Fantasy Baseball Today - Snake Draft Strategy, Drafting from Each Slot & Jordan Walker's Injury (3/13 Fantasy Baseball Podcast)

Episode Date: March 13, 2023

Jordan Walker is dealing with a shoulder strain (1:36). Will it affect his ADP? ... News (4:55): Andrew Painter has a UCL sprain and will be shut down for four weeks. ... What was Carlos Rodon's ADP this weekend (11:40)? ... Let's talk snake draft strategy and how to use average draft position (13:57). ... What else do we need to know about snake drafts (28:33)? ... Felix Bautista is aiming to make his debut Thursday (34:08). ... Chris Sale and Matthew Boyd looked good this weekend (42:06). ... We wrap up with how to draft from each slot in the first round (48:50). Fantasy Baseball Today is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and wherever else you listen to podcasts.  Make sure to join our Fantasy Baseball Today March Madness bracket challenge here: cbssports.com/baseball Get awesome Fantasy Baseball Today merch here: http://bit.ly/3y8dUqi Follow FBT on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fbtpod?_t=8WyMkPdKOJ1&_r=1 Follow our FBT team on Twitter: @FBTPod, @CTowersCBS, @CBSScottWhite, @Roto_Frank Join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/fantasybaseballtoday Sign up for the FBT Newsletter at https://www.cbssports.com/newsletters/fantasy-baseball-today/ For more fantasy baseball coverage from CBS Sports, visit https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ Subscribe to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/FantasyBaseballToday You can listen to Fantasy Baseball Today on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast from CBS Sports. Got a fantasy question, email Fantasy Baseball at CBSI.com. Get ready to win your league. Where fantasy becomes reality. Now here's Frank, Scott, and Chris. Welcome in to Fantasy Baseball today, and welcome to Strategy Week. Happy Monday, March 13th. I am Frank Sample, joined by Scott White and Chris Towers.

Today on the show, we've got Snake Draft Strategy. to draft from each spot in the first round, latest news, notes, and spring training updates. And if you missed any of our recent shows, last week we did sleepers, breakouts, and bus 2.0, as well as a live salary cap draft, which was a three-part episode. It was like four hours' worth of content,

so please go back and make sure to listen to it if you haven't already. Thank you to those watching us live on YouTube. Please like the video and subscribe. If you're listening on the podcast side, make sure to download, follow, and leave a five-star review. We really do appreciate it.

And before we get started, it's bracket time. And the ION College Basketball podcast is your destination for top-notch March Madness Coverage for the next three weeks. Join Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander as they offer four region-by-region previews, plus a mega bracket blowout with all the advice you need to win that office pool. Download and follow Ion College Basketball wherever podcasts are found. Let's get things started with some big news from the weekend. and the unfortunate one,

Jordan Walker. Take my elbow, man. Take my elbow. Take my shoulder. Maybe you don't want my shoulder. It's kind of busted up. But he exited Saturday's game with a right shoulder strain.

The team called it precautionary. Walker said it's, quote, no big deal and actually took batting practice on Sunday. Scott, I don't want to overreact too far the other way, but, you know, first time seeing it on Saturday. I was pretty bummed out. What are your thoughts on Jordan Walker and this injury? Yeah, I mean, you don't like to hear.

here about shoulder strain, shoulder injuries of any kind, because obviously that has the potential to be serious. But it does seem like in both this case and remember Garrett Mitchell's hamstring injury last year, they said, oh, it's precautionary. And you think, okay, is that just what they're saying? Because they haven't gone in for further testing yet to discover the real extent of the damage. But in both cases, it seems to be no big deal. As you pointed out, Jordan Walker took batting practice Sunday if there was really concern about

his shoulder. He wouldn't have done that. And so I don't, I don't think it's going to impact his chances of making the team, which are looking more and more promising. And since I went ahead, since I brought up Gary Mitchell, I'll also say he's expected back in the lineup within a week. So it seems like you're fine continuing to draft him to. The ADP in the month of March so far for Jordan Walker is 134.6. Chris, does that sound about right? Do you think maybe it drops back down a little bit with this news? What do you think about Jordan Walker's price tag.

Sorry, can you repeat the number? 134.6. That's probably right. I mean, it's so hard to say with a player like this in a situation like this because it's either too late or too early. You know, like it's hard to say that 133 is right. But generally outside of the top 10 rounds,

you're starting to get to the point where you're taking, making tradeoffs of risk versus reward anyway. So, like, I would say this injury, even if it is a minor one, definitely impacts his chances of making it to the major league roster on opening day, just because he probably, you know, needs to roll. Is it sevens? Are sevens good in craps? I've honestly, I don't know. I was reading on the Cardinals team site, though, and I forget who their beat writer is, but he was, you know, he was basically saying it's looking more and more and more like. Like almost to the point that he sounded like he was talking about it as a foregone conclusion.

That's what, but that's because his spring training has been that good so far. You know, like he was doing like at the start of spring training, he probably needed everything to go right to to make the major league raw. So that's my read on anyway. And so far, I mean, you've got a 1400 OPS or whatever it is. Things are going right. Now I do think like this does make it less likely. I don't know if it's more likely or not that he makes it at this point. But it doesn't change how I view him too much because there's still Tyler O'Neill and Lars Neupar and Dylan Carlson out there who, you know, an injury could happen to one of them and then change the timeline either way. So I think, yeah, 133rd overall or whatever that number seems about right. Andrew Painter was officially diagnosed with a UCL sprain and will be shut down for four weeks. Matt, more bad news for the Phillies as Ranger Suarez was brought back from the WBC due to a left 4.4.

left forearm tightness. And obviously that means, you know, Bailey Fultor likely to be in the rotation. I couldn't even really find another semi-interesting player on the Phillies, like, 40-man roster that could be in this rotation to start the season. Is there anyone else that stands out or do you have any interest in Bailey Fulter? In deeper leagues, I have interest in Fultor. We've talked about before how's minor league numbers were good, how we finished last year, stint in the rotation strong.

I don't think there's a lot of upside there. I don't think he's going to be a great source of strikeout, such as why I'm leaving him for deeper leagues. But, you know, it's kind of interesting. Let me see if I could find that exact number. So over his last 10 starts last year, he had an even three ERA, good control, 45 strikeouts in 501 innings. As for Painter, this probably takes him out of redraft consideration.

Yeah. It does seem probable he's going to avoid Tommy John. because of where, you know, sprained UCL. It's a small tear. But where the tear is located in the UCL, it's generally pitchers don't end up needing Tommy John surgery at that part. So it does seem like a rest and rehab situation. And there's a good chance we do see Painter at some point this year,

but not soon enough to justify stashing him ahead of time. Yeah, I would say the only potentially interesting guy, I think he probably would need to prove it in the minors for a month or so. But Griff McGarry has very interesting numbers. This stuff is very good. He is a non-raster invitee for the Phillies at training camp. He threw about 80 innings in the minors last season, some of them in relief. But just a ton of strikeouts and tons of swings and misses and also a bunch of walks as well.

