The Z Files: Winning Tendencies, Part Four

The Z Files: Winning Tendencies, Part Four

This article is part of our The Z Files series.

Memo to aspiring fantasy sports writers: everyone loves lists. Man, have I got a list for you. In the fourth installment of Winnings Tendencies, we're going to examine winning players.

The criteria are as follows. There were 570 teams in the 2019 National Fantasy Baseball Championship Main Event contest. They were divided into 38 leagues, each with 15 clubs. If a player was drafted by the top overall team, he was awarded 570 points. Everyone picked by the second overall team received 569 points, etc. The final rank is presented as an average of the 38 leagues, so the higher the number, the better. In a separate ranking, players were given 15 points if drafted by a league winner, 14 points for league runner-up, etc. Also included is the average draft position (ADP) from the 38 leagues, the number of league winners drafting each player and the end of season earnings using conventional valuation methods for a 15-team mixed league. Please note, the far left rank column refers to the Overall column.

Rank

Player

Overall

League

ADP

No. Winners

No. Leagues

Earnings

1

Gerrit Cole

400.2

10.6

18.3

7

38

$40

2

Ketel Marte

394.2

10.8

212.7

6

38

$31

3

Rafael Devers

391.4

10.7

120.0

10

38

$35

4

Justin Verlander

382.1

10.4

16.2

3

38

$43

5

Luke Weaver

371.8

10.0

258.1

8

38

$0

6

Josh Bell

370.1

10.3

231.8

4

38

$21

7

Anthony Rendon

367.6

10.2

43.2

7

38

$33

8

Shane Bieber

367.1

10.3

Memo to aspiring fantasy sports writers: everyone loves lists. Man, have I got a list for you. In the fourth installment of Winnings Tendencies, we're going to examine winning players.

The criteria are as follows. There were 570 teams in the 2019 National Fantasy Baseball Championship Main Event contest. They were divided into 38 leagues, each with 15 clubs. If a player was drafted by the top overall team, he was awarded 570 points. Everyone picked by the second overall team received 569 points, etc. The final rank is presented as an average of the 38 leagues, so the higher the number, the better. In a separate ranking, players were given 15 points if drafted by a league winner, 14 points for league runner-up, etc. Also included is the average draft position (ADP) from the 38 leagues, the number of league winners drafting each player and the end of season earnings using conventional valuation methods for a 15-team mixed league. Please note, the far left rank column refers to the Overall column.

