Posted By:Bretsky on March 15, 2019

If you’re drafting in a mixed league then take a good look at the top tier of relief arms… and forget them. There is no point in wasting the pick. Closers come and closers go throughout the season and you’ll be drafting saves on the cheap and stud middle relievers in the middle rounds to help your ratios.

We simply won’t be drafting Blake Treinen this year. Why? Because we got him last year in round 15. In the targets section below, you can find a number of options taking a stab on beyond pick 140, all with upside to finish as a top-5 closer.

That’s not even to mention the saves that appear on a near weekly basis over the course of the season. Make sure to reserve plenty of time, energy and faab dollars to pounce repeatedly throughout the season as you churn through the newly minted closers and cobble your way to a top-third finish in the saves category.

In only leagues, we can get behind reaching or paying for an elite closer, but beyond that, chase the skills and find the saves later.

Studs (ADP): Edwin Diaz (51), Blake Treinen (63), Kenley Jansen (70), Brad Hand(83), Felipe Vasquez (85)

Targets: Ken Giles (141), Cody Allen (161), Archie Bradley (198), Pedro Strop (214), Trevor MAy (240), Shane Greene (250), Brad Boxberger (291), Ryan Braiser (301), Sergio Romo (382)

Overpriced: Aroldis Chapman (69), Craig Kimbrel (76), Josh Hader (115)

2019 Tiered Relief Pitcher Rankings

Posted By:Bretsky on March 13, 2019

The landscape for starting pitching can change significantly base on your scoring settings, transaction rules and start/innings caps. In general starting pitching is KING in points leagues. You need to load up on both quality and volume to capitalize on elite two-start pitchers as often as possible. Roto formats, on the other hand, can bring other interesting twists, opening up the opportunity to deploy ratio-saving middle relievers to compensate for instability in your rotation. Still, with so few arms capable of churning out 200 elite innings these days, you’ll want to secure a top tier are in just about every format.

Studs (ADP): Max Scherzer (4), Chris Sale (9), Jacob DeGrom (10), Justin Verlander (22), Corey Kluber (23), Aaron Nola (25), Gerrit Cole (27),  Blake Snell (28), Trevor Bauer (35), Carlos Carrasco (36), Noah Syndergaard (37)

Targets: Gerrit Cole (27), Zach Wheeler (95), Luis Castillo (124), Shane Bieber (152), Nick Pivetta (155), Collin McHugh (210), Brad Peacock (285), Chris Paddack (305), Joe Musgrove (338)

Overpriced: Jack Flaherty (68), Jose Berrios (72), Madison Bumgarner (82), David Price (89), Robbie Ray (120), Chris Archer (130), Jon Lster (168)

2019 Tiered Starting Pitcher Rankings

Posted By:Bretsky on March 8, 2019

The outfield is always a key position for roster-building strategy, offering the most versatile power/speed combinations as well as cheap specialists to be had late. One thing is clear if you are playing in a 5-OF format, the studs fly off the board. The top-25 at the position is packed with four and five category producers, but be sure to hit the outfield early and often in your draft because things become dicey outside the top-50. Ideally, we’d like to fill out our OF slots (and perhaps even a utility position for good measure) from our top four tiers, meaning you’ll want to secure five or more outfielders in the first fifteen rounds of your draft.

Studs (ADP): Mike Trout (1), Mookie Betts (2), JD Martinez (5), Christian Yelich(7), Ronald Acuna (12), Bryce Harper (17), Aaron Judge (18), Giancarlo Stanton (22)

Targets: Khris Davis (43), Eddie Rosario (86), Yasiel Puig (92), Andrew McCutchen (132), Adam Eaton (194), Odubel Herrera (218), Jackie Bradley Jr. (227), Max Kepler (233), Domingo Santana (257), Cedric Mullins (366), Tyler O’Neill (379)

Overpriced: Lorenzo Cain (63), Mitch Haniger (79), Victor Robles (115), Ian Desmond (142), Billy Hamilton (165),

2019 Tiered Outfield Rankings

Posted By:Bretsky on March 7, 2019

Submitted without comment.

Studs (ADP): JT Realmuto (53), Gary Sanchez (59)

Targets: Wilson Ramos (137), Yasmani Grandal (133), Danny Jansen (200)

Overpriced: Buster Posey (129), YAdier Molina (131), Jorge Alfar (200)

2019 Tiered Catcher Rankings

Posted By:Bretsky on March 7, 2019

Trea Turner slides in at the top of the shortstop position, as he’s the most valuable speed option in the fantasy baseball landscape in 2019. Meanwhile, Francisco Lindor’s stock slips just a bit with his early-spring calf injury while Manny Machado and Trevor Story make for rock solid picks in the late second round. Carlos Correa and Corey Seager offer immense upside if you’re willing to shake off the disappointment of last season and and embrace a little bit of injury risk. As it stands, we don’t mind leaving the draft table with any of the top-12 option at the position, leaving potential owners the opportunity to wait a bit and let the best player come to you at the right time.

