With fantasy baseball drafts in high gear, I decided to do a mock draft to see where some of the star MLB players fell in this 12-team snake-style draft.
In this simulated fantasy baseball draft (I used Rotoballer’s mock draft simulator), my team started in the fifth spot, meaning there would still be plenty of MVP candidates available when it came my turn.
Fantasy baseball mock draft Round 1
In this article, I’ll give you some reasoning why each round’s pick was made by me, as well as some picks that might have surprised me by the computer (who was representing the other 11 teams).
Round 1
Team 1 — Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees
Team 2 — Juan Soto, OF, Padres
Team 3 — Jose Ramirez, 3B/DH, Guardians
Team 4 — Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B/DH, Blue Jays
Team 5 — Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros
Team 6 — Trea Turner, SS, Phillies
Team 7 — Julio Rodriguez, OF, Mariners
Team 8 — Mookie Betts, OF, Dodgers
Team 9 — Yordan Alvarez, OF/DH, Astros
Team 10 — Manny Machado, 3B, Padres
Team 11 — Ronald Acuña Jr., OF/DH, Braves
Team 12 — Gerrit Cole, SP, Yankees
My pick: Kyle Tucker of the Astros
Call it a hunch or whatever you like, but I think Tucker has a chance at AL MVP honors this year. He can hit for power and steal bases, something I wanted to see out of my first pick. I also have a belief that you don’t take a pitcher in the first round, something that surprised me to see the computer do at pick 12 … and do with Gerrit Cole of the Yankees. Of the starting pitchers available, that certainly wasn’t the one I thought would go first.
Fantasy baseball mock draft Round 2
Team 12 — Corbin Burnes, SP, Brewers
Team 11 — Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers
Team 10 — Pete Alonso, 1B/DH, Mets
Team 9 — Mike Trout, OF, Angels
Team 8 — Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox
Team 7 — Brandon Woodruff, SP, Brewers
Team 6 — Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros
Team 5 — Emmanuel Clase, RP, Guardians
Team 4 — Nolan Arenado, 3B , Cardinals
Team 3 — Aaron Nola, SP, Phillies
Team 2 — Marcus Semien, 2B, Rangers
Team 1 — Paul Goldschmidt, 1B/DH, Cardinals
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 3
Team 1 — Bobby Witt Jr., 3B/SS, Royals
Team 2 — Sandy Alcantara, SP, Marlins
Team 3 — Shane Bieber, SP, Guardians
Team 4 — Max Scherzer, SP, Mets
Team 5 — Justin Verlander, SP, Mets
Team 6 — Dylan Cease, SP, White Sox
Team 7 — Bo Bichette, SS, Blue Jays
Team 8 — Shohei Ohtani, DH, Angels
Team 9 — Julio Urias, SP, Dodgers
Team 10 — Shane McClanahan, SP, Rays
Team 11 — Jacob deGrom, SP, Rangers
Team 12 — Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, Padres
My picks: Emmanuel Clase and Justin Verlander
While I don’t believe in taking a pitcher in the first round, I certainly felt fine loading up on them in the second and third rounds (a thought obviously shared by the computer as well). I did take the first relief pitcher off the board, and had some help from the computer in the third round as I was trying to decide which Mets starter to take. When the computer took Scherzer, that made the decision easy.
In this simulation, Ohtani could only be selected as a pitcher or as a designated hitter. The computer chose to use his skills at the plate rather than on the mound.
I was also surprised to see the computer take Altuve in the second round. Apparently injury news isn’t built into the program or that team didn’t mind having him out until early June.
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 4
Team 12 — Austin Riley, 3B, Braves
Team 11 — Spencer Strider, SP, Braves
Team 10 — Kyle Schwarber, OF/DH, Phillies
Team 9 — Corey Seager, SS, Rangers
Team 8 — Kevin Gausman, SP, Blue Jays
Team 7 — Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets
Team 6 — Alex Bregman, 3B, Astros
Team 5 — Will Smith, C/DH, Dodgers
Team 4 — Cedric Mullins, OF, Orioles
Team 3 — Michael Harris II, OF, Braves
Team 2 — Carlos Rodon, SP, Yankees
Team 1 — Alek Manoah, SP, Blue Jays
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 5
Team 1 — Zac Gallen, SP, Diamondbacks
Team 2 — Josh Hader, RP, Padres
Team 3 — Devin Williams, RP, Brewers
Team 4 — Max Fried, SP, Braves
Team 5 — J.T. Realmuto, C, Phillies
Team 6 — George Springer, OF/DH, Blue Jays
Team 7 —Zack Wheeler, SP, Phillies
Team 8 — Matt Olson, 1B, Braves
Team 9 — Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves
Team 10 — Randy Arozarena, OF/DH, Rays
Team 11 — Luis Robert, OF, White Sox
Team 12 — Jordan Romano, SP, Blue Jays
My picks: Will Smith and J.T. Realmuto
Let’s face it … there aren’t a lot of great fantasy options out there when it comes to catchers, so I loaded up in these two rounds at the position. I also liked that Smith could slot in as the designated hitter as well, adding extra value there for him.
