For most people, the draft is the most exciting part of any fantasy sport. The thrill of doing the research, creating your plan, joining a league, talking smack to the other owners, and, ultimately, getting your guys in the draft. What can beat that feeling of getting “your guy” in the draft and thinking at that moment, the other owners are stupid of not taking him! We’ve all been there and, let’s be honest, is a HUGE reason why we all keep coming back for more! Today, I have a fellow Dynasty Sports Empire (DSE) colleague, Jeff Plunkett, scrutinize the choices I made through the first 15 rounds of my most recent Head-to-Head points start-up draft. My team name is Drunken Angelz. For those not familiar with the DSE format, the first three rounds are minors-only eligible players; the open draft starts in round 4. For a complete list of roster rules and scoring details, please visit our Dynasty Sports Empire Official Rules page, which can be found here.
Rounds 1-3
Round | Pick | Ov Pick | Pos | Player | Team | Fantasy Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1 | LF | Randy Arozarena | TB | BIGLY |
1 | 2 | 2 | CF | Jarred Kelenic | SEA | The K/9 Unit |
1 | 3 | 3 | 3B | Spencer Torkelson | DET | Corktown Crew |
1 | 4 | 4 | CF | Julio Rodriguez | SEA | Vancouver Canadians |
1 | 5 | 5 | SS | CJ Abrams | SD | You Uggla |
1 | 6 | 6 | SS | Wander Franco | TB | Bowler Brook Trout |
1 | 7 | 7 | SP | Ian Anderson | ATL | Mr Poons Posse |
1 | 8 | 8 | SP | MacKenzie Gore | SD | Swamp Rabbits |
1 | 9 | 9 | SP | Nate Pearson | TOR | Dirty cubbies |
1 | 10 | 10 | 3B | Ke'Bryan Hayes | PIT | Victoria Villains |
1 | 11 | 11 | 1B | Andrew Vaughn | CHW | Burlington Barons |
1 | 12 | 12 | 2B | Gavin Lux | LAD | Joe Miles |
1 | 13 | 13 | SP | Sixto Sanchez | MIA | Diving Swoboda |
1 | 14 | 14 | 3B | Austin Martin | TOR | Drunken Angelz |
2 | 1 | 15 | SP | Matt Manning | DET | Drunken Angelz |
2 | 2 | 16 | SS | Bobby Witt Jr. | KC | Diving Swoboda |
2 | 3 | 17 | RF | Jo Adell | LAA | Joe Miles |
2 | 4 | 18 | LF | Alex Kirilloff | MIN | Burlington Barons |
2 | 5 | 19 | CF | Jasson Dominguez | NYY | Victoria Villains |
2 | 6 | 20 | LF | Dylan Carlson | STL | Dirty cubbies |
2 | 7 | 21 | C | Adley Rutschman | BAL | Swamp Rabbits |
2 | 8 | 22 | SP | Triston McKenzie | CLE | Mr Poons Posse |
2 | 9 | 23 | SP | Max Meyer | MIA | Bowler Brook Trout |
2 | 10 | 24 | 2B | Vidal Brujan | TB | You Uggla |
2 | 11 | 25 | SS | Marco Luciano | SF | Vancouver Canadians |
2 | 12 | 26 | 1B | Ryan Mountcastle | BAL | Corktown Crew |
2 | 13 | 27 | SP | Casey Mize | DET | The K/9 Unit |
2 | 14 | 28 | SP | A.J. Puk | OAK | BIGLY |
3 | 1 | 29 | 2B | Ha-seong Kim | SD | BIGLY |
3 | 2 | 30 | CF | Corbin Carroll | ARI | The K/9 Unit |
3 | 3 | 31 | CF | Riley Greene | DET | Corktown Crew |
3 | 4 | 32 | SP | Grayson Rodriguez | BAL | Vancouver Canadians |
3 | 5 | 33 | SP | Tarik Skubal | DET | You Uggla |
3 | 6 | 34 | SP | Logan Gilbert | SEA | Bowler Brook Trout |
3 | 7 | 35 | 2B | Nick Madrigal | CHW | Mr Poons Posse |
3 | 8 | 36 | SS | Royce Lewis | MIN | Swamp Rabbits |
3 | 9 | 37 | OF | Cristian Pache | ATL | Dirty cubbies |
3 | 10 | 38 | SS | Jeter Downs | LAD | Victoria Villains |
3 | 11 | 39 | RF | JJ Bleday | MIA | Burlington Barons |
3 | 12 | 40 | RP | James Karinchak | CLE | Joe Miles |
3 | 13 | 41 | SP | Asa Lacy | KC | Diving Swoboda |
3 | 14 | 42 | SS | Noelvi Marte | SEA | Drunken Angelz |
Question: You passed on some big names in the first 2 rounds of minors only. Why did you go with Austin Martin and Matt Manning here?
Answer: One of the things I focus heavily on is prospects. Anyone who’s ever been in league with me will know this to be true. In my prospect rankings, the only other two players I was considering on the 1st/2nd turn were Bobby Witt Jr and Max Meyer, but I have Martin/Manning both slightly ahead. I also planned to take one hitter and one pitcher prospect, in no particular order, at the turn in this draft.
Rounds 4-6
Round | Pick | Ov Pick | Pos | Player | Team | Fantasy Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | 1 | 43 | OF | Juan Soto | WSH | Drunken Angelz |
4 | 2 | 44 | SS | Fernando Tatis Jr. | SD | Diving Swoboda |
4 | 3 | 45 | RF | Ronald Acuna Jr. | ATL | Joe Miles |
4 | 4 | 46 | SP | Shane Bieber | CLE | Burlington Barons |
4 | 5 | 47 | CF | Mike Trout | LAA | Victoria Villains |
4 | 6 | 48 | RF | Mookie Betts | LAD | Dirty cubbies |
4 | 7 | 49 | SP | Jacob deGrom | NYM | Swamp Rabbits |
4 | 8 | 50 | SP | Gerrit Cole | NYY | Mr Poons Posse |
4 | 9 | 51 | LF | Christian Yelich | MIL | Bowler Brook Trout |
4 | 10 | 52 | SS | Trea Turner | WSH | You Uggla |
4 | 11 | 53 | 3B | Jose Ramirez | CLE | Vancouver Canadians |
4 | 12 | 54 | SP | Walker Buehler | LAD | Corktown Crew |
4 | 13 | 55 | CF | Cody Bellinger | LAD | The K/9 Unit |
4 | 14 | 56 | SS | Trevor Story | COL | BIGLY |
5 | 1 | 57 | 1B | Freddie Freeman | ATL | BIGLY |
5 | 2 | 58 | SS | Bo Bichette | TOR | The K/9 Unit |
5 | 3 | 59 | RF | Bryce Harper | PHI | Corktown Crew |
5 | 4 | 60 | SP | Lucas Giolito | CHW | Vancouver Canadians |
5 | 5 | 61 | 2B | Ozzie Albies | ATL | You Uggla |
5 | 6 | 62 | SP | Aaron Nola | PHI | Bowler Brook Trout |
5 | 7 | 63 | SP | Trevor Bauer | LAD | Mr Poons Posse |
5 | 8 | 64 | SP | Zac Gallen | ARI | Swamp Rabbits |
5 | 9 | 65 | SS | Francisco Lindor | NYM | Dirty cubbies |
5 | 10 | 66 | 3B | Manny Machado | SD | Victoria Villains |
5 | 11 | 67 | CF | Luis Robert | CHW | Burlington Barons |
5 | 12 | 68 | 3B | Nolan Arenado | STL | Joe Miles |
5 | 13 | 69 | SP | Jack Flaherty | STL | Diving Swoboda |
5 | 14 | 70 | SP | Luis Castillo | CIN | Drunken Angelz |
6 | 1 | 71 | SP | Blake Snell | SD | Drunken Angelz |
6 | 2 | 72 | LF | Eloy Jimenez | CHW | Diving Swoboda |
6 | 3 | 73 | 3B | Rafael Devers | BOS | Joe Miles |
6 | 4 | 74 | SS | Corey Seager | LAD | Burlington Barons |
6 | 5 | 75 | SS | Xander Bogaerts | BOS | Victoria Villains |
6 | 6 | 76 | 3B | Alex Bregman | HOU | Dirty cubbies |
6 | 7 | 77 | INF | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | TOR | Swamp Rabbits |
6 | 8 | 78 | SP | Brandon Woodruff | MIL | Mr Poons Posse |
6 | 9 | 79 | LF | Kyle Tucker | HOU | Bowler Brook Trout |
6 | 10 | 80 | CF | Trent Grisham | SD | You Uggla |
6 | 11 | 81 | SP | Max Fried | ATL | Vancouver Canadians |
6 | 12 | 82 | 3B | Anthony Rendon | LAA | Corktown Crew |
6 | 13 | 83 | 1B | Pete Alonso | NYM | The K/9 Unit |
6 | 14 | 84 | 2B | DJ LeMahieu | NYY | BIGLY |
Question: Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis, Jr., and Ronald Acuna, Jr. seem to be consensus dynasty top 3 picks, regardless of format. They even make up the top 3 in a lot of redrafts. Tell me why you went with Juan Soto over the other two.
