Fantasy Baseball: Dodgers stars among some of the worst picks you can make in every round of drafts

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.

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.

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 plateau.

Round 8: Félix Bautista, RP, Baltimore Orioles

There are questions about how heavily Bautista will be used in his initial season after Tommy John surgery, and his spring training radar gun readings were less impressive than his pre-injury marks. Those two points are enough reason to downgrade him on draft lists.

Round 9: Mark Vientos, 3B, New York Mets

There are plenty of drafters who love grabbing Vientos this year, but I’m not one of them. The slugger has 30-homer power but doesn’t have any speed component to his game and last year logged an xBA that was 20 points lower than his actual mark.

Round 10: Roki Sasaki, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

I have no doubt that Sasaki will be successful during his rookie season, but he is being drafted in the same range as starters who will also have great success and will throw more innings. I would rather get 165-175 effective frames from Luis Castillo, Bailey Ober, Freddy Peralta or Tanner Bibee.

Round 11: Luis Robert Jr., OF, Chicago White Sox

There are too many concerns surrounding Robert this year. The injury-prone outfielder has appeared in more than 100 games just once. He plays for the worst team in baseball, and last year he played poorly when healthy (.657 OPS).

Round 12: Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B, Kansas City Royals

Pasquantino is solid but lacks upside. A career .267 hitter who has never hit 20 homers and is among the slowest players in baseball, he won’t make a major impact outside the RBI category.

Round 13: Brice Turang, SS, Milwaukee Brewers

Turang plummeted at the plate in the second half, hitting .220 with one homer and a .564 OPS across 62 games. He makes regular contact but rarely hits the ball hard and is expected to bat near the bottom of the lineup. This is too early for a one-category speedster.

Round 14: Alexis Díaz, RP, Cincinnati Reds

I am one of the many fantasy analysts who have major concerns about Díaz. The closer no longer strikes out batters at an elite rate and continues to regularly issue walks. His only saving grace is that the Reds don’t have an obvious alternative for the ninth inning, but that won’t matter if Díaz blows some April saves — and now he's dealing with a hamstring issue.

Round 15: Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks

Suárez benefited from the D-backs' league-leading offense when he accumulated 191 R+RBI. The 2024 season was the first one since 2019 that the slugger produced an average of over .236, and he doesn’t steal bases. I can get a low-average, 30-homer player later in the draft.

Round 16: Shohei Ohtani, P, Los Angeles Dodgers

The hitter version of Ohtani should be drafted first overall, while the pitcher version should last until the late rounds. There is massive uncertainty surrounding Ohtani’s expected innings total, and IL slots are prime real estate in April. I would rather use my IL space on someone who is more projectable in terms of a return date.

Round 17: Carlos Estévez, RP, Kansas City Royals

The Royals have a crowded bullpen, which is great for them but not as good for fantasy managers. I would be fine with Estévez if he had sole possession of the ninth inning, but Lucas Erceg is going to give him a run for his money and Hunter Harvey could enter the picture as well.

Round 18: Lucas Erceg, RP, Kansas City Royals

See Estévez. I’m not using a Round 18 pick on a reliever who may get 10 saves.

Round 19: Nolan Arenado, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals

I could have listed Kirby Yates here, but I’ve made the point that I’m not drafting a non-closer in the initial 25 rounds. Instead, I’ll mention Arenado, who has become an empty batting average at this point in his career.

Round 20: Ceddanne Rafaela, 2B/SS/OF, Boston Red Sox

While I like Rafaela’s triple-position eligibility, the good news stops there. The 24-year-old has a lifetime .664 OPS, which makes him the worst hitter among Boston’s regulars. With elite prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell knocking on the door, the roster is about to get crowded.

Round 21: Luis Gil, SP, New York Yankees

This round is full of players who are set to open the season on the IL. I’ll pinpoint Gil as someone who I would prefer not to draft. There will be many other pitchers who can be stashed, and most of them will either have shorter timelines or more upside.

Round 22: Liam Hendriks, RP, Boston Red Sox

Red Sox manager Alex Cora has said that he wants to choose a closer rather than using a committee. So far, Hendriks has not put himself in position to be the ninth-inning choice. The veteran has struggled in Spring Training, which is concerning for someone who missed nearly all of the past two seasons.

Round 23: Ben Joyce, RP, Los Angeles Angels

Joyce will offer little fantasy value as the setup man to Kenley Jansen. The flamethrower does not strike out batters at an elite rate and won’t be more valuable than relievers who can be drafted later, such as Cade Smith, Edwin Uceta and Blake Treinen.

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