Fantasy Baseball 2017: Mock Draft Results
By Bill Pivetz
When preparing for your fantasy baseball draft, it’s important to practice to see where certain players land based on your league’s settings.
Mock drafts are important for fantasy baseball owners. It allows you to test out different strategies. Selecting a pitcher first. Load up on hitters in the first few rounds. Draft your catcher last. All of these things can impact the way your roster looks.
When I do a mock, I stick to (or at least try to) one strategy. If I’m going to punt a category, I need to stick to that right away. There’s no point in drafting a speed guy if he’s going to be your only one getting steals. The same could be said for saves.
I will be using my real life league’s roster construction. We have one catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, four outfielders, three utility, five starting pitchers, four relievers, two pitchers and five bench players. That equals 28 draft picks.
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I like having deep rosters in fantasy baseball. It puts pressure on the owners to select the right upside players and prospects. I also use one catcher because that is the lowest-scoring position.
Speaking of catcher, I tend to wait on drafting a catcher. I will not spend a pick within the first 10 rounds on either Buster Posey or Gary Sanchez. Selecting a player elsewhere and then draft your catcher the late teen rounds will result in a better overall roster.
For this mock draft, I will be using the Draft Wizard by Fantasy Pros. It allows you to input your league’s settings (auction drafts cost money) and gives you your results at the end, giving you instant satisfaction or disappointment when it’s over. Another benefit is that it takes the human element out of it. I’ve been in mock drafts where an owner drafted someone way too early and ruining any chance of realism out of the gate.
I will break down my pick along with some of the other picks that round. There will be seven slides, talking about the different sections of the draft.
I was drafting from the seventh position. I’ve done three previous mock drafts and I landed a different player each time. This draft, I like my pick again.
1.1 Mike Trout
1.2 Mookie Betts
1.3 Jose Altuve
1.4 Nolan Arenado – If I were in this spot, this would be a tough decision. Picking between Arenado and the next pick is a flip of the coin. Arenado will likely hit more home runs, but the fifth pick has a rockstar team around him and provides multi-position eligibility along with 35 HR/105 RBI potential. I think I would have gone elsewhere at No. 4.
1.5 Kris Bryant
1.6 Clayton Kershaw
1.7 Paul Goldschmidt – I went with Goldschmidt for a few reasons. Looking at the players I could have drafted, he provides numbers for all five categories. Machado may have more power, but he did not steal a base last year. I also think the first base position isn’t as deep as shortstop and third base so I wanted to lock this position down early.
1.8 Manny Machado
1.9 Josh Donaldson
1.10 Bryce Harper
In the next two rounds, I added an ace to my rotation and a power hitter in the outfield.
Round 2
2.1 Miguel Cabrera
2.2 Anthony Rizzo
2.3 Starling Marte
2.4 Madison Bumgarner – In every mock draft I’ve done, I end up with MadBum. I am not upset about it. He is a lock for 200-plus innings and a 3.00 ERA. With five starting pitcher spots, I wanted to get a top-five pick to anchor my rotation. I will likely wait about four or five more rounds before getting my next starter.
2.5 Max Scherzer
2.6 Trea Turner – I’m surprised Turner fell this far into the second round. He provides power, contact and speed, which is something some of the other hitters in this round can’t do.
2.7 Charlie Blackmon
2.8 Ryan Braun
2.9 Corey Seager – Be aware of his injury situation. If I were in a real draft, I would be more comfortable drafting him in round 3.
2.10 Carlos Correa
Round 3
3.1 Noah Syndergaard
3.2 Joey Votto – The Cincinnati Reds are rebuilding but still have fantasy relevant stars. Votto can hit for power and average. Yet, I think his most valuable stat is his on-base percentage. He walked 108 times, supporting his .434 OBP.
3.3 Edwin Encarnacion
3.4 Chris Sale
3.5 Francisco Lindor
3.6 Corey Kluber
3.7 Nelson Cruz – Adding Cruz affects my batting average a bit, but he adds 30-plus home runs that Goldschmidt won’t do. Seattle has a good offense and Cruz will be in the middle of it. He can also be used as a DH if you have that spot.