So he's the guy that I'll keep an eye on to see how the AAA season opens, but probably doesn't have a chance to make the major league roster, I would guess. We had a big extension over the weekend, much to the delight of our friend, the Welsh. Corbyn Carroll signed an eight-year, $111 million extension with the Diamondbacks, which will take him through his age 29 season. The team also has a $23 million club option for 2031. This doesn't really affect fantasy, I guess, all that much, but I always find it interesting when young players signed deals like this,

because obviously it can go either way. I can never blame a player for wanting to lock up financial security, like life-changing money. I totally get that. But also, look at someone like Juan Soto, who has offered the biggest extension ever, and he didn't take it,

and he's just kind of betting on himself and hoping he makes even more money than that. So I'm always kind of torn when young players take deals like this. It's a bit different when it's, you know, like, like Ronald Acuna when he signed his deal. I think he had like a year and a half under his belt and had established himself as a legitimate MVP candidate. Corbyn Carroll, we think is going to be very good,

but it's entirely possible he goes out there this year and is a below average player, and it looks great for him. So I think when you get it with this little service time, I think it makes a lot of sense. I think he's the youngest drafted player to ever sign a $100 million contract. I think there was maybe Diceke Matsuzaka

or one of the Japanese imports got a hundred, $100 million contract, but yeah, this is the youngest draft player to ever sign a hundred-million-dollar contract, which is a big bet on him. Yordon Alvarez took swings in the batting cage Friday and then hit soft toss in the batting cage on Sunday.

All right. Progress. All reports say that he felt good afterwards. Joe Musgrove threw a bullpen session Saturday per Kevin ASE of the San Diego Union Tribune. Musgrove is targeting a season debut against the Braves on April 6th. That would mean he only misses one start in the rotation. And if that's the case, Guy, we probably should get Musgrove back into a similar range

where he was being drafted before, a top 25-ish starting pitcher. Yeah, yeah, if that's the case. I mean, it does seem like he's still going, like the injury is still going to be healing, but hopefully his pain tolerance is high enough that he'll be able to pitch through it at that point. So there's still a possible,

it could get pushed back. But yeah, I agree. I'm going to have to move him back up after moving him down quite a bit. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. felt good after running the bases Sunday. He'll do so again Monday before the team re-evaluates his return to game action. Vlad has been slowed by knee inflammation this spring. Fernando Tatis Jr. was scratched Sunday with a left knee bruise. He was struck in the knee by an errant pickoff throw on Saturday. Actually stole a base in that game too. Jacob de Grom will start a minor league spring training game on the backfields Monday. He's working his way back from left side tightness to oblique injuries this weekend.

Harrison Bader diagnosed with a left oblique strain and will miss approximately six weeks could lead to more playing time for Oswaldo Cabrera and Aaron Hicks. It was reported that Raphael Ortega has a good shot to now win an opening day roster spot as well. I mean, Willie Calhoun, guys, he's right there, you know. Let's get this guy on the roster. Mitch Hanager was the other one diagnosed with a grade one oblique strain,

but says he still could be ready for opening day. Blake Sable is a name we have not talked about at all. He is a very deep sleeper, and there's been talks that he could either play in the outfield or DH. He plays catcher as well. Very good numbers in the minors last season as well. So any takeaways on these two injuries and anyone that you're looking to gain value as a result

with Bader and Hanager hurting their obliques? Well, I hope it creates more opportunities for Oswaldo Cabrera, not to be confused with Oswald Parraza. That's right. Of the Yankees. Cabrera is the lesser, I mean, I guess he's graduated from being a prospect, the lesser talent of the two, I guess, but he's the one who saw more playing time last year.

Had six homers and three steals in 171 plate appearances. And, you know, probably doesn't matter outside of those deep. or five outfielder leagues. But I imagine between him and Hicks, Aaron Hicks, there was already going to be a certain amount of at-bats between them and now maybe more freed up. All right. And then lastly, we had the news on Carl Swardon on Thursday morning

that he is dealing with a forearm injury. Chris and I did an emergency podcast. And we said, you know, drop him down to around SP 24. And there were 25 drafts. in the NFBC this weekend. That's the National Fantasy Baseball Championship. Rodon's ADP was 93.4 as the SP23 off the board in those drafts. Pretty good guess, Chris.

I mean, I've got him 94th overall. So that makes sense to me. I think, Scott, you're a little lower than both of us, right? I'm a little lower, but what I read over the weekend has me more encouraged than not because he, Rodon himself said that this was an issue that he dealt with last May and he just pitched through it. So, like, it sounds like they're shutting him down to be extra careful, precautionary. I guess we could use that word again. Just because there's no rush to get him out there for the start of the season.

And maybe he'll miss a turn or two to begin the year. but it'll probably be fine after that. So I think maybe I need to move him back up a little closer to where you guys have him. Yeah, I mean, my thought before this was the last couple of seasons have made me feel pretty good that he's more like a normal starting pitcher in terms of his risk, which means that there's still a lot of injury risk. And he has more than Dylan's cease, let's say, to go with one guy with, you know, a similar skill set. this certainly increases the risk that he suffers a setback or this is the start of something.

But like, yeah, I think what we know right now, you kind of have to balance what we know from the Yankees or what they've told us at least with what we think could go wrong as a result of this. And those are two different things. So I think what we know, I don't think you're moving down that much. I think like SP15 would make sense. if we just go by what they've told us. So I think you move them down from there a little more because of the risk that it's worse than that or that it ends up worse than that.

That's the latest on Carlos Rodon. Let's get into some snake draft strategy. And that's what most people I imagine will be drafting. Obviously, still a lot of people do salary caps slash auction drafts. But the biggest difference between those two types of formats is that you're somewhat restricted based on where you're drafting in the first round. So maybe you really want Jose Ramirez or Aaron Judge this season. Well, guess what?

If you're drafting outside of the top five or six, you're probably not getting those guys. So that's just kind of the luck of the draw where you're picking in the first round. Whereas, you know, in a salary cap draft, you can get any player you want. You can go stars and scrubs. You can get Aaron Judge and Jose Ramirez if you want.

