2024 FSGA MLB Draft

Ray Flowers was part of the Champions League draft for the FSGA, a league where he was the runner up last season. How was Ray’s team given the 14-team mixed league challenge in 2024?

RULES

5 x 5 Rotisserie style scoring.

Hitting Categories – AVG, HR, RBI, Runs, SB
Pitching Categories – W, ERA, WHIP, K, SV

ROSTER: 2-C, 1-1B, 1-3B, 1-CI, 1-2B, 1-SS, 1-MI, 5-OF, 1-UT, 9-P, 6 reserves

POSITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

This league has a positional qualification of 20-games per position.

FREE AGENT ACQUISITION BUDGET

This league will indeed be using FAAB. Each team will have $1,000 to spend over the course of the year. You must have $1 to big on a player (no zero bids).

INJURED LIST

There is no limit to the number of players that can be placed on the Injured List. Players must be activated by the scoring period after they are activated.

DRAFT PARTICIPANTS

1. SiriusXM–Dr Roto
2. RTSports.com
3. Sherpa Fantasy Sports
4. SiriusXM – Ronis
5. Colton, Stern & Wolfman
6. FTN Fantasy
7. USATODAY Sports/Advance Local
8. PlayerProps.AI
9. SiriusXM-Flowers
10. Baseball HQ
11. RotoWire
12. Fantasy Alarm
13. NFBC
14. CBS Sports

SIGN UP FOR THE 2024 MLB PRODUCT NOW!

THE ROSTER

DRAFT WRITE UP – OFFENSE

Normally I write these live while drafting, but not this time since I was actually hosting on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio while drafting. Yep, double-duty. Did I get caught up with the picks while broadcasting? Just once in the 12^th round with Jorge Soler. He was a fine enough pick, nothing wrong with taking him, but he was obviously an uninspired selection.

I decided, since I was hosting while drafting, to target some fellas I wanted and pretty much just ignore ADP early. Had the choice at the top of the draft and went Ohtani over Trea Turner, with the thought that I would still be able to get a strong set up of guys at shortstop. I accomplished that in rounds 2/4 with the Cruz brothers, who aren’t really brothers of course. Given that they are the poster boys of our Draft Guide, it seemed appropriate to bag them both in one of the leagues I’m in this season. Bellinger gave me 1B/OF eligibility that gave me the option later to slot him in either spot. Bregman is boring at third base, but he’s uber consistent. At first, I ended up with Diaz for batting average, to help offset the Cruz brother’s and their likely struggles there. Rengifo gives me four spots, three on the infield, to move around for fepth. I also grabbed Grissom in the reserve, when he’s healthy enough to play he will handle second base for the Red Sox to add to his shortstop eligibility. Then I took a flier on Caminero. Bregman shouldn’t miss games which should allow me to float the roster spot on Caminero for a while and he would cost 40% of the FAAB budget when he is promoted so why not get ahead of that.

Every time I wanted a catcher, he was taken. I ended up punting the spot, which I don’t like doing. I would have felt much better if I had gotten Danny Jansen as my second catcher, but he was the only player where I was sniped a pick before my turn to select.

In the outfield, it’s a mixed bag. Bellinger and Greene are a solid start. Then there was Soler, followed by Bryant. I love the potential of Velasquez (Player Profile) to be a big-time power bat, but the outfield clearly lags behind the infield when it comes to the old excitement meter with some batting average risk. I took a shot on Crews in the 28^th round. He’s another break the bank FAAB addition when called up, and he was seven rounds cheaper than his teammate James Wood. I’ve got two pitchers who will become on the IL (Scherzer, Buehler), so I will have an open spot to add another hitter if need be in the first FAAB run.

DRAFT WRITE UP – PITCHING

I joked on the broadcast that I would be fine with my first pitcher since there were four guys I would be fine with as my SP1. Of course, all four went in the six picks before me amidst an insane pitcher run. I wasn’t deterred though. I grabbed my “fifth” guy in Ryan, and then added Luzardo, Berrios and M. Keller. That’s four guys who should all toss 170 innings with 170 punchouts which ain’t too shabby. I added Buehler in the 15^th round and he resembles the pitcher he once was, even if he makes just 22 starts, he’s gonna be an excellent 5^th SP. Maeda will be a ratio stabilizer with a K-per-inning over his 125 frames. Lynn will be league average in the ratios, and he should also give me 150+ strikeouts. I took a shot on Scherzer super late, the 25^th round, so even if I get a half season out of him, that’s gonna pay off nicely. Martinez is a nice option that late in a draft too. For more on him, see this piece.

I’m thinnish in the pen, but I’m always shooting for a middle of the pack saves total on draft day (not looking to win the category with the draft). Scott has a strong shot to earn 30 saves, and Harvey could get 15 (he almost got there last year and he’s more skilled than K. Finnegan, a fact we discussed on this show). Adam reached double-digits saves last year and should again this year, with the potential for more, since P. Fairbanks breaks down a lot.

FINAL THOUGHTS

For a team drafted while broadcasting, I think it turned out pretty well.

Took a few shots in the bullpen.

Took a couple of rookie dart throws in the reserve rounds.

Built a pretty solid staff for taken the middle path.

My first five bats… got stability with two of my first five bats with Ohtani/Bregman. Took a shot on a power/speedish type with dual-position eligibility in Bellinger. Took a Huge Swing on elite power/speed talent with Cruz & Cruz. I filled in around that with some youth, some vets and some positional flexibility which is always key in deeper leagues.

Is the team perfect?

Not close.

Did I get the guys I targeted?

Yes, say Ohtani/Cruz/Cruz/Ryan/Luzardo/Scott/Greene.

Will this team have enough legs to match, or better, my second place finish from last season? Time will tell.

Here is a link to the draftboard.

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