers HOU (One Nut) – Can you believe
he’s just 27? Can you believe he has averaged 26.5% K rate and 11.9% SwStr%
(swinging strike percentage) during his career? Can you believe he’s never
thrown more than 129 innings in a season? Good spot to take him on a deep
roster, but who knows if he’ll be available late in the season.
B-Factor(?): OF Byron Buxton MIN (S. Naplam) – After years
of including him in this write up (and being correct each time), it seems wrong
to not include him, so he gets his own category. As I mentioned during the draft Buxton’s 2019-20
rates translate to an insane 93/32/102/22…. and .299. So, that’s a legit 4-cat
stud, but the OBP can’t be ignored --- because it is not just a category he
doesn’t contribute to, he actually hurts you,
Making him more like a 3.5-cat stud. Like any other player that can’t take a base
or hit for high average (Sal Perez, for example), you just need to balance your
roster accordingly. With Freddie Freeman and Mike Trout on roster and sporting
the most consistent annual .400+ OBPs in the league, I will underwrite the
selection for this specific roster. My argument was always that his approach
would prevent him from being “the next Trout” in the OBP leagues we roll, and
that remains the case. I think he’d be better in the 12-13th round. For
the record, I think Lourdes Gurriel, Franmil Reyes, Dominic Smith, and Trey
Mancini will be more valuable overall. BUT for what it’s worth, I don’t hate the
pick.
Round 10
Best: 3B Alex Bohm PHI (S. Napalm) – There is a high
correlation between players with great pedigree who succeed immediately upon being
called up and long-term, viable annual keepers. Bohm is an athletic corner
infielder with pop and surprising speed that I thought would be taken no later
than the second round.
Runner-up: OF Victor
Robles WAS (Grit B&B) – Often people are too early on players and then
completely give up on them as players too early. Robles has always had great
pedigree, but his initial struggles in the bigs were predictable given the
obvious holes in his approach. With a little more patience and placement at the
top of a pretty good Nats lineup, this could be the last year he is available
to be drafted for quite a while.
Worst: SP Chris Sale BOS (Brokeback) – I mean, I get it, the
SP run was insane. But this is Round 10!
Many legit stars have been traded for 10th rounders in this league. Instead of a great one, Watson got a big name
who may be back in June but likely won’t be back to his normal self until
August – plenty of time to fall our of the playoff race completely.
Runner-up: SP Mike Soroka ATL (S. Napalm) – Sort of the same
deal, except the injury and the upside is less extreme. Soroka is a rates-only
guy, so you’re immediately down to 3 categories of real contribution and the
Braves are going to take their time getting him back. Risk not worth the
reward.
X-Factor: SP Tyler Mahle CIN (Angry Pirates) – A lot of
industry people love Mahle and expect him to blow up this year, despite
middling results most of his career. But
he’s just 25 years old and with a 25% K rate and decent walk rate, there reason
to be excited. Still would’ve liked him a lot more a few rounds later.
Round 11
Best: OF Franmil
Reyes CLE (Grit B&B) – So much of fantasy baseball drafting is knowing when
to zig when others are zagging. There were a lot of third and fourth tier SPs
going around this time, but Shomphe went with the best player available and got
a great one. No one knows how the dead ball will affect players, but we know it
won’t impact Franimal and his 115 mph max exit velocity. The OF eligibility in
Yahoo and an improving 9% walk rate, this is a legit four-cat player with
upside.
Runner-up: SP Zach Eflin PHI (Freedom) – Eflin is an emerging
SP that has a solid repertoire which have contributed to a serviceable
middle-of-the rotation type. Just 26, minor
improvements in K and BB rates could pull him from the mid tier to the top
tier.
Worst: RP Liam Hendricks CHW (Freedom) – Sorry Hunt, it’s
tradition. First RP selected = worst pick of the round. Sure he’s great, elite
even. But in a S+H league, with everyone rostering 7-10 SPs, his Ks have a
minimal impact on week-to-week production. The impact on rates is also low
given that RPs only have 20-30% of the innings that a traditional starter has.
So you’re looking in total at about two categories of contribution total. And
then you have to consider the value of the replacement level player for the S+H
category. Looking at S+H leaders the
last two seasons, you don’t have to go far to find a top contributor who didn’t
get any saves at all. Hendricks’ top setup
guy the last couple seasons. Jake Diekman, had 44 SH in 2019-20 vs. 47 for
Hendricks – and he was a FA after the draft.
