The Machine: The Greatest Offensive Roto Team I’ve Ever Assembled

I’m in two Roto leagues on Yahoo. I became totally bored with my team and this league after winning it for the second time in four years last year. The other two times I got second, literally losing the title during the season’s final game. I wanted to scrap everything and just try something new. I wanted completely new players for the most part and wanted to build around one thing: power bats.

In the process – and it’s early – I think this is the greatest power team I will ever have assembled and want to get it on paper early.

The first thing I did in the offseason was dump Josh Donaldson and a draft pick for Giancarlo Stanton; keeping him as my first round pick. I have my reasons, but wanted the younger body and what I perceived to be higher ceiling player. I viewed Stanton as the only true threat to hit 50 home runs. So I pulled off Stanton.

The next thing I did – holding Charlie Blackmon and Chris Sale as second round picks – was determined I wanted to keep Blackmon. Instead of losing Sale for nothing, I elected to move him for David Price, allowing me to keep Blackmon round two. No one would have done that and I still don’t regret it. Had Price not gotten hurt days after I made that trade in Spring Training; I would be sitting pretty. And thus is the one downfall of this monster team right now. Rich Hill and David Price are my two horses; shelved. If they were healthy I would feel like this was wrapped up; because if you look up and down at the monsters on this roster there is just so much to love with the bats.

I knew that pitching wasn’t going to be my strong suit and it never is; so I decided to just draft as much power as I could in hopes to hedge and steal categories. The great thing about this league is that everyone is forced to throw so many innings, pitching is thin everywhere. Everyone’s staff sucks in spots. Everyone gets blown up. It’s even more beautiful when their aces they paid a premium for get blown up, and it definitely happens. There are always new aces who emerge anyways. I have never and will never build around pitching in a league like this, and it will always work out.

Getting Khris Davis in round 11 of the draft was just a thing of beauty. He sat there forever seemingly; and I am just wondering how long he would have sat without me grabbing him round 11. When a guy like Davis who can hit 40 home runs falls in your lap at round 11, you know you have some luck on your side.

Then you add in Eric Thames and his upside of about 35-40, Miguel Sano who I kept late round and his upside of 40, Nelson Cruz and his probable and usual expected 35 to 40, Seager for another 25 (traded Edwin Diaz for him), Belt for another 20, Blackmon for 25, Grandal who I believe will find his way to 28 or so; and lets call it 15 a piece from Odubel and Tulowitzki; and you’re knocking on the door of around 330 home runs.

I honestly don’t give a shit if I win this league again or not. I’m more concerned with winning the keeper league I run on Yahoo that is a 12-teamer with a similar format that I haven’t won since 2012; but it’s going to be fun to see this team pile up home runs all summer and see if I can get a team to 400 home runs some how.