Live Draft Grades

On Wednesday evening, all eyes in the fantasy baseball community turned live to the NBC Sports YouTube and NBC Sports EDGE Twitch Channels as 12 of the top experts in the industry -- including six from NBC Sports EDGE -- assembled for a 5x5 mixed league draft.

Editor’s Note: You can watch the full replay here!

I was bestowed with the honor and privilege of critiquing and assigning draft grades to each of these All-Star participants. Now full disclosure here, my background is primarily in 15-team NFBC-style mixed leagues with much deeper rosters than this draft, so at a glance each of these rosters looked outstanding. As you’ll see though, I tried to be fair and unbiased in my in-depth critiques and analyses -- some teams definitely stood out and distinguished themselves (both good and bad).

Before I did a deep dive into these rosters, I felt like pointing out just a couple of things that I would have attempted to prioritize if competing in this league -- or this type of league. In the current fantasy baseball landscape as a whole, pitching (especially elite starting pitching) continues to get pushed up higher and higher each season. This year, it seems to even be ratcheted up a bit more. Combine that trend with the fact that this particular setup utilizes only 10 hitters in a starting lineup vs. eight pitchers -- and I would have absolutely hammered the elite pitching in the early rounds here. [[ad:athena]]

When you’re only starting three outfielders and one player at each infield position (as opposed to also having to start an additional middle and a corner), the replacement level production on offense across the board is going to be much higher than the bottom of the pitching barrel. Also, perhaps it’s just my personal preference, but I would have prioritized grabbing a pair of elite closers as well given the fact that there is just so much uncertainty at the position this year and so many bullpens that are going to utilize some sort of committee approach rather than one guy owning the role. To me, there’s maybe 10 or 11 closers that really distinguish themselves from the pack this season, so nabbing a pair from that group may provide a significant EDGE.

Alright, let’s get to it!

This is all based on standard 5x5 fantasy scoring with the following roster setup: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, UTIL, UTIL, SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, RP, P, P, BN, BN.

Team 1 (Drew Silva - NBC Sports EDGE)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	1	Ronald Acuna Jr.	OF
2	24	Cody Bellinger	1B/OF
3	25	Max Scherzer	SP
4	48	Corey Seager	SS
5	49	Whit Merrifield	2B/OF
6	72	Sonny Gray	SP
7	73	Eugenio Suarez	3B
8	96	Zack Greinke	SP
9	97	Ian Anderson	SP
10	120	Willson Contreras	C
11	121	Charlie Blackmon	OF
12	144	Nick Anderson	RP
13	145	Craig Kimbrel	RP
14	168	Franmil Reyes	OF
15	169	Rafael Montero	RP
16	192	Jordan Montgomery	SP
17	193	German Marquez	SP
18	216	Eric Hosmer	1B
19	217	Anthony Bass	RP
20	240	Jonathan Villar	2B/SS

Team Overview: Overall, this looks like a pretty strong squad to me. Obviously starting off with Ronald Acuna Jr. provides a massive boost in both power and speed and following that up with Cody Bellinger compounds that advantage. I like that any batting average risk that was taken on with those first two hitters was addressed by adding Whit Merrifield and Corey Seager right after as that quartet compliments each other very nicely. I love the closers as a whole -- while he didn’t fish in the elite tier, Drew was able to land three guys who should see the bulk of the save chances for their respective clubs -- which makes this one of the strongest groups in the draft. Starting pitching looks to be a bit light for a 12-teamer, which I think he knew would happen after waiting until the sixth round to get his SP2. I’m a big believer in Ian Anderson though and Zack Greinke is as solid as they come, so adding that pair helps, but it’s just not enough to vault this team to the top of the heap.

Favorite pick(s): Nabbing Corey Seager at pick 48 -- a full round after his ADP -- after his insane postseason prowess is a tremendous get. I like the discounts on Whit Merrifield and Charlie Blackmon as well. I’m a big fan of Jonathan Villar in the last round as he has shown the upside to perform as a potential first rounder on multiple occasions and could wind up delivering enormous profit from that spot if he manages to secure everyday at-bats.