Runner-up: 1B Andrew Vaughn CHW (Montezumas) – Vaughn has tons of upside in an OBP league,
but power might be just OK and it’s possible he’s just a Hosmer type. Eloy
clarified the playing time issue I think. With OF eligibility on the way, he
could be valuable. But Dom Smith was waiting there with both eligibilities and
less risk, so this was a stupid pick.
X-Factor: UT Shohei Ohtani LAA (B) (Tomahawk) – I honestly
don’t know what to do with this guy in Yahoo leagues. Is he getting full-time
ABs this season or not? His 162-game average is top tier, but not realistic. If
he’s part time, it’s hard to dedicate a valuable bench spot to a part-time
UTIL-only. But I fully admit I could be completely wrong here.
Round 12
Best: 1B/OF Dom Smith
NYM (Freedom) – Probably wouldn’t have fallen this far if the universal DH was
still available, but I think he still plays every day and produces like a
keeper for next year. Just 25, his production over the last two seasons amounts
to 94/32/102/2/.366 over 600 abs. Many will regret not jumping on this slide
earlier.
Runner-up: SP John
Means BAL (Cowhide) – The surface level stats were nothing to write home about
last season and his xFIP and SIERA were pretty much rubbish too. But there was
a clear improvement over the course of the season in 2020, which followed a
strong 2019 debut, so the 26 yo could be some minor adjustments away from a
strong SP3 option. At this point in the
draft, is gold – and to Dave, with his draftboard – it’s just gravy.
Worst: C/OF Daulton Varsho ARI (Cowhide) – While I don’t
blame Dave for looking for upside from the C position and perhaps find an
advantage with an eventual C-eligible bench bat, Varsho sucked last year and
then he sucked in the spring. Would’ve been better off getting a great RP to
finish up the Cowhide draft and getting a waiver wire NA because Varsho
probably wouldn’t have been drafted.
Runner-up: OF Jarren Duran BOS (Ring) – I mean, I like him
and everything, but jeez. Maybe he gets
called up and maybe he shows a lot more power than he did in the minors and
maybe a better walk rate… but I’m pretty sure he could’ve been had much later.
X-Factor: OF Kyle
Lewis SEA (S. Napalm) – It was a tale of two halves for Lewis last season, who
came out like gangbusters and then fell flat. It’s definitely worthwhile to see
which one shows up, but that M’s outfield is interesting. If Lewis starts cold,
he could be waving at Jarred Kelenic on his way down to Tacoma to “work on
things.”
Round 13
Best: OF Jesse Winker CIN (Ex-Presidents) – It’s sometimes
hard to gauge Winker because he seems to always be at varying levels of
production and either being platooned or injured. But make no mistake about it,
he’s young, powerful, excellent patience and a regular at the top of a good
lineup.
Runner-up: SP Andrew Heaney LAA (Ring) – As previously
noted, I’m a sucker for a good K-BB% guy and Heaney has always been that. Each
season it seems feels like a true ace season is coming, but it always falls
short, often because of injury. He’s prone to the occasional blow-up, but the
skillset is better than many SPs going before him.
Worst: RP Josh Hader MIL (S. Napalm) – Yeah, still don’t
like it. Interesting that it’s another example of a closer whose setup guy was
actually more valuable last year and could’ve been had later in the draft.
Runner-up: 1B Bobby Dalbec BOS (One Nut) – I love Bobby.
He’s fun to watch and I have no doubt there’s success in his future. But a
steady stream of big league pitches getting acquainted with the massive holes
in his swing (42.4% K rate in 23 games last season) is going to create a
massive OBP hole in the lineup.
X-Factor: SP Framber Valdez HOU (One Nut) – It was hard to
know where Valdez was heading at this point in the season, but it sounds like
he could be back from a broken finger in short order. He made WAY more sense
than the TJS guys at this point in the draft and is a legit SP4 with SP2
upside.
Round 14
Best: TIE SP Christian Javier HOU (Moose) & SP Freddy
Peralta MIL (Montezumas) – Tie here because it’s basically the same
description. At this point in the draft, both these players have the same
strengths and weaknesses: phenomenal K upside & starting jobs/lacking third
quality pitch & questionable control. But it made perfect sense at this
point in the draft and is a nice balance of risk vs. reward.
Runner-up: OF Max Kepler MIN (Donkey) – I know 2020 was a
let down coming off 2019 (98/36/90/1/.336), but there’s legit talent that
lessens the likelihood that the season was a huge outlier. Savvy pick by Jed.
Worst: SP Ryan Yarborough TB (Ring) – The mehness of Yarborough
just is too overwhelming. I mean, he’s fine. He’s just… meh.
