Bean Ball

Final Pre-Draft Thoughts and Decisions

Throughout my predraft process, not only was I gathering information regarding the players I liked, but also trying to figure out what players would get to me at my pick, particularly in the first round. Going in, I saw two scenarios playing out. The first three picks were locked in, with Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Juan Soto going in those slots. The question came down to the fourth pick, which my leaguemate Holden had. He was debating between two strategies: taking Tarik Skubal and going pitching heavy, or taking Ronald Acuna Jr. After that, the manager with the fifth pick was either taking Bobby Witt Jr. or Kyle Tucker, and seemed to be leaning towards Kyle Tucker, as he is a Dodgers fan. This led me to confidently believe that I could get Witt at the 1.6 spot, and then draft Corbin Carroll or Fernando Tatis Jr. in the second round. After that, I wanted a pitcher in the third round, an impact bat in the fourth, and then Ben Rice and another pitcher in the fifth and sixth rounds. After that, I was just going to read the board and draft players I liked at that value. Going into the morning of the draft, the only thing I felt I had to determine was Carroll or Tatis.

I woke up and was determined to make up my mind between the two players. Carroll seemed to be clearly favored in the thoughts of all popular analysts and many expert leagues. Yet, Tatis’ improvements in O-Swing% really enticed me. He also swung and missed less in 2025, which led me to think he made real strides to improve his BB% and limit his K%. His bat speed and exit velocity were still there, with the only thing that seemed to be holding him back in 2025 being his launch angle, which tends to be more volatile year-over-year and easier to fix. Yet, the lingering questions about what his true power potential hung over my head. He mashed 42 home runs in 2021, but that was before he was suspended for PEDs; his highest mark after that suspension was 25. While I felt that he should still be able to hit 30-35, he had not done so in three years, and his home ballpark, Petco Park, did not exactly help him out in that department. Carroll had concerns of his own, particularly his recent surgery on his hamate bone, but his improvement in bat speed from the year prior, the elite speed he possesses, and his young age all pointed to him being able to take a step forward. While his O-Swing% went up in 2025, it was more out of an overall desire to be more aggressive and not from chasing more, as seen in his increased Z-Swing%. And despite his increased K%, I felt that he could easily revert to his higher Z-Contact% and strikeout less. So, in the end, I settled on the player I began with, Corbin Carroll. This had me feeling comfortable going into the draft, confident that I would get my guys.

On the Clock

When the first round started, the first three picks went exactly as I thought they would. When the fourth pick rolled around, I thought that Holden would take Skubal, and I would at least have a choice between two of Witt, Acuna, and Tucker. However, he took Acuna, and then the fifth pick was Witt, leaving me both underprepared for shortstop and in a position that I was not necessarily anticipating: either take Tucker, or take Tarik Skubal and go all in on pitching. I wanted to invest heavily in pitching because I trusted myself to identify hitters throughout the season and later in the draft, much better than pitchers. Yet, before the draft, I was pretty sure I would take Kyle Tucker in this kind of situation, and then get pitching in the third round and on. I hesitated, and for a reason I still do not know or completely understand, I took Tarik Skubal. It is not a pick I regret, but it did alter how I would draft. When I picked again at the 2.3 spot, I took Carroll. Based on my first two picks, I wanted to go very pitching-heavy in the next few rounds. In the third, I wanted one of Hunter Brown or Logan Gilbert, with a preference towards Brown. However, Brown went the pick before me, and I so I happily settled for Gilbert. I debated whether or not to continue on this pitching tirade or not. My mind was made up when Bryan Woo and Logan Webb went to the two spots in front of my fourth-round pick. If I wanted to own the best pitching staff in the league, I needed to act fast. I took Jacob deGrom with my fourth round pick, not believing he was the best pitcher on the board, as I preferred Jesus Luzardo, but instead banking on getting Luzardo in the next round. Max Fried was another pitcher on the board, but I was worried about tying myself to too many Yankees and suffering double the pain if they were bad. I also felt my first two pitchers allowed me to take a riskier pick here, and deGrom’s upside is higher than Fried’s. In the fifth, I got Luzardo, setting myself up to take Ben Rice in the sixth, which I did. 

After that, I faced another decision: acquire another potential tier one or two pitcher, or acquire more offensive talent. Maikel Garcia and Corey Seager went the two picks before me, taking two players off the board I was contemplating taking, and so I instead took George Kirby to finalize my top five pitchers. After that, I decided to capitalize on what some viewed as a dead zone for offense, but what I saw as a boom-or-bust territory. I took Jazz Chisholm Jr. in with my next pick, and was hoping to get Wyatt Langford with my next. However, Langford was taken two picks before me, leading me to take Austin Riley, which I thought was a little early, but I still believed in the bounce back. With my next pick, I took Tyler Soderstrom, someone who I believed could break out this year, and his eligibility at both first and outfield made him a valuable asset to my team. I contemplated taking Byron Buxton there, a player with elite talent but a bad injury history, and someone I felt would be a good value pick at that spot. However, I was still able to nab him with my next selection. After that, I took Drake Baldwin, wanting to get a good catcher, knowing that Ben Rice would be out against some lefties. Coming up on my next pick, Chase Burns and Jacob Misiorowski went, and so in an act that was motivated by both being poetic and taking one of those three young pitchers that I liked, I took Cam Schlittler. 

With my next pick, a player I had been eyeing for a while that had been falling became too good to pass on. While I doubted that George Springer could duplicate his performance last year, I still believed him to be a solid option that was too good not to take at this point in the draft. As the end of the draft came around, I had a few goals in mind. Number one, secure my shortstop. Number two, get Ryan Helsley on my team. And third, draft guys with high upside. With my next pick, my fifteenth rounder, I took Zach Neto, the last shortstop I viewed as a positive in my starting lineup. I then took Gerrit Cole, who I knew would be out for a bit, but I still felt could be good, especially after he had pitched in Spring Training and had thrown upper 90s after returning from Tommy John. With my next two picks, I drafted two outfielders who had underperformed last year, but I believed had posted exciting underlying metrics in Michael Harris II and Jac Caglianone. Then, in the nineteenth round, I go Ryan Helsley, getting a closer I liked later in the draft, and then drafted Tatsuya Imai, who I felt had great upside. I then took two third basemen I also thought could be very productive, Kazuma Okamoto and Sal Stewart. To wrap up my draft, I took Carter Jensen, Matthew Liberatore, and Kevin McGonigle, who had just made the Tigers’ Opening Day Roster. After the draft, I put Gerrit Cole on the IL and picked up Didier Fuentes, but then dropped him quickly after learning he would get his starts in AAA while being stretched out into that role, and instead picked up Jeremiah Estrada.

So that finalized my team. I felt comfortable with my pitching, though I was lacking relievers, and I had a lot of upside on my bench, allowing me to drop players as the season went on with the hope that one or two of them would be really good. Here is a look at the roster I had following the draft, listed at the position they started at for me, with their other eligible positions in parentheses, and the “S” for pitchers notating starters.

Roster 

Post Draft Thoughts 

That was the team going into Opening Day. From here on out, I will be doing mainly weekly recaps, with some flexibility for other ideas. I felt very comfortable with my pitching staff and slightly worried about my hitting going into the season, but I felt confident that some of the players I predicted to break out would do so and that I would find some players who could be really good as the season went on. I want to clarify now that this draft was almost two weeks ago, and the first matchup of the season is wrapping up now as I write this. I should be able to be more consistent with my schedule as it will be more structured from here on out. Until next time.