2024 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft for Head-to-Head (H2H) categories: Consequences of doubling up at first base

When I set up our latest mock draft -- it being a Yahoo-style Head-to-Head categories league -- I specifically gave myself the No. 8 pick in the hopes of testing a particular scenario.

I wanted to see what would happen if I drafted both Freddie Freeman (in Round 1) and Matt Olson (in Round 2), two first baseman who happened to be the most productive players in 5x5 scoring last year, apart from Ronald Acuna. I think both are being undervalued, and so I wondered if taking both, thereby doubling up at a deep position at the start of the draft, would leave me vulnerable elsewhere.

My takeaway: Not so much. In fact, I'm quite happy with the way my offense turned out. I like the balance between the five categories, and I don't think any position suffered greatly by me taking a double helping of one. I say this with a few caveats, though ..

• It was three-outfielder league and not a five-outfielder league. The latter would make it harder to pass up Yordan Alvarez for Olson in Round 2, particularly with outfield being regarded as the shallowest offensive position this year. It might also leave me starved for outfield help in the middle-to-late stages of the draft, when corner infield options are plentiful.
  
• Even for being a three-outfielder league, I was fortunate to get Adolis Garcia in Round 5, which is awfully late for what most people consider to be a borderline No. 1 outfielder.
• Standard Yahoo lineups, which we used in this mock draft, feature two utility spots instead of just one, so filling one with Olson in Round 2 didn't prevent me from doubling up at some other position or drafting a true DH.

Still, I like these initial results enough to explore the possibility in other formats as well, provided I get the opportunity. It stands to reason that if we're willing to devote a utility spot to Shohei Ohtani in Round 2, we should be willing to do the same for Olson.

Here's who all took part in this draft:

1) Jason Bouffard, lucky reader who got to join in
2) Michael Polidoro, The Can-Am Super Show (@CanAmSuperShow)
3) Darren "Doc" Eisenhauer, Scout the Statline (@DocHollidayDyna)
4) Mike Carter, Fantrax (@mdrc0508)
5) Chris Towers, CBS Sports (@CTowersCBS)
6) Nick Francis, Nick's Picks (@nicksMLBpicks)
7) Ryan McLaughlin, Ryan and Mike Love Pitching (@2BaeballDorks)
8) Scott White, CBS Sports (@CBSScottWhite)
9) Tim Kanak, Fantasy Aceball (@fantasyaceball)
10) Jake Wiener, Prospects1500 (@GatorSosa)
11) Frank Stampfl, CBS Sports (@Roto_Frank)
12) David Funnell, BS Sports (@Roto_Frank)

Just a few quick observations before you dive into the results:

• Again, we modeled this draft after the standard Yahoo league, which allows for daily lineup changes. Relievers are elevated in such a format because they help fill in the gaps when certain starting pitchers are unavailable. One drafter, Jason Bouffard, pushed this idea to its limit, selecting three relievers before his first starting pitcher. His final roster is worth looking over.
• I've decided that the Rounds 11-14 (Picks 121-168) are the most frustrating for me in every draft. Some of the best values can be found there, but I only get four cracks at it, with my choices generally being dictated by need. My needs in this draft were mostly pitching-related.
  
• This was our first draft since the Orioles revealed Kyle Bradish's sprained UCL, and the right-hander was drafted 201st overall. That's a reasonable enough spot for him, given what we know now, though I rank him closer to 250 and would have preferred some of the pitchers that went in the next couple rounds.