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Speaker 4Fastest based on analysis by Ooklo Speed Test Intelligence data of national speed score results incorporating 5G download and upload speeds for the first half of 2026.
Speaker 3What do the first two rounds of 2027 drafts look like? Find out next on Fantasy Baseball Today Express. Welcome into FBT Express on Thursday, September 17th. I am, for example, joined by Scott White. And Scott has developed his first two rounds for next season. And we will discuss them right now. The first six picks, the number one pick of 2027, should be Shohei Otani, followed by Pete Crowe, Armstrong, Aaron Judge, Jordan Alvarez, Juan Soto, and Bobby Witt Jr. Scott, what does PCA have to do to be the first overall pick?
Speaker 1I think, I mean, I don't think this is a strange take. We just need to see him repeat this a few times. Like, show the consistent dominance that we've seen from Shohei Otani, who, apart from a year like this one where he's been banged up, especially in the second half, Otani had been a very bankable stud. Like, all-timer type stud bat, perennial MVP candidate. Not many players can do that. Maybe Crowe Armstrong is one of those players, but so far he's had one season like that. And, look, I'm putting him second. I think, I'm not expecting him to drop off too much, clearly. But I do. I do expect, after a historic season like this, a step back to be more likely than a step forward, or even completely sustaining it. I mean, let's presume he gets to 40-40. You know how many times a 40-40 season has been repeated? Zero in the history of baseball. So, like, yeah, it's logical Crowe Armstrong's going to take a step back next year, while Otani was trending toward his fourth straight 1,000 OPS season before the injuries kicked in. So, I'll still take Otani over. But, PCA.
Speaker 3All right, the back half of the first round, we have James Wood at number seven, followed by Fernando Tatis Jr., Eli De La Cruz Jr., Caminero. Caminero! Ha!
Speaker 1Ha, Caminero!
Speaker 3And then, rounding out the first round, we have our first pitchers, Jacob Mizurowski and Cam Schlittler. So, that's an interesting name, Scott. You got Cam Schlittler all the way into the first round. Talk about it.
Speaker 1I mean, there's a lot going on. There's not that much difference between him and Mizurowski. Mizurowski has the record-setting velocities that draw the oohs and aahs. But that's a double-edged sword. You know, if you're throwing way more triple-digit fastballs in a season than any pitcher in history, I think there's going to be a price to pay for that at some point. I hope it's not next year. And I'm not ranking them like it's going to be next year. But I'm simply pointing out that, Schlittler has been nearly as good statistically. They both have historically good ERAs. And maybe has a slight advantage there in terms of durability to the degree we can predict such things with starting pitchers. So, yeah, I think they need to go hand-in-hand. And as we look here in round two, we'll see a third pitcher is right there with them.
Speaker 3All right, quickly recapping the first round. Shohei Otani, Pete Crow Armstrong, Aaron Judge, Jordan Alvarez, Juan Soto, Bobby Witt Jr., James Wood, Fernando Tatis Jr., Eli De La Cruz, Junior Caminero, Jacob Miziorowski, and Cam Schlittler. Let's take a quick break, and we'll jump into the second round right after this. Welcome back into FBT Express. We're taking a look at Scott's way-too-early first two rounds for 2027. And we're into the second round, where we have Tarek Skubal, CJ Abrams, Jack Centurio, Ronald Acuna, Julio Rodriguez, and Corbin Carroll. So, the three names that stand out to me here, Scott, Acuna, J-Rod, Carroll, they're all still here in the early-to-mid-second round, despite pretty clear down seasons. Some of that injury-related with mostly Acuna here. But it wasn't enough to deter you from keeping them in this kind of early-to-mid-second round range.
Speaker 1No, because they're still in the prime of their careers. I mean, Julio Rodriguez is only 25. You know, he's kind of still at the start of his career. And for being that young to have been that bankable for that long, I think he deserves a pass for the one year. He, I guess, I guess he had, I guess, 2024. He kind of also fell short of expectations. But in between, he had a 30-30 season. Even the bad years were 2020. And, like, the underlying data for Julio Rodriguez doesn't look that different from where it usually does. I have a hunch, maybe, the concussion, that sidelined him for a couple weeks just before the All-Star break. That's a long time to miss with a concussion. And maybe the reason he hasn't had his normal monster second half has something to do with that. And in Corbin Carroll's case, a back issue that's plagued him since April probably has something to do with his diminished production. And yet he's still been good. He's still had a 2020 season. So I think that's all the more to his credit. Ronald Acuna, of course, has had the knee stuff. But he's finishing the year on a high note. And I think in terms of his tools, still very loud for Acuna. It's still just a matter of him staying healthy. He was kind of a mechanical mess earlier this year with the time missed to injury. But, you know, he's come back around here in September. So I think getting them 16, 17, 18 as I rank them here, Acuna, Rodriguez, and Carroll, clearly it's discounted. I mean, we're used to seeing these guys go in round one. I wouldn't want to discount them more than this. I think the chances of a bounce back season, given their histories and the state they're in currently, the age, I think a bounce back is to be expected.
Speaker 3Finishing out the second round, we have Yamamoto here at pick 19, followed by Christopher Sanchez, Jordan Walker, Ben Rice, Nick Kurtz, and, and O'Neal Cruz. So I do think there could be potentially some sticker shock here because names were not used to going this early in drafts. But Jordan Walker, Ben Rice, and O'Neal Cruz, now second round picks. Talk about those three.
Speaker 1Yeah. I mean, obviously they've had monster seasons. And so I think they've performed better than I'm ranking them here. So I'm, I'm factoring in a little bit of a step back. I think in Jordan Walker and O'Neal Cruz's case, especially the, the plate discipline, the strikeouts leave a lot of room for skepticism over their breakouts. And yet their breakouts have been so monstrous and their exit velocities off the charts that at some point you just have to hold your nose and, and take them in the name of upside. And I think this range is the right range to do it. I'm not married to them. I'm not married to anyone, I guess in the, well, I'm married to my wife, but I'm not married to any of these players going in the back half of round two. There is a collection of others that have just as strong of a case. And I kind of prioritize the scoring format, i.e. steals for, for Roto by ranking this group where I did. Ben Rice obviously doesn't give you steals. And I question whether he needs to be this high just because he's, first base, obviously not going to have catcher eligibility anymore, but as a first baseman, I still think he tops the position, but those are any first baseman need to go this early, given how deep that position, would it be better to include a third baseman, like a Sal Stewart or even bank on a Jose Ramirez bounce back Miguel Vargas in that discussion as well. Would it be better to do the position scarcity thing here? Players who I think are similarly capable as hitters. I just feel a little more confident and rice. So for now I'm putting him in and leaving, those out, but I'm not married to it. As I said,
Speaker 3all right. For more extensive fantasy baseball coverage, listen to our full length podcast, fantasy baseball today on Spotify, apple podcasts, or anywhere else. Podcasts are found. Thanks for listening to a fantasy baseball today, express, and we will be back again this weekend. Bye.
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