We’re just days away from the start of the NFBC Main Event, the premiere high stakes fantasy baseball event in the industry. The Main Event has a $200,000 grand prize to the overall winner, so the best of the best fantasy managers will be competing for the top prize. Managers are assigned to 15-team leagues and will engage in drafts which lasts 30 rounds.
The $1,750 entry fee for the Main Event is a deterrent for many, like me. Instead, I enjoy playing in The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational, which has the same format except that it’s a slow draft. Like the Main Event, there are 23 starting roster spots and seven bench spots. There are no IL spots. Lineups are set weekly, and FAAB also runs on a weekly basis
Last year, I wrote a series of columns entitled “Rolling in the Deep.” In those columns, I shared some research I had done on players available between ADP 300 and 450. My research took me deeper into the player pool than most managers would ever go in 10- and 12-team leagues. However, I must confess that I didn’t understand what deep really means.
When Todd Zola, of CreativeSports and Mastersball fame, invited me to play in his Rotojunkies Subscriber League, my knowledge of the player pool took me to a new level. The league uses the NFBC Draft Champions format. It’s draft & hold format, where you make draft 50 picks and use those players for the remainder of the season. There is no FAAB. It’s a war of attrition.
To understand this draft & hold format, consider that 15 teams are drafting 50 players each. Do you know who Blake Dunn is? Blake Williams Dunn is a 25-year-old player drafted in the 15th round in 2021 by the Reds. He played college ball at Western Michigan and has been knocking around in the minors. He is also the 750th player according to NFBC ADP.
If you do that math, you know there are 750 players selected in a 15-team, 50-round draft & hold. Playing in one of these events takes you deeper than you have ever gone into the player pool. I don’t know how many readers play in very deep leagues. For those that do, I’m going to give you eight players I drafted at an ADP between 300 and 600.
JAMES PAXTON, SP, LOS ANGELES DODGERS (ADP 305)
When Paxton signed a one-year, $11 million deal with the Dodgers, he landed on a powerhouse. Paxton, 35, who has struggled with injuries, hasn’t topped 100 innings since 2018. But we know what he’s capable of if he stays healthy. I took him with the first pick in the 24th round in TGFBI. That was great value, and I was thrilled with that price.
JAVIER BAEZ, SS, DETROIT (ADP 384)
When Baez signed a six-year, $140 million deal with the Tigers in late 2021, he was coming off a season where he batted .265/.319/.494, with 31 home runs and 18 stolen bases. Look what a difference a couple of years can make. Baez just keeps falling down draft boards, and I got him at the end of the 29th round in TGFBI. Look to buy him at a deep discount.
GRAHAM ASHCRAFT, SP, CINCINNATI (ADP 392)
Ashcraft has always possessed tantalizing raw skills, but he hasn’t been able to put things together on the mound – yet. He throws a nasty 96-mph cutter and a whiff-generating slider, and he induces groundballs at close to a 50 percent rate. He has looked sharp in two Cactus League starts this spring, and he has also added a new pitch – a slider – to his repertoire.
RANDY TIEDEMANN, SP, TORONTO (ADP 409)
Tiedemann made his long-awaited Grapefruit League debut Saturday and struck out two of the six batters he faced. If Toronto’s No. 1 prospect continues to impress, he could break camp with the Jays. He’s one of the most promising arms in the minors. The southpaw’s fastball touches 99. He mowed down batters at High-A, Double-A and Triple-A last year. He’s a steal at this price.
NICK SENZEL, 3B/OF, WASHINGTON (ADP 431)
Senzel signed a $2 million deal with the Nationals after being non-tendered by Cincinnati following a 2023 season in which he hit .236/.297/.399 with a career-high 13 home runs, 42 RBI and six stolen bases. The former No. 2 overall pick in 2016, Senzel has power and speed. He could revitalize his career in Washington, where he will get plenty of playing time.
BRADY SINGER, SP, KANSAS CITY (ADP 433)
A trendy sleeper coming off a career year in 2022, Singer struggled to a 5.52 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 159.2 innings in 2023. But I see better things ahead for the 27-year-old hurler, who now has a five-pitch repertoire to keep hitters off balance. Singer had predominantly relied on only a sinker and slider in the past. When a pitcher adds pitches, it’s worth noting.
DYLAN CARLSON, OF, ST. LOUIS (ADP 544)
If you can get Carlson anywhere near this ADP, you should grab him. I took him with the 504th pick in the draft & hold because I know he’s in line to start in center field for the Cardinals on Opening Day with Tommy Edman and Lars Nootbaar likely sidelined. St. Louis continues to value and believe in Carlson, and he’ll have a chance to earn regular playing time.
MATT MERVIS, 1B, CHICAGO CUBS (ADP 581)
When Cody Bellinger resigned with the Cubs, Mervis fell down draft boards. However, his success in the minors prior to last season suggests he can break camp with the club – if he produces in the preseason. He’s getting his chance, having appeared in 12 Cactus League games. I took him in the 35th round of my draft & hold, and you might even get a cheaper price than that.
Thomas L. Seltzer, AKA Doubting Thomas, writes about baseball and football for CreativeSports. Be sure to follow Thomas on Twitter@ThomasLSeltzer1.
