As we grind toward the finish line for draft season I admit this is the part of the year I both adore and hate most. The excitement of getting down and dirty in the draft room balanced by the 13th round snipe of a player you were targeting. Or for me right now as I slow draft in a few industry events, the torrid rush of building a great team with all the time in the world to study, balanced by having all the time in the world to study as the same guy times out his 4 hour clock for the second time in 24 hours.
I understand the position that it is a “Slow” draft and people have other things going on in their lives. My position is if you are in an online draft you have the technology to set notifications so you know when you are up. A queue and the ability to set an auto-pick for one round should also be in your repertoire. I get life happens, but it seems to happen to the same people over and over again. I firmly believe 2 hours is a perfect limit. The moral of the story is don’t be a sloth in the slow-draft room. Thanks for allowing me to vent, and now back to our regularly scheduled program
Speaking of not being a sloth, this week we will look at the Anti-Sloths who have made a home in a new tree this off-season. These are players that are either going into a new clubhouse with a manager that likes to run more or into a situation that is more advantageous from a playing time or roster perspective. Many of these folks are being drafted well below where their potential steals ceiling is.
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Michael A. Taylor – OF – Chicago White Sox
First off, he’s old. Second off he’s the 4th/5th outfielder on the White Sox. Third, there’s no guarantee he doesn’t get cut before spring training is over with the White Sox keeping Zach DeLoach up on the big league roster. This seems less likely now with Andrew Benintendi suffering an injury that will keep him out for 4-6 weeks. Remember my goal here is to find you some guys who may be steals options returning value over their current draft position. Taylor’s defense and sprint speed are still top notch and he can certainly swipe some bags and I could see the Sox keeping him all year just to do that and moving him at the deadline. In daily leagues with deep benches or a Draft Champions league he’s a perfect late target to get you some steals if you need them later on. His average draft position is currently at 570 so at that price he’s worth some risk.
Tommy Pham – OF – Pittsburgh Pirates
Tommy Pham is not fast anymore. Actually he was never that fast. His sprint speed dipped to 27.2 Ft/Sec in 2024. But if you look at his time with the White Sox he racked up 6 steals. There is a really good chance he leads off lots of days for the Pirates until he gets traded and I could see him finding a way to 10 stolen bases atop the Pirates lineup. At 463 ADP getting some steals and runs out of old man Tommy isn’t an awful thing.
Harrison Bader – OF – Minnesota Twins
Harrison stole 17 bases in New York last season in 437 PA. I think the Twins will likely start the season only rolling with 4 OFs. Bader will play everyday vs Lefties, and play in left field. When Byron Buxton needs a rest day (Or more likely an IL trip) Bader will take over everyday in center due to his defense. At ADP 432 he’s a good bet to swipe you 15 bases even with Won’t Run Rocco managing the bench.
Jon Berti – IF – Chicago Cubs
Berti still had a sprint speed of 29.0Ft/Sec which is good for 50th still in MLB. The injury to Nico Hoerner is taking longer to heal than expected so it is possible Berti starts the season at 2nd for the Cubs. Before his calf injury in 2024 he stole 5 bases in only 74 plate appearances in 25 games. Even at 35 years old Jon is far from washed up when it comes to stealing bases and the Cubs have no one else with speed on their bench so he will be the primary Pinch Runner in the right situations. I think he’s got 20 SB possibilities if he doesn’t get his old ass injured again so grab him before his 543 ADP.
