The draft for many is the most exciting part of any fantasy sport. There has always been talking going back and forth between teams in any draft I have participated in, some better than others. I got many colorful names thrown at me in this draft when I snatched Brandon Lowe up in the 8th round. Today, Chris Zelaya will scrutinize the choices I made through the first 15 rounds of a 43 round start-up dynasty roto draft. My team name is Harry Doyle. 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 | Position | Player | Team | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | SS | Wander Franco | TB | Middle of the Mall |
1 | 2 | CF | Jarred Kelenic | SEA | Harry Doyle |
1 | 3 | CF | Julio Rodriguez | SEA | Boca Raton Early Birds |
1 | 4 | 3B | Spencer Torkelson | DET | Kronknots |
1 | 5 | 1B | Andrew Vaughn | CHW | Solebury Savages |
1 | 6 | SS | Marco Luciano | SF | Express |
1 | 7 | SS | CJ Abrams | SD | Vpunit33 |
1 | 8 | SP | Ian Anderson | ATL | Posey Snells of Trout |
1 | 9 | 2B | Gavin Lux | LAD | Riverdale Peegers |
1 | 10 | LF | Dylan Carlson | STL | Vancouver Canadians |
1 | 11 | LF | Alex Kirilloff | MIN | Behnke Badgers |
1 | 12 | C | Adley Rutschman | BAL | Hartford Huskies |
1 | 13 | CF | Kristian Robinson | ARI | River Bandits |
1 | 14 | SP | MacKenzie Gore | SD | Carolina Quants |
2 | 1 | SS | Bobby Witt Jr. | KC | Carolina Quants |
2 | 2 | RF | Jo Adell | LAA | River Bandits |
2 | 3 | SP | Sixto Sanchez | MIA | Hartford Huskies |
2 | 4 | LF | Randy Arozarena | TB | Behnke Badgers |
2 | 5 | CF | Corbin Carroll | ARI | Vancouver Canadians |
2 | 6 | SS | Noelvi Marte | SEA | Riverdale Peegers |
2 | 7 | SP | Nate Pearson | TOR | Posey Snells of Trout |
2 | 8 | 3B | Austin Martin | TOR | Vpunit33 |
2 | 9 | CF | Jasson Dominguez | NYY | Express |
2 | 10 | RP | James Karinchak | CLE | Solebury Savages |
2 | 11 | SS | Nick Gonzales | PIT | Kronknots |
2 | 12 | CF | Trevor Larnach | MIN | Boca Raton Early Birds |
2 | 13 | SS | Royce Lewis | MIN | Harry Doyle |
2 | 14 | 3B | Ke'Bryan Hayes | PIT | Middle of the Mall |
3 | 1 | 2B | Nick Madrigal | CHW | Middle of the Mall |
3 | 2 | SS | Jeter Downs | LAD | Harry Doyle |
3 | 3 | CF | Riley Greene | DET | Boca Raton Early Birds |
3 | 4 | C | Joey Bart | SF | Kronknots |
3 | 5 | SP | Casey Mize | DET | Solebury Savages |
3 | 6 | 3B | Triston Casas | BOS | Express |
3 | 7 | CF | Brennen Davis | CHC | Vpunit33 |
3 | 8 | SP | Michael Kopech | CHW | Posey Snells of Trout |
3 | 9 | SP | Matt Manning | DET | Riverdale Peegers |
3 | 10 | SP | Grayson Rodriguez | BAL | Vancouver Canadians |
3 | 11 | RF | JJ Bleday | MIA | Behnke Badgers |
3 | 12 | 2B | Ha-seong Kim | SD | Hartford Huskies |
3 | 13 | 2B | Vidal Brujan | TB | River Bandits |
3 | 14 | OF | Zac Veen | (N/A) | Carolina Quants |
Question: Why no pitching?
Answer: From a dynasty standpoint, I tend to lean towards batters because of a lesser injury concern. I also tend to lean towards batters in a Roto format, especially when it comes to younger arms. I want to target established, consistent starting pitchers that will not harm the average categories such as WHIP and ERA in this league for pitching.