Least-favorite pick(s): There’s not a whole lot to dislike here. If anything, Jordan Montgomery looks like a bit of a reach to me -- seems more like the type of pitcher that could have been had in the final round or could wind up as more of a streaming option. I think there were better investments at SP available at that point in the draft.

Grade: B

Team 2 (Sarah Langs - MLB.com)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	2	Juan Soto	OF
2	23	Jack Flaherty	SP
3	26	Bo Bichette	SS
4	47	Lance Lynn	SP
5	50	Jose Abreu	1B
6	71	Salvador Perez	C
7	74	Edwin Diaz	RP
8	95	Anthony Rizzo	1B
9	98	Matt Chapman	3B
10	119	Jean Segura	2B/3B/SS
11	122	Jeff McNeil	2B/3B/OF
12	143	Dominic Smith	1B/OF
13	146	Triston McKenzie	SP
14	167	Marcus Stroman	SP
15	170	Mark Melancon	RP
16	191	Ryan Yarbrough	SP/RP
17	194	Jake Cronenworth	1B/2B/SS
18	215	Andres Gimenez	2B/3B/SS
19	218	Zach Davies	SP
20	239	Donovan Solano	2B/3B/SS

Team Overview: Good or bad, one thing that Sarah did here was throw ADP out the window and get the players that she wanted. I love that type of conviction. Ultimately, her fate in this league will be determined by whether she was right or wrong in those choices. I love the base -- I think the first seven rounds are terrific with a pair of aces, an elite closer and four strong bats. It gets a bit dicey for me after that, as all but three players the rest of the way were taken around two rounds ahead of ADP, with some being six or seven rounds. Even if Andres Gimenez opens the season in the big leagues, I don’t think there’s enough speed here to avoid finishing in the bottom third in that category. Edwin Diaz is an elite closer, but he’s going to have a hard time keeping pace in saves single-handedly as I don’t see Melancon getting many chances in San Diego. The starting pitching staff also feels light on strikeouts.

Favorite pick(s): Absolutely love taking Juan Soto at pick two. He’s truly a generational talent and just an absolute delight to watch at the plate. You want to avoid risk at all costs with your early round selections, and as long as he’s healthy there’s no real performance risk at all with Soto -- he’s going to hit. I love the Abreu pick in round five and Diaz in round seven. I’m not a huge Jeff McNeil guy, but I think he’s a steal in the 11th round.

Least-favorite pick(s): Jean Segura looks like someone who was simply taken way too early here. There’s a very high likelihood that he would’ve still been available four or five rounds later. Adding another high-end bat or a stronger SP3 in that spot would’ve really helped. Melancon looks like he was taken far too early as well -- though that’s with my assumption that he doesn’t wind up in the ninth inning in San Diego. Zach Davies and Donovan Solano look like throw-aways to me -- players who shouldn’t really have gone inside the top 240 players overall. Solano especially, as even in a best case scenario he provides nothing more than an empty batting average.

Grade: C

Team 3 (Christopher Crawford - NBC Sports EDGE)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	3	Fernando Tatis Jr.	SS
2	22	Lucas Giolito	SP
3	27	Clayton Kershaw	SP
4	46	Marcell Ozuna	OF
5	51	Liam Hendriks	RP
6	70	Luke Voit	1B
7	75	Hyun Jin Ryu	SP
8	94	Nelson Cruz	UTIL
9	99	Michael Conforto	OF
10	118	Alec Bohm	1B/3B
11	123	Devin Williams	RP
12	142	Alex Verdugo	OF
13	147	Michael Brantley	OF
14	166	Drew Pomeranz	RP/SP
15	171	Tyler Mahle	SP
16	190	James McCann	C
17	195	Gavin Lux	2B
18	214	Nick Solak	2B/3B/OF
19	219	Ha-seong Kim	2B/SS
20	238	Daniel Bard	RP

Team Overview: If we’re being honest, I really love what Christopher did with this draft. He attacked starting pitching early -- getting a pair of legitimate aces in Lucas Giolito and Clayton Kershaw, then followed them up with Hyun Jin Ryu. He also grabbed the top overall closer in Liam Hendriks and a second stud reliever in Devin Williams. Fernando Tatis Jr. provides a tremendous five-category base to build around on offense. Rather than sticking with the diversified build on offense though, he attacked power with Marcell Ozuna, Luke Voit, Nelson Cruz, Michael Conforto and Alec Bohm. The one gripe is that there’s not enough speed here, but with as strong as the rest of the offense looks, it may not be needed.

