Tout Wars, similar in fashion to LABR, is a room full of some of the sharpest analysts/players in the fantasy baseball industry. The difference between Tout Wars and LABR are the rotisserie categories used. LABR uses the traditional 5×5 rotisserie categories while Tout Wars removes batting average from the hitter categories and replaces it with OBP (on-base percentage). A completely different strategy, which is why the draft board looks a bit different than your traditional 5×5 leagues.

Tout Wars Draft & Hold

15-team rotisserie – 5×5 – snake draft

Hitting categories: on-base percentage, runs, home runs, RBI, stolen bases

Pitching categories: wins, saves, ERA, WHIP and strikeouts

50-man rosters with six reserves (2 C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 5 OF, MI, CI, Utility, 9 pitchers)

No FAAB or adds/drops for the entirety of the season.

The room/draft order:

1. Alan Harrison (@TheFantasyFix)
2. Fred Zinkie (Yahoo/Rotowire)
3. James Anderson (Rotowire)
4. Matt Williams (TheGameDay/TheAthletic/NBCSports)
5. Eric Cross (FTNFantasy/RotoBaller)
6. Chris Welsh (FantasyPros/BettingPros)
7. Vlad Sedler (FTNFantasy)
8. Michael Stein (FantasyJudgement)
9. Anthony Perri (Fantistics)
10. Jorge Montanez (Rotowire)
11. Kyle Elfrink (SiriusXM)
12. Corbin Young (RotoBaller/RotoWire/BaseballHQ)
13. Paul Sporer (Sleeper & the Bust/RotoGraphs)
14. Mike Alexander (Razzball)
15. Dan Strafford (Dan Strafford)

As the returning champion, I was afforded the opportunity to select my draft position first using a KDS style selection process. Normally I would like to be in the top 5-6 spots but given I was able to select at the top with my top player valued significantly higher than anyone on the board, I went with #1.

Goals for this “Draft Champions” style draft: Acquire players projected to get the most at-bats, players with high-floors and high-ceilings, players with multiple position eligibility, at least 3-4 per infield position, at least 10 OF, closers and their handcuffs, high-leverage relievers who can contribute to most pitching categories – especially ratios, at least 10 SP and some players who are starting the season on the IL that are projected to return to their respective teams at some point in the season.

You can view the entire draft board here.

Round 1 – Ronald Acuña, Jr. (OF) – ATL

No brainer here. Checks off an outfield spot and contributes a healthy amount to all five offensive categories. He was leaps-and-bounds above the next potential player in the model. Praying for health.

Also considered: Juan Soto, Spencer Strider, Julio Rodriguez, Mookie Betts

Round 2 – Ozzie Albies (2B) – ATL

A Braves stack to start. Right up my alley. I took a good look at Jose Altuve who projects to have a higher OBP but I wanted the upside of the younger Albies to pair with Acuña who I like to out-perform Houston’s second-baseman in R+RBI+HR+SB categories.

Also considered: Jose Altuve, Gunnar Henderson, Pablo Lobez, George Kirby

Round 3 – Elly de la Cruz (SS/3B) – CIN

Arguably the most polarizing player in ’24 fantasy baseball drafts, de la Cruz comes with what some consider a low-floor and high-ceiling. A wide range of outcomes that could see him sent to the farm or selected to an All-Star team. He’s fast, hits the ball extremely hard and carries multiple position eligibility. There was no chance Elly would make it back to me in the fourth round so we’re shooting for the stars here. With my first three picks in the books, I’m hoping for 80 HR/100 SBs with full, healthy seasons.

Also considered: Jose Altuve, Gunnar Henderson, Pablo Lobez, George Kirby

Round 4 – Manny Machado (3B) – SDP

On the heels of a risky Elly de la Cruz in the third-round, I wanted to back that up with a more conservative pick. Manny Machado fit that mold as a veteran third-baseman who I consider to have a high-floor/high-ceiling. I was also a bit worried about the drop off at the hot corner after my two selections on the wheel. Projections think Machado could add another 30 HRs, 90 R, 100 RBI with a handful of stolen bases and a .330+ OBP.

