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This was the hardest draft of my life. I kid sometimes you can draft something like four of five guys in my top 20 overall, unless you’re in a league with 11 other Greys. Well, this league felt like I was in a league with 14 other Greys. This draft was like everyone was sitting in my head and moving my arms and I was Howdy Doody and my team turned to doodie and GET OUT OF MY HEAD, I scream as I take two Dusty Baker collectible toothpicks and jam them into my ears. Honestly, this league kinda filled me with joy. Y’all are so good. I was very impressed with everyone’s drafting. No teams jumped out as complete messes. Well, except for mine. It was like you flew out of the nest, turned around to me your Daddy Bird, smiled, and then motioned for a woodpecker to take out my branch so I would fall to my death. Why are you working with woodpeckers behind my back?! (By the by, we just added ten more RCL leagues due to demand — Play against a hundred of your greatest frenemies! — signups) Anyway, here’s my 15-team, mixed league, NFBC Draft Champions recap:

C: Carson Kelly – 16
C: Tom Murphy – 21
1B: Jose Abreu – 2
2B: Brandon Lowe – 5
SS: Fernando Tatis Jr. – 1, 5
3B: Tommy Edman – 9
CI: J.D. Davis – 18
MI: Jorge Polanco – 14
OF: Charlie Blackmon – 4
OF: Kyle Lewis – 7
OF: Clint Frazier – 12
OF: Jarred Kelenic – 15
OF: Hunter Renfroe – 20
UTIL: Willie Calhoun – 23
Bench: Tim Locastro, Colin Moran, Nico Hoerner, Josh Rojas, Anthony Alford, Pavin Smith, Johan Camargo, Jose Garcia, Lane Thomas, Julio Rodriguez, Bradley Zimmer, Christin Stewart, Erik Gonzalez

P: Luis Castillo – 3
P: Jose Berrios – 6
P: Kenley Jansen – 8
P: Sandy Alcantara – 10
P: Tyler Mahle – 11
P: Marcus Stroman – 13
P: Michael Pineda – 17
P: Daniel Bard – 19
P: Tarik Skubal – 22
Bench: Adbert Alzolay, Nate Pearson, MacKenzie Gore, Trevor May, Alex Wood, Aaron Sanchez, Rafael Dolis, Tanner Houck, Clarke Schmidt, Joely Rodriguez, Jaime Barria, Miguel Yajure

UHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Okay, lay it on me, you very loud and bolded inner monologue.

WHAT DO THE WAR ROOM TOTALS SAY?

HAHAHAHAHA, YO, DID YOU AT LEAST GET CONSENT FROM THE POOCH PRIOR TO THE SCREWING?

As everyone knows, I use Rudy’s War Room for every draft. You can too — comes with the Razzball subscriptions. It doesn’t mean I follow all the rankings and projections in the War Room. I have my own thoughts. I mean, I need finger replacement surgery after writing 50,000 words about my own thoughts in the 2021 fantasy baseball rankings. I usually don’t differ a ton. Some? Sure. This draft seemed to highlight every guy I like vs. the War Room. So, why such discrepnancy?

KYLE LEWIS.

Kyle Lewis.

YUP.

Yup.

ARE YOU COPYING ME?

Are you–

STOP IT!

Kyle Lewis is hated by the War Room. It’s hated by a lot of fantasy baseballers (<–my mom’s term!). I write most of my rankings in the offseason vs. the preseason. The offseason turns to the preseason on January 1st, for those keeping track. I write my sleepers way before that, usually in October/November. Usually I can read the room in the offseason, and know how people are gonna think. Kyle Lewis has surprised me. If I thought I was going to get as much push back on Kyle Lewis in the preseason, I would’ve wrote a Kyle Lewis sleeper in the offseason. He kills my hitting, according to the War Room. It might be worthwhile to do a post where I point out where I vary wildly from Rudy/Steamer (which fuels the War Room). The War Room has Kyle Lewis at 275 overall, and producing less than Orlando Arcia. A few other guys I grabbed here that the War Room hates? It ranks Jarred Kelenic around 4oo overall, producing negative value, or the same as Tyler Alexander. Who? Exactly! Tom Murphy is a negative six dollar value on the War Room, same as Ben Bowden. Is that…a football coach? I have no idea. Even guys it kinda likes, it likes less than me. Clint Frazier is ranked the same as Hunter Renfroe and 30 spots after Justin Upton. Mmkay. Or get this one….It likes Lorenzo Cain but not Clint Frazier. Or this one: Scott Kingery is ranked in the 700s on the War Room. Cmon. He had Covid last year, and everyone loved him going into last year. Oscar Mercado is another one. These guys are just written off due to one bad two-month goof of a season? Answer for your crimes, War Room!

NOW I’M FIRED UP TOO! GET THAT WAR ROOM’S ASS!

Ya know what’s wild?

THAT GIRL IN COLLEGE YOU THOUGHT WAS A PRUDE?

Um, no. What? No, what’s wild is Daniel Bard is like the only pitcher the War Room likes more than me. It hates my pitching staff. Like despises. I think this is the strongest pitching staff I’ve ever drafted in a Draft Champions league. And all praise to Allah I didn’t draft Carlos Carrasco in one league. Side note: I haven’t moved Carrasco in my rankings yet, because we’re still waiting to hear on his elbow, but I would not draft him at this point. So, I jumped the gun on Luis Castillo because I was anticipating a pitching run, and could already tell everyone in my league was going to like the same pitchers as me. I feared if I waited, I was going to have Berrios as my ace, which I didn’t want. I like him, but he’s a #2 in my eyes. Then I did the same with the closers. I took a top closer (in my eyes). Oh, and I love Stroman, wrote a Tyler Mahle sleeper and nearly wrote a Sandy Alcantara sleeper, and like Pineda and Adbert and, well, I love that pitching staff. But woofy woofy woof on those War Room totals for my pitching. But this is why it’s important to know who you like and why. The War Room thinks Sandy Alcantara is worse than Vince Velasquez. Mitch, please.

SO WHAT CONCLUSIONS CAN WE DRAW FROM THIS? YOUR TEAM WILL INEVITABLY SUCK?

Excuse me, I don’t do bad in this league.

*ROLLS EYES*

Usually. Here’s a War Room totals from a nearly identical set-up league (this league has waivers, and goes 30 rounds vs. 50, but it’s 15-team, mixed).

See, I can play nice in the sand box, too. Most importantly, draft the team you want, and don’t get in a league with 14 other me’s.