MLB Fantasy Grades, Part 2: Last Year's Losers (including myself)

Photo Credit: Tomahawk Take

You know how it goes...I burn through these things...

A quick, happy recap from Part 1:

Billy V: A-
Steve: A-
Mike A: A-
Ross: B+
Marty: B
Chris P: B-

Team Name: Flawless Fantasy
Manager: Hymee G. 

Infield: Kris Bryant has "back stiffness" and Carlos Correa is Carlos Correa. Obviously we like the talent in that duo, but something feels just a tad risky about the combination. Ketel Marte has turned a corner and become a true fantasy monster.

Infield Grade: B

Outfield: A foursome of all-stars, and safe. What a duo with Soto and Springer. Ozuna and Brantley are solid vets - we know what to expect, there.

Outfield Grade: A

Utility: A lot of us think Jorge Polanco will regress, but he's still a quality guy for Util. Good Utility upside with DeJong, Upton and Peralta as well. Solid group.

Util Grade: A-

Bench: Hymee loves the NL East. Brian Anderson, Swanson and Kingery make for interesting bench players. Adames is a "hunch" guy for me. I really liked that pick when it happened.

Bench Grade: B+

Starting Pitching: Hymee clipped me with deGrom. I don't usually go SP that early, but it was simply the right value point. Glasnow may have the best pure stuff in the game. Lance Lynn is a friggin' bulldog. My kinda guy. Bumgarner and Ray were both "Fro Guys" last season. Manaea came on the cheap and Gausman sucks.

SP Grade: A-

Relievers: 3 closers in Giles, Leclerc & Wade Davis. Kela may eventually come back and be a 4th closer for this squad. Nothing overly spectacular, but definitely not bad at all.

Relief Grade: A-

Overall Grade: A

Team Name: Fightin' Zyls
Manager: Matt Z

Infield: Zyllie went super early on Tatis, and that needs to pay off for him. You could argue that he has the most upside in the entire game. We'll see how it shakes out. Goldschmidt is reliable, and he needs Alfaro and McMahon to continue developing and improving.

Infield Grade: B

Outfield: "The Cat" is all-in on homers w Harper, Stanton, Cespedes & Gallo. Will he have issues in the BA category? Sure. Homers? No prob at all.

Outfield Grade: B+ (because I don't count Cespedes as a real player)

Utility: Dahl has good upside for a Util spot. Always rakes, but never stays healthy. I like Cron and Santana in these spots, as well.

Util Grade: B+

Bench: Only two spots. Aguilar could be good if the Marlins leave him alone and let him have a full plate of at bats.

Grade: C

Starting Pitchers: It's a parade of "Zylbert Guys" - Darvish, Bauer, Montas, Heaney, Fried, Richards, Velasquez, Lopez & Taijuan Walker. Certainly not the worst group I've ever seen.

SP Grade: A-

Relievers: Hendriks is a top 3 or 4 closer to me. Givens is probably in some sort of closing timeshare. Carlos Martinez always seems to bounce around from starter to reliever, then back around again.

RP Grade: B

Overall Grade: B

Team Name: The Legend.
Manager: The Legend aka "The Commish"

Infield: Anybody gonna argue with the trio of Freeman, Gleyber Torres and Moncada? I got them exactly where I wanted them. I'm assuming Freeman and Moncada can't get corona again, right? Villar was an absolute freakin' monster last year - I hope he can repeat out of the leadoff spot.

Infield Grade: A

Outfield: Betts and Kepler lead the way for me. I'll be waiting 14 days or so for Hunter Dozier, who is eligible at OF. Danny Santana was insanely good last year, but I know he's a risky bet to repeat that overall production. Pederson continues to come along.

Outfield Grade: B

Utility: Eduardo Escobar and Gurriel seem too good for Util. Probably the best Util guys I've ever had. Kevin Newman was sneaky good last year and Yandy Diaz has a live bat.

Util Grade: A-

Bench: Santander was my best fantasy player the second half of last season. He may be the best overall producer for the Orioles in a banbox. With Betts out of Boston, I have Chavis, Moreland and Vazquez to mix-and-match in Daily settings.

Bench Grade: B

Starting Pitching: The reigning champ Billy V has a MAJOR problem with my rotation. Some quotes from The Champ:

-"You have the worst pitching in the league."
-"You are very light in starting pitching."
-Took passing shots at Paddack & Soroka.