Also considered: Grayson Rodriguez, Will Smith, Camilo Doval, Evan Carter

Round 5 – Emmanuel Clase (RP) – CLE

In a non-trading, non-FAAB format like Tout Wars Draft & Hold, closers tend to go early and often. The first closer run started just before I selected Machado with Devin Williams, Edwin Diaz, Jhoan Duran and Josh Hader going off the board. For a minute I thought about double-tapping closers (Clase + Doval) but opted for the safer option in Machado to pair with a closer since I already took on some risk in the third-round with de la Cruz.

Like all closers, Clase doesn’t come without some worts. There were rumors he could be dealt before the season started, his K%-BB% dipped from 24.7% in ’22 to 15.9% in ’23 and he also lost almost a full tick on both his fastball and slider last season compared to ’22. Even with the red flags I went with Clase, who I felt was the best closer on the board, and the plan to back him up with other potential closers in the Guardians’ bullpen later in the draft.

Also considered: Grayson Rodriguez, Will Smith, Camilo Doval, Evan Carter

Round 6 – Jesús Luzardo (SP) – MIA

For those that know me, I tend to wait on starting pitching then load up in the middle rounds. This was a good time for me to start building that staff. Jesús Luzardo was at the top of my list despite playing for a team that may not provide him with enough run support to pad the win category.

Luzardo showed a bit better in my K%+IFFB%-BB% research compared to the other arms available around the current ADP so I nabbed the Marlins’ starter.

Also considered: Joe Musgrove, Justin Steele, Tanner Bibee, Alexis Diaz, David Bednar

Round 7 – Christian Walker (1B) – ARI

Double-tapping starters crossed my mind with a few other available arms that peaked my interest. However, the options at first-base seemed slim and I wanted get a power bat that I could set and forget. Walker provides good enough power production for the position with a solid OBP on a team that should be highly competitive in the NL West again in ’24.

Also considered: Joe Musgrove, Justin Steele, Tanner Bibee, Alexis Diaz, David Bednar

Round 8 – Hunter Greene (SP) – CIN

Continuing the build the starting rotation out with Hunter Greene in the eight-round. It seemed like the end of a tier here. Greene’s ceiling is high – the K%+IFFB%-BB% model isn’t particularly in love with him due to the walks – so I’m hoping he can stack the strikeouts and develop better control to limit the walks. This is a bit of a risky selection, but again, I’ve started building the staff late so these are the risks you tend to take on when doing so.

In hindsight, I might’ve take one of the three starters listed below instead of Greene – King, especially.

Also considered: Merrill Kelly, Chris Bassit, Michael King, Paul Sewald

Round 9 – Jordan Romano (RP) – TOR

Truth be told, I was hoping one of Andres Munoz or David Bednar would slide to me here at the end of round eight/start of round nine. That didn’t work out as both were taken late in the eighth-round just prior to my wheel picks.

Romano has a nice team situation and felt like the best available closer. His K%-BB% has slid in each of the last few seasons which is cause for concern.

Also considered: Merrill Kelly, Chris Bassit, Michael King, Paul Sewald

Round 10 – Gabriel Moreno (C) – ARZ

It’s round 10 and I still don’t have a backstop. Gabriel Moreno provides a good OBP, should get double-digit homers and sprinkle in some stolen bases. I love the team context and mini Diamondbacks stack with Christian Walker already in the fold. I felt this was a good value at this point in the draft for a high-pedigree catcher on the rise.

The selection of Moreno came at the end of a run on catchers so I felt it was a timely selection.

Also considered: Christopher Morel, Riley Greene, Anthony Santander, Hunter Brown

Round 11 – Jackson Chourio (OF) – MLW

Similar to Mixed LABR, I was hoping to grab Wyatt Langford around this point in the draft. However, Langford’s Spring performance caused him to start moving up draft boards quickly. I pivoted to who I felt was the next best prospect available in Jackson Chourio.