3.8 Robinson Cano
3.9 Jonathan Villar
3.10 Brian Dozier
I added two more hitters than can help in both contact and power. I also added my second starting pitcher. Two closers and a catcher went in round 6. That’s just way too early for me.
Round 4
4.1 Xander Bogaerts
4.2 A.J. Pollock
4.3 Freddie Freeman
4.4 J.D. Martinez – I am aware of the foot injury, but as of right now it doesn’t seem serious. Martinez provides the rare combination of contact and power. His average will offset Cruz’s and you can never have too much power. As my second outfielder, I’m not complaining. He does make a good case to be No. 1 if you go elsewhere at the beginning.
4.5 Daniel Murphy
4.6 Jon Lester
4.7 Jake Arrieta
4.8 Carlos Gonzalez
4.9 George Springer
4.10 Yu Darvish
Round 5
5.1 Giancarlo Stanton – Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Once a perennial top-20 pick, Stanton’s injuries have dropped him in rankings. He has the strength to hit 40 home runs, but he needs to play in 150 games for it to be worth it, at least for me.
5.2 Rougned Odor
5.3 Trevor Story
5.4 Justin Verlander
5.5 Christian Yelich
5.6 Johnny Cueto
5.7 Kyle Seager – After Seager and the next third baseman drafted, the talent pool drops off a little. I said I wasn’t going to draft a second starter and I am okay missing on these pitchers. While I don’t actively try to or avoid drafting players from the same team, Seager and Cruz will be great on my team.
5.8 Wil Myers
5.9 Billy Hamilton – This is way too high for someone who will just provide steals. I’ve mentioned before, but I would rather draft three players with 25-steal potential later than waste my fifth round pick on Hamilton. He just isn’t a good value pick here.
5.10 David Price
Round 6
6.1 Adrian Beltre
6.2 Stephen Strasburg
6.3 Carlos Martinez
6.4 Chris Archer – Despite posting a 4.02 ERA and 1.24 WHIP last year, Archer struck out 233 batters. I think the ratio stats are outliers and he will return to form. I’m not drafting Archer for wins because one, you can’t predict them and two, the Tampa Bay offense won’t score many runs. I’m drafting him for his 220 strikeouts and ability to get back to top-10 form.
6.5 Buster Posey
6.6 Andrew McCutchen
6.7 Yoenis Cespedes
6.8 Jacob deGrom
6.9 Aroldis Chapman – Because of their performances last year, Champman and another closer or two will be drafted before round 8. I think the closer (more likely relief pitching) position is deep and you can wait before wasting your sixth pick on a closer.
6.10 Kenley Jansen – See above.
In the next four rounds, I added two more hitters, a third starting pitcher and my first closer. I think with my current roster construction and philosophies of not reaching for a position, I got to best picks in each round.
Round 7
7.1 Dee Gordon
7.2 Jose Abreu
7.3 Hanley Ramirez – Ramirez improved greatly in his second season with the Red Sox. The move to first base will keep him healthy, which will allow him to put up great numbers for owners.
7.4 Gregory Polanco
7.5 Carlos Carrasco
7.6 Gary Sanchez
7.7 Ian Kinsler – I could have waited a few more rounds for a second baseman, but Kinsler can hit 20 home runs, 100 RBI and .280 with 10 steals. Those numbers can’t be found in the second basemen drafted in the teens. He is getting up there in age, but he’s been injury-free for most of his career.
7.8 Jean Segura
7.9 Mark Trumbo
7.10 Eric Hosmer
Round 8
8.1 Ian Desmond
8.2 Anthony Rendon
8.3 Justin Upton
8.4 Adam Jones – I had Jones on my team last year, but I traded him away before I could reap the benefits. He struggled early but bounced back and had another great season. He can still hit 25 home runs with 80 runs, 85 RBI and a .270 average. While he doesn’t run anymore, as my No. four (or three, depending on what I do with Cruz), I expect more of the same this year.
8.5 Matt Carpenter
8.6 Jonathan Lucroy
8.7 Jose Bautista
8.8 Khris Davis – I don’t think Davis will hit another 42 home runs. I had him last year and he spoiled me. I project him going back down to 35. He’ll be a good player, but don’t overrate him based on a one-year explosion.
8.9 Kyle Schwarber
8.10 Zach Britton
Round 9
9.1 Kyle Hendricks
9.2 Chris Daivs
9.3 Jason Kipnis – Kipnis is also dealing with an injury which put his Opening Day status at risk. If you have a DL slot on your team, I don’t mind drafting an injured player. Once Kipnis is healthy, you will have a top-10 second baseman in your starting lineup.
9.4 Todd Frazier
9.5 Matt Kemp
9.6 Mark Melancon
9.7 Seung-Hwan Oh – I may look back and think this was too early for a closer. Though, I wanted a top-10 pick in my bullpen before I waited too long. Oh burst onto the scene last year and pitched well enough to supplant Rosenthal from the closer role. With the offense and pitching staff like the one St. Louis has, I think Oh can get 40 saves.
9.8 Brandon Belt
9.9 Jackie Bradley Jr.
9.10 Albert Pujols
Round 10
10.1 Ben Zobrist
10.2 Masahiro Tanaka
10.3 Adrian Gonzalez
10.4 Jose Quintana – With Chris Sale gone, Quintana is now the ace of the Chicago White Sox rotation. He’s another consistent player and a 3.50 ERA and 1.24 WHIP are solid numbers for my third starter. Of the pitchers drafted after him this round, he was clearly the best option.
10.5 Cole Hamels
10.6 Evan Longoria
10.7 DJ LeMahieu – LeMahieu is the second baseman I want on my team. I went with the consistency of Kinsler. That’s not a bad thing. LeMahieu has so much upside. For one, he’s hitting in Colorado for half the season. Two, he will put up double-digit home runs and steals with a .310 average. In the middle rounds, he is greatly undervalued.
10.8 Jeurys Familia
10.9 Gerrit Cole
10.10 Craig Kimbrel
In the next five rounds, I added two more closers to my bullpen, a starting pitcher and two offensive options. The pitchers are top notch, but I’m not expecting amazing performances from my hitters. Just enough to be worth holding onto.
Round 11
11.1 Edwin Diaz
11.2 David Dahl – Dahl is also dealing with injuries and may not be ready for Opening Day. The Rockies have an abundance of outfielders so they can easily replace Dahl in the lineup.
11.3 Roberto Osuna
11.4 Carlos Santana
11.5 Alex Bregman
11.6 Wade Davis
11.7 Kevin Herrera – A couple of rounds after getting my first closer, I selected Herrera. He is the new closer in Kansas City and proved he can dominate in the role. He had 12 saves and a 2.75 ERA last year. He will have plenty of strikeouts with 35 saves.
11.8 Adam Eaton
11.9 Odubel Herrera
11.10 Zack Greinke
Round 12
12.1 Jose Ramirez
12.2 Nick Castellanos
12.3 Miguel Sano
12.4 Danny Duffy – If I’m going to have the Royals closer, why not have their ace pitcher too? Duffy had over a strikeout per inning last season. Now that he will be healthy for the full season, I expect over 200 strikeouts and 13 to 15 wins. He also qualifies at RP, so you can slot him there if don’t have enough relievers.
12.5 Rick Porcello
12.6 Kenta Maeda – I was debating on drafting Duffy or Maeda. I think Duffy will have a better overall season. That doesn’t mean Maeda will stink. He is still getting used to the American way of play. I expect him to improve on his ratio stats in 2017.
12.7 Dustin Pedroia
12.8 Yasmani Grandal
12.9 Andrew Miller
12.10 Ken Giles
Round 13
13.1 Willson Contreras
13.2 Julio Teheran – After a hiccup in 2015, Teheran bounced back greatly last season. He posted a 3.21 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. While I don’t expect a lot of wins with this rebuilding Braves team, he will still have double-digit quality starts and be a top-30 starter at just 26 years old.