Question: Two shortstops? Why not one SS and a 2nd OF. Brennen Davis, JJ Bleday, and Zac Veen all went down after Downs.
Answer: My strategy for this draft was built around knowing I had the 2nd pick and that I could get Jarred Kelenic, a top prospect that is likely to make an impact this year. I planned to build a team that could compete now and be peaking over the next few years. So, with my 2nd and 3rd minor picks, I wanted to get guys that were up already, coming up this year or in 2022 at the latest. I really like Royce Lewis at SS; I think he has lost some of his prospect popularity due to some struggles and taking longer than others to move up through the ranks, but the high upside is still there. As for Jeter Downs, I was looking at him as a 2nd baseman. I took a little risk on him. He may not turn out to be a top talent, but I certainly think he has more potential upside than Davis or Bleday. Zac Veen is at the top of my rankings in a first-year player draft, but he just did not fit into my strategy this early in the draft.
Rounds 4-6
Round | Pick | Position | Player | Team | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | 1 | OF | Juan Soto | WSH | Carolina Quants |
4 | 2 | RF | Ronald Acuna Jr. | ATL | River Bandits |
4 | 3 | SS | Fernando Tatis Jr. | SD | Hartford Huskies |
4 | 4 | RF | Mookie Betts | LAD | Behnke Badgers |
4 | 5 | SP | Shane Bieber | CLE | Vancouver Canadians |
4 | 6 | CF | Mike Trout | LAA | Riverdale Peegers |
4 | 7 | SP | Gerrit Cole | NYY | Posey Snells of Trout |
4 | 8 | SS | Trea Turner | WSH | Vpunit33 |
4 | 9 | RF | Bryce Harper | PHI | Express |
4 | 10 | CF | Cody Bellinger | LAD | Solebury Savages |
4 | 11 | 3B | Jose Ramirez | CLE | Kronknots |
4 | 12 | SS | Trevor Story | COL | Boca Raton Early Birds |
4 | 13 | LF | Christian Yelich | MIL | Riverdale Peegers |
4 | 14 | SP | Jacob deGrom | NYM | Middle of the Mall |
5 | 1 | SP | Trevor Bauer | LAD | Middle of the Mall |
5 | 2 | SS | Bo Bichette | TOR | Harry Doyle |
5 | 3 | SS | Francisco Lindor | NYM | Boca Raton Early Birds |
5 | 4 | LF | Eloy Jimenez | CHW | Kronknots |
5 | 5 | INF | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | TOR | Solebury Savages |
5 | 6 | 2B | Ozzie Albies | ATL | Express |
5 | 7 | 1B | Freddie Freeman | ATL | Vpunit33 |
5 | 8 | SP | Walker Buehler | LAD | Posey Snells of Trout |
5 | 9 | UT | Yordan Alvarez | HOU | Harry Doyle |
5 | 10 | CF | Luis Robert | CHW | Vancouver Canadians |
5 | 11 | SP | Jack Flaherty | STL | Behnke Badgers |
5 | 12 | SS | Xander Bogaerts | BOS | Hartford Huskies |
5 | 13 | SP | Lucas Giolito | CHW | River Bandits |
5 | 14 | 3B | Alex Bregman | HOU | Carolina Quants |
6 | 1 | SS | Adalberto Mondesi | KC | Carolina Quants |
6 | 2 | LF | Kyle Tucker | HOU | River Bandits |
6 | 3 | 3B | Manny Machado | SD | Hartford Huskies |
6 | 4 | SP | Aaron Nola | PHI | Behnke Badgers |
6 | 5 | 3B | Rafael Devers | BOS | Vancouver Canadians |
6 | 6 | 1B | Pete Alonso | NYM | Riverdale Peegers |
6 | 7 | 3B | Nolan Arenado | STL | Posey Snells of Trout |
6 | 8 | 3B | Anthony Rendon | LAA | Vpunit33 |
6 | 9 | SS | Corey Seager | LAD | Express |
6 | 10 | OF | Austin Meadows | TB | Solebury Savages |
6 | 11 | SP | Luis Castillo | CIN | Kronknots |
6 | 12 | 3B | Yoan Moncada | CHW | Boca Raton Early Birds |
6 | 13 | CF | Trent Grisham | SD | Harry Doyle |
6 | 14 | C | J.T. Realmuto | PHI | Middle of the Mall |
Question: I saw you traded away your 4th and 10th for an extra 5th and 8th. But again, no pitchers?
