[brid autoplay=”true” video=”379070″ player=”10951″ title=”2019 Razzball Draft Kit Draft This Not That”]
The best 2019 fantasy baseball team is a misnomer. Thankfully, none of us know what misnomer means. Sounds to me like someone tentatively wants to date the Travelocity Gnome’s daughter, “Miss Gnome, er, you wanna grab some boba and chill?” Miss Gnome brushes back her hair and bats her eyelashes that are almost as long as her two-and-half foot body, “I’d love to,” but her voice is high-pitched, which is a turn-off, so you cancel plans with her repeatedly until she gets the hint. Sorry, Miss Gnome, I like my women’s voices low like their stature. Any hoo! So the title is a bit of a superlative. What was I gonna say, “The Mostly Kinda Good Fantasy Baseball Team?” You’ll get over your scoffing; I have faith in you. This is the best 2019 fantasy baseball team that I can put together when drafting from my top 100 for 2019 fantasy baseball and top 500 for 2019 fantasy baseball. Honestly, I could draft another 25 teams from those lists, and they’d all be different, but equally terrific… Well, one of the twenty-five would only be sorta terrific, but it would be really hard to tell which one that is. If I took Adalberto Mondesi in the 2nd round, everything after would change. If I took Javier Baez in the 1st round, everything after would change. I’ve previously gone over my 2019 fantasy baseball draft prep for the first few rounds and pitchers pairings. For this exercise, I’m taking Trea Turner first, because, well, people complain I always did this post by taking Mike Trout first, so I’m switching it up, like when you combover right instead of left. Until pick 100, I’m taking one guy somewhere in every fifteen picks. It would be nice if I was in a league where someone drafted Scherzer and deGrom in the first two rounds and I was able to take Bryce Harper in the 2nd round (which is very likely), but since Treat Urner and him are in my first 14 picks, according to the rules I’ve set up for myself, I can’t take them both. Then, as we all know, once you get into the 100s, there’s wide gaps between ADP and where players are actually taken. People tend to look at team need over value. So for this exercise, once I get to pick #101, I’m going to pick two players every twenty picks. Finally, because there is so much latitude in the last 300, I gave myself free reign to fill up my team. Throughout the draft, I also gave myself the ability to reach to a lower draft pick, but not reach forward. Or reach around, if you’re feeling frisky. It should still be my ideal team… Or not. Let’s see, shall we? Bee tee dubya, this team is a 12-team, 5×5, one catcher, 5 OFs, MI, CI, 1 UT, 9 P, 3 bench, just like the Razzball Commenter Leagues (go sign up). Anyway, here’s the best 2019 fantasy baseball team:
C: Jorge Alfaro (22)
1B: Cody Bellinger (3)
2B: Rougned Odor (8)
SS: Trea Turner (1)
3B: Miguel Andujar (6)
MI: Jonathan Villar (7)
CI: Luke Voit (17)
OF: Aaron Judge (2)
OF: Michael Conforto (5)
OF: Harrison Bader (13)
OF: Ramon Laureano (15)
OF: Ian Happ (16)
UTIL: Nick Senzel (19)
P: Walker Buehler (4)
P: Shane Bieber (9)
P: Luis Castillo (10)
P: Sean Doolittle (11)
P: Jose Alvarado (12)
P: Nick Pivetta (14)
P: Matt Shoemaker (18)
P: Ross Stripling (20)
P: Brad Boxberger (21)
Bench: Dellin Betances (23), Diego Castillo (24), Pedro Strop (25)
SO, THIS TEAM IS BETTER THAN GETTING PAID BY THE GUY FROM THE FYRE FESTIVAL WHO PAYS IN ORAL SEX FAVORS, BUT IS THERE ANY CHANCE YOU CAN DRAFT THIS EXACT TEAM?