Answer: This is a great question, honestly. You can even go as far as adding Mike Trout and Shane Bieber into this same conversation for dynasty purposes. That being said, for me, Juan Soto is simply something special. He’s a 23-year-old who has 40 homerun, 100+ RBI upside, and I couldn’t pass on him. In all honestly, having the 1.1 overall free-agent picks is both a blessing and a curse, especially in a dynasty. I would rather have the 4th overall pick and let whichever of those names drop to me, so instead of deciding between 5 names, I’m only deciding between two.
Rounds 7-9
Round | Pick | Ov Pick | Pos | Player | Team | Fantasy Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | 1 | 85 | SP | Carlos Carrasco | NYM | BIGLY |
7 | 2 | 86 | UT | Yordan Alvarez | HOU | The K/9 Unit |
7 | 3 | 87 | SP | Dinelson Lamet | SD | Corktown Crew |
7 | 4 | 88 | 2B | Cavan Biggio | TOR | Vancouver Canadians |
7 | 5 | 89 | 2B | Keston Hiura | MIL | You Uggla |
7 | 6 | 90 | SP | Corbin Burnes | MIL | Bowler Brook Trout |
7 | 7 | 91 | SP | Zach Plesac | CLE | Mr Poons Posse |
7 | 8 | 92 | 3B | Alec Bohm | PHI | Swamp Rabbits |
7 | 9 | 93 | RF | Aaron Judge | NYY | Dirty cubbies |
7 | 10 | 94 | SP | Tyler Glasnow | TB | Victoria Villains |
7 | 11 | 95 | 1B | Matt Olson | OAK | Burlington Barons |
7 | 12 | 96 | C | J.T. Realmuto | PHI | Joe Miles |
7 | 13 | 97 | RF | Michael Conforto | NYM | Diving Swoboda |
7 | 14 | 98 | SP | Noah Syndergaard | NYM | Drunken Angelz |
8 | 1 | 99 | RF | Teoscar Hernandez | TOR | Drunken Angelz |
8 | 2 | 100 | SP | Stephen Strasburg | WSH | Diving Swoboda |
8 | 3 | 101 | RP | Josh Hader | MIL | Joe Miles |
8 | 4 | 102 | 3B | Yoan Moncada | CHW | Burlington Barons |
8 | 5 | 103 | SS | Tim Anderson | CHW | Victoria Villains |
8 | 6 | 104 | SP | Max Scherzer | WSH | Dirty cubbies |
8 | 7 | 105 | OF | Alex Verdugo | BOS | Swamp Rabbits |
8 | 8 | 106 | 2B | Brandon Lowe | TB | Mr Poons Posse |
8 | 9 | 107 | SP | Jesus Luzardo | OAK | Bowler Brook Trout |
8 | 10 | 108 | SP | Jose Berrios | MIN | You Uggla |
8 | 11 | 109 | CF | George Springer | TOR | Vancouver Canadians |
8 | 12 | 110 | SP | Yu Darvish | SD | Corktown Crew |
8 | 13 | 111 | SP | Clayton Kershaw | LAD | The K/9 Unit |
8 | 14 | 112 | SP | Hyun Jin Ryu | TOR | BIGLY |
9 | 1 | 113 | SS | Gleyber Torres | NYY | BIGLY |
9 | 2 | 114 | SP | Mike Soroka | ATL | The K/9 Unit |
9 | 3 | 115 | SS | Javier Baez | CHC | Corktown Crew |
9 | 4 | 116 | SP | Kenta Maeda | MIN | Vancouver Canadians |
9 | 5 | 117 | SP | Chris Paddack | SD | You Uggla |
9 | 6 | 118 | 3B | Matt Chapman | OAK | Bowler Brook Trout |
9 | 7 | 119 | RF | Whit Merrifield | KC | Mr Poons Posse |
