It's Stephen Honovich's turn to detail his round-by-round thoughts as we continue our coverage of the Pitcher List 2018 Mock Draft. Let's do it.
To read the analysis of other teams in the draft, head to our Mock Draft hub page here.
Round 1: Kris Bryant (3B, Chicago Cubs) - When I draft, in my first 2-3 picks, I am almost always looking to lock down corner infield sluggers. I think these types are the building block of any fantasy squad - you need guys you can pencil in for 30/100 that won't hurt your average and Bryant certainly fits the bill. Bryant lost 10 homers from 2016 to 2017, likely due to an increase in GB%. But he cut his strikeouts, bumped up his walks, and still has some upside at 25. He's a great anchor, and if he can get a little more lift under the ball he could threaten forty homers again.
I am also a big fan of Domingo Santana, just got him in the 6th round of a mock draft. If he moves to a better team this offseason that’s good value. I also have the opportunity to get him in a dynasty league for Jose Quintana. What do you think of that offer?
It depends on your team composition but in a vacuum I think I’d take the solid hitter (Santana) over the solid SP. The ADPs currently bear that out, also. Quintana is definitely a fantasy 2-3 but I think Santana has some 35-20 potential with an avg. that won’t kill you. If you have a few other topline starters, you can make the deal.
Out of 20 keepers my SP are Kluber, Quintana, Taillon, Manaea, Smardzija, and Price. OF are Blackmon, Cruz, Merrifield, Willie Calhoun, and Tapia.
We have a 6 round draft to start the season so I will probably be looking for pitching there as the rest of my offense is solid. Thanks for the reply.