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We are going through each of the ten standard categories and exploring what a draft looks like when we punt each category. In this post, we will focus on punting the runs category. This one will be interesting and tough, and I do not expect that I’ll be super happy with how it turns out. You can find each of our articles in the series here.
League Settings
I set up this league to have 20 starting slots (10 hitters, 10 pitchers) and two bench spots. Here are the full details:
Rosters: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF x3, UTIL x2, P x10
Categories: R, HR, RBI, SB, AVG, W, ERA, WHIP, K, SV
My Pick: 12th
2020 Draft Kit: View printable cheat sheets, sleepers & mistakes to avoid 
Strategy
- Use FantasyPros’ Zeile projections and Microsoft Excel to make customer pre-ranks that factor in which category I am punting.
- Chase runs, steals, batting average, and pitching very hard and lead the league in at least two of those categories
Results
1.12 Jose Ramirez (3B – CLE)
If you want to be really competitive in steals without trashing your batting average, you have to go after it early. Jose Ramirez was the guy for me here, as Trea Turner was already off the board. Ramirez brings 30-plus steals to the table with the ability to hit .300 — although .280 is a more reasonable projection.
2.1 Max Scherzer (SP – WAS)
With the 12th pick, you have 22 picks separating your second and third pick of the draft. I did not want to wait on my first pitcher that long, so I went ahead and took Scherzer. He is as good a bet as anybody to be the top starting pitcher in this shortened season, so I’m happy to start my team off like this.
3.12 Charlie Blackmon (OF – COL)
Batting average is a big deal to me on this team, so I went ahead and grabbed Blackmon here. Granted, if the season is played fully in Arizona, Blackmon is unlikely to hit .300 again since he’ll be away from Coors Field. However, I feel good about a strong .280 batting average with some homers, and a bunch of runs scored regardless.
4.1 Ozzie Albies (2B – ATL)
I picked up some more steals, runs, and batting average here while filling the void at second base. I almost went Mike Clevinger here, but Albies fits the RBI punt too well to pass up.
5.12 Chris Paddack (SP – SD)
This is another guy who could flirt with being the top starting pitcher this year, as he should be able to handle the maximum innings load in this unique 2020 season. Paddack had a fantastic rookie season and has some upside to improve, so I like him a lot as an SP2.
6.1 Zack Greinke (SP – ARI)
I finished my big three pitchers with Greinke, who has been nothing but an ace even as he ages. The strikeouts are a bit lacking, but he should make up for that with ratios and durability.
7.12 Marcus Semien (SS – OAK)
This build is leading me to take a lot of guys I would not normally. Semien is the perfect match for a team where we aren’t overly worried about RBI. He should get a ton of hits and score a ton of runs atop that Athletics lineup, and he’ll do it while giving me good production in steals as well.
8.1 Nick Castellanos (OF – CIN)
I’m a big fan of Castellanos this year, especially if he can play some games in Great American Ballpark. Even if that does not happen, the Arizona weather should up his stats regardless, as there should be a lot of runs to be scored near the top of that revamped Reds lineup.
9.12 Max Kepler (OF – MIN)
While punting RBI is often synonymous with punting homers, I didn’t want to go all the full way there. Kepler fits nicely, as he should be near the top of the Twins’ lineup against righties, which should result in a bunch of runs to go with his solid power output. I also think there is room for improvement in his batting average as well with how much contact he makes.
10.1 Zac Gallen (SP – ARI)
There were probably safer options at pitcher here, but I reached a bit to get the huge upside on Gallen. This is a pick that doesn’t look as great for my projections, but in real life, I really want Gallen on my teams.
11.12 Corey Seager (SS – LAD)
More nice batting average, runs scored, and upside with Seager here. He’s someone I’m excited to see healthy again.
12.1 Julio Urias (SP – LAD)
I think Urias is one of the best values on the board now that we know we won’t see a 162 game schedule. He is a great per-start pitcher, but his innings were going to be severely limited this year. In a season where 150 innings should be near the league leaders, Urias could easily be a top-20 fantasy starter.
13.12 Edwin Encarnacion (1B – CHW)
I still did not have a first baseman, so I will take the cheap homers here. That said, I will need to bag a backup first baseman to handle the probable several rest days the White Sox give Encarnacion this year.
14.1 Justin Turner (3B – LAD)
After the Encarnacion pick, I wanted to come back with some more batting average. This pick rounded out my starting non-catcher bats, and I think I am in great shape in the categories I was targeting with a bunch of high-contact hitters on really good teams.
15.12 Mike Foltynewicz (SP – ATL)
He was one of the league’s best pitchers down the stretch last year after figuring out his breaking pitches, so I am banking on that repeating this year and me landing another top-30 starter here in the 15th round.
16.1 Hansel Robles (RP – ATL)
My least favorite part of these drafts is drafting relievers, but I cannot punt saves along with RBI, so it was closer time here.
17.12 Giovanny Gallegos (RP – STL)
The best available reliever here was Gallegos, and he should have that closer role for a competitive Cardinals team. I will not lead the league in saves, but I won’t be last either.
18.1 Chris Archer (SP – PIT)
Archer is a popular bounce-back candidate, and I more or less agree with the thinking. He is still a talented pitcher, and he made some changes late last year that brought him back to his old self. In the 18th round, you don’t have much to lose, and I wanted to have at least seven starters on this team.
19.12 Omar Narvaez (C – MIL)
My last two picks are back-to-back, so I went with Narvaez here, who I was a little surprised to see still available. He should be a nice source of batting average and some homers in the Milwaukee lineup.
20.1 Christian Walker (1B – ARI)
I needed a backup at first base with Encarnacion being my guy there, so Walker should make a nice fit after his impressive 2019 season.
Results
Here is how I project in each category:
Runs – 5th
Homers – 8th
RBI – 8th
Steals – 8th
Average – 5th
Wins – 8th
Saves – 6th
Strikeouts – 8th
ERA – 6th
WHIP – 3rd
Not looking super great in anything, and I completely missed my goal.
RBI is a really weird category to punt since it’s so random, team-dependent, and correlated with home runs. I would really not advise going to this strategy, but if you do shy away from the power guys in your draft, you should do a better job than I did at getting steals, batting average, and starting pitching.
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Jon Anderson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jon, check out his archive and follow him @JonPgh.