Favorite pick(s): Getting Giolito at pick 22 is a nice value. I really like that he jumped Liam Hendriks to get him at pick 51 and lock in that elite closer. He then sat back and took what the draft gave him for a while, snatching up nice discounts on Michael Conforto and Alec Bohm. I also love the late-round additions of Nick Solak and Ha-seong Kim as they fit the high-upside profile that you should be looking for at that stage of the draft.

Least-favorite pick(s): There’s really not much to dislike here, I’m picking nits more than anything. I like the skill set of Drew Pomeranz, but maybe he was taken a round or two prematurely. There aren’t any Mariners on this team, which seems like an oddity for Mr. Crawford. Aside from that, I’ve got no gripes.

Grade: A

Team 4 (Howard Bender - Fantasy Alarm)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	4	Mookie Betts	OF
2	21	Aaron Nola	SP
3	28	Rafael Devers	3B
4	45	George Springer	OF
5	52	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	1B/3B
6	69	Ketel Marte	2B/SS/OF
7	76	Jose Berrios	SP
8	93	Jesus Luzardo	SP/RP
9	100	Giancarlo Stanton	OF
10	117	Joe Musgrove	SP
11	124	Travis d’Arnaud	C/1B
12	141	Sixto Sanchez	SP
13	148	Ramon Laureano	OF
14	165	Tommy Edman	2B/3B/SS/OF
15	172	Joakim Soria	RP
16	189	Amir Garrett	RP
17	196	Leody Taveras	OF
18	213	Domingo German	SP
19	220	Tejay Antone	SP/RP
20	237	Stefan Crichton	RP

Team Overview: Overall this looks like a team that was very well thought out and nicely constructed. Like many that we have seen in this draft, there may be a bit of a deficiency in speed overall, though Howard made a concerted effort to add more speed in the second half of the draft. I love that there was a plan in place, as he knew that he needed to jump certain guys that fit his draft plan and didn’t hesitate to do so. After passing on all of the elite and stable closers early on, he targeted both sides of the ninth-inning battle in Arizona to almost assuredly end up with one. Also, the types of starting pitchers that he added late -- Domingo German and Tejay Antone -- have the talent to break the mold and provide unthinkable profit from those spots if things go as planned.

Favorite pick(s): I don’t know if it was the plan all along, but being able to acquire Sixto Sanchez as an SP5 and pick 141 is pretty ridiculous. Love the late gambles in German and Antone as well as picking up Amir Garrett as the most likely candidate to win the role in Cinci.

Least-favorite pick(s): I can’t really find fault in any of the picks that were way above ADP, as there are strong reasons supporting most of them. The one that I would like to have back if I were him though is Rafael Devers. Now, I’m one of the biggest Devers supporters there is, but at pick 28 there were a few better all-around five-category contributors available that would have potentially made the team look better as a whole.

Grade: B+

Team 5 (Jen Piacenti - Fantasy Alarm)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	5	Mike Trout	OF
2	20	Bryce Harper	OF
3	29	Luis Castillo	SP
4	44	Starling Marte	OF
5	53	Xander Bogaerts	SS
6	68	Carlos Carrasco	SP/RP
7	77	Yoan Moncada	3B
8	92	Brad Hand	RP
9	101	Wil Myers	1B/OF
10	116	Lance McCullers Jr.	SP
11	125	Mike Moustakas	1B/2B/3B
12	140	Christian Vazquez	C/1B
13	149	Marcus Semien	SS
14	164	David Price	SP
15	173	Taylor Rogers	RP
16	188	Andrew Heaney	SP
17	197	AJ Pollock	OF
18	212	Jarred Kelenic	OF
19	221	Nathan Eovaldi	SP/RP
20	236	Max Kepler	OF