Rank

Player

Overall

League

ADP

No. Winners

No. Leagues

Earnings

1

Gerrit Cole

400.2

10.6

18.3

7

38

$40

2

Ketel Marte

394.2

10.8

212.7

6

38

$31

3

Rafael Devers

391.4

10.7

120.0

10

38

$35

4

Justin Verlander

382.1

10.4

16.2

3

38

$43

5

Luke Weaver

371.8

10.0

258.1

8

38

$0

6

Josh Bell

370.1

10.3

231.8

4

38

$21

7

Anthony Rendon

367.6

10.2

43.2

7

38

$33

8

Shane Bieber

367.1

10.3

109.8

9

38

$25

9

Pete Alonso

363.8

9.9

205.0

5

38

$26

10

Michael Conforto

363.5

10.0

83.5

2

38

$17

11

Charlie Morton

362.2

10.1

116.0

6

38

$24

12

Domingo German

360.2

9.8

292.9

5

38

$12

13

Matt Olson

359.2

9.6

274.7

2

38

$13

14

Mike Clevinger

357.5

9.8

48.4

4

38

$15

15

Willson Contreras

357.1

9.7

136.4

3

38

$11

16

Cody Bellinger

356.8

9.6

41.1

4

38

$40

17

Shin-Soo Choo

355.4

9.7

280.4

6

38

$17

18

Kenta Maeda

355.0

10.0

163.7

2

38

$11

19

Jordan Hicks

354.3

9.7

141.5

4

38

-$1

20

Sonny Gray

353.7

9.6

247.7

1

38

$19

21

Pablo Lopez

353.1

10.0

333.1

4

38

-$4

22

Michael Pineda

352.6

9.8

262.7

6

38

$8

23

Freddie Freeman

351.8

9.6

24.0

3

38

$31

24

Eddie Rosario

351.8

9.5

72.2

7

38

$20

25

Trey Mancini

349.4

9.9

243.7

3

38

$23

26

Justin Turner

348.7

9.5

100.3

3

38

$13

27

Brett Gardner

344.9

9.6

291.8

1

38

$14

28

Victor Robles

344.8

9.3

74.3

5

38

$20

29

Marcus Stroman

344.7

9.5

313.3

1

38

$10

30

Luis Castillo

343.8

9.0

116.6

6

38

$19

31

Elvis Andrus

343.7

9.3

168.5

2

38

$24

32

Jorge Soler

342.6

9.5

260.5

9

38

$25

33

David Dahl

342.5

9.4

65.9

4

38

$8

34

Brad Peacock

341.9

9.6

207.6

2

38

$1

35

Yonder Alonso

341.6

9.2

303.0

1

38

-$12

36

Jeff McNeil

340.4

9.5

245.6

4

38

$19

37

Austin Barnes

340.2

9.6

291.8

5

38

-$2

38

Eric Hosmer

339.8

9.5

181.1

4

38

$11

39

Xander Bogaerts

339.6

9.3

48.1

4

38

$30

40

Nelson Cruz

339.2

9.3

95.5

6

38

$23

41

Josh Hader

339.1

9.7

97.5

5

38

$18

42

Hyun-Jin Ryu

337.7

9.3

170.8

2

38

$24

43

Kirby Yates

336.7

9.2

89.4

6

38

$16

44

Wade Miley

336.5

9.2

344.0

1

38

$6

45

Josh Harrison

336.2

9.6

353.0

6

38

-$18

46

Kevin Pillar

335.9

9.2

266.5

6

38

$17

47

Stephen Strasburg

335.6

9.2

50.6

5

38

$26

48

Jeff Samardzija

335.5

9.1

335.0

1

38

$13

49

Alex Colome

335.3

9.3

173.0

4

38

$9

50

Avisail Garcia

335.3

8.7

315.7

4

38

$12

51

Ryan Braun

334.9

9.4

186.3

7

38

$15

52

Joe Musgrove

334.3

9.1

177.6

3

38

$6

53

Steven Matz

333.7

9.2

233.5

5

38

$4

54

Anthony DeSclafani

333.1

8.9

365.3

3

38

$8

55

Paul DeJong

332.9

9.3

169.6

3

38

$13

56

Kyle Tucker

332.8

9.2

330.3

1

38

-$13

57

Jonathan Villar

332.3

9.0

71.3

7

38

$36

58

Wil Myers

332.1

9.3

91.6

5

38

$7

59

Trevor Bauer

331.1

9.2

21.8

5

38

$9

60

Austin Meadows

330.9

9.3

180.5

5

38

$24

61

Wilmer Flores

330.7

9.4

318.9

2

38

-$4

62

Sean Doolittle

329.9

9.2

99.2

3

38

$6

63

Greg Bird

329.9

9.2

375.7

5

36

-$20

64

Jacob deGrom

329.7

9.2

7.7

5

38

$29

65

Miguel Sano

329.3

9.3

344.1

2

37

$9

66

Michael Brantley

328.4

9.2

115.3

0

38

$20

67

Franmil Reyes

328.1

9.1

221.9

6

38

$9

68

Derek Holland

328.0

9.4

333.4

7

38

-$11

69

Julio Teheran

327.8

8.4

271.8

3

38

$6

70

Yasiel Puig

327.7

9.5

52.8

4

38

$20

71

Marcus Semien

327.6

8.9

215.6

2

38

$29

72

Brandon Belt

325.7

9.0

303.1

2

38

$2

73

Brandon Woodruff

325.7

9.1

221.6

3

38

$8

74

Nick Senzel

325.6

8.7

201.0

3

38

$4

75

Max Kepler

325.3

9.2

196.9

2

38

$15

76

Trea Turner

325.0

8.7

6.3

2

38

$31

77

Caleb Smith

325.0

9.2

331.2

4

38

$5

78

Mike Minor

323.6

8.9

335.5

7

38

$14

79

Byron Buxton

323.2

8.8

133.3

1

38

$3

80

Randal Grichuk

323.1

8.9

213.0

5

38

$7

81

Jose Abreu

322.8

9.0

88.4

6

38

$23

82

Jorge Polanco

322.7

8.9

199.2

3

38

$20

83

Brian Dozier

321.3

9.0

140.0

4

38

-$1

84

Gary Sanchez

321.3

9.0

54.4

1

38

$11

85

Brandon Lowe

320.0

8.9

326.6

4

37

$1

86

Tyler Skaggs

319.9

8.7

228.6

4

38

-$2

87

Rougned Odor

319.2

8.8

105.1

5

38

$10

88

Jack Flaherty

319.0

8.5

42.3

3

38

$26

89

Forrest Whitley

318.9

8.7

281.5

5

38

$10

90

Yu Darvish

318.8

8.9

124.9

3

38

$12

91

Austin Hedges

317.5

8.9

306.3

5

38

-$3

92

Fernando Tatis

317.0

8.9

258.6

5

38

$15

93

Tyler O'Neill

316.2

8.8

333.3

1

38

-$14

94

Will Smith

315.9

8.9

168.6

5

38

$14

95

Kris Bryant

315.7

8.7

35.2

4

38

$19

96

Brad Hand

315.7

8.7

73.2

1

38

$10

97

Kyle Gibson

314.8

8.6

274.3

3

38

$0

98

Luke Voit

314.7

8.7

167.5

3

38

$4

99

Ronald Acuna

314.6

8.6

7.6

4

38

$46

100

Eduardo Escobar

314.6

8.7

196.4

6

38

$23

101

Alex Wood

314.2

8.6

309.9

3

38

-$10

102

Joe Jimenez

314.2

8.6

372.0

5

38

-$1

103

Matt Strahm

314.1

8.8

197.1

4

38

-$1

104

Walker Buehler

314.0

8.8

33.9

3

38

$21

105

Eduardo Rodriguez

313.8

8.9

137.2

6

38

$13

106

Yandy Diaz

313.4

8.9

391.5

2

36

-$2

107

Chris Paddack

312.2

8.6

165.5

4

38

$13

108

Yonny Chirinos

311.8

8.5

398.7

4

36

$8

109

Yasmani Grandal

311.3

8.6

125.9

4

38

$15

110

Joey Gallo

311.1

8.8

98.6

4

38

$2

111

Nomar Mazara

310.4

8.9

160.3

7

38

$7

112

Trevor Story

310.2

8.7

14.3

5

38

$35

113

Bryce Harper

309.9

8.6

18.2

2

38

$27

