Welcome in everybody to fantasy pros. This is the Major League Baseball podcast. That's right, I said Major League Baseball because we're about to kick off our fantasy Baseball draft madness. It starts today, folks. This is when you start building your teams. It's me Joey p That of course is the Welsh and we're gonna be using Draft Wizard, the greatest tool in the history of the planet. You can
run a mock draft and five minutes for yourself. That's right, five minutes, or you could run how many an hour, five minutes, sixty minutes. I don't know. I can't do the math. Welsh, you can work on that. In the meantime. Today we're gonna be running through a headhead roto categories. Nine pitchers. We're gonna have all the infield spots one catcher because we don't hate our lives. We also have three outfielders, two utility spots, and nine open pitcher slots.
It's gonna be five by five, the old school style. We'll do some obp mocks, we'll do a lot of other things as well. But we got some friends joining us too, The Wonky Penguin, Mister Buster, just name a few of the fun folks here and our listeners. I see Houston's in there, Icee Sasu, Icee Dale. I see a lot of folks there too, joining us here in the mid afternoon Welsh. It's a special time of year, our first mock, and I have specifically not mocked yet.
I wanted to have my first mock of twenty twenty four with my good friend Welsh. So I hope that means something to you.
It does, of course it does.
I'm actually very excited too because I have been and I have been using draft Wizard. The cool thing too is not only can you do your mocks here, but you can do stuff in other places and you can connect it and you can get the insights.
It's my favorite thing.
We've done that at ITL and one of the things we always do is we connect our mock draft so after we can see who did Welsh lover hate, who did Joe hate? Who is the most hateful. I'm just hoping you do a good enough job.
That you love your own draft. That's what I.
Want to say. I always try to say that I love me some me. I would love some Welsh approval, some Welsh disapproval and that could be fun. We'll talk about the insights when everything's all done and the dust settles. But also remindered everybody out there, if you have fantasy baseball leagues, ye, please sink them for free? Did I mention it's free? Yes, sink your leagues for free over
with Fantasy Pros right now. Download Draft Wizard, download the Fantasy Pros Baseball products, or just go to Fantasypros dot com and you can get all the information there that you need. But again, when you sink your leagues for free, you get all the injury updates, all the insights. You can connect all of your leagues. You can also on
multiple sites set all your lineups in one place. And I keep saying to everybody, just for that feature alone, if you have three leagues, if you have seven leagues, if you have fourteen leagues, just to be able to set all your lineups from one spot, from one app, that, my friends, is gold. And it doesn't matter if they're NFBC, it doesn't matter. If it's Yahoo, it doesn't matter it's CBS. You could do all of them right there on the Fantasy Pros app. So if you haven't already download it
right now and of course use Draft Wizard to get prepared. Now. I'm in the one spot, Welsh, Where did you take your position? Should I say in the draft board today?
Well, I took one of my favorite KDS spots. So the Kentucky Derby system if you guys play like that, if you do, you know the NFBC stuff has that where you when you get your pick, you don't actually make your pick. You get to pick where you are in the draft. And I picked five because I think five is a phenomenal spot because I'm getting the best of a first round talent that's left over, most likely going to be a Corbyn Carol or a Mookie bet
So I love five. I jumped into it completely being a cheater here and I am ready to do this.
Well. I mean, if anybody's cheating, it's me because I'm one and I'm taking Ronald Acunia. Last year, we did say a lot of debates. I would say, you know who you really want to take first? I was a big Julio guy. Julio did come on strong in the second half, but it's it's hard not to take Ronaldalkunya first. By a landslide. This year, so I'm going to do that. The power of the speed, everything is there for Ronald Acunia Junior, and I feel good about doing that this year.
Now that being said, I am going to be putting money again just like I did last year for al MVP on Julio Rodriguez. But I'm drafting one, not two. So I'm going to take Ronald Cuneia last year, coming off a year with forty one homers, one hundred and six, one hundred and forty nine run score, seventy three stolen bases. I don't think he's going to repeat that, but if he gets even eighty five percent of it, well she's still the number one pick. Let's go through the rest
of the board here. After I took Ronaldocunya, Julia Rodriguez, then Bobby Wood Junior, Corbin Carol, and then Welsh you took.
Who Like I said, I took Milki Bets.
I was taking one of Caroler Betts, whoever felt I have seen some instances where Bobby Witt does. I do love being able to get one of those big core four because you get the stolen bases. I'm not going crazy heavy chasing stolen bases this year like you need to. But the awesome thing is you get like great batting average, you get power and everything like that. But Mooki, I get the qualification at second and outfield.
Big homers.
He's gonna be leading off with Otani and Freddie Freeman hitting behind him. To me, the core five you can interchange, though, you know, like Ronald Kune is number one. I'm not gonna get cute and try to do anything funky with it. But after that, any mixture of those five is fantastic. And then I think just the tears kind of change a little bit so I can move them over to
second or what is kind of a thin outfield. This year, I have had a couple mocks and drafts where I've put Mooki in the outfield when all is said and done, so we'll see what ends up happening.
As this is a nice surprise.
Kyle Tucker goes six, which is not but Spencer Streider going in at seven, and I've seen that pitching thing kind of creep in where sometimes you want them more at the wheel. People are not letting Spencer Strider fall too much. So he goes seven in our mock.
Here, Okay, I love Stryder. I'm not taking pictures in the first two rounds of any draft, not over top to you, not over Tatis who went next to of course, our good friend Kelly, the Wonky Penguin, so that I'm sure she's very excited. I'm sure she's gonna slack message me during the draft here, houtside she is for that pick. I'm sure she's gonna win this too. By the way, I'm gonna call the shot already that wonky Penguin's probably going to win this mock draft because she always does.
But as we continue on here, you make a great point about outfield being a little sparse. It's another reason why you being able to lock in a top spot this year with taking a Kuni or Julio makes a lot of sense as well. Said the flexibility of Mookie Betts is fantastic as well. Uh Tatista another guy that
gives you that. But I'll tell you what man I think when you're looking at the board this year, what makes it, You know, using the Draft Wizard product, which is so great, is you know when you go to the pick predictor, you can see you know the percentages of what players or what positions are going to make
it back to you. And the pick Predictor is something that if you have the premium feature, you can link to all of your leagues for your specific draft, so it can go with you to your draft, not just in the mock drafts. And that's something I think a lot of people are still learning about the incredible products we have here for everybody because we want you to
be successful. But during football season, this is all I used, was the pick Predictor going through I get the screenshot basically in my in my brain, whether it's you know, on the app or on the desktop version, where I am looking at the players, I see the full list. I see where my personal drops off drops off are or drop offs are something to that effect. And of course when you use the cheat sheet creator too, I can use my own cheat sheets, you can use yours.
We can make hybrids between ourselves or other experts, or use the ECR to do that as well.
The excitement around making this like an hour infomercial about it isn't an intentional thing.
We just there's a sham wow you get too. I'm pretty sure the shamwoll comes with the.
Damn this draft is not a leak, but like we actually just did another walk through just kind of getting revised of all this stuff, and it is pretty cool. I love the predictor versus the Experts agreement which you can use. There's a button if you guys are watching on the video side, the set draft strategy, you can actually set your own strategy, and the bots as well, where you can get in and have like stolen.
Based heavy stuff. It's really cool we're.
Implementing all of this and it's something else you can see the five minutes as you could just go in and have the automated system draft and it's going to draft off of combination of ADP and ECR. But we also invited our friends so you can have cool mixtures. So that's why you can do a lot of unique stuff and even set draft strategies. So the draft ends up having a board like let's say Yahoo. So that's the cool stuff that we're doing here.
But let's pick it.
Let's just got to pick up on these picks because crazy stuff is starting to happen.
Something exciting might happen for me.
Something is after Strider goes Wonkey took Tatis than Freddie Freeman Showiotani, Aaron Judge at the turn at one twelve, Juan Soto, follow by Garrett Cole, all the Yankees right there. That's kind of a fun start to a team that I understand you want to go with a picture at the turn. I get it because it's a long time before players get back to that. I'm cool with, not me, not at one, Matt Olsen, Jose Ramirez. Trey Turner goes next at two oh four. Pretty interesting value for Turner.
Let's talk about him because last season was tricky when it came to Trey Turner two sixty six batting average. Now, he did steal thirty bases, he had twenty six on runs, but wels, we all know the first half of the year was just not what we expect for Turner. But at the end of the day, he did match his twenty twenty two run score. He did actually supersede his twenty one homers from the previous year. He fell short in RBI by twenty five or so in the stolen
bases where they are the batting average dip. So any concerns with Trey Turner heading into twenty.
Four, I mean concerns versus like investment, Like, yeah, I think the stolen bases.
Are starting to tick down.
So if you're starting to give comparisons, like he doesn't have that big advantage of stolen bases against let's say Matt Olson's power or Jose Ramirez, Jose Ramirez is about the same, probably a position you would rather fill those at. So I have less interest in him this year.
And my concern is.
Just I still think he's a solid player, but I don't think he is going to live in this elite territory and he's surrounded by players that do elite things. Or I would rather get those stolen bases at a third base with Ramirez and I would with Turner, or like I said, the Power with Olsen, or you can buy back in on the bat that Wonkee took Bryce Harper. Actually Wonky took Bryce Harper over Jordan Alvarez, which I
think is a really kind of unique thing here. But if you're talking about overall offensive skills, I think Turner went from an elite standout to a solid contributor amongst a bunch of other really great players.
He was in the conversation for one on one last year, and I think last year or too, was a certain amount of the first year of a big contract press. I mean we see it all the time, Solid Harper. You know his teammate who just went two five. So Alvarez goes to two o six. Welsh, you are now on the clock. Cory Seger, one of your favorite things just went. That's a real kick in the nuts for you. So what do you want to do here? How do you pivot?
Yeah? Nut kicked to get a Rochambeaud there in the draft. I was like, oh my gosh, Alvarez Seger and they just went back to back.
I loved Seeger's ability for.
The batting average. God, that would have been really, really great. I'm just taking a peek here. Austin Riley is the predictor. Experts agree. I love Austin Riley for the big power with Mookie at third, I'm staring over here.
Oh man, all right, tough times, Welsh, come on, we're gonna go Riley.
I love Riley, I love Riley. I'm just not going to overthink it.
Riley goes. Then Marcus Simeon goes. I know who I've got my ion, So Welsh, I can only imagine you know who that is? And I'm gonna be upset if he doesn't make it to a lot of thing. He's going to no no, Ozzy Albi's is the guy that I really want to pick up here. That's the guy that I would like. You know how I felt about Ozar Ozzi Albi's last year. I thought it was an
incredibly ridiculous value you were getting on him. And guess what I was right, thirty three homers, he had one hundred and nine ribbies, ninety six run scored, thirteen steals. Now we'll see if I get him. Still two more picks to get there. Mister Buster's on the clock right now, I think that, And there it is Rafael Devers, Vladdie Junior, I get my Azzi Alby's. I'm so excited. Well, good good times. Now I could go picture here, take Corbin Burns,
Pete Alonso on the board as well. But as a loser met fan that you know hates life, that's a tough thing for me. You know, you gotta separate your fan of. But at the same time, it's you know, it's a difficult time here. Cody Bellinger Goldschmid also first Basement available. Jose al Tuve Nico Horner on the second base side, but I already have that filled shortstops Lindor, so I could add more Stone bases, but I think
I'm pretty good there. Third base is kind of tough as well, because you're gonna have, you know, after the Gunner Henderson group, Welsh, you took Austin Riley, you saw Devers go. As much as I love Dela Cruz, Machado's hurt, you know you're gonna buy into Royce. Lewis Henderson is intriguing here as well. I'm gonna stick to my guns here go a little bit later on the pitching instead, I'm gonna take another outfielder. I'm gonna go ahead with
Louis Robert instead and go that route. So it was tough there between Alonso, who doesn't give you any steals, but it gives you a leap power. But I feel like I'm off to a pretty good start with the guys that I have. They give me a little bit of everything, and I like best available here. That's where I'm going. So we'll see if Draft Wizard likes me or not. Zach Wheeler goes next at three zero two, so he goes ahead of Corbyn Burns. Is that surprising to you?
Who? And the what?
And then you threw me off. You threw me off with Luis Robert. Did who go ahead of who?
And the way Zach Wheeler went ahead of Corbin Burns. I was just curious.
No, if that's surprising necessarily as it as, it's like not something I would do, like I would go with Burns.
But Wheeler is up there.
I mean, Wheeler hits every face that he is one of the top tier pitchers, top I guess five corps, So I'm not really surprised about it. I would have kind of liked Corbyn Burns fall back to me, I did to tell you, Luis Robert, you threw me off because there's a couple of things I'm battling here. There's a guy that I think is an immense value, and we're also in the mid third round in Ellie is still out there, and I mean I have taken l Ellie is a big steam shot and he's falling in ours.
Well, you're on the clock, baby, get time to do it, because I don't think if I'm looking at the pick predictor he's gonna make it back to you. I think it's a seventy five percent chance he does not.
But we said this on the Ario Cohen episode. I think a core piece to drafts is Michael Harris style. I went in the ninety percentile. He wasn't the percentage of agreement, but I wanted one of Robert or Michael Harris. So when you took Robert, you gave me anxiety because I was like, I don't know if I can give you either one of them.
I like that. I like that I gave you anxiety for a change in the balk That's a good thing to me. So after Wheeler goes at three zero.
Two, Wait, how do I give you anxiety?
Oh? Because you always take guys that I want. Oh, okay, this is what we do. I never take Welsh guys. I feel like, but now I'm glad that I did. I was around, I was like, you know what, It kept sticking in my brain. Even though it's only three outfielders in this one, we have the two utility spots. I want to get outfield locked down. I hate outfield this year. It's gross.
Uh.
Pete Alonzo at three oho three, Corbyn Burns at three oh four, Michael Harris to the Welsh at three oh five, So Welsh's we continue to look through here, Francisco Lindor on the board, Bobachette on the board, Elie de la Cruz on the board, and Gunner Henderson. Those are the
top recommendations over here at shortstop Kevin Gossman. Luis Castillo also in the mix here for you, have you found that you are building most of these teams now where you're going hitting early and then starting to Pivotso pitching, where do you have any early pitching team so far?
So I have one team I've done where I went third fourth round, but that was the fifteen team Draft Champions. I went third fourth round pitching, so I double tapped there. For the most part, I'm three rounds of hitting, especially in a twelve team. I'm you're gonna have to give me a big value to go into pitching. There are pitchers I like, and this next comeback around unless there is some talent that falls, I'll be honest with you, Like, if Ellie falls back to me, I'm gonna just take
that risk in the fourth rown. Gunner is someone that's falling in this draft. But then we're in a lot of pictures we got a lot of pictures that are going a lot higher that I would consider. There's three particularly, so we'll see. We just did have Gunner go Luis Castillo, went to Wonkee, Gunner Henderson, and Al Tuvey, and then the pictures started going Joe.
Why they did Lindor, then Gosmin, then Castillo, then Gunner Henderson at three zho nine, josel Twove at three to ten, Pablo Lopez at three eleven, then at the bottom here of the draft at the turn at three twelve, George Kirby goes off, and then four oh one we have Randy Rose, Arena, Bobaschett, Ellie Dela Cruz at four oh three. Did not quite make it to you, Welsh. I don't think it would have gone past wonkye Penguin either. Garcia from Texas goes next at four oh four. Wonkey's on
the clock right now. So Welsh, what are you sizing up for yourself as you look at the board here? Where would you like to go? Is it to a gallon or a glass now hopefully? Or you pivoting to perhaps I know you love early Relievers, I don't know if you love him as much this year.
No, I don't love him as much, and I'm not going to go in the fourth round. Glass now was one. He just went CJ. Abrams, and I'm gonna guess Dale is gonna go Gallon. So that's gonna really slap me here. So I'm probably going to pivot to a Schooba or Yamamoto because I don't think Gallen is gonna fall to me here.
But yeah, I can't believe it's we're talking about CJ. Abrams in the fourth round. After last year a player was going in the you know, outside of the top two hundred that we keep telling everybody draft this guy. Throw some draft capital, be patient, even if the first half sucks and all those things happened. If he stuck with it, My god, was he good last year in terms of giving you a return on investment eighteen homers,
forty seven, steals forty seven. I only hit two forty five. Now, fourth round to me, I still think it's a little early for my personal taste. That's just me. There's some other players I like more on that board, like I would let Royce Lewis go or Alex Bregman go because I know what I'm getting out of those guys. But I get it. I understand the sentra abrams, love get it. It's just not something I'm ready to do quite yet.
But Zach Gallon does go off the board. So four oh eight, wells you are on the clock.
So my battle is just which of the where do I want to go? Schooble's numbers last year insane of eighty innings or more pitched, Trix Scuble had one of the higher K per nines K percentage.
Lowest expected era.
Of any pitcher with eighty innings or more. But then you've also got Yamamoto, who's gonna be a wins monster. I think he's gonna stack up strikeouts here, you know.
With my build, this is my all Dodger Braves build.
I think I'm gonna go Yama Moto here, and it's a twenty two experts agree and percentage it's on Trick's Scouble. But we're gonna go Yama Moto to lock up my first picture.
That's what I was gonna do.
I feel like more innings.
I feel like more innings were play for me, and Trick Scouble was the immediate pick right after me.
Probably more wins as well. All right, So Schooble goes immediately after. I'm mad now Welsh and I or even we both up said each other. And it's only the fourth round, so who knows others will go? Yamamoto goes a four away, turg School a four h nine, another guy too. I can't believe we're talking about Trig Scouble in the fourth round already, but he earned it last year.
