A month after our last foray into the NL side of the player pool, the league is really beginning to take shape.

Most of the relevant free agents have signed. Some of the more pressing position battles are already sorted out. We can finally draft with some degree of certainty.

And so that's what these 10 of us did, opting for the traditional 5x5 Rotisserie format.

  1. Clay Link, RotoWire
  2. R.J. White, CBS Sports
  3. Adam Aizer, CBS Sports
  4. Chris Towers, CBS Sports
  5. Lance Brozdowski, BigThreeSports.com
  6. Scott White, CBS Sports
  7. Phil Ponebshek, Patton & Company
  8. Pasko Varnica, Creativesports
  9. Heath Cummings, CBS Sports
  10. George Maselli, CBS Sports

As you can see, Jake Arrieta is back to being drafted like a high-end hurler, getting picked in Round 6. Carlos Gonzalez is no longer a complete afterthought, getting drafted in the same range as Ryan McMahon and David Dahl. Paul Goldschmidt, A.J. Pollock and Jake Lamb are being downgraded because of the humidor. All is right in the world.

Well, except for the sudden and crippling drop-off across the infield, first base excluded. Yup, no shortage of quality first basemen in the NL, which is part of the reason why Goldschmidt ended up going at about the same point as he does in a mixed league. But second base, third base and especially shortstop left all their depth in the AL. You know who was the fourth shortstop off the board in this draft? Paul DeJong. Orlando Arcia was fifth and Amed Rosario sixth. It's enough for you to want to pay the premium for Corey Seager.

A few other observations:

  • Domingo Santana still went in Round 4 even though his playing time is less assured by the day. Ryan Braun recently said he's not remotely comfortable at first base yet, and that's where he'll need to spend most of his time for Santana to start regularly. Braun, for what it's worth, went four rounds later.
  • Ozzie Albies went in Round 5 and Ian Happ in Round 6. Granted, both picks may have had a little something to do with the relative lack of depth at second base on the NL side, but it's fair to say most of the Fantasy Baseball-playing world is woke to these sleepers.
  • I think it's totally conceivable given the scarcity of saves in these league specific-formats that closers like Arodys Vizcaino and Jeurys Familia would be off the board even before Round 10 in some leagues. It depends, of course, on the sensibilities of your particular league, but the bottom line is you need to be prepared to pay for these guys or do without.
  • I didn't hate the way my outfield turned out considering my minimal investment in it. Grabbing Cody Bellinger in Round 2 certainly helps, but my second outfielder didn't come until Carlos Gonzalez in Round 14, followed by Jesse Winker in Round 15, Aaron Altherr in Round 16 and Nick Williams in Round 18. Outfield is one of the deeper positions in the NL, ranking just behind first base and starting pitcher.

What else? See for yourself ...

Round By Round
Round 1
Pos Team Player
1 Heath Cummings
2 Scott White
Team by Team
Heath Cummings
Rd Pk Player
1 1
Scott White
Rd Pk Player
1 2