Staff Fantasy Baseball Draft: Analysis of Our 12-Team Head-to-Head League
Round 4
| Pick | Overall | Player | Position | Fantasy Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 37 | Corey Kluber | P | Peddle/Barry |
| 2 | 38 | George Springer | OF | Scott Barrett |
| 3 | 39 | Jose Reyes | SS | Cory Rindone |
| 4 | 40 | Freddie Freeman | 1B | Jim Sannes |
| 5 | 41 | Zack Greinke | P | Nick Friar |
| 6 | 42 | Matt Kemp | OF | Jeff Hicks |
| 7 | 43 | Starling Marte | OF | Dale Redman |
| 8 | 44 | Albert Pujols | 1B | Matt van de Merlen |
| 9 | 45 | Carlos Gonzalez | OF | Kyle Stanzel |
| 10 | 46 | Evan Longoria | 3B | AJ Weinberg |
| 11 | 47 | David Ortiz | 1B | Jacob Adler |
| 12 | 48 | Johnny Cueto | P | Alex Gutjahr |
Corey Kluber is first to go, followed by George Springer to Barrett. It will be interesting to see how many bags Springer steals this year, after last season’s drop from 45 (in AA and AAA) to 11 (A, AAA, MLB).
Three veterans in Jose Reyes, Freddie Freeman, and Zack Greinke are selected next, before Hicks goes with Matt Kemp sixth. In a shallow league, Hicks has embraced risk, with Bautista, Chris Sale, and Kemp all candidates to hit the disabled list.
With the seventh pick, Redman nabs Starling Marte, the player I wanted. Coming off combined totals of 25 home runs and 71 RBI the past two seasons, I expect a small power spike, which would then make him an adequate or better contributor in batting average, home runs, steals, and runs scored.
My pick: David Ortiz
In H2H leagues, consistent players such as Big Papi are scarce and even more valuable than in Roto formats. Even if he eventually shows signs of aging, he’ll still be an above average bat. Yahoo giving him first base eligibility makes him slightly more versatile.