13.3 Lorenzo Cain
13.4 Stephen Piscotty
13.5 Aaron Sanchez
13.6 Justin Turner
13.7 Cody Allen – I wanted Allen’s teammate Miller, but he was drafted just a few picks before me. I figured his 120 strikeouts weren’t going to last. What I am surprised is that a 30-save, 2.95 ERA closer would still be available in round 13.
13.8 Danny Salazar
13.9 Eduardo Nunez
13.10 Andrew Benintendi – If I were going to draft a fourth outfielder at this point in the draft, and I did in the next round, Benintendi would be someone I would target. He has power, contact and speed. All three stats you are looking for in the middle rounds.
Round 14
14.1 Michael Fulmer
14.2 J.T. Realmuto
14.3 Rich Hill
14.4 Adam Duvall – I was not happy with this pick. I was all set with my current group of outfielders that I could have waited another round or two for my fourth. I wanted Realmuto as my catcher, but he was taken two picks before me. Duvall had a huge power surge, but he sacrificed average for it. I think he’ll have another 30 home runs but will likely hit .240 in the process. I didn’t need him for my team.
14.5 Felix Hernandez
14.6 Addison Russell – After Realmuto was picked, Russell was another player I was looking at. At this point in the draft, I didn’t have a catcher or shortstop. Russell had a poor second half, but I think it’s an outlier compared to the rest of his career. He will hit another 20 homers with 82 RBI and a .245 average. As your starting shortstop in the 14th round, that’s more than acceptable.
14.7 Kevin Gausman
14.8 David Robertson
14.9 Matt Harvey
14.10 Alex Colome – The Rays have a lot of relief pitchers. While Colome is listed as the current closer, he could lose his job to Brad Boxberger.
Round 15
15.1 Evan Gattis
15.2 Dallas Keuchel
15.3 Dellin Betances – If you were surprised that I got Allen in the 13th, Betances in the 15th is insane. He may not get you saves, but 100 strikeouts and a sub-2.50 ERA are worth more than a 15th round pick. Despite the contract issues, I think Betances will perform like usual.
15.4 Marcus Stroman
15.5 Jake Lamb
15.6 Aledmys Diaz
15.7 Salvador Perez – When I drafted Perez, I knew what I would be getting. He isn’t going to hit .280. Though, I’ll take the 20 home runs and 60-plus RBI. Posey had 14 and 80 last year, respectively. There are a couple of other catchers I could have drafted in about five rounds. With five bench spots, I can draft another as a backup.
15.8 John Lackey
15.9 Francisco Rodriguez
15.10 Steven Matz
These next five rounds saw a lot of pitchers get drafted. I like to draft opposite of the trend. If your opponents are making a run on a single position, draft a different on. They are leaving premier talent on the board just to fill a spot.
Round 16
16.1 Jameson Taillon
16.2 A.J. Ramos – If you draft Ramos, be careful. He could easily lose his job before the All-Star break. He was in jeopardy of losing the job to Carter Capps before he got hurt. The team brought in Fernando Rodney in the second half. The team has a viable option behind him now.
16.3 Lance McCullers
16.4 Jose Peraza – With this pick, I found my shortstop, albeit just for a round. Peraza will have second base and outfield eligibility. He has the ability to drive in runs, get on base and steal some bags too. These are the players you should target for late-draft steals. With some of my players capable of getting 10 steals, 30 from Peraza is a nice addition.
16.5 Troy Tulowitzki
16.6 Kole Calhoun
16.7 Brad Miller
16.8 Russell Martin
16.9 Kendrys Morales
16.10 Javier Baez – As long as Baez has a starting job with the Cubs, this is a great pick. However, with Russell at short and Zobrist competing for the second base job, I would go with a sure thing.
Round 17
17.1 Maikel Franco
17.2 Aaron Nola
17.3 Anthony DeSclafani
17.4 Drew Pomeranz
17.5 Sean Manaea
17.6 Tony Watson
17.7 Elvis Andrus – This is what I was hinting at with Peraza. I moved Cruz to a utility spot, moved Peraza to that open outfield spot and Andrus slotted in as my shortstop. I like having lineup flexibility to give me the most at-bats in any given week.