Answer: I was not focused on pitching this early in the draft. I saw a lot of established vets that I thought I could get later in the draft. In the 4th, I was hoping that Bryce Harper, Cody Bellinger, or Jose Ramirez would still be around at 13, but I watched all three of them get snatched up just a couple of picks ahead of me. I was on the fence about Yelich, and I was looking at several players after him that I thought I would be happy with, so when I was proposed that trade, I accepted, hoping I could strengthen my overall team by picking up an extra 8th round and only moving down a few spots from my 4th round pick. I may regret not having Yelich, but I feel it worked out well because it allowed me to get two guys in the 5th that I may not have otherwise, Bichette and Yordan.
Question: Why Yordan Alvarez who will forever be a UT?
Answer: Yordan is one of the players I am targeting in Dynasty. He has knee concerns that I think have been overreacted to in terms of fantasy. Whether it is a real concern or not, moving to DH will give those knees get rest. His potential is huge, and I feel the risk is worth that potential reward. And to answer your specific question, DH is a position slot that must be filled just like any other.
Question: I love the Bo Bichette pick but why him over Albies, who went a few picks later?
Answer: In short, I am higher on Bichette than Albies long term. I am a big fan of underlying stats, and even though they both have small sample sizes, Bichette has significantly better numbers. My favorite metric for hitting is barrel percentage. In 2020, in a short sample, Albies was at 9.1. In 2018 and 2019, his barrel percentages were 4.7 and 6.6, respectively. These are ok, but not great numbers. Bichette has a small sample size to look at, but in 2020 his barrel percentage was 12.5. Good enough to put him in the 82nd percentile in just his age 21 season. Albies does show a little better speed but not nearly enough to put him higher than Bichette for me.
Rounds 7-9
Round | Pick | Position | Player | Team | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 | 1 | SP | Blake Snell | SD | Middle of the Mall |
7 | 2 | SP | Yu Darvish | SD | Harry Doyle |
7 | 3 | RF | Aaron Judge | NYY | Boca Raton Early Birds |
7 | 4 | SS | Gleyber Torres | NYY | Kronknots |
7 | 5 | SS | Carlos Correa | HOU | Solebury Savages |
7 | 6 | 2B | Keston Hiura | MIL | Express |
7 | 7 | RF | Michael Conforto | NYM | Vpunit33 |
7 | 8 | 2B | DJ LeMahieu | NYY | Posey Snells of Trout |
7 | 9 | SP | Zac Gallen | ARI | Riverdale Peegers |
7 | 10 | 2B | Cavan Biggio | TOR | Vancouver Canadians |
7 | 11 | SS | Tim Anderson | CHW | Behnke Badgers |
7 | 12 | SP | Brandon Woodruff | MIL | Hartford Huskies |
7 | 13 | SP | Corbin Burnes | MIL | River Bandits |
7 | 14 | SP | Tyler Glasnow | TB | Carolina Quants |
8 | 1 | SP | Jesus Luzardo | OAK | Carolina Quants |
8 | 2 | OF | Marcell Ozuna | ATL | River Bandits |
8 | 3 | CF | George Springer | TOR | Hartford Huskies |
8 | 4 | RF | Whit Merrifield | KC | Behnke Badgers |
8 | 5 | SP | Max Fried | ATL | Vancouver Canadians |
8 | 6 | 2B | Brandon Lowe | TB | Harry Doyle |
8 | 7 | 1B | Luke Voit | NYY | Posey Snells of Trout |
