FBCJ Best Draft Picks
September 28, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (23) hits a three run home run in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
I am writing the best and worst picks of each round of our site’s Fantasy Baseball draft on Sunday night. I tried to avoid picking my own as the best picks of each round, but I know that I will have some bias on players that you have likely read about this offseason.
The “worst” pick of each round will be the next article.
Also, the superlative pick of each round will likely matter more early. For example, I may have a worst pick of the 21st round, but even if I think that player is a flop, then it is not a big deal because he is roughly the 250th pick of a draft. A late worst pick is not an insult; it is more of a disagreement on how the owner and I view the player.
Here is the link to the overall draft results.
Round 1: The top nine hitters and Clayton Kershaw
These were my top ten players in 2015. It is hard to go wrong with any of them. Also, that Kershaw figure is supposed to be good.
Round 2: Josh Donaldson
Donaldson is my AL MVP this year. 90 runs, 35 homers, and 110 RBI’s as he helps form the sickest trio of bats with Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista since the steroid era.
Round 3: Anthony Rendon
I am operating under the assumption that Rendon will not miss much time. If he plays at least 140 games, then I really should have grabbed him in the second round over Adrian Beltre.
Round 4: Adrian Gonzalez
His stock keeps rising in my mind because I love Gonzalez’s excellent consistency. He will produce at a strong level in every single category outside of steals. First base may be loaded, but there is nothing wrong with this longtime stud bat.
Round 5: Cole Hamels
I took my own pick here because this is a QS league and that makes the southpaw a borderline top 10 starter. This was also a bit of a need pick because I was one of the few teams without an ace at this point.
Round 6: Ian Kinsler
Kinsler went 13 picks after Brian Dozier. While it is great to see that someone else loves Dozier (or reads my articles), I think Kinsler is just as good and also should have been snatched up early in the fifth round.
Round 7: Hunter Pence
He may have a broken arm right now, but I think Pence will be rolling again by late April. The value here was hard to pass at this point. Jason Heyward was drafted one pick before Pence, and I would much rather have five+ months of Pence instead of six months of Heyward (assuming he can stay healthy).
Round 8: Matt Holliday
It is hard to go wrong with Mr. Consistency with the 86th pick. This is a solid pick for Holliday’s 2014 stats, but he could be a big value if he returns to his 2013 level.
Round 9: Dellin Betances
I was devastated here when I got sniped and just missed on a top five or better closer. Betances is beyond filthy, and I really wish he fell one more spot.
Round 10: Alex Wood
I have said before that I believe Alex Wood is the best pitcher on the Atlanta Braves’ staff. He will strike out more hitters than Julio Teheran, and I believe in his body of work thus far.
Round 11: Manny Machado
This is a great upside pick as Machado has superstar potential, which is why I absolutely love him in the 11th round of the FBCJ draft.
Round 12: Lucas Duda
If you look at my team, then you will see that I loaded it up with power bats and pitchers with a high K/9. Duda absolutely falls into the first grouping, and I would have been thrilled to have grabbed Duda as late as the 138th pick.
Round 13: Melky Cabrera
I just felt the picks in this round were pretty bland, but I have harped about Melky Cabrera in this article. I like the consistency Cabrera brings to the table for the White Sox and your fantasy team.
Round 14: Brandon Belt
I had to hype my own pick here because Belt could break out and be an absolute star. However, his floor is just for him to continue producing like he did in the past.
Round 15: Hector Rondon
Rondon is a very solid closer who should have a K/9 around nine and save at least 30 games. Rondon should be an average fantasy RP.
Round 16: Steve Pearce
Will Steve Pearce regress from 2014? Sure, but I have to expect him to get more playing time in 2015, so I believe that Pearce could hit 21 home runs again.
Round 17: Drew Hutchison
I really like Hutchison’s stuff and his strikeout potential sounds like he belongs on my fantasy team. I think he will be a lot closer to the 3.50 ERA rather than the 4.41 ERA that ESPN projects.
Round 18: Sean Doolittle
Even though he will begin the season hurt, Doolittle could easily be an elite closer once he is healthy as his K/BB was nasty. If all of the closers were healthy right now, then there would only be five relievers that I prefer over Sean Doolittle.
Round 19: Adam Eaton
For a popular breakthrough candidate, Adam Eaton stayed on the board for a long, long time. Eaton was also a whopping 97 picks more than A.J. Pollock. While I definitely prefer Pollock, that gap is crazy.
Round 20: Yasmany Tomas
I changed my tune on Tomas recently after hearing negative impressions from Eno Sarris, but I have no issue in the slightest with someone drafting him at this point at all.
Round 21: J.J. Hardy
My love for Hardy has been well-documented, and I should have skipped on Javier Baez and rolled with the steady power option who will at least be in the Majors.
Round 22: James Paxton
Do you want the name of a Mariners lefty who could break out? No, it is not super prospect Tijuan Walker. James Paxton looked phenomenal when he was healthy for the Mariners in 2014. His plus velocity adds a little more allure to an already touted pitcher.
Round 23: Kevin Gausman
Gausman is probably not ready to make the jump yet, but the young lefty still has big potential, and it would not surprise me in the slightest if he finished as a top 30 SP this year.
Round 24: Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard may catch more flak than any other player in baseball today, but he still does have fantasy worth. Howard is still a nice source of home runs and RBI’s even on a dreadful team that does not even believe in him. There is nothing wrong with a late pick who hit 23 HR’s and drove in 95 RBI’s in 2014.
Round 25: Edward Mujica
Mujica will open the season as the closer of the Red Sox. This was a nice pick to snag for a few early saves before Koji Uehara returns to the fold.
Round 26: Derek Norris
Derek Norris was another selection of my own, but I believe he will finish as a top 10 catcher this season, so I felt obligated to snag him while he was still on the board even though I had Travis d’Arnaud already. I have been a fan of Norris ever since I started writing for FBCJ as you can read in this article that I wrote back in June.
Round 27: Trevor Plouffe
The last round is typically used for flyers, such as Devon Travis and Micah Johnson, but I like the steady production of Trevor Plouffe all the way down at pick #323. He is good for a CI slot on your roster and even a low-end 3B. I personally think Plouffe is not that far away from Sandoval’s fantasy production.