Welcome in everybody in to Fantasy Bros. MLB. This is the Fantasy Baseball Podcast. It is be Joey P Joe P's Apia And today we have a little shallow ten team five y five monk, We're gonna throw it to you at today. Not every league has twelve or fifteen people. Some are a little bit smaller and some are a little bit more shallow. And speaking of shallow, the Welsh is here joining me, hanging out here. And of course
Joe A. Rico, everyone's favorite Canadian. Well, look, we're trying out new nicknames because we tried out Hollywood for you on the VP. I'm kidding, I love you, and I'm in a good mood because Pete Alonzo is now a met as of recording this, so I'm very excited about that news. Joe Rico, I'm sorry Toronto Blue Jays yet again, Whift on getting a big free agent? Are you doing okay today?
I'm doing okay because if we got Alonzo, it would have made it a lot easier for Rogers to say we got a first base and we don't need Flatty, so it leaves the door more open for Vlatty. Whatever's gonna happen there. But it's not the end of the world. Old for me, it's not the end of the world. But I'm happy for you, Joe. Somebody's got to be happy here.
Right I'm here.
Gladdy played twelve games at third base, so they could have justified Lightie back over to third a little bit. Pete Alonzo at first, all you.
Enjoyce Joe Rico's cock eyed optimism, I do. It's awesome.
Yeah, that's a Canadian opt it is.
I like it it is, and hopefully we're gonna bring some of that optimism into Today's draft is a five y five draft. We are ten teams only today, So what we're gonna do, We're gonna change things up a little bit in terms of how the roster is structured. We're gonna do the middle infield, corner infield, four outfielders, one util spot. We're going to do four pitcher spots for starters, two for relievers, and then three wild card
pitching spots. No bench today, We're just gonna get in and out, have some fun with Draft Wizard, and of course you should be using Draft Wizard as well for all of your draft preparation. Download Draft Wizard MLB app today or go to Fantasypros dot com slash MLB Draft Wizard if you want the ultimate cheat code to winning all your drafts. You can perform multiple draft simulations. You can get expert advice. You can use the Chee Chee Creator.
You can use all these tools and then sink your leagues for free and use the draft software in your actual drafts. That's the best way to make sure that you are getting the winning edge in every single draft you do in real time, but in the meantime use the mock draft simulator. Again, Fantasy Pros Draft Wizard MLB is ready for you to download. All right, let's get to the spots too. Let's see, Welsh, where are you on this draft? Is that true? Are you at number
one today? You taken the easy way out?
Brov the easy way out? I haven't. I don't think I've done one yet. I just figured it would be nice. I will to say this too as someone that does like fifteen I play in Scott White's twenty fourteen points dynasty.
Yes, I passed that off to you. By the way, I had done that for a while about eight years. I was like, I can't do this anymore, I got to pass it to the Welsh.
I've always played in like deep leagues. There is something so cathartic about just mocking and drafting in a ten team league, to the point where I've kind of held fast that I think you should play in a ten team league, especially if you're a multi league type of person. There's something so great because there is different strategy, you know. I mean, like taking some of those high end players pitching for an example. I think pitching is a place where you can't afford to go in on a Paul
Schemes or a Tarik Schooble a little bit higher. The rosters are all kind of stacked. You've got to find the edges a little bit different. You can play around with some other strategies. Some players you might avoid in Rode fifteen you can play here. I just really do like ten. I wouldn't do all but ten, or my only singular league via ten, but I think it's a good mixture in the tool belt of Fantasy one. So I'm at one probably the best spot I could possibly ask for in a ten man, especially.
One hundred percent, because you're getting Shoeyotani here at the top those two players. And when you're in star powered leagues ten team shallower leagues, every star a count, So that's how you get an advantage. Joe Rico is at one oh six. I'm taking the turn at one ten. We'll see how it goes wells you're on the clock. Spoiler alert, Choeotani off the board. Did you want to say anything about joeyoa and his greatness here?
Well, if you guys didn't know about no, I mean, I don't care about the positional stuff. We have one util position means absolutely nothing to me. I you know, in this format of a ten team, like head to head in theory, we could be playing daily transactions and if we were, Otani's even more valuable. The pitching side doesn't come into the equation. But you know, like we have more players that are going to beef up our bench,
and that's more replacement level players. So like you can afford to take pitching early, you can afford to have a util top end because I can find replacements positionally a lot easier in a ten team. So Otani is a really big advantage in ten.
Okay, Bobby Wood Junior goes one O two than Aaron Judge win OO three, Jose Ramirez one oh four, Eliedo Acruz one O five than Gunner Henderson to Joe Alrico Arico, Let's talk about Gunner Henderson. There, you had won Soto Corbyn, Carol Mookie Bets, you passed on all of those guys for Gunner. Why was that?
I really like the projections. I really like the up and coming miss of the Orioles lineup. The you know, if you're looking at the projection thirty two homers, seventeen stolen bases, he's going to be an asset in the batting average category as well. Lowest projection there is about two seventy, and I think you can actually take another step forward. It's easy to forget that he's still just twenty three. So if he were to go forty twenty this year in that lineup wouldn't surprise me at all.
Next up, after that run of Sodo, Carol Mookie Bets, I stayed with outfielder Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cub playing for a big contract. I'm excited for the Cubs this year and Francisco Lindora two to one. Then Tatist goes right after Skeens to reach Scooble. The two big pictures go to Joe A Rico, who's on the board right now. He selected Julio Rodriguez. So let's talk about Julio and
how you feel about potential for him. You passed on your boy, Vladdie, I'm a little surprised about that, and Alvarez, who I personally have above Julio this year, So let's talk about the decision making process there.
So I don't have any problem going any of those routes. But I think with Julio in the middle of second round, I'm still getting somebody who, at his very worse last year was the worst version of him twenty homers, twenty four stolen bases. I do think that there is a much better version of Julio there. We've seen it even the year prior, and I think you can get back
to that thirty to thirty level. You know, with the first two picks here, I might have just secured seventy homers and fifty steals with still a good batting average. The reason I'd like to take Vladie as the batting average bump, but I'm still getting a decent batting average with that security and stolen bases as well. Here. So like the first two picks, and even I like the third pick even more, but we'll wait on that one for a second.