8 | 8 | 2B | Ketel Marte | ARI | Vpunit33 |
8 | 9 | 1B | Matt Olson | OAK | Express |
8 | 10 | 3B | Kris Bryant | CHC | Solebury Savages |
8 | 11 | SP | Max Scherzer | WSH | Kronknots |
8 | 12 | RF | Nick Castellanos | CIN | Boca Raton Early Birds |
8 | 13 | SP | Clayton Kershaw | LAD | Harry Doyle |
8 | 14 | LF | Dominic Smith | NYM | Middle of the Mall |
9 | 1 | 3B | Matt Chapman | OAK | Middle of the Mall |
9 | 2 | 3B | Eugenio Suarez | CIN | Harry Doyle |
9 | 3 | SP | Sonny Gray | CIN | Boca Raton Early Birds |
9 | 4 | CF | Starling Marte | MIA | Kronknots |
9 | 5 | 3B | Alec Bohm | PHI | Solebury Savages |
9 | 6 | SS | Javier Baez | CHC | Express |
9 | 7 | SP | Chris Paddack | SD | Vpunit33 |
9 | 8 | RP | Josh Hader | MIL | Posey Snells of Trout |
9 | 9 | 1B | Anthony Rizzo | CHC | Riverdale Peegers |
9 | 10 | UT | Shohei Ohtani | LAA | Vancouver Canadians |
9 | 11 | 1B | Jose Abreu | CHW | Behnke Badgers |
9 | 12 | UT | Giancarlo Stanton | NYY | Hartford Huskies |
9 | 13 | SP | Zach Plesac | CLE | River Bandits |
9 | 14 | SP | Jose Berrios | MIN | Carolina Quants |
Question: Up until round 7, you went young and then took Darvish for your first pitcher?
Answer: This was partly due to my strategy of building around younger bats and more experienced arms and in part due to how far Yu Darvish fell. I was not looking to get Darvish since he is entering his age 34 seasons, but at this point in the draft, I was happy to take a top pitcher that has at least a couple of good years left.
Question: The second pitcher on your team in round 8 is Kershaw which is a nice value, but again, the team is young except for pitchers?
Answer: Kershaw was a lot like the Darvish pick. This draft did not go exactly as I had planned, but it was close; I targeted young bats early and thought I could get some solid pitching later. I was hoping for some younger pitching, but like Darvish, I could not pass up a top pitcher at this point. I think Kershaw’s fantasy value has fallen in large part due to his own early success. He is not the high strikeout, elite number pitcher he once was, but he is an established top pitcher that provides elite numbers and still has decent strikeout totals. He is also considered an injury concern, but he has not pitched fewer than 149 innings since 2009, and that was his worst injury-plagued season of 2016. He pitched 175, 161, and 178 innings in 2017, 2018, and 2019. You might get 175 innings out of most of the young arms taken above him. And at just 32, he could have several years left.
Question: Suarez playing time is not a concern amid Cincy trade speculations?
Answer: I may have a tiny bit of concern, but he is one of the top third basemen in baseball. Cincinnati has said that it will take a lot to move him, so I do not think a team will pay a high price for him not to play third base full time. He was also one of the last solid third baseman left, and this is where the trade hurt me a little. I knew I did not have a pick in round 10, and the list of solid 3rd basemen was getting shorter, so I knew I had to get one in that round 8 and 9 swings. Alex Bohm went a couple of picks later, and for me, the value drops a lot after that.