I don't usually mention stats, but just of note... Paddack had a 0.98 WHIP last season and Soroka was 2.68 in ERA. Two young aces for their respective NL teams. Boyd had 238 Ks and Marquez had 175. Samardzija stays solid, Caleb Smith gets hype and Bassitt could be the A's second-best.

SP Grade: B

Relief Pitching: Most consider Hader the best in the game. I have 3 more closers in Colome, Kintzler and Watson, too.

Relief Grade: A-

Overall Grade: A-

Team Name: Team Piazza
Manager: Jimmy H

The battle of the "H Boys" gets underway...

Infield: Realmuto is obviously a top fantasy catcher. I like Olson and Rendon; not feeling overly confident in Biggio or Hampson, just yet.

Infield Grade: B

Outfielders: Trout leads the way, clearly. I'm not a McCutchen guy. Mercado has all-around potential but I don't like his spot in Cleveland's batting order. Meadows will be back after his COVID designation.

Outfield Grade: B

Utility: Carlos Santana had a monster year last year. I feel like it was a bit over his own head. Sano has great upside in a Util spot. Tucker and Senzel are intriguing young talents.

Util Grade: B+

Bench: Odor is an empty home run guy. Tsutsugo will be platooning with the Rays.

Bench Grade: C-

Starting Pitching: Comin' in hot with Verlander, Castillo and Gray. Strong stuff, there. Folty looked so freakin' bad in his preseason start. Stiff as a board. Gave up back to back to back homers to the Marlins. Luzardo is a major prospect name. Mikolas is good where drafted.

SP Grade: A-

Relief Pitching: Diaz and Jimenez are the likely closers. Can we really trust Edwin, at this point?

Relief Grade: B-

Overall Grade: B

Team Name: Rockville Rube Baker
Manager: Tommy H

Infield: Clipped me on Garver. He looks like the real deal. Veteran infield with Abreu, Altuve, Donaldson and Bogaerts. All good.

Infield Grade: A

Outfielders: Yelich was the No 1 overall selection. Robles is well-regarded in most fantasy circles this year. Renfroe is a power guy and Choo is a steady pro.

Outfield Grade: B+

Utility: Khris Davis is a TH captain. Carpenter seems to be tapering off into oblivion. Akiyama is an obvious wild card and Hosmer is real solid down here in Util.

Util Grade: B

Bench: Went for homers in Vogelbach and Calhoun. Starlin Castro actually has to play a key role for the World Series champs.

Bench Grade: B+

Starting Pitchers: Things kind of stop after Greinke, Snell and Urias.

SP Grade: B-

Relievers: Yates is one of the best, and Bradley is safe. Good duo.

RP Grade: A-

Overall Grade: A-

Team Name: The Fresh Princes
Manager: Mike R. 

Infield: Clipped me on Will Smith. Wanted Garver or Smith around where they went, and didn't get either. Moustakas, Ramirez, Turner form a rock solid trio.

Infield Grade: A-

Outfielders: Marte, Eloy, Rosario and McNeil - an interesting mix. I never like Starling, but he continues to be a fantasy stud. Eloy is a rising offensive star. Rosario and McNeil are quality contact guys.

Outfield Grade: B+

Utility: Gonna be hard for Semien to repeat, but he was fantastic last year. Everybody knows I like Amed Rosario! Austin Riley got oooohs and ahhhhs from the crowd.

Util Grade: B

Bench: Christian Walker and Calhoun were good values. Who knows what will happen with Puig and Aquino.

Bench Grade: B-

Starting Pitching: Bieber was scary good last year. I'm not really sure how. He doesn't seem THAT good when you watch him live. Giolito was a superb value play. Rising stud. Carrasco and Anibal are on the downside. Maeda should be interesting with Minnesota.

SP Grade: B+

Relievers: Is Anderson really an undisputed closer? Not really, but the kid has crazy lights out stuff. Daniel Hudson will mix and match with Doolittle in Washington.

Relief Grade: C

Overall Grade: B+

Final Report Cards:

Hymee: A (I actually agree with Billy, Hymee does seem to have the most balanced all-around squad)
Billy V: A-
Steve: A-
Mike A: A-
Tommy: A-
Legend: A-
Ross: B+
Mike R: B+
Jimmy: B
Zyllie: B
Marty: B
Chris P: B-

Good luck to all from The Commish!

MLB Fantasy Draft Grades, Part 1: Who Crumbled Under the Pressure?

Photo Credit: NJ.com

IMMEDIATE DISCLAIMER: This entire report is done in stream-of-consciousness. I will not be looking up any stats. Just going off initial reactions and gut feelings. No time to waste; let's roll...