I had targeted Bregman in the fourth round, but he was selected right before me, so I pivoted back to the catcher spot. Also, Rodón going this early solidified my thoughts about the computer and injuries not being that important. Arozarena was a player I was interested in, but not this early in the draft. I was surprised to see him go in the fifth round.
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 6
Team 12 — Yu Darvish, SP, Padres
Team 11 — Anthony Santander, OF/DH, Orioles
Team 10 — Framber Valdez, SP, Astros
Team 9 — Steven Kwan, OF, Guardians
Team 8 — Cristian Javier, SP, Astros
Team 7 — Ryan Pressly, RP, Astros
Team 6 — Adley Rutschman, C, Orioles
Team 5 — Luis Castillo, SP, Mariners
Team 4 — Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pirates
Team 3 — Wander Franco, SS, Rays
Team 2 — Xander Bogaerts, SS, Padres
Team 1 — Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B/DH, Royals
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 7
Team 1 — Raisel Iglesias, RP, Braves
Team 2 — Salvador Perez, C, Royals
Team 3 — Robbie Ray, SP, Blue Jays
Team 4 — Tommy Edman, SS/2B, Cardinals
Team 5 — Ryan Helsley, RP, Cardinals
Team 6 — Triston McKenzie, SP, Guardians
Team 7 — Alejandro Kirk, C/DH, Blue Jays
Team 8 — Felix Bautista, RP, Orioles
Team 9 — Joe Musgrove, SP, Padres
Team 10 — Jazz Chisholm, 2B, Marlins
Team 11 — Jake Cronenworth, 2B/1B, Padres
Team 12 — Daulton Varsho, OF/C, Blue Jays
My picks: Luis Castillo and Ryan Helsley
Okay, definitely time to start loading up on some pitchers, and I’m happy I picked up a solid starter and reliever in this round. I love what Castillo has brought to the Mariners since coming to the Pacific Northwest, and I think Helsley will want to erase the memories of last year’s Wild Card outing pretty quickly this season.
Varsho going with the last pick of Round 7 could be the steal of the draft, to be honest, especially if he gets enough time behind the plate this season to qualify as a catcher as well.
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 8
Team 12 — Kenley Jansen, RP, Red Sox
Team 11 — Max Muncy, 3B/2B/DH, Dodgers
Team 10 — Adolis Garcia, OF/DH, Rangers
Team 9 — Jose Abreu, 1B/DH, Astros
Team 8 — Logan Webb, SP, Giants
Team 7 — Christian Yelich, OF/DH, Brewers
Team 6 — Eloy Jimenez, OF, DH, White Sox
Team 5 — Kris Bryant, OF, Rockies
Team 4 — Tyler Glasnow, SP, Rays
Team 3 — Carlos Correa, SS, Twins
Team 2 — Masataka Yoshida, OF, Red Sox
Team 1 — Kyle Wright, SP, Braves
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 9
Team 1 — Dansby Swanson, SS, Cubs
Team 2 — Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Mariners
Team 3 — Andres Gimenez, 2B, Guardians
Team 4 — Ketel Marte, 2B/DH, Diamondbacks
Team 5 — Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers
Team 6 — Luis Arraez, 2B/DH, Marlins
Team 7 — Chris Bassitt, SP, Blue Jays
Team 8 — Willy Adames, SS, Brewers
Team 9 — Willson Contreras, C, Cardinals
Team 10 — Gleyber Torres, 2B, Yankees
Team 11 — Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox
Team 12 — Brandon Nimmo, OF, Mets
My picks: Kris Bryant and Clayton Kershaw
After I made these picks, I pictured myself getting in a time machine to go back to 2018 and talk about Bryant Kershaw going in the eighth and ninth rounds as baseball fans looked at me like I was crazy. Well, a lot has changed during that time, but I do believe both players will rebound from injury-filled seasons and perform well in 2023. I also am betting on Bryant being one of the leading candidates for NL Comeback Player of the Year this year.
