On Tuesday, March 4, the Tout Wars Mixed League had its draft for the 2025 season. It is a 15-team league with some of the best fantasy analysts in the industry taking part. The major twist with Tout Wars is its usage of On Base Percentage (OBP) instead of the more traditional batting average category. This wrinkle normally makes for more interesting drafts as ADP gets thrown out the window much earlier than expected.
Here are my round-by-round picks with analysis:
Below the analysis is the draft board from the Tout Wars 29-round draft:
Round 1: SS/OF Mookie Betts, Dodgers
Pick Analysis: Love that Betts qualifies at multiple positions as well as being an OBP monster.
Round 2: C William Contreras, Brewers
Pick Analysis: I almost NEVER take a catcher this early, but Contreras is by far the best one on the board and his OBP is close to .20 points higher than the second best catcher.
Round 3: OF James Wood, Nationals
Pick Analysis: I took him way earlier than I should have, but I know that Tim McLeod (Team 15) loves younger players, so I panicked slightly, thinking Tim would grab him if I didn’t.
Round 4: OF Wyatt Langford, Rangers
Pick Analysis: Luckily, Langford was still on the board at this point because he was my other option had I not selected Wood.
Round 5: OF Michael Harris II, Braves
Pick Analysis: I fully expected to take my first pitcher at this pick but there was no way I could pass up on the 20/20 ability of Harris.
Round 6: SP Tanner Bibee, Guardians
Pick Analysis: He’s one of the top young arms in the AL.
Round 7: SP Spencer Schwellenbach, Braves
Pick Analysis: It’s Schwellenbach or BUST for me this season, as I have him on every team.
Round 8: RP Jhoan Duran, Twins
Pick Analysis: He was the best closer left on the board by far and I clicked his name as quickly as possible.
Round 9: SP Max Fried, Yankees
Pick Analysis: Love the arm, hate his injury history. Hoping he finally throws 160 innings in New York.
Round 10: SP Shane McClanahan, Rays
Pick Analysis: Fireballing LHP, who could get 180K in 130 IP.
Round 11: 2B Xander Bogaerts, Padres
Pick Analysis: He’s not an exciting pick until you see his multiple positional eligibility and solid OBP.
Round 12: SP Reynaldo Lopez, Braves
Pick Analysis: Thrilled to have him as my SP5
Round 13: OF Kerry Carpenter, Tigers
Pick Analysis: Detroit has said that they are going to let Carpenter hit against LHP this season. I need him to hit 30+ HR if I want to win.
Round 14: C Alejandro Kirk, Blue Jays
Pick Analysis: Probably took him a round or two early but he’s a solid catcher with good OBP.
Round 15: 1B Nolan Schanuel, Angels
Pick Analysis: It’s purely an OBP pick. I would never take him in a regular batting average format.
Round 16: OF Jung Hoo Lee, Giants
Pick Analysis: Injuries cut off his season in 2024; interested in seeing his potential in 2025.
Round 17: 3B Connor Norby, Marlins
Pick Analysis: The former top prospect has a chance to hit in the middle of the order every day for Miami.
Round 18: 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Reds
Pick Analysis: Spencer Steer is dealing with a shoulder injury, leaving the door wide open for CES to be the Opening Day starter at 1B.
Round 19: SP Max Scherzer, Blue Jays
Pick Analysis: Might have been the best SP left on the board when I selected him
Round 20: 3B Joey Ortiz, Brewers
Pick Analysis: Should get SS eligibility by the end of April.
Round 21: 1B/OF Luke Raley
Pick Analysis: Qualifies at two positions and has sneaky power/speed ability.
Round 22: RP Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox
Pick Analysis: Hoping he gets 15 saves for the Red Sox.
Round 23: 1B Spencer Horwitz, Pirates
Pick Analysis: Tout Wars lets me stash injured players on the IR. Horwitz will likely be my starter at first base as soon as he returns from injury in late April.
Round 24: RP Seth Halvorsen, Rockies
Pick Analysis: No one loves Rockies pitchers, but Halvorsen throws close to 100 MPH.
Round 25: SP Will Warren Yankees
Pick Analysis: Handcuffs my Fried pick but could end up in the rotation from April with Gil injured.
Round 26: 2B/3B Chad Durbin, Brewers
Pick Analysis: Sneaky power/speed combination and could hit leadoff against LHP.
Round 27: 1B/OF Lamonte Wade, Jr., Giants
Pick Analysis: OBP machine and qualifies at two positions.
Round 28: 2B Christian Moore, Angels
Pick Analysis: Great longshot to be the AL Rookie of the Year.
Round 29: RP Jeremiah Estrada, Padres
Pick Analysis: I always like taking flyers in the bullpen at the end of drafts just in case of a Spring Training injury.
Overall: Tout Wars is a true test of fantasy baseball knowledge. It has some of the best fantasy players in the industry, and there are no bad picks. I love the balance of my team, but I think I might be a little short in power. Luckily, this league has FAAB as well as trading, so hopefully, I can address the issue before it gets too late.