Strategy and Week 1 Picks for RIVAL Baseball Best Ball Drafts

Ryan Kirksey brings you RIVAL fantasy baseball best ball strategy and picks for Week 1 of the 2024 season. He recommends targeting these MLB players for best ball fantasy baseball drafts.

The 2024 fantasy baseball season is right around the corner but weekly best ball drafts are a great way to get to experience drafts all season long. Fantasy baseball best ball formats are an excellent way to get get the real-time experience of drafting without the hassle of in-season management, even from a week-to-week perspective. RIVAL Fantasy is one of the best formats out there for baseball's best ball drafts, and they have weekly best ball drafts for leagues that start on Opening Day.

It is very important to know your league settings and scoring depending on where you play best ball. Be sure and pay attention to your league settings as RIVAL scores differently for best ball than many other sites offering a similar product. They also offer a unique perspective on positional alignment with two outfielders, two infielders, two utility hitters, and three pitchers.

Here is the scoring breakdown at RIVAL plus general strategy and picks for Week 1. Join a RIVAL Fantasy draft now by visiting their draft lobby.

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RIVAL Fantasy Baseball Best Ball Scoring

For this article, we are going to focus on RIVAL Fantasy's best ball scoring, as it is one of the best new popular platforms to play on. The table below shows you how each category is scored for their week-long best ball games.

Week 1 RIVAL Best Ball Drafts Strategy

RIVAL weekly best ball drafts during the baseball season consist of four or six teams, each picking nine players: 2 IF, 2 OF, 2 UTIL, and 3 PIT. With only 36 or 54 total player picks made in the draft, it's not like you have to go deep into the player pool or be ready to draft the same sleepers you drafted after round 20 in seasonal leagues. With so few players taken, and the talent level of those players so high, we are looking for micro-edges in this game.

For hitters, we want to maximize plate appearances. That means two things. First, players who hit higher in the order are much more valuable. Over a week, even those one or two extra plate appearances can add up. For pitchers, we want to find the best possible options who have two start weeks.

Our ace gets the nod for the fifth consecutive Opening Day, etching his spot in our record books! 📖#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/DtAcHcLV87

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) March 19, 2024

For the Week 1 games, RIVAL is handling those differently than every other week. The Week 1 slate runs from Thursday, March 28 until Sunday, April 7, the only 10-day period of the first half of the season. Pay close attention to teams who might have three days off in that span, such as the Milwaukee Brewers. Pitchers and hitters here are less valuable.

There is a slight possibility that both Cleveland's and Miami's Opening Day starters pitch three games in this period. That's because those two teams don't have a day off until Friday, April 5. If teams elect to skip a starter and keep their Opening Day guy on regular rotation, that means Shane Bieber or Jesús Luzardo might get the rare three-start week. I'm sprinkling those guys onto my teams in Week 1 in hopes they do.

Pitcher Picks for Week 1 RIVAL Fantasy Baseball Best Ball Drafts

Corbin Burnes, Baltimore Orioles

New Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes is going to line up against the Los Angeles Angels and the Kansas City Royals in his first two starts with his new team. That's nice work if you can get it. Both teams are projected to be in the bottom 10 in offensive WAR in 2024. Both starts will be at home for Burnes, so you really can't ask for a better environment to start the new season.

The Orioles’ rotation is set, per Brandon Hyde:

1. Corbin Burnes — opening day 3/28
2. Grayson Rodriguez — 3/30 vs. Angels
3. Tyler Wells — 3/31 vs. Angels
4. Dean Kremer — 4/1 vs. Royals
5. Cole Irvin — 4/2 vs. Royals

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) March 21, 2024

Jesús Luzardo, Miami Marlins

It's not guaranteed that Jesus Luzardo will pitch three times in the 11-day Week 1 slate on RIVAL, but there is at least a chance. In those three starts, he would face the Pirates, Angels, and Cardinals. I worry a bit about the Cardinals game on April 7, but the offenses for the Pirates and Angels shouldn't scare us at all. Luzardo struck out a batter per inning, walked under one batter per nine, and induced 57% ground balls in his four Spring Training starts.

Infielder Picks for Week 1 RIVAL Fantasy Baseball Best Ball Drafts

Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians are another team with just one day off in the 11 scheduled for Week 1. All of them come on the road somehow, but four games to start the year versus Oakland should have Jose Ramirez managers salivating. Ramirez, a switch hitter, was also much better last year against right-handers (.302/.382/.481), and five of his first seven games are against right-handed pitching.

Jose Ramirez - Cleveland Guardians (5)* pic.twitter.com/WlWjhChFST

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) March 24, 2024

Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

I love the slate for Orioles' hitters this week. In their 10 games against the Angels, Royals, and Pirates, the toughest pitcher they are slated to face is Cole Ragans. Henderson looked like he was ready to take the next step in his offensive game in Spring Training and he was locked in. Through Tuesday, he was batting .417/.432/.722 in 37 plate appearances.

Outfielder Picks for Week 1 RIVAL Fantasy Baseball Best Ball Drafts

Juan Soto, New York Yankees

After facing left-hander Framber Valdez on Opening Day, Juan Soto won't face another lefty for at least the next six games, and the Yankees only have one day off between Opening Day and April 7. Seven of their 10 games are on the road, but Minute Maid Park and Yankee Stadium have both been above average in allowing home runs to left-handers the last three years.

We sleep then sleep again .. then it’s Yankees Baseball pic.twitter.com/zsHUJCMSLO

— SotoEnjoyer (@JuanSotoEnjoyer) March 27, 2024

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Miami Marlins

The same rule for Jesús Luzardo applies to Jazz Chisholm as well. Miami will see their only day off on Friday, April 5 and they open their season against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Los Angeles Angles, and the St. Louis Cardinals. None of those teams feature strong pitching staffs, and they are all projected to finish in the bottom half of the league in starting pitcher WAR this season.

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