We'll wait on that one. Vlad goes next to two oh six, then your now Varez next at two oh seven. You have Jackson Churio to eight, then Freddy Freeman, then Welsh, Bryce Harper, Ronald Acunya. Man, oh man, that must feel pretty good right now. I know you gotta wait for Acunya. But to get the last two n l MVPs on the same roster, that seems like a pretty good situation. It is actually the last three n l MVPs because Harper won it before, so you're really doing okay there, Welsh, not too shabby.
I've had I had it locked in when I picked the one spot that I was going to take ronald'cunya with this, because again I can take some shots if I'm missing him for a little bit of time, the player pool I can have as a replacement exponentially better. So I'm very comfortable with that Bryce Harper falling back. It's a one B situation at first base. I've got all the upside in the world. I've got my stolen bases that are going to be covered in a really
big way. All I gotta do is just pick up, you know a little bit positionally and what I might lose for Acunya, but it is the all upside play across the board, so I am very happy with it. And I am on the clock right now.
You are, so while you're on the clock, we'll continue to look through here. Raphael Dever, Zach Wheeler, Jared durand Logan Gilbert, and then Joe Rico finally got Eric Crochet away from the Welsh. That was the excitement you teased earlier. Let's discuss you had to do it.
You were committed to doing this, Joe.
My reputation was on the line here. I had to do it, and I did it. And I think middle of the third round for Crochet is about the market price you're gonna have to pay. I have him as a top five starting pitcher, and I absolutely love getting him here, especially because Welsh didn't go well.
I mean that certainly works for me. Trey Turner, next, Kyle Schwarber, then at three Zho nine Ca Tell Marte. I took Jazz Chisholm, so building the outfield out a little bit, Jackson Merrill, I'm pounding the outfield here, and I'm somebody who tends to go offense early and offen anyway. In a ten team league, I'm gonna do it even worse because I feel like there's plenty of pitching out there that I like that I think is at a good value this year. So we'll see how that strategy
plays out for me in this ten team league. After I took Jackson Merrill, Matt Olsen, then Austin Riley, Corbyn Burns, Joe Rico, you took Manny Bachado seems like a pretty good value at four h five.
Yeah, he is the third basement that tends to fall a little bit in that elite tier. You know, Batting average is such an important thing for me this year. I've talked about it a lot on our shows we've done, and I think I've built a really solid base of two seventy plus hitters. I have speed, I have power, So I like that offensive base of Henderson, Machado and Julio Rodriguez quite a bit.
Okay, after that selection of Machado, Wilson, Oh William contrerast that Wyatt Langford goes at four oh seven to four a weight class A Reagan's and then Welsh. You took Chris sale and Corey Seger. Let's discuss, boy.
Ten team leagues just make you feel good like you ever have like fantasy depression, Like there's nothing that is more of a boost than a ten team league. And you're just like, did I just get Corey Zeger in the fifth round? Yeah? Man, I mean I still have got Chris sail In as the top five after that cy Young performance. I know age is creeping up on him, but it's, you know, strikeout monster, great team context. Corey
Seger is a batting average monster. There's some injury risk I suppose now having Seger and Acunya, but I just don't care. In the ten team league, it's four high end categories for Corey Seger. So my offense is humming. I've had a little bit of an investment on the pitching side. I'm I'm feeling pretty great, boys, I'm feeling pretty great. That's a ten teams judio.
That's right, all the stars, all the time. And you know what fantasy baseball, Fantasy Pieri's supposed to be so. If yeah, you like a ten team league, play a ten team league. If you're like twelve, if you like the challenge of twenty four, play twenty four. But at some point, again, you have to choose your own adventure here. Don't let somebody else run your fantasy league for you. You get in there, you figure out how you want
to be done. After secret, Corey's Secret goes Hoseel two at five h two, Ozzie Albi's at five h three, O'Neil Cruz, Pete Alonso back with the Mets. Jacob de Gram at five oh six, Joe Alrico, do you believe that Jacob deGrom is going to give you twenty starts this year? I'm gonna put the number twenty.
I do.
I do.
I am in the minority here because I see everybody talking about how they're fading. De Gram and I understand it, like the last few years have been very rough. But if you look at what happened with Chris Sale last year, with Justin Verlander a couple of years before, it doesn't mean because you're old, doesn't it doesn't mean you're just cooked. You can still have a great season. Jacob Degram off
of the fresh Tommy John surgery. He's as healthy as he has been in a long time, and I think I can get one hundred and forty innings out of him. He's a top five starting pitcher for me pretty easily.
Okay, after de gram pitching, run Cese Kirby, then Michael Harris, Well, no, it's my favorite guy. Blake snelled to me at five to ten, so I got my ace, and then I turned around took a third baseman, Mark Vento's because I think Ventos is going to absolutely crushing This line up in third base is a little suspect. Cavin Arrow was still floating out there. I gotta start getting some corner guys because I'm a little hurt in the infield. I got a lot of outfielders, so give me Vento's. That's
where I want to go. After that selection, Devin Williams, Edwin Diaz, and then Garrett Cole. I thought about taking Cole, but I'm just gonna wait. Joe Rico, you took a closer here in Mason Miller, let's discuss his upside. Certainly, last year was a breakout season for Mason Miller. We talked about it so much in August. Excuse me, in August we talked about so much. I'm still in football
mode in my brain. We stalk so much in March last year about how it just made sense to make him the closer, give him the clean innings, don't screw around with this guy, don't get him up and down a million times in the bullpen. If you're gonna put him in the bullpen, make him the closer, give him the clean inning, get at the three outs, and go home. And that was certainly a successful combination for Mason Miller last year.
Yeah, there's still a part of me that thinks like he should be a starter. He's too good to just relegate him to the bullpen forever in his early twenties. But I think he's a top three or four closer. I like to get at least one of these elite closers because I find in a lot of the early drafts I did I'd wait, I'd wait, I'd wait, and then I end up with Lucas Airsag and somebody eye
and we see how that's gone so far. So I do like to lock down at least one guy that I can really be confident in and then maybe speculate a little bit later, but Mason Miller top five closer on an up and coming team. There's some injury risk, but I'm pretty confident that I can get thirty saves out of him.
A Rico's like, Hey, I'm gonna take Lucas or sag and Luke Weaver two months ago. This is going to be amazing. Everything is looking really good. You know what, I might even take Michael Kopek to go with.
Him and November drafting. Those those are the denside for sure.
Yeah, like it can be all right, let's continue on here with some of the other picks. I'm up, so I'm going to go make a pick here. Well, while I'm making my pick, talk about relief picture strategy. Ten team league two mandatory RP spots. It feels like you do have to be, you know, kind of aware here of the market. But at the same time supply and demand. Again, there's less teams, so you know, twenty relievers have to be started. You have a little bit more leeway.
You're definitely right about that, Like there are there are The ability to stream is gonna be a lot easier. Even in the same point though, one thing I wouldn't do, would be have too high investments sometimes where people do, like I wouldn't be, like, all right, I'm gonna I don't even to worry about it. I'm gonna take Class A and then I'm gonna take Ryan Helsley or something.
Take one. I consider taking a class A or a Devin Williams or a Hater, and then I would just wait and take one of those late closers, maybe even a speculative closer like Justin Martinez or something. I would want to have one because you want to keep up with the Joneses in it. But that was kind of
taken away from me. So I'm pushing it back just a tiny bit to more what you're alluding to that there is a lot more depth, and like while everybody else is filled up their first closer, I can keep getting these other positions and just get some like decent dudes.
Decent dudes, that's what we're We're just decent dude.
I'm always playing.
Trying to have a decent conversations here. So after Mason Miller, Josh Hater, another closer, Pablo Lopez, James Wood, Marcelo Zuna, then Welsh selects Michael King and Brent Rooker. We could talk about that in a second. I know he's on the clock.
C J.
Abrams goes to seven oh two, than William Domas Yamamoto, Marcus Simon at seven oh five, ti Oscar Hernandez at seven oh six. Back to you, Joe ricos So, ti Oscar coming off a fabulous year for the Dodgers. No surprise there, he went back to LA. It feels like a pretty good situation. He is your second outfielder. How do you feel about to Oscar in twenty five?
I feel pretty goodbout him. He's he's on the wrong side of thirty. He's getting older. But I think when you're bad and behind show, Hey, Mookie, Freddie Freeman, a hundred RBI is nearly a guarantee. Still easily got thirty homer pop. I think he's a little bit undervalued. I think he's going about around too late. So very happy to get him here.
Very good. I love also being able to look at the categories and the projections here and see what I need to draft. I've got steals, I got RBI. I got to get little little run boost. That's what I need right now. I'm a little behind in the run, scored Tiaska Hernandez and Christian Walker showed to Amnaga Adley Rutchman. After Christian Walker went, I was hoping he would make it to me. He did not. Josh Naylor ends up
instead for me, and then I selected Franbervaladez Welsh. I want to go back to your selections here because you took Brent Rooker and Michael King, and obviously these are two players we love going into last year and certainly look like they're poised to have good repeat seasons. Now.
Yeah, the Rooker one, I'm super excited about, just massive power. Obviously we know there's a little bit of a benefit hitting in this minor league park that the A's are going to be in the athletics, by the way, not the Oakland and not doing the money jar here.
Yeah.
Yeah. Michael King, I will tell you was a tiny bit of a pivot because I kind of thought I was going to have like another pitcher fall back to me with how this was going. I mean, but you guys, I was in the middle of that run. It was like, you know, I think what you took Blake Snell and then it was just pop up, up, up, up, Jacob de Grom was someone I kind of wanted to sneak in as an SP two simply because like a ten team, he's even more palatable. So Michael King was kind of
like the consolation prize good strikeouts under three era. There's some trade rumors out there, so I think I do need to start putting a focus because I went hitter with my next couple picks. I need to put some focus on pitching. But Sale and Michael King as the first two S piece is pretty good. But I do think I am behind the curve based on what some of these other teams have been able to do with pitching.
Early. Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and take one of the biggest boosts. I love that. I love when the draft wizards telling me, you know this guy's the bigger boost. Wy, don't you go ahead and take him after you took those guys here, We're going to go through the seventh round. So I took Naylor at the end of the seventh, franber Valdez at the eighth, and Rys so Iglesias at eight O two. Ryan Helsley goes next. Santandero lasted a very long time. I really debated on taking him. I
instead went with another pitcher there, Lawrence Butler. Another outfielder for Joe Rico. Alex Bregman goes next than Aaron Nola, Brenton Doyle, Joiner Diaz, and then Jordan Westburg ends the eighth round Joe Rico building out the outfield. Here, you had Julio, then you have ti Oscar Lawrence Butler. That looks like a pretty nice outfield. And you weren't done there. You've continue to pound the outfield here in the next couple picks. We're going to talk about it a minute,
but I like this strategy. You went BPA, you built out the pitching staff a little bit, and then you're just crushing the outfield, and that looks like a really good strategy in round seven through ten for you.
Yeah, outfield is a position that does try up fairly quickly, and in a ten teamer it's not as bad. But four outfielder league, you're only forty standard and then you're talking about utility guys, so maybe forty five outfielders are going to get drafted. I'd rather lock down some of those elite targets because there are some guys at some other positions that I feel like I can target a little bit later in the corner infield first and second.
Not that I want to wait too long on them, but like you said, best player available here for a lot of these outfielders, they were just too good to pass.
Up, too good to pass up there. Continuing on after Butler, Alex Bregman as recording this destination unknown Aaron Nol at eight oh seven. Nice value there, I said, Doyle Diaz than Westburg and Camonaro. Welsh. You might not have gotten Crochet, but you got Camonaro. So now you have I Spurg Kaminaro adding to the infield with Corey Seeger and Bryce Harper. It feels like a pretty good spot there. Now you still have a Kunya who's gonna miss some time, and
Brent Rookers are only the outfield. How do you feel about the outfield market here?
Yeah, I got to pay attention to it. We're only doing four. I did put a heavyweight, like you said, into Westburg and Caminara. I just felt like they were the absolute best hitters. I've gone a little pitching heavy with my last two picks. I got a reliever and my third starter, which we'll talk about, but there is some value at outfield, and there's gonna be some guys you might have to take some risk on. There's some
younger guys. I'm I feel pretty good about where we're at right now, Like it could go away if we start just having just boom boom boom, it just starts getting knocked off and we have an outfield run. I feel pretty confident. Whoever I run in here as a outfielder three slash two for a short period of time,
I still have a solid advantage. But if I get into my brain like I do sometimes and I'm like, oh my god, this guy's too good of a value in this guy, and then I skip in this next round, I might find myself being like like, oh, now my third outfielder is you know, I mean, I know you like Brandon Nemo or something like that.
Have Brandon Nimo is not a solid guy? How dare you? Especially this lineup?
Now?
This is I mean, this is the first time ever that three New York Mets are projected to hit more than thirty home runs of the same year. Ever, yeah, along, I've waited my whole life for that. I mean, I mean, Nimo's not one of them. But the rest of this lineup is gonna be good. I'm telling you. Everything trickles down. It trickles down. Junior Caminaro starts the ninth round, then Travis Bezana. Look at this team two guardians, Fan Oh
buying in before Luis Robert Welsh. I thought you were gonna take Robert for sure.
I gotta tell you, Robert would been one of the picks that was like in my queue, but I had to take the young guys. I almost took Robert. I would have taken those two guys and Robert.
I would have taken Robert over Westburg me personally whatever, Sal Perez, Stephen Kwan, Brian Reynolds, Joel Rico continuing to crush Outfield, Bryce Miller, Royce, Lewis Than at nine oh nine, Max Free, I took Logan Webb as my number three. About a stead you have a picture you could possibly find I like the steadiness of my rotation here, Snell, Framber, Valdez, Logan Web guys who actually show up and make starts.
What a concept. Riley Green at ten oh one. Then Davrez goes next, Batista, Luis Arise, and Joe Rico, another outfielder. So just to recap here, Ti Oscar Nandez, Lawrence Butler, Brian Reynolds say, is Suzuka Suzuki. I'm going on tilt with this outfield run that you've created, Joe Rico. I mean, I am impressed. I'm not gonna lie.
Yeah, it's a lot of my favorite players this year, really, and they're just following even just a few picks. I mean, Butler was probably right around where he's going, but Reynolds fell a little bit later than usual. Teo fell about a round Suzuki in the tenth. I really like a lot of my guys. You know, I haven't done any of those my guys articles or anything like that, but there'll be a lot of those guys on my current team on that article or on that post or whatever ends up being.
Okay, moving on to the draft board. After all these outfielders are now gone. Ten six Hunter Brown one of my favorite things. Cal Rawley goes next. Why anybody would take a catcher early? No single catcher, ten team league, I'll never know, love it, man. Whatever, that's fine. I mean, if you gotta take one, fine, take a big power guy. Okay, whatever. Luis Castillo, Duran and then Welsh of course dips the toes in the closer water here. Uh he ends up
with Andreis Munios and then Spencer Schwellenbach. There you go. Look, you couldn't get Crochet, You've got the Schwellenbach. How does it feel.
I'll tell you this. In a ten team league, I would have liked him as my sp four. But I'm just being a little picky here. I wanted to get Schwellenbach. Low walks, low quality of contact against him, good strikeout numbers, and I think he's another one of those guys that's gonna enable me to maybe, you know, maybe take a shot or two. There's still some amazing pictures. I mean, we are in the one tens, and if you're willing to take a little bit of risk, you know there
are the returning guys. There's the the m mcclanahan's, there's the al Contras in there. There's quite a few really really great names at sp If you're willing to take the risk, which I think you should be in a ten team because we know the streamers are going to be better, I would rather have the highest upside of pictures with a little bit inherent risk than taking like, you know, boring middle line guys when I could just
stream and replace. I'm that's saying like, like Logan Webb was actually a guy I really wanted, and I think he's a little bit boring, but he is super safe and he would have been a great pick. But I'm more saying like, well, I'm not gonna take these high guys to pass. I'm gonna pass on these guys and I'm gonna just try to get you know, get me a Seth Lugo a little bit later. And it's like, Eh, I'd rather play high upside in this knowing I have the ability to stream a little bit better.
Okay, there you have it. There's gonna be a couple less pictures because I just doubled up by the way at the end of the board. Swelling Buck, Tyler Glassan Now Hunter Green, Freddy Peralta, Sunny Gray. There's your pitching run. Matt McClain goes to Joe Arico, will recap that pick. I know you're up on the clock in Rookie Sazaki Wilson Contrez, Cody Bellinger. Then I dip my toes in the pool of pitching. Tanner Biby Bailey Ober, there you go, two more guys. Give me all those al Central guys
love it. Zach Gallan I almost took him. I was going back and forth while Welsh was talking there do I take over? Do I take Gallon? He was going back and forth. I ended up taking over the Robert Suarez Spencer Steer and back to Joe Rico for Joe Ryan so McLean and Ryan well should I had debate on the previous show. I like McLain. He is not in on it. He is not John McClain. He's a lesser McLain, but still mclan. I think people were worth drafting. You drafted him. Joe Rico eleven oh six. I still
believe in Matt McClain. I think he just needs to get his reps up. In spring, had a good, you know, decent performance in the AFL, showed a little pop That's what you wanted to see. I think he gets back on track in twenty twenty five. What do you think?
Yeah?
I do as well. I was updating some rankings yesterday and I moved him up a few spots in second base. Second base is pretty bad. We've talked about that. A lot this year. Joe and I are both Luis Garcia fans. But there's a couple of guys that you can target. But by and large, it's a pretty weak position. You got McClain who's going to be probably right in the middle of that Red's lineup, and I think the lineup is very good, the ballpark is very good. You're getting
a terrible position taken care of. So yeah, in the eleventh round, I really like Matt McClain, and then I went with Joe Ryan as my third starting pitcher, just I needed another picture. I've talked about a lot on these shows how I'm really targeting whip. I want to keep the whip in the one fifteen or lower type of range, and the projections all like him to give you something in that range.
Okay, because he two to one on you. Welsh on McLean after Joe Ryan, Grayson, Rodriguezan McClanahan, Boyle Boy, those pictures sure did disappear fast. My god, think about that one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve starters after Welsh's Schwellenbach, Will Smith Mike Trout at twelve oh nine. So Welsh, you went with Christian Yellwich
and Randy Rose Arena. Going back to the outfield, How does that feel and how do you feel about missing out on the picture run there?
I I'm okay, there's still some great pictures. Not gonna lie. The guy that went right before you, Spencer Strider, was one hundred percent someone I was going to tag in here. I think getting like a Rokie or a Strider or a glass now is kind of fun. Even though in the low projected but high production you talked about the outfield, I just wanted to tap it. I thought there were a couple of the young guys Dylan Cruz and Jason Domingus were still out there. But you know Yelich, twenty
twenty guy. Uh Randy Rosina, he knows the twenty twenty guy some batting average issues. I won one hundred percent was going to break it, though. I would have taken my trout had he fallen and he went right before me. He was the snipe right in front of me. I'd have taken him in a ten team around one twenty or so, why the hell not? Though I would have looked at like an outfield with Trout and Nakunya it's a little bit worrisome, but again there's like great deal.
I might have been able to have like a billing cruise on the bench. If I had done that, it would have made me probably prioritize outfield. I had bit more, but I felt like in this format I could take on that risk. But it didn't matter. I didn't, So I just took another injured outfielder, Christian Yelich. But lots of stolen bases.
Well, if you can't have Trout, take Yelich to mean, at the end of the day, I got thumbs up there on my pick. Thank you, Draft Wizard. I appreciate you, and look, Draft Wizard was going to keep you real, you know. Also use the Chia Cheek career too. You can create your own cheat sheets. You can use the expert rankings, you can pick your experts, combine them, and of course everything gets updated whenever Joe Rico Welsh, myself
or anybody you choose updates their ranks. And then you can use that he cheap when you sink your leagues over with draft Wizards to make sure you go do that and use the Draft Assistant also. So let's continue on here after Rosearin Interristing Cossus, Jake Berger, Boba Schet, Matt Chapman, Ryan Walker to Joel Rico, Anthony Volpi at least Garcia at thirteen oh eight, then Spencer Streider. Then I took Luis Garcia. I'm a man of my word. I'm talking about him on the show, so I'm gonna
do it. Ian Hapani another outfielder. He was the biggest boost. I took him. Jeff Hoffman goes next, then Vinie Pascuentino, Bryce Terraang. I was monitoring him, trying to figure out is that the guy I ended up going happ instead? Jack Flaherty to Joe Rico, So Joe, you got another closer here. And Jack Flaherty a guy who experienced a rebirth last year in Detroit, then got dealt came back to Detroit. Do you think that's the secret sauce for him repeating all the twenty twenty four goodness?
I do.
Yeah.
I think you're putting him back in that situation where he was able to find success, and he's had some success for his career, but it's been a little bit shaky. So going back to a place with a pitching coach that was able to revitalize his career. His numbers last
sears and were really like superstar level stuff. So I think Flarity's probably not gonna be in the cy Young running, but as the fourth starting pitcher for a ten team fantasy league, I think that that's a really solid place for him to land.
I wanted him bad. I wanted that one. I was that was one that hurt a little bit. He was an absolute target. I even kind of shries like, ah, Flarity went dang it.
Yeah, well look you did okay with the pitchers. We'll get to yours of the second. I actually like the two you selected there, and you had a good choice of three because the guy that winner after you, I think I also would have selected Dylan Cruz goes at fourteen o six and No. One Aernado, Kevin Gossman, Brandon Nimmo all right before, Well she wants to be so disappointed while she couldn't take gee Ways.
Like you not getting Michael Harris Man.
I know it's right before just snipe Man.
McLean and Nemo. I can't have either, oh Man.
Justin Steele goes next for the Welsh along with Brian Wu. You had Rodonna in there, so Rodon went right after. I would have taken Rodnn over Wu once again, pitches for the Yankee, more offensive support there. That's my thought process. So let's walk through. You had Steel, Wu and Rodan on the board. Why was it Steel and Wu over Rodin.
Well, I mean Steel, I think across the board he was. He's the number one of these guys. I like the wind agree with that. I agree with yeah, yeah, Strike, I'm in across Wu. What I really liked about it was one of lowest walk rate. You know, it's under three walk per nine. Strikeouts are not there. But this is a team that has Schwellenbach, Michael King, Chris Sayle, and this was going to help lower my whip. I mean both Schwellenbach and Wu, both guys with under five
walk per nine, low quality of contact. Maybe Wu upticks the strikeouts. This was really just about kind of maintaining some of my innings, some of that whip, some of that era. Guy had a sub three era, So that's
why it was easy. I thought. The context was this team, and I will tell you on the draft Wizard when you're looking, he actually was the biggest boost the number one percentage to take by experts was Carlos Redon, but Wu had the designation he was the biggest boost to my team context and I agreed with that on the low whip and low walk number. So that's why I took Wu to go with Justin Steele, and I now have five sps.
Here you go. Rodn goes next fifteen oh three horner than Bogart's Tovar, Joe Rico, Sandy ALCNTRA expectations for him coming back from Tommy John. What does it look like in your mind.
Considering he was healthy before the end of last season. I think that we could probably see twenty five starts out of him. Is he going to be going eight innings every time out like we saw from Sandy in the past. Probably not. They're probably going to be a bit more careful with him. And I also think there's a good chance he gets dealt at some point from Miami. Hopefully it's not to the Dodgers, but pretty much anywhere he goes is going to be a positive in terms
of win projection. So as the fifth starting pitcher in the fifteenth round, I'm totally totally on board with it. I know there's some risk on my staff here for sure, but in a league this shallow, I dig.
It next up here after our contra code, I Senga fifteen oh seven, Jason Dominguez, then Louis Heel at fifteen oh nine. I went with another starting pitcher, Seth Lugo at fifteen to ten, and then I took Jackson Holiday at sixteen oh one. I'm believing and I needed a guy in the middle infield. I'm looking around. I'm like, if everything breaks right for Holiday this year, he could be a monstrous player. This was everybody's cash bet, easy chalk guy for Rookie of the Year last year. I
know it didn't work out. Let's not give up altogether. Can we just have a little bit more patience with these guys? But I really like getting Lugo where I got him to last year, one hundred and eighty one strikeouts a three era. He was my breakout pitcher in last year's black book that I wrote up, and guess what turned out to be pretty pretty spot on there. So Holiday goes next for me? Then, KNOWHOPI Donovan erseg at sixteen oh four JT Real Muto to Joe Rico.
