2019 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: 10-team AL-Only Rotisserie Mock

Heath Cummings experiments with starting pitcher-pitcher and discusses the advantages and pitfalls.

By Heath Cummings

Mar 12, 2019 at 4:46 pm ET • 2 min read

Want to get a jump on the competition? Go to the CBS Sports app on your phone, open up "Settings" and sign up for Fantasy alerts to get the latest from our Fantasy baseball team as soon as it's available.

Al-Only Rotisserie leagues are a challenge. Even when they're only 10 teams. You're required to start two catchers and five outfielders. You're all but guaranteed you'll be starting at least one part-time player. It's very uncomfortable, but also a ton of fun.

I had the eighth pick in this draft and Andrew Benintendi was my No. 1 player when I was up. I decided to take Chris Sale, knowing Benintendi would make it back to me but then doubled down with Blake Snell in Round 2. Part of this was just out of a desire to experiment, but also a recognition there were a lot more good outfielders than ace pitchers in the American League.

That belief bore itself out in my next four picks, when I selected four straight outfielders. It was a good combination of average, speed and power with Eloy Jimenez providing all the upside you could ever want. I truly believe Jimenez will be a borderline first-round pick in this format next year.

Of course, starting with two starters and four outfielders does leave you weak...well...everywhere else. The positives are you can build a balanced offense and you have (hopefully) 400 innings of elite ratios stockpiled so you can take chances at pitcher later. The downside is you miss the elite closer run and end up with Alex Colome and Shane Greene as your relievers. I did feel better about Greene when I got Joe Jimenez in Round 21.

This team has weaknesses, like everyone in this format. Zack Cozart was miserable last year and Brent Honeywell may not pitch until June. But as for the approach, I like how it turned out. The pitching staff looks like a real contender and the lineup has a nice mix of guaranteed plate appearances and upside.

The experts who participated in this draft were: