Home MLBFantasy baseball BaseballGB Fantasy League 2017 – Draft Review Part One

BaseballGB Fantasy League 2017 – Draft Review Part One

by Mark George

Mike Trout was the first player drafted. Brandon Drury was the last.

Find out who the other 278 players were as 14 teams gathered for the ninth draft in BaseballGB Fantasy League history.

Part One looks at Rounds 1 to 10. Part Two tomorrow will cover Rounds 11 to 20 and a review of the 14 teams.

Round 1
1. Mike Trout(LAA – CF) Mighty Slugs
2. Mookie Betts(Bos – OF) Weston-Super…
3. Clayton Kershaw(LAD – SP) Iron Men
4. José Altuve(Hou – 2B) Cheshunt Mal…
5. Kris Bryant(ChC – 1B,3B,OF) Norwich No II
6. Bryce Harper(Was – OF) Richie’s RBI’s
7. Paul Goldschmidt(Ari – 1B) The Cheddar …
8. Nolan Arenado(Col – 3B) Orpington Is…
9. Manny Machado(Bal – 3B,SS) Durham River…
10. Josh Donaldson(Tor – 3B) Newcastle Kn…
11. Anthony Rizzo(ChC – 1B) Beckenham A&…
12. Charlie Blackmon(Col – CF) Batteries Es…
13. Trea Turner(Was – 2B,CF) The Bath Bom…
14. Joey Votto(Cin – 1B) Jesmond Denn…

I logged in to find my team was picking 8th out of 14 teams in the randomly drawn order. Not great but not too bad either. The advantage would be a reasonably regular turn to make my picks so I could afford to be a bit more flexible than being at either end of the snake. I consulted the mock draft results I had done where I picked 6th out of 12 teams to get a sense of how I built that team, which players were likely to be available in the important opening rounds and how I could apply what I had learnt to this draft.

It was no surprise to see Trout go first, but I think the second choice is particularly interesting this year. Do you got for Betts and his all-round power, average and speed and have him fill the CF spot, or do you go for Bryant’s raw power and positional flexibility? In the end, Betts went second but it was a slight surprise to see both Altuve and Kershaw go above Bryant. It’s not as if any of them are bad picks – far from it – but I’m sure Norwich wasn’t expecting to be able to get Bryant.

I had originally highlighted Manny Machado as a first pick possibility, but with the RBIs going for Harper early it meant Arenado was still available when it was my turn to pick. The thought of Machado and his SS eligibilty did appeal, but in the end I decided I couldn’t pass on Arenado’s superior power. The rest of the opening round saw Bath select Turner’s intriguing power and speed combo while Votto was Jesmond’s opening pick.

 

Round 2
1. Carlos Correa (Hou – SS) Jesmond Denn…
2. Miguel Cabrera (Det – 1B) The Bath Bom…
3. Noah Syndergaard (NYM – SP) Batteries Es…
4. Max Scherzer (Was – SP) Beckenham A&…
5. Corey Seager (LAD – SS) Newcastle Kn…
6. Madison Bumgarner (SF – SP) Durham River…
7. Starling Marte (Pit – CF) Orpington Is…
8. Francisco Lindor (Cle – SS) The Cheddar …
9. Masahiro Tanaka (NYY – SP) Richie’s RBI’s
10. Freddie Freeman (Atl – 1B) Norwich No II
11. Chris Sale (Bos – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
12. Xander Bogaerts (Bos – SS) Iron Men
13. Ryan Braun (Mil – OF) Weston-Super…
14. Robinson Canó (Sea – 2B) Mighty Slugs

Jesmond and bath both opted for a combo of veteran 1B and young star with their first two picks, and it’s a fine tactic. I wasn’t planning on taking a pitcher until round three or four and was hoping to nab one of Seager, Lindor, Bogaerts or Marte. I like Lindor a lot but I am a huge Marte fan so decided to fill CF now and leave SS for later. The RBIs made a bold move with Tanaka in round two. Nothing wong with having him atop your rotation, but there were still some other options I would have gone with first.

 

Round 3
1. Trevor Story(Col – SS) Mighty Slugs
2. George Springer(Hou – OF) Weston-Super…
3. Edwin Encarnación(Cle – 1B) Iron Men
4. Corey Kluber(Cle – SP) Cheshunt Mal…
5. Rougned Odor(Tex – 2B) Norwich No II
6. Aroldis Chapman(NYY – RP) Richie’s RBI’s
7. Brian Dozier(Min – 2B) The Cheddar …
8. Nelson Cruz(Sea – OF) Orpington Is…
9. Jake Arrieta(ChC – SP) Durham River…
10. Giancarlo Stanton(Mia – OF) Newcastle Kn…
11. Jon Lester(ChC – SP) Beckenham A&…
12. A.J. Pollock(Ari – CF) Batteries Es…
13. Yu Darvish(Tex – SP) The Bath Bom…
14. Yoenis Céspedes(NYM – CF) Jesmond Denn…

The run on young SS continued as Story followed Lindor and Bogaerts off the board. I was hoping Jake Arrieta would still be there when it came to my turn but the slightly early picks for Tanaka and Odor meant Nelson Cruz was still around. Grabbing another power bat here was something I felt I couldn’t pass up, so I changed tactics and nabbed Nelson. As four SP flew off the board this round I knew I pretty much had to get an ace next pick.