114

Trevor May

309.4

8.8

207.1

1

38

$2

115

J.T. Realmuto

309.3

8.6

44.9

5

38

$20

116

Yoan Moncada

309.0

9.0

141.4

5

38

$22

117

Jonathan Lucroy

308.9

8.4

336.3

3

38

$0

118

Felipe Vazquez

307.6

8.7

79.0

2

38

$13

119

Adam Jones

307.6

8.7

310.8

5

38

$4

120

Lance Lynn

307.0

8.6

400.1

3

34

$17

121

Ronald Guzman

306.7

8.5

375.7

2

38

-$10

122

Adalberto Mondesi

306.6

8.5

34.7

2

38

$23

123

Kenley Jansen

306.6

8.3

68.4

2

38

$10

124

Andrew Heaney

306.0

8.5

281.4

4

38

-$3

125

Ken Giles

305.7

8.6

134.1

1

38

$8

126

Aaron Sanchez

305.1

8.5

325.4

3

38

-$13

127

Zack Greinke

304.9

8.9

60.7

1

38

$27

128

Wade Davis

304.0

8.5

124.6

5

38

-$11

129

Tanner Roark

303.7

8.7

351.8

5

38

$1

130

Tyler Glasnow

302.4

8.5

158.0

2

38

$5

131

Hunter Renfroe

302.2

8.6

223.6

4

38

$4

132

Cesar Hernandez

302.0

8.5

193.1

1

38

$13

133

Clayton Kershaw

302.0

8.5

73.1

2

38

$21

134

Matt Chapman

301.9

8.5

105.7

3

38

$15

135

Andrelton Simmons

301.4

8.5

210.5

3

38

$0

136

Jean Segura

301.1

8.6

65.1

6

38

$11

137

Chad Pinder

301.0

8.3

341.4

3

38

-$6

138

Mike Moustakas

300.8

8.4

119.9

4

38

$13

139

James Paxton

300.7

8.6

48.6

2

38

$10

140

Alex Bregman

300.6

8.3

16.5

2

38

$31

141

Kyle Wright

300.5

8.5

356.6

5

38

-$13

142

Carlos Santana

300.3

8.6

193.4

6

38

$23

143

Trevor Richards

299.7

8.2

312.9

4

37

$0

144

A.J. Pollock

299.6

8.4

105.6

2

38

$0

145

Ryan McMahon

299.4

8.3

234.7

5

38

$9

146

David Robertson

299.3

8.5

153.7

2

38

-$10

147

Corey Seager

298.3

8.5

102.3

3

38

$10

148

Max Muncy

298.1

8.6

153.3

2

38

$17

149

Nolan Arenado

297.0

8.5

8.5

2

38

$32

150

Daniel Murphy

296.8

8.3

57.9

5

38

$5

151

Tim Beckham

296.7

8.3

326.6

2

33

-$5

152

Hunter Strickland

296.4

8.3

162.9

4

38

-$8

153

Delino DeShields

296.3

8.3

250.3

3

38

$3

154

Amed Rosario

295.7

8.4

118.0

1

38

$20

155

Joc Pederson

295.7

8.3

325.9

2

38

$11

156

Willians Astudillo

295.5

8.3

296.2

1

38

-$1

157

Anibal Sanchez

295.2

8.4

251.4

1

38

$6

158

Charlie Blackmon

295.2

8.1

32.8

3

38

$26

159

Matt Harvey

294.5

8.1

357.9

6

38

-$13

160

Patrick Corbin

293.7

8.3

47.6

2

38

$19

161

Masahiro Tanaka

293.4

8.4

118.3

3

38

$5

162

Jon Gray

293.2

8.1

183.7

1

38

$5

163

Jackie Bradley

293.2

8.3

193.1

3

38

$4

164

DJ LeMahieu

293.1

8.4

323.4

2

38

$30

165

Jose Altuve

291.9

8.2

16.9

3

38

$19

166

Adam Eaton

291.8

8.5

194.2

1

38

$16

167

Collin McHugh

291.3

8.3

202.2

2

38

-$4

168

Kendrys Morales

290.9

8.0

385.7

4

37

-$19

169

George Springer

290.9

7.9

62.5

3

38

$24

170

Michael Wacha

290.6

8.4

252.5

2

38

-$7

171

Julio Urias

290.3

8.2

234.4

2

38

$5

172

Jake Bauers

289.8

8.3

220.7

4

38

-$6

173

Ramon Laureano

289.1

8.1

186.7

3

38

$17

174

Robinson Chirinos

288.3

8.3

268.3

1

38

$7

175

Cedric Mullins

288.3

8.6

251.1

3

38

-$21

176

Tucker Barnhart

288.2

8.2

288.1

1

38

$1

177

Eloy Jimenez

287.6

8.0

110.4

2

38

$10

178

Franchy Cordero

286.5

8.2

378.2

2

38

-$19

179

Corey Dickerson

286.4

8.1

193.6

1

38

-$1

180

Jay Bruce

286.2

8.0

253.7

2

38

-$2

181

Kole Calhoun

286.1

8.3

320.3

5

38

$10

182

Rich Hill

286.1

8.0

199.5

4

38

$0

183

Scott Schebler

286.0

8.2

364.0

4

36

-$20

184

Arodys Vizcaino

285.9

8.1

201.8

2

38

-$9

185

Diego Castillo

285.6

8.2

409.2

7

32

$2

186

Tommy Pham

285.5

7.9

59.2

0

38

$22

187

Tim Anderson

285.2

8.0

129.1

1

38

$23

188

Trevor Cahill

285.2

8.2

357.6

2

38

-$11

189

Juan Soto

285.2

8.3

34.7

2

38

$29

190

Matt Barnes

285.1

8.4

189.5

4

38

-$1

191

Shohei Ohtani

284.4

8.3

226.0

0

38

$10

192

Marco Gonzales

284.2

7.9

241.4

2

38

$9

193

Zack Wheeler

284.0

8.4

64.4

2

38

$9

194

Aaron Judge

283.8

7.8

12.9

1

38

$8

195

Ozzie Albies

283.5

8.0

73.6

0

38

$27

196

Domingo Santana

283.4

8.1

167.5

1

38

$7

197

Lewis Brinson

283.3

7.9

334.7

1

38

-$21

198

Sergio Romo

283.1

7.8

316.6

2

38

$4

199

Dylan Bundy

282.8

7.7

322.0

1

38

-$1

200

Starling Marte

282.1

8.0

37.1

3

38

$30

201

Mitch Garver

281.8

7.8

407.5

3

32

$13

202

Manuel Margot

281.7

8.1

315.6

1

38

$5

203

Marcell Ozuna

281.7

8.1

96.4

3

38

$15

204

Javier Baez

281.2

8.1

22.0

3

38

$21

205

Yadier Molina

281.2

8.0

155.1

3

38

$8

206

Jesse Winker

281.2

7.7

201.2

1

38

-$2

207

Enrique Hernandez

280.9

8.1

266.7

2

38

-$20

208

Justin Bour

280.6

8.0

325.4

4

38

-$16

209

Robbie Ray

280.4

7.7

112.4

1

38

$7

210

Jeremy Jeffress

280.3

7.9

406.9

3

32

-$7

211

Kyle Hendricks

279.7

8.1

125.5

4

38

$13

212

Miguel Andujar

279.4

7.9

79.6

1

38

-$22

213

Leonys Martin

279.2

7.9

283.3

1

38

-$12

214

Nick Markakis

278.1

7.5

313.6

2

38

$3

215

Francisco Mejia

277.9

8.0

247.2

4

38

$0

216

Brandon Morrow

277.9

8.0

297.6

2

38

$10

217

David Peralta

277.8

7.9

152.4

1

38

-$1

218

Chris Archer

277.6

7.7

120.0

3

38

-$6

219

Roberto Osuna

277.6

7.4

76.0

1

38

$14

220

Ryan Pressly

277.2

8.0

335.6

2

38

$2

221

Starlin Castro

276.9

7.5

325.7

0

38

$11

222

Jose Berrios

276.6

7.8

54.9

1

38

$14

223

Eric Lauer

276.6

7.9

357.1

1

38

-$1

224

Adam Frazier

276.4

7.6

296.0

2

38

$6

225

Corbin Burnes

