LABR, the League of Alternative Baseball Reality, was formed in 1994 and continues to be run by Steve Gardner until this day. I used to eagerly anticipate the release of the USA Today each year when it came time to draft season, so I’m always honored to be part of the group asked to participate each year. Here is my live diary of how my team came together in 2025.
RULES
5 x 5 Rotisserie style scoring.
Hitting Categories – BA, 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
Every team must have a minimum of 3,500 at-bats and 900 innings pitched.
We set our lineups Monday for the entire week for pitchers. For hitters, there are two time periods (1) Monday and (2) Friday. This setup allows you to swap out injured players or to change based on matchups for your hitters.
POSITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
This league is staying old school saying that you need to have participated at a position 20-times times last season in order to qualify at the spot this year (for more on that I discussed qualifications here).
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.
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. Razzball (Rudy Gamble)
2. BaseballHQ (Bloomfield)
3. @TheFantasyFix
4. Yahoo Sports
5. Prospect 361
6. Dr. Roto
7. The Athletic (DVR)
8. Fantasy Guru
9. Baseball Prospectus
10. Fangraphs
11. RotoWire
12. Zach Steinhorn
13. Fred Zinkie
14. Sleeper & the Bust
15. FTN Fantasy (Butler)
**************
JOIN 1/2 SEASON MLB LEAGUES!
FOR DETAILS CLICK ON THE VIDEO LINK ABOVE.
The discussion starts at the six minute mark.
*************
MY ROSTER
*Round taken in parenthesis.
Catcher: Francisco Alvarez (13), Gabriel Moreno (14)
First Base: Freddie Freeman (5)
Second Base: Ketel Marte (2)
Third Base: Maikel Garcia (4)
Shortstop: CJ Abrams (3)
Middle Infielder: Ozzie Albies (10)
Corner Infielder: Jordan Lawlar (17)
Outfield: Ronald Acuna (1), Jac Caglianone (15), Josh Lowe (16), Harrison Bader (21), Beavers (22)
Utility: Brendan Donovan (18)
Pitchers: Dylan Cease (6), Nick Pivetta (7), Spencer Strider (8), Carlos Estevez* (9), Robbie Ray (11), Gavin Williams (12), Joey Cantillo (19), Troy Melton (20), Chris Bassitt (23),
BENCH: Parker Meadows (24), Hogan Harris* (25), Garrett Whitlock* (26), Matt Shaw (27), Grant Taylor (28), Triston Casas (29)
DRAFT WRITE UP – WRITTEN LIVE WHILE ACTUALLY DRAFTING
*() = round player was taken.
INFIELD
(2) I wanted to go Corbin Carroll in round two, but he literally went one pick before me. Hopefully, Acuna runs a lot, allowing my Ketel Marte pick in round two to play up. Second base is weak. We all know it.
(3) Abrams over Harper was the call in the third. Why? I grabbed Marte and his lack of speed in the second, so getting back to that category with Abrams (Harper went next pick).
(4) Maikel continues the “young vet” with speed – a third such player in four rounds. Next up will be the call – first base or pitching?
(5) Freeman stabilizes any average concerns I might have taken on with the Abrams addition. Aging? Sure, but he’s still damn stable and first base is on the edge of losing that stability at this point. Pitching coming up next – most likely.
(10) Albies is super stable, only 29, playing for a new contract this year and part of a potentially dynamic Braves’ lineup. Sign me up.
(13) Alvarez is healthy and ready to rock. He’s hitting 20+ homers this season. For more, check out this article.
(14) Moreno or Basallo? Average or power? Stability vs. risk? That was my decision until Basallo went two picks before me. Alvarez for power as my C1 and Moreno for average as my C2 (a career .281 hitter who batted .285 last season).
(17) Lawlar could go 20/20. He could struggle. He could even start the year in the minors. I love the talent, have for years, and he is set to play in the outfield which will give him dual position eligibility.
(18) Donovan qualifies at second base but seems likely to play third (to help cover Lawlar if he struggles early or if I want to move him to the outfield in-season). He also seems likely to hit leadoff in front of Raleigh/Rodriguez and how could you not like that? For more – click on this one.
(27) Shaw struggled last year, though he nearly went 15/20 in less than 450 PAs. Enters the year without a spot in the daily lineup. Injuries happen, and there could always be a trade.
(29) No idea what to expect with Casas’ knee or playing time as it is easy to forget he has a .800 OPS in the bigs and that he socked 37 homers with a .357 OBP in 195 games in 2023-24. I put him on the IR week one and replace him offers waivers – and we will see how it plays out. Might be a total bust.
OUTFIELD
(1) Acuna in the first is kind of an ideal selection at pick 8 – courtesy of Skubal going at pick seven. I’m all about Acuna at this point of round one.
(15) Caglianone is by no means an OF2. None. Not close. That said, I legit I have the best infield in the league, so I’m going to look at this pick more that way – he’s passable given the context of the team. He bombed as a rookie (.532) but only had a 22.4 K-rate and has less than 160 professional games played.
(16) Lowe should face all the righties he can handle with the Angles. Never plays all the games, but has power and speed, and per 130 games in his career he’s done this: .250-14-55-61-25.
(21) Bader is not an awful pick at this point, but not a woo-hoo pick either. Will pull back from last season but could still go 15/15.
(22) Beavers had a .375 OBP in limited work with the Orioles after posting a .934 OPS at Triple-A. Likely to face all the righties and there is a small chance he hits leadoff with Holliday out to start the year.
(24) Meadows will probably hit down in the order, but it wasn’t too long ago that he was looked at as a potential 20/20 threat who could hit leadoff given his ability to work the count.
PITCHING
(6) Cease should see his ratios improve this season and he’s posted 214 Ks in 5-straight seasons… something no one else in baseball has done.
(7) Nick Pivetta is a pretty solid hurler. Look at his numbers the last three years: 28.6 K-rate, 21.5 K-BB% an a 1.07 WHIP.
(8) Strider posted a 1.40 WHIP last season and was spotty. Let’s be real about that. I’m in buying on the dip here with all the aggressive spending folks have done on pitching. I would love it if he was Dylan Cease II this season.
(9) Estevez is not a dominator, but the Royals seem to be trending up, and he did lead baseball in saves last season with 42. Give me 33 this year – his average the last three – and I will be happy.
(11) Ray returned from surgery and was damn effective with 186 Ks and a 1.21 WHIP last year. I will take that again.
(12) Williams is basically a righty version of Ray (173 Ks, 1.27 WHIP) at eight years younger with the potential to take another step.
(19) Cantillo has 10 Ks per nine in his young career and is adding a slider this season.
(20) Melton might have the second-best arm on the Tigers behind only Skubal. Will start out in pen or minors with Verlander signing, but an arm to dream on.
(23) Bassitt is old, but still dependable enough that he should make 30 starts with 150 punchouts to give me some Melton coverage until the youngster gets a rotation spot.
(25) Harris should be in the saves mix for the Athletics. Wouldn’t be a shock to see him get double-digit saves this season.
(26) Whitlock appears to be the #2 in Boston, behind an aging Chapman, and is coming off a season with a 1.09 WHIP and more than 90 punchouts.
(28) Taylor is sounding like a guy who could throw 75+ innings this year for the White Sox. With only Dominguez ahead of him for 9th inning work (24 saves in six seasons), he could easily get double-digit saves.
Here is a link to the draft board.