It's just a matter of can he sustain. And even if you go back to twenty twenty two, for one hundred and seventeen innings he pitched Welsh, he had one hundred and seventeen strikeouts, he had a three three seven ERA, I mean it was pretty spectacular, all right. I am now on the clock. So after schoobl Aaron Nola, Nolan Jones, two guys straight out of my queue. So I'm not too happy about that. So this is the point where I have to ask myself, do I want to take a chance on a trout? Do I want to go
back to the Cody Bellinger? Well? What do I want to do here? And I could take Royce Lewis also the suggested picks for me, Devin Williams, Freddy Peralta, Franber Valdez and Logan Webb. So I'm pretty good with all that because I do feel like this is a good time where I like these pitchers. I'm getting high strikeouts,
I'm getting win potential. So the question is which two out of the three it will not be a closer for Joey p I can tell you that we all know that's not my bag, baby, So I'm gonna go ahead and take Freddy Peralta first here, and I am going to probably double down here again and go with Max Freed. I'm gonna listen to the draft wizardre gonna take the Atlanta Braves. I am all in on the Braves yet again here with Albe's with Freed, and of
course with Ronaldo Kunia. That's not bad though. Cordy Bellinger goes next at five h two. Mister buster on the clock at five oh three, Welsh, would you have taken Freedom Peralta? Were you taken Frambur and the Rogan Webb? What would you have done? If you were me?
I probably would have gone Web in Peralta because I think they balance each other out.
I'm looking at Web right now. That might be where to go. But Royce is falling.
I know I took me everything not to take him, but I know if I don't take some pictures here, it's gonna get ugly real fast. That's what I do know.
Yeah, and my only problem is I've got third base locked up, so I might go look at a web. The closing market hasn't started to tick yet either, but I'm not a Max Freed guy this year, but I'm definitely a Peralta with the strikeout chase, so we'll see what comes back to me. But we're looking. Even though ecr ISA experts are starting to push the closers here, which is not a bad idea. We are in a twelve man where oh man, well Jazz just went and that kind of ruined maybe a future plan. But you
can punt if you need to punt. You can do that in this category, maybe more than ever. But Jazz and Goldie just went. They were kind of top of the list, and that that bothered me.
You know what's funny here.
Is experts are fifty percent Devin Williams, but the predictor is Logan Web, and it's it's like it knows me because that's what I'm staring at.
I got no problem with that. I love Logan Web is probably one of the most underrated pieces there you could possibly get. So if you want to go that route, I am at at you.
All right, we're gonna go logan Web. That's what we're gonna do.
Okay, So logan Web goes here after So let me recap here the fifth round to start with me at max free, then Cody Bellinger Jazz Chismoth five oh three, Paul Goshman five oh four. Welsh went ahead at five oh five and selected logan Web, and then Manny Machado Edwin d y As five seven. Coming off that injury, Well, you think that Diaz just bounces back to the same old dominant Diaz or do you think there's a little bit of rust factor?
Now, I don't think there's any rest I'm not worried about that rust. I think there's kind of just a set of guys that I'm comfortable with. Edwin Josh Hater would be someone I would just pounce on.
Uh yeah, he gotta.
Tell you he got paid by the Houston Astros. And look, I think rightfully, so, I think you know, Houston knows that this is their window and they're trying their best. Now Royce Lewis does finally go to of course the wonky Penguin, the slide stops for Royce Lewis. That's a pretty good value there, don't you think though. Five oh eight for Royce Lewis.
Yeah, I almost did it and just didn't care that I would have just gone corner in field.
It didn't matter to me. He was a great value.
There's a part of me that when you look at the pitching that's out there right now, I probably would have been better taking Royce Lewis, knowing that you might have a Singa, you might have a Snell. There's a little bit of eer a worry, but there's big strikeouts. So the young pitcher's YERI Bobby Miller is still out there.
That's why that would have been a comfortable spot. Those guys as number two's comparatively to like Royce Lewis in your lineup, I mean, you're comparing like Royce Lewis to Josh Lowe or Schoreber or something like that, and we're in a different value change type of territory. So I'm kicking myself or not doing and freaking hater and class A just win as well and with Wonkey on the clock.
All right, well, as we take a pause here briefly, as I said, if you sink your teams, no matter how many leagues you have in different places, you can absolutely make sure you set all of your lineups and get all the insights you need for the draft with Draft Wizard. But you can also move your leagues over to fan Tracks because we also hook their up as well. Fantracks is the most customizable fantasy platform in the industry, offering the great fantasy experience for your Dynasty Keeper, Redraft
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Create a simple redraft league or even a customizable Best Ball league with up to two thousand teams two thousand Welsh. If you're coming from another service too, don't worry because fan Tracks can import any of your current leagues and customize them as needed. So fantasy sports doesn't sleep, and neither does fan Tracks. It's got insoundnia baby. With seasons running three hundred and sixty five days a year, many of already renewed schedule their drafts continue drafting a player's
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Where would you an I go? Where would we go?
Ah? Well, see Arizona's fun I'm on the clock there. You tell me where you would go?
And then I felt like I would have meant like us and us situation? Where would you go?
Like as a because we get this in the whole group. So it was you and me and we got to go somewhere. I feel like that we're all not so we're not gonna go to New York. We're not gonna go to Arizona.
No, I don't want to go to Arizona. It's fun. I was gonna say, it be fun to go out Arizona because I get to see you, I get to see people. That's that's nice. But I don't know. That's a good question, Welsh. I think that's one I have to think about. I'd want to go to like one of the ballparks like Fenway's great when they're a long time. I think that's a fun experience. I've been to regular I've been to Fenway. PNC is still my favorite.
Change Wrigley Chicago. We're going to Chicago.
You want to go to Chicago? Yep, sweet home Chicago. Looking around right now at the first base side. So, Welsh, why don't you talk about the picks, recap yours and then come to me because I've got thirty seconds left online.
So are a couple of pictures I really liked.
But a player I have to have in every single draft this year, I'm drafting him everywhere. If you draft him, most likely, I will bet you the system will say that I like it is O'Neal Kruz. He is Elie de la Cruz, light, I suppose in some respects. But the thing I've liked about is I don't think he'll steal as many bases. I think the power projection could even be higher with him. But we also saw him
make adjustments off the strikeouts. So he's a player that while everyone is paying up, I want to get that value off.
I want him in every single draft.
Then the pitchers I was looking at, Kodei Singa and Blake Snow both went I sacrifice the strikeouts for onneal Cruz, followed by Grayson Rodriguez. So sixth, seventh round probably gonna be a big pitcher run. And you did snag a pitcher with your Alex Bregman pick. As we jump into the seventh.
Round, yeah, Gregman at six to twelve and then Logan Gilbert at seven eleven. You know, I just like the consistency of what Alex Bregman gives me. At this point, you know, we just kind of lock him in last two years. You know what you're getting. Are we gonna get another thirty home run season again from Bregman. We'll see. I mean, he's in his prime year, so I don't think it's impossible. But it's still a great offense. He's gonna approach one hundred runs at one hundred RBI, He's
gonna hit me twenty five dingers. He's going to two sixteenth. That's fine. Maybe there's an upside for more. We've seen it in the past. He hit two eighty multiple years or two eighty plus three years in a row, so perhaps we get another version of Bregman like that again. And then Logan Gilbert. For me, this is another easy one. I love the Mariners this year. I love them last year. We talked about them so much on the show. Look the last two years, thirty two starts in both of those.
You give me Logan Gilbert as a three in a twelve team league like we've got here Welsh. I'm ecstatic about that because I feel like I'm getting a guy that's gonna go out there and make thirty plus starts every year. And how many guys can you say that about. To me, that's the perfect guy to lock him because he also brings you some upside potential this year where maybe he does go from the thirteen wins where he's locked in the last two years to a sixteen or
even seventeen as this Mariner team continues to improve. The whip was at one oh eight last year. I love getting Logan Gilbert as my three along with Pralton Freed, And because I have Freed, I wanted to lock in somebody else. I felt good about. What do you think about Gilbert? And then let's recap the rest of the picks up to you.
Yeah, the other thing I was gonna say is actually the thing I.
Like about Gilbert. He might be like the poor man's logan Web.
I think he's consistent.
It's exactly in the Black Book on Amazon right now that I wrote he is exactly that guy. Yeah, that's exactly it.
Yeah, because you know he's not like a strike a major major strikeout guy. But he doesn't walk, he eats innings. He's consistent. I've said this a million times over out here in Arizona. I go to tons of camps. I've never seen a pitcher work harder. He's the hardest worker I've ever seen. He's first guy in, last guy out every time I've ever been to Mariner's camp, so I love the guy and he's always tinkering and working through
his pitches, so I think that's a great pick. And he's he's a sneaky one that you got as we had a bunch of sneaky stuff just happened in these drafts as well.
He did. Let's recap the sneaky snakes we had at the very top there, Gilbert at seven oh one and College FORB seven oh two, Yelich at seven oh three, Lozardo at seven oh four, and then you took Camillo Davall at seven oh five, so you got a reliever. How do you feel about this?
Yeah, I feel great.
I think he's in that core of the top tier. I spent the least capital of any single person to get I mean, at one point I didn't remember if he led the league in saves.
He was near the tippy top.
But to get high end saves like that, I'm going to take that every single time.
So that's a gift. Everybody gave me a gift.
