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Welcome to this year’s edition of “Abusing the Default Rankings,” where I dig in on pre-draft rankings from Yahoo and ESPN for potential sleepers, busts, and late-round values in mixed fantasy league drafts. I get asked about this column more than anything else I do during the year, so I’m happy to do it again. However, this year’s edition is available exclusively to Rotoworld Draft Guide subscribers. What you’ll find below is just a sample of the finished product.
I comb over these pre-draft rankings every year, but it’s not like I don’t find them to be a useful way to guide fantasy owners through their drafts. They can be. Often times, most players are right around where they should be. But some players slip through the cracks, for better or worse. That’s where value can be found in fantasy drafts. My goal with this column isn’t to criticize these sites, but rather to make sure you are mindful of what to expect before you get into a draft room. Even if you don’t go as far as making your own rankings, you can give yourself a sizable strategic advantage with just a little bit of preparation. Let’s get started.
These rankings are from the evening of Saturday, March 17.
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Yahoo Rankings
Players listed lower overall than expected:
22. Manny Machado
37. Dee Gordon
51. Yu Darvish
97. Jean Segura
105. Joey Gallo
128. Manuel Margot
130. Nicholas Castellanos
131. Ken Giles
138. David Price
144. J.T. Realmuto
173. Ozzie Albies
195. Charlie Morton
198. Eugenio Suarez
Nothing really surprised me with the early rankings at Yahoo, but you could make a case to move up Machado, especially considering that he’ll gain shortstop eligibility early in the season … Gordon has stolen at least 58 bases in three out of the last four years (he led the majors in the category in those years) and will soon add outfield eligibility … Darvish is the No. 14 starter in Yahoo’s rankings, behind Robbie Ray and Carlos Martinez. Don’t hold his World Series performance against him. He should benefit from a full season in the National League … Segura is being undervalued after a nice first season in Seattle … Flawed as he is, Gallo slugged 41 homers in 145 games last year. He’s capable of hitting more home runs than anyone this year, so he should have a spot in the top-100. You’ll have to balance your roster if you take him, but the eligibility between first base, third base, and the outfield leaves a lot of flexibility as you finish your draft … Margot flashed some nice across-the-board ability in his rookie season and has room for growth … It looks like Castellanos is finally putting it altogether and it helps that he’ll have dual-eligibility between the outfield and third base … No need to overthink things with Giles, who is comfortably a top-10 fantasy closer … Who knows if Price can stay healthy, but there’s not much risk in trying here. His upside remains considerable … In pure fantasy terms, I don’t see a ton of separation between Buster Posey (ranked No. 74th) and Realmuto, even taking into account the diminished supporting cast in Miami. And heck, maybe Realmuto is traded to a better situation during the year. Realmuto is an excellent value here, even in a single-catcher format … While we’re talking about value, getting Albies in the mid-to-late rounds would be a gift. Sure, it was only 57 games, but Albies put up an .810 OPS as a 20-year-old last year and should make an impact in all categories … Morton deserves more love after his long-awaited breakout last year … Suarez has made some legitimate changes with his approach, but he continues to be undervalued among third basemen …
Read the full column in the Rotoworld Baseball Draft Guide!