Now Joe I gotta say real Muto's age, declining power, all that really worries me. Why go for the catcher here instead of maybe building out some more pitching. I don't know outfield, hear you've got on lock, but why real Muto? What do you see in him this year that makes you excited about drafting him?
So I did a write up on him the other day. It is a bit of a concern. At his age, you don't really know what you're going to get. But he's still a ten percent barrel rate, forty six percent on the hard hit, seventy ninth percentile sprint speed, so I think he can give you some steals. He's still in a very good lineup. He's not going to lose playing time to Garrett Stubbs, so I think you're still getting one hundred and twenty hundred and thirty games out
of him in this kind of format. I do like to wait pretty far on catcher, but sixteenth round, you know, I think I've waited long enough here. I'm happy with real Mudo where I got him.
Okay, continuing on with the draft board here after real Muto, Jery Jones, Goes Walker, Jenkins, Goldschmid, ten or Scott then Wels. You took Diaz and Neto. Let's talk about those two selections. Another closer here and zach Netto one of your favorite things.
Well, definitely my cue the top of where I was going absolutely sniped in front of me. Jerry Jones and Paul Goldschmid were going to be the back to back picks. I'm now trailing in strikeouts a little bit with you. Schwellenbach projections aren't insane. Brian wu brings it down. I really really wanted Jerry Jones, love him two plus pitches that have one hundred and thirty plus stuff plus rating. And Paul Goldschmid I thought was a crazy value here
and I could have used him at corner endfield. Both of those got swapped on me, so a little bit disappointed, but I get my second closer and Alexis Diez. I really like the red potential contention this year, and zach Neto kind of an acuna thing, get to miss a potential amount of time, but a ten team league with a twenty thirty guy at my middle infield, I feel very, very comfortable with.
After those two selections from the Welsh Chase de Lauter Boy Team two is building that dynasty team up there. Let's go to Kirby Yates again. This is why I'm waiting on closer. Kirbyates, I can go to the seventeenth round here, Alec Bohm, Kakuchi goes next. Jo Rico took Mason Win. Nice selection there, Langoliers esak Paridis van Juenio Suarez. I was hoping praise made it to me. He did not, so I double tapped closer here and guess what McGill
was still out there? I took Ben Joyce Pete Fairbanks, so I like the upside of the strikeout ability of Joyce there in Fairbanks. Again, I wait till seventeen and eighteen. I got my two closers. I feel good about that. Picrow Armstrong goes next, Xavier Edward, Dick Casiganos, and then
Sanchez Joe Rico. I know you're on the clock, so I'm gonna pause things for you because we want to talk about Mason Win and Christopher Sanchez Win, a guy that wells should I both like a Ton and Sanchez another guy that we both feel is being very undervalued. It's interesting because you know, I feel like everyone's talking about Lozardo and you know, all that stuff because he's now in Philadelphia, but kind of ignoring the season that Sanchez had a little bit.
Yeah, Lozardo, I don't know, I don't know if to spend I don't know. I used to think Lozardo was the next like superstar going when Cy Young's at this point, I'm not sure, Chris so she's.
Only like, what did we say, well the other day when he's like twenty seven or something like that, We're like, oh my god, I can't. But he's still so young.
And coming off of like he's like a year removed from like a pretty monstrous, like big strikeout season thing. You know. The hope is that, I mean stanfle had him as a sleeper, and you hope that, you know, Lazard is going to be able to kind of bounce back with with Phillies.
You can continue to filibuster if you like about Sanchez Joe.
Yeah.
So, but both, I mean with Santa's and win with both of them. They're both huge targets of mine. Sanchez is going to be adding a pitch he was already really good, and there's actually an update that Eno did to stuff plus and Chris Anches comes out looking quite a bit better than he did before. I think his stuff is now in like the one eight, one or nine range when it was like around one hundred before.
Probably work on the change up too, just stuff plus always he always talked about I mean to cut you off, but like stuff plus. Always struggled with changeups and how to rate them, and eno talked about it all the time. So my I haven't even looked at it yet. My assumption would be that they found another rhythm algorithm of how to start pushing change ups because that's Chris. I love the Chris Sanches because that's Chris Sanchez's bread and butter. Now he's adding a new pitch in that cutter, but
it's it is change up strikeout craziness. So I would assume if they figured that out, that's going to boost that stuff plus.
Yeah, they have this change up stuff plus at one eighteen and he's one oh four overall and that was not captured before. And he was fantastic last season. Adding a pitch as well this year should do wonders for him. Even if it doesn't, even if we just got a repeat, I love it. And then Mason win I also a huge fan of Mason Win and we got a kind of interesting report the other day that he's looking to really start running a lot this year. So if we saw thirty five forty stolen bases from Win, I don't
think that would really surprise anybody. To go along with everything else, he already does pretty good batting average asset, non zero power, good defense, going to keep them on the field. So I love these two picks. I don't know how you guys let me get them in round eighteen and nineteen, but thank you, Trash.
You're crushing at jo Rico, all right, you know you're on the clock again, So let's you go Ranald the Lopez, Robbie Ray at eighteen oh seven McGill, then Luke Weaver, Welsh goes, Ryan Pepio and Brandon Fought fought a guy that we talked about, you know, just the last show we did where you know, all the XCRA, all the you know, FIP numbers are all better than what the era was, and I keep saying the fought smelt down in the second half was just a matter of tax
and fatigue and innings. And I think he'll be perfectly fine after building that up. What do you think?