(Part 1 will include the first 6 report cards.)

Team: Twin Towers
Manager: Billy V

Infield: Right away, I feel like he got good value on Sal Perez behind the dish. Couple years ago he was considered an easy top 5-6 catcher. He fell pretty far in this one. Not in love with Edwin Encarnacion nor Chris Taylor. Gotta be pretty excited about Bregman and Machado at 3B and SS.

Infield Grade: B+

Outfield: I told Billy during the draft that I like Schwarber this year - I don't particularly know why. Just feel like he is going to put it all together. Luis Robert was a super, super upside pick. Can't argue with that "swing for the fences" at all. The defending champ knows what he is doing. Cannot question him. Conforto and Verdugo... we shall see.

Outfield Grade: B

Utility: Bo Bichette another high upside play. Didi could really like the Phillies' little league fences. Lux is currently in the minors. Hicks can obviously do some good things.

Utility Grade: B

Bench: Gotta like Andujar as a possible bounce-back candidate. Austin Hays was pretty impressive in a short stint last year. Sean Murphy & Kieboom are a couple more upside plays.

Bench Grade: B

Starting Pitchers: Gerrit Cole is the best in the game (this from a Mets fan who loves deGrom). Morton and Nola, that's monster behind Cole. Kluber at SP4 is in the right spot. His arm might be shot, but you gotta love him in that spot. No pressure on him to perform, there. Billy also got good value on Eovaldi & Montgomery.

Starting Pitching Grade: A+

Relief Pitchers: Not sure if Kimbrel will ever be himself again. I have no qualms with Iglesias nor Kennedy, where they were drafted. Fair selections.

Relief Pitching Grade: B+

Overall Grade: A-

Team: King Martin
Managers: Luciano & Marty

Infield: No complaints, here. Bellinger and Devers should be monsters. Hiura is well-liked in fantasy circles, though not as much by me. If Tim Anderson can repeat, that would be pretty spectacular.

Infield Grade: A

Outfield: I feel like Cain is kind of over the hill. Not a huge fan, anymore. Avisail never stays healthy and doesn't always find a groove vs right handed pitching. Grichuk is a headache. Strikeout machine. I like Castellanos but I don't particularly approve of this outfield.

Outfield Grade: C

Utility: Josh Bell should easily be one of the better Util players in our league. Canha was good for me last year. Buxton always seems to be more hype than substance.

Utility Grade: B

Bench: I like Smoak at Miller Park. He could really turn things around in a major way. I thought Pence was done in the past, but he came alive last year. Maybe he's on a special "workout regimen". Nimmo is a good pick down here. Alvarez a great stash at IL, just in case.

Bench Grade: B+

Starting Pitching: That Buehler news was a little weird. Why is he pitching so far down in the rotation? In a vacuum, initially, I liked him as one of the top 5 or 6 SP plays. Clevinger and Minor were good picks, where they went. Not loving Ryu anymore in the AL East. Rich Hill and Alex Wood: same guy 10-15 years apart in age. Neither can stay healthy, nor will they.

Starting Pitching Grade: B

Relief Pitching: Melancon is the lone closer. I don't think I can get behind that in Daily settings.

Relief Pitching Grade: D

Overall Grade: B

Team Name: The Rhombuses
Manager: Chris P

Infield: Not sure I've seen the double catcher strategy in the infield. This is most likely a first for me, with both Sanchez and Grandal. Wong has always sucked ass whenever I have drafted him. Lindor is a megastar and Vlad Jr. brings massive upside.

Infield Grade: B-

Outfield: Charlie Blackmon is all alone out here. Mallex Smith brings a massive amount of steals, at least. One of the best in the game in that department.

Outfield Grade: C+

Utility: Starts off quite well with Justin Turner, Andrus & Pollock. Can't really go wrong with that trio at Util. I'm not sure if Wil Myers carries any fantasy value any longer. I can't really say with any type of certainty.

Util Grade: A-

Bench: This is where old men go to retire. Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano AND Matt Kemp? What year is this?? Seager, Urshela and Bradley bring some potential value. There are still certain things to like, here.

Bench Grade: B-

Starting Pitching: Whoa whoa...Scherzer, Strasburg AND Berrios?? How ya doinnnn...awesome! No depth at all after that. It's actually kinda scary. CP is gonna be workin' that FA list. This had the potential to be an A+ staff.

