This article is part of our Rounding Third series.
The LABR Mixed Draft was held online at RT Sports again on Tuesday night. It's a 15-team mixed league, with standard 5x5 categorical scoring rules and the usual roster size (14 hitters, nine pitchers, six reserves). As with last year, I drew the eighth slot in the draft order. This was generated from a random draw, but I've continued to draw middle or near-middle spots in all of my leagues so far this draft season. My draft slots, including three mocks, this season have been: 11 (of 15) - Mock, 10/15 - Mock, 7/15 - Mock, 9/15 - NFBC Draft Champions, 6/15 - FSGA League, 12/15 - AFL Draft Champions, 9/12 - Best Ball 10 Listener League. So at least I should be comfortable with the player pool from this location.
Last year, my final place in the standings matched my location in the draft - smack-dab in the middle, in eighth place. My hitting was strong, my pitching ... was not strong.
I never made up the saves I punted at the draft table, and the "Draft Rick Porcello Plan" was not a smash hit. I was actually in first place for two months, made a great trade to get Jorge Soler in May, but it all fell apart over the summer. At one point I had 10 players on the IL for a full-month stretch. I didn't manage my FAAB very well either. LABR doesn't allow for $0 bids, nor does it allow for the trading of
The LABR Mixed Draft was held online at RT Sports again on Tuesday night. It's a 15-team mixed league, with standard 5x5 categorical scoring rules and the usual roster size (14 hitters, nine pitchers, six reserves). As with last year, I drew the eighth slot in the draft order. This was generated from a random draw, but I've continued to draw middle or near-middle spots in all of my leagues so far this draft season. My draft slots, including three mocks, this season have been: 11 (of 15) - Mock, 10/15 - Mock, 7/15 - Mock, 9/15 - NFBC Draft Champions, 6/15 - FSGA League, 12/15 - AFL Draft Champions, 9/12 - Best Ball 10 Listener League. So at least I should be comfortable with the player pool from this location.
Last year, my final place in the standings matched my location in the draft - smack-dab in the middle, in eighth place. My hitting was strong, my pitching ... was not strong.
I never made up the saves I punted at the draft table, and the "Draft Rick Porcello Plan" was not a smash hit. I was actually in first place for two months, made a great trade to get Jorge Soler in May, but it all fell apart over the summer. At one point I had 10 players on the IL for a full-month stretch. I didn't manage my FAAB very well either. LABR doesn't allow for $0 bids, nor does it allow for the trading of FAAB dollars. So I got down to about $10 remaining in FAAB with three months left to play. My ability to address my sundry pitching woes was limited, and I never really got out of that rut.
Before looking at my draft and the draft grid as a whole, there's one other contextual note. The Mookie Betts trade broke about 40 minutes into the draft. Betts was obviously long gone at that point, but a whole slew of other players were affected by the move, including:
(Player, Pick)
- David Price, 11.3 (153)
- Kenta Maeda, 11.10 (160)
- Alex Verdugo, 14.5 (200)
- Joc Pederson, 14.6 (201)
- A.J. Pollock, 19.8 (278)
- Brian Goodwin, 25.1 (361) — loses time with Pederson in Anaheim
- Jhoulys Chacin, Randy Dobnak and Devin Smeltzer — all undrafted with the path to starting for the Twins closed for the short-term.
I think it's possible that you'll see Price, Maeda and Verdugo start to go a lot higher in the long-run as a result of this trade. All three of these players already went ahead of their NFBC ADP over the last week. Maeda's ADP was 192, Price 199 and Verdugo 221. I also think the Red Sox might not be done dealing.
Here's the full draft grid — and you can click through here if you want to see it in larger font:
Like last season, I tweeted my picks shortly after each selection, and this article will borrow heavily from that string of tweets. Here's my team:
1.8 Trevor Story – Staying on brand, I suppose – I've taken Story in three drafts now, including the FSGA draft that finally ended this week. It was either Jacob deGrom, Story or Trea Turner for me. I opted for Story to get a broad base of production between power, speed and counting stats. He just signed a two-year deal with the Rockies, so he's not leaving Coors Field anytime soon.
2.8 Jack Flaherty – Fernando Tatis Jr., Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez all went before me, so I went with my top available ace (ahead of Mike Clevinger and Stephen Strasburg, both of whom I'd be happy with taking, too).
3.8 Austin Meadows – I debated between Meadows and Yordan Alvarez, after @joe_sheehan sniped Gleyber Torres away from me at 3.6. I decided to go with the power/speed combo, and to not tie up UT. Alvarez went to @BaseballGuys at 3.12.
4.8 Keston Hiura – I don't buy into diversification for diversification sake, so Hiura ends up as my pick here as well as in the FSGA league. Just the best available player on the board for me.
5.8 Bo Bichette – I love, love, love Bichette and got snaked on him elsewhere. The only thing I don't like is locking up MI this early, in a year when SSs are abundant. Matt Olson and Tyler Glasnow were targets who went earlier in the round.
6.8 Luis Severino – Last SP remaining in my tier as a hope to be an SP2 for me; I thought when @joe_sheehan snagged Tyler Glasnow, I was going to be left out. Severino is an obvious health risk and has an obvious high upside. Especially now that his signs won't be stolen.