17.8 Tanner Roark
17.9 Sam Dyson
17.10 Brian McCann
Round 18
18.1 Jeff Samardzija
18.2 J.A. Happ
18.3 Vince Velasquez
18.4 Raisel Iglesias – I drafted Iglesias as a closer. He still has SP eligibility, but I believe he will start the season as the Reds closer. He performed well out of the bullpen and a 3.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 25 saves is not bad for my fourth closer.
18.5 Dexter Fowler
18.6 James Paxton
18.7 Drew Smyly
18.8 Jonathan Gray
18.9 Hunter Pence
18.10 Byron Buxton – Buxton’s 2016 season was polarizing. He hit 10 home runs and stole 10 bases but hit .225 in the process. I don’t think he’s going to back to the minors. In a full season, he could get close to 20 homers and 20 steals with a .245 average. Those aren’t eye-opening nunbers but at 23 years old, he has a bright future.
Round 19
19.1 Yasmany Tomas
19.2 Julio Urias
19.3 Sonny Gray
19.4 Yadier Molina
19.5 Matt Shoemaker
19.6 Marcell Ozuna
19.7 Victor Martinez – Why not? He’s been durable for most of his career and can still hit for power. As my second utility hitter, I didn’t see anyone else I liked. I could have went with a couple of pitchers, but there are still some good sleeper starters and relievers left.
19.8 Matt Wieters
19.9 Adam Ottavino – Greg Holland could create an issue in the Rockies bullpen. Ottavino shined at the end of last season, but Holland is pitching well since returning from Tommy John surgery. Regardless, Coors Field does not favor pitchers.
19.10 Jake Odorizzi
Round 20
20.1 Ryan Madson
20.2 Neftali Feliz
20.3 Cam Bedrosian – The injury to Huston Street might have opened the door Bedrosian needed to become the Angels closer. In just 40 innings, he had an 11.4 K/9 and a 1.12 ERA. He is one of the few relievers worth drafting in the hopes of becoming the closer.
20.4 Michael Pineda – Despite the big letdown Pineda has been since joining the Yankees, he’s pitched well this spring. He would be my No. 5 starter. These pitchers are not supposed to light up the stat sheets. They should pitch well enough to not tank your ratio stats will accumulating wins and strikeouts.
20.5 Jay Bruce
20.6 Shawn Kelley
20.7 Jim Johnson
20.8 Hisashi Iwakuma
20.9 Adam Wainwright
20.10 Carlos Gomez
In order to save time and space, I will just list my final eight picks. I have one utility spot, two pitching spots and all five bench spots to fill. These aren’t going to be exciting picks, but these are the picks to use for low-risk players or prospects.
21.7 Joc Pederson
22.4 Kyle Barraclough – Barraclough is the pitcher I referenced when talking about Ramos. Barraclough had 113 strikeouts in just 72.2 innings. Similar to Capps, he’s a power thrower. With a sub-3.00 ERA and 0.176 opponent average, he’s a Miller or Betances type player.
23.7 Garrett Richards
24.4 Wellington Castillo
25.7 Neil Walker
26.4 Jharel Cotton
27.7 Ender Inciarte – In 131 games, Inciarte had a great-hitting season. He hit .291 with three homers, 29 RBI and 16 steals. I don’t think the power changes but keeping the contact and speed is important to his value.
28.4 Brad Brach – While Darren O’Day is the set-up man behind Britton, Brach had a great season. He made 71 appearances and posted a 2.05 ERA, 1.040 WHIP and seven saves. If anything happens to either Britton or O’Day, Brach gets a huge boost in value. In deeper leagues, he’s a good RP option.
When the draft was over, Fantasy Pros gave me a score of 89 out of 100. It wasn’t my best score, but consistent with most of my drafts. I definitely have regrets about some of my draft picks, like Duvall, Perez, and Iglesias.
I reloaded the website and I had the opportunity to draft Kershaw at No. 7. I’ve done that before and ended up with an entirely different roster.
Let me know what picks you would have made differently in the comments.