The RBIs were the first to take a closer in Chapman. I’m not usually a fan of taking closers very early although if you are going to, he’s the guy. I reckoned I could wait a bit longer for some less flashy but still decent enough options. Batteries Essential took a gamble on AJ Pollock recovering from his injury nightmare of last year.

 

Round 4
1. Jacob deGrom(NYM – SP) Jesmond Denn…
2. Stephen Strasburg(Was – SP) The Bath Bom…
3. J.D. Martínez(Det – OF) Batteries Es…
4. Carlos González(Col – OF) Beckenham A&…
5. Justin Verlander(Det – SP) Newcastle Kn…
6. Daniel Murphy(Was – 1B,2B) Durham River…
7. Johnny Cueto(SF – SP) Orpington Is…
8. Kyle Seager(Sea – 3B) The Cheddar …
9. Jonathan Villar(Mil – 2B,3B,SS) Richie’s RBI’s
10. Christian Yelich(Mia – CF) Norwich No II
11. José Abreu(CWS – 1B) Cheshunt Mal…
12. Gr̩gory Polanco(Pit РOF) Iron Men
13. Adrián Béltre(Tex – 3B) Weston-Super…
14. Kyle Schwarber(ChC – C,OF) Mighty Slugs

More SPs were flying off the board as deGrom, Strasburg and Verlander all went before my turn, but I was happy enough with Cueto as my ace. If Murphy had still been available it would have been tough to pass on him. Norwich can take advantage of Yelich’s new CF eligibility while the Slugs opted for the power potential of a fit-again Schwarber.

 

Round 5
1. Chris Archer(TB – SP) Mighty Slugs
2. Wil Myers(SD – 1B,OF) Weston-Super…
3. Carlos Martínez(StL – SP) Iron Men
4. Andrew McCutchen(Pit – CF) Cheshunt Mal…
5. Gary Sánchez(NYY – C) Norwich No II
6. Matt Carpenter(StL – 1B,2B,3B) Richie’s RBI’s
7. Justin Upton(Det – CF) The Cheddar …
8. Hanley Ramírez(Bos – 1B) Orpington Is…
9. Kenley Jansen(LAD – RP) Durham River…
10. Chris Davis(Bal – 1B) Newcastle Kn…
11. Buster Posey(SF – C,1B) Beckenham A&…
12. Kyle Hendricks(ChC – SP) Batteries Es…
13. Carlos Carrasco(Cle – SP) The Bath Bom…
14. Cole Hamels(Tex – SP) Jesmond Denn…

I’m a big Archer fan, so was annoyed to see him go to the Slugs here – he would have formed a nice 1-2 punch with Cueto. Carlos Martinez and Mat Carpenter were two others I was considering here but they soon went too. I weighed up going for Posey and Chris Davis but felt Hanley was the safer option and provided the better mix of average and power. Three more SPs went at the end of the round. I started to think I should get a second SP before too long.

 

Round 6
1. Alex Bregman(Hou – 3B) Jesmond Denn…
2. Zach Britton(Bal – RP) The Bath Bom…
3. Ian Kinsler(Det – 2B) Batteries Es…
4. Todd Frazier(CWS – 1B,3B) Beckenham A&…
5. José Bautista(Tor – OF) Newcastle Kn…
6. Matt Kemp(Atl – OF) Durham River…
7. Khris Davis(Oak – OF) Orpington Is…
8. Jonathan Lucroy(Tex – C,1B) The Cheddar …
9. Jean Segura(Sea – 2B,SS) Richie’s RBI’s
10. Mark Trumbo(Bal – OF) Norwich No II
11. Carlos Santana(Cle – 1B) Cheshunt Mal…
12. Seung Hwan Oh(StL – RP) Iron Men
13. Dee Gordon(Mia – 2B) Weston-Super…
14. Evan Longoria(TB – 3B) Mighty Slugs

Zach Britton was a major reason my Isotopes did well last year but any hopes of a reunion were dashed by Bath, although I was still prepared to wait for my first closer. With my favoured SP options being a bit lower down the draft rankings at this point I decided to get another bat.

I had Kemp lined up only for Durham to beat me to him. Dee Gordon was there, but with Marte already on my roster speed wasn’t a high priority. Instead I went for Khris Davis in the hope of more power and that I could make up for his low average elsewhere.

