With preseason rankings and projections completed, and the start of the minor league season still a month away, there’s a bit of dead space in the dynasty writer’s world.
But, thankfully, there’s always an opportunity to create some type of contest and then argue about it online! In keeping with that spirit, I present:
The 2022 Pitcher List Prospect Tournament!
Cue “One Shining Moment.”
What is the Prospect Tournament, you ask? It’s a fun, carefree method to compare prospects and see who comes out on top as the “best.”
What this series is not: A ranking of the top prospects. See the words “fun” and “carefree” above? This isn’t an “end all, be all,” definitive listing. It might be a useful look at how the fantasy community views and values certain players, but that’s about it.
So how do you determine the pool?
I went with a mixture of highly-regarded, post-hype, and newly-ranked prospects while avoiding the most recent draft/Jan. 15 signee class (see you next year!) but again, this isn’t an exact science and I only had 68 spots. Like the NCAA selection committee, I’m biased, so if your favorite prospect isn’t listed, maybe they made it into the Prospect NIT.
Okay, but what about the seedings? Those look awfully close to rankings.
Yes … but no. I Frankensteined a formula by using the NCAA method of seeding from #1 overall to 68, combined with making sure each minor league level was represented in each group.
Then I added four complex league players as my #16 seeds and used the S method to create matchups.
So, if you’re biased in the selection and you created this wonky seedings method, isn’t this whole exercise subjective? You already know who you want to win.
And this is the beautiful part, my friends. I’m not determining the outcomes … at all. That’s up to you! I’ll post the matchups in Twitter polls; they’ll last for one day, and whoever carries the majority at the end is the winner. Maybe the “best” prospect to you is the toolsiest, maybe it’s the your favorite team’s #1 guy, or maybe you just want to pump up a prospect you roster. It’s your call.
I’ll have each matchup posted on Pitcher List with each player’s season stats and after each poll closes, I’ll break down why I think each winner won and what conclusions could be drawn about general value in the fantasy community.
Vote early, vote often and at the end of the month, we’ll crown the Pitcher List Prospect Tournament Champion!
Featured image by Jacob Roy (@jmrgraphics3 on Instagram.)