Team Overview: It’s difficult to criticize taking Mike Trout at pick five overall, so I’m not going to do that -- even though I would have gone with Jacob deGrom or even Gerrit Cole out of that spot instead. Through six rounds this team looked like a boss -- with two strong starters in Carlos Carrasco and Luis Castillo to go along with a very strong offensive base. I like getting Brad Hand as an elite closer in round eight, though I would have preferred to see a better second closer than Taylor Rogers who is going to be sharing the job with Alex Colome in Minnesota. Overall this team has the tools to compete.

Favorite pick(s): Getting Xander Bogaerts at pick 53 looks like highway robbery to me. I’m also a huge fan of stealing Marcus Semien all the way down at pick 149. I advocate for taking starting pitching early, and the duo of Luis Castillo and Carlos Carrasco certainly fits the bill. Lance McCullers looks to be a bit weak as an SP3, though David Price behind him helps as a depth piece. I also love the Jarred Kelenic pick, as that’s the type of upside that you’re shooting for in the final rounds of these types of drafts.

Least-favorite pick(s): I can’t really find a good reason for jumping Andrew Heaney nearly three rounds up the board. Wil Myers seems like a stretch at pick 101 as well, he’s someone who likely could have been had at least a round or two later.

Grade: B

Team 6 (Ian Kahn - The Athletic)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	6	Jacob deGrom	SP
2	19	Adalberto Mondesi	SS
3	30	Kyle Tucker	OF
4	43	Aaron Judge	OF
5	54	Stephen Strasburg	SP
6	67	Pete Alonso	1B
7	78	Aroldis Chapman	RP
8	91	Lourdes Gurriel Jr.	2B/OF
9	102	Ryan Pressly	RP
10	115	Kenley Jansen	RP
11	126	Joey Gallo	OF
12	139	Sandy Alcantara	SP
13	150	Gary Sanchez	C
14	163	Shohei Ohtani	SP
15	174	Aaron Civale	SP
16	187	Josh Donaldson	3B
17	198	Jared Walsh	1B
18	211	Jameson Taillon	SP
19	222	David Fletcher	2B/3B/SS/OF
20	235	Yusei Kikuchi	SP

Team Overview: Now this here is someone who understood the league format and knew the best way to attack the player pool. Ian made closers a priority in this draft, landing a stellar trio of Aroldis Chapman, Ryan Pressly and Kenley Jansen. They’re joined by a strong starting pitcher duo of Jacob deGrom and Stephen Strasburg and then fortified with savvy additions later. Adalberto Mondesi provides killer base in speed, Kyle Tucker is a potential monster in the making and there’s power for days between Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, Joey Gallo and Gary Sanchez. The only obvious concern for this team is batting average -- which is highly variable anyways -- but that’s likely the one category that he’ll finish near the bottom of the pack.

Favorite pick(s): There’s a whole lot to like with this team. I like jumping Adalberto Mondesi at pick 19 as it seems like his speed was a focus on how Ian wanted to assemble his roster. I’m also a fan of reaching to grab Aaron Judge to help offset Mondesi’s deficiencies. I love Aaron Civale in round 15 and think that although it looks like a reach according to ADP, Jared Walsh is going to wind up looking like an unbelievable value from that draft spot in round 17.

Least-favorite pick(s): It’s difficult to try to critique a strength of a team by saying I didn’t like the pick, but hear me out. Given the batting average risk that had already been taken on earlier in the draft, I may not have jumped Joey Gallo as far as Ian did -- or may have avoided Gary Sanchez a few rounds later. There’s just so much power up and down this roster, that he still would be likely to finish near the top of the league in home runs, while hopefully doing something to improve in batting average rather than taking the category completely.