Chourio signed the big, team-friendly extension and should be in-line for an Opening Day spot on the Brewers’ roster patrolling CF. Although he may not have the high OBP that we’re looking for in this format, he can put balls over the fence and swipe a bunch of bases. Although a 15/20 season may be more reasonable, I’m hoping for a 20/20 (or 20/30) season from one of baseball’s top prospects.

Also considered: Christopher Morel, Riley Greene, Anthony Santander, Hunter Brown

Round 12 – Yu Darvish (SP) – SDP

An aging starter that’s seen his K%-BB% in steadily decline over each of the last three seasons and some injury issues to boot? Sign me up. Still filling out this starting rotation and felt like Darvish would be just the oatmeal this team could benefit from.

Also considered: Lars Nootbar, Shota Imanaga, Ryan Pepiot, Nate Lowe

Round 13 – Tyler O’Neill (OF) – BOS

New city, same biceps. Tyler O’Neill landed in Boston this offseason in a deal with the Cardinals. He’s projected to hit fifth in what should be a good lineup. A power/speed combination guy that should provide a nice OBP felt like a great value in the 13th round as my third outfielder.

Also considered: Lars Nootbar, Shota Imanaga, Ryan Pepiot, Nate Lowe

Round 14 – Jonah Heim (C) – TEX

In serious need of a second catcher at this point. Mostly looking for a backstop who’ll get the bulk of their team’s at-bats and contribute to a few categories while minimizing damage as best as possible. Heim won’t be the best OBP backstop out there but projections like him to get 15+ homers and 110-120 R+RBI in a potent lineup for the reigning World Series Champions.

Also considered: Byron Buxton, Brayan Bello, Starling Marte, Tristan McKenzie 

Round 15 – Daulton Varsho (OF) – TOR

We were all paying early round picks on Varsho last season due to his power/speed combo and catcher eligibility. He struggled quite a bit in his first season in Toronto and lost the catcher tag. However, he still posted 36 HR+SB and played 158 games. There may not be as many at-bats coming his way this season but the power/speed combo still appealed to me as my fourth OF in round 15. Let’s run!

Also considered: Byron Buxton, Brayan Bello, Starling Marte, Tristan McKenzie 

Instead of writing up the final 35 rounds, here are some highlights I think are worth mentioning:

SP – Taj Bradley, Seth Lugo, Dean Kremer, Paul Skenes, Jordan Hicks, Michael Soroka, Clayton Kershaw, Robbie Ray, Ross Stripling, Martin Perez, David Peterson, Dustin May and Randy Vasquez.

Injured starters all over the place. If Kershaw, Ray and May come back with strong summers this would be a huge boost to this staff. Time will tell. Bradley (on the IL, now) seemed like a good value. Lugo, Kremer Stripling are super vanilla picks – just trying to stack some innings. Upside with Skenes, Hicks and Soroka depending on when the Pirates’ top prospect arrives (after super-two?) and how Hicks/Soroka do with their new clubs.

RP – Robert Stephenson, Bryan Abreu, Scott Barlow, Erik Swanson, Lucas Sims, Tyler Rogers and Josh Sborz

Some handcuffs (Barlow/Swanson) for the closers I already drafted and some other closers with steady ratios and chances for saves (Stephenson/Abreu/Sims/Rogers and Sborz).

IF – Carlos Correa, Luis Rengifo, Ryan Mountcastle, Brendan Rogers, Alex Kirilloff (1B/OF), Wilmer Flores (1b/3B), Enrique Hernandez (2B, SS, OF), Tom Murphy, Kyle Higashioka, Oswaldo Cabrera and Nicky Lopez.

This group is a mix of steady veterans with job and players with multiple position eligibility. Correa, Mountcastle and Rogers are my favorite of the bunch at their respective points in the draft. And it’s always important to have versatile players to plug in during the season as players get tired or injured.

