This approach to roster building focuses on balance with an elite bat, a balanced hitter and an early edge in power and stolen bases.
This draft strategy is the one I play in most seasons when trying to win an overall championship. I’ll call it BALC. It focuses on drafting a balanced team, and I don’t want to get beat at the catcher position. Earlier in my fantasy career, I’ve tried to be balanced at the end of round three. The changing flow of the player inventory may lead to round four or round five before I roster my first three hitters, depending on my draft position.
MORE: 2022 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit
Ideally, I do like to have strength at least one middle infield position, but these options may be limited each year, and I can't force a player to stick to a plan. So here are the key pieces to start building your team:
Elite bat: I’m looking for a premium bat that will hit 3rd or 4th in the batting order. This player needs to offer plus power and batting average. Most of the time, this player comes from first base or outfield. 3B Alex Bregman appeared to be trending toward this piece to the puzzle after his 2018 and 2019 seasons, but his ADP slipped to 89 after two disappointing years.
Balanced player: The second piece to the puzzle is a high floor 20/20 player with a plus batting average. Sometimes this player is my first player drafted, and he may offer more power and speed. Most of these options will come from the outfield, but a fantasy team can gain a superior edge if this piece to the puzzle comes from a middle infield position. Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuna, and Luis Robert have the firepower to post 30/30 seasons. Tatis and Acuna may very well make a push toward a 40/40 season at some point in their career. I don’t put 3B Jose Ramirez as the same level despite owning the resume to support this player profile. He hits many fly balls, inviting a lower ceiling in batting average, and his speed could drop off quickly as he gets older.
Edge stolen bases with power: This is the most challenging piece to the puzzle to find, and a fantasy manager must be careful and not force this skill set. Carl Crawford and Jose Reyes were perfect players for this plan in the past. In 2021, Trea Turner was the ideal start for a team for me in 5-by-5 roto formats. All three of these players can steal plus bases and hit double-digit home runs. The key is getting enough power with plus stolen bases. This player ideally would be an asset in batting average. Adalberto Mondesi gets checkmarks for home runs and stolen bases, but his high volume of strikeouts invite batting average risk, and staying healthy has been a problem in his career.
Fantasy baseball rankings: Hitters | Pitchers
My first three hitter targets
My goal is to get as much power and speed with my first three or four batters. My target number is 75 home runs and 75 steals. By doing this, I set myself up for more outs at more positions later in the draft. I need to be flexible and understand the player pool with this style. I can't force a player just because I'm looking for a specific skill set. I'll adjust my plan if I need to take a different but higher skill earlier in the draft.
When a fantasy manager sits at the draft table, he must know what rounds to find the best players to fit this plan.
With this strategy, there's a good chance a drafter rosters an elite middle infielder, which will force him to a weaker first baseman or third baseman. Over the first five rounds, a roster will probably have a 1B, MI, and OF while building the foundation of their pitching staff, which forces you further down the food change at 3B (or 1B depending on your start).
Gaining edge at catcher
The catcher position is essential to this plan. With steals critical to this strategy, home runs may not be elite after selecting three or four hitters. Therefore, a fantasy manager can't cheat catchers unless he sees a reliable option or two later in the draft. The goal should be to invest in two catchers that combine for over 40 home runs, which tends to be problematic due to a weaker catching pool after the first tier of options come off the board. A drafter doesn't have to win the catcher position, but he can't afford to get negative stats from the position. Therefore, I will look to secure a catcher in the first 10 rounds in 15-team leagues in most seasons.
Fade early one-dimensional base stealers
In this theory, I will avoid a one-dimensional base stealer early. I feel like I can't take a zero from power from any position most of the time with this draft strategy. If I see a plus base stealer at the right price, I will keep an open mind, plus I can't overlook the changing values of players based on the ups and downs in power from season to season. In a year when power is down, there is more room for error by playing an empty power hitter with plus speed. However, the targets for home runs remain high, so the wrong roster construction could lead to a big hole in power.
Also, keep in mind that a late speed-only player with everyday at-bats makes sense as a base stealer in waiting. The key is to play the base stealer when he’s running. This type of player has value if drafted after building the core of your offense and the foundation of your pitching staff.
Foundation aces
It is easy for a fantasy manager to push pitching back early in drafts when he feels his team has weakness in home runs. The fourth offensive player is attractive in the first four rounds, but building a starting pitching base is extremely important to winning in fantasy baseball. The front-end starting pitching inventory has been more impactful in recent years compared to the steroid era. In this draft plan, a drafter must remember to compete in all 10 categories requiring a pitching foundation early in the draft.
The rounds in which a fantasy manager drafts their core starting pitchers will vary depending on league size and the talent of your competition. In home leagues with trading, fantasy teams will draft the top few arms early while pushing back the second-tier starters while almost relying on the previous season's draft flow to make the current draft decisions.
In the high-stakes market, pitching has become more critical in team building, especially with many drafters looking to build on the dual ace theory. In essence, the quality of bats from rounds four to six is much more attractive, making these trade-offs from hitters to pitchers early in drafts much easier.
Roster structure after 10 rounds
In the past, I've forced a weaker middle infielder inside of round 10. Going into most seasons, I will have these positions filled over the first 10 rounds: C, 1B, 3B, MI, OF, OF, SP, SP, SP, and CL.
In my first couple of years in the high-stakes market, I would come out of the first 10 rounds with only two starting pitchers because the pitching pool had more volatility. However, the overall starting pitching inventory is much more reliable in recent seasons, forcing a fantasy manager to adjust their game plan.
The lack of depth at the front of the closing pool makes a case to draft two starting pitchers and two closers after 10 rounds. By doing this, a fantasy manager hopes to avoid wasting roster spots on closers in waiting and hopefully save free agent dollars over the long baseball season.
I've cheated saves trying to add that extra bat or third reliable starting pitcher in the past. The chase for saves on the waiver wire can be a tiresome battle in the high-stakes market with no trading, so I will look to improve my decision-making in this area going forward.
Final thoughts
The main goal of this plan is to be balanced. I need to acquire the proper pieces to the puzzle early in a draft for this strategy to work best. Sometimes I must be creative in my plan when I’m not in the right seat at the draft table to start with the desired players.
After the first 10 draft picks, a fantasy manager should have the ability to adjust their plan to the current player flow.
This draft strategy is most successful when a drafter builds a foundation for all 10 categories. The stronger the base pieces, the higher level of success.
When I have failed with this plan, it is because I’ve waited too long to roster the thumper bat in my lineup; or I’ve focused too much on the speed early. It’s a fine line building a balanced team, and it is a lot harder than it looks.
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