And I think there's a little bit more strategy conversation when talking about that. And we'll talk salary cap strategy a little bit later on this week. But today, again, we're focusing on snake draft strategy. And I think utilizing ADP average draft position is probably something you want to focus on when you're talking about snake draft strategy. So knowing ADP allows you to maximize your team's profit potential. For example, say you love Eloy Jimenez, like I do. His ADP is 69.2. You know that you don't have to draft him in the third or fourth round because in all likelihood,

Eloy Jimenez should be there in the fifth or even sixth round. Now, Scott, it's kind of a slip slope because remember ADP is an average so there's still right there could be outliers right like if someone likes Eloy Jimenez more than you they might pull him off the draft board or even Corbyn Carroll his ADP is 75.6 I've seen drafts where he goes in the fourth or fifth round so there's a chance that he's going to go so how do you kind of balance that using ADP to your advantage but also I guess not overvaluing it I feel like it's a very fine line. How do you use it? You know, that's a struggle for me, too, I guess, is how the easiest way to put it.

Because we didn't always look so closely at ADP really before fantasy pros started and was able to incorporate ADP from all different sites. We'd mostly just look at our own sites ADP. And there might, you know, it might be skewed in certain ways based on the way our own projections are or the way the analysts on the site talk about those players or just the way leagues in general are set up on that site versus other sites. So I feel like we didn't give it as much credence back before fantasy pros became a thing. But now we are so deep in ADP data all the time that it's it's hard to tune it out. And as you're saying, there are benefits to knowing it. But For instance, I talk about the tiers approach often.

I make and update tiers throughout draft prep season, come out with three or four different versions when all said and done. And it's something I've long subscribed to. If you're following it to the letter, you're not paying much mind to ADP because it's less important than when you could theoretically get this player is what happens if you don't get this player, what does the position look like if you pass them over?

And so that's kind of independent from ADP in theory. But I do know ADP. And so I don't want to reach for a player before I have to because that's just sacrificing value, right? So it's something I've struggled with, if I'm being completely honest. And I think maybe the shallower the league is, the more you can tune out ADP or the higher upside the player is,

the more you can tune out ADP, maybe some general guidelines like that I could get behind. But yeah, I don't have a great answer for you yet. I wish I did. And these things are ever changing too, Scott. You're right about high upside players where a month ago, Jordan Walker was going around pick 180, 200, and these things changed very quickly.

You know, Miguel Vargas, if we see him do something in spring training, people are reminded, oh, wait, this guy has a starting job on opening, day. Why isn't he going higher and things just are always changing, especially this time of year? Chris, how do you, how much do you pay attention to ADP while drafting or making rankings? And how do you balance using it to your advantage, but maybe not being too beholden to it? It entirely depends on when the draft is, I would say, because right now, three weeks away from

opening day, but three weeks away, a little less than three weeks away, I guess. ADP matters a lot. People tend to cluster towards ADP. Picks tend to cluster towards ADP. That's not to say that it's always going to be the case and there's always going to be outliers. And one thing that's fun is you look at the NFC drafts and they show the highest of players been picked

and the lowest they've been picked. And so you have like Adolice Garcia went as high as 18th in one draft. He also went as low as 112th. Zach Wheeler, 2992. So like there's these wide error bars when we're talking about these. And ADP is more of a suggestion and you should view ADP in like a band. And for most players, it's like once you get within 10 picks of their ADP, that's probably when they're going to go.

It doesn't mean they definitely will. It doesn't mean you should draft them at that price. It's just they will likely go off the board at around that range. That being said, the closer you get to opening day. And this is something that I know to be true in every fantasy sport. I play fantasy basketball, baseball, football. Once you get within about a week of opening day, you can kind of throw ADP out the window. Because that's when, and maybe this is just us speaking from the position of, you know, drafting 12 teams or 14 teams or Frank, I don't know, you might do 30 best ball drafts.

I'm not sure. We get so practiced at it that those very little. late drafts, which, you know, they're very late to us, but that's when the majority of people are drafted. 70% of drafts happened in the last seven days of the season. It always like catches us by surprise. And I find those drafts to be the most frustrating because like, nobody's following the script anymore. That's when, because that's when people just go get their guys. Yeah. Right. Because that's, because you might be drafting, you know, the three of us are drafting with, you know, Mike Gianella and all these guys who are also drafting 13.

times. And we've been drafting. I mean, I did my first one in January, but you guys did drafts in October and November. And you reach a point where it's also like, oh, no, I have two drafts left and I don't have Jordan Walker yet. Or I don't have Christian Javier left. So I'm going to jump his ADP because I need to make sure I get him. And so that's, that's when, interestingly enough, like these analyst leagues start to look more like real leagues that are going to get drafted because ADP is this consensus, but you all know when you're playing in the league with your friends, and there's that one guy who always drafts all the Phillies players,

so you know the Phillies players are going to be more expensive. And, you know, the one guy, like, that's just how the drafts go. So think of ADP as a guide, a map, but a map is kind of a bad analogy because a map is a direct route. It's more like ADP is more like the, guy on the corner saying go three stops, make a left. If you see the red house, you've gone too far.

That's kind of how ADP is, you know? Yeah, I think one way maybe you can think of it is that if it's a player, you're really excited to get. You really want him. He's one of your favorite draft targets, you know, particularly we're talking about, you know, later in the draft season. then maybe you don't pay so much attention to ADP with that player. But if it's the other way around,

you're not terribly excited about taking this player that you're considering taking. Maybe then you consult ADP. And, okay, well, he's such a value that I should probably just go ahead and take him, even though I'm not that excited about him. And one thing that you have to add to this whole conversation is, as Scott talked about, I think, two weeks or last, whenever we did, we did a snake draft, and Scott was picking on the end. I think he had the 12th pick.

And Scott talked about, like, it messed with his draft strategy a little bit because he wants to use tiers. And it's a lot harder to do that when you've got 24 picks. Oh, it was your Tout Wars team that we were talking about, which is a 15 team. When you've got 28 picks, you know, let's. alone, you know, in a more standard team, even 22 picks. Like, you can't really say, well, this guy's ADP says he'll be there in 18 picks, but I've got like, if that's the guy you need, if that's the player that's going to make, like, that's a big need for your team, you might just have to jump.

Or it is also worth keeping in mind. And this is true in everything. You're drafting numbers, not players. And you're drafting players and it's fun to draft guys who are fun. But like, it's also worth keeping in mind. you don't have to marry yourself to a specific player. And that's a thing that you can fall, that you can fall prey to in playing too much to the ADP game

or specific guys rather than skill sets and numbers. Yeah, I think that's especially dangerous if you just play in one league, which I'm sure a lot of people do, probably the majority of people do play in just one league as opposed to multiple. I think maybe one of the biggest points on ADP that we haven't brought up yet is it matters,

significantly less the deeper you are. Oh, yeah, 100%. Like, if you're talking about players who go in the 150 to 250 range by AP, yeah, just take the ones you want. Like, you're not going to be able to parse it that much. But if you're talking about, you know, this guy normally goes 60th overall and you're considering him at 35th. Okay, maybe you wait another round or two.

