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LABR AL recap: Do-it-all fantasy talents come at a premium in 2023 draft

Steve Gardner, USA TODAY
·4 min read

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The fantasy baseball draft season unofficially kicks off every year with the League of Alternative Baseball Reality. Now entering its 30th season, the very first industry experts drafts take place early in the spring to serve as a baseline to help fantasy managers develop their own winning strategies.

Last year’s AL LABR champion would have been a good one to emulate.

Eno Sarris of The Athletic posted one of the most dominant seasons in LABR history, setting a league record with 115 out of a possible 120 standings points and running away with his first AL title. Surely, the room wouldn’t let him have his way at the auction table this time.

With the honor of nominating the first player in the 2023 draft, Sarris tossed out Jose Ramirez and the bidding began … only to have the Guardians third baseman end up on his roster for the tidy sum of $40.

Ramirez and Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge tied as the most expensive players in the AL, followed closely by Julio Rodriguez, Kyle Tucker and Bobby Witt Jr. at $38 as the draft got off to a sizzling start.

DRAFT GRID:  Full NL LABR auction results

LABR HISTORY:  How the first experts fantasy baseball league began 

All-in on Ohtani

Angels ace/DH Shohei Ohtani went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA on the mound last season, while totaling 34 home runs and 95 RBI as a hitter.
Angels ace/DH Shohei Ohtani went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA on the mound last season, while totaling 34 home runs and 95 RBI as a hitter.

Perhaps the most interesting development in the early going came when the bidding stalled around the $30 mark for Shohei Ohtani. Although my pre-draft plan was to build a balanced roster, Ohtani was certainly worth grabbing at a discount. I went to $31.

Unfortunately, five-time AL LABR champions Rick Wolf and Glenn Colton felt the same way. In LABR, Ohtani can be used as either a pitcher or a hitter, but the decision must be made at the beginning of each week. In a league this deep, Ohtani’s ability to move between the two spots – not only during the season, but during the draft itself – is a huge advantage.

After a spirited back-and-forth, I eventually bowed out at $36 and went back to my original plan.

Dueling draft strategies

While I went back to my safe space, the AL’s lone newcomer – Jesse Roche of Baseball Prospectus’ TINO podcast – chose a much riskier approach. His first player was injury-prone ace Jacob deGrom, who at $23 could be a huge bargain … or an expensive bust. Then, for $11 apiece, he added rookie Hunter Brown of the Astros and sidelined Tyler Glasnow of the Rays to his pitching staff. It’s a bold strategy, especially after he paid top dollar for Judge to anchor his offense.

The subtleties of live drafting for the first time since 2020 could be seen throughout the auction. James Anderson of RotoWire froze the room a couple of times with bold jump bids. On shortstop Corey Seager, Anderson went from $10 all the way to $27 and saw the room go silent. He did it again later in the draft on Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen at $16.

NL LABR RECAP: Influx of new talent adds upside

CHEAT SHEET: Your ultimate guide to fantasy baseball player rankings

AL draft insights

Traditionally, the catcher position is largely a fantasy wasteland. That’s not the case this season, particularly in the AL.

Three catchers topped the $20 mark, led by Toronto’s Daulton Varsho ($25), who hit 27 homers and stole 16 bases a year ago. Former home run champ Salvador Perez went for $22 and Adley Rutschman went for $21.

The Blue Jays' Daulton Varsho is this season's top AL catcher because he combines power and speed as a hitter -- and because he'll play most of the time in the outfield.
The Blue Jays' Daulton Varsho is this season's top AL catcher because he combines power and speed as a hitter -- and because he'll play most of the time in the outfield.

Varsho is also on the leading edge of another trend in which catchers are seeing significant playing time at other positions in the field. MJ Melendez ($16) also qualifies in the outfield, while Christian Bethancourt ($4) is also eligible at first base.

The AL hitting pool appears deepest at first base this season, with 17 different players who qualify there going for double-digit prices in LABR. There also seems to be a wealth of mid-tier starting pitchers with 17 of them falling in the sweet spot between Lucas Giolito and Nestor Cortes at $17 to Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney at $10.

On the other hand, it will likely require a premium to roster stolen bases. Ramirez, Rodriguez and Witt are obvious targets at the top of the player pool, but Randy Arozarena  ($30), Marcus Semien ($29), Cedric Mullins ($28) and Tim Anderson ($27) also put a serious dent in the budget. Even among those who don’t contribute much in other categories, Esteury Ruiz ($15), Adalberto Mondesi ($11), Jorge Mateo ($10) and Myles Straw ($8) didn’t come cheaply.

Elsewhere, here’s how the LABR drafters saw some of the AL’s closer committees shaking out:

  • Tampa Bay – Pete Fairbanks ($11), Jason Adam ($5)

  • Minnesota – Jhoan Duran ($15), Jorge Lopez ($6)

  • Kansas City – Scott Barlow ($13), Aroldis Chapman ($3)

  • Chicago – Kendall Graveman ($6), Liam Hendriks ($6)

Injury discounts: Tyler Glasnow ($11), Adalberto Mondesi ($11), Lance McCullers ($9), Frankie Montas ($3), Trevor Story ($2).

Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LABR 2023 recap: Versatility at a premium in AL-only draft