Yeah, no, I agree, it was like a six in the seven era in the final two months of the year. New pitching coaches in there to fit some stuff. His sweeper is one of the best pitches in one hundred and forty three stuff plus before the update. I don't know what the new update looks like. He's got to probably work through that fastball sinker adjustment, maybe throw more change ups this year so he can get left handed
hitters out, but good strike up potential. Dude Walked lowered his walks down to a round five, which is really elite. So I'm very optimistic about Brandon Fott and then Peppio Again, I'm just trying to stack some strikeouts in here. There weren't a ton of high end strikeout guys. I definitely was hoping Chris Sanchez would be one of those players that he can boost up, even though he's not a big strikeout guy. But my rotation is done because we're not doing a bench here, so I've got my closers
and my starters here. I'm left with just catcher and a corner infielder to finish this off.
Ryan Presley goes next. Nick Kurtz than Sean Manaya nice value at nineteen oh four, jeorks in profar one of our favorite things at nineteen oh five. I want him to get there. Zach Eflin guy that Welsh likes. Now. Eflyn is a guy that I am not excited about. Welsh was pointing out his value. So Joe, clearly this time it's two to one again and it's me on a player. So let's talk about Zach Eflin. Why you drafted him here at nineteen oh six.
Get them.
I still think the skills are very, very good. Was he what we were hoping for this season? Not really coming off of what he did in twenty twenty three he was fantastic, but he's still very good. Like I think people view it as a disappointment, but he's a three five nine ERA and a one fifteen whip. I mean, as my last pitcher, if he can just do that again, I'll I'll happily take it. But I think that the strikeouts we've seen the potential for him to be in the load to mid twenty So even if he's not
a huge strikeout guy, I'm getting those ratio secured. And that's been a huge, huge thing for me. My whip is projected at one point one to three right now, and I absolutely love that.
Yeah, I gotta work on my categories again. This is what you used Draft Wizard for. And if you don't like a pick you make in the simulator, you can just back it out if you didn't like the runs that happened to you, and make another selection and you start to learn and shape your draft strategy. That's the whole point. So again, use the ultimate cheat code. It's Draft Wizard. Let's go to the next selection. After you took e Flyn Christian Campbell off the board, Louis Ringeifo.
So then Bednar carry Carpenter goes to me at nineteen ten, looking forward to his season this year. Shane ba is looking forward to him also breaking out waiting. We've all been waiting for Shane bas all these years, even my last pitcher there, Bryson Stott goes next. Jose Barrios, Estevez, Joe Rico, Ryan Mountcastle. I was just talking about the other day. I said, I'm worried that he gets squeezed
at some point. If Kobe Mayo starts at a really good year at Triple A, are you worried that at some point Mountcastle might not have every day at bats available to him.
I don't worry about that so so much. I think that he's still probably one hundred and twenty two one hundred and forty game type of range. It is a thought, isn't something I'd really seriously considered that he could lose playing time. I think considering his age, he's still just
twenty seven years old. He's showing elite power in the past, and they are making some changes out in the left field wall this year bringing it in not necessarily for him, but I think Mountcastle can really be a beneficiary there and hit twenty five to thirty home runs still be a good batting average asset. So it is something I hadn't really considered, to be honest with you, Joe. But if you know, if a couple of those prospects start to really start hitting the cover off the ball, then
they're gonna have to make some hard choices there. Baltimore has just a surplus of prospect still. I would have thought they would have traded it for pitching at this point, but that's what that' yeah.
I would have thought so too. I mean, I don't have thought they did it last year, but they did not. It was very bizarre. I thought they should, like, you were all in, you have the record, you had the playoff. You needed some more help in the in the pitching staff. I don't know why. I mean, I've only got so many spots for all these guys, so I know they move nowherby, but like, come on, like you've got so many of these guys, not every one of them is
gonna hit. But my also think with Mancastle, he's been there a while. Ventual you're gonna have to pay him, so he's gonna be odd man out. There's already some trade rumors this offseason too, and that's where kicking the tires on him at first base and some other people too.
I just it's gonna be really interesting to see Malcastle also the last couple of years a little bit in decline on some of those numbers too, Tyler O'Neil, Hodge, Rasmusin Todge Bradley at twenty oh nine, and then you took Tolia at twenty ten, Tyler Stevenson, Jordan Romano, Nick Pavett, A Bowden, frances Justin Martinez, Joe Rico took Josh Young Welsh Tolio, a guy that you've been targeting. You got him. Let's talk about it.
Very very excited about Totalia dropping here. I think it's thirty five plus home run potential. Obviously, batting average is going to be a question, but this from Colorado split stuff in there insane like seventeen percent baril fifty percent hard hit rate. Great for a ten team league, especially when I let me look at it right now. I'll tell you the number or I was. I was projected as the number one batting average. I moved to three. Boy, I'm very excited to talk about this score.
I'm sure you are.
I'm very very excited. Guys. I will say this, if we were doing bench and more, I would not have taken my final catcher. I would have taken Matt Shaw and done a little bit more value. But I had to take a catcher. But yeah, Totia made a ton of sense. Tyler Stevenson is my catcher. Made a ton of sense. And guys, this scorecard makes a ton of sense. I'm very excited for you to read it off. Joe, Oh, I touched it. The score well, I.
Had an a plus the last time we draft in a big boy and girl league, which was a twelve teamer in the ten team. I got a D plus. Draft Wizard hated me, and I know why. It gave me reaches on guys like Jackson Holiday. It gave me reaches on Mark Vientos. I mean, like, I understand, I'm gonna get my guys regardless. But again, you have to listen to some of the projections sometimes and make sure you understand what's going on there. So I did not
do well here on the draft today. According to Draft Wizard, I am just the ninth out of tenth. However, the Welsh perfect and Joe Rico number two. So you guys really carried the torch today. Welsh who liked your draft? Who hate? Who could possibly hate your draft? I mean it was perfect. You got one hundred. Love this, Oh, I've ever seen that before.
I've never seen I've never gotten a hundred ever draft. Also also to point out Joe at two got an eighty eight. I've never seen a twelve point difference between first and second. I got a perfect one hundred out of one hundred. It loved Otani and Harper obviously, it said steals for Zachnetto and Tyler Stevenson getting him three
rounds later. I was projected to be top three and runs, average, strikeouts and the best in the league of runs, RBI, stolen bases and wins and get this, Joe piece of Pia loved my draft more than any single person on the planet. Joe Piezapia was one, I was two, Kelly Kirby was three, Ario Cohen was four. Guess who hated my draft more than anybody?
