Stars and Scrubs and Ottoneu

Over the offseason, you were treated to a front row seat while I problem solved a ridiculously expensive roster. First, I whined that my leaguemates wouldn’t pay for my stars – namely Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw. Then, I detailed my execution of Plan B: Not the Birth Control. Then I jettisoned my back end of the roster players – trading some of them for nothing in return. Now, it’s time for the thrilling conclusion – my probable Opening Day roster.

The journey was instructive for me. I’ve never taken a true stars and scrubs approach to fantasy. I’ve always been a depthmonger. That’s right, I mong depth. Usually. This time, I’ll be relying on a few top 10 players to stay amazing. A host of $1 players will fill the remaining cracks. Let’s get down to details.

Here is the team I kept:

Of our $400 budget, my top six players accounted for $257 or 64.25 percent. Throw in the next three players and I had $305 (76.25 percent) of my budget dedicated to the top of my roster. Overall, I kept $373 for 24 players. We roster 40 total meaning I had $27 for 16 spots. And that’s only if I wanted $0 for in-season moves.

After waiting three hours for every other team to make their picks, here’s what I drafted:

I needed a reliever, an outfielder, a utility hitter, and some middle infield depth. You should always be able to find a couple $1 relief studs in a FanGraphs Points league. Hudson and Zych project to provide about seven points per inning with upside for more.

For outfield and utility hitter, I went with the turds to the wall approach. Smith and Davis are productive platoon bats. Any fantasy veteran has used one or both to patch a roster. Napoli could be more than just a platoon bat. Or maybe less. He has the highest immediate ceiling of my bargain picks with a large range of potential outcomes.

In Herrera, Inciarte, and DeShields, I selected three contact-oriented leadoff hitters. While they won’t give me a ton of points per plate appearance, they will probably come to plate more often than the typical replacement level outfielder. Volume has its place in ottoneu.

I keep betting that Hardy will one day return to health and above average power production. Perhaps I shouldn’t hold my breath. Phillips was a better snag. He’ll get his share of starts by bumping Carpenter to third base and Valencia out of the lineup entirely (or into the outfield).

I rounded things out with $1 prospects. Because prospects are always useful currency. You’ll see in a moment. Holland is kind of a prospect in this scenario too. I also snagged a solid hitting backup catcher to cover for the few plate appearances Lucroy leaves behind.

And here’s the post-draft fallout. More could happen, but I think this roster now feels complete:

Both trades were salary neutral, meaning I received $3 with Capps and $11 with Belt/Alvarez.

The waiver move is cut and dried. As with Hardy, I tend to have a consistently sunny outlook for Rollins around this time of year. A 15 home run season at U.S. Cellular Field is well within his grasp. He has usable platoon splits and upside for 20 home runs in that band box. I was saddled with Martin when I nominated him in the middle rounds of the draft. I thought for sure somebody would bid him to $2.

I tried to acquire Capps for most of the offseason. I worry about elbow troubles, yet I can’t pass on the potential for over 10 points per inning. He achieved just shy of 10 points per inning with just 11 holds. If he snags that closer’s job, he’ll get an extra five points per save. Holds are four points, but saves occur much more consistently. De Leon is a steep price, and I may come to regret it. By then, I’ll probably have turned the next couple De Leon’s into some kind of win-now asset.

Belt has outfield eligibility. Now I have a respectable backup to Goldschmidt, and I don’t even have to start any of those filler outfielders I acquired. Alvarez is currently without a team, but he’ll eventually land somewhere. And if I can restrict him to starts against terrible right-handed pitchers, I bet I’ll get solid production. All at a cost of future talent.

DeShields is a solid player in this format, but I don’t see much room for upside. Albies is the next Francisco Lindor in my mind. By the time he debuts, I’ll probably have forgotten I ever owned him. And hopefully I’ll have another fantasy pennant to wave for my troubles.

Lessons

• Stars and scrubs can work (on paper) in keeper leagues with rebuilding owners.
• Wait until you’re the last man in the draft room, then select an assortment of roster patches and prospects.
• Post draft, consolidate your patches and prospects to further bandage your biggest weaknesses.