Yoshida going in Round 8 after his World Baseball Classic showing could end up being a steal as well. I’m also closely watching Anderson this season after being in White Sox camp and hearing a lot of praise for him and Elvis Andrus forming a combination at the top of the lineup and up the middle.
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 10
Team 12 — MJ Melendez, C/OF/DH, Royals
Team 11 — Alex Verdugo, OF, Red Sox
Team 10 — Jorge Polanco, 2B, Twins
Team 9 — Corbin Carroll, OF, Diamondbacks
Team 8 — Jeff McNeil, 2B, Mets
Team 7 — Blake Snell, SP, Padres
Team 6 — Tyler O’Neill, OF, Cardinals
Team 5 — Gunnar Henderson, 3B, Orioles
Team 4 — Starling Marte, OF, Mets
Team 3 — Rhys Hoskins, 1B, Phillies
Team 2 — Camilo Doval, RP, Giants
Team 1 — Taylor Ward, OF, Angels
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 11
Team 1 — Clay Holmes, RP, Yankees
Team 2 — Yandy Diaz, 3B, Rays
Team 3 — Nestor Cortes, SP, Yankees
Team 4 — C.J. Cron, 1B/DH, Rockies
Team 5 — Oneil Cruz, SS, Pirates
Team 6 — Andrew Vaughn, 1B/OF/DH, White Sox
Team 7 — Alexis Diaz, RP, Reds
Team 8 — Charlie Morton, SP, Braves
Team 9 — Logan Gilbert, SP, Mariners
Team 10 — Luis Severino, SP, Yankees
Team 11 — Brandon Lowe, 2B, Rays
Team 12 — Byron Buxton, CF/DH, Twins
My picks: Gunnar Henderson and Oneil Cruz
Let the kids play, right? That was apparently my battle cry in these two rounds as I went with young players who have a lot of upside here. These two picks could make or break my whole draft strategy on the offensive side, so it was definitely a gamble, but I believe these two will have solid seasons (I would take a 30/30 projection from The Athletic for Cruz for sure).
O’Neill being taken right before me was a gut punch as I thought he would be a sneaky good move after his World Baseball Classic showing. A pair of Yankees (Holmes and Cortes) going to start Round 11 also changed my philosophy and helped me settle on the Pirates shortstop.
Will Buxton stay healthy this season? That’s obviously a question as his talent should be way above the end of Round 11.
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 12
Team 12 — Jake McCarthy, OF, Diamondbacks
Team 11 — Sean Murphy, C/DH, Braves
Team 10 — Paul Sewald, RP, Mariners
Team 9 — Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Yankees
Team 8 — Ian Happ, OF, Cubs
Team 7 — Nick Castellanos, OF, Phillies
Team 6 — Keibert Ruiz, C, Nationals
Team 5 — Jonathan India, 2B, Reds
Team 4 — Andrew Benintendi, OF, White Sox
Team 3 — DJ LeMahieu, 3B/2B/1B, Yankees
Team 2 — Brady Singer, SP, Royals
Team 1 — Luis Garcia, SP, Astros
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 13
Team 1 — Thairo Estrada, 2B/SS, Giants
Team 2 — Dylan Carlson, OF, Cardinals
Team 3 — Seiya Suzuki, OF, Cubs
Team 4 — Justin Turner, 3B/DH, Red Sox
Team 5 — Josh Bell, DH/1B, Guardians
Team 6 — Tyler Stephenson, C, Reds
Team 7 — Daniel Bard, RP, Rockies
Team 8 — David Bednar, RP, Pirates
Team 9 — Michael Brantley, OF/DH, Astros
Team 10 — Jose Miranda, 1B/3B/DH, Twins
Team 11 — Nick Lodolo, SP, Reds
Team 12 — Jesse Winker, OF, Brewers
My picks: Jonathan India and Josh Bell
Admittedly, I’m not as confident in these two picks as I am in some of my others, but I needed to start filling in some of the holes in my lineup. I think India could have a nice bounce back season and Bell could benefit from another change of scenery, but they are both stretches to round out the lineup.
A big whoops for me in Round 12 was taking India over LeMahieu. Speaking of bounce back seasons, I see a solid one coming from the former NL and AL batting champion in the Bronx.
Turner going right before my Round 13 pick was interesting. He’ll be a key player for the Red Sox if they are to turn things around in 2023, but he’s someone I would have taken a flyer on later rather than in this round.