276.4

7.8

235.7

3

38

-$16

226

Yuli Gurriel

276.1

7.9

202.1

2

38

$23

227

Noah Syndergaard

276.0

7.9

28.9

1

38

$8

228

Drew Pomeranz

275.9

7.6

387.6

1

37

-$5

229

Christian Yelich

275.7

7.9

6.9

1

38

$44

230

Joey Lucchesi

274.7

7.6

171.5

3

38

$6

231

Frankie Montas

274.6

7.8

410.0

3

29

$7

232

Omar Narvaez

274.4

7.7

303.5

4

38

$11

233

Danny Jansen

274.2

7.7

209.8

2

38

$0

234

Teoscar Hernandez

274.1

7.9

336.3

0

38

$4

235

Josh James

274.0

7.9

280.3

1

38

$10

236

Willy Adames

273.8

7.7

247.7

2

38

$4

237

Jakob Junis

273.7

7.6

296.9

2

38

-$4

238

Tyler Flowers

273.2

7.6

397.7

1

37

$1

239

Ross Stripling

273.0

7.6

184.0

3

38

$1

240

Edwin Encarnacion

272.6

8.0

155.1

3

38

$10

241

Raisel Iglesias

271.7

7.7

113.6

0

38

$7

242

Blake Parker

271.0

7.4

358.7

1

37

-$2

243

Miguel Cabrera

270.4

7.5

153.1

1

38

$0

244

Tyler White

270.3

7.7

279.2

5

38

-$17

245

Kevin Kiermaier

270.0

7.6

299.5

3

38

$6

246

Mallex Smith

270.0

8.1

105.4

1

38

$17

247

Ryan Brasier

270.0

7.8

317.0

2

38

-$4

248

Brian Anderson

269.8

7.3

304.1

1

38

$5

249

Matthew Boyd

269.6

7.6

296.8

3

38

$7

250

Ryan Zimmerman

269.6

7.9

340.7

4

38

-$12

251

Evan Longoria

268.8

7.7

355.9

2

37

$4

252

Mike Zunino

268.7

7.6

251.5

2

38

-$4

253

Francisco Cervelli

268.6

7.5

280.2

6

38

-$5

254

Nick Castellanos

268.5

7.5

103.4

0

38

$17

255

J.D. Martinez

268.2

7.8

7.7

1

38

$26

256

Mike Trout

268.1

7.9

1.1

2

38

$31

257

Jose Ramirez

267.7

7.3

8.0

2

38

$19

258

Jose Urena

267.1

7.7

386.2

3

36

-$8

259

Jose Peraza

267.1

7.5

87.7

4

38

-$7

260

Madison Bumgarner

267.0

7.6

104.5

1

38

$13

261

Josh Reddick

266.9

7.6

401.0

3

34

$5

262

Buster Posey

266.9

7.1

155.0

0

38

$2

263

Aaron Nola

266.9

7.6

22.4

4

38

$12

264

Dallas Keuchel

266.8

7.6

267.9

2

38

$0

265

Ian Desmond

266.8

7.3

149.6

1

38

$4

266

Andrew McCutchen

266.6

7.6

125.9

1

38

-$7

267

Drew Smyly

266.5

7.4

398.9

4

33

-$12

268

Mookie Betts

266.4

7.5

1.9

4

38

$32

269

Christin Stewart

266.4

7.5

340.2

3

38

-$10

270

Carlos Carrasco

265.1

7.7

29.0

3

38

-$4

271

Merrill Kelly

264.3

7.5

392.3

3

35

$5

272

Cody Allen

264.3

7.3

148.0

2

38

-$10

273

Shane Greene

263.7

7.4

224.1

3

38

$7

274

Whit Merrifield

263.5

7.6

33.3

0

38

$28

275

Zack Godley

263.4

7.3

257.1

0

38

-$10

276

Aaron Hicks

263.0

7.3

160.1

2

38

-$7

277

Welington Castillo

262.9

7.3

229.4

2

38

-$1

278

Maikel Franco

262.9

7.6

255.6

1

38

-$4

279

Nathan Eovaldi

262.7

7.4

173.4

2

38

-$11

280

Touki Toussaint

262.1

6.9

362.3

3

30

-$9

281

John Hicks

261.9

7.4

362.3

1

37

-$1

282

Kurt Suzuki

261.5

7.3

347.0

2

38

$6

283

Pedro Strop

261.4

7.6

211.8

2

38

-$4

284

Jorge Alfaro

261.2

7.3

282.8

0

38

$9

285

Justin Upton

261.2

7.5

129.8

1

38

-$9

286

Kelvin Herrera

260.9

7.2

394.4

6

33

-$10

287

Carlos Correa

260.7

7.3

52.6

2

38

$1

288

Dee Gordon

260.6

7.8

95.8

2

38

$4

289

Jonathan Schoop

260.4

7.7

184.0

2

38

$3

290

Ryan O'Hearn

260.1

7.4

353.8

1

37

-$12

291

Tyler Anderson

258.9

7.4

404.1

2

31

-$16

292

Ryon Healy

258.8

7.4

310.4

3

38

-$13

293

Josh Donaldson

258.6

7.5

114.8

2

38

$18

294

Chris Sale

258.4

7.6

10.1

4

38

$8

295

C.J. Cron

257.7

7.0

236.4

1

38

$4

296

Blake Treinen

257.3

7.5

65.9

1

38

-$3

297

Dakota Hudson

255.3

7.0

340.1

1

34

$9

298

Nick Pivetta

255.3

7.2

136.6

0

38

-$8

299

Archie Bradley

255.0

7.2

241.9

0

38

$2

300

Asdrubal Cabrera

254.6

7.2

211.1

2

38

$9

301

Jose Leclerc

254.3

7.2

98.8

2

38

$0

302

Craig Kimbrel

253.9

7.2

112.0

0

38

-$7

303

Aroldis Chapman

253.9

7.1

79.7

1

38

$12

304

Yan Gomes

253.8

7.5

250.9

2

38

$2

305

Jake Odorizzi

253.7

7.3

386.2

3

34

$13

306

Robinson Cano

253.7

7.3

124.2

0

38

-$5

307

Stephen Piscotty

253.7

7.0

162.8

1

38

-$4

308

Jose Alvarado

253.5

7.6

143.2

1

38

-$8

309

David Price

253.4

7.3

95.2

2

38

$0

310

Eugenio Suarez

253.3

7.2

65.9

0

38

$23

311

Greg Allen

253.2

7.2

294.8

3

38

-$9

312

Chris Iannetta

252.9

7.2

391.5

0

35

-$3

313

Kyle Schwarber

252.4

7.2

214.6

2

38

$14

314

Jose Martinez

252.1

7.4

324.1

2

38

-$3

315

Carlos Rodon

252.1

7.2

308.4

2

38

-$8

316

Rhys Hoskins

251.7

7.4

40.4

2

38

$7

317

Jose Quintana

251.7

7.2

188.4

0

38

$1

318

Gregory Polanco

251.5

6.9

253.9

2

38

-$12

319

Wily Peralta

251.3

7.0

350.1

2

38

-$10

320

Billy Hamilton

251.2

6.8

151.8

2

38

-$4

321

Chris Taylor

250.4

7.3

260.2

3

38

$2

322

German Marquez

250.2

7.0

73.0

0

38

$6

323

Max Scherzer

249.3

7.2

4.3

2

38

$21

324

Jed Lowrie

249.2

7.3

378.2

2

36

-$21

325

Jung Ho Kang

249.1

7.2

294.5

3

38

-$16

326

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

249.1

7.4

331.5

4

38

-$2

327

Ian Kinsler

248.9

6.8

336.8

1

38

-$12

328

Orlando Arcia

248.7

7.1

396.0

1

37

-$1

329

Niko Goodrum

248.6

7.2

272.4

1

38

$3

330

Reynaldo Lopez

248.3

7.4

288.0

2

38

-$5

331

Jurickson Profar

247.4

7.1

139.9

2

38

$3

332

Brad Boxberger

247.0

7.1

305.2

1

38

-$9

333

Drew Steckenrider

246.3

7.2

340.6

1

38

-$9

334

Zac Rosscup

245.6

6.9

405.6

2

28

-$10

335

Zach Eflin

245.2

6.9

278.8

1