SP Grade: A-

Relief Pitching: That Chapman pick was curious. Way early. Britton will begin the season as the Yankees' closer. Osuna also seems to be in deep shit. That was also way early. Who knows? He may never get the job back from Pressly. Doolittle is fine. This still has the potential to be a very good bullpen over the long haul.

Bullpen Grade: B+

Overall Grade: B- (has the potential to go up to B+ with the right roster fills)

Team Name: World Champion Astros!
Manager: Stevie Sums

Infield: Seems pretty monster to me. Surprised to see LeMahieu at first - not really traditional - but then you have Merrifield, Suarez & Story, 3 of the best.

Infield Grade: A

Outfield: What is this, my team from a couple seasons ago? Steve has both JD Martinez & Judge in his outfield - not half bad. I also like Franmil Reyes & Gurriel. This is a very Fro-approved outfield.

Outfield Grade: A

Util: Like Josh Bell mentioned earlier, Matt Chapman should be one of the elite Util players in our league. Reynolds is one of the only good Pirates. Murphy & Segura are crafty vets.

Util Grade: B+

Bench: I like both guys, but it's a short bench. Renato Nunez and Corey Dickerson. I had Nunez queue'd up for 5 rounds, then still didn't take him. Oh well.

Bench Grade: B

Starting Pitching: Yeesh. Patrick Corbin is going to have some awfully heavy lifting to do, here. Steve is looking for upside to deliver on both Lamet and Gallen. I have a hunch that Bundy will do well with the Angels. Dakota Hudson is clearly in for a regression.

SP Grade: C+

Relief Pitchers: Hand and Neris form a safe combo. I have no f'n clue who Ryan Helsley is, but I assume he is the Cardinals' closer with Gallegos possibly out.

Relief Pitching Grade: A-

Overall Grade: A-

Team Name: Overrated Fro's
Manager: Ross

Infield: Nice combination across the board here from Ross. Contreras dropped further than he should have behind the dish. Peter Alonso is the GOAT. Great speed from Albies and Mondesi. Arenado is a superstar.

Infield Grade: A+

Outfield: Not sure if Soler nor Yaz can repeat what they did last season. Benintendi still has a lot to prove.

Outfield Grade: B-

Utility: Hoskins is definitely a Ross captain. I'm just not so sure about him, at this point. Last year's BA regression was truly frightening. Maybe he has been exposed by big-league pitching. Ohtani is a surprisingly good hitter. I'd like to see him full-time as a hitter, honestly. Tauchman is already flashing some good things.

Util Grade: B+

Bench: Nothing of note on this bench. The Mariners are truly hoping JP Crawford will breakout in some kinda way.

Bench Grade: D

Starting Pitching: Why am I seeing Ohtani everywhere I turn? This feels somewhat like a weird fantasy baseball Twilight Zone. Anyway, Clayton Kershaw's kinda on his own out here. McCullers and Wheeler have potential, but we also know them. You know what I mean by that. Alcantara nice value toward the bottom.

SP Grade: B- (very close to C+)

Relief Pitchers: Workman, Robles, Britton, Ottavino. Pretty solid, all things considered.

Bullpen Grade: A-

Overall Grade: B+

Team Name: Madd Dogs
Manager: Mikey Berto

Infield: Mikey is Cub crazy with Rizzo and Baez. Of course, they are safe picks. I'm getting that feeling that Edman won't be able to repeat what he did last season. Muncy has been quite good in recent years.

Infield Grade: B+

Outfield: Acuna and Pham get your attention real quick. That is quite the Dynamic Duo. Laureano is a textbook Mike pick, and the Mets are hoping JD Davis can build off last year's surprising breakout.

Outfield Grade: A-

Utility: Nelson Cruz is one of the most underrated athletes of all time. The guy f'n mashes. He is as consistent as they come. A nice steal for Mikey there. Seager another great value. Fell really far. Too far. Votto also worth a dart throw.

Util Grade: A

Bench: Solak and Happ are the smart plays, here. Right bang for the buck. Arraez can rake, when you give him opportunities. Mazara a nice IL stash.

Bench Grade: B+

Starting Pitching: Mikey going with the young studs in Flaherty and Woodruff up top. Must be an NL Central thing, considering the Cubs in his lineup too. Oh shit. Here's another one. Kyle Hendricks is his SP3. And he has Kwang Kim, too? Wtf. This is a weird starting staff, but still pretty good.

SP Grade: B

Relief Pitching: Taylor Rogers is the lone full time closer. Ryan Pressly will begin the season as the awesome Astros' closer.

Bullpen Grade: B-

Overall Grade: A-

Tune in tomorrow for Part 2!