Grade: A

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Team 7 (Scott Pianowski - Yahoo Sports)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	7	Gerrit Cole	SP
2	18	Manny Machado	3B/SS
3	31	Alex Bregman	3B/SS
4	42	DJ LeMahieu	1B/2B/3B
5	55	Randy Arozarena	OF
6	66	Kyle Hendricks	SP
7	79	Cavan Biggio	2B/3B/OF
8	90	Zack Wheeler	SP
9	103	Trent Grisham	OF
10	114	Max Fried	SP
11	127	Mike Yastrzemski	OF
12	138	Dansby Swanson	SS
13	151	Alex Colome	RP
14	162	Kyle Lewis	OF
15	175	Richard Rodriguez	RP
16	186	Dallas Keuchel	SP
17	199	Mitch Garver	C
18	210	Greg Holland	RP
19	223	Andrew McCutchen	OF
20	234	Yimi Garcia	RP

Team Overview: As is typically the case with teams that Scott builds, it’s incredibly solid from top to bottom. There are no real noticeable weaknesses. I know that he was hoping to start with Jacob deGrom from the seventh spot, but Gerrit Cole is not a bad consolation prize. Even after waiting a bit on SP2, Kyle Hendricks, Zack Wheeler and Max Fried provide a very strong top four. The offense is balanced from top to bottom and looks like it should be very competitive.

Favorite pick(s): There’s a lot to like here, but specifically rounds 9 and 10 are where Scott cleaned up in this one. Nabbing Trent Grisham at three rounds past his ADP is outright lunacy. Following that up by having Max Fried fall into your lap and nearly four rounds after his ADP is just stunning. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t once again declare my love for Randy Arozarena and explain how I think he’s going to wind up performing as a first or second rounder this season. DJ LeMahieu also a nice value at pick 42.

Least-favorite pick(s): While I like Kyle Hendricks and agree that he’s often undervalued every single season, even I’m not jumping him up to pick 66. I just think there are better options available in that spot that would make a better SP2. I’m not in on Mike Yastrzemski this year in general, but certainly not as high as pick 127.

Grade: B+

Team 8 (Ryan Boyer - NBC Sports EDGE)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	8	Shane Bieber	SP
2	17	Francisco Lindor	SS
3	32	Eloy Jimenez	OF
4	41	Kenta Maeda	SP/RP
5	56	Yordan Alvarez	OF
6	65	Keston Hiura	2B
7	80	Paul Goldschmidt	1B
8	89	J.D. Martinez	OF
9	104	Trevor Rosenthal	RP
10	113	Charlie Morton	SP
11	128	Ke’Bryan Hayes	3B
12	137	Yasmani Grandal	C/1B
13	152	Jordan Hicks	RP
14	161	Dylan Moore	2B/3B/SS/OF
15	176	Mike Soroka	SP
16	185	Elieser Hernandez	SP/RP
17	200	Eduardo Rodriguez	SP
18	209	Jose Leclerc	RP/SP
19	224	Chris Sale	SP
20	233	Justus Sheffield	SP

Team Overview: Ryan’s another drafter who seems to have taken my suggestions and recommendations to heart -- even though I didn’t post them until well after the draft. He secured two elite closers who are likely to hold down the jobs for their respective clubs in Trevor Rosenthal and Jordan Hicks. He’s got a very strong starting pitching base with Shane Bieber and Kenta Maeda -- complimented nicely with Charlie Morton as an SP3. He also took advantage of the funky position eligibility rules on Yahoo to snare both J.D. Martinez and Yordan Alvarez -- both eligible in the outfield instead of UTIL only. The only area that looks very thin on this team is stolen bases.

Favorite pick(s): Perhaps it’s just due to the fact that ADP hasn’t corrected quickly enough, but Trevor Rosenthal looks like an absolute steal at pick 104. It wouldn’t shock me at all to see him well inside the top 80 picks overall when all is said and done at the end of March. There’s also good value in the Dylan Moore selection.

Least-favorite pick(s): This one really depends on the league settings that we’re dealing with here, but my least favorite pick on this squad is probably Chris Sale. That’s under the assumption that there are no IL spots available to stash him for the first half of the season. If there are IL spots, then he instead makes for a tremendous addition at that stage.

