Fantasy baseball drafters get smarter every year, which means that there are fewer egregious draft errors. Still, there are some players whom I’m not willing to consider at their current Yahoo ADP. Here are my least favorite picks in each round of a 10-team league. Go here for the best picks at ADP.
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Round 1: Mookie Betts, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Betts was already a fringe first-rounder, and his recent illness should officially push him to Round 2. There is simply no need to use a top-10 pick on someone who lost 15 pounds right before the start of the season, and it doesn’t look like things have gotten much better.
Round 2: Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
As Yahoo colleague Scott Pianowski says, you don’t need to chase injuries, because they’ll find you anyways. Freeman will sit out some games in the first half of the season while managing an ankle injury, which is enough reason for me to avoid him in Round 2.
Round 3: Ketel Marte, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks
I’ve played fantasy baseball long enough to have doubts whenever I see someone log a career year on the wrong side of 30. Marte is an excellent player, but he doesn’t steal many bases and will likely hit fewer than 30 home runs.
Round 4: Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves
Acuña is going to miss the start of the season and has already stated that he plans to be less aggressive on the bases in an effort to be more durable. I’ll check back in next year, when the superstar will hopefully be a healthy first-round option.
Round 5: Ozzie Albies, 2B, Atlanta Braves
I like the values in Round 5. In this loaded group I’ll go with Albies as the one whom I would take a pass on. He should be productive but isn’t one of Atlanta’s best pure hitters and will likely bat in the bottom half of the lineup.
Round 6: Edwin Díaz, RP, New York Mets
There always seems to be a hiccup with Díaz, who has just one 35-save season despite being a closer for virtually all of his career. Last year it was a shoulder injury and a 10-game suspension. He also blew seven of his 27 save chances. There are closers available two rounds later who are just as safe.
Round 7: Marcus Semien, 2B, Texas Rangers
I tend to value Semien lower than most drafters, due to the fact that I’m not willing to project 160-game seasons for players in their mid-30s. The infielder no longer hits for average, rarely steals bases and will barely eclipse the 20-homer…