Runner-up: SP Shohei Ohtani LAA (P) (Angry) – Again, I
admittedly don’t know what to do here. It was a pretty good round for
selections, so don’t take it personally. I just always look at him and am never
able to pull the trigger. This season thought, I’d prefer the hitter Ohtani by
quite a bit.
X-Factor: SP Trevor Rogers MIA (Moose) – Rogers is one of
those players that fell short of most 12- and 14-team short lists, but turned
heads with the statement in the spring. He was striking out guys all over the
place and finds himself in a great situation to thrive and provide immediate
value. But it was also spring and he was always just a good prospect, so he
could be waiver wire fodder shortly. I
did want him though.
Round 15
Best: 1B Miguel Sano
MIN (Montezuma’s) – Little Miggy has been a keeper for a while, so to see him
slide to this point was quite surprising in an OBP league. The last two season his rates amount to
100/44/97/0/.325. With 3B eligibility in Yahoo, he’s even more yummy.
Runner-up: 3B Ryan McMahon (Montezuma’s) – It’s always hard
to grade my own drafts, but I sure did like my round 15. McMahon is finally
going to get full time run at Coors and has shown 80/30/90/5/.330 potential in
the past, so this was a great grab at this point.
Worst: OF Joc Pederson CHC (Tomahawk) – I’ve been there and
I can see the appeal, but having lived through Joc seasons a few times, I’ve
given up hope. He is never ever going to
hit lefties. It doesn’t matter if he’s going to be in the lineup every day. He’s
had 356 at bats to show he can produce and it’s just pathetic .188/.261/.303. Like Rafael Belliard territory. Sure, platoon
him, but he’s taking up a spot that could be filled by someone offering more
upside at this point in the draft.
Runner-up: SP Brady Singer KC (Grit B&B) – The control
just isn’t there and I’m not sure it’s going to improve quickly at 23 yo. Stuff
is just OK. Seems destined for frustration.
X-Factor: SP Robbie Ray TOR (Freedom) – SPEAKING of
frustration… there is no greater dispersion between potential outcomes of any
player in major league history than Robbie Freaking Ray. But with the
consistent velocity throughout the spring, there is at least hope that we’ll
see the pitcher that has achieved 200+ Ks in a season three times, despite
never throwing more than 175 innings.
Round 16
Best: OF Dylan Carlson STL (S. Naplam) – My pick of the
draft. Really, I thought he’d go much sooner given the pedigree and playing
time. I can see why he slid. He did not
impress at all in his first go round last season, but he went back down and
came up a different player in the playoffs. He displayed much better patience –
the kind he showed throughout the minors – and could very well be
80/20/80/20/.340 guy this season, with the potential to add 10s to each of
those season long totals in short order.
Runner-up: SP Yusei Kikuchi SEA (Freedom) – What a strange
draft. It’s really hard finding upside at this point, and on the surface,
Kikuchi doesn’t have the 2020 stats to make him even a little interesting. BUT
velocity gains are one of the most critical stats when looking for emerging
players. And he’s been consistently higher. It’s clear there is no playbook
when it comes to pitchers coming to the majors from Asia, so the crap we’ve
experienced thus far could just be a blip at the start of a decent career.
Worst: SP Carlos Rodon CHW (One Nut) – With a career walk
rate of 10.0% and a long history of injuries, I’m quite confident Rodon will
forever be a big name with bad results.
Runner-up: SP Mike Minor KC (Moose) – Star prospect >
struggling SP > SP star > Injured > star reliever > decent SP >
keeper SP > junk SP, Mike Minor is a game of fantasy Russian Roulette.
X-Factor: OF Nick
Senzel CIN (Ring) – I’m not sure he’s allowed to be an X factor any more after
this season, so he better produce. There’s a 90/20/80/20/.350 bat there
somewhere, but we thought that about David Dahl too.
Round 17
Best: OF Brandon
Nimmo NYM (Knuckle) – Nimmo is criminally underrated and, unlike Joc, actually
has a fighting chance against lefties (.248/.367/.405), so there is a strong
case to never platoon him. One of the few players that could legitimately
average .400 OBP for his career and chip in in all the other categories too.
Runner-up: SP Taijuan Walker NYM (Knuckle) – Given the
amount of SPs that are being taken as longshot, how did a 28 year-old with great
pedigree coming off a 2.70/1.16 season with 8.4 K/9 slip like this?
Worst: SP Brad Keller KC (Grit B&B) – Apparently we’re
just on a run of barf-inducing KC pitchers the last three rounds. Remember
K-BB%? 17.0 K% and 9.4 BB% is waaaaay too fucking close.
Runner-up: SP AJ Puk OAK (Brokeback) – I like him, but just
not this year. He’s going to get dicked around between SP and RP and minors, so
he’s hardly worth rostering until he settles.