Yeah, those error bars tend to get a lot wider, the lower you are. I think it was a really good point that you brought up, Chris, about picking on the ends and realizing, trying to project things that are going to happen, like, hey, if there's going to be a closer run, or if there's going to be, you know, an outfield run or starting pitcher run, make sure I get one. Even if I have to pull somebody up the board,

you know, 22 picks or 28 picks, that's a long time. I mean, all the top tier closers could go within that range, and the next thing you know, you're like, wow, that completely threw off my draft strategy. So definitely something to keep in mind with specific position, but also like categorical scarcities if you're picking on the ends of drafts. Let's take our first break.

One thing I what else I want to say is like, let's say you're picking third, right? And the person who picks second took Jose Ramirez. You're like, you're Scott White and you picked third. You didn't get Jose Ramirez. Coming back around, however, let's say Raphael Devers and Austin Riley are both there when you pick at 22.

Well, you know, that one of those guys probably isn't taking a third basement. That's not to say they definitely won't, but one of the two guys picking between 22 and 27, your next pick, is that right? The numbers are weird. That sounds right, yeah. You know one of those guys probably isn't taking a third basement.

If there's two of them there, I mean, it's a risk, right? If the risk I want to take, but I know what you're saying. Scott is a very anxious person. He has to get his third babies. I better be happy with Nolan Aeronado if I don't think. But that's another strategy to keep in mind is look at that roster grid on CBS. I think every draft place is going to have something like that.

If the people and when you're near the end but not on the end to have what you need, you might be able to play it safe and or take the risk that they won't take them. So that's another strategy to keep in mind. Yeah, I think that's a great point as well. and one that I had written down. We'll get to a few more tips and tricks here on Fantasy Baseball today, but let's take our first break.

Be back right after this. What an amazing time of year it is. We've got Spring Training Baseball, the World Baseball Classic, and of course college basketball brackets. Compete against Scott, Chris, and me in our FBT March Madness Bracket on the CBS Sports app.

All you have to do is scan the QR code in the top right corner of the screen if you're watching us on YouTube or go to CBSports.com slash baseball to join up. I've been told the winner of this bracket We'll get a Paramount plus gift cards. All right. Playing for keeps there.

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No purchase necessary. See terms and rules for details. Continue sending in those listener league submissions. Something creative. A Photoshop, a song, a poem. email those to Fantasy Baseball at CBSI.com. That's the letter I, put listener league in the subject line, and reminder that the drafts will be on Tuesday evening, March 21st.

That's the 12 team head-to-head points league. And then our 16 team heads head-to-categories listener league, that's the For the People League, will be, I was supposed to ask you guys this. This is my fault. I'm sorry. My home league is drafting on the 28th, which was when we initially announced that one.

and it is a salary cap league. So I don't mind drafting multiple teams. No, we don't have to do that, Chris. If one of them is a salary cap league, though, that, that gets really hard. So my preference. I thought we talked about the 27th. Monday, the 27th. I can do that.

So let's do that. That's the plan. So Monday, March 27th for the 16 team, head-ted categories league. Tuesday, March 21st for the 12-team Head-Tead Points League. Make sure you tell us which draft you want to be a part of. And please make sure that you can make it. to said draft. Let's get back into some snake draft strategy.

I had some other tips and tricks I wanted to bring up. And Chris, exactly what you brought up. That's something I was going to mention. When you pick third or fourth or even second, you could look at the teams picking it either before you or after you and seeing what they have on their team. If you're debating between a catcher and a starting pitcher, the two teams that pick before you or after you already have a catcher,

then you could probably take the pitcher and feel pretty good about, okay, the catcher is going to make it back to me. Something else I wanted to bring up is regardless of what platform you play on, always, always enter the draft room beforehand, just to get a feel for the rankings and the ADP and the draft room and all that fun stuff. Each website is very different. And if you play on CBS, I'm telling you this right now,

hit the drop down that says projections and either change it to Scott, Chris, or my rankings, or there's an expert average rank. So that will give you our consensus rankings within the draft room. we have nothing to do with the projections on cbsports.com so if you were ever wondering just a little heads up for that that stuff really impacts how your drafts are going to go because most people are drafting based on their you know the default they're not like making each pick based on who's the top player but that list of guys is going to be like they're that's who they're choosing from for the most part i don't know about you guys but they're especially like in october and november

remember when we aren't drafting on the draft room, we're drafting on our own independent sheets. There's always one or two players where it's like, oh, crap, I completely forgot about that guy because whatever reason he didn't make it to your, so like that's, look at, I mean,

you can look at fantasy pros and there's some real divergences based on the league and, you know, obviously scoring format matters, but like, Jose Ramirez is number two in ESPN. He's number three overall. Ronald Cooney is 22nd in ADP at ESPN.

I'm pretty sure they use this point's format, but even that is. So that's something that really you need to, ESPN, CBS, Yahoo are the big three. Make sure, and I'm going to be probably writing about that sometime this week, the rankings, the ADP differentials between those two sites or the three sites, but make sure you get, you're aware of where values lie because there are obvious ones at every scoring site.

Last question here on snake draft strategy. How much does knowing or projecting where a player will go in a draft affect your early picks? For example, if you know that you can get steals in the late third round, someone like Randy Rosarana or Cedric

Mullins or even Jazz Chism, somebody like that, does that make you more comfortable to take like a Freddie Freeman Raphael Devers duo where you feel really good about the four category production, but you know, maybe you'll get 10 to 15 steals combined from those two guys. Scott, is that something you think about where,

okay, I know I could get this category or this position later on in the draft, so it'll almost kind of form my early draft strategy? Well, less so categories, categorical needs, than positional needs. I mean, the whole concept of the tiers approach is you're drafting the position that is closest to dropping a tier.

to you accepting, having to accept lesser talent at that position. And as I've talked on many of our podcasts, this draft prep season, I generally go this year. I generally go outfield or base, second base with my first three picks. Second base is the least important of those three and the hardest to achieve. But first round, I definitely want an outfield or second round. I definitely want a third basement because when I haven't done that, it hasn't gone well because the drop-offs at those positions are,

steep and early, in outfield especially. I mean, obviously you have a lot of spots to fill at least three and in some cases five to fill out your starting lineup. So, you know, that's very specific to this year, I understand.

But if you subscribe to drafting from tiers the way I do, then yes, you're going to think about, you're going to be thinking constantly about what's still available at each position and facing your draft picks on that. And Scott, you do a piece where you tier based on categories, right?

