It started with a Yankee, ended with a Met and involved 238 other players in between. Here’s how the 2018 BaseballGB Fantasy League draft unfolded.
I had done three mock drafts in preparation for our live online draft, one picking second out of 12 teams, the others at seventh and 11th. I liked the team from seventh most of all, partly because picking regularly allowed you more chances to change strategies and focus between different positions without having to wait long times between picks.
So when I logged into the draft room I looked at the randomly drawn draft order and found my team picking third. Surely a case of hovering the mouse over Nolan Arenado’s name and waiting to click. But not so fast…
The RBIs were first up, and Yankees fan Richie sprang a surprise by taking Aaron Judge first overall. I must admit at being surprised that Judge was ranked 17th by Yahoo as his enormous power would justify a much higher place in my opinion. I’m not sure I would have taken him first overall, but if he hits 50 homers who can argue. This left the Bombers with Trout second and suddenly I had an alternative to Arenado in Altuve.
Knowing there were plenty of decent 3B options in later rounds that I would be comfortable with, I opted for Altuve’s combination of power, average and speed. It’s not long before another Yankee goes, as Stanton is picked by the Slugs. Again, I thought Stanton’s Yahoo ranking was a touch low, and can understand why you would go for him over someone like Betts, who fell to 11th overall, one place behind JD Martinez. Scherzer joined Kershaw as the first two pitchers taken.
There were a bunch of quality infielders available in round two and I’m sure the Chasers and Maltsters will be very happy to get Goldschmidt and Votto here as I thought they may well have gone in round one. An early rush on aces saw Kluber and Sale selected and as the snake made its way back to me there were a number of great shortstop options on the board.
I had hoped that one of Machado, Correa or Lindor would fall to me, and when the Knights and A&E Dept made their choices my mind was made up for me. No doubt frustrated at seeing Gary Sanchez drafted just before his turn, the Bombers took Severino, which was a little early but he is still a solid staff ace.
The RBIs reached down the rankings a fair way with the choice of Gallo. He brings enormous power and positional flexibility but the low average is a concern and I’m sure he would have still be around towards the middle of the draft. I decide to take my first pitcher in Strasburg but was seriously tempted to grab Bellinger. With a long wait before my round four pick, I just couldn’t risk seeing Strasburg or my other ace options vanish, so I pick the Nat and hope to get a power bat next time round.
Seeing Verlander, deGrom and Carrasco fly off the board, I feel my decision to take Strasburg when I did is justified. I had hoped for Encarnacion’s power but the Knights beat me to him. It’s a coin flip between Upton, Ozuna and Yelich but I go for Upton’s track record and ability to chip in with steals. Other picks of note see the Chasers take Gordon’s speed and future CF eligibility, the Slugs opt for the Phillies slugger Hoskins and Jansen becomes the first closer to be drafted.
The RBIs start round five with a huge surprise, taking Tyler Wade. Wade may get some playing time to start the season in New York but the presence of Drury, Walker and two good prospects in Andujar and Torres means he will have a fight on his hands to keep his job. Wade would still have been available at the tail end of the draft and there were still plenty of other 2B available with a much stronger track record.
Surprisingly, Yelich is still available when my turn arrives, and after also considering Benintendi, Buxton and Marte, I picked Yelich and crossed the CF position off my to-do list. I am aware that I had not started to fill in my infield corners yet but will hope to do so before too long. I think I need another SP first, though.This round saw five CFs drafted while the Maltsters follow the selection of Jansen with that of Kimbrel for a lethal 1-2 bullpen combination.
Looking at the corner infield options, I wonder what to do if Cabrera or the now injured Justin Turner are available when it is my turn, but the Sox (absent from the draft, along with Batteries Essential) and Slugs make things easier for me. Greinke as my second starter it is. Schoop’s been an underrated player for a few years now so nice to see him get his due with a round six pick by Norwich while Gregorius, again ranked slightly low in Yahoo for my liking, goes to the RBIs.
Here’s where things start to get a bit tricky for my team, as the gaps at 1B and 3B are still an issue. The next best 1B or 3B in the rankings is Posey and as good as he is at C he won’t provide the kind of HR pop I’d like from 1B. Hosmer is available, as is Sano, but I would have to ignore some decent OF options to get him. I decide to change my plans and take Cespedes to complete my OF, having also considered Domingo Santana. Three more closers are taken this round while Batteries Essential could get nice value from the Murphy autopick here provided he is not missing injured for too long.
It’s not long before Santana and Hosmer are snapped up and after three SPs go in a row I find myself torn between Sano and Puig. Sano gives 1B and 3B flexibility but I am a huge Puig fan. Even though I will still be left with a corner infield headache, I just can’t pass on Puig, and fill my UT spot. But I have to get a 1B or 3B next time, no matter what.
Expecting to have to decide between Devers or Beltre, I quickly grab Sano when he is still available in round nine. I had considered Arrieta here but had to fill in my infield. It is just as well as three 3B are drafted afterwards. The Sox get Ohtani the pitcher with an autodraft. Four more closers are grabbed this round. Having been able to wait until round 11 in my mocks before taking my first reliever, I know I will need one soon. I could go for a third SP or with any luck Brad Hand might still be on the board…
… but the Knights scupper that plan. After Hendricks is drafted I opt for Wood, having also been tempted by Smoak and Moustakas and Lester. The Slugs pick Acuna Jr, the top prospect in the game who should not be in the minors for long. A closer is my next priority.
I reach down the rankings somewhat to get Colome but just could not afford to wait any longer for a closer. The RBIs drafted a Red Sox player in Price while the Maltsters take Happ, who looks in line for regular playing time with the Cubs at the top of their lineup.