9 | 8 | 120 | SP | Dustin May | LAD | Swamp Rabbits |
9 | 9 | 121 | SP | Kyle Hendricks | CHC | Dirty cubbies |
9 | 10 | 122 | UT | Shohei Ohtani | LAA | Victoria Villains |
9 | 11 | 123 | SP | Julio Urias | LAD | Burlington Barons |
9 | 12 | 124 | SP | Framber Valdez | HOU | Joe Miles |
9 | 13 | 125 | 3B | Kris Bryant | CHC | Diving Swoboda |
9 | 14 | 126 | SP | Marco Gonzales | SEA | Drunken Angelz |
Question: It looks like you started leaning heavily on starting pitching starting in round 5 and missed out on a lot of the solid bats that were left, especially in round 8. What was your strategy here?
Answer: I have always been a firm believer in taking the best available player on the board which is exactly what I did in these rounds. The rest of the league went heavy on hitters so I snatched up the pitchers they left behind.
Question: In round 7, you went with Noah Syndergaard, who just had Tommy John surgery and is not expected back until at least June. A few decent pitchers went in the next round, like Yu Darvish and Clayton Kershaw. Do you think Noah outperforms those pitchers over the next few years?
Answer: Absolutely! I have always been a fan of “Thor” and have watched his rehab progress very closely. I will gladly take Syndergaard over Darvish and Kershaw for the long haul.
Question: Teoscar Hernandez over Moncada, Tim Anderson, and Brandon lowe?
Answer: Hernandez, I know, is viewed as a “boom” or “bust” player this season. I, of course, am in the “boom” camp. I love what this guy has done over the last couple of seasons and am a firm believer he will continue to shine. He may very well be the best overall hitter on the Blue Jays right now – at least until Austin Martin arrives in the MLB.
Rounds 10-12
Round | Pick | Ov Pick | Pos | Player | Team | Fantasy Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | 1 | 127 | SP | Marcus Stroman | NYM | Drunken Angelz |
10 | 2 | 128 | CF | Kyle Lewis | SEA | Diving Swoboda |
10 | 3 | 129 | SP | Patrick Corbin | WSH | Joe Miles |
10 | 4 | 130 | C | Will Smith | LAD | Burlington Barons |
10 | 5 | 131 | LF | Dominic Smith | NYM | Victoria Villains |
10 | 6 | 132 | OF | Marcell Ozuna | ATL | Dirty cubbies |
10 | 7 | 133 | 2B | Ketel Marte | ARI | Swamp Rabbits |
10 | 8 | 134 | SS | Adalberto Mondesi | KC | Mr Poons Posse |
10 | 9 | 135 | SP | Sonny Gray | CIN | Bowler Brook Trout |
10 | 10 | 136 | 3B | Austin Riley | ATL | You Uggla |
10 | 11 | 137 | SP | Lance Lynn | CHW | Vancouver Canadians |
10 | 12 | 138 | SP | Joe Musgrove | SD | Corktown Crew |
10 | 13 | 139 | SP | Zack Wheeler | PHI | The K/9 Unit |