38

$2

336

Freddy Peralta

245.1

6.8

296.5

1

38

-$5

337

Mychal Givens

244.9

6.7

229.8

2

38

-$1

338

Jhoulys Chacin

244.7

6.8

277.6

1

38

-$12

339

Marwin Gonzalez

244.2

6.9

260.0

2

38

$0

340

Andrew Benintendi

244.1

6.9

33.9

3

38

$9

341

Paul Goldschmidt

243.7

6.8

20.5

0

38

$18

342

Lorenzo Cain

243.7

7.1

65.8

3

38

$10

343

Jeimer Candelario

243.7

6.8

363.9

1

37

-$12

344

Brad Keller

243.6

7.1

398.9

1

34

$0

345

Anthony Rizzo

242.5

6.8

41.4

1

38

$20

346

Alex Reyes

240.9

7.1

305.7

1

38

-$11

347

Trevor Williams

240.2

7.0

329.8

1

38

-$7

348

Vince Velasquez

239.9

6.7

352.8

2

38

-$3

349

Martin Perez

238.6

6.6

413.3

0

28

-$6

350

Matt Shoemaker

238.4

6.6

428.1

5

26

-$3

351

Jon Lester

238.2

6.8

242.6

1

38

$0

352

Ender Inciarte

237.2

6.9

134.7

2

38

-$8

353

Dansby Swanson

236.4

6.5

407.6

1

29

$8

354

Mitch Haniger

236.3

6.5

102.4

2

38

-$6

355

Gleyber Torres

236.1

6.6

72.4

1

38

$21

356

Felix Pena

234.4

6.4

408.0

3

28

$0

357

Max Fried

234.3

6.8

390.6

3

31

$9

358

Bryse Wilson

233.9

6.8

388.3

4

29

-$12

359

Mike Foltynewicz

233.2

6.7

181.9

0

38

$0

360

Harrison Bader

231.8

7.0

194.9

0

38

-$3

361

Seranthony Dominguez

231.6

6.8

238.0

1

38

-$7

362

Kevin Gausman

231.5

6.5

260.3

1

38

-$8

363

Steven Duggar

231.1

6.6

410.2

2

31

-$13

364

Greg Holland

230.8

6.6

321.4

3

36

-$3

365

Miles Mikolas

230.6

7.0

91.3

2

38

$6

366

Rick Porcello

230.6

6.8

164.0

3

38

-$3

367

Carlos Martinez

230.6

6.7

352.9

1

38

$5

368

Brandon Nimmo

230.4

6.7

181.2

1

38

-$10

369

Yusei Kikuchi

229.7

6.8

191.4

3

38

-$10

370

Kyle Freeland

227.9

6.9

188.9

1

38

-$15

371

J.A. Happ

226.5

6.3

145.3

0

38

$1

372

Cole Hamels

226.4

6.3

150.7

0

38

$2

373

Luis Severino

225.2

6.4

117.2

0

38

-$7

374

Garrett Hampson

225.1

6.3

165.5

0

38

-$1

375

Alex Verdugo

224.6

6.5

417.6

2

31

$1

376

A.J. Minter

224.6

6.4

312.8

2

38

-$10

377

Blake Snell

224.1

6.7

27.3

2

38

$1

378

Lourdes Gurriel

224.0

6.4

250.2

2

38

$4

379

Edwin Diaz

223.8

6.5

56.9

2

38

$1

380

Joey Wendle

223.8

6.3

235.3

1

38

-$10

381

Justin Smoak

221.9

6.2

239.0

0

38

-$4

382

Jake Lamb

221.7

6.5

282.6

2

38

-$14

383

Odubel Herrera

221.4

6.3

266.1

0

38

-$16

384

Matt Kemp

220.6

6.4

358.1

1

38

-$20

385

Daniel Palka

219.5

6.4

352.0

1

37

-$22

386

Francisco Lindor

218.8

6.4

21.6

0

38

$29

387

Sean Newcomb

218.3

6.4

281.1

2

38

-$1

388

Dereck Rodriguez

215.7

6.2

342.1

0

38

-$9

389

Manny Machado

215.1

6.6

26.3

0

38

$14

390

Jameson Taillon

212.9

6.2

51.7

0

38

-$6

391

Andrew Miller

210.8

6.2

253.2

2

38

-$2

392

Corey Kluber

210.6

6.0

24.6

0

38

-$10

393

Yoshihisa Hirano

205.2

5.8

422.3

2

24

-$5

394

Lou Trivino

204.6

5.9

431.2

2

22

-$8

395

Hanley Ramirez

203.3

5.7

416.5

2

26

-$19

396

Jimmy Nelson

202.9

5.9

342.5

1

35

-$12

397

Eduardo Nunez

201.7

5.7

418.3

1

26

-$14

398

Jake Arrieta

200.3

5.4

202.5

2

38

-$4

399

Joey Votto

200.1

6.1

71.3

2

38

$5

400

Vladimir Guerrero

200.0

5.7

78.1

1

38

$2

401

Chance Sisco

199.6

5.6

412.1

3

22

-$2

402

Travis Shaw

199.6

5.8

94.9

1

38

-$19

403

Giancarlo Stanton

197.9

5.8

23.9

0

38

-$16

404

Alex Gordon

197.4

5.6

406.4

2

28

$8

405

Trevor Rosenthal

196.2

5.3

416.1

1

29

-$16

406

Ji-Man Choi

195.6

5.2

422.5

2

24

$3

407

Mike Fiers

195.0

5.7

392.2

1

32

$11

408

Scooter Gennett

193.3

5.4

274.3

0

37

-$17

409

Matt Carpenter

193.1

5.7

95.1

0

38

-$2

410

Steven Souza

190.6

5.2

338.5

1

28

-$20

411

Gio Gonzalez

190.1

5.2

420.3

0

24

-$2

412

Wilson Ramos

189.1

5.5

140.1

2

38

$11

413

Chris Owings

188.9

5.2

432.6

3

20

-$19

414

Khris Davis

188.9

5.4

50.8

1

38

$0

415

Adam Wainwright

186.0

5.2

431.5

2

19

$3

416

Jesus Aguilar

183.7

5.3

95.0

0

38

-$7

417

Ben Zobrist

180.6

5.1

421.0

2

26

-$14

418

Brian McCann

180.6

4.9

434.5

3

20

$2

419

Ryan Yarbrough

178.9

4.9

405.3

2

30

$9

420

Taylor Rogers

178.5

4.9

435.9

2

19

$11

421

Carson Kelly

177.9

4.9

417.9

2

24

$5

422

Ty Buttrey

175.7

4.5

423.8

1

24

-$1

423

Austin Hays

173.1

4.8

412.9

1

22

-$14

424

Jesus Luzardo

172.6

4.9

369.6

1

30

-$6

425

Albert Pujols

172.4

4.8

421.0

0

29

$6

426

Johan Camargo

168.2

4.8

417.1

1

27

-$11

427

Mark Trumbo

165.2

4.4

423.3

1

17

-$20

428

Jeremy Hellickson

165.1

4.9

404.5

2

26

-$12

429

Steve Cishek

164.5

4.8

438.0

2

21

$1

430

Scott Kingery

164.4

4.6

416.8

0

28

$10

431

Luis Urias

162.8

4.5

413.0

1

23

-$14

432

Ian Happ

161.6

4.5

374.6

1

26

-$9

433

Hernan Perez

160.3

4.8

418.3

0

28

-$11

434

Zack Britton

159.4

4.8

422.7

1

26

$1

435

Mark Melancon

158.2

4.4

428.8

4

21

$1

436

Zack Cozart

156.7

4.4

436.7

3

18

-$22

437

Mike Soroka

155.2

4.4

430.1

1

18

$18

438

Christian Vazquez

152.3

4.2

441.9

4

14

$14

439

Jonathan Loaisiga

151.9

4.1

432.0

2

19

-$8

440

Luis Cessa

150.4

4.4

422.9

3

18

-$4

441

Adam Ottavino

148.1

4.4

411.1

0

28

$3

442

Dexter Fowler

146.1

4.2

431.9

1

21

$5

443

Brandon Crawford

144.7

4.1

431.2

1

20

-$3

444

Didi Gregorius

141.8

3.9

426.2

0

19

-$2

445

Dellin Betances

140.9

4.3

392.0

1

24

-$10

446

Carl Edwards Jr.