I have in the past. I have in the past. I always like that piece. I find it very useful. So I wasn't planning to do it this year because stolen bases is going to kind of blow our minds. And I don't. I think I'm going to be way wrong on a lot of those projections for stolen bases this year because of some of the rule change is happening.

And also, you know, part of the reason I was thinking about, oh, tiers by category is what I called it, is because tiers by position had become less important during the juice ball era. There was just so much depth everywhere that I found they weren't as useful as they had been in the past. But now we're going back, I think, to an offensive distribution that creates scarcity at individual positions again. Chris, you still got that editorial manager in you, don't you? Yeah, I mean, you know, yeah, a little bit.

All right, so that's some snake draft talk. Let's get back into some news and notes, and then we'll talk how to draft from each draft spot a little bit later on. Felix Bautista is aiming to make his spring debut. This Thursday, he's been slowed by a shoulder and knee issues early on in camp, and if all goes well, he should be fine for opening day.

Kyle Wright said his shoulder, quote, felt great during live batting practice on Friday. He had a cortisone injection in his shoulder back in January and is behind schedule. He still thinks he has a chance to be ready for the team's second series of the regular season in St. Louis. Tony Gonsolin is dealing with a left ankle sprain and apparently the rehab is going to be, quote, a slow process. According to Dave Roberts, Ryan Pepio and Michael Grove are both options to fill in as the fifth starter for the Dodgers. I don't know if you guys have moved Gonson down yet or if you're planning to move him down. but any idea, you know, how far he's going to move with this ankle injury.

It sounds like it's going to be a while, though we don't really have a clear timetable for him. Yeah, we don't have a clear timetable. I'm thinking about a month. He's supposed to start building up again before spring training's over. So I don't think it'll be an excessive amount of time, but it'll be enough to move him down. And let's see, I can't remember if I moved him down yet or not. I've got him in like the low 100s, almost to 200, but that's also like, that sounds really bad. But then I look at the guys in his range and it's like, it's still Luis Garcia and Brady Singer and Gerasmussen and Grayson and Grayson Rodriguez.

I think I'd rather have Grayson Rodriguez at this point than Tony Gonsolin. But, you know, that's, I think, up for debate. The ADP for Gonsolin is 137.4. so I'm imagining that drops at least 40 spots to around 175 or even later than that, honestly. Stalling Marte, this is why we can't have nice things. He made his spring debut on Friday. He played the field. He went two for two with a homer.

I tweeted something out. Everyone got mad at me because they said he was never, he's only going to play like 30 games. Oh, Starling Marte. Anywho, he got hit by a pitch on his helmet Sunday. So negative four concussion, thankfully for Starling Marte, but just something else we have to worry about with him. So let's see how this progresses throughout the rest of spring training. But it's just kind of unfortunate because he just returned and, you know, made a bit of an impact there in his first game back.

Justin Turner could return to baseball activities as soon as Monday. He was hit in the face with a pitch last week. Kodi Senga dealing with a finger injury told reporters that he expects to be ready for his first start of the season. Anthony Rizzo was scratch Sunday. Guess what? With a cranky back, Rizzo missed 32 games last year. most of those due to recurring back issues. He's talked this off season and has said, look,

the back is always going to be an issue. So this isn't really surprising, Chris, but it just kind of sucks that it's already happening. The season hasn't started yet. Anthony Rizzo's already dealing with a back injury. I mean, Frank, you're still young, so you don't know. But once you get to your mid-30s, that's just a real thing, you know,

that's, you just some days you wake up and the back's all out of whack. And you just got to, you know, maybe you ask your wife to step on your back, try to crack it out. But yeah, you don't do that one? No, all right,

just me. It's probably not good. There's probably a podiatrist listening who's screaming at their computer right now. They've got to strengthen the core, Chris. That helps the back. That's what I need to do. There's a lot of things I need to do in that regard.

Yeah, no, it, like, I don't really have much interest in drafting. Anthony Rizzo, I think he's at this point a one-trick pony.

And while that, trick is harder to find now than it used to be because home runs are scarcer. I just, there's a lot of risk here even without taking into account the injury. And now that he's currently hurt, I think I'm even more out. I kind of liked Rizzo too. I don't feel great about this, Scott. Yeah, I mean, the one thing that I keep coming back to with Rizzo, if you play in a points league specifically, he had the fifth highest point per game average at the position.

and it was a big gap between five and six. He was just behind Vladimir Guerrero and head-to-head points per game. Granted, we expect Guerrero to be better. But still, Rizzo is somebody with a lot of power who doesn't strike out much in a format where the batting average doesn't matter. And it's easier to find replacements for the time he misses. Yeah.

I think he is better in that format, yeah. So there, you know, if we want to treat Rizzo more like a format specialist, I guess that makes sense. I think in Roto or Categories leagues, I'm to the point now where I need to just straight up moving behind Rowdy Tiles, which I hadn't yet, but I have more confidence in Toles at this point. Well, I think there's a chance both of their batting averages can improve

with the shift going away. I'd rather take the guy without a known health issue. Last point on the back issue, Chris, you know what we need to do? We both have cats. You know they make the biscuits and they do the kneading? We need to train them to just do it on our backs. Yeah, the problem, they never, they're never going to do it where you want them to. Yeah, that's true.

Yeah. Plus, I'm sure you're going to get like a whole bunch of nails dug in your back too. It probably doesn't work out very well either. Let's run through the rest of the news here. There's so much stuff that happened this weekend. Tyler Glass now has not started throwing as of yet. He's still just receiving treatment on his grade two left oblique strain. Lance McCullors threw off flat ground approximately 30 times in his

first throwing activity since being diagnosed with a right forearm strain. Mets manager Buckshaw Walter said the team is not sure what the plan will be in regards to Jose Cantana's rib injury. It could open up a spot for David Peterson or Tyler McGill. And frankly, both do have sleeper appeal. So we got to see what happens with Cantana. Scott mentioned earlier. Garrett Mitchell's right hamstring injury is doing well and he should return to the lineup in about a week. He was off to a great start this spring. Just hope that they don't rush him back too soon because hamstrings are tricky and something that could linger, especially for a speed specialist. Michael Brantley is not expected to be ready for opening day as he

works his way back from shoulder surgery. Apparently he's also dealing with a family matter. That likely means more playing time for Jake Myers, who had some sleeper appeal a few years back, or they could play Yordon Alvarez in the outfield and Yainer Diaz at DH, who I kind of like. Or I'd keep an eye on Justin Dearden. who had a big year between double and triple A last year and Dusty Baker has had glowing things to say about him and he's had a big spring and it wouldn't surprise me if he found his way into the lineup

with this Brantley injury more often than people are expecting. He is not considered a high-end prospect. I believe he is already in his mid-20s. He is 25. But last year between double and AAA, Justin Dearden hit 302 with 24 homers 12 steals in a 942 OPS. Charlie Blackman left Friday spring training game with midback stiffness. If anything comes of it, Nolan Jones would likely benefit.

