Editor's Note: The Paths to Glory series is intended to serve as a starting point for your team. As we all know, baseball drafts become unpredictable as spring training progresses, but the three options provided here should put you on the right path.

Manny Machado improved in just about every conceivable area in 2015, and as a result, he finished with the 10th-highest total of Fantasy points for any hitter. At age 23, it's likely that Machado is not done developing, so he's a clear candidate for the first round of 2016 drafts.

Whether you play in a points format or a categories league, Machado increased his appeal for all Head-t0-Head owners. He was far less prone to swing at bad pitches, which meant a lower strikeout rate and higher walk rate. Points leaguers can raise a glass to that development. Machado also evolved into a 20-20 hitter -- or to be more accurate -- a 35-20 hitter. In fact, Machado set career highs in each of the standard five hitter categories. It's good to be a Machado owner in a categories league, too.

Consistency is another of Machado's virtues, as he averaged at least 0.60 Fantasy points per plate appearance in all but five scoring periods last year. Not a bad player to build your team around. As you are about to see, you can fit some nice pieces around him.

You know who else is a master of the walk-to-strikeout ratio? That's right: Edwin Encarnacion. He's the epitome of a hitter who gets underrated in points leagues because of mediocre batting averages that matter less in this format. The same cannot be said of Dee Gordon, though he is such a good contact hitter that he rarely struck out last season. Along with Machado, they make a pretty fearsome roster core.

With the bounty of quality starters, the fourth round is not too late to start building your rotation, and Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander make for a good foundation. Yes, I'm talking Verlander in the fifth round. A .548 OPS allowed, 2.27 ERA and 12 quality starts over his last 14 outings have me convinced he is back.

Just don't forget to take your first outfielder in Round 6. Lorenzo Cain works for me here.

There's nothing wrong with a rotation that begins with deGrom and Verlander, but you can also put a pretty good nucleus together when you get an earlier start on pitching. Max Scherzer should be there for your second pick, and if not, you should be able to get Madison Bumgarner or Jake Arrieta. With a pick late in the third round, you're in the perfect spot to take Buster Posey.

Starling Marte is definitely not a points league specialist, but like Gordon, he may enhance his appeal in time. He cut back his strikeouts dramatically in the second half of last season. Adam Wainwright slots in nicely as a No. 2 starter, and Freddie Freeman has the potential to be a bargain pick in Round 6.

Each of the first two scenarios leaves you with just one outfielder after six rounds, and in a three-outfielder league, that's not too worrisome. The problem with waiting on your second outfielder is that many of the candidates to fill that slot are riddled with risk. That's especially true for points league owners, who don't get as much benefit from aggressive hitters like Adam Jones, Matt Kemp, Yoenis Cespedes, Charlie Blackmon and J.D. Martinez. You can minimize that risk by getting A.J. Pollock and Ryan Braun with your second and third round picks.

Then you can still get down to business on your rotation by securing Dallas Keuchel and Carlos Carrasco. You might still have a shot at getting David Ortiz for your utility slot late in the seventh round, but depending on what your alternatives are, it may not be a stretch to take him in the sixth.