Here at Pitcher List, we thought it would be fun to give the readers a look into the dynasty leagues of Pitcher List staff members. I will be providing reviews throughout the season of my dynasty team in my home league, which originated in 2009.
The league is a 10-team, weekly, head-to-head points league and I am playing the 2019 season under the team name of Angels in the TROUTfield.
Pre-Draft
I was heading into the 2019 pre-season with the following players: Rhys Hoskins ($32, 2), Ozzie Albies ($16, 1), Andrew Benintendi ($15, 0 mL), Mike Trout ($46, 2), Carlos Carrasco ($28, 2), and Nick Senzel ($0, 3 mL).
Leading up to the draft I was looking to shed some salary and add a cheap, elite bat. I swung the following pre-draft trade: Carrasco, five draft dollars, and second-round minor league draft pick for Aaron Judge ($15, 0 mL) and Luis Castillo ($2, 1). I owned and traded Castillo in 2018 and wanted him back in 2019 on his cheap deal. Judge fit the bill of a cheap, elite bat perfectly. I have always been a fan of Carrasco, but getting Castillo back in the deal was huge for me and made me more willing to include Carrasco. I am comfortable enough finding value pitching in drafts that I wasn’t too worried about moving him if I was getting Judge for $15. For context, the following hitters went for significantly more in the draft: Mookie Betts ($48), Giancarlo Stanton ($46), Bryce Harper ($38), and Manny Machado ($37). All these draft picks make Judge look like a steal. Also, if things don’t work out, I will be able to recoup some prospect currency by trading my expiring contracts.
My next decision is one that may haunt me with the way he has kicked off the 2019 season. I decided not to keep Hoskins and opted to try my luck at grabbing him on a cheaper deal in the draft. My plan did not play out as I intended, with Hoskins going for $29 in the draft. Yes, it would have been a $3 discount, but was a price that I had not budgeted for 1B. I stuck to my guns, as much as I do like Hoskins for 2019 (my fourth-ranked 1B headed into the season) and beyond, and decided not to pay the hefty, yet seemingly worthy price.
Draft
Following my trade, the decision to drop Hoskins, and paying out my keepers, my draft amount was at $166.
My post-draft roster looked like this:
C – Wellington Castillo ($3)
1B – Matt Carpenter ($11)
2B – Ozzie Albies (rostered, $16)
3B – Anthony Rendon ($29)
SS – Willy Adames ($1)
OF – Mike Trout (rostered, $46)
OF – Aaron Judge (rostered, $15)
OF – Andrew Benintendi (rostered, $15)
OF – Tommy Pham ($15)
U – Michael Conforto ($8)
U – Khris Davis ($18)
B – Miguel Cabrera ($3)
B – Max Kepler ($2)
B – Ryan McMahon ($3)
SP – Gerrit Cole ($36)
SP – Luis Castillo (rostered, $2)
SP – German Marquez ($6)
SP – Tyler Glasnow ($4)
SP – Ross Stripling ($3)
SP – Nick Pivetta ($4)
RP – Edwin Diaz ($12)
B – Felipe Vazquez ($1)
B – Matt Strahm ($1)
mL – Nick Senzel (rostered, $0 3 mL)
I decided to hand out the following contracts out of my allotted 13 years: Cole (3), Glasnow (3), Conforto (3), Pham (2), and Rendon (2).
Draft Analysis
I did not want to leave the draft without one of Trevor Bauer, Justin Verlander, or Cole. Bauer was my number-one target, but my plan was to jump on the first one my top pitching targets that was nominated, because I thought people might be testing to see how much pitching would go for and I would feel more comfortable continuing through the draft with my ace being grabbed early. I thought $36 was fair value (I had Cole as a $35 player) and as I reflect on the draft, I was correct. For context, Bauer ($35), Verlander ($31), Walker Buehler ($39), and Noah Syndergaard ($36) all went for prices similar to Cole.
Some of my big targets heading into the draft included Rendon, Pham, Conforto, Glasnow, and Pivetta. I know it sounds crazy, but I decided to prioritize Rendon just five minutes prior to draft. The decision came down to punting a top-tier SS and going after the oftentimes-undervalued Rendon. Pham had a quietly solid 2018 season and I found that he was being undervalued heading into 2019. The writing is on the wall for a huge year and I wanted him on my team when it happened. I wanted to snag Conforto and Glasnow and contract them while they are at an affordable rate, as I think their value will sky-rocket over the next couple of years. I love grabbing Nick Pivetta in all drafts possible, and although I have an oftentimes unhealthy love for him — I can’t get his potential out of my mind.
