Paths to Glory: Building around Miguel Cabrera in H2H points

Miguel Cabrera looked mortal last season, but Al Melchior says it's too soon to pass on him in the first round. Here are three ways to construct your Fantasy team's core with the Tigers' star in the middle.

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.

Was 2015 the season Miguel Cabrera started to lose it? Between his six-week disabled list stint for a severe calf strain and the mere 18 home runs he produced, you might wonder if a first-round pick is too much to give up for Cabrera's services.

Don't wonder too long. Before Cabrera went on the DL, he was far more productive than he had been in 2014, batting .350 with a .456 on-base percentage and cruising along on a 30-plus home run pace. It was Cabrera's post-DL work that sank his stats, particularly his power numbers.

Fantasy owners should have some concerns -- more about health than production -- but only to the degree that Cabrera should no longer be considered an option for one of the first three or four picks. Anywhere after that is fair game, and if he slides to the latter portion of the first round, I'd call that a bargain. The best you ever had.

In drafting Cabrera, not only will you be getting a great hitter who is likely to be on the upswing, but you'll be filling your first base slot early. There is much to be said for doing that, and that could allow you to build a contender in some inventive ways.

The conventional move here might be to take an outfielder or starting pitcher in Round 2, but this is probably your one and only chance to draft Kris Bryant. As the Jose Fernandez and Ryan Braun picks in Rounds 3 and 4 show, your cupboards won't exactly be bare at those positions if you take the leap to draft Bryant before them.

Waiting until Round 4 to get your first outfielder, you might already be a little late in giving yourself a competitive advantage at that position, but you could get it back by going back-to-back with starting pitchers in Rounds 5 and 6. There are enough aces to go around for most teams to draft two. With Fernandez, Lester and Wainwright, you could have three!

If Max Scherzer is still around for your second-round pick, you could go for higher quality and lower quantity in your early-round pitching selections. Bryant would probably be gone by the third round, but you can still nab a positional elite here by drafting Brian Dozier, who could very well be the second-most productive second baseman.

Want a Cy Young winner as your No. 2 starter? Dallas Keuchel might still be there for the taking in the fourth round. By the fifth round, you have probably missed the boat on a true No. 1 outfielder, so you could add to your star-studded infield by getting Corey Seager to fill in as your shortstop. Jason Heyward is far from ideal as a No. 1 outfielder, but he's probably your best bet in Round 6. It might not feel good putting Heyward at the top of your outfield depth chart, but remember that you have added loads of value by drafting Cabrera, Dozier and Seager for your infield.

The only way you are likely to draft the best player at a position anytime after the first round is at catcher and second base. If you wait on either Jose Altuve or Buster Posey beyond the second round, they will almost certainly be on someone else's team by the time you make your next pick. Both seem like safe picks here, but I would give the nod to Altuve over Posey. The Astros' second baseman not only tapped into his power potential last season, but he seems like a fair bet to rebound as a stolen base source.

From there, you can do the conventional thing and pursue your top pitchers and outfielders. It may not be exciting, but Jacob deGrom, Chris Archer, Adam Jones and Michael Brantley will go a long way towards helping you contend.