X-Factor: SP Casey Mize DET (Ring) – There really wasn’t
much to like about what he did last year, but that’s why rookie pitchers are a
poor investment 90% of the time. But this pedigree is too good to ignore and
one year he’s going to blow up. Might as well see if this is the year.
Round 18
Best: 1B/3B/OF Hunter Dozier KC (Ex-Presidents) – Under the
radar, but just solid all around contributor. You can count on 75/25/75/5/.340
with lots of position eligibility and potential for more. Not sexy, but solid.
Runner-up: 1B Eric Hosmer SD (Moose) – There’s some reason
to believe Hos’ power improvements were real last year and that he’s not just a
modern day Mark Grace. Hitting in the heart of the SD lineup, it’s at least an
automatic 90 RBIs and a great piece to add to a solid lineup at this point in
the draft.
Worst: SP David Price LAD (Brokeback) – It was clear before
the draft that Price was heading to the bullpen. Maybe he finds his way back to
the rotation eventually, but it will probably be on a different fantasy team.
Runner-up: SP Michael Kopech CHW (S. Napalm) – Nothing wrong
with the skills, but this guy has a long history of non-baseball related issues
even before the BoSox drafted him. Doesn’t sound like sitting out last year
really had anything to do with COVID and his passion for the game has long been
questioned. As a glorified reliever at this point, not really interested in anything
other than a late flier.
X-Factor: 1B Rowdy Tellez TOR (Freedom) – With steadily
improving K rates and big power/patience, I’m a big Rowdy guy and am hoping
this big guy gets Rowdy this season. But it is a super crowded lineupand he has
the least impressive resume of the bunch, so ABs this season could be as hard
to find as his actual abs are hard to find underneath that fluff.
Round 19
Best: SP Matthew Boyd DET (Tomahawk) – For all of the risk
people were willing to assume, why was no one all over a player who pumped out
238 Ks in 185 IP in 2019? He actually has really good command too. Not sure
what happened last year, but he’s much better than that. Great move by Chad.
Runner-up: SP Jake Odorizzi HOU (Montezuma’s) – Again, there
were a lot of risky picks well before this point in the draft. What’s wrong
with a 31 yo with a 162-game average of 3.95/1.24 and 175 Ks? Perfect SP5 on a
team that has him as an SP9.
Worst: SP/RP Carlos Martinez STL (S. Naplam) – It would be
helpful for everyone if C-Mart just changed his name completely at this point.
He’s not a top shelf young flame thrower anymore – he’s either an RP with a
control problem or an SP that can’t make it 5 innings.
Runner-up: OF Lorenzo Cain MIL (Donkey) – Nothing wrong with
the pick at this point, just calling my shot that a 35 yo that just sat out a
season won’t be bouncing back to his old form again.
X-Factor: SP Tony
Gonsolin LAD (Tomahawk) – I think Gonsolin is a top 75 pitcher in the league,
but he’s a Dodger and that means his role will be in a state of flux. If you
can stomach the long relief for a while, at some point he will be performing at
an SP4 level for an SP8 cost.
Round 20
Best: RP Ryan Pressly HOU (Brokeback) – A lot of RPs were
taken at this point and Watson somehow stole a top 5 RP late.
Runner-up: OF Jo Adell LAA (S. Napalm) – Looking at minor
league BB/K rates can be one of the most instructive ways of determining which
players come up an immediately succeed. Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis’s numbers
were insane. Adell’s were not, so it’s not surprising at all that he came up
and whiffed 40% of the time. He’s gonna be a good one at some point, and it may
not happen this year, but he’ll get a chance – and there’s nothing more you
could ask from your NA spot.
Worst: SP Mike Clevinger SD (S. Napalm) – It’s one thing to
draft a TJS guy coming back this season. It’s another thing to draft someone
that is going to need to come back next season as a keeper to be of any value and
will have to occupy an IL slot all year. He’s not a spring chicken either, so
this is a wasted pick in my mind.
Runner-up: SP Tanner
Houck BOS (Ring) – I actually like what I’ve seen from majors Houck quite a
bit, but minors Houck walked 11% of the batters he faced in the minors. That
went down to 3.8% in the cup of coffee last year. Walk rates don’t tend to
improve as you face better hitters, so….
X-Factor: RP Amir Garrett CIN (S. Napalm) – There’s a lot to
like about this live arm (struck out all 9 batters he faced in Spring
training), but the RP situation in CIN is a bit muddied. Still, I could see him
being a top 5 RP for years to come.