OF – Andrew Benintendi, Alex Kirilloff, Harrison Bader, Dylan Crews, Jurickson Profar

Mostly the same theme with this group. Veterans who should get plenty of at-bats and contribute a bit throughout the five categories. Then you have super prospect Dylan Crews of the Washington Nationals who may or may not see time in the first-division this season.

Overall:

Hard not to love a team you drafted when you’re able to select Ronald Acuña, Jr. I feel like I did a nice job drafting a balanced offense – should all stay healthy, my projections believe I should be a threat in the runs, RBI, HR and SB categories, although I may be a bit light in the OBP. There is upside as well with de la Cruz, Chourio and Crews later on.

I was able to secure plenty of depth around the infield/outfield but I’m sure they’ll be some points in the season when I struggle to fill out all of my roster spots. It always seems to happen in this format.

My pitching staff seems to be my weak link. There’s depth and upside when players return from the IL, but in general, it lacks the impact ace that most other teams have. You hate to bank on Skenes, Ray, Kershaw and May but here we are. I suppose we’re praying for a healthy return from those guys for a strong second half for a run at the title.

LABR started back in 1994 when John Hunt, a columnist from USA Today’s Baseball Weekly, would conduct the draft/auctions and publish the results in the Baseball Weekly fantasy baseball preview. Then, readers could use this benchmark data to drive their decisions in their own drafts.

Truth be told, this is how I began my love for fantasy baseball. I used to ride my bike down to the local deli and pick up a copy of the Baseball Weekly ritualistically. My friends and I used to conduct our own drafts by passing a notebook back-and-forth between classes and logging our picks. We’d then create the rosters and use box scores from the newspapers/Baseball Weekly to compile the statistics, convert them into points and generate standings throughout the year. It was a ton of work but so much fun and love for the game came out of it.

Needless to say, it’s been an honor to be invited to this room by Steve Gardner (USA Today), who is a fantasy baseball trailblazer in his own right.

Mixed LABR

15-team rotisserie – traditional 5×5 – snake draft

Hitting categories: batting average, runs, home runs, RBI, stolen bases

Pitching categories: wins, saves, ERA, WHIP and strikeouts

23-man rosters with six reserves (2 C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 5 OF, MI, CI, Utility, 9 pitchers)

$100 FAAB budget with no $0 bids allowed.

The room/draft order:

1. Tim Mcleod (Prospect 361)
2. Dr. Roto (Dr. Roto)
3. Jeff Erickson (Rotowire)
4. Fred Zinkie (Yahoo/Rotowire)
5. Derek van Riper (The Athletic)
6. Alan Harrison (@TheFantasyFix)
7. Rudy Gamble (Razzball)
8. Mike Podhorzer (FanGraphs)
9. Ryan Bloomfield (BaseballHQ)
10. Ray Flowers (Fantasy Guru)
11. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo)
12. Zach Steinhorn (Zach Steinhorn)
13. Mike Gianella (Baseball Prospectus)
14. Jenny Butler (FTN Fantasy)
15. Paul Sporer (Sleeper & the Bust/RotoGraphs)

When doing our KDS, I selected the sixth spot because I loved all the players that projected to be available in the first round. More importantly, when looking forward, I liked the idea of picking from this slot for the players that could be available to me in the second and third rounds, respectively.

You can view the full draft board here.

Round 1:

Mookie Betts (2B/SS/OF) – LAD

Mookie Betts is one of the best baseball players on the planet. He hits at the top of the order for one of the best teams/lineups in all of baseball (by projections, anyway – they still have to play the games!). Although he doesn’t swipe bags at the rate he once did, Betts is still a five category contributor with multiple position eligibility. We could see a 30/15 season with 200 R+RBI and a .280 batting average. Starting with a high-floor, high-ceiling.

Also considered: Fernando Tatis Jr., Kyle Tucker, Freddie Freeman, Juan Soto

Round 2:

Elly de la Cruz (SS/3B) – CIN

Given what I perceived to be a high floor/high ceiling in Mookie Betts, I decided to go YoLo with Elly de la Cruz. With the buzz around his ridiculous speed, exit velocities, upside etc. last season and early on this Spring, I felt if I didn’t grab Elly in the second-round, he wouldn’t be available to me in the third.