10 | 14 | 140 | SP | Zack Greinke | HOU | BIGLY |
11 | 1 | 141 | 2B | Jose Altuve | HOU | BIGLY |
11 | 2 | 142 | SS | Carlos Correa | HOU | The K/9 Unit |
11 | 3 | 143 | 1B | Jose Abreu | CHW | Corktown Crew |
11 | 4 | 144 | OF | Austin Meadows | TB | Vancouver Canadians |
11 | 5 | 145 | SP | Sandy Alcantara | MIA | You Uggla |
11 | 6 | 146 | 1B | Luke Voit | NYY | Bowler Brook Trout |
11 | 7 | 147 | 1B | Max Muncy | LAD | Mr Poons Posse |
11 | 8 | 148 | INF | Nick Solak | TEX | Swamp Rabbits |
11 | 9 | 149 | 1B | Anthony Rizzo | CHC | Dirty cubbies |
11 | 10 | 150 | SP | Dylan Bundy | LAA | Victoria Villains |
11 | 11 | 151 | RP | Liam Hendriks | CHW | Burlington Barons |
11 | 12 | 152 | RP | Aroldis Chapman | NYY | Joe Miles |
11 | 13 | 153 | 2B | Jeff McNeil | NYM | Diving Swoboda |
11 | 14 | 154 | SP | Lance McCullers Jr. | HOU | Drunken Angelz |
12 | 1 | 155 | RP | Brad Hand | WSH | Drunken Angelz |
12 | 2 | 156 | RP | Edwin Diaz | NYM | Diving Swoboda |
12 | 3 | 157 | 1B | Paul Goldschmidt | STL | Joe Miles |
12 | 4 | 158 | RP | Devin Williams | MIL | Burlington Barons |
12 | 5 | 159 | SP | Zach Eflin | PHI | Victoria Villains |
12 | 6 | 160 | SP | David Price | LAD | Dirty cubbies |
12 | 7 | 161 | SP | Pablo Lopez | MIA | Swamp Rabbits |
12 | 8 | 162 | RF | Mike Yastrzemski | SF | Mr Poons Posse |
12 | 9 | 163 | LF | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | TOR | Bowler Brook Trout |
12 | 10 | 164 | SP | Tyler Mahle | CIN | You Uggla |
12 | 11 | 165 | 3B | Eugenio Suarez | CIN | Vancouver Canadians |
12 | 12 | 166 | RP | Raisel Iglesias | LAA | Corktown Crew |
12 | 13 | 167 | RF | Nick Castellanos | CIN | The K/9 Unit |
12 | 14 | 168 | UT | J.D. Martinez | BOS | BIGLY |
Question: You are still loading up heavily on pitching at this point. Two more SPs in rounds 10 and 11 and then a solid closer in round 12. But it looks like you passed on some good bats again, Will Smith, Marcell Ozuna, Adalberto Mondesi, and Austin Meadows, just to name a few. Is there a Head-to-Head Points strategy I am missing here? Why did you pile on with a 5th and 6th starting pitcher at this point over filling some much-needed batter positions?
Answer: Let me start by reiterating that I am a firm believer in taking the best available player on the board – according to my rankings. In terms of DSE scoring, I generally have pitchers ranked slightly higher than hitters. Rounds 10 thru 12 proved that point. Would I have liked to have Will Smith or Austin Meadows, sure, but not as much as Stroman, McCullers, and Hand. Just as a side note, I’m not as high on Ozuna as most people are, and I really don’t like Mondesi at all.