The Rockies have also expressed interest in jerks and pro far. Joey Votto made his spring debut on Sunday, which could complicate things for Christian and Carnaccio and Strand. So let's follow that situation closely. Dave Roberts hasn't ruled out J.D. Martinez playing some outfield this season. Martinez did not play a single game in the outfield last year, so not sure that I trust that. Matt Reeling is nursing a right knee sprain

but was able to perform a range of baseball activity Sunday, quietly having a really, really good spring and could work into some playing time with the Detroit Tigers. Caber Uwees and the Nationals agreed to an eight-year contract extension that could be worth up to $50 million. And just quickly some performances worth mentioning from the weekend, Chris Sale fired three scoreless innings on Saturday. Though the fastball velocity was down 1.5 miles per hour.

He will not start on opening day, but it's not injury related or anything. It's frankly, I don't know why, but just worth mentioning. He looked good. He struck out five, and I wouldn't fixate on the velocity with him. It's fluctuated a lot during his career, and he's been dominant, no matter what it is. I know he also, after his previous start, talked about how he hadn't found the feel for his slider yet. The slider looked very good in this start, so could possibly just be. like still working out mechanical stuff.

Matthew Boyd, through four innings of one hit ball with six strikeouts on Sunday. I know it's Matthew Boyd, but he's looked really good. 12 swinging strikes. He's juiced up his arsenal quite a bit since we last saw him.

Because remember he had that big strikeout season. Was it 2019? But he was so vulnerable to home runs because he was basically just fastball slider. But he has put a lot. lot of work in on his change up and has had a really dominant spring. So I think it's time to start talking about Matthew Boyd as a sleeper again, especially in those points leagues where he has RP

eligibility. Hayden Wisniewski threw four perfect innings against the Dodgers on Saturday. He's thrown eight and two-thirds scoreless this spring. Looks like he's kind of securing a rotation spot with the Chicago Cubs. Noah Cinderguard looks strong once again, pitched into the fifth inning this weekend once again topped out at 94 miles per hour. Chris, I don't know, maybe we're being too unfair, too harsh on Noah's Cinderguard. Like the Dodgers could still potentially get the best out of him. I don't know. Maybe I'm overvaluing spring training. What do you think? There are always pitchers who don't get a lot of strikeouts who have good years. Martin Perez last year, the whole Mount Rushmore, basically. Martin Perez, Miles Michaelis, Merrill Kelly.

And there's a fourth one. Tyler Anderson. Ringo Star, yeah. Tyler Anderson. Well, speaking of Tyler Anderson. It's possible that no Cindergarde could have a good season while pitching at 94 miles per hour and not getting a lot of strikeouts. He kind of did that last year.

He fell apart towards the end, but his numbers were pretty good before that. It's really hard to, to one, predict that and to buy into it. Like, that's the kind of thing that if you added on waivers, and you get three good months out of a Martin Perez, that's a huge win. I can't say it's a good idea to draft Noah Cindergarde. There are too many pitchers with upside out there. There is basically no point in a 12-team draft

where I reach the point where I'm like, yeah, Noah Cindergarde is the right fit for my team. Yeah, that's fair. But I did see an interesting comment from, I'm trying to figure out who this is, somebody in the Dodgers organization, who was commenting that, like they're really impressed by how much command

Cinderguard has over everything. Doesn't have a walk yet in spring. He has six pitches with movement, is how he put it, and great command over all of them. And I was saying, speaking of Tyler Anderson, the Dodgers' success with Tyler Anderson

and Andrew Heaney both last year did not have to do with the fastball. It was about they taught them how to get the most out of a secondary pitch. And so maybe they could still pull a rabbit out of the hat with Cinderguard, even if his velocity doesn't bounce back. I agree with you. I'm not like excited to draft Cindercard, but keeping the mind just a little bit open there.

All right. I don't want to put too much stock into just one star, especially against a stacked Venezuela lineup in the World Baseball Classic. But my gosh, Jose Boreos looked pretty awful in that start. against Venezuela. On the other side, Pablo Lopez averaged 96 miles per hour on his fastball, assuming that these stack cast readings are correct.

And he looks phenomenal. It was Marlins Park, so there's no reason to think it wouldn't be. And it would, I mean, look, if it's juiced enough to push Pablo Lopez average fastball velocity two miles per hour up,

it's even more concerning, I guess, for Jose Bria's that his was basically flat. I would think it's probably just that, maybe Pablo Lopez was just jacked. You know, maybe he's just really excited to be pitching for his country. And, you know, the atmosphere at the games was electric. So it gets possible that that played a factor.

But it was real interesting to see. I mean, he's had a lot of shoulder issues over the past couple of years, not so much last season, but before that. Yeah, I don't know. It was real interesting to see. He remains a pretty big. injury risk, but this makes the performance upside look a little more real. And I don't know that I'd be careful not to overreact to the Jose Barrios thing.

First of all, he's going outside the top 200, so he's a very low investment. That's the main argument for him. Also, like, the curveball is his everything. He's never had a very good fastball. He throws the curve ball more than anything else normally. And he didn't throw it as, he wasn't throwing, it wasn't his most used pitch in this one. And when he did throw it, he threw it harder than usual. And it got especially clobbered in this start.

So I'm thinking at this stage in the buildup process, Rios probably just doesn't have a good feel for the curveball yet. I mean, it is still, I know it was like the World Baseball Classic, not spring training, but it is still spring training. Like they're not fully built up yet. And a big reason we say to ignore spring stats is because pitchers, are working on their secondary stuff and hitters are seeing largely fastballs.

And so yeah, I want to throw out the baby with the bathwater there. I don't know that I've ever heard that saying before in my life, but yeah, I trust you, Scott. It's got to be out there somewhere. A few hitters worth mentioning. Don't throw the baby out in any context. Yes, correct.

You know that idea. Anthony Volpey, another strong game on Sunday went two-for-forward with his second home run. Brett Beatty went two-for-two with two walks and a steal on Saturday. He's now batting 458 this spring. Hazu Sanchez went three for three Saturday. Three batted balls over 106 miles per hour, exit velocity,

and Oscar Colos, back-to-back games with a home run on Saturday and Sunday. Let's take our final break here, and we'll be back on Fantasy Baseball today. Welcome back into Fantasy Baseball today. Thank you for those watching us live on YouTube or on demand. Make sure to like this video and subscribe. Great content coming your way all baseball season long. Let's do a little rapid fire. drafting from each range in the first round and trying to give people an idea of what

they should be trying to do in the first three rounds or so of drafts and we'll start off with picks one through four so if you have an early first round pick you're likely looking at one of Aaron judge Jose Ramirez Trey Turner Ronald Dukunya Julio Rodriguez Chris how would you rank those five judge Jose Ramirez Trey Turner Ronald Lecuna Julio Rodriguez Ronald Acuna Aaron judge Jose Ramirez Julio Rodriguez as Trey Turner. That is the order that I have them in in a Roto League.

