I had my final expert league draft on Monday night. It was the FSGA Champions League, which is made up of 14 teams. The bottom two teams get “relegated” to lower divisions, so there is pressure to succeed. I had the number one pick, which was the first time I have had that pick all draft season.
As I mentioned on SiriusXM radio, I intended to take three hitters with my first three picks, followed by two pitchers. I knew I wanted a closer by Round 7 and one catcher by Rounds 10/11. The draft went exactly as I’d hoped, so now it’s my job to pull out the win!
Here is the full draft board, and here are my picks by round with a quick analysis of each:
Expert Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy
Round 1: Ronald Acuña Jr., OF
I’m not worried about his injury in the least, so Acuña is the obvious first-overall pick.
Round 2: Michael Harris II, OF
I was shocked that he made it back to me, considering he went in the middle of Round 2 in both LABR and Tout Wars.
Round 3: Gunnar Henderson, SS/3B
I love the player, the team, and the positional flexibility.
Round 4: Logan Gilbert, SP
I’ve been eyeing Gilbert all draft season, as I think 15 wins and 200 Ks feels like a likely outcome for him.
Round 5: Grayson Rodriguez, SP
He should be on his way to stardom shortly.
Round 6: Zach Eflin, SP
The interesting thing was that I was this close to taking Eflin in Round 5, so when he was on the board in Round 6, it was a no-brainer.
Round 7: Andres Munoz, RP
He throws hard, and Seattle has a solid pitching staff in front of him.
Round 8: Evan Phillips, RP
If he keeps the job all season, he should save 40 games for the Dodgers.
Round 9: Spencer Torkelson, 1B
I think he’s got a shot to hit 40 HRs.
Round 10: Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 1B
To get him and Torkelson back-to-back gives me close to 65-70 home runs from my 1B and corner positions.
Round 11: Salvador Perez, C
He’s good for 20-25 HR.
Round 12: Keibert Ruiz, C
Ruiz should get 450 at-bats and could hit .280.
Round 13: TJ Friedl, OF
Friedl is a nice five-tool hitter in a good offense.
Round 14: Maikel Garcia, 3B
I have drafted him everywhere. I’m convinced he goes 10/30 with a .280 average.
Round 15: Aaron Civale, SP
If he can throw 150+ innings, I will be thrilled.
Round 16: Nathan Eovaldi, SP
A solid pitcher on a solid team, Eovaldi should win 12 games.
Round 17: Ryan McMahon, 2B
I was surprised McMahon was on the board at this point. His ADP was 50 spots higher.
Round 18: Jose Siri, OF
He’s “my guy” this year. If he hits .250, watch out, as he could go 25/25 and be one of the best late picks in the draft.
Round 19: Justin Turner, 1B
He’s old and boring, but he can still rake.
Round 20: Seth Lugo, SP
Lugo is a solid innings eater who won’t kill my ratios.
Round 21: Zach Neto, SS
He’s going to start the year hitting ninth, but I think he will eventually hit leadoff and rack up 15 HRs with 20 SB.
Round 22: Chris Paddack, SP
I think he finally throws 150 innings and gets me 175 Ks.
Round 23: Trevor Rogers, SP
He has been tearing it up in Spring Training. Along with Max Meyer, he is one of my favorite sleepers in NL-Only leagues.
Round 24: James McArthur, RP
He could close for the Royals by July 4th.
Round 25: Willi Castro, 3B/OF
Castro qualifies for two positions, maybe three or four by the end of the season.
Round 26: Zack Littell, SP
Tampa always has a solid pitching staff; I have three of their starters.
Round 27: Brice Turang, 2B/SS
No one likes drafting him, but he has positional flexibility and great speed, and he won’t leave the lineup because of his Gold Glove defense.
Round 28: Mark Canha, OF
Solid hitter on a Tigers team that should surprise.
Round 29: Austin Wells, C
I watched him rocket a ball out of the stadium last weekend in Florida. If he hits well for the Yankees, it will allow me to trade one of my catchers.