Rounds 13-15
Round | Pick | Ov Pick | Pos | Player | Team | Fantasy Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 | 1 | 169 | RF | Charlie Blackmon | COL | BIGLY |
13 | 2 | 170 | SP | Frankie Montas | OAK | The K/9 Unit |
13 | 3 | 171 | 2B | Mike Moustakas | CIN | Corktown Crew |
13 | 4 | 172 | SS | Dansby Swanson | ATL | Vancouver Canadians |
13 | 5 | 173 | CF | Ramon Laureano | OAK | You Uggla |
13 | 6 | 174 | SP | Aaron Civale | CLE | Bowler Brook Trout |
13 | 7 | 175 | 1B | Eric Hosmer | SD | Mr Poons Posse |
13 | 8 | 176 | SP | German Marquez | COL | Swamp Rabbits |
13 | 9 | 177 | C | Willson Contreras | CHC | Dirty cubbies |
13 | 10 | 178 | RF | Anthony Santander | BAL | Victoria Villains |
13 | 11 | 179 | RP | Taylor Rogers | MIN | Burlington Barons |
13 | 12 | 180 | SS | Marcus Semien | TOR | Joe Miles |
13 | 13 | 181 | P | Spencer Howard | PHI | Diving Swoboda |
13 | 14 | 182 | RP | Ryan Pressly | HOU | Drunken Angelz |
14 | 1 | 183 | RF | Max Kepler | MIN | Drunken Angelz |
14 | 2 | 184 | SP | Dane Dunning | TEX | Diving Swoboda |
14 | 3 | 185 | SP | Cristian Javier | HOU | Joe Miles |
14 | 4 | 186 | SP | Dallas Keuchel | CHW | Burlington Barons |
14 | 5 | 187 | SP | Michael Pineda | MIN | Victoria Villains |
14 | 6 | 188 | SP | Corey Kluber | NYY | Dirty cubbies |
14 | 7 | 189 | LF | Ian Happ | CHC | Swamp Rabbits |
14 | 8 | 190 | RP | Kenley Jansen | LAD | Mr Poons Posse |
14 | 9 | 191 | SP | Andrew Heaney | LAA | Bowler Brook Trout |
14 | 10 | 192 | LF | Eddie Rosario | CLE | You Uggla |
14 | 11 | 193 | 1B | Rhys Hoskins | PHI | Vancouver Canadians |
14 | 12 | 194 | SP | Kevin Gausman | SF | Corktown Crew |
14 | 13 | 195 | RF | Joey Gallo | TEX | The K/9 Unit |
14 | 14 | 196 | SP | Charlie Morton | ATL | BIGLY |
15 | 1 | 197 | CF | Starling Marte | MIA | BIGLY |
15 | 2 | 198 | SP | Michael Kopech | CHW | The K/9 Unit |
15 | 3 | 199 | RP | Kirby Yates | TOR | Corktown Crew |
15 | 4 | 200 | SP | Luis Severino | NYY | Vancouver Canadians |
15 | 5 | 201 | SP | Justus Sheffield | SEA | You Uggla |
15 | 6 | 202 | 1B | Josh Bell | WSH | Bowler Brook Trout |
15 | 7 | 203 | UT | Nelson Cruz | MIN | Mr Poons Posse |
15 | 8 | 204 | 2B | Jake Cronenworth | SD | Swamp Rabbits |
15 | 9 | 205 | SP | Chris Sale | BOS | Dirty cubbies |
15 | 10 | 206 | UT | Wil Myers | SD | Victoria Villains |
15 | 11 | 207 | SP | Eduardo Rodriguez | BOS | Burlington Barons |
15 | 12 | 208 | 2B | Tommy Edman | STL | Joe Miles |
15 | 13 | 209 | RP | Garrett Crochet | CHW | Diving Swoboda |
15 | 14 | 210 | 2B | Dylan Moore | SEA | Drunken Angelz |
Question: You finally start getting some bats, and while I like these picks, they are now your current 3rd and 4th top hitters in Max Kepler and Dylan Moore. Any regrets?
Answer: Honestly, no. If I second-guessed any of my picks, it would be the Dylan Moore pick, but at that point, I was going with position need based on tiers. The other hitter I was considering was Victor Robles, who went a few picks later, but I knew I was taking Kepler and figured a 2B/OF combo would be better in the long run than OF/OF.
I want to thank Jeff Plunkett for taking the time to scrutinize my picks in this draft. Honestly, it’s refreshing to hear outside opinions and questions of picks I’ve made in a start-up draft. Perhaps, the biggest question is, would I have done anything differently after being asked these questions? And honestly, the answer is maybe. But not in the conventional sense. I probably would have looked to make a few trades to move backward in the draft to acquire additional picks. Looking back, I may have shopped around my 4th round pick (or first free-agent pick) to try to slide back to 4th or 5th in that round. That being said, it’s always easier to play Monday morning quarterback after the fact. All-in-all, I’m satisfied with the team I drafted and look forward to my next startup draft of 2021!
The complete draft results to Round 43 can be found at the following link: Draft Results.
As always, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter @drunkenangelz.
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