7.8 Nelson Cruz – I took the best remaining power hitter, positions be damned. At 98 overall, this is still a discount - the standard David Ortiz-style discount.
8.8 Jorge Soler – Okay, I'll be that guy. Sure, there's regression risk, but at pick 113, I'll be the dunce who takes it.
9.8 Willson Contreras – @ScottJenstad and I talked about Contreras on the Sunday podcast, and that cemented that I liked him where he was going. I don't often go early-catcher but I think this is a good spot.
10.8 Zac Gallen – If he gets sent down for some reason, I'm hosed a little. Another guy I'm heavily owning.
11.8 Edwin Encarnacion – I needed a first baseman, always need power and got snaked on Frankie Montas immediately before me.
12.8 Emilio Pagan – I waited on closers, and I'm not even guaranteed to get a closer here. Sheehan had to be a pest again and grab Nick Anderson two picks later, foiling one of my alternatives.
13.8 Julio Urias – This is the year that Urias gets the IP to be worth his draft price. This is the year that Urias gets the IP to be worth his draft price. This is the year that Urias gets the IP to be worth his draft price. *It's like saying "Candyman" 3x.*
14.8 Sean Doolittle – I decided to take another risky closer here, with supply dwindling, but it cost me Bryan Reynolds (who @RunTMc59006473 took at 14.15 instead), and that sort of sucked.
15.8 Brian Anderson – Even though 3B is pretty darn deep, I somehow went until pick 218 to get one and am not thrilled with the result. That said, Anderson is a competent hitter, and I think Miami's lineup is better this year, and the fences have been moved in.
16.8 Christian Walker – I seem to land on Walker frequently (not physically; that would be weird and probably painful) in these middle rounds, when looking to fill a corner and needing power.
17.8 Nick Senzel – He could get traded, could get sent down, could be on the IL to begin the season. Or, he could be a nice little post-hype bargain. I might be drinking the Kool-Aid, but I like Kool-Aid.
18.8 David Peralta – As @FredZinkieMLB says, Arizona has a long lineup. Peralta's counting stats should be better as a result of that, though obviously he has to stay on the field long enough to appreciate it. Peralta, that is, not Fred.
19.8 A.J. Pollock – I'm bullying hitters right now, even though I need to start adding pitchers – most of my bench will be SPs though, so that's okay. Pollock benefits from the chairs shuffling as a result of the Mookie Betts trade. But between him and Senzel, I have some health risks in the OF.
20.8 Yonny Chirinos – Chirinos had been hanging around at the top of my pitching queue for the last two to three rounds, so I might as well put my pick where my projection is. Brendan McKay and Ryan Yarbrough are threats.
21.8 Forrest Whitley – It's a gamble, and that's going to a be a theme of my pitching staff, but the price and ceiling are right.
22.8 Dakota Hudson – No, he's not a 16-win pitcher this year, I know that. But ... he's got a rotation slot on a good team. As my ninth pitcher, I'll take it.
23.8 Tommy La Stella – Currently a reserve, but I suspect I'm going to use him a lot. If he bats leadoff ... I'm going to like the way he looks. With the Angels trading away Luis Rengifo, there's one less obstacle to La Stella playing regularly.
24.8 Anibal Sanchez – One of the many streamers I'll be rostering. I'm pretty sure the Nats will be pretty good, so that's a good start for a streamer.
25.8 Yan Gomes – The league requires two catchers. Gomes is one, with a modicum of power. That'll do donkey, that'll do.
26.8 Domingo German – I'll stash him until he's finished serving his suspension. Presumably then I'll have a SP on a good team. I did get clarification from our benevolent commissioner Steve Gardner that German cannot be put on the IL for our rosters during his suspension, so the consequence is I'll be playing a man short on my bench for two months.
27.8 Vince Velasquez – Eh, at least he strikes people out and is on a good team. Not a great campaign platform, but what do you expect in the 27th round?
28.8 Jose Peraza – He qualifies at three positions, probably plays more in the wake of the Betts trade (at least, it doesn't hurt), runs.
29.8 Freddy Peralta – I still think he can be an effective starter in this league, but he's got an uphill battle to make the rotation. Nonetheless, I wanted another chance at upside there instead of a RP lottery ticket, with six weeks before our first FAAB deadline.
My team by position:
C – Contreras, Gomes
1B/3B/CR – Encarnación, B. Anderson, Walker
2B/SS/MI – Hiura, Story, Bichette
OF – Meadows, Soler, Peralta, Senzel, Pollock
UT – Cruz
Bench bats – La Stella, Peraza
SP: Flaherty, Severino, Gallen, Chirinos, Urias, Hudson, Whitley
RP: Pagan, Doolittle
Bench Arms - An. Sanchez, D. German, Velasquez, F. Peralta
The top players (all pitchers, because I was focused there late) left in my queue: Ryne Stanek, Sergio Romo, Shun Yamaguchi, Randy Dobnak. I purposefully wanted four pitchers on my bench, to help address the fact that I waited a little long to fill the last three active slots in my rotation.
This team should be strong in power, and I'm hoping the early emphasis on stolen bases will be enough. I'm a little weak on the corner, given how long I waited to draft there. The good news is that corner infield often provides the most "free loot" on the waiver wire.