That's right. Welsh does love presence. He does accept donations as well. You can always donate to him at is it the Welsh over on X Christian Walker, who I was contemplating at seven oh six, but I decided to go Gilbert instead. Zach Efflin at seven oh seven, come up a great year with Tampa. We'll see if he can repeat it. Tristan Casses goes to Wonky Penguin at seven oh eight. I know our friend Eric Cross is very big on him. Uh jt Real Muto at seven oh nine and Will Smith a little bit of catcher
run there, litt catcher love. Back to back there After that, we have Brian Reynolds at seven to eleven glacias to close out the seventh round. Into the eighth round, we have Willem Contreras going at eight oh one, so again the catcher run is strong here, Uri Perez at eight oh two Bobby Miller, so back to back, big time young arms, Welsh and you took a guy that I like. So let's talk about those two arms. Do you think those two guys are going to live up to the
hype in twenty twenty four, because I certainly do. I was so high on both of them after diving deep into the stats on them running their profiles this year. What do you think about those two gems.
Yeah, I wanted Bobby Miller coming back. They everybody kind of slapped me here. I ended up taking torqual Sin, maybe a little bit higher than I wanted, but I'm still chasing big power.
But I was locked in the pictures.
Wonky got one of the good deals in Joe Ryan, but Bobby Miller and Urie Perez are the big upside plays. And I said, this a whole bunch kind of annoying. But it's just like, you know, the one hundred and fifty innings is the new one seventy, and it's just like, I want the quality of innings more than I need guys to go two hundred, because guys just don't go two hundred plus anymore. So I don't think innings management worries me much. I'm a Bobby Miller guy this year.
But give me both of those guys on any rotation. I wanted them both, and they just went bam bam. In this draft.
Nobody gave me the love.
That I wanted. I'll give you the love. What do you want, I'll give you some love. I'm gonna go ahead and recap here after we had those two young pictures, go Bobby Miller and you're a Perez Back to back then Glaber Torres, Joe Ryan to the Wonky Penguin. One of my favorite guys there, Hussy Young Kim fell all the way to eight oh six. He was my top recommended guy when I was picking around the turn, so
he lasted way longer than I thought. Noan Aeronado next, and then you took a guy right out of my queue. Spencer Torklesen, a guy last year we were telling everybody to buy low on because it was time to buy low on Torkosin. And if you did, you got a Monstra second half. Can he build on that Welsh in twenty twenty four?
I do think you can.
The ballpark factor is probably something that halts a lot of people, and I completely understand that.
But if you guys, go and check it out. I just did a social short. We have these short videos we put out of.
It's hard to say by the way social social and I was looking it's about who the experts are taking Torkosen's rank versus ADP. There's a forty spot difference between people are ranking him and where he's actually going. He's being ranked high than those so he is a absolute target, huge thirty plus power, and I think he's gonna build off for last year and if the batting average improves,
then we're golden. And I'd like the lineup. I think it's sneaky Cole KEI three signing or signing a contract, so he's up is a good thing, all right, So I'm up here. We're in the hundreds. Kyle Bradish is an absolute no brainer, even though I need outfield and I'm a little bit avoiding it. White Langford went right in front of me, so people are trying to be
mean and not let me have nice things. We also had Churio, so by the way, ninth round, Churio and Langford went right in front of me, so that would have been something I would have looked at. But Kyle Bradish was way too good of a deal. And I still need some sps. That's my third spiece, so Yamamoto, Web and Bradish.
I love the floor and I love the ceiling of these guys.
All right, Let's keep on recapping here because after you had torcos Can go to you. We'll finish out the eighth round here. Jordan Romonto, Nick Cassiano's Cole Ragins then I took David Bednark because I didn't have a closer yet, so I'll lock in him. We'll see if he gets traded this year now that they signed Chatmant and who knows, maybe I'll trade all of them. Xander Bogartz I locked in at shorts up. I thought he was a pretty
good value there in the ninth round. I could have started to go with, you know, the Cheerio who went next, or one of those kind of picks. But if you're gonna give me somebody that can lock in, like Xander Bogarts, I know Sodo's gone and I'm a child's gonna start the year a little hurt, but I still think there's enough there to help Xander Bogartz continue to be a
decent fantasy player. And I'm getting again, a player that's gonna give me power, is gonna give me speeds coming off a nineteen nineteen season with eighty five batting average. I'll take that. So Cheerio goes at and yeah, I just thought ninth round, like, come on, he shouldn't be on the board. I always say this Welsh price and force. You know, it's it's fun to take, you know, the
sexy prospects and all those guys. But you know, when you have a twenty twenty player in the ninth round who hits two eighty, you take that guy like you just do that. You don't look back. Cheerio at nine oh two, Joe Musgrove at nine oh three, Langford, As you saidt nine oh four, you took Bradish, which is a no brainer. He was the next guy in my queue,
so I'm not surprised you went there. Young at nine oh six, Alexis Diaz at nine oh seven, can Tell Marte at nine oh eight, Spencer Stear at nine oh nine, Paul Seawaald at nine ten, Yondi Diaz at nine to eleven. Ten or Biby out of my queue, man. I was hoping he would make it back to me. He did not. Very big fan of Biby. We'll see how he does in twenty twenty four. He goes to end the ninth
round to start the tenth. George Springer old reliable. I'm sure he'll miss somewhere between twenty and thirty games as always. Then ten oh two is Steerry Ruiz, So there's your stone base guy. I know in a head to head league, we have things differently, So is this a good value for Ruiz in a head to head category league where you know you pretty much know what you're drafting him for.
I'm fine with it.
I think it's a little early.
Yeah, I don't.
I feel like I don't want to sit here and be like it was a great pick because I'm not gonna do it.
But I have felt pretty steadfast.
If you have a draft and we haven't looked at that team, if they were like lots of power, you know, maybe it's good batting average.
Lots of power.
You get the Seegers, you get the Freeman's later, you get the Adulieses, and you get all these players and you're like, wow, I'm kind of devoid a store on bases. I don't mind taking up one of those outfield spots for history. A unique thing about this draft, though, is we are three outfielder, not five.
So the outfield pool feels a little bit.
Less desperate and filling up one of those spots of this story Ruiz with three outfielders feels a little grosser because you only have so many guys that you're going to put out on that outfield spot.
So I'm with it.
For chasing the stolen bases, but I'm not with it for just kind of the overall player pool. And speaking of I just took Jordan Walker at ten to eight, filling out my second outfield spot to go with Michael Harris. I love the bounce back second year pop up potential for Jordan Walker, third year for Walker, and I'm pretty pretty excited about that. But the young guys are going and you're on the clock here, Joe.
I am. I've got a plan though, So why don't you recap all the picks before and after and I'll continue with my plan because all right, I got one here.
Well, so after a story, we had Salve, we had sales Azuki who was my target, Andres Munos went to Wonkee. We had Bryson Stott, another one my targets, Justin Steele. I took Walker, Evan Carter Andresjmenez Ryan Helsley for the closing pool and Joe Piezapia. You just took back to back hitters, two.
Very sneaky sneakies.
Yes, Lane Thomas, another one of our favorite late gems from last year, had a pretty good season. Welsh one hundred could imagine one hundred and one run scored on the Washington Nationals. God bless Lane Thomas. We should put up a monument to that guy. Twenty eight homers, eighty six RBI, had twenty seals two sixty eight. You could argue he was the best fraternal investment of twenty twenty three, right, I mean, that's a pretty good argument value the ADP of last year.
It would be yeah, one of the top, one of the top.
Like shortly one of the top ones for sure. So I took him. And then I went with one of our guys that we were high on last year and that Ariel Cohen told us about last year and reiterated this year too, he's still being undervalued. So I took him in the eleventh rounds Josh neil Or. I needed a first basement before the corners started to fly off the board. Last year, seventeen homers and one hundred and twenty one games, ninety seven RBI. He had ten steals,
two hit three. Wait, So I really like the construction of this team Welsh because I feel like I've got a lot of guys who are gonna give you a stone bases. I got some decent batting average nobody's really dragging the batting average down too far here and plenty of power. I also got three pretty good frontline starting pitchers, so so far, very happy with this build. I need the corner guys, utility guys. Of course, I'm always gonna wait and catch her because I'm Joe Pizapia. That's what
Joe Pizipia does. And then I talk about myself in the third person. Janner Diaz goes at eleven oh two, then Fairbanks at eleven oh three, Yoshida at eleven oh four, so despite some trade winds blowing, he is still there. Well, shit, took an old fart at eleven oh five. I don't like taking guys who are at forty on my fantasy team. That's kind of a note. Well, you know, it depends very much. So I'm a dad. I mean, dad's got it like farts. But look, Verlander, I get it here,
I understand why did you take Verlander? I want you to tell the people.
What, Yeah, I mean eading more innings up. I have four guys.
Arguably you can maybe look at Yamamoto and wonder, but guys that are going to eat up innings.
Where no wonders are concerns with him. Maybe I'm being ridiculous, but I don't. I'm good.
I'm fine.
Verlander's my SP four So that's what I mainly care about is I'm locking up an SP four battle with Verlander, who's got SP one upside.
He is forty, so that is an ultimate chase.
I did sacrifice it thinking ta Oscar her names could come back to me, And what a silly goose I am knowing that Wonky's in the draft because she's swooped up ta Oscar just three picks after I took justin Verlander.
Sounds about right. This is why you don't invite Wonky Penguin over to drafts, because she constantly just kind of sticks it to you. So after we go ahead here Verlander, Swanson, Presley then to Oscar at eleven oh eight two, Wonky Penguin to Oscar over with the Dodgers. That is a loaded team. Speaking of Dodgers, eleven oh nine, Walker Bueller goes next. Are you buying it on the Walker Buller bounce back at eleven oh nine.
