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Fantasy Baseball Live Chat Marathon (3/25)
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Mario Mergola
3:17
Sorry Mike, today's news was not kind to you :(

Brendan mentioned this during his hour, and I actually added Andrew Vaughn in one of my leagues. If he's there, grab him. Otherwise, I like Solak and Hicks. Hicks has the deep lineup. Solak has the "I should have been a breakout" from 2020.
Tyler
3:18
In, a H2H Category league, I already have Snell and Bauer as keepers. Do I take another ace in the first 2-3 rounds?
Mario Mergola
3:19
At that point, only if one falls to you and you can't help yourself. Otherwise, you can build off that base. I would definitely target some younger arms later though. You'll need to replace those keepers eventually and, if you aren't adding some early, then do it later.
Guest
3:19
How about Ohtani? Worth keeping or should I offload?
Mario Mergola
3:20
It always sounds silly to type this, but if Ohtani is "one person" (meaning, the league treats him as one player), his value skyrockets to the point where he is usually worth keeper consideration. If he's two people (Ohtani - H and Ohtani - P), I don't like him as much.
Daniel
3:20
I don't believe in Kevin Gausman, even in that park.  Am I wrong?
Mario Mergola
3:21
You're not the only one. I've passed on him in every single draft when he was showing good value. So really, are we wrong?

I don't think so....
John
3:21
Who's the 1 SP you think will jump from outside the top 75 preseason, to top 25 by end of season?
Mario Mergola
3:23
Using FantasyPros' ADP as a loose gauge...I really liked Kwang Hyun Kim before he started battling some injuries. Yusei Kikuchi is getting a lot of buzz and, while I don't think he gets into top-25, he's a viable candidate for a massive boost from his ADP
Jim
3:24
Upcoming keeper league draft.  Please rank the following who are available.....  Burnes, I Anderson, Kelenic, Syndergaard
Mario Mergola
3:25
If you're a trade-heavy fantasy manager, then Kelenic might be the guy to grab just so you can sell into this incredible hype. Otherwise, I think I have it in the exact order you listed. Burnes, Ian, Kelenic, Syndergaard
Daniel
3:25
Are you buying Hoskins as a potential sleeper this year?
Mario Mergola
3:26
He's so cheap (139 ADP) that I don't mind taking a chance on him at all. I wouldn't reach, though.
Joe
3:27
we use k/9 instead of Ks, thoughts on rostering only high K closers and setup guys and putting wins?
Mario Mergola
3:28
I've tried this and the results were.... not great haha!

The problem is that you really can't miss on those K/9 guys. They will get you a few cheap wins, too, and that almost makes you want to attack wins instead of punting it. Really, I'd just prioritize high-K SP and then stack RP (not necessarily closers) who will contribute there, as well.
Doug
3:28
What''s your outlook and where are you ranking Yordon Alvarez this year?
Mario Mergola
3:29
Oh man, what a loaded (great) question. Can't we picture a scenario in which he hits for both power and average?! It's tantalizing. But of course, he's an injury risk.

Long story short, I'm buying because of the upside. It's tremendous. I'm also trying to have backup plans in place.
3:30
I didn't answer the ranking part of the question. He's 79 ADP right now (so 6th-ish round). I'd draft him before that, because someone in most leagues probably will in the coming days.
I'm also going to take this time to let everyone know that I'm really active on Twitter, so feel free to ask anything there and I'll get to it ASAP: https://twitter.com/MarioMergola
We're halfway through! So back to some questions...
Daniel
3:31
In my mock drafts, I have generally been finding a catcher very late (this is a 16-team, 1 catcher league).  Who would you target at C in rounds 20-25?
Mario Mergola
3:32
I'm not sure he gets that late, but I like Keibert Ruiz. The fantasy darling right now is Will Smith, but Ruiz has a great prospect pedigree and, if you're digging deep, he's someone who could surprise.
Guest
3:32
I lost out on Mondesi, Robert, and Gimenez for SBs.  Does Myles Straw have enough offense to warrant picking him up for SBs?  Or even Hampson? Thanks!
Mario Mergola
3:34
You almost have to roll the dice with Straw. If he bats leadoff and if he gets on base and if they let him run, etc.

The reality? Even with all those ifs, it's hard to find too many others who can steal as many bases. So yes, I add Straw.

I also do like Hampson, but I think Straw is the right answer for speed.
Joe
3:34
Thanks on the earlier question. We are NL only. We do OBP instead of BA, who are some names that get a big bump in your mind, with that change?
Mario Mergola
3:35
Going with NL only, you also throw Votto into the mix (pending health). Tommy Pham is a good one. And Rhys Hoskins. All players who get a boost in OBP.
Charles
3:36
Looking for a dynasty player to be targeting at the end of my draft to build around for the next few years. who would you be targeting
Mario Mergola
3:37
I'd probably need more information (namely, are most of the top keeper-type players already gone)? But the rough answer is to go after a high-upside SP, even if only for trade bait. If the world is open to you, then I love MacKenzie Gore as a future staple.
John
3:37
#9 pick points league.  Yelich, Turner or Bieber?  Second round Bellinger, Bauer or Machado?  Thanks!
Mario Mergola
3:38
Points leagues almost always skew toward SP because IP carry such a high weight. If that's true for you, then it's honestly Bieber and Bauer. If not, I probably go Bieber and Bellinger.
Stephen
3:38
In a head to head categories league (HR/RBI/R/SB/OBP/SLG) is it okay to punt on steals?
Mario Mergola
3:39
Steals have become so scarce, where you know the source, that it's actually a little more difficult to punt than it sounds. If Adalberto Mondesi is sitting there and you like no other options, why not add him and suddenly be ahead of the curve? That can be said about a few players (Myles Straw, as I wrote earlier)
Daniel
3:39
Is this the year Nellie Cruz declines due to Father Time?  Or are you still drafting with confidence?  (Side question:  How much do you care about drafting DHs who have to sit in the UTIL spot?)
Mario Mergola
3:41
Second question first. I used to care a lot. Not anymore. There are many multi-eligible position players who can offset the UTIL clog of Cruz.

As for Father Time, I'm not sure how we can expect Cruz to lose that battle. He keeps winning. The better news is that people keep wanting him to suddenly fall flat, so you probably aren't paying a premium for him. I'd be totally fine drafting Cruz and, if I'm wrong, accept that the risk was always there.
Guest
3:41
Realistic top end for Nola?  250 K, 15 W?
Mario Mergola
3:42
Nola had his best season in 2018, where he finished third in the Cy Young voting. That year? 224 Ks. The next season? 229.

250 is a 10% jump from there, and I don't see it happening after throwing 71.1 innings in a short season.
Slice
3:43
I'm new to roto leagues and am in a 12-team roto 5x5.  With 9 pitchers, how do you distribute those spots between SPs and RPs to balance out saves and wins?
Mario Mergola
3:44
Same approach with the high-end SP as usual (you want some baseline to be able to compete). I've noticed myself placing a higher emphasis on RP in those P-only slots, though, mainly because I can potentially get stats every day.

So really, I've gone with 4-5 SPs who are solid or better, 3ish closers, 1-2 RP who can contribute somewhere, and then my bench is SP with upside.
Daniel
3:44
Off the radar prospect who you are drafting late and will provide sneaky value a bit later into the season?
Mario Mergola
3:45
Alek Kirilloff, Heliot Ramos, and Jared Kelenic
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