138.4

3.7

432.4

1

16

-$11

447

Brandon Drury

138.0

3.9

432.9

1

17

-$9

448

Troy Tulowitzki

137.4

3.9

418.7

2

23

-$20

449

Jason Kipnis

132.4

3.9

416.2

2

21

$3

450

Raimel Tapia

131.9

3.6

440.5

1

13

$3

451

Elias Diaz

131.5

3.6

438.4

0

18

-$2

452

Martin Maldonado

129.4

3.8

430.1

0

20

$0

453

Nick Ahmed

125.9

3.8

432.2

0

18

$11

454

Bo Bichette

125.8

3.5

428.4

1

17

-$5

455

Neil Walker

125.7

3.3

438.0

1

16

-$6

456

Albert Almora

124.3

3.5

427.2

1

19

-$8

457

Justus Sheffield

122.3

3.7

428.9

0

22

-$11

458

Grayson Greiner

120.6

3.5

431.7

1

17

-$5

459

Billy McKinney

117.3

3.3

431.1

1

18

-$11

460

Blake Swihart

117.3

3.4

431.3

0

17

-$6

461

CC Sabathia

116.4

3.4

424.9

1

22

-$5

462

Jaime Barria

115.8

3.4

428.3

0

19

-$10

463

Robbie Erlin

113.3

3.3

431.4

0

16

-$11

464

Jason Vargas

105.2

2.9

445.4

1

11

-$2

465

Eric Thames

105.1

3.1

431.1

1

23

$5

466

Kolten Wong

103.5

2.8

438.3

1

14

$16

467

Aledmys Diaz

102.9

2.8

439.0

0

14

-$6

468

Gerardo Parra

102.5

3.0

432.6

0

15

-$4

469

Jeurys Familia

101.0

2.8

430.2

1

16

-$11

470

Lucas Giolito

99.9

2.7

443.4

0

14

$19

471

Hunter Dozier

99.3

2.7

439.1

2

10

$13

472

Mac Williamson

91.7

2.6

444.6

1

11

-$18

473

Carlos Gonzalez

91.0

2.6

435.7

0

17

-$17

474

Corey Knebel

87.0

2.8

373.6

0

19

$10

475

Wade LeBlanc

86.4

2.4

445.3

0

13

-$9

476

Tyler Mahle

84.6

2.2

440.4

0

10

-$5

477

Matt Adams

81.3

2.2

444.6

1

9

-$4

478

Sandy Alcantara

80.8

2.3

435.1

0

13

$4

479

Renato Nunez

80.3

2.3

444.3

1

12

$9

480

Chad Green

80.1

2.5

436.3

0

16

-$1

481

Adam Conley

78.8

2.1

443.1

1

13

-$13

482

Jordan Zimmermann

77.4

2.2

446.7

1

9

-$17

483

Richie Martin

75.8

2.2

442.2

1

10

-$10

484

Chase Anderson

73.3

2.1

435.3

0

12

$2

485

Marco Estrada

69.7

2.0

445.0

1

10

-$11

486

Mitch Moreland

67.7

2.0

446.4

0

8

-$1

487

Ryan Borucki

64.9

1.9

441.2

0

8

-$13

488

Jason Heyward

62.9

1.8

447.2

2

8

$8

489

Keone Kela

61.6

1.6

445.7

0

9

-$4

490

Kyle Seager

60.2

1.7

443.2

0

8

$1

491

Michael Taylor

55.9

1.6

445.2

0

8

-$15

492

Yolmer Sanchez

52.0

1.5

443.5

0

8

-$3

493

Keon Broxton

50.6

1.4

443.7

1

6

-$13

494

Joe Panik

49.3

1.3

448.1

1

4

-$6

495

Yairo Munoz

48.0

1.3

445.3

0

10

-$10

496

Clay Buchholz

47.5

1.4

440.1

0

9

-$12

497

Spencer Turnbull

47.1

1.4

446.0

1

8

-$5

498

Ervin Santana

45.8

1.2

445.8

0

9

-$13

499

Roman Quinn

45.8

1.2

443.1

0

7

-$12

500

David Fletcher

43.2

1.2

446.2

0

6

$10

501

Ivan Nova

42.7

1.2

447.0

0

6

-$3

502

Rowdy Tellez

42.7

1.2

444.7

1

5

-$3

503

Adam Engel

40.8

1.2

448.1

0

5

-$11

504

Nick Hundley

40.4

1.2

441.5

0

8

-$7

505

Jose Iglesias

39.1

1.2

449.1

1

5

$7

506

Kyle Zimmer

39.0

1.1

448.9

0

5

-$16

507

Leury Garcia

38.7

1.1

447.1

1

6

$12

508

Keston Hiura

37.7

0.9

444.7

0

6

$7

509

Franklin Barreto

37.4

1.1

445.8

0

5

-$20

510

Garrett Cooper

36.7

1.1

446.5

0

6

$0

511

Joakim Soria

35.9

1.0

448.0

1

4

-$2

512

Alex Cobb

33.8

1.0

443.1

0

6

-$13

513

Michael Fulmer

31.8

0.9

443.9

1

5

$10

514

Willie Calhoun

31.7

0.8

448.9

0

4

$0

515

Jordan Lyles

29.7

0.8

450.3

0

3

$4

516

Bradley Zimmer

29.3

0.8

448.2

0

4

-$21

517

Robbie Grossman

28.8

0.8

449.5

0

3

-$2

518

Seth Lugo

27.9

0.9

446.3

0

9

$9

519

Matt Duffy

27.9

0.7

449.5

0

3

-$17

520

Peter O'Brien

27.8

0.8

449.3

0

4

-$20

521

Hunter Pence

26.6

0.7

447.8

1

3

$6

522

Danny Duffy

25.2

0.7

445.3

0

6

$0

523

Dustin Pedroia

25.0

0.6

449.6

0

4

-$21

524

Clint Frazier

25.0

0.9

447.0

0

5

-$6

525

John Gant

24.1

0.6

448.0

0

2

$1

526

Seunghwan Oh

23.9

0.7

450.1

0

3

-$12

527

Jerad Eickhoff

23.4

0.6

449.8

0

4

-$8

528

Alex Claudio

22.8

0.5

450.5

0

3

-$6

529

Mark Canha

21.0

0.6

446.9

0

4

$9

530

J.B. Wendelken

19.7

0.5

450.7

0

2

-$4

531

Chaz Roe

19.0

0.5

448.6

0

2

-$7

532

Yangervis Solarte

18.9

0.6

448.0

0

4

-$19

533

Nick Kingham

18.3

0.6

449.9

0

2

-$14

534

Brett Anderson

18.3

0.6

450.2

1

2

$5

535

Freddy Galvis

18.1

0.6

445.7

0

6

$8

536

Chris Devenski

18.0

0.5

450.1

0

2

-$6

537

Tyler Naquin

17.6

0.6

449.2

0

3

-$4

538

Jared Hughes

17.0

0.5

449.9

0

2

-$2

539

Colin Moran

15.8

0.5

450.7

1

2

$3

540

Russell Martin

15.3

0.4

449.3

0

2

-$2

541

Craig Stammen

15.2

0.5

445.5

0

3

$4

542

Reyes Moronta

14.3

0.4

450.9

0

2

-$2

543

Tom Murphy

13.9

0.4

450.3

1

1

$5

544

Tony Kemp

13.9

0.3

450.9

0

2

-$11

545

Bud Norris

13.6

0.5

449.7

0

3

$10

546

Brendan Rodgers

13.1

0.3

450.4

0

2

-$19

547

David Paulino

13.0

0.3

450.8

0

1

$10

548

Evan Phillips

13.0

0.3

450.0

0

1

-$12

549

Shawn Armstrong

12.3

0.4

449.5

0

3

-$10

550

Jacob Barnes

12.3

0.3

444.4

0

2

-$13

551

Dylan Cease

12.2

0.3

450.1

0

2

-$9

552

Joe Ross

12.2

0.3

448.6

0

2

-$10

553

Dylan Moore

12.0

0.4

450.3

0

1

-$7

554

Taylor Williams

11.8

0.3

450.0

0

1

-$12

555

Brent Honeywell

11.6

0.3

444.8

0

5

$10

556

Ichiro Suzuki

11.5

0.3

450.9

0

1

-$21

557

Dennis Santana

11.4

0.3

450.9

0

1

-$10

558

Austin Slater

10.8

0.3

447.0

0

1

-$14

559

Daniel Ponce de Leon

10.7

0.3

450.0

0

1

-$6

560

Manny Pina

10.7

0.3

450.2

0

2

-$3

561

Chris Davis

10.5

0.2

450.9

0

1

-$15

562

Daniel Vogelbach

10.3

0.3

450.9

0

1

$2

563

Logan Allen

9.6

0.3

448.2

0

2

-$11

564

Daniel Robertson

9.5

0.2

450.0

0

1

-$15

565

Daniel Mengden

9.4

0.3

450.5

0

1

-$7

566

Kevin Plawecki

9.0

0.3

450.7

0

1

-$5

567

Dan Straily

8.6

0.2

450.7

0

1

-$19

568

Dominic Smith

8.2

0.2

450.9

0

1

-$7

569

Curtis Granderson

8.2

0.3

450.3

0

2

-$13

570

Fernando Rodney

7.9

0.3

444.6

0

2

-$11

571

Lonnie Chisenhall

7.7

0.1

450.7

0

1

-$20

572

Mike Leake

7.6

0.2

449.9

0

1

$4

573

Jenrry Mejia

7.6

0.2

450.6

0

1

$10

574

Tyson Ross

7.4

0.2

450.0

0

1

-$12

575

Nate Karns

7.4

0.2

450.8

0

1

$10

576

Wei-Yin Chen

7.4

0.2

450.4

0

1

-$13

577

Miguel Rojas

6.3

0.1

450.8

0

1

$3

578

Derek Dietrich

5.9

0.2

448.2

0

2

-$8

579

Brock Holt

5.9

0.3

450.4

0

1

-$7

580

Anthony Alford

5.8

0.2

450.6

0

1

-$19

581

Steve Pearce

5.7

0.2

449.7

0

2

-$19

582

Pablo Reyes

4.8

0.2

450.8

0

1

-$16

583

Alen Hanson

4.8

0.1

450.7

0

1

-$20

584

JaCoby Jones

4.7

0.1

450.8

0

1

-$6

585

Jon Jay

4.6

0.1

450.1

0

1

-$17

586

Jake Faria

4.4

0.2

450.4

0

1

-$12

587

Max Stassi

4.0

0.1

450.2

0

1

-$9

588

Dustin May

3.7

0.1

450.7

0

1

-$5

589

Alex Avila

3.5

0.1

450.8

0

1

-$2

590

Ryne Stanek

3.0

0.1

450.4

0

1

-$4

591

Joe Kelly

2.9

0.1

447.1

0

2

-$5

592

Logan Forsythe

2.9

0.1

450.8

0

1

-$9

593

Jarrod Dyson

2.9

0.2

450.1

0

2

$8

594

Shelby Miller

2.4

0.1

450.9

0

1

-$17

595

Tony Watson

2.3

0.1

450.7

0

1

-$6

596

Travis d'Arnaud

1.8

0.1

450.8

0

1

$7

597

Mitch Keller

1.8

0.1

449.1

0

1

-$14

598

James McCann

1.7

0.1

450.9

0

1

$11