Uh, Joe Rico may Joe.
Arico hated a perfect draft.
We gotta get a picture of Joe here too. Why is it just like a stupid little profile egg thing.
One hundred out of one hundred? Joe Rico says, no, thanks, I don't want that. Also, Dalton Dell Don Chris Towers Pianowski didn't like Ryan Peppio apparently, but Joe piece of Pia love Joe Rico hate. I'm in a pretty good spot. I do love this team quite well.
It's funny because it says I didn't like my own draft, and I'll be honest, I don't love it. I don't think it's a D. I think it's a B minus. Maybe this time around I haven't done any ten teamers, so a little bit of a learning curve there, but of course we're gonna have a huge advantage having with Tony. It's two guys already. However, thumbs up for me. These are some pretty good people. Joe Rico. I don't know if you heard of him. He gave me a thumbs up.
Scott White, one of the best of the business. Scott Pianowski. So I got both Scotts and Kelly Kirby. All right, here are Wonky Penguin, our resident penguin. So if those are the people liking my draft, then I think D plus is not fair. Jill Rico, who liked your draft? Who hated your draft? What was the summary for you? What should you have done differently?
Well, there's a goofy looking guy who works for Fantasy Pros, who has a backwards hat on right now, who happened to like my draft more than anybody else. And it was me.
I thought it was Derek Brown. Okay, yeah, Well.
Derek starts doing baseball rankings then then we'll know.
I had this to Welsh. I think we should have Derek and Andrew come on a show. Just use Draft Wizard they know nothing and see how they do. I think that would be really.
I think that's a great idea to get the they don't even know the player.
The player, but just using draft wizards, see if they can outscore us. I think that would be very interesting.
And then you get to that we should do it, and then me and Bubba can do a football podcast next year Streaky Friday. So yeah, I like my draft. Dalton, Delton, Scott Pianowski, I got the Yahoo love. Brad Kamara from Roe, Oballer also liked it. Who did not like it? Number one Joe Pizipia did not like it. Kelly Kirby, Ariol Cohen and Scott White also didn't like my draft. So I'm torn here because some of the some of my favorite people, some friends of mine, don't like my draft.
But eighty eight I'll take an eighty eight.
Yeah, all right, let's look at the tail of the tape here, review these rosters real quick. Here. I'll just run through mine again because I'm the worst. Alva is a catcher who I love this year, so I've talked about him much. Josh Naylor always great, Lewis Garstia one of my favorite things Lynndor, Jazz Chisholm, Mark Viento's, Jackson, Holiday, Kyle Tucker, Jackson, Merril, Bridley, Greenian have Kerry Carpenter. Look,
maybe I don't have like enough star power. I don't have Ronald Cunya and Otani, but at least my guys are going to be playing in April Blake, Snell, Framber, Valdez, Logan, Webb, Tanner, Bibby. It's a great rotation Ober Lugo and Boz, then Fairbanks and Joyce. I'd go to war with this. This is not a D plus team. Sorry, I might have to redo some of my rankings here and check this out.
Joe Rico, you are second place, j t Romuto, Mountcastle, McLain, Gunnar Henderson, Machado, Young, Mason Winn and the outfield Killer Rodriguez, Hernandez t Oscar. That is Lawrence Butler, Brian Reynold, Sega Suzuki, the staff, Garrett Cruschet, Jacob Degrond, Joe, Ryan, Jack Flaherty, Mason Miller, Ryan Walker, Al Contra, Sanchez and e Flyn. What's the biggest strength of this team, Joe, in your opinion.
I think it is the outfield depth. Even if there is somebody who potentially bust let's sa Lawrence Butler is't what we're thinking he's going to be or something, then I can swap in somebody from the utility. And it's a ten team league, so that that waiver wire goodness is definitely going to be there for the taking because we only drafted in total, like two hundred players or something, so there are going to be a lot of great available players throughout the season. I took some risks with
my starting pitching crochet and to grob. Some people love it, what some people would hate it, but it is risky for sure. But if those two both throw one hundred and sixty innings, then I should be cooking with gas.
Speaking of cooking with gas or load of the helium or whatever, because Welsh is floating right now. Tyler Stevenson, Bryce Harper, Jordan Westburg, I don't know. I'm still not there on Westburg. I gotta get there. I gotta watch more team Corey Seeger, Junior, Cameronio, Toolia, Neto Rondo, Kunia, Brent Rooker, Randy Rose, Arena, Christian Yelich. I mean, how can you get one hundred having Christian Yelich on a team. I don't care when you drafted. I don't see that.
Whatever shoey Otani is your util And then you've got Chris Saale, Michael King, Schrellenbach Steel, Brian wu Pepio, Brandon Fought, Andres Munio's Lexis Dias Welsh is a very good team. I don't think it's a hundred, but I would give it an A. I would give it.
I'll give you a tip here if you'd like, I could use one read my ranks. Yeah, yeah, I know. If you go, I know you got to. It's really difficult get ranks and stuff. If you'd like and you'd like to score better, you can actually just set a cheat sheet and you can put my ranks for your drafts moving forward, and then you could just use off of my list because we put together a little bit better of a team. I'm just saying.
But Draft Wizard is for everyone.
I love everything.
Download it today fantasypros dot com slash MLB Draft Wizard. That's the place to find it. Have some fun. Who won this draft? Drop your comments full in the YouTube channel. Subscribe to the YouTube channel as well. Ring the Belt that goes diging for notifications. Let us know which team you like the most and why is it the Welsh is probably I don't know. I don't know. I would put my team right there with you, buddy, I don't know.
I'm filming. I have to revisit. Maybe I have to talk to the dev team, see what's going on that d plus. But at any rate, tell us which Joe you liked more, Welsh's team, who is the best draft here? And then of course subscribe to the channel and of course the podcast. Wherever you get in the podcast, I'll do it for us, But the story of the game goes on for Joe, Rico and the perfect Welsh. I'm Joey P. We'll see you next time. Kids.
Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Fantasy Baseball podcast. If you love the show, the best freeway to support us is by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, follow us on x, Instagram, and TikTok at Fantasy Pros, and subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube dot com slash Fantasy Pros MLB