I got to transfer into the Tout Wars Draft And Hold League for the 2023 season because non-waiver leagues are my jam. It was an absolute grind in every sense. The typical values you get used to, especially on rookies, were not there. It was a long draft with evolving values. The scarcest positions got hit hardest. Here’s how each position shook out for me.
C
Logan O’Hoppe (258)
Ryan Jeffers (558)
Bo Naylor (373)
Francisco Alvarez (403)
This was the scene of my biggest transgression. I passed on Tyler Stephenson at 10.138 over concerns that my RBIs were light and took C.J. Cron. Gonna regret that more than signing up for a one week trial I forget about for a year. That left me scrambling the rest of the draft, and now I potentially have only a part-timer to start with the surprising news that O’Hoppe may begin the season in the minors.
1B
Anthony Rizzo (133)
C.J. Cron (138)
Miguel Vargas (223 +2B)
Bobby Dalbec (528 +3B)
I couldn’t decide between two first baseman and took them back to back. Rizzo gets an OBP bump if he can stave the cliff off for another year. Gotta love that cost on Vargas before the helium hit.
2B
Tommy Edman (103 +SS)
Santiago Espinal (438)
Taylor Walls (613 +SS/3B)
Edman was a nice fit for speed, falling into the triple digits with OBP concerns. Espinal is a potential sneaky value if he works his way into at-bats again. There’s a good chance of that with Toronto focusing on consolidating MLBs most notorious injury risks.
SS
Fernando Tatis Jr. (18 +OF)
CJ Abrams (228)
Jordan Westburg (523)
Tatis is a bit of a risk with big potential rewards on the OBP and steals front at this spot. Abrams is also a big risk for some speed. Westie is a sneaky stash with a mid-season payoff possible.
3B
Ke’Bryan Hayes (198)
Gio Urshela (463)
David Villar (493)
Casey Schmitt (678)
The 3B thirst was real in this draft. This was like watching chum getting fed to sharks. I kept missing out on targets for near 200 picks. It started with Howard Bender plucking Gunner Henderson from my queue in round 5. Hayes’s post-hype breakout is all I could hang some hopes on. Urshela adds some flexibility and the Giants platoon hopefully settles itself at some point.
OF
Mike Trout (13)
Seiya Suzuki (108)
Andrew Vaughn (168)
Riley Greene (193)
Jorge Soler (283)
Charlie Blackmon (313)
Eddie Rosario (498)
Mauricio Dubon (588 +2B/SS)
Brennen Davis (673)
Parker Meadows (703)
Nick Solak (618)
Evan Carter (738)
I’m gambling that Trout plays enough and gets back to being an OBP diety. Seiya was a reach and then pulled an oblique (see what I did there). He was OBP gold in Japan so I’m banking on a year two adjustment. Riley Greene is going to surprise people this year and is an even bigger value in an OBP league. Sprinkle boring vets and young dart throws.
SP
Max Scherzer (43)
Shane Bieber (48)
Joe Musgrove (78)
Tony Gonsolin (163)
Marcus Stroman (253)
Ross Stripling (288)
Kenta Maeda (318)
Hayden Wesneski (343)
Graham Ashcraft (408)
Dane Dunning (553)
Kyle Hendricks (648)
Kyle Harrison (468)
Jackson Kowar (708)
I went out of my way not to miss on pitching this year after some self-reflection on past drafts. Musgrove was a brain cramp when I missed Corbin Carroll and George Springer at that spot. This staff has already had bad injury luck. Hopefully, a Wesneski break-out offsets those timetables.
RP
Jordan Romano (73)
Seranthony Dominguez (348)
Taylor Rogers (378)
Jimmy Herget (433)
Diego Castillo (583)
Scott McGough (643)
Zach Jackson (733)
Given that there are no waivers, I couldn’t wholly ignore saves in my preferred fashion. Romano gets me about halfway where I want to be in saves. I took discounts on good pitchers with role questions from there.