Grade: A-

Team 9 (Dalton Del Don - Yahoo Sports)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	9	Trevor Bauer	SP
2	16	Walker Buehler	SP
3	33	Tyler Glasnow	SP
4	40	Corbin Burnes	SP/RP
5	57	J.T. Realmuto	C
6	64	Javier Baez	SS
7	81	James Karinchak	RP
8	88	Jose Altuve	2B
9	105	Kris Bryant	3B/OF
10	112	Kirby Yates	RP
11	129	Victor Robles	OF
12	136	Kevin Gausman	SP
13	153	Tommy Pham	OF
14	160	Josh Bell	1B
15	177	Jake McGee	RP
16	184	Zach Eflin	SP
17	201	Shohei Ohtani	UTIL
18	208	C.J. Cron	1B
19	225	Jake Odorizzi	SP
20	232	Kyle Schwarber	OF

Team Overview: Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner! At least, as to how I would have approached this draft. Dalton took the idea of attacking starting pitching in this draft to a whole new level, spending his first four picks to acquire an unbelievably front four of Trevor Bauer, Walker Buehler, Corbin Burnes and Tyler Glasnow. That’ll certainly play. He then locked up the far and away consensus top catcher in J.T. Realmuto, a pair of strong closers in James Karinchak and Kirby Yates, and all sorts of power and speed spliced throughout. Extremely well done.

Favorite pick(s): There really is a whole lot to like here, so it’s difficult to single out particular picks. Rounds 10-14 really solidify this team and bring it all together, adding the second stud closer in Yates, the speed with Robles and Pham, the power with Bell and a ridiculously good SP5 in Gausman. I also love Zach Eflin in round 16.

Least-favorite pick(s): The only one that’s standing out to me as not fitting in with the rest is Jake McGee at pick 177. That’s even with the assumption that he’s probably the favorite for saves in San Francisco, I still think that he could have waited a couple of rounds before pulling the trigger there.

Grade: A+

Team 10 (Corey Parson - NBC Sports EDGE)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	10	Trea Turner	SS
2	15	Freddie Freeman	1B
3	34	Luis Robert	OF
4	39	Nolan Arenado	3B
5	58	Blake Snell	SP
6	63	Gleyber Torres	2B/SS
7	82	Zach Plesac	SP
8	87	Nick Castellanos	OF
9	106	Teoscar Hernandez	OF
10	111	Dylan Bundy	SP
11	130	Matt Olson	1B
12	135	Patrick Corbin	SP
13	154	Rhys Hoskins	1B
14	159	Marco Gonzales	SP
15	178	Dylan Carlson	OF
16	183	Chris Bassitt	SP
17	202	Sean Murphy	C
18	207	Didi Gregorius	SS
19	226	Dustin May	SP/RP
20	231	Matt Barnes	RP

Team Overview: Well, it’s not the style of team or the roster construction that I would use, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work. Corey started off with a huge focus on offense, landing Trea Turner, Freddie Freeman, Luis Robert and Nolan Arenado to form one of the strongest foursomes in the league. There’s power and speed aplenty there, and that only gets magnified throughout the draft. He’ll have to trust his pitching depth and get some stellar performances from Zach Plesac and company to make the starting pitching work, but the offense is good enough to compete now. It looks like Corey plans to punt the saves category, otherwise he’ll be working all season to try to find someone to assist Matt Barnes.

Favorite pick(s): In a 12-team, one-catcher league, landing Sean Murphy in the 17th round is about as good as it gets in terms of waiting on the position and landing a fallback option. Grabbing Teoscar Hernandez outside the top 100 players overall is a terrific get. I also like the discounts on Matt Olson, Didi Gregorius and Matt Barnes.

Least-favorite pick(s): Personally, I’m not very high on Rhys Hoskins this year, so I don’t condone paying above the going market rate to get him. Aside from that, I don’t really have any complaints.