No, I'm not super invested in Walker Bueller. I mean, what was the overall was it like in the one thirties, she's.
Called Wonky Buehler.
By the way, you're on the clock, Yeah, yeah, did I say Wonky Buler?
I don't know. You almost did. Let me keep Reef capping so you can make your next pick that you could talk about Bueller in that one cease at eleven ten, Zach gell Off at eleven eleven. Jordan Montgomery, who still has yet to sign. I can't believe he's still out there. He's such a tremendous starting pitcher. He'd be such an asset. I don't know what teams are waiting for. Eleven twelve. Sonny Gray at twelve oh one. I imagine when Montgomery signs, he's gonna take up a little bit in ADP. But
that is a great value there. Sonny Gray kicks off the twelfth round. TJ. Friedel at twelve oh two. Kemonaro at twelve oh three, one of my favorite guys. There is a great value there twelve oh three, Vinnie Beskwentino My People at twelve oh four, followed by h Ozuna at twelve o five to the Wonky Penguin, Kimberl and then Evan Phillips so closers going off the board, and
you take Anthony Volpi right out of my queue. Yea s ob So talk about Volpi and then give me your Walker Buehler spiel as well well, or your wonky Buehler whatever. You know.
All his stats don't matter because I took Vulpi off of your cue.
So that's the most important thing.
It's not about what he'll do for my team or the overall construction of the value. It's that I ruined your day and he's now mine. But I did need stolen bases. I needed a little bit more. I have a couple guys obviously Oneo Cruz and Michael Harris are going to be my core. But getting you know, twenty stolen bases with twenty home run power, He's a little bit of a suckabust as far as like batting average goes as his torqual sin. But I've got other players
that are going to kind of raise that up. So I'm going to pay attention to batting average as we go though, because I feel a little bit susceptible that I could let it go. But again, this is head to head, So the being held down on a batting average on a week weekly basis is much different than holding down your entire point system for the roto at the end of the year. So I think I can manage with it, and I really love the construction of
this roster. But I want to want to keep going with the pitching though, because we're getting we're getting some of the good values going as eure Ue. By the way, Luisa Rise went right after me speaking of batting average, Chris Bassett, Mitch Keller, and then Joey.
You just came up for two. Boy, you just snagged a good one on your I hope.
So fingers crossed Christian and karnassion Strand at twelve twelve. That's where I went, he is going to be locked in? Is my corner guy here in this lineup? U And look this guy with phenomenal power playing in a great ballpark. What's not to like a good young team. I think this is a great value at twelve twelve. One of the guys that we could not wait to get up to the major league level last year. I mean, we were just talking about this guy ad nauseum. Eventually he did.
He played sixty three games, hit two seventy thirteen bombs. Welsh I don't know why he was still on the board. When it came around to me last turn, I had him in my queue and I thought, well, there's no way this guy's getting back to me. I better pivot to kaminarow Caminaro went instead. He was still out there, so c is still out there. I took him, and then I took Michael King. Who is That's the one I liked t starter.
That was the one where I said, I'm like, that's the one.
You loved Christian and Carnassian Strand last year we couldn't do a show without talking about him or Elie de la Cruz.
Last year, No, I wanted him to be up. I thought he needed to be up. I do like and I do think you've got a good value. People are scared, but Michael King, I think is like a sneaky, sneaky pick at around the one fifty range. I think you had a good value on him. I think he can push the innings. I think that there's big strikeout potential.
He could be an ax.
He could be the best pitcher on this Andres team.
The Padres have done Welsh too, like because you you look at what they did with Musgrove, right, look at what they did with Waka, look at what they with Lugo. You know, they've taken these guys in the last you know, four years or so and gotten so much out of them. And Michael King is a guy who's just entering his thirties, a guy that last year threw one hundred and four innings.
But you know a lot of them in the bullpen, but you saw the flashes as a starting pitcher and this was a high, highly regarded prospect in the Yankee system for a long time. Sometimes those guys can be overrated. But last year, one hundred and twenty seven strikeouts at one hundred and one hundred and four innings. I should say to seventy five vra a one point one to five whip, I love getting King here as my fourth starter. To me, you were you nailed it when you said
pitching is gonna get a little bit spotty here. And that's why I want to make sure I took King because to me, I agree he has the upside to be the ace of this rotation potentially. I don't think that's a hot take. Thirteen o two Ian Happ, Shane Bieber, then Anthony Santandrek clay Holmes goes to you, Wels, let's talk about your selection at thirteen oh five.
I just took two closers. I want two decent ones. I probably could have waited a little bit in the twelve man, but I felt that there was a tear difference, tear change between clay Holmes and the next crew. The next screw was like the Tanner Scott's and the jose Le Clerks and all these guys that don't feel guaranteed.
Clay Holmes did feel guaranteed.
But I absolutely screwed myself with both outfielders so Laire and Riley Green that I was staring at hoping they might fall. They went immediately after. And I still have one outfield spot and the pool is getting pretty shallow, pretty shallow.
Very shallow pool right now. Still a lot of good players though available. Well we'll find them because as you said, so Lariered thirteen oh six, Riley Green thirteen oh seven, that's a tremendous value there. If you are gonna wait on outfield, Welsh, I think taking shots on guys like Riley Green around this range is exactly what you want to do. And I'll feel this tough, So you need a plan this year. You know, we kind of talked
about last year. I think it's worse this year. I don't know if that's possible, but it just feels worse right now. From the early ranks, which again you could check out at fancypros dot com. Go click on the MLB tab or you know, obviously just scroll through there. You can see the expert consensus rankings. There you can look at my rankings, Welsh's rankings. We'll titting them again next week too.
Mine, I was just about to say, minor being updated. Probably by the time this episode posts within twenty four hours, you'll get mine.
Well, are you an overachiever? Isn't that great? Alec Bohm at thirteen oh eight, somebody's gonna be employee of the month. You know who's gonna be employee of the month? Ericson? Have you seen that kid lately? Ericson's employee of the month is yea, because he's organizing get together.
You know, one extra work if behind the scenes he is.
But he shouldn't get it because he said, Lions, we're gonna outright be the forty nine ers.
He did, he did.
That's why he shouldn't, but you are right. He's actually kind of a stud behind the scenes too.
In case you didn't know, Welsh is a big forty nine er fan. He's very exciting for him. The next two weeks Alec bowmat thirteen oh eight, Estrau at thirteen oh nine, Gavin Williams goes at thirteen ten, and cal Rawley Sean Murphy more Catcher is going off the board here, ken Lee Janson at fourteen oh one, Merle Kelly, who is on my queue now no longer? He has gone at fourteen oh two, Max Monthsey at fourteen oh three
hundred Green goes to Sassu At fourteen oh four. Tanner Scott goes off the board to Wonkee Penguin, also out of my que fourteen oh six Azila also out of my queue. So there you go. The secondary closer run is happening. We're living in a folks Contreras at fourteen oh seven. The other contrellers from Saint Louis. Just in case you're keeping score at home, Welsh fourteen oh eight. Who'd you take?
Took Chas McCormick. I'm ecstatic outside of the top one fifty for McCormick to still be there. It is when we're talking twenty homer twenty stolen based potential.
I love these type of He's like.
Elaine Thomas and he's gonna be able to hit high in the Astro lineup. They've kind of given him the go last year. At the beginning of the year, a big thing that had changed for him was the team gave him a green light to start running whenever he wanted.
And then he did so.
Getting these type of guys outside the top one fifty key and as we're only doing three outfielder, I have so much power, very very confident in him being a part of that lineup. So I'm pretty ecstatic that he was about the last outfielder that I really wanted. Chris Sale, Francisco Alvarez, Jonathan India after me, and then Joe Piezapia on the clock taking your first gross closer.
Yeah yeah, Alvarado, I'm just trying to get some saves in here. Alvrado, why don't you kill man close out games? You only pitch one frame because that's what closes do. Ooh, you're a hard one. I better make it. I know that.
That's my song that's my long a.
Trevor's story still on the board here, so is Willi Adamas. The two guys very interesting, kind of similar profile here. You got some power but some lower batting average. You have a preference between those two guys, give me him again, it was Trevor's story and Willi Adams.
I would probably go.
Adamis I think the bounce back for him and the power potential. But Story is a better twenty twenty chase. So that's the tough thing.
Well it's too late. I let Story go, so I probably should have done that.
No, I think Adamas is a good pick here.
But I went a middle infield guy. Julian was on my board too, as was Ezekiel Tovar, who I really like as well. But you know, again, I think they're all kind of similar profile, the kind of players here generally speaking. But that's the thing, you know, this is something I will I will regret because if Tovar makes it all the way back to me, I could have gone somewhere else. So this is the part where I
start to have regret. This is the classic thing that we do in drafts, you and I where we're like, yeah, I'm gonna hate myself later for that pick.
Definitely hate myself never I can so that. Yes, that's definite things they do.
