A solid strategy on draft day sets the stage for a championship run. That’s where our Draft Day Cheat Sheet series comes into play, offering you a comprehensive guide from some of the sharpest experts in the industry to help you make every pick count. Check out my fantasy baseball draft day cheat sheet below, where I walk you through my favorite targets by position, favorite targets by round, players to avoid at their current ADP, and an overview of my draft day strategy.
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Welsh’s Fantasy Baseball Draft Day Cheat Sheet
My Favorite Targets By Position
Catcher: Adley Rutschman, Yainer Diaz, Gabriel Moreno, Mitch Garver, Logan O’Hoppe
First Base: Matt Olson, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Triston Casas, Spencer Torkelson, Josh Naylor
Second Base: Mookie Betts, Gleyber Torres, Ketel Marte, Andres Gimenez, Nolan Gorman
Third Base: Rafael Devers, Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado, Max Muncy, Junior Caminero
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr. Oneil Cruz, Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Holliday, Zach Neto
Outfield: Julio Rodriguez, Corbin Carroll, Juan Soto, Michael Harris, Bryan Reynolds, Wyatt Langford, Jordan Walker, Riley Greene, Jackson Chourio, Teoscar Hernandez, Jarren Duran, Jarred Kelenic
Utility: Marcell Ozuna, Byron Buxton, Eloy Jimenez
Starting Pitcher: Spencer Strider, George Kirby, Pablo Lopez, Logan Webb, Cole Ragans, Bobby Miller, Joe Musgrove, Justin Steele, Michael King, Carlos Rodon, Bailey Ober, Brandon Pfaadt, Shota Imanaga, Yu Darvish, Brayan Bello
Reliever: Josh Hader, Camilo Doval, Evan Phillips, Pete Fairbanks, Craig Kimbrel
Targets By Round (12-Team League)
1st: Corbin Carroll, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto
2nd: Jose Ramirez, Matt Olson, Bryce Harper
3rd: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Elly De La Cruz, Michael Harris
4th: George Kirby, Pablo Lopez, Randy Arozarena
5th: Oneil Cruz, Mike Trout, Manny Machado
6th: Royce Lewis, Matt McLain, Paul Goldschmidt
7th: Cole Ragans, Bobby Miller, Jazz Chisholm
8th: Bryan Reynolds, Triston Casas, Joe Ryan
9th: Xander Bogaerts, Justin Steele, Jordan Walker
10th: Wyatt Langford, Riley Greene, Teoscar Hernandez
11th-15th: Evan Phillips, Jackson Chourio, Andres Gimenez, Jackson Holliday, Josh Naylor, Anthony Volpe, Pete Fairbanks, Merrill Kelly, Michael King, Shane Bieber, Marcell Ozuna, Bailey Ober, Carlos Rodon, Gabriel Moreno, Yu Darvish
16th-20th: Rhys Hoskins, Willy Adames, Shota Imanaga, Brandon Pfaadt, Jarren Duran, Jarred Kelenic, Lars Nootbaar, Junior Caminero, Byron Buxton, Mitch Garver
21st-25th: Maikel Garcia, Colt Keith, Henry Davis, Taj Bradley, Michael Wacha
Post-300 ADP: Yuki Matsui, Masyn Winn, Ty France, Jordan Lawlar, Chris Paddack
Players To Avoid Near ADP
- Jose Altuve (32)
- Aaron Nola (45)
- Max Fried (50)
- Nico Hoerner (58)
- J.T. Realmuto (73)
- William Contreras (74)
- Evan Carter (103)
- Luis Arraez (122)
- Walker Buehler (137)
Strategy/Advice
Similar to 2023, a hitting-heavy approach will dominate the early rounds of your draft. The biggest year-over-year change might be the stolen base approach. You still want to attack stolen bases in fistfuls, but power might be the thing in shorter supply. Don’t be afraid to stack some early-round power like Judge and Olson. If you do so, you can build up your stolen bases as you move along the draft. Most of the infield positions are top-heavy, though you can get away with a little more at shortstop and second base. Outfield is the position that can get away from you quickly. Three outfielder leagues have less to worry about but keep a mindful eye in five outfielder leagues. There are some great later round gets as I have noted in my targets, but try to build a core-two before you get to the double-digit rounds. Where my focus early may skew to power on my infield, it’s important to note there are quite a few great outfielders for stolen bases to target. Catchers will always come later for me. Even if it’s a two-catcher league, I think the position is as deep player-to-player as any, and I’d rather get later values than reach.
Pitching lives in a tier-based system similar to 2023. The top-tier versus the available hitters are usually not in my price range. There is a tier in the third round that has my favorites like George Kirby, Pablo Lopez, and Zac Gallen. I usually start my pitching run between the third and the fourth. If I can snag two, I will and then wait a few rounds to fill out more hitting. The sixth-eighth round has many high-upside arms. Snagging a Bobby Miller or Grayson Rodriguez is worth the risk. I have a safer pitching approach overall, but the time to take the risk is inside the top 100. The reason behind this is the innings-eating safe arms you can use to fill in the middle gaps of your rotation, like Merrill Kelly and Shane Bieber. Once you’ve gotten outside the top 150 with hopefully at least four arms, you can start taking some risks. These risks can be in the form of hopeful starters or aged vets hoping to return to form like Yu Darvish.
My closer strategy is about the same as it has always been. If I can get a deal on an upper-tier closer, I will bite. Most likely I will live in the closer 8-12 range. Something like Paul Sewald, Evan Phillips, or Pete Fairbanks. It’s never a bad bet to snag a closer on a great team. Even if they aren’t a lockdown arm, the team itself may push them into 30+ saves. If you can back that closer up with another shortly after, like Craig Kimbrel or Alex Langer, you’ll probably thank yourself later. If you can’t, there are a handful of closers people don’t know if they can count on that come at massive discounts, like Jose Leclerc and Carlos Estevez.
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