My hopes of getting my second corner infielder reduce with Bruce and Castellano both being drafted in round 12 but it does mean that Realmuto is still there when my turn comes around. I don’t normally like taking a catcher this early but JT is an exception to my rule. Plus, with Zimmerman, Lamb and Smoak still available for my next pick soon afterwards, I would have to be really unlucky for all of them to be drafted.
Finally my corner infield is filled as I hover between Smoak and Zimmerman before choosing the latter. Smoak goes the very next pick. I start thinking ahead for my second closer, which would prove to be a very tough call. Neris and Vizcaino are taken this round, so would my other options still be around?
In a word, no. Having hoped for Herrera or Familia, it is a real blow when they go in consecutive picks. I’m left with a choice between Rodney and Bradley, who has not yet been named the Arizona closer. Rodney’s ERA is high, his WHIP is OK, but can he be trusted to hold the job with the Twins?
I reluctantly take Rodney with the aim of backing him up with Addison Reed if I can later in the draft. But I still need to fill out my rotation before thinking about set-up relievers. Some interesting picks in this round which could really pay dividends are Riverkings going for Moncada, Norwich taking Rosario and the Slugs backing Conforto to recover from injury. If I hadn’t already filled my OF, I would have been very tempted to do the same given the chance.
With the Bombers taking Hamels, I opt for Maeda as my fourth starter with Bradley going the next pick. I really like the Kiermaier pick for the Knights here, a really underrated player with power and speed who just needs to avoid injury. Three catchers go in a row.
Half of this round is dominated by relievers and as much as I am tempted to join the party and grab Reed here I decide that the rotation must come first with Morton. Zimmer is a nice pick for the Bombers as he was looking impressive before his injury last year.
A disastrous start to this round for my team as Sanchez, my next SP target, is nabbed by the RBIs and the Bombers take Reed next. After a series of curses, I consider Fulmer but opt for Walker. That leaves me with three picks left, and I need two set-up relievers and a bench bat.
This round leaves me torn between taking a holds option or adding an extra closer. Not having much faith in Rodney, should I take Gregerson for extra saves (for the time being, at least) or is that just making things worse? I bite the bullet and take Gregerson, knowing that if he is replaced as Cardinals closer I will need to act quickly. I like the Bell autopick for Batteries Essential here, as he looks capable of improving his power numbers in the middle of the Pirates new-look lineup.
With my penultimate pick, I opt for Devenski to give me some holds and strikeouts. There are still some other pitchers I have in my queue for my final pick, but I will need a bench bat of some description. I add Gyorko to my queue only for the Slugs to draft him almost instantly. Batteries Essential get some nice late-round power and speed from Souza.
It’s hard to know what to do with my last pick. Do you go for flexibility with someone you can plug into multiple positions or do you go for the best player available? In the end, I go for Suarez’s power at 3B, which could be handy if Sano is suspended after assault allegations. I like the Lynn pick here for the Chasers as I believe he will thrive being a year removed from his injury, pitching in a spacious stadium and with a very athletic defense behind him.
Getting Cobb this late is nice work by the Slugs while the Knights and A&E Dept prove you really can leave taking a catcher to the end and get a decent option. As the RBIs take Cabrera, the draft is done in a little over 90 minutes.
Team summaries
RBIs: Lots of power, decent speed but average may be an issue. Top three in rotation are good. Just one closer and one set-up reliever. May need to reduce number of bench hitters.
Bombers: Good power, decent offense across the board. Like the starters and bullpen but may need an extra arm or two.
Isotopes: Very happy with the offense and the rotation’s pretty strong. Bullpen after Colome is a concern though.
A&E Dept: Power and speed shouldn’t be a problem but a few low average hitters. Very good pitching depth, quality rotation and two good closers.
Knights: Lots of speed and power. If Machado’s average rebounds and Pollock stays fit, look out. Very solid pitching staff with good rotation depth.
Slugs: Takes full advantage of Rizzo’s 2B eligibility. Lacking a .300 hitter unless Cabrera rebounds. Plenty of power but not much speed. Rotation decent but only one closer.
Norwich: Stacked with power but could use Story and Davis lifting their averages. Not much speed. Two good closers but rotation lacking genuine ace.
Sox: Considering it was an autodraft, not too bad. Surplus of bench hitters could be used as trade bait. Powerful infield and just enough speed. Pitching staff high on quality with great 1-2 punch in Kershaw and deGrom plus two closers. Need extra arms though.
Batteries Essential: Another autodraft. Should hit well for average plus nice power/speed combo in the outfield. Pitching staff has good quality SP and two closers. Needs set-up relievers and extra SPs though. Surplus hitters as trade bait?
Maltsters: Five .300+ hitters in a well-balanced offense. May have the best bullpen in the league but rotation is lacking a genuine ace.
Riverkings: Youthful team banking could be boosted further with good years from Bird and Moncada. Just one .300 hitter and one 30+ HR hitter. Young back of rotation could go either way.
Chasers: Powerful infield and could be tough to beat in steals. Rotation is decent. Not many big names in the bullpen but could still be effective.
The week one matchups, running from March 29 to Apr 8 are:
Isotopes v Batteries Essential
A&E Dept v Chasers
Maltsters v Bombers
Riverkings v RBIs
Slugs v Norwich
Knights v Sox
As I’ve got the day off work and can’t think of anything but baseball, I thought I’d do something vaguely useful with my time and look ahead to the A’s opener tonight at 21:05 BST.