Elly is probably one of the most polarizing players in the pool this year due to what some consider a low-floor and high-ceiling. Projections vary with de la Cruz, most peg him around 20-25 homers and 30-35 stolen bases, with a batting average in the .245 range.  Chasing the upside here folks. Leaving the first two-rounds with about 50+ homers/50 SBs felt like a pretty balanced start.

Also considered: Pete Alonso, Marcus Semien, Luis Robert, Gunnar Henderson, Zack Wheeler

Round 3:

Luis Castillo (SP) – SEA

This was a bit uncharacteristic of me. Typically I’ll stack bats early and fill out a starting rotation in the middle-rounds with steady veterans, upside arms and a few lottery tickets.

However, I didn’t expect Castillo to get back to me here. And it was too hard to pass on the Mariners’ ace as the anchor of my staff. I’m hoping for full, healthy season of 175-200 IP,  ~200 strikeouts, solid ratios and double-digit wins.

Also considered: Corey Seager, Bo Bichette, Pablo Lopez

Round 4/5:

Adley Rutschman (C) – BAL, Will Smith (C) – LAD

Sometimes you have to zig when others zag. Again, double-tapping top-tier catchers is not something I normally do or would generally advise in this format. I typically pick a few backstops in the middle-to-late rounds in two-catcher formats as passing on some of the starters or speed/power combination bats in this part of the draft is difficult to stomach.

In past years, when picking catchers later in Mixed LABR drafts, I’ve had a hard time selecting the right combination of players and almost found myself scouring the waiver wire each week for streamers. With $0 FAAB bids not allowed, I’ve used valuable FAAB money on catchers who didn’t get many at-bats had a poor batting average and failed to contribute to the overall cause.

With Rutschman and Smith, you’re arguably getting two of the top-five catchers in the pool. More of the “set it and forget it” approach. Rutschman will only swipe a few bags at best but the all-world backstop should provide steady contributions in the other four hitting categories in the middle of a potent Orioles lineup. Smith will lose some at-bats at DH compared to previous seasons with Ohtani in the fold but 20+ homers, a couple of bags and 150 R+RBI with a solid batting average should be possible.

Also considered: Royce Lewis, Grayson Rodriguez, Manny Machado, J.T. Realmuto, Jazz Chisholm

Round 6

David Bednar (RP) – PIT

Closers went early-and-often as to be expected. My goal was not to spend a third or fourth-round pick on a closer since they’re so volatile. In a coin-flip, I went with Bednar (over Seawald) who I felt was in the middle of that second tier of closers that could provide 30 saves and close to 80 strikeouts for a Pirates team that should get a bulk of their victories in close games.

Also considered: Jesus Luzardo, Paul Sewald, Alexis Diaz

Rounds 7-10

Alex Bregman (3B) – HOU, Evan Carter (OF) – HOU, Clay Holmes (RP – NYY), Justin Verlander (SP) – HOU

Bregman felt like the old, boring, steady veteran. Flat soda, per se. But he felt like that last formidable bat available at the hot corner to provide some balance/consistency/insurance should Elly de la Cruz not pan out. I really didn’t think Evan Carter to fall to me, so I couldn’t hit that “draft” button quick enough as my second outfielder. Carter showed pretty well in the short time he was up for the World Champions in ’23. A 15/15 season with a solid batting average near the top of the Rangers lineup should be in the realm of potential outcomes.

Clay Holmes also seemed to be a value for me in the ninth-round as my second closer. The likely closer for a solid Yankees squad felt like the last of his tier, so I wanted to secure another 30 saves, 70 strikeouts with decent ratios. I really wanted Hunter Greene here but he went off the board the pick before me to Rudy Gamble. Verlander fell due to a lingering injury. He may not be ready for Opening Day. But I was chasing some upside/strikeouts/wins here given his Hall-of-Fame career on an excellent Astros team that should win 90+ games.