And I had to Head Points League, I think the overall order is a little different. But yeah, that's how I rank those five. And in head to head points, I think Juan Soto and Mookie Betts also kind of move into that top five conversation. Really great play discipline for both of those guys. Rodriguez would move out.

I think Trey Turner would move out for me. One point I want to make about Ron and Acunae being my number one player because Aaron Judge is the consensus pick more or less. Derek Carty had a Twitter thread this weekend, I think on Friday, about the updates that he's made to the Bat X projection system based on minor league data and some assumptions about stolen bases. And that bumped Ronald Acuna's stolen bases projection for the Batx up to 40. So he has, that was, I think he was.

the biggest gainer. I think he added like seven and a half steals to his projection based on the data that Derek Hardy had seems to suggest that there will be about a 25% increase in steals. And he didn't go into details, but it seemed like high steel guys benefited a little more. So take that for what it's worth. It's just one smart guy's opinion. But that makes me feel a little better about Ronald Acuna as my number one player. I think there's legitimate 40 40 potential there. If you pick early in round one, you're looking at picks 21 through 24 at the end of the second round. And it's worth noting that with all these exercises that if someone falls, if like a Mike Trow, Fernando Tate's Jr. or Raphael Devere somehow falls to you in

the late second round, you should jump on that. But based on ADP, here's who is likely there for you in the second round. Austin, Riley, Paul Goldschmidt, Sandy Alcansara, Marcus Semi, and Jose Altuve. So, Scott, who is your favorite to target if you have a late second round pick of that bunch? Well, if I haven't picked Jose Ramirez, who I would take second overall, I'd only take Aaron Judge over him.

Then it would be Austin Riley, because I do not want to be in a position where I have to reach for Nolan Aronado, if he's even available to me. I mean, I will say I have yet to be in a draft where Austin Riley made it this far, in round two, so I'm not even thinking of that

as a real possibility. But if he's there, he's certainly the one I'd take. And if for some reason, just hypothetically speaking, he's not, I do think I'd go Goldschmidt over Altuvei,

as much as I like Altuvei. I'd want to get somebody who's, I'd want to get somebody if I'm not getting a weak position who is capable of first round numbers, as Goldschmidt, clearly is because he was,

what was he the second third best player in Roto leagues last year and right there in points leagues as well. Yep, second behind only Aaron Judge. That was Paul Goldschmidt last season. What about the third round? You're looking at picks 25 to 28 in the early third round. And again, this is assuming you play in a 12-team league. Obviously, some of the previous names could be available.

It's very kind of interchangeable in the late second, early third round. Chris will come to you. What if they are gone? Next names include Francisco Lindor, Arenola, Michael Harris, Nolan Aronado, Jacob DeGrom, Spencer Strider, and anyone else I haven't mentioned to this point. So who are you looking at in the early third round as one of your favorite picks? If Altuve or Goldschmidt are there, I love them. If not, I'm probably taking a starting pitcher in the third round, no matter where I'm drafting. And it's probably not one of the guys that's mentioned here, which is Jacob de Grom, Arenoll and Spencer Strider.

I'm going probably Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer in the third round, although this is one of those situations where I've gotten Justin Verlander in the fifth round pretty regularly, even though I think he's a third round player. So there are times when I pass on him and end up with a Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander combination, just, you know, third and fifth round, take one of them. But yeah, that's typically what I'm doing. All right. What about if you're drafting from the middle of the,

the first round picks five through eight one of Aaron judge, Trey Turner, Jose Ramirez, Ronald Lucuna, and Julio Rodriguez will be there at the fifth pick if you have that draft slot. But what if they are- Take your fifth is pretty cool this year. Yes, yes it is. But what if they're gone? Then you get into like the mookie bets, Kyle Tucker, Juan Soto, Shohayotani group. Scott, what do you think about those for? And how was you rank them? Who do you like most? So this has shifted around a lot for me throughout. I think at this point I am putting Juan Soto at the top of this group.

Obviously expecting a big bounce back, expecting a high batting average, and in that lineup lots of RBI and especially run scored. So Juan Soto. And then I go Kyle Tucker, Mookie Bet. who just doesn't sound like he's that keen on stealing bases anymore. I was hoping originally that we'd see him bounce back with the new rules making stolen bases easier, but I read an interview with him

where he kind of downplayed that idea. So, yeah, Soto, Tucker, Betts, and then Otani clearly last of this for some because he is D.H-only. He doesn't meet that outfield need that needs to be addressed early. And in fact, he meets no positional need at all. All right, well, if you pick

in the middle of round one. Then in round two, you're looking at pick 17 through 20. And based on ADP, here is who's most likely to be there in the second round. You've got Bobby Witt Jr., Boba Chet, Mike Trout, P. Lonzo, plus the third baseman that we like to target typically Raphael Devers and Austin Riley. So, Chris, if you wind up with one of those outfielders in the middle of the first round, who would you be looking at here in the middle of round two? I'm less concerned about making sure I get the third baseman than Scott is,

so our answers will be different. I'm fine with, I mean, like one of the third baseman there, I think is fine Devers or Riley or Machado if he slips. I like Boba Bichette. I've been drafting him more this year than I usually do in years past. He's a little cheaper than he has been.

I think he's mostly going to be fine. Bobby Witt, as a late second rounder, I think is great. and Mike Trout if he falls. Scott, for you, it's third base. Yeah, I mean, it's the third basement. If Devers or Riley is there, then in that order, I'd take them.

Somehow, Mani Machado is there. Of course, he's in consideration too. And if we're talking strictly a five-by-five league, even if Bobby Witt is there, who I don't like very much, that's how important it is for me to fill third base. I do that in the middle of round two. But let's say they're all gone. Then I'd go Mike Trout.

Like, I'd totally be emphasizing position scarcity one way or the other. I can't imagine I would take Pete Alonzo if any of them are available. Or Bo Bichette. Well, I'm not even sure I like that much more than a Corey Seeger who tends to go three rounds later. Of course, completely different skill sets from a roto perspective. Not completely. Bichet might steal some bases. Seeger probably won't, but Seeger's going to hit a lot more home runs, probably.