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 14
Team 12 — Alex Cobb, SP, Giants
Team 11 — Johan Duran, RP, Twins
Team 10 — Amed Rosario, SS, Guardians
Team 9 — Nate Lowe, 1B, Rangers
Team 8 — Whit Merrifield, OF/2B, Blue Jays
Team 7 — Danny Jansen, C, Blue Jays
Team 6 — George Kirby, SP, Mariners
Team 5 — Cody Bellinger, OF, Cubs
Team 4 — Lance Lynn, SP, White Sox
Team 3 — Vaughn Grissom, 2B, Braves
Team 2 — Ryan Mountcastle, 1B/DH, Orioles
Team 1 — Austin Hays, OF, Orioles
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 15
Team 1 — Alec Bohm, 3B, Phillies
Team 2 — Andrew McCutchen, LF/DH, Pirates
Team 3 — Mark Canha, LF, Mets
Team 4 — Joshua Rojas, 3B/2B, Diamondbacks
Team 5 — Hunter Greene, SP, Reds
Team 6 — Miles Mikolas, SP, Cardinals
Team 7 — Wilmer Flores, 2B/DH/3B/1B, Giants
Team 8 — Scott Barlow, RP, Royals
Team 9 — Jordan Montgomery, SP, Cardinals
Team 10 — William Contreras, C/DH, Brewers
Team 11 — Lucas Giolito, SP, White Sox
Team 12 — Tony Kemp, 2B/LF, Athletics
My picks: Cody Bellinger and Hunter Greene
Apparently I’m loading up on NL Comeback Player of the Year candidates in Kris Bryant and Cody Bellinger, but I think they will both be in the conversation for the award. Watching some of Bellinger’s swings in spring training, he looked like the Bellinger of old (even though the numbers haven’t shown it yet), so I decided to roll the dice on him.
Greene was probably a riskier choice than the two Cardinals starters (Mikolas and Montgomery) who went after him in Round 15, but I like what could happen with the strikeouts.
Also, it took until the last pick of Round 15 for our first Oakland player to go in the draft. It could be a long season in the East Bay.
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 16
Team 12 — Triston Casas, 1B, Red Sox
Team 11 — Pablo Lopez, SP, Twins
Team 10 — Charlie Blackmon, OF/DH, Rockies
Team 9 — Matthew Boyd, RP, Tigers
Team 8 — Jeremy Pena, SS, Astros
Team 7 — Christian Walker, 1B, Diamondbacks
Team 6 — Peter Fairbanks, RP, Rays
Team 5 — Giancarlo Stanton, OF/DH, Yankees
Team 4 — Brandon Drury, 1B/2B/3B/DH, Angels
Team 3 — Jonah Heim, C, Rangers
Team 2 — Tony Gonsolin, SP, Dodgers
Team 1 — Trent Grisham, CF, Padres
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 17
Team 1 — Anthony Rendon, 3B, Angels
Team 2 — Matt Chapman, 3B, Blue Jays
Team 3 — Nico Hoerner, SS, Cubs
Team 4 — Mike Yastrzemski, OF, Giants
Team 5 — Jameson Taillon, SP, Cubs
Team 6 — Lars Nootbaar, OF, Cardinals
Team 7 — Randal Grichuk, OF, Rockies
Team 8 — Hunter Renfroe, OF, Angels
Team 9 — Ty France, 1B, Mariners
Team 10 — Jean Segura, 2B, Marlins
Team 11 — Evan Phillips, RP, Dodgers
Team 12 — Chris Sale, SP, Red Sox
My picks: Giancarlo Stanton and Jameson Taillon
I felt very good about both of these picks late in the draft, as both have the chance to be sleeper giants for me in my lineup. Stanton has to rebound from his down slash line of 2022, right? I love the home run and RBI play here, but certainly don’t want him to be an albatross on the batting average.
Sale going with the last pick of Round 17 is head-shaking and also a sign of the times. Going this late, the pick is worth the flyer for sure, but it certainly shows how everyone feels about the Red Sox ace and his durability heading into the campaign.