Rounds 10-12
Round | Pick | Position | Player | Team | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | 1 | OF | Alex Verdugo | BOS | Carolina Quants |
10 | 2 | UT | Nelson Cruz | MIN | River Bandits |
10 | 3 | RF | Joey Gallo | TEX | Hartford Huskies |
10 | 4 | SP | Julio Urias | LAD | Behnke Badgers |
10 | 5 | SP | Kenta Maeda | MIN | Vancouver Canadians |
10 | 6 | SS | Dansby Swanson | ATL | Riverdale Peegers |
10 | 7 | RF | Mike Yastrzemski | SF | Posey Snells of Trout |
10 | 8 | SP | Lance Lynn | CHW | Vpunit33 |
10 | 9 | CF | Ramon Laureano | OAK | Express |
10 | 10 | SP | Mike Soroka | ATL | Solebury Savages |
10 | 11 | 2B | Jeff McNeil | NYM | Kronknots |
10 | 12 | LF | Ian Happ | CHC | Boca Raton Early Birds |
10 | 13 | 1B | Rhys Hoskins | PHI | Riverdale Peegers |
10 | 14 | SP | Sandy Alcantara | MIA | Middle of the Mall |
11 | 1 | LF | Lourdes Gurriel Jr. | TOR | Middle of the Mall |
11 | 2 | 1B | Paul Goldschmidt | STL | Harry Doyle |
11 | 3 | SP | Dinelson Lamet | SD | Boca Raton Early Birds |
11 | 4 | SP | Zack Wheeler | PHI | Kronknots |
11 | 5 | UT | Jorge Soler | KC | Solebury Savages |
11 | 6 | UT | Franmil Reyes | CLE | Express |
11 | 7 | CF | Byron Buxton | MIN | Vpunit33 |
11 | 8 | C | Will Smith | LAD | Posey Snells of Trout |
11 | 9 | SP | Stephen Strasburg | WSH | Riverdale Peegers |
11 | 10 | 1B | Max Muncy | LAD | Vancouver Canadians |
11 | 11 | RF | Teoscar Hernandez | TOR | Behnke Badgers |
11 | 12 | RP | Liam Hendriks | CHW | Hartford Huskies |
11 | 13 | 2B | Jake Cronenworth | SD | River Bandits |
11 | 14 | CF | Kyle Lewis | SEA | Carolina Quants |
12 | 1 | CF | Victor Robles | WSH | Carolina Quants |
12 | 2 | SP | Carlos Carrasco | NYM | River Bandits |
12 | 3 | SP | Lance McCullers Jr. | HOU | Hartford Huskies |
12 | 4 | C | Salvador Perez | KC | Behnke Badgers |
12 | 5 | SS | Marcus Semien | TOR | Vancouver Canadians |
12 | 6 | 2B | Jose Altuve | HOU | Riverdale Peegers |
12 | 7 | SP | Pablo Lopez | MIA | Posey Snells of Trout |
12 | 8 | RF | Charlie Blackmon | COL | Vpunit33 |
12 | 9 | SP | Frankie Montas | OAK | Express |
12 | 10 | SP | Dylan Bundy | LAA | Solebury Savages |
12 | 11 | 1B | Josh Bell | WSH | Kronknots |
12 | 12 | UT | J.D. Martinez | BOS | Boca Raton Early Birds |
12 | 13 | SP | Kyle Hendricks | CHC | Harry Doyle |
12 | 14 | SS | Jonathan Villar | NYM | Middle of the Mall |
Question: Goldy in 11 seems like a stretch?
Answer: Yes, it was. But like third base, I felt my time was running short of grabbing a solid 1st baseman. Goldy has fallen off a little since moving to St. Louis, but the addition of Nolan Arenado should only help his numbers. My only regret might be not targeting Trey Mancini, who went a couple of rounds later, as my 1st baseman, but he comes with risk as well.
Question: Hendricks in 12 over Framber Valdez, Dustin May, and Noah Syndergaard?
Answer: This comes down to consistency to me. Hendricks may not have the high strikeout totals’ upside as those three, but he has put up solid, consistent numbers for 6 seasons in a row now. Framber may turn into a solid pitcher, but I want to see more out of him as a starting pitcher than one shortened season. Dustin May will be the 6th starter at best this year, and who knows what the Dodgers will do with him in the future. As for Syndergaard, I know there is a potential high reward there, but he is coming off Tommy John surgery, and with his hard-throwing style, I feel he will continue to be an injury concern.
Rounds 13-15
Round | Pick | Position | Player | Team | Owner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 | 1 | SP | Framber Valdez | HOU | Middle of the Mall |
1315 | 215 | 1B15 | Ryan Mountcastle15 | BAL15 | Harry Doyle15 |
13 | 3 | SP | Patrick Corbin | WSH | Boca Raton Early Birds |
13 | 4 | RF | Anthony Santander | BAL | Kronknots |
13 | 5 | SP | Luis Severino | NYY | Solebury Savages |
13 | 6 | SP | Noah Syndergaard | NYM | Express |
13 | 7 | SP | Dustin May | LAD | Vpunit33 |
13 | 8 | LF | Eddie Rosario | CLE | Posey Snells of Trout |
13 | 9 | LF | Clint Frazier | NYY | Riverdale Peegers |
13 | 10 | RP | Luis Patino | TB | Riverdale Peegers |
13 | 11 | SP | Hyun Jin Ryu | TOR | Behnke Badgers |
13 | 12 | RP | Edwin Diaz | NYM | Hartford Huskies |
13 | 13 | 3B | Gio Urshela | NYY | River Bandits |
13 | 14 | SP | Triston McKenzie | CLE | Carolina Quants |
14 | 1 | P | Spencer Howard | PHI | Carolina Quants |
14 | 2 | RF | Trey Mancini | BAL | River Bandits |
14 | 3 | SP | Joe Musgrove | SD | Hartford Huskies |
14 | 4 | 3B | Josh Donaldson | MIN | Behnke Badgers |
14 | 5 | SP | Aaron Civale | CLE | Vancouver Canadians |
14 | 6 | SP | Tyler Mahle | CIN | Vancouver Canadians |
14 | 7 | 2B | Tommy Edman | STL | Posey Snells of Trout |
14 | 8 | LF | Jesse Winker | CIN | Vpunit33 |
14 | 9 | SP | Chris Sale | BOS | Express |
14 | 10 | C | Willson Contreras | CHC | Solebury Savages |
14 | 11 | LF | Kyle Schwarber | WSH | Kronknots |
14 | 12 | SP | Mike Clevinger | SD | Boca Raton Early Birds |
1415 | 1315 | RF15 | Max Kepler15 | MIN15 | Harry Doyle15 |
14 | 14 | RP | Aroldis Chapman | NYY | Middle of the Mall |
15 | 1 | UT | Wil Myers | SD | Middle of the Mall |
15 | 215 | RP15 | Brad Hand15 | WSH15 | Harry Doyle15 |
15 | 3 | INF | Nick Solak | TEX | Boca Raton Early Birds |
15 | 4 | SP | Tarik Skubal | DET | Kronknots |
15 | 5 | SP | German Marquez | COL | Solebury Savages |
15 | 6 | LF | Andrew Benintendi | KC | Express |
15 | 7 | 3B | Austin Riley | ATL | Vpunit33 |
15 | 8 | 1B | Miguel Sano | MIN | Posey Snells of Trout |
15 | 9 | SP | Kevin Gausman | SF | Riverdale Peegers |
15 | 10 | RP | Nick Anderson | TB | Vancouver Canadians |
15 | 11 | RP | Raisel Iglesias | LAA | Behnke Badgers |
15 | 12 | 1B | Eric Hosmer | SD | Hartford Huskies |
15 | 13 | RP | Adrian Morejon | SD | River Bandits |
15 | 14 | OF | Cristian Pache | ATL | Carolina Quants |
Question: None, I love the value you got in these rounds.
Thank you for the questions, Chris. Now I am second-guessing some of the decisions I made. However, overall, I am still satisfied with my team. Looking over it now, I may struggle this year with batting, but I think I set myself up to have a solid team in a year or two. Chris has me second-guessing the Jeter Downs pick in the 3rd, and it worries me more that he is a Red Sox fan. The primary mistake I think I made was reaching on a few players that I may have been able to get a little later, such as Paul Goldschmidt and Kyle Hendricks. But that is the game we all play in these drafts, isn’t it, telling yourself that guy will be there in a round or two and then freaking out and selecting him because you have convinced yourself that the guy after you has him at the top of their queue. I kept on playing the game of thinking that guy would be there next time around with 3rd base, and I lost out on a few that I targeted because of it. I also had a few picks that I look back and still cannot believe I got away with holding out so long. Brandon Lowe was the prime example of that pick.
The complete draft results to Round 43 can be found at the following link: Draft Results.
Feel free to reach out on Twitter @JeffPlunkett19
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