I have assembled the greatest Fantasy Baseball team ever
As a college student, fantasy baseball is a great way to stay connected to friends all around the country. Given the marathon that is Major League Baseball’s regular season, playing fantasy baseball every day for six months can be tiring. Fantasy baseball, for a lot of people, is a chore rather than a fun pastime. Do you know what makes it more interesting, though? Having the greatest team of all time. I may have just done that in a league with friends from high school.
My record sits at 7-0. The closest match I’ve had with anyone in the league was in Week 4, near the end of April where I won by 128 points. I’ve scored 2418.5 points, which is about 300 more than anyone else has scored. Granted, I’ve also “allowed” the least amount of points, which is a necessary cog to winning every single time my team goes out there.
Lineup (Infield):
Let’s start with the lineup, particularly, the infield. Anchoring the team is Sean Murphy, the top-ranked fantasy catcher. Murphy sports a .962 OPS, which is good for sixth in all of MLB. Unprecedented production from the catcher spot. How did I get him, you ask? Free agency.
That’s a trend with a lot of the players on my team. Free agency is one of the key factors in fantasy baseball because you need to be in a constant cycle of players in order to win. I’d argue it’s the most important factor to winning in fantasy baseball, other than having a strong draft.
Next is first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who I snagged at No. 94 overall. Rizzo started cold but has really turned it up in May, and is now the fifth-ranked first baseman. Going down the line, Ketel Marte and Francisco Lindor make up my middle infield.
Like Rizzo, both of these guys didn’t start great. However, the fact that they play every single day (which is huge in fantasy baseball) and the power that they display are huge factors in winning. Marte is the seventh at 2B and Lindor is the third at SS.
The ringer of this lineup has to be the second-ranked third baseman, Rafael Devers. Devers has been the first-ranked hot corner for the majority of the season, but a small slump has him fallen in the ranks. When you have 44 RBIs by May 22, you’re doing something right. I’m shocked that he fell to 27th in the draft. Just the infield alone is extremely good. Those five guys likely aren’t going anywhere.
Lineup (Outfield):
Three outfielders and a DH. Remember how I said that free agency is one of the most important parts of fantasy baseball? That remains true with my outfield, where I picked up 10th-ranked outfielder Christian Yelich. Yeli is having somewhat of a career revival year, as his OPS+ sits above league average. He has hit enough to slide into my third outfielder spot. He isn’t always slotted in there, however.
On my bench are two outfielders as well, Daulton Varsho, a massive fantasy asset because he plays outfield and catcher, Regardless, I have Murphy, so Varsho never really catches unless Murphy gets a day off. Maybe I’ll trade Varsho down the line.
The other bench player is Starling Marte. Marte has been straight-up awful in the early part of the season, but signs are pointing in the right direction for the Mets outfielder. Another player in the league drafted and then proceeded to release Marte, so I snagged him on the waiver wire.
One of my other mainstays in the outfield is sixth-ranked Kyle Tucker, who everyone knows is a big fantasy commodity. As Tucker goes, so do the Astros. I expect him to continue to produce at a high level. Joined by Tucker is Corbin Carroll, who has been massive for me this season. Carroll was drafted as a third outfielder but has emerged as one of the best fantasy baseball players in the sport, due to his power, high steal rate and high average.
My designated hitter is Bryce Harper. Yes, Bryce Harper. He somehow went undrafted. Many were probably under the assumption that Harper would be gone until the All-Star break and maybe even after. Instead, he comes back in early May and slides into my lineup very nicely as the eighth-ranked DH.
So, that concludes the stacked lineup. It may not be the greatest lineup in the world, but honestly, that’s not where my team makes its hay. That would be in the pitching staff.
Pitching Staff:
I’m a firm believer in the fantasy baseball universe that if you don’t have to use relief pitchers, then don’t do it. All they do is blow games, even the best of them. There is a way better chance that they get you -15 points for losing the game rather than around five points if you win. The trade-off is not nearly worth it. That’s why I’ve assembled an eight-man pitching staff of all starters.
I’ll spoil my rankings right now, because man, I have some of the best pitchers ever. My team owns the second, fifth, sixth, ninth, 11th, 14th, 22nd, and 37th-ranked fantasy baseball pitchers. All of them are averaging at least 12 points per start.
Starting at the top end, the second, fifth, and sixth starters are three of the best in the game, Gerrit Cole, Zac Gallen, and Framber Valdez. Gallen has been one of the National League’s best, while Cole and Valdez are some of the few pitchers left in the game that have thrown complete games this season.
The ninth-ranked pitcher is a bit of a surprise. I took a chance on Nate Eovaldi, who was a wild card in his first season with the Texas Rangers. All he has done is pitch extremely well, sporting a 2.83 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP. The same could be said about Eduardo Rodriguez, who many didn’t know if he’d ever be the same pitcher as he was a few years ago. I claimed him on waivers the same day I claimed Bryce Harper. He has been a godsend for my pitching staff, rocking a 2.06 ERA. Another early Cy Young candidate.
The back half of this pitching staff has some big names, who I trust are going to continue pitching well. I drafted the 14th-ranked pitcher, Merrill Kelly; owning both Arizona aces is very nice. Kelly started slow but has put up 15 or more points in each of his last five starts.
Next in the lineup is a pitcher who was once the number one ranked pitcher, but has since taken a bit of a dip, and that would be Pablo López. López, in his first season as a Twin, has been solid but not incredible. He sports a 3.90 ERA, which I think will dip a bit more by the season’s end.
To round out the pitching staff, Jesús Luzardo has been a nice waiver wire addition. He starts every fifth day and puts up good numbers. He was ranked in the top 30, until being roughed up in his most recent start.
The Verdict:
I believe that this is the best fantasy baseball roster that I have ever assembled. It has the potential to be the best fantasy baseball team ever. However, like the league itself, MLB is a marathon, not a race. Just because I started 7-0, doesn’t mean things are going to remain swimmingly for the entire season. I have three IL spots, and none of them are filled. That’s certainly bound to change.
My team faces off against one of the better rosters in the league, the player with the second most points sits at 5-2. I’m confident that my god-squad can advance to 8-0 on the season.
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