Tommy Tommy Edmon went right after that was also a guy who was on the board. But I felt like I have an a stolen basis. I was looking for some more power. Uh, so hopefully I got that. Nolan Gorman. That's a guy that's got power. He goes to mister buster. Nolan Gorman twenty seven bombs last year, but again two thirty seven batting average. Uh. Edward Rodriguez, that's the pick I should have made. I should have gone back into my queue. I panicked a little bit. I should have
stopped singing, and I should have made a pick. But again, we're having fun here today, that's what we're doing. Uh. But Edwater Rodriguez signs with your Arizona Diamondbacks. I know you're on the clock. So after you make that pick, I love this move for the Diamondbacks. You bring in a left handed starter, something they needed to a team that made it all the way to the World Series
fell a little short. But Rodriguez, to me, was one of the you know, most underdiscussed, underappreciated assets last year. I know he missed some time, but the twenty six starts that he made that three thirty era, that one point one five whip. The strikeout rate, you know, has come down a little bit, but he's becoming a better overall pitcher, and I think we'll take that as long as it doesn't fall too much further so.
And he gets to be a number three on that team. He gets to be behind Gallon and Merrill Kelly. You've got a tremendous defense that's behind him, multiple gold glovers. You've got a fast, high run, scoring offense. It's a great spot. I mean, maybe a little bit more hitter friendly than place like Detroit, but I think in the division you're gonna be going up against like, you know,
the Dodgers and the Padres. But I love I love it order I think it's a It was a great signing and that was a great pick.
All right, continuing on here, James Outman was the pick for you at fifteen oh five. You feel pretty good about Outman here. I know you're, you know, not feeling great about Outfield. But a guy who came out of like a house on fire, you know, last year. Yeah, and then it kind of petered out a little bit.
Another twenty twenty guy, he's locked into an outfield spot. I get to put him at util here, so maybe having a little bit of a questionable if you consider McCormick a questionable outfielder. Three, he kind of covers that. Outman kind of ends up covering that. So I'm pretty happy with that.
All right, Let's see if you're happy with the rest of this after outman. Carlos Rodango's interesting bounce back. We'll see could be a great value. But again, he's got to get on the mound. Last year that was a problem for him. Christian Javier also has huge potential, some things to work on. Nate Lowe goes to Wonkee Penguin. Jake Berger one of the great stories last year that I don't think anybody saw coming. Thirty four homers for Berger. We'll see if he could repeat that for the Marvels
this year. Gabriel Marino at fifteen ten, Shane Boz at fifteen to eleven. Other piece Tampa's excited about Tovar goes at fifteen twelve. Now I can sleep tonight sixteen oh one. Chris Morel then at sixteen oh two, Brandon Neimo underrated piece, Elojamenez at sixteen oh three. So we'll see if Jimenez can finally have a injury free season. Don't bet on it, folks. Jose Burrio sixteen oh four. Hunter Brown goes to the Waukee Penguin sixteen oh five. That's a good one. Your
old friend Lars newtbar at sixteen oh six. Partis at sixteen oh seven. Welch, you're on the clock. What'd you do?
Jackson Holiday? Everybody, thank you very much, Thank you very much. Though the system says eighty three percent chance he would have come back. Went to remind everybody that Schurio and White Langford went like three hours ago, and Jackson Holiday has as much of a shot to make the roster as a lot of these other guys. He got up to triple A. They also did not just hand over. They're not handing over Jordan Westburg that second base gig.
There's an open opportunity roster resource has him there. There's pick benefits. They're coming off of the pick benefit from Gunner Henderson. I think there's a high likelihood that the Jackson Holiday, if not up, is within the first month. So at this point in the draft on a util spot, killer killer time to take a shot on him, especially with what the rest of the playerpool looks like.
So the projections may not end up liking me.
I might get smacked a little bit or something like that, but I'm very excited to get Holiday where I got him.
Well, Welsh, I'm pretty excited too, because I just think I nailed these two util spots. I went back to back for the two util spots, and I came away with not one, but two guys. I came away with Trevor Story, who I was just talking about, and Reese Hoskins, who just signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, which I love. I think that's a great move by the Brewers. I think it's a really good setup for him. Story another guy too. I know last year there's some you know,
issues with injury. We all know that with Trevor Story, but can he get back to that twenty twenty range. I think it's well within his grasp. But I see the projections look at him like that. I love this offense. I like the pitching. I think I'm a little thin, but I think every roster I look at, I'm gonna feel like I'm thin of pitching. So I'm not gonna let that worry me too much because I do believe there's going to be, you know, as always, guys on
the waiver wire. So after you took Holiday, Brian Hayes, you Darvish, Max Scherzer, then I took Hoskins to and the sixteenth round, seventeenth round was Trevor Story Crawford at seventeen oh two Bailey Ober, who I almost took but I just went offense, and then Nick pavetted seventeen oh four. Welsh, you're on the clock for seventeen oh five.
Well, we're almost at two hundred. And this seems like I mean, also the system and the sixty one percent of experts agree, it's a seventy percent on the predictor, which it kind of knew top lift.
I need a.
Corner infielder upside on Welvy Marte. I'll take the Welby Marte. If you're going to be playing third stolen and again stolen based power. I am opening myself up a little bit on the batting average side, but I can do this in head to head more so there's just another value dropping right into my lap almost at pick two hundred.
Look at Welsh Cruz Marte Volpe, what Jordan Walker. It's a nice little dinas.
It's kind of a younger too. Yeah, it is a little dynasty.
You guys gonna be able to go out and have drinks after the games?
No, nope, none of them will be able to rent a car. I can tell you that.
There's Welsh Co signing leases for all of them in the UH Spring Trading.
And they're like, you can have your kid having a Chase credit card, like no pandemic card.
Yeah. Brian Whoo goes at seventeen oh six, then Jaron Duran at seven ten oh seven. But anything's jumping on me. It's going so fast right now. Carl's Korea to the Wonky Penguin. That's an interesting value there, of course is Carls Carey after all though. Bryce Miller at seventeen oh nine, one of the guys again house on fire and then came back down to earth. Braxton Garrett's seventeen ten. I think it's a pretty good value there. Jeremy Penya at
seventeen eleven, Navy Evaldi is seventeen twelve. Now we start the eighteenth round. Jose Le Clerk at eighteen oh one. Do you think the Texas Rangers go out there and make a move for a closer this year?
I think Hater was the guy. I don't think so. I mean I wouldn't.
I wouldn't say that they wouldn't call like the Guardians if Emmanuel Classe is available and kind of poke around and see if they could get class. I think that's a possibility, but I think that might just go with Luc Clerk at this point.
And man, I got just snipe right in front of me too.
Paulonko, By the way, we just got dealt just what twenty four hours ago to Seattle Hore. Polonko goes over there, so he also goes in this round as well, trying to everything's jumping again, Welsh, because I'm so excited about the picks. Stevenson goes next, then Alex Lang, Brandon Drury, Eduard Julian goes at eighteen oh so he does not make it to me. Brandon Fought doesn't make it to me either. Man, you Welsh took.
Who I took?
I took some stupid person who did I ended up taking? I took Nick Lodolo. I wanted Brandon fought more than anything, and I passed on him in the last time. Lodolo coming back from injury. He's probably still the best Reds pitcher, but he had tons of injuries last year. I talked about him a lot, as like, hey, I want to buy back, and then the injury just took him out for the year.
But I still love Lodolo, don't love the ballpark.
I maybe should have taken Savale for more of wins, but I've taken so many safe pictures. I decided to kind of pivot from that. But Lodolo, even though I wanted Brandon, fought more than anything.
All Right, I took Brian Beyo And thank you everyone who corrected me online the other day because I was tired.
Oh did you drop some bellos?
Bellows? I dropped a bello or two because I was tired, And you know, it's it's whatever. It's people. You know, this is what happens interesting he too. You know. I'm not one to take catchers very early, but there is a catcher I love, and it's the hoppy. I can't get enough of the Ohapi, so I'm gonna take it. Oh, I got a value pick. I got a thumbs up.
So far I got one reach alert and that's okay, it's fine, but the I got the value pick there, so bayo, ohappy, very good, uh selections there for me, I think I made up for the last four picks. I feel better about.
I love how you said that to you. You're like, very good, very good selections for me, They're great. I was awesome there.
You just awesome there. I feel good about. I love me some Candelario at nineteen oh two, mister Buster up next. So looking at your roster right now, I know for me, I'm pretty full up here. I've got two pitcher spots left and then the bench spots. What do you have left?
Yeah, I've got catcher and then I've got two pitching spots available, and we've kind of got a player pool looks about the same. And I'm I'm battling where I want to go here, and this is kind of the trick of what can I make work?
All right?
So this is what we're gonna do.
We are gonna go with I think this is a good even though ranks aren't up to it. Good shot for Shotteo Imanaga, So I mean he's he's been He's a love of a lot of the analytics guys because stuff plus numbers on the fastball absolutely pop.
He's a lower nineties pitcher.
I don't exactly know ballpark factors are going to affect Imanaga, but he's gonna get a shot to be one of the top pitchers on this get a bunch of innings, so I'm pretty happy with I'm pretty happy with that spot, though. I think the system said he might have lasted a little bit longer, but he was starting to poke up, So I feel like.
Wonky might have been might have been looming.