No. Sorry, I don’t mean to be short with you. Here, let me explain it to you with a long-form answer: Noooooooooooo. As I said in the opening, this is an exercise to give you an idea of a team I wouldn’t kick out of bed. With this exercise, I don’t look at ADP, so it’s nice that I think I can draft Walker Buehler at 47th overall, but he’s regularly being drafted prior to that. On the other hand, I can draft Adalberto Mondesi as late as 75th overall in some leagues, but since we were going off my rankings, I wasn’t able to draft him for this exercise. So, Grey’s rankings Gwyneth and they taketh away her acting career after the age of 40. Because I just have to share with you this little tidbit — a tiddiebittie? — my “best” team post last year was insane. I “drafted” Bellinger, Peraza, Bregman, Baez, Trout, Yelich, Severino, Snell and Corbin. If you couldn’t win a league last year with that foundation, I honestly couldn’t help you. Have you tried fantasy fishing? What this team should show in broad strokes — Did you get aroused when you read broad strokes? Gross! — this team shows how I build a team. Names change, but early on I’m looking at infield and outfield, while sprinkling in a pitcher here and there. I completely wait on relievers, taking one around 115-130 overall, then another between 150-200, then whenever I can after the top 200. I try to fill Utility with an upside bat in the very late rounds, knowing that I could drop him before the season even starts. Finally, I just grab a middle reliever or potential closer with the final picks, knowing I can drop them too. If you think you’re holding the last pick all year, you are milkshaken. Stupid, delicious typos!
PARDON ME, FANTASY MASTER LOTHARIO, BUT DID YOU FORGET TO DRAFT OUTFIELDERS?
Honestly, truthfully, not-lyingly, I like the upside gambles this year in outfield, as I did last year. I love middle infielders, think there’s some value where I grabbed corner infielders, but outfielders’ upside that’s where I wanna go, oh I want to take you down too Conforto– Okay, now I’m just singing Kokomo. I like to lock down a couple outfielders early, then gamble later. Plus, dropping an outfielder in the first few weeks after a draft goes hand-in-hand like toilet paper and poops. Just the nature of the beast, or the beast’s nature, if you will. Would I love to strike it rich on an outfielder? Or three? That’s the plan, Mr. Man. Am I super confident in Laureano, Bader and Happ? Well, I did write a Ramon Laureano sleeper, Harrison Bader sleeper, and told you I love Ian Happ in my top 20 3rd basemen, but they are gambles (unrelated to Rudy).
GREY, YOUR MUSTACHE IS YOGA PANTS ON THAT HOT MOM PICKING UP MY FRIEND FROM DETENTION, BUT WHAT GIVES WITH THE BENCH? NO BENCH BATS?
First off, welcome to the site. Get comfortable. That doesn’t mean put your feet on the furniture. What’s wrong with you? Why I’m saying welcome is I’ve been saying for years I don’t draft bench bats. If you didn’t know that, you’re new. It’s okay. We were all new once. Shoot, I love that new person smell. Don’t draft bench bats in 12 team and shallower leagues. They’re useless. You’re not going to hold them for longer than a few days after your draft. Now, if you draft a few middle relievers with your last few picks, maybe — just maybe — you’ll luck into a closer getting injured during the preseason, and, if that doesn’t work out, then you can drop the middle relievers without any hesitance. It’s more of a hindrance to have someone like, say, Kendrys Morales on your bench because, then this happens, “It looks like Will Smith might be hurt, who should I grab in the Giants’ bullpen for saves? Hmm…Actually, who should I drop? Should I drop Kendrys? He’s a solid counting stats guy who I could work into a rotation of utility bats– Forget it, it’s too late, someone else grabbed Mark Melancon.” And then Melancon goes on to save 40 games and win the Rollie Rolaids award. Oh, and in deeper leagues, bench bats are okay (within reason). This does not mean I wouldn’t own a bench bat all year, just no reason to draft one.
CAN I TAKE A PICTURE OF YOUR TEAM AND SEND IT TO MYSELF OVER ELECTRONIC MAIL AND PUT A RED FLAG ON THE EMAIL INDICATING IMPORTANT?
Yes, be my guest. The only thing is you don’t want to get too caught up in trying to replicate my draft because if someone else takes a guy you want, you’re gonna start scrambling and then sweating and then sharting your sweatpants. Just build the best team you can and use my example as a guide. For s’s and g’s, go to my top 500 and put your best fantasy baseball team into the comments below.
