The thing about the Podcast Listeners League, now in its 13th year, is that the participants … well, they listen to the podcast (i.e., Fantasy Baseball Today). They know what we’re looking to do in drafts, and they clearly take it to heart.

It ends up being my most frustrating draft every year because I’m trying to outmaneuver myself. It’s like fighting Link’s Shadow at the end of Zelda II, the surprise final boss at the end of my drafting saga, and it’s every bit as painful. I can’t expect to get my usual players where I usually get them, which forces me either to reach for them or to settle for someone else.

In this one, I did a little of both. Max Scherzer isn’t who I expected to take with the eighth pick in Round 1. It’s the first team I’ve led off with a pitcher all year. But when six hitters are selected in the first seven picks of a Head-to-Head points draft, what else are you to do? Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are the last of the obvious first-round bats in that format — one that doesn’t put nearly as much emphasis on stolen bases, as you may already know. It’s also the format that most elevates starting pitchers, especially those who provide volume, which is why a reliable innings-eater like Scherzer might be preferable to someone like Corbin Burnes.

It’s the first time I’ve drafted Scherzer this year, though, and the same is true for my second-round pick, Bo Bichette, who’s of course an obvious first-rounder in 5×5 leagues. The listeners were kind of enough to leave me my most coveted player, Salvador Perez, toward the end of Round 3, despite some pregame chatter to the contrary. And with starting pitchers flying off the board, I decided to reach a little in Round 4 for one of my favorites, Charlie Morton, whose ADP has been on the rise since the start of spring training.

All in all, it wasn’t the worst experience, though I felt like many of my picks (aside from Bichette and Perez) were a round earlier than I’m used to. There were a few frustrating moments, which I’ll get into in a minute, but first let me introduce you to those lucky listeners who’ll be playing out this league with me (as well as Frank Stampfl and Chris Towers):

1) Kevin Richardson, XanderDu 
2) Frank Stampfl, The Wandering Eye (@Roto_Frank)
3) Niko Waters, Julio The Jet Rodriguez
4) Joel Woods, Kokomo Friday
5) Ante Juricin, Curtis Mead More Cowbell
6) Scott Wolf, Outfield Defense
7) Chris Towers, My Morning Jack Flaherty (@CTowersCBS)
8) Scott White, White Noise (@CBSScottWhite)
9) Jamie Campbell, Kyoto Kokeshis
10) Garett Hoff, Twist ‘n Trout
11) Elliot Freeman, Offer Me Trades
12) Mary Wilkes, High Cheese Sandwich 

A few notable things that happened:

• Second-tier third basemen Austin Riley (Round 3), Alex Bregman, Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenado (all Round 5) were drafted on the early side, which I knew meant I’d be slumming it at that particularly thin position. It’s why I would have been willing to take Rafael Devers ahead of Bichette in this format (one where, again, steals aren’t a priority), but I clearly wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
• Morton isn’t the only one-time discounted ace who no longer appears to be so. Justin Verlander also went in Round 4. Carlos Rodon, who isn’t as old as those two but has also alleviated health concerns this spring, went in Round 6, 64th overall..
• I was prepared to take Fernando Tatis as early as Round 8 in the hope of first-round numbers from June on, and I would have done so if not for Kyle Schwarber, a favorite of mine, still being there. I thought maybe Tatis would last another round, because he has in other drafts, but in a league where only nine hitters are started and the waiver wire is abounding with fill-in possibilities, the wait doesn’t figure to be as painful. Chris Towers recognized it as well and selected Tatis exactly one pick later, which filled me with immediate regret.
• Bobby Witt, who appears to have the third base job locked up for the Royals, went later in Round 8 to Frank Stampfl, and seeing as I still needed a third baseman, by golly, it should have been me. Witt isn’t eligible at third base yet, which makes him easy to overlook as an option there, but he will be by Week 2.
• Witt has always been drafted on the early side, but other top prospects who appear to be closing in on big-league jobs continued to move up the draft board. Among them were Julio Rodriguez (Round 13), Hunter Greene (16), Bryson Stott (18), Spencer Torkelson (18), MacKenzie Gore (18), Riley Greene (18) and Nick Lodolo (18). Meanwhile, Oneil Cruz, who has already been optioned to the minors, slipped to Round 17.
• More than the players who go early, the telltale sign of a listeners league might be the players who go late, presumably because we’ve been talking them down for so long. Randy Arozarena in Round 13 is a perfect example of that, as are Ryan Mountcastle (13) and Jared Walsh (18).
• It’s always fun to look at some of the starting pitchers who go late in these Head-to-Head points drafts, where most people prefer to stock their bench with pitchers. Among those selected in the last two rounds were Nick Martinez, Matt Brash, Elieser Hernandez and Taijuan Walker.