2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: The 24 players Scott White keeps drafting include Dylan Cease, Bo Bichette
There's who we want to draft and who we actually draft
By
Scott White
•
1 min read
If you've read my sleepers, my breakouts and my position strategies articles, you have a pretty good idea what I'd like to do in drafts.
But there's what I'd like to do, and there's what I actually do. They aren't always in agreement. It's not hypocrisy but just the realities of turn order and roster construction.
So in the interest of full disclosure, here are the 24 players I've drafted the most, each belonging to at least three of the 11 teams that I've put together so far (with three more to go). These drafts encompass a variety of formats, and that's often the determinant for selecting a particular player. Sometimes, though, it's just luck of the draw, and I'll be the first to admit that a few of these names caught me by surprise.
I'm guessing that by the start of the season (three drafts still to go, remember), the players most likely to join this group would be Matt Olson, Freddie Freeman, Josh Naylor, Jeff Hoffman, Samuel Basallo, Gabriel Moreno, Isaac Paredes, Alec Bohm and Justin Crawford, just judging from the way my mock drafts seem to go, but heading into the biggest draft weekend of the year, here's how things currently stand.
Players I keep drafting
The White Sox signed Seranthony Dominguez for closer money and then almost immediately anointed him the closer -- like, officially, which is so rare for a team in their state of non-contention. He made a leap with the introduction of a splitter to his arsenal last year, and the White Sox clearly liked what they saw, which is why I think getting him 50 picks later than any other confirmed closer is straight robbery.
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I may be the most notorious Crow-Armstrong detractor in all the land, so how I came to have so many shares of him is less about favoritism than fit and cost. Speaking strictly for categories leagues (because in points, no way), I've found that he's the obvious choice to take in Round 3 when I've forsaken outfield and/or stolen bases in Rounds 1 and 2. I've also found that in auctions, he's nobody's first choice, which has allowed me to get him at well under projected value.
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This one seemed inevitable from as far back as the fall, when early ADP data showed Framber Valdez going in the 20-25 range at starting pitcher while I continued to rank him 15th as usual. He lost his curveball for a stretch last year, which inflated his ERA, but reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. As someone who generally goes cheap at starting pitcher, I've been thrilled to accept the discount.
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It took Jacob Lopez a while to get an honest look in the majors because he doesn't throw as hard as a modern pitcher is supposed to, but the big strikeout numbers he put up in the minors have indeed translated to the majors, a product of his unusual fastball shape and unorthodox left-handed delivery. With a 2.17 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 in his final 13 healthy starts (he made an additional one that wasn't so healthy), I'm hoping he can take the league by surprise in the same way Joe Ryan did some years ago.
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For about a two-month stretch last year, Isaac Collins was a near-everyday player for the Brewers and slashed .295/.383/.464 during that time, hitting four home runs and stealing eight bases. The Royals obviously took notice, acquiring him to be an everyday player for them. I think he can deliver a TJ Friedl-like 15 homers and 25 steals, which would be perfect for deep five-outfielder leagues.
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Geraldo Perdomo performed like a second-round player last year, and while it was unexpected and not backed up by the most sparkling exit velocity readings, the breakthrough only become more pronounced as the year went on. My initial inclination was to rank him about 30 spots higher than he actually goes, and the chance to get batting average and stolen bases from a shortstop becomes hard to resist in Round 5 or so. In points leagues, he's even more enticing because of the plate discipline.
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Sort of like Framber Valdez, I regard Jesus Luzardo as a borderline ace while others are more on the fence about him. The extent of his breakthrough last year was obscured by a two-start stretch in which he was obviously tipping his pitches. Remove them, and he had a 3.03 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 10.6 K/9, which seems legit when you consider that he also had a 2.90 FIP on the year.
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This one is surprising to me because I'm actually less sanguine about Cease rebounding from his 4.55 ERA and 1.33 WHIP than the majority seems to be and am fearful of tanking my ratios so early in the draft. But one of the three instances where I took him was more of a keeper scenario, and in the other two, the discount was simply too good to pass up.
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Bo Bichette's reliability in batting average and impending third base eligibility make him the clutchest Round 7-8 pick in certain Rotisserie builds. Both are hard to find by that point, after all, and in particular, Bichette's third base capacity tends to be overshadowed because he's not quite eligible there yet.
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Corey Seager is as Corey Seager as ever, and it just seems like repeated injuries have tired everyone out on him, given that we're used to seeing him go in the top 50 overall. I especially like him in points leagues since his lack of base-stealing is hardly an issue there.
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Though he's actually one of my bust picks for this year, it turns out enough people are skeptical of Nick Pivetta's career-best 2.87 ERA that he's often rather attainable in drafts. And in leagues where I go cheap at starting pitcher -- particularly Roto, where Pivetta's WHIP is likely to help either way -- I find myself willing to hope that I'm just ... wrong. Which I often am!
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Look, I think Konnor Griffin is unlikely to make the opening day roster because, while he's had his moments this spring, he hasn't blown the lid off in a way that a 19-year-old would probably need to. But boy, he's close, and the upside is enticing enough for me to justify stashing him away if he slides a couple rounds beyond his ADP. Which he often does!
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I know Brandon Woodruff has been behind this spring because of the lat injury he suffered last year, and my response to that may prove to be too cavalier. But I can't get past the fact that a guy who we routinely used to draft as an ace was better than ever for the 12 starts he made last year, delivering a career-best strikeout rate and WHIP. If it's for real -- and I believe it is -- then what an incredible discount.
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In a year when you pretty much have to have a good catcher just because so many others will, I'm content to wait on Carter Jensen, who had exit velocities to rival Shohei Ohtani both in the minors and majors last year and is a disciplined enough hitter to make the most of it. I think the some are fearful of the playing time because Salvador Perez still exists, but with the DH spot being open for the Royals, I suspect both will play every day (as was true after Jensen got the call last September).
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He's just the perfect third outfielder, as far as I'm concerned -- second if I'm really in the soup -- and this perhaps goes double for points leagues because his walk rate is so high. Ian Happ's production falls well short of studly, but he's bankable for it, which is a welcome relief before the floodgates open to all the speculative plays.
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For as thin as third base is, it's a wonder so many are willing to write off someone as proven as Muncy, who came on strong with a .969 OPS after being fitted for glasses in late April last year. Sure, he'll sit against some left-handers, but even in those games, he's likely to come off the bench once the bullpen is in play.
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This was a happy accident in a couple early drafts, when I took Kodai Senga through gritted teeth because his auction cost was so low or I just didn't see anyone else worth caring about. After seeing his velocity jump this spring with a remade delivery, I scooped him up a third time -- this time with actual intent.
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Merrill Kelly makes for a terrific stabilizer in deeper leagues (such as 15-team Rotisserie) that run out of pitching, adding on a bunch of innings without doing much damage to a team's overall ERA and WHIP. The back issue that delayed his start to spring training isn't a big deal and has only served to make him more affordable.
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Noah Cameron's poor spring in which he's struggled to meet last year's velocities (not that he has much to lose there) has forced me to back off him a little. The odds were already against him as someone whose FIP and xERA were both over 4.00 last year, but his changeup ran such high whiff rates toward the end of the season that I was willing to keep an open mind.
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Speaking of left-handers losing velocity, Sean Manaea has been sitting around 88 mph this spring as he attempts to recapture the Chris Sale-like arm slot that made him such a dominant force late in 2024. I've become less eager to take him as a result, but I remain open to it at ADP because I suspect the slot matters even more than the velocity. And if the velocity does return with the adrenaline of competitive play, as he has suggested, let me remind you that he had 11.1 K/9 last year.
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Mick Abel, a former first-rounder who came over from the Phillies in the Jhoan Duran deal, has had an explosive spring with a fastball that's peaked as high as 99 mph. He remains affordable because the Twins haven't fully committed to him being in the rotation yet, but it seems like a fait accompli.
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Filling out five outfielder spots is tough, particularly when it's a 15-team Rotisserie league rather than the typical 12-teamer, and there comes a point in such drafts where I'd rather take a big swing than settle for a part-timer whose best-case scenario isn't even all that good. That's when I target Carson Benge, a top prospect who may be closing in on the Mets' right field job.
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For a consensus top-20 overall prospect with an open path to playing time to be so disregarded in drafts is downright criminal to me, even with him being DH-only to begin the year. I'm not even Bryce Eldridge's biggest believer, wondering if he'll ever make enough contact to be a true star, but upside is upside and power, his carrying tool, is scarce late in drafts. It won't be long before he picks up first base eligibility either.
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Moises Ballesteros is even more assured of making the opening day roster than Eldridge, and while he doesn't have quite the same power potential, he's arguably the better overall hitter, boasting superlative bat-to-ball skills and the kind of all-fields approach that could make him a batting title contender someday. He's more likely confined to DH long-term, but if he picks up eligibility anywhere, it'll be catcher.
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Players I've drafted twice (ADP in parentheses):
- Corbin Carroll, OF, ARI (13.9)
- Cal Raleigh, C, SEA (17.2)
- Trea Turner, SS, PHI (27.9)
- Manny Machado, 3B, SD (37.4)
- Matt Olson, 1B, ATL (46.4)
- Brice Turang, 2B, MIL (46.9)
- Mookie Betts, SS, LAD (59.6)
- Freddie Freeman, 1B, LAD (63.9)
- David Bednar, RP, NYY (70.5)
- George Kirby, SP, SEA (70.5)
- Cody Bellinger, OF, NYY (77.2)
- Jose Altuve, 2B/OF, HOU (112.9)
- Luke Keaschall, 2B, MIN (113.4)
- Raisel Iglesias, RP, ATL (118.2)
- Jeff Hoffman, RP, TOR (118.7)
- Nick Lodolo, SP, CIN (126.1)
- Jakob Marsee, OF, MIA (136.0)
- Sal Stewart, 1B, CIN (169.7)
- Gabriel Moreno, C, ARI (186.2)
- Jonathan Aranda, 1B, TB (187.6)
- Shane Baz, SP, BAL (193.2)
- Kris Bubic, SP, KC (198.4)
- Kazuma Okamoto, 3B, TOR (200.6)
- Matthew Boyd, SP, CHC (213.1)
- Isaac Paredes, 3B, HOU (230.6)
- Colson Montgomery, SS, CHW (232.6)
- Jordan Lawlar, 3B, ARI (261.7)
- Cody Ponce, RP, TOR (262.1)
- Ryne Nelson, SP/RP, ARI (262.5)
- Justin Crawford, OF, PHI (264.4)
- Chase DeLauter, OF, CLE (284.8)
- Kirby Yates, RP, LAA (293.4)
- Grant Holmes, SP, ATL (342.2)
- Tyler O'Neill, OF, BAL (428.4)
- Jonathan India, 2B/3B/OF, KC (464.7)
- Victor Caratini, C, MIN (505.3)
- Rhett Lowder, SP, CIN (510.0)
- Sean Murphy, C, ATL (602.8)
- Ha-seong Kim, SS, ATL (639.5)
- Joe Boyle, SP, TB (671.4)
- Tyler Wells, SP, BAL (678.4)
- Jose Berrios, SP, TOR (700.7)