Grade: B-

Team 11 (Matthew Pouliot - NBC Sports EDGE)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	11	Trevor Story	SS
2	14	Jose Ramirez	3B
3	35	Zac Gallen	SP
4	38	Ozzie Albies	2B
5	59	Dinelson Lamet	SP
6	62	Byron Buxton	OF
7	83	Chris Paddack	SP
8	86	Ian Happ	2B/3B/OF
9	107	Jose Urquidy	SP
10	110	Will Smith	C
11	131	Eddie Rosario	OF
12	134	Carlos Correa	SS
13	155	Jorge Soler	OF
14	158	Ryan Mountcastle	1B/OF
15	179	Will Smith	RP
16	182	Drew Smyly	SP
17	203	Giovanny Gallegos	RP
18	206	Nick Senzel	OF
19	227	Ryan McMahon	1B/2B/3B
20	230	Adam Ottavino	RP

Team Overview: I will say this about Matthew, probably more so than any other fantasy manager in this draft, he’s not afraid to jump to get his guys. Eight of his 20 picks in this draft he jumped by nearly two rounds or more compared to their ADP, and many of them were significantly more. He built a stellar base on offense through his first three hitters with Trevor Story, Jose Ramirez and Ozzie Albies. It looks like he more or less punted relief pitching, as he has three different relief pitchers -- none of which are likely to close for their home clubs on Opening Day.

Favorite pick(s): I think he really killed it rounds 10-14 in this draft, taking the falling value wherever it was on the board. Specifically, Eddie Rosario, Carlos Correa and Ryan Mountcastle all look like they could deliver substantial profit.

Least-favorite pick(s): There’s reaching to get your guys, and then there’s reeeeaaaachhhhiiinnnngg to get your guys. In my opinion, Matthew did the latter in this case -- paying exorbitant premiums for Dinelson Lamet, Byron Buxton, Ian Happ and Jose Urquidy. Lamet specifically is polarizing around the industry this season, as he’s a complete avoid for some (me) but being propped up by many others. I just feel that’s a lot of unnecessary risk to take on for an SP2.

Grade: B

Team 12 (D.J. Short - NBC Sports EDGE)

Round	Pick	Player	Position(s)
1	12	Christian Yelich	OF
2	13	Yu Darvish	SP
3	36	Brandon Woodruff	SP
4	37	Anthony Rendon	3B
5	60	Tim Anderson	SS
6	61	Josh Hader	RP
7	84	Brandon Lowe	1B/2B/OF
8	85	Raisel Iglesias	RP
9	108	Austin Meadows	OF
10	109	Max Muncy	1B/2B/3B
11	132	Julio Urias	SP/RP
12	133	Pablo Lopez	SP
13	156	Austin Nola	C/1B/2B
14	157	Frankie Montas	SP
15	180	Clint Frazier	OF
16	181	Corey Kluber	SP
17	204	Justin Turner	3B
18	205	Archie Bradley	RP
19	228	Tony Gonsolin	SP/RP
20	229	Anthony Santander	OF

Team Overview: Last, but certainly not least, we come to D.J. He’s another fantasy manager who appeared to follow my initial recommendations, and because of it I love how his team turned out. Rather than going too heavy in one direction or the other, D.J. split his first four picks between hitting and pitching, locking up a pair of aces in Yu Darvish and Brandon Woodruff, a five-category monster in Christian Yelich and solid across the board production from Anthony Rendon. He also invested heavily at closer, nabbing two elite options in Josh Hader and Raisel Iglesias. There’s a lot to like here.

Favorite pick(s): My favorite pick from this team, and maybe in the entire draft, is Austin Meadows. He was already going way too late in drafts before he started crushing baseballs over the fence in Grapefruit League play, yet somehow he fell nearly two rounds past his ADP in this draft, allowing D.J. to score a tremendous discount. I also really like the value on Tim Anderson, Corey Kluber and Brandon Lowe.

Least-favorite pick(s): There’s nothing really that’s jumping off the page to me as a bad buy here. I’m not a huge Anthony Rendon guy, but I understand the pick at that price. Maybe I wouldn’t have thrown a dart in the 19th round at Tony Gonsolin, but if he winds up landing in the Dodgers rotation for any extended period of time he’s going to deliver substantial profit.

Grade: A-