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 18
Team 12 — Josh Naylor, 1B/DH, Guardians
Team 11 — Kolten Wong, 2B, Mariners
Team 10 — Luis Urias, 2B/3B/1B, Brewers
Team 9 — Ryan McMahon, 2B/3B, Rockies
Team 8 — Joe Ryan, SP, Twins
Team 7 — Lourdes Gurriel, OF, Diamondbacks
Team 6 — Jose Berrios, SP, Blue Jays
Team 5 — Enrique Hernandez, OF, Red Sox
Team 4 — Craig Kimbrel, RP, Phillies
Team 3 — Eugenio Suarez, 3B, Mariners
Team 2 — Drew Rasmussen, SP, Rays
Team 1 — Adam Frazier, 2B/RF, Orioles
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 19
Team 1 — Gabriel Moreno, C, Diamondbacks
Team 2 — Lane Thomas, OF, Nationals
Team 3 — Merrill Kelly, SP, Diamondbacks
Team 4 — Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pirates
Team 5 — Brendan Donovan, 2B/RF/3B, Cardinals
Team 6 — Kendall Graveman, RP, White Sox
Team 7 — Jurickson Profar, LF, Rockies
Team 8 — Rowdy Tellez, 1B, Brewers
Team 9 — Patrick Sandoval, SP, Angels
Team 10 — Jeffrey Springs, SP/RP, Rays
Team 11 — Marcell Ozuna, LF/DH, Braves
Team 12 — Seth Brown, 1B/OF, Athletics
My picks: Enrique Hernandez and Brendan Donovan
Hernandez has talked a good game throughout spring training, showing his confidence, and I think it will follow through into the regular season for the Red Sox. I liked getting him and Donovan this late in the draft as both have good potential for what they could being to my team.
It felt like there were a lot of picks in these two rounds that were complete gambles, like Profar, Berrios, and Kimbrel. Those are guys with plenty of talent, but will they put it together for their respective teams this season? That’s the big question that pushed them so far down in this draft.
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 20
Team 12 — Isaac Paredes, 1B/2B/3B, Rays
Team 11 — Riley Greene, OF, Tigers
Team 10 — Ramon Laureano, OF, Athletics
Team 9 — Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners
Team 8 — Carlos Santana, 1B/DH, Pirates
Team 7 — Max Kepler, OF, Twins
Team 6 — Tyler Anderson, SP, Angels
Team 5 — Yasmani Grandal, C/DH, White Sox
Team 4 — Jesus Luzardo, SP, Marlins
Team 3 — Jason Adam, RP, Rays
Team 2 — Daniel Hudson, RP, Dodgers
Team 1 — Javier Baez, SS, Tigers
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 21
Team 1 — Freddy Peralta, SP, Brewers
Team 2 — Josh Donaldson, 3B/DH, Yankees
Team 3 — Trey Mancini, LF/DH/1B, Cubs
Team 4 — Andres Munoz, RP, Mariners
Team 5 — Joey Meneses, OF/1B, Nationals
Team 6 — Ha-Seong Kim, SS/3B, Padres
Team 7 — Joey Wendle, 2B/SS/3B, Marlins
Team 8 — TJ Friedl, OF, Reds
Team 9 — Cal Quantrill, SP, Guardians
Team 10 — Adam Wainwright, SP, Cardinals
Team 11 — Tyler Mahle, SP, Twins
Team 12 — Harrison Bader, OF, Yankees
Fantasy Baseball mock draft Round 22
Team 12 — Oscar Gonzalez, OF, Guardians
Team 11 — Joc Pederson, OF, Giants
Team 10 — Dylan Floro, RP, Marlins
Team 9 — Giovani Gallegos, RP, Cardinals
Team 8 — Travis d’Arnaud, C, Braves
Team 7 — Jose Urquidy, SP, Astros
Team 6 — Jonathan Schoop, 2B, Tigers
Team 5 — Bryson Stott, SS/2B, Phillies
Team 4 — Eric Haase, C, Tigers
Team 3 — Wil Myers, 1B/RF, Reds
Team 2 — German Marquez, SP, Rockies
Team 1 — J.D. Martinez, DH, Dodgers
My picks: Yasmani Grandal, Joey Meneses, and Bryson Stott
At this stage of the draft, you’re just looking for the best options available. Of the three, I’m very curious about Meneses, who showed his power during the World Baseball Classic. I also like Stott being a part of a strong Phillies lineup and hoping he takes the next step in his second season. All three can slot in at multiple positions as well, and that never hurts.
Martinez became Mr. Irrelevant of the draft, being the last player selected. However, that worked out pretty well for Brock Purdy last season with the San Francisco 49ers, so who am I to judge?
So where did I pick someone too high or too low? What would you have done differently? Let me know in the comments section below, and here’s wishing you good luck in your fantasy baseball draft.