2025 LABR Draft Recap
I didn’t spend the six-hour break between the conclusion of my Tout Wars draft and the beginning of the LABR Mixed draft preparing for LABR. That would be overdoing it. Instead, I ate lunch, took a walk outside and caught up on non-sports news before having dinner. I had spent enough time thinking about general LABR strategy and, knowing in advance that I’d be drafting out of the #13 spot, sketching out my ideal first few picks. Some down time was necessary.
Shortly after 8:00 PM ET, the draft was underway, and it was a bit depressing watching all of the super-elite players fly off the board before I got a chance to make my first selection. But I had prepared for this depression and was relieved that Julio Rodriguez was still available when the long wait was over. Rodriguez vs. Fernando Tatis Jr. was a close call. Tatis might have the higher ceiling overall but I view Rodriguez as the safer option, especially in the stolen-base department. Plus, J-Rod is still only 24 years old, so I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see the five-category star bounce back from an underwhelming 2024 campaign and enjoy his best season yet in 2025. I rarely draft two outfielders in the first two rounds but Yordan Alvarez was too tempting to pass up at pick #17. From a four-category standpoint, he’s about as reliable as they come.
As for the rest of my squad, here’s what you need to know.
FAVORITE PICKS
Pete Alonso (3rd round) - Securing an upper-tier first baseman was a priority for me this year as there are only about a half-dozen players at the position that I’m fully comfortable with as my starter. Alonso has plenty of motivation to put together a strong rebound season as he can opt out of his contract and test the free agent market again next winter. For all the talk about his highly disappointing 2024 campaign, he still hit 34 homers and drove in 88 runs, so if that’s his floor, I feel really good about drafting him at #43 overall.
Adolis Garcia (9th round) - Garcia failed to duplicate his career-best numbers from 2023 but last season’s 25 HR/85 RBI/11 SB stat line is still valuable. I understand his 2024 season was a letdown but a 100-pick ADP drop compared to last spring seems a little too harsh. The Texas outfielder remains a batting-average liability but his power potential alone makes him a steal in the late-9th round.
Dansby Swanson (11th round) - Swanson is kind of boring and he’s coming off his worst season in quite some time. But after Masyn Winn and Jeremy Pena were taken earlier in the 11th round, I felt it was time to grab a shortstop before the quality level at the position completely deteriorated. If Swanson can give me close to 20 homers along with double-digit steals, I’d be happy. The more I think about this pick, the more I like it.
Joc Pederson (21st round) - Talk about boring, add Pederson to that category. But boring often translates to a steep price discount and landing a player who has averaged more than 20 homers per season over the past three years outside of the top 300 picks is nice. Of course, Pederson’s Utility-only position eligibility contributes to his minuscule cost but the deeper the league, the less downside there is in clogging up your Utility slot. It’s not like you’re going to find a clearly better positional option at this stage of the draft. In a 15-teamer, Pederson really shouldn’t fall this far.
LEAST FAVORITE PICKS
Brice Turang (10th round) - Turang wasn't a reach in the 10th round but I generally avoid one-category specialists, drafting them only in the late rounds if needed. At least Turang continued to steal bases at a high rate even after his OBP cratered in the second half last season. Still, opting for a more well-rounded hitter or even a mid-rotation starting pitcher with that pick might have been the better route.
Kenley Jansen (12th round) - While I'm not panicked about this pick, I'm just not overly enthused. Jansen has the benefit of job security, so 25-30 saves seems like a good bet as long as he doesn't implode. However, health might be the bigger threat to his 2025 save total as the 37-year-old is still dealing with some shoulder inflammation, an injury that prematurely ended his 2024 season. Jansen could either be a profitable mid-round selection or a bust.
Gerrit Cole (4th round) - Cole wasn’t supposed to be on this list but Friday night’s news changed that. As we wait for more information regarding his right elbow, I’m preparing for the worst. This way, anything other than a season-ending diagnosis would be good news. Similar to the Turang situation, I went out of character here, drafting a pitcher with injury risk in the fourth round. But after returning last June from his elbow ailment, Cole pitched well, and he was especially dominant in the postseason. His health woes were clearly behind him, and I liked the idea of acquiring a pitcher with first-round upside in the fourth round.
I don’t like this idea anymore.
For the full draft results, click here.
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