Okay, well she does that, so it's very possible she looms. She's a loomer. So Imanaga has gone. Morton's gone. Bow Nailor is gone at nineteen oh seven, then Pepio at nineteen oh eight, trist mackenzie at nineteen oh nine, continuing on jad Martinez at nineteen ten, then Jonaheim Jonaheim are good friend, and then Mountcastle. That's Mike Maher's favorite person
in the planet in nineteen twelve. He's at senior ball right now, So I shout out to Mike Maher hanging out now, as that's if there's a person I can't think of in a place. It's Mike Mayer in Alabama.
Can you imagine it's it's Mike Mayor, Derek Brown and Thorne Einstrom in Alabama.
Together right now, Derek and Thor. Yes, I don't know if Mike Mayor is gonna.
Make but Mayor is with those guys. He's with them.
Well, now that's why he why not make it back? That's why Because goodness knows, I've hung out with Debro and Thor quite a bit. Uh and those are fun times. And we will be doing that in a few weeks, which I'm very excited about. So in round twenty here and after this round goes through, we'll start recapping our teams and then we'll talk about the grades. We'll predict what our grades might be, and we'll take a look at the tools at the end. Again, sink your leagues.
It's free. Go do it right now. Download Fantasy pros Baseball app. Do it right now, don't wait, start seeking your leagues. And of course the option there to go premium is going to help a ton. Twentieth round here we go, Well, Alex Kirilov, Lord of Scuriel, then you have Swinsky at twenty three, Giolito and Todz Bradley straight out of Mike c Thanks, Wonky hang Win. That pissed me off. That one pissed me off. Beenguin. We're gonna have words after this. Vaughn A twelve twenty oh six.
Then Mason Miller wells, you're on the clock for twelve oh eight, and then it's coming back to me for some more.
Man, I feel like the Dale person in front of me just took my list, and like every single time they're whoop, just snapping up the players that I want. It is killing me here, killingy killing me. All Right, we are gonna go. You know what, I actually agree with this experts pick here. Justin Turner just signed a one year deal with the Blue Jays. It's a great lineup. It's a batting average guy. I've taken a couple of risky shots here, a lot of RBI opportunities, so this is a good, really good.
Bench bat to put on there.
Especially, I would also point out it's the perfect player. When I go and take a guy like Jackson Holiday who's locked into my utail spot, take him out and put Justin Turner in, those are the type of players why you can take those shots after one fifty on guys like Jackson Holiday who might not be up right now.
I'm gonna ask you a question I want should be honest. Is Byron Buxton in your cue.
It's one hundred without question. He's in my queue. He will be drafted by me unless someone else is rude.
He's gonna go back in the outfield. Healthy quotes Healthy.
I'm hey, listen, sometime you can't control who you love.
You can't control who you love. Love finds you.
And there's also abusive love where you can't help your friends get out of those relationships. You don't want those people to be in those relationships. That's the thing. I'm not ready, That's the thing, Welsh.
The heart wants what the heart wants, and the heart wants Buckston all right.
The heart wants me to take more pitching. So that's what I'm doing here, and they'll recap my team. So I like to pick a turner. Then Stephen Kwan goes next. Ryan McMahon keent to my Aida goes right before me. That's Ken to my Aida.
By the way, Welsh, Kwana, I took two Marcus Stroman and Andrew Abbott back to back.
Here. Abbot had a good showing last year for Cincinnati and Stroman. Look, man, a guy was electric in the first half of the year. I still think it's gonna be a hot mess for him with the Yankees, but I can't. It's between him and Reed Debtmers, And as much as I like what Detmers can offer, I'm looking at the win potential of Stroman. I'm looking at the Angels, and I think the Angels are gonna just be a huge deficit this year there, So gimme Strolman will take
the flyer. Michael Waka goes next. Let's take a look at our rosters. Here is mine is full. I'm gonna run it down. Welsh. You can give me your opinion after you make your pick. Logan o'hapi a catcher, Josh Nayler at first base, at second base, Ozzie Albi's shortstop, Xander Boguards, Alex Bregman, Christian n Carnassio strand William Thomas. Then the outfield we have Ronald Acunia, Luis Robert Ling, Thomas,
my utilities, Rhys Hoskins, Trevor Story. The pitching staff is Freddie Peralta, Max Fried, Logan, Gilbert then Bednar, Michael King, Brian Bayo, Jose Alvarado, Andrew Abbott and Marcus Stroman. Do you think this dog will hunt? What do you think? This is? A B plus? Feels like a B plus.
That sounds like a like a B B plus. Again, the only thing I think that matters is do you like your team?
You love?
I do love this?
No, but will you will robot?
Will I will? Robot me? Well?
Ai Jones agree.
You know what, if there's something that I'm excited about getting back into, it's getting back into creepy Ai generated Uh pictures for leading off in a few months.
Yeah, I'm that so excited about that.
I'm looking forward to that.
Quite still, I still think about the cheese, melting pizza, Francisco.
Lasagna things, nightmare fuel. Uh, you don't have a catcher yet. Spencer Torkelsen at first base, then Mookie Bets, O'Neil Cruz, Austin Riley, nove Marte, Anthony Volpi really good infield there, then the outfield, Michael Harris, Jordan Walker, Chas McCormick, u Till, James Autman, Jackson Holiday again this Dynasty team of here is really exciting. Can't wait for these kids to get out there in the sun Yamamoto, Logan, Webb, Deval Bradish, Verlander,
Home Lodolo, Imanaga read Debt Meers. I passed you took him so Welsh. I like this team. I think it's got a lot of youth. Now that could be a good thing because the young players are driving the game. But do you worry about the floor of this roster at all? Yeah, that's a way of me saying passive aggressively. I worry about the floor of this roster.
Yeah, I think there's a part of it that I do.
But Mookie, Bets, Riley and Harris, they are the stabilizers to the floor.
Uh.
So I feel good about that we have less outfield spots. So I guess there's really only like one less roster spot with two utails here.
It's actually a little too volatile.
It's probably a little too volatile for my taste that I should have done.
So I'll completely agree with you. From Torkosen to.
Oneel to Noel VI to Outman, that's a little dicey, But you know it's something that I'll just I'll have to end up coming to terms with in the total roster construction. Now Wonkee just went Louise Capusano, who was one of two closer catchers. I would do that that I was taking a look at. I don't like the rest, though I probably should wait, I don't want to risk it. Mitch Garver, not only being a catcher, but a DH with Seattle is such an exciting thing. Twenty plus Homer
easy potential. So I'm gonna just swoop in and make sure I get Mitch Garver and non't get screwed.
Here's my I think I'm the last person to take a catcher.
Every time I hear Mitch Carver, I just think of Cartman on South Park saying Mitch Kunner, I don't know every time. I just always let me recap the last few rounds for US. So Stroman went at twenty one oh one, then walk up Brash Lawler read debt meurse
to Welsh, Emmitt Sheehan, Matt Chapman, MJ. Melendez, Chris Christopher Sanchez, excuse me, Carlos Stevez, Kerry Carpenter, Michael Bush, and then returning on the turn in twenty two, Matt suiy Kellnick Taylor Ward, Tyler O'Neil, Sam Luis Campisano, Brendon Lau and then we had Starling, Marte, Mitch Garver, Suarez. Then back to me. Buxton did go so Welsh roll the dice didn't get him. Teetam in after Buxton, which means it's back to me. Top lift right now is Max Kepler,
which I think I could do worse. Get some extra outfield help. I don't have a problem with that. I will listen to you, Draft Wizard. You control me. I'm letting the robots control me here a little bit. Looking around too, we else is left in my queue. I think it's a little too early for what's left in my cue, so we'll keep going through here. Pitching is dried up, that's for sure. Make sure you get your pictures while you can. Garcia is out there, McNeil's out there.
Maybe some extra stone bases to a little bit of infield help with Garcia, so Michael Garcia will go that route too. Again. I will listen to Draft Wizard. Perhaps it'll be kind to me when it comes back around for grading time. Welsh at this point in the draft too, when you're gonna last couple of picks. What are you trying to do with your bench? Just take best available or there are specific things where you're looking at and saying, hey, I got a young team, let me get some veteran players.
Maybe they get a bounce back.
Yeah, okay, So for my roster specifically, doing that right there, like you know, justin to balance out of Jackson Holiday like having some balances good. But at the end of the day, I think the best approach is taking your your long shots, you know, to take those big shots because most of these bench players are probably going to
be easily dropable, You're gonna be streamable options. So I'm not afraid to take, you know, some shots, especially in a twelve man league where I know there's going to be an easier probability of me being able to get this guy over here, get this guy over here, so I will just easily drop some of these players. So I'm gonna take some high upside. So here's a prime example.
I'm gonna take Robert Swarez. Robert Swarez is in line to be the Padres closer, though I think John Hayman has said all three different guys, Yuki Matsui and Usago could be. All these different guys could be it, but Suarez, they gave the most money to.
He is in line.
I think he gets first opportunity, so to get a third closer on the bench who could potentially keep the job for the Padres the rest of the season.
I'll take that shot. If I'm wrong, I dump him and I pick up another relief pitcher.
Is there any chance that Wonky Penguin doesn't win this draft? I feel like that's just like coming.
Yeah.
