Draft #2 is in the books for Mr. Troubleshooter.
Very different than Draft #1. Closers were more reasonable, although I am still going to end up trying to piece together some saves. I did get one high end closers. The run on closers didn’t start till Round 8. I did load up on OF’s early and often though.
Fantasy Pro’s gave me an A- for the draft, an overall grade of 90 and projected third place finish.
Let’s get right into the picks!
Round 1 – Kyle Tucker OF. Five category Roto stud. Enough said.
Round 2 – Manny Machado 3B – Grabbed a monster bat at a very thin position.
Round 3 – Sandy Alcantara SP – Eight SP had already been picked at this point compared to six in Draft #1. I am delighted to have this workhorse as a staff anchor. He piles up the IP with good ERA and WHIP. he might not get to 15 wins, but he will throw 200 IP, strikeout near 200 with low 3 ERA and a near 1.1 WHIP. Yes please.
Round 4 – Josh Hader RP – I wasn’t going to be left piecing together saves again. I think his bad month or so last year was a fluke and he will close games for a team with a very good chance of winning 100 games. He will also contribute in K’s
Round 5 – Cedric Mullins OF – Another guy who should contribute in all five offensive categories and could lead the league in steals or has a chance at 40 SBs with the new rules plus close to 20 HRs.
Round 6 – Starling Marte OF – I apparently am higher on Marte than others. I think he will be another solid five category contributer.
Round 7 – Teoscar Hernandez OF – Not bad for a OF4! Will hurt the average a bit but he is going hit HR and should score and drive in runs in an improved Mariners lineup. Might even swipe 10 bags.
Round 8 – Nathanial Lowe 1B – So at this point must teams have already taken 3 pitchers. I am not feeling much value for the pitchers near the top of the draft board, so I am going to keep building my offense. A solid 1B who won’t hurt my AVG and add to my HR, R and RBIs on an improving Rangers team.
Round 9 – MJ Melendez C/OF – A catcher who will play most of his games in the field? Yes please. The bottom of the Royals order might struggle but Melendez will be hitting ahead of Witt, Salvy and Vinny. The AVG may struggle but the other numbers minus SB will help.
Round 10 – Nelson Cortes SP – Finally a pitcher available that I like the value on. Not a workhorse but with the Yankees offense he still should get to double digit wins with decent ERA and good WHIP and K’s.
Round 11 – Logan Webb SP – A workhorse to provide me some innings with average ERA and WHIP, low teen wins and decent K numbers. Not a K monster but pitches enough innings to accumulate them.
Round 12 – Jeremy Pena SS – I thought I was going to get Correa again, but he went a couple picks prior. Not a great AVG, but low 20’s HR’s passable runs and RBIs and hopefully low teens SBs.
Round 13 – David Robertson RP – First in line for saves on a stacked Mets lineup that can challenge 100 wins.
Round 14 – Chris Bassitt SP – A solid pitcher on a loaded Toronto team that can also win 100 games. Won’t kill ERA and WHIP while adding to counting numbers.
Round 15 – Jose Altuve 2B – Love the value again. I think 2/3rds of a season of Altuve is better than any other MI I can get here.
Round 16 – Brady Singer SP – Wins might be a struggle but he did win 10 games on a 65 win Royals team who should be better. He found something last year after his trip to the minors and was fairly dominate once he came back up. In 24 starts he allowed more than 3 ER in only 4 starts with two of those being 4 ER while striking out over a batter an inning.
Round 17 – Luis Arraez 1B/2B – Will fill in nicely at 2B while Altuve is out. Pile up some good AB to anchor the AVG category and will end up being a solid MI once Altuve returns.
Round 18 – Evan Phillips RP – Dominant relief pitcher who could get first crack at saves with the Dodgers while Hudson is out. Maybe he takes the job and runs with it?
Round 19 – Jameson Taillon SP – I am struggling for starting depth. He has looked great in the spring and throwing a dart it carries over and he doesn’t sink my ERA and gets to 10 wins and an ok amount of K’s
Round 20 – DJ LeMahieu 1B/2B/3B – Love the versatility atop the Yankees order. I am going to have to mix and match the MI/CI and UT till Altuve gets back.
Round 22 – Oscar Gonzalez OF – Young hopefully ascending player for the Guardians who should hit near the middle of the order.
Round 23 – Jon Berti 2B/3B – Insurance for Arraez and if injuries on the Marlins give him a path to regular AB’s even if for a couple weeks, his SB ability will add value.
Round 24 – Trey Mancini 1B/OF – Will be in the CI/UT mix until Altuve is back. Here is hoping he gets a hot start and the Phillies call the Cubs about Mancini playing 1B for them.
Round 25 – Luis Severino SP – Rolling the dice that I can get 2/3’s of a healthy season out of him to bolster the pitching staff.
Round 26 – Carlos Carrasco SP – More depth and darts in the SP quiver.
Round 27 – Christian Bethancourt C – Second C who hopefully won’t torpedo my BA.
Round 28 – Will Benson OF – I am hoping the Reds aren’t keeping him to sit on the bench. Could be a possible rookie breakout candidate.
Round 29 – Jimmy Herget RP – Very solid late inning reliever who could work his way into more saves.
Round 30 – Hunter Dozier 1B/3B/OF – Will start season as Royals regular 3B, a position that he had his best season playing. Thinking a set defensive position will let his bat bounce back. Another piece to mix and match at CI/UT/OF.
Not as high on this team as team #1 which is a bit disappointing cause I picked 6th, my number one choice to draft spots. I have a lot of top of the order hitters so HR’s and RBI’s might be a challenge for this team. Fingers crossed for some career years!
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