I had a few great value picks in my mind. They were Carpenter ($11), Pham ($15), Marquez ($6), and Vazquez ($1). My 1B budget was slim, but when I got some great value at other positions I had to jump on Carpenter. Pham, who had a rough start to 2018 but ended up having a spectacular season, was underrated in our draft and I was able to reap the benefits. Marquez at $6 is a great value regardless of whether he lives up to his 2018 breakout year or not. Even if he is a fraction of the pitcher he was in 2018, I will be satisfied at the value I drafted him. Vazquez was quietly the fifth-overall RP in my league last year and, although he is not playing for a very good Pirates team this year, getting a go-to closer with stuff like his for a dollar late in the draft will pay dividends down the road. This could especially hold true as other owners may look to add a closer for the stretch and, since I also have Edwin Diaz, I can accomodate.
Week 1
Our league participated in the short Week 1 (*rolls eyes*). Here is my Week 1 roster.
C – Wellington Castillo
1B – Matt Carpenter
2B – Ozzie Albies
3B – Anthony Rendon
SS – Willy Adames
OF – Mike Trout
OF – Aaron Judge
OF – Andrew Benintendi
OF – Tommy Pham
U – Michael Conforto
U – Khris Davis
B – Miguel Cabrera
B – Max Kepler
B – Ryan McMahon
SP – Gerrit Cole
SP – Luis Castillo
SP – German Marquez
SP – Ross Stripling
SP – Nick Pivetta
RP – Edwin Diaz
RP – Matt Strahm
B – Felipe Vazquez
B – Tyler Glasnow
Top performers: Khris Davis (4-15, 3 HR, 4RBI, 3 R, 1 BB), Mike Trout (4-12, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R, SB, 3 BB), German Marquez (6 IP, 2 HA, 7K, 1 ER, QS), and Gerrit Cole (6 IP, 5 HA, 10 K, ER, L, QS)
Worst performers: Willy Adames (0-10, 6 KO) and Nick Pivetta (4 IP, 8 HA, BBI, 4K, 4 ER)
Outcome: Win (354-301.5)
Record: 1-0
Week 2
Week 2 roster moves: Added Brad Peacock and dropped Kepler. I did not want to drop Kepler, but I wanted Peacock for his two-start week and as you can tell my roster is stacked at OF.
C – Wellington Castillo
1B – Matt Carpenter
2B – Ozzie Albies
3B – Anthony Rendon
SS – Willy Adames
OF – Mike Trout
OF – Aaron Judge
OF – Andrew Benintendi
OF – Tommy Pham
U – Michael Conforto
U – Khris Davis
B – Miguel Cabrera
B – Max Kepler
B – Ryan McMahon
SP – Gerrit Cole
SP – Luis Castillo
SP – German Marquez
SP – Ross Stripling
SP – Tyler Glasnow
RP – Matt Strahm
RP – Brad Peacock
B – Felipe Vazquez
B – Edwin Diaz
B – Nick Pivetta
Top Performers: Anthony Rendon (9-19, 3 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 10 R, 4 BB), Mike Trout (7-16, 5 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R, 8 BB), Michael Conforto (9-23, 3 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB), and Tyler Glasnow (6 IP, 3 HA, BBI, 6 K, W, QS)
Bottom Performers: Willy Adames (4-24, R, 9 KO) and Matt Strahm (7.2 IP, 12 HA, 5 BBI, 4 K, 6 ER, 2 L)
Outcome: Loss (603.75-615)
Record: 1-1
Week 2 was such a close loss and I would have beaten every other team in the league, reminiscent of last season’s championship season in which I was the unfortunate record holder for points allowed. This loss came down to poor roster management on my part. If I would have started either Diaz or Vazquez over Strahm, I would have won. This is a great lesson that it is not always the best idea to pile up on two-starts. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.
I am not usually keen on on having a deep hitting bench in a points league, but I found such good hitting value in the draft that I couldn’t pass on some of the hitters that are on my bench. As I progress through the next few weeks, I will look to beef up my pitching staff and prioritize pitching to my bench. My only real glaring weakness is SS, where Adames hasn’t been producing at an acceptable level. It is still so early that I am not fretting it too much but it is something that I may need to address in the coming weeks. It is best not to panic and to realize that it is still extremely early and there is a reason you drafted the players you did.
I love the way my team turned out and I will be looking to get back into the win column in Week 3!
(Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire)