7 strategies for winning your fantasy draft
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Although I have some tried-and-true fantasy baseball draft strategies, I like to alter my plans each year. After all, the MLB landscape is constantly changing, and using last year¡¯s plan is a great way to lose this year¡¯s league. Here are my top tips for having a successful 2025 draft.
Start with 30-homer, .280 players
Based on my experiences the past two seasons, I¡¯m making a change in how I attack the early rounds of drafts. Wise managers make draft decisions in conjunction with expected free-agent availability. Recent Major League rule changes have led to an increase in stolen bases, and there are now plenty of basestealers at all points of the drafts.
Additionally, basestealers are often readily available on the waiver wire. Players who produce at least 30 homers and a batting average of .280 or better are rarely available beyond the early rounds of drafts, and I have a goal of selecting two of those players before looking for speedier men in the subsequent rounds.
Balanced contributors
Research I completed a few years ago showed that hitters who produce lofty totals in a specific category rarely match their production the following year. Of course, I would be happy to draft Aaron Judge this season, as he could experience a significant home run decline and still rank among the most productive players. But in general, I try to avoid players who specialize in one area, such as Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Santander, Cal Raleigh, Luis Arraez or Brice Turang. These men tend to have little value if their singular skill deserts them for a period of time. Instead, I would like to have several players who offer some help in most areas.
Stockpile starters
Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal are great pitchers, but so far they can¡¯t hold a candle to the prime years of Clayton Kershaw, Jacob deGrom, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. For that reason, this isn¡¯t the year to invest a first-round pick on a starter. Additionally, this isn¡¯t the year to go with ¡°pocket aces,¡± which is a strategy of drafting two elite starters in the first 3-4 rounds of your draft.
Instead, this is a great year to grab a few impactful hitters before building a deep group of above-average starters. Given the volatility that comes with hurlers, there is an excellent chance that a couple of members of your rotation will break out, especially if you put some research into your choices. I would be happy to draft as many as four starters in rounds 4-10.
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Wait on closers ...
In Yahoo leagues, this is a good year to wait on closers. There are plenty of relievers coming off the board in the range of picks 145-200 who have an excellent chance to earn 30 saves. Pirates closer David Bednar could bounce back from an injury-impacted season, as could Jordan Romano, now that he is with the Phillies. Ryan Pressly was once a terrific closer for the Astros and should meet expectations with the Cubs. Kenley Jansen is past his prime but has sole possession of the ninth inning for the Angels.
My goal is to land a couple of those hurlers, while also dabbling in muddled bullpens in the final rounds from teams such as the D-backs, Tigers, Red Sox and Rangers.
... and wait on catchers, too
The 2025 catcher pool is deep, which makes it appealing to wait on the position in one-catcher leagues. The No. 1 backstop, William Contreras, is worth an early-round pick, but once he is off the board, I¡¯ll pass on reaching for the likes of Adley Rutschman or Salvador P¨¦rez. Instead, I¡¯m happy to let my draft run past pick 160 before considering the likes of J.T. Realmuto, Shea Langeliers and Logan O¡¯Hoppe. And I don¡¯t hate the idea of being even more patient and gambling on Austin Wells or Iv¨¢n Herrera in the range of pick 250.
Late upside
Chasing upside in the late rounds is always the right move in Yahoo leagues. I want to draft players who will either be significant contributors or easy players to cut by the middle of April because that¡¯s the time of year when the waiver wire is the most fertile. Rookies who secure spots on the Opening Day roster are the best gamble.
In a perfect world, you¡¯ll find this year¡¯s Jackson Merrill, Colton Cowser or Luis Gil. And you have nothing to lose at that point in the draft. The goal of chasing upside doesn¡¯t need to exclusively involve rookies, either. Other groups to consider are possible closers, post-hype sleepers and bounce-back players. Either way, the last thing I want in the final rounds is a group of veterans with low floors and high ceilings.
Get your guys
My last, and most important, piece of advice is to blaze your own trail.
Do your research, identify the players you want and get them on your roster. You can listen to advice from writers like me, but don¡¯t let us tell you what to do. The only stipulation to this part of the plan is that you need to identify the reason why you want to target certain players in your draft. If you can¡¯t come up with a good reason, then you haven¡¯t put enough thought into it.
The worst thing in fantasy sports is to identify a breakout player and then spend the season watching him blossom on someone else¡¯s roster. Make sure that doesn¡¯t happen to you.