Oct 7, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Tanner Roark throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants in the fifth inning during game four of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Here they are. The final five rounds of my mock draft. At this point in the draft, fantasy owners are looking for the deepest of sleepers, players no other owner has heard of. There will be one word you will see a lot throughout this article – potential. Potential describes what most of these players have. There were eight relief pitchers drafted in these rounds. This proves the point that saves can be found late. If you miss on a top-10 closer, there are plenty of options available later. There are 32 teams in the league, which means there are 32 closers to be owned. With that being said, here are the final 50 draft picks of my mock draft.
Round 21
21.201 SS Erick Aybar, Los Angeles Angles
21.202 RP Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays
21.203 RP Tyler Clippard, Oakland Athletics
21.205 RP Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
21.206 SP Yusmeiro Petit, San Francisco Giants
21.207 SP Brandon McCarthy, Los Angeles Dodgers
21.208 OF Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals
21.209 3B Aramis Ramirez, Milwaukee Brewers
21.210 OF A.J. Pollock, Arizona Diamondbacks
In his third season, Pollock has seen increased power and speed production. In an injury-shortened 75-game season, he hit seven home runs, 24 RBI, 14 stolen bases and a .302 batting average. With solid play at the plate and in the field, A.J. is a lock (pun intended) to be the starting center fielder. In head-to-head leagues, Pollock is worth the risk this late in the draft. While he may not hit 15 home runs, he has enough speed and batting average potential to make it worth it.
Round 22
22.211 OF Steve Pearce, Baltimore Orioles
In his seven previous seasons, Pearce failed to eclipse 200 plate appearances. It wasn’t until he became an everyday player that we were able to see what kind of hitter Pearce was. He hit 21 home runs and 49 RBI with a .293 batting average. He did miss time over the final month of the season. While there is competition at both first base and in the outfield, Pearce should see regular at bats this season. With injury concerns, Pearce may not be a safe bet to play 155 games games. Regardless, using Pearce as a plug-in-play power hitter will be good use for him.
22.212 2B/3B/OF Martin Prado, Miami Marlins
22.213 OF Marlon Byrd, Cincinnati Reds
22.214 SP Scott Kasmir, Athletics
22.215 SP James Paxton, Seattle Mariners
22.216 RP Addison Reed, Diamondbacks
Despite recording 32 saves, his 4.25 ERA in 2013 makes him undraftable.
22.218 SS Jhonny Peralta, St. Louis Cardinals
22.219 SP Mike Minor, Atlanta Braves
22.220 C Russell Martin, Blue Jays
A power-hitting catcher playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark with a good lineup, Martin is a nice sleeper pick.
Round 23
23.221 RP Jake McGee, Rays
I like McGee a lot this season. Find out why here.
23.222 SS Alcides Escobar, Royals
23.223 RP Luke Gregerson, Houston Astros
I wish I was able to draft Gregorson. Here are my 2015 projections for him.
23.225 OF Avisail Garcia, Chicago White Sox
Garcia entered the 2014 season as the White Sox starting right fielder. However, eight games into the season, he tore a labrum trying to make a catch. Surprisingly, he was able to return in late August. In the final six weeks, he hit five home runs and eight doubles in 142 at-bats, though he batted just .239 over that span. There is a lot of potential in Garcia, but it may be another season before we see Garcia post 20-20 numbers. There’s always a chance, though.
23.226 OF Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins
23.227 SP John Lackey, Cardinals
23.228 SP Tanner Roark, Washington Nationals
If Roark was guaranteed a spot in the rotation, he would have been drafted much higher.
23.229 RP Andrew Miller, New York Yankees
23.230 SP R.A. Dickey, Blue Jays
Round 24
24.231 C Miguel Montero, Chicago Cubs
24.232 2B/SS Asdrubal Cabrera, Rays
24.233 C Yasmani Grandal, Dodgers
Grandal was able to show off what he could do in a full season. In 128 games, he hit 15 home run and 49 RBI, but struggled to hit the ball otherwise. He posted a .225 batting average and .327 on-base percentage. There are reports stating that Grandal will split time with A.J. Ellis, so 128 games may be his career high. I wouldn’t draft Grandal as your No. 1 catcher, and by the fact I don’t own two catchers, he becomes undraftable.
24.234 SS J.J. Hardy, Orioles
24.235 SP Derek Holland, Rangers
24.236 C Wilson Ramos, Nationals
24.238 C Kurt Suzuki, Twins
Suzuki is still in the league? News to me.
24.239 C Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox
24.240 OF Oswaldo Arcia, Twins
Round 25
25.241 SS Andrelton Simmons, Braves
Check out my 2015 projections for Simmons here.
25.242 1B/3B Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates
25.243 SS Didi Gregorius, Yankees
25.245 RP Francisco Rodriguez, Brewers
25.246 3B Nick Castellanos, Detroit Tigers
25.247 SP Shelby Miller, Braves
25.248 2B/3B Brett Lawrie Athletics
25.249 SP Chris Tillman, Orioles
25.250 SS Jung-Ho Kang, Pirates
Mr. Irrelevant. Not much is known about Kang. However, that isn’t a bad thing. He hit .356 with 40 home runs and a 1.198 OPS in the Korean Baseball Organization last season, which prompted a bidding war with multiple teams. As far as playing time is concerned, Pirates management is looking to see if he could take over for Jordy Mercer at shortstop. Though, he said he felt comfortable at third base. The best-case scenerio is that he takes over for Mercer and produces 20 home runs with a decent average. The likely scenerio is that he is a utility player and a popular pick in NL-only leagues.