Hunter Pence and 5 more OF’s in Mock Draft Round 3

Oct 29, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Francisco Giants right fielder Hunter Pence hits a single against the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning during game seven of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Round 2 of the early fantasy baseball mock draft can be found here. The third round of the early fantasy baseball mock draft featured a lot of players who were moved in the off-season. Upton, Donaldson, Cruz, and Kemp found new homes and it seems like Max Scherzer may leave the Detroit Tigers.

With the tenth spot in the third round, I landed Freddie Freeman who I felt was easily the best value pick of the round and maybe even the best player in the entire third round.

The numbers listed to the left of each name represent the round and the overall pick they were drafted.

3.25 OF Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers

The mercurial superstar only managed to hit four home runs in the second half of the 2014 season. His performance dropped across the board with only 17 RBI’s, four stolen bases, and a .274 average. Yasiel Puig often shows why he can be a top player, but I think he is better in real life than fantasy.

3.26 SP Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox

This was a great pick. I highlighted why I liked Chris Sale in this post and in round 2. He is a top three SP, and he will provide numbers that will only be exceeded by Clayton Kershaw and maybe Felix Hernandez.

3.27 OF Hunter Pence of the San Francisco Giants

In fantasy terms, Hunter Pence is the poor man’s Andrew McCutchen. He offers strong production across the board, but he may not necessarily be elite in any category. The best way to describe Hunter Pence’s playing style is that if he showed up for little league baseball tryouts, then he would be the kid to wear jeans. Hunter Pence may look terrible at baseball, but he is an excellent ballplayer with a very high floor in fantasy.

3.28 OF Justin Upton of the San Diego Padres

This draft took place when Justin Upton was still in Atlanta. The move to the San Diego Padres probably hurt his stock a little, but Upton is still a top 10 outfield option. This was a smart pick even if Justin Upton was traded to Mars.

3.29 3B Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays

Donaldson was another player in the third round who switched caps this off-season. Josh Donaldson should benefit from his move to the only team north of the border. Quite simply, he is one of the top players in the American League and he should be a fantasy stud for the third straight season. I wrote a little about Josh Donaldson after he was traded in this post. I am thinking we see 90+ runs and RBI’s as well as Donaldson breaking the 30 HR barrier for the first time this season.

3.30 SP David Price of the Detroit Tigers

Did you know that David Price led the Majors in strikeouts in 2014? His 271 punch outs were an ironic career high after Price told a fan on Twitter to draft Yu Darvish over him in fantasy because Darvish generates so many K’s. Regardless, Price was a solid pick if you want a true ace.

3.31 1B/3B Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds

There is no doubt that this pick was considered a reach, but his 2014 numbers certainly warranted the spot as you can see in this article. Whether Todd Frazier can replicate the production remains to be seen, but a 20-20 season with great counting stats is no joke. I would have waited another round or two before considering Frazier, but I understand the pick.

3.32 OF Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers

Ryan Braun is reportedly feeling pain-free in his thumb for the first time in two years after finally getting surgery on it. He really should have gotten it as soon as he was suspended in 2013, but hindsight is 20-20. Unfortunately, 20-20 is probably not in the cards anymore for the former fantasy god as he only has 15 steals in his 196 total games in 2013 and 2014.

3.33 SP Max Scherzer is a free agent

There does not seem to be much of a market for Scherzer as Scott Boras may be scaring off potential suitors with an absurd price tag, but Mighty Max is still a top 10 pitcher. I really think the elite pitchers drafted around this point are safer than a lot of the hitters and are less likely to bust in terms of performance, but they are of course more likely to get injured.

3.34. player. 17. My selection of Freddie Freeman has to be one of the best value picks of the draft. I have no idea how he was still around. I am confident he will be a top 25 or better draft pick in most leagues. <a title=. 1B. Atlanta Braves. Freddie Freeman

3.35 OF Nelson Cruz of the Seattle Mariners

The 2014 home run king was yet another player with a location change since the time of this draft. While the move from Camden Yards to Safeco Field is disheartening, I still have hope that Cruz could be a top 50 player as you can read here. Then again, I think this member of the mock draft may have gone in another direction if Nelson Cruz was already in Seattle.

3.36 OF Matt Kemp of the San Diego Padres

For whatever reason, the third round of this draft was a magnet to hot stove drama. Kemp was a Dodger when this draft took place, but he now joins another loaded outfield in San Diego. Matt Kemp is probably drafted about a round lower after moving to the Padres and the world learning about his arthritic hips, but at the time, this was a solid draft pick, and I still think he will produce according to this post.

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