I mean, I feel like John Means was on my list, Like I don't. I haven't seen Wonky take the young shots, and some of the system isn't gonna like be super beneficial to taking crazy shots on players, so I wouldn't be surprised.
If Wonky is one.
For sure we would not.
So Walk'll probably hate my draft too.
It'll be all the hates are gonna be like Mike Mayer Wonky somehow Ericson will hate the draft. He'll just show up even though he doesn't do baseball or know what it is.
That's my favorite. Whenever you get one of those guys who doesn't even cover you, Like you don't even cover baseball, how do you have a thing in here. Some big names still on the board too, just kind of looking at I wonder if they'll get drafted out. Jim Carlos, Stanton and Verdugo for the Yankees. Still out there, Louis Severino, who is now a New York met much to my chagrin. If I have a chagrin, it's probably named Louis Severino.
You have any guys out there on this board still when you look at the pick predictor that you think, yeah, I take a shot on a Clark Schmid. I want to take a shot on this guy. Like some guys out there's still worth taking some dart throws on.
Yeah, it's interesting the pick predictor is struggling with a few of the players that I would really hone in on. You've mentioned Severarina. I'm really trying to balance, Like, who am I going to be able to slide through some stuff here? So let's do this. So I think I got a guy that I think can slide like in Fight Club slide, I'm.
Gonna go buy in particular for me that's still on the board that I'm Zach Netto.
I'm gonna go with Netto on the bench.
Stolen based potential be hitting at the top of that stupid Angels lineup, But I got another guy. So who's at the top of your thing that you're gonna ruin my day?
Well, I'll run. I don't think I'm gonna ruin your day.
After I took Garcia. Recapping round twenty three, Tyler Stevenson, you say Kakuchi, Clayton Kershaw is still wait no word from him, Robert Suarez, Gavin Lux, Ryan Jeffers, John Means, Kyle Harrison, Rhyese Olsen, Brian Abreu, and then Anthony Rendone, David Robertson then starts around twenty four or Cutter Crawford, Jose Breu, Lancelin, We'll see what he could do back with the Saint Louis Cardinals, Ring Gifo, Josh Bell, Kirk Netto, and then you have Tim Anderson for me, Jung Ho
Lee from the San Francisco Giants. I think is intriguing for batting average, especially in a head to head cats at this point, like you take the guy, you know, I don't know how much power he's gonna hit for. It's it's one of those things it's harder to predict, but you know, whenever a guy is a big international signing,
I think you have to pay attention to it. Manzarto is interesting at first base two, but you know, I'm a big cures dad guy, so I'm gonna go ahead and take him because I want to lock him in. I was gonna take on my last pick, but I don't think he's gonna make it there. So after that a world as Chapman goes. That's also a pretty good selection there because if ben Nard gets traded, then Chapman's a closer, or Chatman gets cooled somewhere else, and you know,
trade somewhere else, it ends up closing as well. I don't I get dinged a lot with the draft Whizzard Welsh because I typically tend not to go close or heavy, and because of that, you know, my say categories are lower, and that's fine because it's always the one thing I can find on the waiver wires. So you can set draft Wizard to certain preferences, which I think is great, and I think that's why the tools here at Fantasy Pros are a little bit more advanced than some others.
Not only can you do a mock draft by yourself in five minutes. You can do them with friends and family or colleagues or draft mates or whatever, but you can also go ahead. And there's so many bells and whistles in terms of the settings, in terms of using the Chee Chee creed, in terms of the pick predictor like, there's so many things that are available here. So by the time you get to your own draft, especially if you have premium, you attach everything. It makes so much
sense to do that. But I feel like it's like working out before the you know, before the match. It's like you know, running before the marathon. Like I just feel like it's so useful. By the time you get there, you feel so prepared for all of your leagues. And I mean, look, man, we're very lucky to work here because our development team is the best in the business and they put together the best draft software I've ever seen.
Yeah, you know what an amazing thing too, just behind the scenes thing. We were in a meeting, an eye brought up a couple things and they were like, these are great ideas, We're gonna try to work on them right now. Like that's how great it was, Like something came to my mind and they're like, we love that and we're gonna.
Work on it.
So they are continuously tinkering and working, and I learn new stuff every day, and I also learn how excited I am that you love Kurstak because you passed on Manzardo, And that is exactly who I wanted and exactly who I took.
I figured, I figured it was between those two guys, But I like Kirsted. I like the guy with a little bit of edge. So von Grisom goes after Chapman Jansen. You took Manzardo, Eure up for another pick. But Edward Cabrera, Paxton, Adam Severino, Lopez, Griffin Canning, Brandon Woodruff, then Barlow, Mackenzie, Gore Bryant in this last round, Freeley, Jeffrey Springs Cano Lugo. That's a good pick in round twenty six. By the way, I just want to point that out there. Welsh, make
your last pick. I'm gonna make my last pick, and then we'll get our grades and get out of here. What do you got?
All right, last pick here? Let's mess around, all right? No, no, we won't mess around. I was been thinking about Jordan Hicks. We're Gonake, Grett Whitlocke, like I think you took Bayo earlier. Cayle Body going and working, you know, the former Drive the guy that created Drive Line going and working with the Boston Pitchers. I think is going to have a really good bounce back. It's the system may not love it at the end of the day, but I like itting Garrett Whitlock at the end of the draft.
All right, I'm gonna probably take another outfielder. Hear between Austin Hayes and Verdugo here. You know, Verdugo's a bad clubhouse guy, and I don't have enough Orioles. So I'm gonna probably take Austin Hayes when it comes back, if he makes it back to me after Whitlock. John Grego is another good selection there. Uh you know the pictures too. Again, I'm just looking at the guys that are left. It's tough. I mean, it's Clark Schmid, It's tie On, It's Ranger Suarez,
Alec Manoa. That reclamation project that's good? Do you think? Please? Do you have that? Please? How about Paul Skeens? Should I have some fun there?
I just don't think.
I mean you you absolutely can, and the system probably won't hate it. I just don't think Skeens is up early.
Austin Hayes goes Oh, but it doesn't matter. The picks are in, the standings are in. So let's recap. I got an A minus, not a B plus. Thank you Draft Wizard. Finally somebody likes me. So my first draft was an A minus. Nowhere to go but down? Welsh, what was your grade for a draft? Wizard?
Hated my draft so bad? A C I got agree see on that.
Wow, you're ten of twelve. I am three of twelve. Wonky Penguin of course beat me. She's number two, and mister Buster, a good friend of Buster, fan of the show and friend of the show, is at number one, So good on them. If they said if I took Pete a Lonzo, I would have done better. But again, I'm very happy with the route I went there. I got Reese Hoskins as a Steele Kepler and Fordugo iss Steals. I reached for King, which I disagree with, and BeO,
I think neither of those guys are reaches. I feel good about that.
Yeah, I agree.
Uh.
And in terms of looking at the expert opinions, Chris Towers thumbs up. Ariel Cohen, the number one ranker on Fantasy Pros every year with the projections there thumbs up, and Mike Mayer liked my draft. I probably should never draft again. Ironically, Killy Kirby, the Blonky Penguin and Scott Pianowski hated my draft. So there you go.
Oh that's funny. Okay.
So some of the insights on my really bad draft it let's say it said, what if I had taken Linn Dore at three five and drafted outfield later, I would have scored significantly.
Higher my reaches no shocker.
Jackson Holliday two rounds, said, Nicolodolo by two rounds and Chotto Imanaga by two rounds. It said it was only top four and wins. That's my biggest problem. And Pierre Camu was the number one person that.
Loved my draft. Also, Scott Painowski liked it.
Frank Amerant, Chris welsh I liked it for Oneil Cruz, Camilla Devall, and Kyle Bradish and Tim Kannak from Fantasy Acepall who was also writing here at Fantasy Pros. Keith Lott hated me the most ariel the second month he wanted to punch me, Andy Barrons, Brandon Myers, and Mick Cuik.
Don't know Phil, it's Chiella. I believe Ella says it.
Yeah, so that was my soak liked my draft too bad draft that it did?
Really hated my draft.
I mean talking about, well, you wait to draft, you wait to the show to do your first draft of the year. I specifically I was last week it came out. I wanted to do some mock drafts. I said, no, I'm gonna wait. I'm gonna do it fresh, first experience here, and I got an a minus. So I want you to look at the draft. Tell me who you think won the draft. Which team do you like? Give well some positive reinforcement. Tell them his team's gonna be really good in three years. It'll be fine. Tell me you
love my draft, you hated my draft. Whatever, Go take a look at the draft. Go run your own drafts. Download draft Wizard, Go to fantasypros dot com slash draft wizard, Go run your own simulations right now. Again, it's free, so as sinking your leagues. Sink your leagues. Please. It's the best thing you're gonna do for yourself in fantasy baseball all year round, especially if you have multiple teams
in multiple places. So that was a good time. I want to thank our friend Bill here for helping us out with the show today, our illustrious producer, and uh that's it, folks. Make sure you move your leagues or play your leagues over at fan tracks dot com slash Fantasy Pro sign up today and everybody gets that Fantasy Game Day experience in your league. Could be your league that goes on. That experience could be amazing. That'll do it for us though, but the story of the game
goes on for the Welsh. I'm Joey P. We'll see you next time, kids,