Point League Rankings

Here, I think Blackmon’s volume in hits and doubles makes it closer than we realize, but the sheer number of Harper’s walks and his advantage in home runs still puts him in the top spot. Pham’s stolen bases mean little in points leagues, so he ends up at the bottom. While Bryant does get on base more than anyone and that’s essential in points leagues, he’s just barely behind in counting stats and overall power.

5×5 Roto League Rankings

This is where Harper’s average chickens come home to roost. I totally get if you want to flip him and Pham as honestly I think that Pham’s 25-point advantage in average and 10 extra stolen bases make it a lot closer than you might think it is at first glance. Blackmon is the clear king of the class in roto as he smokes everyone in average, is elite in runs, and is right there in home runs as well. The only real knock on Blackmon is his age. Bryant edges Harper in my eyes for the advantage in average, elite run production, holding his own in terms of power as well as having that extra position eligibility.

I’ll admit in the moment I went with Bryant of these four because I had already selected Mookie Betts and Aaron Judge and felt pretty solid at outfield, so I grabbed Bryant to be my third baseman and if I got a third baseman later on who I liked, I could just have a stacked outfield. In retrospect, my best move likely would have been Harper or Blackmon, but I still feel pretty good about going Bryant.

Round 3, Pick 41: Yordan Alvarez

My first vacuum pick. There were a lot of folks asking throughout the week where Alvarez went, and I’m a big believer in giving the people what they want! The rookie sensation might be putting together the greatest debut season of all time. It’s honestly hard to say anything negative about him at this point. It’s been one of the most fun story lines of the entire season, and I’m honestly surprised he lasted this long.

So what was holding folks back from taking him? Most likely, the utility-only tag was a big part of the hesitation. Many fantasy drafters are reluctant to fill their utility spots in the third round. I try not to think that way, but I understand why some folks think that way. My hangup comes from not trusting breakout rookies to continue their monstrous half-season output. I talked briefly about this when I discussed Pete Alonso last week, but I’ve just been burned too many times to fully trust it. Rhys Hoskins, Matt Olson, Gary Sanchez, Cody Bellinger. It’s this fatal flaw within in me that I don’t know what to make of rookies who rake when they first come up.

Yet even with all those examples listed above, this one feels different, doesn’t it? Everything feels pretty legit with no real true weaknesses lurking in the shadows. Or are they? That’s what I always try to look for with young rookie breakouts because given enough time, MLB teams will spend enough time with the data, find that weakness, and then challenge the young hitter to make the adjustment. Does Yordan have any of these? Here are his xStats for various trouble spots you see for young hitters: