Fantasy Baseball 2020 Running Thread

I've been doing a few mock drafts and, interestingly, the first player taken in every single one of them (five, I think) has been Ronald Acuna, Jr., not Mike Trout. First time since 2013 I can think of anyone besides Trout going first.

 

Who would you take? I haven't looked carefully yet.

 

Depends on the league I suppose. If you can keep them, I guess I'd take Acuna simply because of age. I haven't yet looked carefully at the differences between them either. I own Acuna in my keeper league and my dynasty league, so I'll have him for years to come regardless.

I've got the 12th pick in my keeper draft, so I'm looking at hopefully getting maybe a Verlander/Arenado combo. Both fell to me in the mock drafts I've done. They may not be available in my keeper league because guys like Betts and Bellinger, who both went earlier, are going to be among the keepers unavailable in the first round.

 

Making keeper decisions here ...
Is there a lot of difference between Wilson Ramos ($18 keeper price) and Omar Narvaez ($6)? At first blush, it doesn't look like Ramos is so much better that he would be worth three times the keeping price, even with the catcher market being crap.

 

Narvaez seems like a no-brainer. He hit 22 homers in Seattle. Imagine what he can do at whatever the fuck they're calling Miller Park these days.

 

Ramos has more of a track record. Navaez hadn't even been a full-time starter before last season and I think he's going to regress some. I think Ramos is a very safe bet to hit as long as he is healthy. The same is not true of Navaez.

Given the difference in salary, I'd take the risk with Navaez. I'm not usually a big fan of tying up a lot of value in catchers, especially in single-catcher leagues, so better to keep the price down and put your resources elsewhere.

 

My potential keeper price on Doolittle has risen to $20. Ugh. Though there isn't a whole lot out there on the wire and my other two guys Treinin at $18 and one of Tampa's million dudes are unkeepable. May have to hold onto Mr. Doolittle.

 

How many guys do you keep? Maybe you shouldn't keep any closers.

I've gone that route in keeper leagues quite a few times. Relief pitching is so volatile that you can often find closers during the season.

 

We can keep as many as we want within our $300 budget. You may be right here. I can probably get him (or someone similar) for cheaper on the open market. I did that last year with Semien. I had him the year before but didn't want to pay $10 to keep him, and got him for $1 later in the draft. I'll definitely keep him this year for $6. Great value there.

 

I rarely keep relievers. As OOP noted, they can be so volatile from year to year, it's tough to pay sizable money for them. Outside of someone like Chapman, I'd avoid spending much on a closer.

That said, I'll probably keep Liam Hendricks and Edwin Diaz this season at $3 each. I'm wondering if I should keep AJ Puk at $3 as either a handcuff to Hendricks or to see if he ends up starting. Anybody know Oakland's plan for him?

 

I thought they were looking at Puk as a starter, though I'm not sure if that is set in stone.

Hendricks is a good risk at that price. He's got a great K-rate to go with the success of last season. Diaz is a tough call, but he was by far the most valuable relief pitcher in the game just two years ago. I'd take him at $3.

My money league has limited spots as well as auction prices. I kept a closer because I had Hader at $18. Once you get past the elite guys, it's all about finding relievers you can trust. That doesn't always mean a guy who has closed for years. Maybe it is a guy who closed only one season, but he has multiple years as a dominant middle guy before that. Because stability is tough to find in the bullpen, it has value. That's why I spent on Roberto Osuna in my auction. He has been remarkably consistent for all five of his major-league seasons.

 

Yeah, if you have one of the few consistent guys, they're worth it. Both of my leagues count holds, so I rarely spend for a closer. One is SV+H, so there's fundamentally no difference between a closer and middle reliever except that saves are a bit more consistent. The other is a points league and holds are worth 5 points compared to 7 for a save. I'd rather get a discount 8th-inning guy and hope he ends up in the closer role.