Studs (ADP): Trea Turner (11), Manny Machado (14), Trevor Story (24)

Targets: Carlos Correa (45), Xander Bogaerts (48), Jean Segura (61), Corey Seager (79)

Overpriced: Francisco Lindor (8), Javier Baez (16)

2019 Tiered Shortstop Rankings

Posted By:Bretsky on March 7, 2019

The third base position is perhaps the most top-heavy in the league. Jose Ramirez, Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant land in our top-10 overall . Depending on the eligibility requirements of your league, there’s really only 6 or 7 third baseman who can be trusted for elite wire-to-wire production and we’re comfortable taking each and every one of the top options at the position at or before current ADP. While we remain bullish on veterans Josh Donaldson and Justin Turner as well as uber-prospect Vlad Guerrero Jr., you cannot project a full season of at-bats for any of the three.

Studs (ADP): Jose Ramirez (3), Nolan Arenado (7), Manny Machado (14), Alex Bregman (14), Kris Bryant (32), Anthony Rendon (43)

Targets: The Studs, Matt chapman (105)

Overpriced: Vlad Guerrero Jr. (46), Miguel Andujar (73), Wil Myers (109), Carlos Santana (163)

2019 Tiered Third Base Rankings

Posted By:Bretsky on March 6, 2019

The 2019 crop of second baseman brings both versatility and variability. Jose Ramirez and Javy Baez returned first round value last season, but Baez’ high-K profile leaves us questioning a repeat. A healthier Jose Altuve should return first-round value and may just slip far enough to grab with your second pick. Elite speed can be had beyond the top three with Whit Merrifield, Aldaberto Mondesi and Dee Gordon lining up as three of the most prolific base-stealers in the league. If you wait on the position, you’ll be forced to choose between power and speed, and we are always inclined to side with the long ball.

Studs (ADP): Jose Ramirez (3), Jose Altuve (15)

Targets: Ozzie Albies (52), Daniel Murphy (85), Scooter Gennet (89), Brian Dozier (128), Rougned Odor (141), Cesar Hernandez (164), Jonathan Schoop (175), Garret Hampson (342)

Overpriced: Gleyber Torres (54), Jonathan Villar (99)

2019 Tiered Second Base Rakings

Posted By:Bretsky on March 6, 2019

The first base position remains a cornerstone of your fantasy baseball lineup and you’ll be looking to lock in 25-30 homers and 90 RBI baseline at the position. Despite a small elite tier, the top first baseman are lingering into round two in drafts this spring, but reliability can dry up quickly at the position.

Studs (ADP): Paul Goldschmidt (19), Freddie Freeman (21), Anthony Rizzo (33)

Targets: Daniel Murphy (85), Edwin Encarnacion (96), Miguel Cabrera (161), Luke voit (176), Justin Smoak (200), Ryan Zimmerman (297)

Overpriced: Matt Carpenter (63), Travis Shaw (94), Eric Hosmer (152)

2019 Tiered First Base Rankings

Posted By:Bretsky on August 22, 2018

Draft season is once again upon us!

Team BretskyBall is gearing up for another fine fantasy football season with our initial draft rankings. Got issue with the ranking below, let us hear it in the comments.

Posted By:Bretsky on March 21, 2018

The starting pitcher position is perhaps the most fluid on draft day and I’ve found that my overall strategy can shift heavily depending on whether I grab a top tier arm. I tend to favor offense over pitching in the early rounds, but if you are picking at the back end in a 14 or 15 team league, I’ll would not shrug off the idea of picking a stud with one of those first two picks given how quickly the top-20 arms fly off the board in deep leagues.

If I do indeed miss out on a true ace, I’ll likely aim to grab three or four starters ranked in tiers two and three, focusing on guys like Lance McCullers, Garret Richards, and Zack Godley who have all flashed top-15 upside in the past.

Top Tier Bargains

Jacob DeGrom and his ADP of 37 overall represents the lowest cost in my top tier. He’s got a 2.98 ERA and 1.12 while striking out over a better per inning over his four year career.

Reaching into tier-two, Dallas Keuchel emerges as a bargain option and if you believe David Price can stay healthy, there is a lot to like about his potential return with an eighth or ninth round selection.

Though I didn’t expect to be quite this high on Garrett Richards heading into this draft season, his strong finish to the 2017 season gives us hope that the former top-20 starter can get back to fantasy stardom if he can just stay on the field. He’s currently going at pick 166 on average and I’d certainly reach a round or two ahead of that to secure his services.

Luis Castillo looks to have the makings of a fantasy ace after compiling a 3.12 ERA with 9.87 K/9 over his first 89.1 major league innings. He’s shown solid control throughout the minors and looks poised to take a leap.

Deep Thoughts

There is a ton of talent outside to top-200 ADP. Dinelson Lamet and his 10.94 K/9 certainly looks attractive. JA Happ has put together a very useful 3.33 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over the past two seasons. Joe Musgrove and his move the NL has me buying. After an injury-marred season, Vincent Velazquez is going undrafted in most 10 and 12 team leagues. Sean Manaea, Matt Shoemaker, Jacob Faria, Michael Wacha, Daniel Mengden and Nate Karns are among the other pitchers I am targeting late.

Starting Pitcher Draft Rankings 2018