599

Scott Oberg

1.1

0.0

450.4

0

1

$3

600

Yoenis Cespedes

0.9

0.1

450.4

0

2

-$20

601

Chris Stratton

0.9

0.1

450.1

0

1

-$12

602

Nick Williams

0.9

0.1

449.8

0

1

-$21

603

Andrew Suarez

0.5

0.0

450.4

0

1

-$11

604

Tony Wolters

0.1

0.0

450.9

0

1

$2

605

Jorge Lopez

0.1

0.0

449.7

0

1

-$12

Admittedly, this is presented mainly for entertainment purposes, but it does speak towards the type of players clustered on championship teams. Specifically, these names help hammer home the notion of roster construction as opposed to value in a vacuum.

For example, in Winning Tendencies, Part Two, DJ LeMahieu was atop the list of most valuable players relative to their draft spot. That is, LeMahieu was the top hitter in terms of value in a vacuum. However, he lands 164th on the "winning players" list. One reason LaMahieu wasn't on the radar of the more successful teams was some of his allure was the likelihood of gaining eligibility at multiple positions. He entered the season as second base only, but it was known the Yankees planned on moving him around the infield. In Winning Tendencies, Part Three, it was shown the top teams didn't chase roster flexibility, so they weren't drawn to LeMahieu. More importantly, heading into the season, it wasn't clear where the former Rockies infielder would play. The assumption was the Bronx Bombers would find plenty of action for their free agent signee, but in Winning Tendencies, Part One, it was demonstrated contending teams accrued more at-bats than the rest of the league. Even in the 21st round (LeMahieu's ADP was 323), winning teams were focused on players with more secure playing time. Granted, that late it's viable to favor skills over volume, but LeMahieu was coming off a down season and had become a pull hitter, not the optimal approach for a righty in Yankee Stadium. A case could be made that LeMahieu would adjust to his new venue, however and those prescient drafters were rewarded.

Justin Verlander checked in as the pitcher with the most profit relative to his draft spot. However, in this ranking, he's a close second among hurlers to the overall leader, former teammate Gerrit Cole. Verlander earned a couple more bucks than Cole as he had one more victory and a lower WHIP. However, Cole amassed 26 more strikeouts, an example of type of contribution and not strictly value. Strikeouts are key, and the extra punchouts from Cole leapfrogged him over the "more profitable" Verlander. In fact, Cole was on a league winner seven times compared to just three for Verlander. The lesson here is when building a pitching staff, don't necessarily take the higher ranked arm. Examine where the contributions emanate, and if the lower ranked option is superior in strikeouts, consider overriding the rankings.

Another intriguing takeaway from the Cole and Verlander data is their ADP was early second round, while first-round hurlers Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom didn't score as well in the winning players ranking. Of course, neither deGrom nor Scherzer earned as much as the Astros' pair, but their respective fantasy teams also had to wait a little longer to draft their next player, and the gap between players, at least on paper, is greatest early in the draft. This could point towards desiring a wheel pick, but there's no guarantee the end-of-season earnings for the pitchers at the wheel exceed the first rounders.

The beauty of this information is everyone can offer their own narrative, much like I just did with LeMahieu, Cole and Verlander. Here are some additional observations; your mileage may vary.

Bully Hitting, Manage Pitching

Every good list needs a huh?!? Luke Weaver was off to a great start, but his fantasy season was essentially over in late May as he was long gone from rosters prior to his two-inning stint in late September. For the season, Weaver earned $0, but keep in mind the computation is done assuming he was active all season. On a per-week basis, Weaver was a big boon to his fantasy team. The fact he was chosen by so many winners speaks towards roster build as much as talent. Weaver and LeMahieu are an interesting comparison, as they both were coming off down years and heading to a new team. The narrative offered earlier with LeMahieu suggests winning teams should have passed on Weaver, but drafting a pitching staff requires a different dynamic than assembling an offense. Bully hitting, manage pitching. Weaver's 17th-round ADP is in the range where streaming starters are targeted. He fit the mold, working in a decent home park (Chase Field) with some pedigree.

Catchers

Let's pull out the catchers and present their own table:

RankPlayerOverallLeagueADPNo. WinnersNo. Leagues

Earnings

15

Willson Contreras

357.1

9.7

136.4

3

38

$11

37

Austin Barnes

340.2

9.6

291.8

5

38

-$2

84

Gary Sanchez

321.3

9

54.4

1

38

$11

91

Austin Hedges

317.5

8.9

306.3

5

38

-$3

109

Yasmani Grandal

311.3

8.6

125.9

4

38

$15

115

J.T. Realmuto

309.3

8.6

44.9

5

38

$20

117

Jonathan Lucroy

308.9

8.4

336.3

3

38

$0

156

Willians Astudillo

295.5

8.3

296.2

1

38

-$1

174

Robinson Chirinos

288.3

8.3

268.3

1

38

$7

176

Tucker Barnhart

288.2

8.2

288.1

1

38

$1

201

Mitch Garver

281.8

7.8

407.5

3

32

$13

205

Yadier Molina

281.2

8

155.1

3

38

$8

215

Francisco Mejia

277.9

8

247.2

4

38

$0

232

Omar Narvaez

274.4

7.7

303.5

4

38

$11

233

Danny Jansen

274.2

7.7

209.8

2

38

$0

238

Tyler Flowers

273.2

7.6

397.7

1

37

$1

252

Mike Zunino

268.7

7.6

251.5

2

38

-$4

253

Francisco Cervelli

268.6

7.5

280.2

6

38

-$5

262

Buster Posey

266.9

7.1

155

0

38

$2

277

Welington Castillo

262.9

7.3

229.4

2

38

-$1

281

John Hicks

261.9

7.4

362.3

1

37

-$1

282

Kurt Suzuki

261.5

7.3

347

2

38

$6

284

Jorge Alfaro

261.2

7.3

282.8

0

38

$9

304

Yan Gomes

253.8

7.5

250.9

2

38

$2

312

Chris Iannetta

252.9

7.2

391.5

0

35

-$3

326

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

249.1

7.4

331.5

4

38

-$2

401

Chance Sisco

199.6

5.6

412.1

3

22

-$2

412

Wilson Ramos

189.1

5.5

140.1

2

38

$11

418

Brian McCann

180.6

4.9

434.5

3

20

$2

421

Carson Kelly

177.9

4.9

417.9

2

24

$5

438

Christian Vazquez

152.3

4.2

441.9

4

14

$14

451

Elias Diaz

131.5

3.6

438.4

0

18

-$2

452

Martin Maldonado

129.4

3.8

430.1

0

20

$0

458

Grayson Greiner

120.6

3.5

431.7

1

17

-$5

460

Blake Swihart

117.3

3.4

431.3

0

17

-$6

504

Nick Hundley

40.4

1.2

441.5

0

8

-$7

540

Russell Martin

15.3

0.4

449.3

0

2

-$2

543

Tom Murphy

13.9

0.4

450.3

1

1

$5

560

Manny Pina

10.7

0.3

450.2

0

2

-$3

566

Kevin Plawecki

9

0.3

450.7

0

1

-$5

587

Max Stassi

4

0.1

450.2

0

1

-$9

589

Alex Avila

3.5

0.1

450.8

0

1

-$2

596

Travis d'Arnaud

1.8

0.1

450.8

0

1

$7

598

James McCann

1.7

0.1

450.9

0

1

$11

604

Tony Wolters

0.1

0

450.9

0

1

$2

In Winning Tendencies, Part Three, there was no discernible patterns with regards to winning and the approach to drafting catchers. However, there was evidence the poorer teams waited too long, so the message was don't force early catchers, but don't shy away if the opportunity is there. This data corroborates that, with alternating good backstops and scrubs at the top of the list.

Perhaps even more baffling than the Luke Weaver placement is that the catcher drafted by the most league winners was Francisco Cervelli. Huh?!?

Three of 2019's top breakouts were Mitch Garver, Christian Vazquez and James McCann. Garver was only drafted by three winners, though he wasn't even chosen in six leagues. There's a good chance he was a free agent pickup of more champions, a study scheduled for a future date, depending on when/if baseball returns, as it requires capturing 570 final rosters. Vazquez's plight is even more telling as he was only on 14 Opening Day rosters, but four of those clubs took down their league. McCann was only picked once in last season's Main Event but, like Vazquez, no doubt populated winning rosters as a free agent.

While I extolled the virtues of targeting J.T. Realmuto all spring, it was largely in best ball and draft-and-hold formats. In the Main Event, my Plan A would be earmarking Rounds 9 to 12 for my first receiver, then waiting until the end, perhaps even after Round 23.

Closers

Like with catchers, here's the list of just closers.

RankPlayer

Overall

League

ADP

No. Winners

No. Leagues

Earnings

19

Jordan Hicks

354.3

9.7

141.5

4

38

-$1

     41Josh Hader    339.1        9.797.5                     5                   38     $18

43

Kirby Yates

336.7

9.2

89.4

6

38

$16

49

Alex Colome

335.3

9.3

173

4

38

$9

62

Sean Doolittle

329.9

9.2

99.2

3

38

$6

94

Will Smith

315.9

8.9

168.6

5

38

$14

96

Brad Hand

315.7

8.7

73.2

1

38

$10

114

Trevor May

309.4

8.8

207.1

1

38

$2

118

Felipe Vazquez

307.6

8.7

79

2

38

$13

123

Kenley Jansen

306.6

8.3

68.4

2

38

$10

125

Ken Giles

305.7

8.6

134.1

1

38

$8

128

Wade Davis

304

8.5

124.6

5

38

-$11

146

David Robertson

299.3

8.5

153.7

2

38

-$10

152

Hunter Strickland

296.4

8.3

162.9

4

38

-$8

184

Arodys Vizcaino

285.9

8.1

201.8

2

38

-$9

190

Matt Barnes

285.1

8.4

189.5

4

38

-$1

198

Sergio Romo

283.1

7.8

316.6

2

38

$4

210

Jeremy Jeffress

280.3

7.9

406.9

3

32

-$7

219

Roberto Osuna

277.6

7.4

76

1

38

$14

241

Raisel Iglesias

271.7

7.7

113.6

0

38

$7

272

Cody Allen

264.3

7.3

148

2

38

-$10

273

Shane Greene

263.7

7.4

224.1

3

38

$7

286

Kelvin Herrera

260.9

7.2

394.4

6

33

-$10

296

Blake Treinen

257.3

7.5

65.9

1

38

-$3

299

Archie Bradley

255

7.2

241.9

0

38

$2

301

Jose Leclerc

254.3

7.2

98.8

2

38

$0

302

Craig Kimbrel

253.9

7.2

112

0

38

-$7

303

Aroldis Chapman

253.9

7.1

79.7

1

38

$12

308

Jose Alvarado

253.5

7.6

143.2

1

38

-$8

332

Brad Boxberger

247

7.1

305.2

1

38

-$9

337

Mychal Givens

244.9

6.7

229.8

2

38

-$1

379

Edwin Diaz

223.8

6.5

56.9

2

38

$1

Jordan Hicks, huh?!? Every list has one. If there weren't outliers, this would be too easy, right?

These results support the notion it isn't necessary to dedicate significant draft assets to saves. Sure, you could land on Kirby Yates at the end of Round Six, but look where Roberto Osuna, Blake Treinen, Aroldis Chapman and Edwin Diaz finished.

One of the main conundrums facing those yet to draft is meshing the quirks of the impending 2020 season with what's historically successful. There's a strong narrative in favor of securing saves in an abbreviated season, which flies in the face of what generally works.

Stolen Bases

Here are the 2019 players who swiped at least 20 bags.

RankPlayer

Overall

League

ADP

No. Winners

No. Leagues

Earnings

SB

246

Mallex Smith

270.0

8.1

105.4

1

38

$17

46

122

Adalberto Mondesi

306.6

8.5

34.7

2

38

$23

43

57

Jonathan Villar

332.3

9.0

71.3

7

38

$36

40

99

Ronald Acuna

314.6

8.6

7.6

4

38

$46

37

76

Trea Turner

325.0

8.7

6.3

2

38

$31

35

31

Elvis Andrus

343.7

9.3

168.5

2

38

$24

31

229

Christian Yelich

275.7

7.9

6.9

1

38

$44

30

593

Jarrod Dyson

2.9

0.2

450.1

0

2

$8

30

28

Victor Robles

344.8

9.3

74.3

5

38

$20

28

186

Tommy Pham

285.5

7.9

59.2

0

38

$22

25

200

Starling Marte

282.1

8.0

37.1

3

38

$30

25

153

Delino DeShields

296.3

8.3

250.3

3

38

$3

24

257

Jose Ramirez

267.7

7.3

8.0

2

38

$19

24

466

Kolten Wong

103.5

2.8

438.3

1

14

$16

24

112

Trevor Story

310.2

8.7

14.3

5

38

$35

23

288

Dee Gordon

260.6

7.8

95.8

2

38

$4

22

320

Billy Hamilton

251.2

6.8

151.8

2

38

-$4

22

386

Francisco Lindor

218.8

6.4

21.6

0

38

$29

22

202

Manuel Margot

281.7

8.1

315.6

1

38

$5

20

274

Whit Merrifield

263.5

7.6

33.3

0

38

$28

20

While it's unfair to categorically suggest drafting a stolen base specialist is a tenuous strategy, as Jonathan Villar's teams generally did well, the fact is the players with the most and second most steals were drafted by three league winners between them. The poor showing isn't due to poor performance, as both Mallex Smith and Adalberto Mondesi returned a net profit on their draft spot. It's more about roster construction than value. The profit was there, but the proper stats were lacking.

The data on Ronald Acuna and Christian Yelich is telling. They were the top two earners and among the few first rounders to perform as expected (let alone better than expected), but their fantasy teams didn't fare very well. In fact, Yelich was on only one league champion. On the surface, an argument can be tendered that setting one's KDS (draft priority) to an early pick is detrimental. I don't buy it. Instead, I prefer to look at roster construction and suggest those who drafted Acuna and Yelich needed to make a conscious effort to avoid drafting further players who would contribute significant steals, as they weren't necessary. Don't make it a matter of wasting early value, as was done last season. Instead, take advantage of the early steals and shun adding more, at least for the next several picks.

To reiterate, the elegance of this data is its openness to personal interpretation. Consider this an invitation to sort and dissect to your heart's content. Please feel free to post your own observations in the comments and as always, I'm happy to address any questions that arise.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Todd Zola
Todd has been writing about fantasy baseball since 1997. He won NL Tout Wars and Mixed LABR in 2016 as well as a multi-time league winner in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship. Todd is now setting his sights even higher: The Rotowire Staff League. Lord Zola, as he's known in the industry, won the 2013 FSWA Fantasy Baseball Article of the Year award and was named the 2017 FSWA Fantasy Baseball Writer of the Year. Todd is a five-time FSWA awards finalist.
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