Hello again everyone!
We have another week of the DRAFT Strat on tap for you here at DailyOverlay. I wish Monday would’ve been a DRAFT Strat day because a very simple strategy was available all night Sunday and almost all day Monday.
The Nationals and Yankees had a make up game scheduled after the conclusion of a suspended game from earlier in the year.
None of the Yankees and Nats had projections Sunday night and for most of Monday. I was able to nab Stanton and Judge as my last picks in nearly all of my drafts. They paid off perfectly. The rest of my selections did not, which is part of the game. But they were value in the late rounds because most people didn’t recognize this.
It was awesome and I love when things like that happen. That’s why it’s important to check projections to see if there are some players with little to none, especially the night before a slate.
Today’s 15-game slate does not really have many players out there like that, and none that you would likely draft outside of a 10-man format.
Austin Meadows and Rajai Davis are a couple of names that stick out who have very minimal projections that will have one later when lineups are announced. But you aren’t drafting them in small formats anyway.
As for this DRAFT slate, we will continue the rankings and strategy format for today. There’s not a ton of weather concerns outside of Detroit/Cincy and some potential threatening weather in Colorado, but at time of this article being published, the concerns at Coors aren’t there yet. You will need to monitor that moving forward today. I suggest following @KevinRothWx.
Here are today’s rankings for me on Draft – 15 hitters, 5 pitchers. Following that are my strategies for 3-man, 4-man (Big A$$ Baseball Tournament) and 6-mans (Grand Slam tournament and general contests). Oh, and look for my darkhorse play of the day at the end. Last Thursday it was Devers and he paid off nicely!.
DRAFT Hitter Rankings
1. Nolan Arenado
2. Mike Trout
3. Giancarlo Stanton
4. Trevor Story
5. Brandon Nimmo
6. Aaron Judge
7. Charlie Blackmon
8. Paul Goldschmidt
9. Michael Conforto
10. Justin Upton
11. Ian Desmond
12. Jose Ramirez
13. Mookie Betts
14. DJ LeMahieu
15. Kris Bryant
DRAFT Pitcher Rankings
1. Justin Verlander
2. Chris Sale
3. Mike Clevinger
4. Vince Velasquez
5. Cole Hamels (Yes, I hate typing that)
3-Man Contents
The Strat: DO NOT TAKE A PITCHER IN THE FIRST ROUND. I can echo this almost in all formats, but there are too many hitters. You should have your choice between Arenado, Stanton or Trout with your first pick. Take one of them. With your second pick, let the other drafters dictate where you go (pitcher or hitter). If you have No. 1 overall, take one of those bats listed above. If it comes back to you and Verlander and Sale haven’t gone, take one of them with your back-to-back picks. Use the other pick to nab the hitter you like best at that point. You can probably grab Story, Nimmo, Judge, Bryce Harper (though a stud, he’s not on my rankings but understand if you like him), Conforto or Mookie.
4-Man Contests
The Strat: AGAIN, DO NOT TAKE A PITCHER IN THE FIRST ROUND….except if you have the last pick of the first round. It would acceptable to take Verlander or Sale at this point plus a bat that you like best. I would personally hope someone takes one of those two guys with their first picks and then have my pick of Trout, Arenado or Stanton with my first pick then nab another power bat, wait on taking Velasquez or Clevinger later like I did here last night in the Big A$$ tournament. Ignore my avatar. That’s not me but a buddy of mine. ;). i guess I need to make it a DailyOverlay one, eh?
6-Man Contests and Tournaments
The Strat: This is where I say it’s acceptable to take a pitcher in the first round, but ONLY if you have the 4th through 6th pick and Arenado, Stanton and Trout are gone. I like Velasquez and Hamels late in the game as my last picks in these formats. I would consider stacking in this format because things get a little thin in the outfield, so take those Coors bats early when you can. I like stacking Coors, the Yankees and Astros here. Kris Bryant is an excellent value DRAFT play in the later rounds against a lefty and likely leading off.
DRAFT Darkhorse Play of the Day
Kike Hernandez – You likely aren’t going to go here today, but if you feel the need in a 10-man, go Kike. He’s on the road against a lefty, both proponents of potential success as a last-round selection for your infield position