 

Round 7
1. Kenta Maeda(LAD – SP) Mighty Slugs
2. Adam Jones(Bal – CF) Weston-Super…
3. Anthony Rendón(Was – 3B) Iron Men
4. Mark Melancon(SF – RP) Cheshunt Mal…
5. Edwin Díaz(Sea – RP) Norwich No II
6. Rick Porcello(Bos – SP) Richie’s RBI’s
7. José Quintana(CWS – SP) The Cheddar …
8. Julio Teherán(Atl – SP) Orpington Is…
9. Dellin Betances(NYY – RP) Durham River…
10. DJ LeMahieu(Col – 2B) Newcastle Kn…
11. Zack Greinke(Ari – SP) Beckenham A&…
12. Billy Hamilton(Cin – CF) Batteries Es…
13. Justin Turner(LAD – 3B) The Bath Bom…
14. Andrew Miller(Cle – RP) Jesmond Denn…

A couple more closers went in round seven in Diaz and Melancon while it was also interesting to see two elite holds guys go this early too in Miller and Betances. I was very happy to add to my rotation with Teheran. He pitched well for me last year but didn’t have many wins to show for it but I think the Braves should be much better this year.

I was aware I still hadn’t filled either of my middle infield spots yet, so that was something I would need to address soon. I like the Greinke pick here for Beckenham as I would expect him to have a bounceback year. Turner’s a nice pick for Bath too.

 

Round 8
1. Stephen Piscotty(StL – CF) Jesmond Denn…
2. Adam Eaton(Was – CF) The Bath Bom…
3. Eric Hosmer(KC – 1B) Batteries Es…
4. Wade Davis(ChC – RP) Beckenham A&…
5. Albert Pujols(LAA – 1B) Newcastle Kn…
6. Nate Jones(CWS – RP) Durham River…
7. Adrián González(LAD – 1B) Orpington Is…
8. Gerrit Cole(Pit – SP) The Cheddar …
9. Willson Contreras(ChC – C,OF) Richie’s RBI’s
10. Danny Duffy(KC – SP,RP) Norwich No II
11. Roberto Osuna(Tor – RP) Cheshunt Mal…
12. Lorenzo Cain(KC – CF) Iron Men
13. David Price(Bos – SP) Weston-Super…
14. Brandon Belt(SF – 1B) Mighty Slugs

If Hosmer or Pujols had still been available at my turn in round eight it would have been very tempting to take one of them and fill UT. Instead I was left with the choice of Pedroia or Gonzalez.

Although Adrian’s power numbers have dipped he is still a decent RBI source and his average should be decent. I decided to avoid the 2B/SS hole for another round and go for Gonzo. Davis, Jones and Osuna are three more closers in demand but I felt I could get away with waiting another couple of rounds before getting my first reliever.

 

Round 9
1. Rich Hill(LAD – SP) Mighty Slugs
2. Aarón Sánchez(Tor – SP) Weston-Super…
3. Ken Giles(Hou – RP) Iron Men
4. Jackie Bradley Jr.(Bos – CF) Cheshunt Mal…
5. Craig Kimbrel(Bos – RP) Norwich No II
6. Greg Bird(NYY – 1B) Richie’s RBI’s
7. Andrew Benintendi(Bos – OF) The Cheddar …
8. Dustin Pedroia(Bos – 2B) Orpington Is…
9. David Dahl(Col – CF) Durham River…
10. Danny Salazar(Cle – SP) Newcastle Kn…
11. Cody Allen(Cle – RP) Beckenham A&…
12. Félix Hernández(Sea – SP) Batteries Es…
13. Jameson Taillon(Pit – SP) The Bath Bom…
14. Jeurys Familia(NYM – RP) Jesmond Denn…

Having almost taken Pedroia the previous round, I was surprised to see him still available here, so decide to make a start on my middle infield. A few relievers I had in mind for the next round vanish here in Kimbrel, Familia and Giles.

I decide I can’t wait any longer for a closer and must get one in the next round. Hill could be a nice pick for the Slugs here if he can stay healthy while the Chasers bet on the promise of Benintendi. I drafted Dahl in a GM league a few years back so he could serve Durham very well while Batteries Essential get King Felix.

 

Round 10
1. Lance McCullers Jr.(Hou – SP) Jesmond Denn…
2. Addison Russell(ChC – SS) The Bath Bom…
3. Michael Fulmer(Det – SP) Batteries Es…
4. Joc Pederson(LAD – CF) Beckenham A&…
5. John Lackey(ChC – SP) Newcastle Kn…
6. Kendrys Morales(Tor – 1B,OF) Durham River…
7. Kelvin Herrera(KC – RP) Orpington Is…
8. Kevin Gausman(Bal – SP) The Cheddar …
9. Iván Nova(Pit – SP,RP) Richie’s RBI’s
10. Marcus Stroman(Tor – SP) Norwich No II
11. José Ramírez(Cle – 3B,OF) Cheshunt Mal…
12. Miguel Sano(Min – 3B,OF) Iron Men
13. Matt Harvey(NYM – SP) Weston-Super…
14. James Paxton(Sea – SP) Mighty Slugs

Fortunately no more closers go before my next turn, so I opt for Herrera. I like the Morales pick for Durham as he brings power as well as 1B and OF(!) eligibility. Stroman’s a man for the big occasion as the playoffs and WBC have shown, so he could have a big year for Norwich.

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