Round 21
Best: RP Matt Barnes BOS (Moose) – He’s always been a great
talent. This year he’s got less competition for the closer role and he’s about
to become a FA. Big season on the way.
Runner-up: SS Willi Castro DET (Grit B&B) – Admittedly
didn’t know much about Willi last year, but he quietly put together rates that
amount to a 75/20/75/10/.340 hitter. You’ll take that all day at this point in
the draft… even if he’s a Tiger.
Worst: SP John Gant STL (Moose) – There is nothing about this
profile (28 yo, career 7.9 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, 30 games started, 106 games
relieving) that says he should anywhere near a fantasy roster.
Runner-up: RP Pete Fairbanks TB (Cowhide) – Not a whole lot
of issues with picks in this round, I just don’t have Fairbanks very high on my
list due to control issues and TB being shartwaffles when it comes to defined bullpen
roles.
X-Factor: SP/RP Tejay
Antone CIN (Tomahawk) – See Gonsolin, Tony. (Picking great pitchers with
uncertain roles is a great way to attack this part of the draft.)
Round 22
Best: RP Jordan Hicks STL (Knuckle) – Something about a
pitcher that can sling 103 mph with consistency and accuracy that just gets the
juices flowing. The role may be a little undefined initially, but make no
mistake, he’s the RP to own in STL.
Runner-up: 1B Jared Walsh LAA (Ring) – There’s a lot to like
about what Walsh did in his cup of coffee last year, which followed a tea cup
in 2019. All told, his 162-game average is 73/29/89/0/.321, but he’s 27 with
upside. Playing time is a bit of a concern with Ohtani and Pujols around, but
talent typically wins out.
Worst: OF JD Davis NYM (Freedom) – Just never been that
interested in him (162ga is 67/20/54/2/.348) and now he’s in a crowded lineup
with no DH and sucks hard at defense. Seems destined for the waivers.
Runner-up: RP Lucas Sims CIN (Ex-Presidents) – Fine with the
talent and role, but a known injury is something I try to avoid early on.
X-Factor: SS Willy Adames TB (Freedom) – Poor Willy. The
second he came up and couldn’t follow up on his great rookie season, people
started going ga-ga over Wander. Adames is just 25 and he’s battled some
injuries, but is fully capable of a 80/25/80/10/.330 season, and maybe much
more.
Round 23
Best: - RP Drew Pomeranz SD (Tomahawk) – He’s a top 10 RP in
S+H leagues and its baffling he dropped this far.
Runner-up: SP Jose Quintana LAA (S. Napalm) – One of my
fantasy favorites over the years. I either drafted him or traded for him almost
every year in his prime due to strong not great Ks and consistent rates.
Injuries and velocity concerns have caught up, but he was slinging solid in
spring.
Worst: RP Joakim Soria ARI (Grit B&B) – In S+H leagues,
best thing to do is go for talent and good teams. Soria is old, had a poor
spring, and is an Arizona D-bag.
Runner-up: RP Richard Rodriguez PIT (Brokeback) – He’s
pretty good, but you need to win to get a S+H... and this may be the worst
roster I’ve ever seen. Best hope will be
if he gets traded to a contender, but he’ll probably be dropped by then.
X-Factor: OF Sam Hilliard COL (Brokeback) – Just look at the
2019 AAA line and dream: 109/35/101/22/.335… now wake up and realize COL is
where young fringy talent goes to DIE!
Round 24
Best: RP Hector Neris PH (Brokeback) – Philly is going to be
good and even if we didn’t know for sure Neris was the closer, he’s the best
reliever there and was bound to be a solid RP in this league. Could’ve been
drafted 5 rounds prior and made sense.
Runner-up: SP Nick Pivetta BOS (Angry) – Love this because
there’s no risk, but a ton of upside. Pivetta has a great repertoire that
hasn’t quite translated to sustained success but has shown up big in games
along the way.
Worst: C Adley Rutschman BAL (S. Napalm) – The only thing
worse than wasting an NA slot on a rookie catcher is not having an NA spot open,
forcing you to waste a bench spot on him.
Runner-up: SP Randy Dobnak MIN (Freedom) – Dobber is a
perfectly fine piece for a major league club, but a 5.7 K/9 ain’t helping no
one in fantasy.
X-Factor: SP Logan Gilbert SEA (Tomahawk) – If willingness
to take a walk is a harbinger of success for young hitterw, unwillingness to
give up a walk is one for young pitchers. The stuff is something less than
elite, but Gilbert’s K rates ranged from 29-43% in his three minor league
season, while his walk rate has remained below 8%. This is a pitcher that could
come up and contribute immediately on a team with some questionable rotation members.
