Is Shohei Ohtani a first round fantasy pick?
Yahoo Fantasy analyst Andy Behrens decides where the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger should fall in fantasy drafts for the 2024 season
Video Transcript
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ANDY BEHRENS: Shohei Ohtani won't be pitching in 2024, so that's one less Ohtani that we have to worry about in fantasy baseball. We only need to concern ourselves with the batter version this season. And there's actually a pretty significant difference of opinion on where exactly we should be drafting him.
As the highest ranker on Ohtani among the Yahoo crew-- I have him at nine overall-- it falls to me to make the case for him solidly within the first round of fantasy drafts. The range of opinion among the Yahoo experts goes from ninth overall to 17. At high stakes platforms elsewhere, he's been drafted as high as second overall and as late as 29.
So this is an issue. The reasons, of course, are that he's coming off a significant injury, although it hasn't obviously, affected his hitting ability. Also, and here's the bigger deal, it's a little weird to take a utility only player in the first round of your fantasy draft. That's not the roster spot you'd normally lock up early. Generally speaking, it's actually the last spot you want to fill. Not exactly talent scarce because everyone qualifies at util.
But you know what is incredibly scarce? Guys who can hit 40 home runs, steal 20 bases, and bat 300 or more in a single season. Last year, only two guys did it. It was Ronald Acuña who goes number one and Shohei Ohtani. Let's not pretend he isn't a whole lot better as a five category fantasy hitter than everyone surrounding him on the draft board because he is. And it's not like the rest of those guys are playing super scarce positions either. We're talking about a bunch of outfielders and first basemen, OK?
So just give me the most complete fantasy machine on the board in the late first round and that is Shohei Ohtani. Also, this stuff is supposed to be fun, and no one in the game is half as fun as Ohtani. He belongs near the top of your league's draft regardless of position. And, oh, by the way, get yourself in a draft. Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Baseball today. Go to the Fantasy app. Go to the Fantasy homepage. You're just a couple of clicks away.