dude

Well, folks, here we are. It's the end of the line for my 2018 Dudes and Don'ts, and it's my first foray into calling D&Ds at closer. They're an incredibly volatile bunch, and with so many bullpens still unclear as we roll into the season, one call could be completely wrong within a few days of me writing this. All it takes right now is one bad outing for one of the guys vying for a job to bump him way down the closer depth chart. So what the hell, let's have some fun! It is fantasy, after all. To the Dude! The Dude -…

Welcome to the Negative Nate version of Dudes and Don'ts! It was actually more difficult than I thought it would be for me to come up with names here. I dislike plenty of starters, but with most of them, it's all purely injury related. That doesn't make for great written content. "Hey, this guy gets hurt all the time. He'll get hurt again this year. Don't draft him!" Shampoo, rinse, repeat. Guys like James Paxton, Alex Wood, Rich Hill, and Danny Duffy all congregate under this umbrella of doom. I expect varying returns of…

I really wanted to call this "Dudes in the Outfield," but I think I'll leave that to an aspiring screenwriter. Kevin Costner is already lining up for the lead role. Outfield is a deep position, like starting pitcher, so as promised I'll be breaking the positions up into two write-ups each. There are plenty of outfielders I like early on (hello, Byron Buxton), but it doesn't do you any good for me to tell you to draft top-20 outfielders. Therefore, my Dudes are generally going to be the guys you're drafting as your third…

Boy, is there ever a lot of young blood at the top of the shortstop position this year. The top four are all 24 or younger (Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager). According to Fantrax ADP, the only shortstop inside the top 20 that is older than 30 is Zack Cozart. It's a young man's position, which makes it easier to dream on the upside of these young guys than to worry about the downside. Not everyone will take a step forward this year, though, but let's evaluate a few of these options. The Dude -…

As has been the case in recent years, third base is very top heavy. You've got five pure studs at the top, and (mostly) solid options throughout the top 20. There isn't a lot of pure speed at the position, which makes the likes of Alex Bregman that much more enticing. You'll have to pay up for his services early on, though, and we're not about that action here. Let's go bargain shopping and find you a Dude.Dudes and Don'ts: CatcherDudes and Don'ts: First BaseDudes and Don'ts: Second Base The Dude - Eugenio…