Clayton Kershaw is the No. 1 player on my board, and Max Scherzer and Chris Sale are the clear next best starting pitchers who should both go in the top-15 picks (Sale would be my top player on the board if he moved to the NL). And then from 4-20 or so is basically a tier in which I value all SPs similarly. I personally like Stephen Strasburg, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Carlos Carrasco in this group (especially based on their ADPs). But I absolutely want to come away with three of these at minimum. The top-three players in fantasy value were starting pitchers last year, and Scherzer ranked No. 10 despite winning just 14 games (his fewest since 2010).
Strasburg had a 1.90 ERA with a 0.75 WHIP and 92 strikeouts over 66.1 innings after the All-Star break, and Harvey is a season removed from TJ surgery and had a 12.1 SwStr% while posting a 2.19 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP in the second half last season. Jose Fernandez will be on an innings limit, but he’s 23 years old and owns a career 1.40 ERA and 0.90 WHIP at home during his career...Jake Arrieta’s stretch during the second half last year (0.75 ERA, 0.73 WHIP over 107.1 innings) was the best ever...Noah Syndergaard is legit and I have no problem if anyone ranks him as the No. 4 SP, as the Mets have four who deserve to be in the top-20 (which is why I picked them to win the World Series). I also picked Carrasco to win the AL Cy Young, as I put three Indians starters in my top-20 SP ranks as well.
In case you missed it, here’s my American League season preview and here’s my National League season preview.
Headlines of the Week: Fire-Breather Performance At High School Pep Rally Sends 8 To Hospital...Naked Man Walks Into Stranger’s Home, Says ‘Hi,’ Falls Off Cliff...Student’s Incurable Rare Condition Means Her Drinking Sessions Leave Her With Three Day Hangovers...Microsoft Pulls Plug After Chat Robot Slings Slurs, Rips Obama And Denies Holocaust...Angry Man Spends $200 At Sushi Restaurant, Leaves 13-Foot Python Instead Of Tip.
Jarrod Dyson is currently dealing with an oblique injury that will result in him starting the year on the disabled list. But the hope is he misses just the first two weeks, and the injury has made his already low ADP even lower (247.3). He’s averaged 31.5 steals in just 241.3 at bats over the past four seasons and has a career .320 OBP. Billy Hamilton had a .274 OBP last year despite playing in a much more favorable hitter’s park. Hamilton is also dealing with an ongoing shoulder injury and will cost a much higher draft pick (122.0 ADP). Dyson is a terrific defensive player and is slated to be Kansas City’s everyday right fielder once he returns to action. Given the opportunity to be a regular for the first time in his career, there’s 70-steal upside here, which is especially valuable with stolen bases down across the league. Dyson has been overlooked in most fantasy leagues, but few (if any) players drafted so late will impact a category like he can in 2016.
Go watch “Love” on Netflix and thank me later.
Police Blotter: Man Stabs Wife With Fork After Burrito Assault...Guard Shoots 11-Year-Old To Death, ‘Mistaking’ Him For A Ghost...Monk Embezzled $200K From Temple To Fuel Gambling Habit...Man Busted For Not Returning Awful VHS Movie In 2002...Man Accused Of Egging Neighbor’s House More Than 100 Times.
Quick Hits: When it comes to relievers, my favorite fliers who have a path for saves who are cheap are Hunter Strickland, Jumbo Diaz, Alex Colome, Ryan Madson and Joaquin Benoit. And as far as established closers, I continue to not understand why Hector Rendon isn’t treated as a top-five option. Jeurys Familia should be in tier one (with Jansen, Davis and Kimbrel) as well...Chris Coghlan combined for 27 steals/homers last year in just 440 at bats and will see regular at bats with Oakland in 2016 and is eligible at 2B in Yahoo leagues with an ADP outside the top-250....Extreme ground ballers have an advantage of preventing homers (and helping ERA), but they typically have higher BABIPs and therefore WHIPs. But Jaime Garcia has somehow produced a 59.6 GB% (the third highest mark) over the past two years with a 1.05 WHIP and a .268 BABIP over that span. He’s an injury risk but also a clear SP to target based on his ADP (196.2).
Longread of the Week: The Story Behind The Deadliest Prison Bus Crash In Texas History

The Hoaxster Who Revealed Sad Truths About America.
Song of the Week: My 3-year-old is obsessed with this song/video.
Quick Hits Part Deux: David Peralta’s OPS last year was .893, which was the 14th best in baseball, ahead of teammate A.J. Pollock and others like Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Gonzales, Yoenis Cespedes, Manny Machado and Kris Bryant, among many others. Peralta could hit cleanup this year, and only Coors Field has been a demonstrably better hitter’s park than Chase Field over the past three years. Peralta hit .360/.401/.577 after the All-Star break last season and looks like a star who’s not being drafted as such...Will Smith’s torn LCL means Jeremy Jeffress should be shooting up your draft board. Jeffress had a 23.5 K% with a 3.24 GB/FB ratio and an 11.4 SwStr%, so he can run with Milwaukee’s closer’s role and keep it (despite the lingering Corey Knebel)...Stop messing around and go draft Trevor Story.
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