Beat Chris Liss 3
This draft took place at 2 PM ET today. I drew the ninth spot and live-streamed roughly the first 10 rounds before realizing I needed to focus on drafting rather than talking:
And here are the full results:
1.9 Fernando Tatis — I was aiming to get Tatis or Juan Soto again and was kind of hoping someone would take Tatis so I wouldn’t have to choose and could wind up with a share of Soto, but it was not to be. I went with Tatis because the steals just make the rest of the draft easier. But I really could have gone either way.
2.4 Bryce Harper — This was an easy call as 1B is scarce, Harper runs and hits for average too.
3.9 Yoshinobu Yamamoto — I took him in BCL2 after deciding I was in on him, and when Zack Wheeler and C.J. Abrams went, I doubled down.
4.4 Max Fried — I might have taken Tyler Glass-Joe in my third straight league, but he went at the turn, so I was hoping for Bo Bichette, but he too was gone, and Zac Gallen too. So I pushed Fried up half a round or so as he was the highest remaining pitcher on my board and also the first player I hadn’t already drafted in my first two BCL leagues. I like my first two starters, but they’re both a little light in strikeouts.
5.9 Jazz Chisholm — Another player I took in BCL2, Chisholm is a 30-30 type if he can just stay reasonably healthy, and he’s healthy now.
6.4 Raisel Iglesias — This was a cowardly pick. I didn’t like any of the real players in this range, so I punted by taking a closer for the second draft in a row. Iglesias is the perfect closer for me — old, boring veteran on a good team.
7.9 Josh Lowe — I like to load up on OF early, and Lowe is another power/speed option. He’s a little banged up now, but likely to be ready for Opening Day.
8.4 Paul Sewald — Another punt pick where I just took my top remaining closer. I now have Sewald in all three leagues. (I almost took Chris Sale who went two picks later.)
9.9 Jordan Walker — I wanted Jackson Chourio, but got snaked by two picks. I wasn’t that mad about it because I took the chance by passing on him in Round 8, and I got him last draft. I have Walker in BCL1, and he’s not a bad consolation prize.
10.4 Bryson Stott — My second player (after Fried) that I’ll call a “virgin share,” i.e., someone in whom I wasn’t previously invested. I like the stack with Bryce Harper too, and of course the speed.
11.9 Ketel Marte — I usually wait on MI but felt Marte was the best hitter left on the board, and a good source of average.
12.4 Sonny Gray — The pitching was flying off, and Gray would have gone two rounds earlier but for the hamstring injury that will delay the start of his year. I’m not especially worried about him, and I’m okay to fill in the gaps for a couple weeks.
13.9 Carlos Rodon — I know he’s looked shaky this spring, but pitchers are often just working things out. He was one of the best pitchers in the league from 2021-2022, and the velo was still there last year.
14.4 Alec Bohm — I like getting full-time bats in good lineups and good parks that hit for average. Plus he adds to my Phillies stack with Harper and Stott.
15.9 Yu Darvish — Give me formerly elite veteran pitchers in good parks, coming off down years. Like Rodon, he was great in 2022 too.
16.4 Mitch Garver — A power hitting catcher who doesn’t actually have to play catcher.
17.9 Jarred Kelenic — I’m probably wrong about Kelenic because the case for his breakout is so obvious to me in Atlanta. I have him in all three leagues so far.
18.4 Ezequiel Tovar — It’s easy to turn a Rockies player into a batting average asset by only using him at home. But he’s also young enough to become a good player.
19.9 Luis Severino — He looks good so far in camp, and the situation (American Taxpayer Field) and price (19th round) is right.
20.4 Gavin Stone — With Emmet Sheehan sidelined it looks like Stone will open the year in the Dodgers rotation, and possession is nine-tenths of the law when it comes to having a job. All he has to do is pitch well.
21.9 Reid Detmers — With Gray banged up, and some iffy veterans, I needed pitching depth just in case.
22.4 Matt Chapman — I needed a corner with some pop, and he’s one. If he can hit .240 with 25 HR, that’s good enough.
23.9 Emmet Sheehan — It doesn’t sound like he’ll be out that long, and Stone is hardly a rock. At some point Walker Buehler and eventually even Clayton Kershaw will be back, but Sheehan only has to get healthy pitch well to keep the enviable Dodgers rotation job for the foreseeable future.
24.4 Jonathan India — He just seemed like a good value at this point, and my UT was still open.
25.9 David Robertson — I’m not sure why he goes so much later than Jose LeClerc, but I’m here for it.
26.4 Masyn Winn — When I did my “don’t look at ADP rankings” Winn was my 20th ranked shortstop, compared to 34 by ADP. He can run, has some pop, makes contact, and his fielding should keep him in the lineup.
27.9 J.D. Martinez — He hit well last year, and Jonathan India is my DH for now, so Martinez will play for me if he signs somewhere good.
28.4 Andrew Heaney — He was good for a stretch last year, and I need Ks.
29.9 Danny Jansen — I now have him in all three leagues too. He can hit for power, just needs to stay healthy. I took him narrowly over Gary Sanchez who has the advantage of not actually having to play catcher.
30.4 Clarke Schmidt — I was set to take Ty France because my corner is weak, but Schmidt is a former prospect in a good situation. He should go closer to Round 20 now that I’ve looked at him (and now that the endowment effect has kicked in.)
It’s pretty crazy that for the first 20 rounds I had only two virgin shares (Fried and Stott.) I have Sewald, Kelenic and Jansen in three of three so far too.
Roster By Position
C Mitch Garver/Danny Jansen
1B Bryce Harper
2B Bryson Stott
3B Alec Bohm
SS Ezequiel Tovar
CI Matt Chapman
MI Ketel Marte
OF Fernando Tatis/Jazz Chisholm/Josh Lowe/Jordan Walker/Jarred Kelenic
UT Jonathan India
SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto/Max Fried/Sonny Gray/Carlos Rodon/Yu Darvish/Luis Severino/Gavin Stone
RP Raisel Iglesias/Paul Sewald
B Reid Detmers/Emmet Sheehan/David Robertson/Masyn Winn/J.D. Martinez/Andrew Heaney/Clarke Schmidt