Also considered: Seiya Suzuki, Andres Munoz, Jackson Chourio, Riley Greene, Bryce Miller

Rounds 11-15

Jorge Soler (OF/UT) – SFG, Wyatt Langford (OF) – TEX, Nathaniel Lowe (1B) – TEX, Gavin Williams (SP) – CLE

Jorge Soler found a new home in San Francsico. It’s a tougher park for bats so he may not provide as much power as he used to. However, I was chasing pop and trying to fill out my OF so he complemented the build.

With Wyatt Langford, I was chasing upside while continuing to fill out the OF. He’s young and may experience some growing pains in what many assume will be a full year in the Majors with the Rangers but the prospect pedigree with the opportunity to hit in the heart of the a strong Rangers lineup was too good to pass up. I’m glad we drafted when we did because he’s been having quite a strong Spring resulting in a skyrocketing ADP.  As of today, Langford has an ADP of 82 (max of 65!) in NFBC Main Event drafts. I was able to get him at 175 in Mixed LABR. Hoping for a nice blend of power/speed with a 20/20+ season and a .265 or better batting average.

With a need a 1B and the opportunity to stack up some Rangers, I went with Nate Lowe in the 13th round. He’s currently a bit banged up but the hope is he can return to full health, hit 20+ homers with a nice batting average.

Gavin Williams is one of those younger arms with a ton of prospect pedigree. I was looking for upside in the middle rounds, which I got at the time, but he’s also nursing an elbow injury and will likely begin the season on the IL.

Highlights:

Round 15 – Steven Kwan (OF) – CLE – Batting average, stolen bases and filling out the OF

Round 16/17 – Triston McKenzie (SP) – CLE/Brayan Bello (SP) – BOS – Upside arms with the ability to strikeout batters in an effort to fill out the rotation.

Round 18  – Carlos Correa (SS) – MIN – Felt like he fell too far. Some oatmeal for the middle infield. Low-risk this late in the draft.

Round 19 – Willi Castro (3B/OF) – MIN – Multiple position eligibility with speed. Fills a team need.

Round 21 – Carlos Estevez (RP) – LAA – Potential for saves in Anaheim.

Round 22 – Dean Kremer (SP) – BAL – Needed innings. Good team. Felt like a good value.

Round 23 – Kyle Bradish (SP) – BAL – Bradish is hurt but this was an upside play given we have unlimited IL slots. Low-risk, high-reward this late.

Round 24 – Jake Cronenworth (1B/2B) – SDP – Multiple position eligibility. Betting on a rebound.

Final Thoughts:

This is an extremely difficult league given the quality of players in the room. It feels like my offense is nicely balance dand I should be competitive in the saves category. I’m glad to have grabbed Luis Castillo early as the rest of my arms are a bit banged up. Hopefully the starters get healthy and I can hit on a couple of those lottery tickets (McKenzie/Bello/Kremer/Bradish). This is a trades league so I may need to be a bit aggressive in that sense to maintain balance between bats/arms throughout the season.

Outside of my team, I really like Mike Podhorzer’s, Dr. Roto’s, Rudy Gamble’s and Fred Zinkie’s teams.

The fantasy baseball industry is lucky to have many analysts with interesting strategies up their sleeves to target players on draft day or throughout the season via FAAB. One particular strategy I’ve enjoyed using over the years is K%+IFFB%-BB% to target pitchers. Strikeouts and the ability to induce easy pop ups is a recipe for fantasy success. In a perfect world, I’m trying to pair two of the top 25 hurlers on this chart along with a few of the middle relievers found atop of the K%+IFFB%-BB% list and some upside arms late in drafts.

I’m not the first to use this, I’ve tweeted about my use of this strategy back in 2016, Jeff Zimmermann wrote about it here and per his discussion, I believe Rob Silver has been using this for a significant period of time (he may be the first!). Zimmermann expands on this strategy and probably makes the math more sound by placing PAs in the denominator. I encourage you to read more of his discussion and reasoning in the previous link.