Yeah, I mean, no, you're right. I mean, they're not completely different. but I think the steals is a very clear distinction between the two. Like, Bichette could steal 20 plus, and Seeger's going to give you none. So obviously, that's just a difference between Bichet and Cigar. What about in the third round? You're looking at picks 29 to 32 in the middle of the third round. Again, some previous names could be available, but this group would include

Francisco Lindor, Aaron-Dor, Aaronado, Jacob de Grom, Spencer Strider, J.T. Romuto, some of the pitchers, Chris mentioned some of the Mets guys could be there. Matt Olson, Randy a Roserena. Chris, you have a target there in the middle of the third round. Or is it the same? It's probably the same for you, I'd imagine. One of those Mets pitchers.

Yeah, because I'm taking the ace pitchers more readily than most people. So it's Max Scherzer, Sandy Alcantra, Justin Verlander, Aaronola, you know, I'm fine with there. But I'm also like if Francisco Lindor slips, I like Randy or Rosa Rana. in that range. So there's still some hitters that I'm cool with there.

And Scott, I know that you're likely looking at Altuve or Marcus Semian if they make it there to the middle of the third round. But let's say they're gone. Are you targeting the names that I mentioned

or are you pulling someone like Ozzy Albies up into the middle of the third? Well, you mentioned Nolan Aeronado here. So I have to, if I haven't filled third base yet. Right. I've probably filled third base.

But, yeah, let's say the second basemen aren't there and I've already filled third base. that's you know I've talked before how I have Michael Harris as a bus candidate but there might still be a situation where I draft him it's probably this situation if he's there and I've you can't meet those other positional needs I still want to fill outfield with that potential five category threat obviously if we're talking to points league context it's different I might look to a pitcher here but in a roto

league a five by five league I'm I'm I'm I want to a really good hitting foundation before I dip into what I think is a very deep pitcher pool. Let's move to the final couple of picks here if you have a late first round pick and that would mean you're looking at, you know,

if one of Tucker, Soto or Betts Falls, you know, I've seen draft where that drafts where that regularly happens. You take one of those guys. But what about Freddie Freeman or Yoron Alvarez if he's healthy? Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Mani Machado. So even some of the top tier starting pitchers, I think it's probably not going to happen for one of us, but Corbyn Burns and Garrett Cole as well. Chris, who do you like targeting most if you're in that 9 to 12 range in the first round?

Yeah, like you said, I'm not particularly likely to end up with Corbyn Burns or Garrett Cole in any snake drafts this year just because they're more like late first rounders for me. But, um, you're Navarez, even with the hand thing, hanging above him is worth picking here. And I love Manny Machado in this range. I do think he's like half a step up on Raphael Devers just for the steals mostly. Okay. So if you're picking at the end of the first round, you're looking at picks 13 to 16 in the early second round. Scott, do you have a favorite pairing?

I know we recently did a mock draft where you purposely, did you not take one of the top? No, you took Freddie Freeman and Devers, I think it was, right? Or Machado? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, well, that's the thing is, yes, I'd love to get an outfielder in round one. There are seven worth taking in round one.

And then there's Mike Trout, who tends to go in the middle of round two. How much am I going to move him up to make sure I get an outfielder? And I don't think I'm willing to move him ahead of Freeman. Fortunately, I've kind of jumped on board this Fernando Tatis at the round one turned. I know you didn't mention him, but on CBS he's not outfield yet, but he's going to be. I don't think he's outf eligible anywhere. I think he is on Yahoo, I think. He might be.

I know whatever site hosts are Tout Wars League. He's eligible there already. But the point is Tate's is going to be an outfielder soon enough. So he counts. And so I usually am pairing him with one of the third basemen. I've said before I take, like, Raphael Devers ahead of Freddie Freeman or Tatez, you know, if you're picking 11th and a 12th, team league, that's probably not necessary because nobody's going to take Machado

endeavors back to back with the 12th and 13th picks. So you can take the Tatis or Freddie Freeman first and then get the outfielder and they get the third basement with your second pick. At the end of the third round, you're looking at picks 33 to 36. Chris, do you have a favorite combination that you like to wind up with, whether it's Machado, Tatis in the first two rounds and then taking a pitcher with one of those guys or maybe like a Matt Olson, to bolster your power at the end of the third. Do you have a trio that you find yourself drafting if you're at the end of the first round?

Yeah, I think it's someone at the end of the first round, whether it's Freeman or Vlad Guerrero or Yordaun Alvarez, then it's Tatis and then it's a pitcher. Like if I have an ideal start from any spot in the draft, really, it's probably that. Now, if I could actually get Fernandez, Tatis at his ADP, which you mentioned is more like late second. Boy, I'd really feel great about that.

If I somehow managed to combine Ronald Acuna, Fernita Tatis, and Justin Verlander, I feel really, really good about the way my draft started. Generally doesn't happen, but I'm probably going to end up with Tatis and a pitcher in the second and third either way. All right. With all that being said, we just broke down each kind of range of drafting within the first round first couple of rounds. Scott, do you have a pick or a range of picks that you really like drafting from this season in the first round? I guess I would say that top five. Now, Trey Turner is

clearly fifth for me. I don't want him because he doesn't meet one of those scarce positions. Is the only one of the top five picks who doesn't, but he almost never lasts to fifth. If I've got, if I'm trying to be extra careful, I'd say fourth. But I think I can safely say fifth because I know somebody's going to take Trey Turner in the top four. And so then I'll probably get Julio Rodriguez or Jose Ramirez or maybe if I'm very lucky Aaron Judge, who I consider the top player overall with that fifth spot. But, you know, if I have to draft first, second, or third or fourth,

you know, I'm pretty happy with that too. And then in round two, I might go ahead and go for no. Nolan Aeronado and then in round three, hopefully I can grab Jose Altuve there. I don't know, maybe it makes sense to flip those two, but I'm so scared of missing out at third base that I don't know that I'd have the guts to do that. I might just take Aeronado and then keep going from there. I think that's where I'd like to draft this year. Chris, what about you? You're also taking that fifth overall pick and just whichever player falls from that top tier?

Yeah, I think that's probably the way to go. you usually you're usually going to be better off picking at the top of drafts that's generally where the highest win rates tend to be so the closest you can get to the top but when there is a a year like this where I think there is a clear top five I think for me it's either number one where I just take Ronald Acuna or number five because I do have Acuna judge Ramirez Rodriguez and Trey Turner all as separated by $1 in my auction value. All right, we're going to wrap there for Scott and Chris. I am Frank. Thanks, as always, for watching and listening fantasy baseball today. Please make sure to follow and leave a five-star rating on Apple or Spotify. We'll be back again tomorrow. Bye-bye.