Fantasy Baseball Strategy Guide – Draft & Hold

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  • By Paul Williamson

    Last Updated on November 13, 2026 2:25 pm by Paul Williamson | Published: November 13, 2026

    Of all the formats that test a manager’s full knowledge of the sport of baseball, nothing compares to the draft and hold format.

    In this format, managers draft their team and that is it.

    No trades.

    No waiver wire adds.

    Who you draft is who you roster for the entire season.

    When you see any ADP from now in early November, to around January, it is 95% likely to be ADP data from draft and hold leagues as these are the leagues most likely to be drafting so soon before the season begins.

    As you can imagine, your draft strategy is absolutely paramount in building a competitive roster. Let’s dive into how to tackle the draft.

    Prioritizing safe volume over risky upside

    This is probably the most important note to make when it comes to drafting a draft and hold team.

    In standard leagues with waivers, a player’s draft value might be elevated with thought that if it didn’t work out, you can find replacement value on the wire.

    Well…. there is no wire.

    This means you have to prioritize players that you are more certain will

    • Have a safe spot on the roster and won’t be demoted – So that prospect that you think has the best bat in a competition but plays terrible defense needs to be faded.
    • Has a relatively good track record of health
    • Steady production – Players that may lack overall upside but you know what you’re going to get.

    Now this does not mean you shouldn’t take your shots….

    How to draft risky upside

    When I’m drafting my D/H teams, I am pinpointing position groups that I think are deep. So let’s say I think OF is particularly deep, I’ll be more willing to take a swing earlier in the draft on a riskier player (think Roman Anthony) as I know I can probably find viable plan Bs later in the draft.

    Let’s say I think 1B is deep, I’ll draft a risky first baseman (think Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) and make sure my CI starter is a safer (but lower upside) 1B (think Freddie Freeman). That way I have a starting level player ready to move into the 1B spot if the risk blows up in my face.

    It’s all about having a built-in escape plan if you take a risk. But this is also why you need to make sure you mix your risk with you safety.

    I also think you can and should be a bit more aggressive in taking risks with your starting pitchers.

    By the end of the draft, you should wind up with a small army of arms (likely 16-17 starters) so that means you will have your own little personal waiver wire of arms to choose from every week. So while it is important to have players with safe floors, you can be a bit more lax with taking a shot at that young stud arm that is on the verge of a breakout.

    Move up starters, closers and catchers

    A lot of managers (me included) fade these three position groups (especially in standard 1-catcher, 12-team leagues). They do this because:

    • These position groups are generally the most volatile and unpredictable, making it hard to take a risk early in draft while other positions offer safer, more stable value early in the draft.
    • You can find legit value on the waiver wire at these position groups throughout the season, so why waste a pick when the value on the wire will help you overcome a late round miss?

    This line of thinking is moot in a D/H league.

    For catchers, these are (mostly) two-catcher leagues so the value of catchers goes up.

    In general, these groups are more volatile, it is important to lock up legit options at these position groups as the later round dudes cannot be simply replaced off the wire.

    This is why, when you look at ADP prior to Februrary, you see more starters, relievers and catchers in the top 50-60 picks then you would normally see in a typical Yahoo ADP in March.

    How many per position?

    A couple of offseasons ago, I had one of the top D/H players on the Fantasy MLB Today podcast, Michael Murphy. And his suggestion is a great blueprint.

    • Catchers – 4
    • 3 each – 1B, 2B, 3B, SS
    • 10 – OF
    • SP – 16-17
    • RP – 5-6

    This template allows you enough flexibility to field a competitive roster, even in the event of injuries.

    Draft at least one non-closer reliever (if not two)

    There are two types of non-closer relivers that I would focus on.

    First is the bulk relief guy. Guys like AJ Blubaugh, Aaron Ashby, Paul Blackburn, Grant Taylor, Sean Newcomb (from 2026).

    Each of these dudes, in any given week, can give you 4+ innings pitched with solid ratios and a K per inning or more.

    And that is better than rolling dice on a poor pitcher facing a poor offense where you may get 5 innings of mediocre ratios and MAYBE a K per inning.

    The second is the high-K setup man. Think Adrian Morejon, Jeff Hoffman, Alex Vesia.

    They many only give you 2-3 innings but are likely to give you great ratios and 4-5+ strikeouts.

    Again, that is a better option than rolling the dice on a risky stream.

    These type of bullpen arms come in real handy when a week lines up where your back end starters have tough matchups. Just start a reliever that won’t take your team.

    And then injuries may propel them into the closer’s role and you have found even more value.

    Targeting multipositon players

    There is an art to this one.

    It isn’t as easy as ‘oh this guy is eligible at multiple positions so he is more valuable’.

    You have to consider if the extra positions they are eligible at actually help you out.

    Remember when I gave you numbers at each position?

    Only count the multiposition dude as a full ‘1’ at one position group and a ‘.5’ at the others.

    So if you draft someone who is eligible at 1B and OF.

    Count them as one more first baseman but half an OF for purposes of filling out the quota from above (or vis-a-versa).

    This is important as you don’t want to count that player twice to fill a position group and be left short.

    FAAB adds in the draft

    When you get beyound pick 300, this is when your knowledge of the player pool is tested.

    The amount of viable players that are starting on MLB teams get more and more rare.

    So which ‘next man up’ dudes are in the minors?

    Which bench player just needs a shot to earn that every day role and be this year Jake Bauers?

    You find these players on teams with unanswered position battles or the players due to take over for an oft-injured regular.

    In the buy and sell section, I’ll give you a few names that meet his criteria.

    ADP Buys and Sells

    Today is November 13 so all ADP data I show are from today.

    For a more updated ADP go here. 

    BUYS

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    November 13, 2026, 2:25 pm