Although this data is relatively elementary and easy to access, I kept my research to myself during the recent Mixed LABR draft but will make my thoughts public during RazzSlam and prior to Tout Wars Draft & Hold and TGFBI.

For the purpose of this research, I only used data from the 2023 season. Additionally, I set a 40 inning minimum for innings pitched as a starter. You may create a similar sheet and adjust your innings minimums and toggle between starters and relievers, should you choose.

Since March 1st there have been eight NFBC Main Event drafts. In those eight drafts, Spencer Strider has an ADP of 2.5 with a minimum pick of 2 and a maximum pick of 4. He’s the clear number one pitcher in 2024 and that jives with our K%+IFFB%-BB% data as he’s third among starting pitchers with a 38.6%. Some don’t like drafting arms that early in their drafts, but given the current landscape of pitchers — and pitcher injuries around the league — he should be considered as an option for you and the anchor for your staff.

As look through the data below and compare that to current NFBC ADP, arms like Zack Wheeler (ADP 18), Luis Castillo (23), Pablo Lopez (ADP 27), Tarik Skubal (ADP 32) and Freddy Peralta (ADP 43) are being drafted as Aces and our data backs that up. Wheeler and Castillo are my favorite of this bunch and should be considered your SP1 in the 2nd or 3rd round should you be willing to pass on those popular power/speed combo bats in favor of an arm.

Looking further down the ADP list, Chris Sale (ADP 83) pops as the sixth-best starting pitcher per this metric and could be seen as a value later in your draft. Sale found a new home in Atlanta and signed a nice contract extension, leading us to believe the Braves are confident he can be much of the peak pitcher he’s been in the past when he’s not on the shelf.

New Padres’ starting pitcher, Michael King (ADP 120), had the second-best K%+IFFB%-BB% among starters with a minimum of 40 IP in 2023. The value in ADP seems to be there with respect to his skills over the nine starts he made with the Yankees, but how many starts/innings can we expect from him? I’m willing to roll the dice with King a bit higher than his current ADP so long as he’s your SP2/SP3.

Yu Darvish (ADP 152), Nestor Cortes (ADP 205) and Kutter Crawford (ADP 205) all showed well in ’23 using our K%+IFFB%-BB% data. These guys all have their worts but should provide nice value later in drafts when you’re looking to fill out your rotation.

Following the publishing of this chart, I will run separate pieces on pitchers to target and avoid that reflect this strategy and their current NFBC ADP.

Here’s a direct link to the chart, but it should also be embedded below. If you have any questions, pop them in the comments and I’ll gladly respond.

The fantasy baseball industry is lucky to have many analysts with interesting strategies up their sleeves to target players on draft day or throughout the season via FAAB. One particular strategy I’ve enjoyed using over the years is K%+IFFB%-BB% to target pitchers. Strikeouts and the ability to induce easy pop ups is a recipe for fantasy success. In a perfect world, I’m trying to pair two of the top 25 hurlers on this chart along with a few of the middle relievers found atop of the K%+IFFB%-BB% list and some upside arms late in drafts.

I’m not the first to use this, I’ve tweeted about my use of this strategy back in 2016, Jeff Zimmermann wrote about it here and per his discussion, I believe Rob Silver has been using this for a significant period of time (he may be the first!). Zimmermann expands on this strategy and probably makes the math more sound by placing PAs in the denominator. I encourage you to read more of his discussion and reasoning in the previous link. As always, here’s the link I posted to last year’s version of this research on the site as well (same topic/parameters, different data leading us to a few different names to target).

Although this data is relatively elementary and easy to access, I kept my research to myself during the recent Mixed LABR draft but will make my thoughts public during RazzSlam and prior to Tout Wars Draft & Hold and TGFBI.

For the purpose of this research, I only used data from the 2021 season. Additionally, I set a 50 inning minimum for innings pitched as a starter. You may create a similar sheet and adjust your innings minimums and toggle between starters and relievers, should you choose.

Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodon and Freddy Peralta are the top three starting pitchers according to this research. Since January 1, 2022, Freddy Peralta is going 19th among starting pitchers in 15-team NFBC drafts. I don’t think he’s getting enough love given his recent body of work, so I’ll have him higher in my rankings than his current ADP. If Peralta can repeat most of ’21 while allowing fewer free passes, there’s a chance he can return top 10-15 SP value. Carlos Rodon posted wild numbers in ’21 but injury history and unknown landing spot (he’s a free agent at the time of this writing) are likely at the root of his slide. If early pitchers are part of your draft strategy I can see taking a chance on Rodon as your #3 in the 9th-10th round of a 15-teamer.

Josiah Gray showed up as a top 20 starter in this model. The Nationals’ projected #3 starter had an ADP of 293 (~19th-20th round in 15-teamers) at the time of this writing which appears to be a great value given the names around him and their current ADPs. I’ll be looking to stockpile shares of Josiah Gray this draft season in mostly all formats.

Following the publishing of this chart, I will run separate pieces on pitchers to target and avoid that reflect this strategy and their current NFBC ADP.

Here’s a direct link to the chart, but it should also be embedded below. If you have any questions, pop them in the comments and I’ll gladly respond.

A leaked list had eight names who could be interviewed, and some of the names are outside of the box. Who is the lead candidate? Who should *actually* be the new GM? Is a woman GM possible?

If you like the podcast and want to support it directly, you can become a Patreon member at Patreon.com/SlapShotPodcast

Intro music courtesy of Yung Kartz can be found here.

Give the podcast a listen below or download it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also follow the podcast on YouTube! If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive rating/review.

We also take a moment to talk about the COVID-19 situation in the NHL, and what the league needs to do to get control of the situation. Is a league shutdown coming? Is that the best course of action?

If you like the podcast and want to support it directly, you can become a Patreon member at Patreon.com/SlapShotPodcast

Intro music courtesy of Yung Kartz can be found here.

Give the podcast a listen below or download it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also follow the podcast on YouTube! If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive rating/review.

Marc Bergevin gets fired, and Jeff Gorton comes in as VP of Hockey Operations. It’s not his task to hire a new General Manager, who will speak French. Do you like this decision by owner Jeff Molson? Would you have done the same?

We also take a look at why expanding the medical team to help players off the ice is a great idea, and why that decision had to come now.

If you like the podcast and want to support it directly, you can become a Patreon member at Patreon.com/SlapShotPodcast

Intro music courtesy of Yung Kartz can be found here.

Give the podcast a listen below or download it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also follow the podcast on YouTube! If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive rating/review.

If the team were to replace him, do they absolutely have to replace him with a French-speaking coach? Is it time we move on from that and look for the best candidate available?

I also give my pick as to who I could see taking over if a change were to be made during the season.

If you like the podcast and want to support it directly, you can become a Patreon member at Patreon.com/SlapShotPodcast

Intro music courtesy of Yung Kartz can be found here.

Give the podcast a listen below or download it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also follow the podcast on YouTube! If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive rating/review.

Why do the Canadiens have so few of them? What is the solution? Will a new committee really change anything?

I give my take on a few changes that would help increase registration at the minor league level, and some challenges that hockey in general might be facing over the next few years.

If you like the podcast and want to support it directly, you can become a Patreon member at Patreon.com/SlapShotPodcast

Intro music courtesy of Yung Kartz can be found here.

Give the podcast a listen below or download it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also follow the podcast on YouTube! If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive rating/review.

We also take a look at Cole Caufield being demoted to the AHL and why that shouldn’t be considered a bad thing. Do you remember which Habs player was once demoted and came back to be a pure goal scorer? Can Caufield come back and light up the NHL?

If you like the podcast and want to support it directly, you can become a Patreon member at Patreon.com/SlapShotPodcast

Intro music courtesy of Yung Kartz can be found here.

Give the podcast a listen below or download it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also follow the podcast on YouTube! If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive rating/review.