It’s drafting season, and there’s no better feeling than building a team from scratch. Quite frankly, it’s always nice to pick your players, compile some projected numbers, and project where your team will be throughout the season. That being said, the site from where you draft could make the difference between a good team and a great one.
Various sites have their own ADP rankings which differ from site to site. The reasons for this are that, on every draft platform, there’s always a different group of people selecting their players for whatever reason. For instance, some sites, such as CBS, have many mono leagues where only half of the player pool can be used.
Other sites, like ESPN, have a lot of points leagues where the format of it differentiates itself from the rotisserie format. And additionally, there are other sites, like Yahoo, that have a lot of keeper leagues and different eligibility rules, which may change the value of a player. All in all, things differ from site to site.
That’s where the values come in. It’s quite possible to look at one site’s rankings, see certain players being drafted in an odd place, and capitalize on these variances. Many drafters use the ADP list as a guide toward player value, which could lead to some hidden treasure.
Here are the values for ADP in Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Leagues. It’s important to remember that Yahoo has different positional eligibility values which can alter the ADP of a player. They also have a bevy of keeper and dynasty leagues which alters the values of certain players.
Note: Always remember to know your league settings. The following players are based on 5X5 leagues. The Consensus ADP that is listed takes the valued ADP into account, making it even more of a bargain.
Alex Bregman – ADP 77
There’s no escaping it, but the drop in third-base productivity is real. After the first six third basemen are off the board, there is a significant drop in talent. Alex Bregman is not in that early bunch, but he is in the next tier. He and Gunnar Henderson are both the last two remaining third basemen who can provide stability and confidence at the hot corner. Last season, he started off slowly. By the middle of June, he was batting a paltry .214 with only six home runs. Then something clicked, and he was able to unlock his true potential.
Six months ago, Alex Bregman was afraid to play baseball. Three months ago, he wasn’t sure he would ever hit again.
“I think it was kind of an uncharted place. It could go either way.”
On fear, stubbornness and one very important left foot:https://t.co/3DAEmoWHHC
— Stephanie Apstein (@stephapstein) October 30, 2022
It was here that he decided to let go of his stubbornness and be more open to the criticism of others. He realized that his body (specifically his legs) didn’t work the same way that it once did. He had missed time over the past two years with hamstring and quadriceps injuries. Now, he understood that he needed to use his lower half in order to generate better contact. It worked, as he hit .288 for the rest of the season while smashing eighteen home runs.
Summary: Alex Bregman may have unlocked something tremendous last year. He came to realize that his body is and will continue to change. Perhaps that can carry over into this season and make him one of the best third basemen in the game. Either way, with a consensus ADP of 64, it makes him a nice little one-round value in drafts. Fantasy owners shouldn’t be afraid to take him.
Adley Rutschman – ADP 87
The Baltimore Orioles had a 16-24 record when they called up their franchise-altering prospect last season. Adley Rustchman made an immediate impact by not only providing stability behind the plate but also in the clubhouse. He finished the season as a solid fantasy contributor and a leader in the clubhouse. Heading into the 2023 season, he remains one of the best catchers in baseball.
From a fantasy perspective, those doubles are a very intriguing part of his profile. Seeing that power in a season for someone so young gives hope that his doubles can translate into home runs. In fact, of his 101 hits last season, 49% of them went for extra bases. That shows that there’s another level of power that can and needs to be tapped into. Additionally, he gave his team quite the boost last year as the team went 67-55. He’s a winner, and he can help you win your fantasy league.
Summary: In Yahoo leagues with an ADP of 87, fantasy owners are getting a massive discount on a player with a tremendous future. His patience at the plate, combined with his ability to hit for power make him a lethal weapon in all formats. With a consensus ADP of 67, owners everywhere should feel good about taking him as their first catcher in the first few rounds, knowing that he will be a pillar on the team.
Christian Walker – ADP 157
One of the most underrated players of the 2022 season was Christian Walker. Perhaps it’s because he plays for the Diamondbacks, but not a lot of notoriety was given to the surging first baseman for the impact that he had on his team last year. He finished first on his team with 36 home runs, 94 RBI, 141 hits, 69 walks, and 84 runs scored. Quite frankly, he was their best hitter and it wasn’t even close. So far this spring, he’s gone right back to where he left off in October.
Entering today only 4 players have recorded 10 hard hit balls (exit velocity of at least 95 mph) in spring training – per Baseball Savant
Christian Walker
Mark Vientos
Bo Bichette
Spencer Torkelson pic.twitter.com/a5ukBP0e4y— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) March 11, 2023
This coincides with his Hard Hit%, Max EV, and Avg EV from last season, all of which were in the 69th percentile or higher. He has entered Spring Training with a more calm demeanor, almost as if he got the monkey off of his back by being able to finally have a full and successful season.
He spent the offseason working on making better and harder contact with balls lower in the strike zone. He spent hours working on his mobility in the batter’s box and studying tape to make sure he was doing it right. Essentially, he’s not content with just one season of success, but rather he wants to get better and better.
Summary: Looking at the final line for Walker can be a bit rough when staring at that batting average. That said, his power output is elite, and his ability to do so many other things can translate into success. He currently has a consensus ADP of 115 everywhere, making this Yahoo ADP an absolute bargain.
Other Yahoo Values
Will Smith: Yahoo ADP 79 vs Consensus ADP 58
Nathaniel Lowe: Yahoo ADP 110 vs Consensus ADP 99
MJ Melendez: Yahoo ADP 126 vs Consensus ADP 112
Alejandro Kirk: Yahoo ADP 137 vs Consensus ADP 108
Sean Murphy: Yahoo ADP 175 vs Consensus ADP 125
Rowdy Tellez: Yahoo ADP 198 vs Consensus ADP 162
Merrill Kelly: Yahoo ADP 260 vs Consensus ADP 221
With so many of the values being catchers, I wonder if they are really values. Yahoo default settings have one catcher whereas some other sites, like nfbc have two. It would make sense for catchers to be pushed down in the one-catcher format.