A strong offense and improved bullpen bode well for Justin Verlander’s 2016 outlook
As we move deeper into the draft, the trend has moved to teams adding top closers in the middle of the draft. Other teams have opted towards players coming off of injuries or a down season, but five closers were picked in a 12-pick span between the end of the eighth and middle of the ninth round. As we get deeper into the draft, owners are making the decision between either adding more depth at already strong positions or creating more balance throughout their roster.
Remember to keep track of live updates of the Mock Draft @thezman2010 on Twitter or at #FPMockDraft.
Read below for picks and analysis for the eighth and ninth round of the 2016 FantasyPros MLB Mock Draft.
Draft Wizard: Mock in minutes vs. the most accurate experts 
- FantasyPros Mock Draft: Round 1 Recap
- FantasyPros Mock Draft: Round 2 & 3 Recap
- FantasyPros Mock Draft: Round 4 & 5 Recap
- FantasyPros Mock Draft: Round 6 & 7 Recap
8.01 Rob Klein – Justin Verlander – SP, Detroit Tigers
For those who thought Verlander would not regain his form were proven wrong in the second half of the season where he posted a 2.27 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings while flashing a fastball that still hits 98 MPH. He is 32 years old and will enter 2016 fully healthy and ready after a full off-season workout regimen that he wasn’t able to do last season. The Tigers also have one of the more potent offensive lineups in the American League, and with the addition of proven closer Francisco Rodriguez and a revamped bullpen, Verlander should get a few more wins as well.
C- 1B- Cabrera 2B- SS- 3B-Machado OF- Cruz OF-Gonzalez OF-Puig UT- UT- UT- P-Hamels P-Lester P-Verlander P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.02 John Aubin – Rougned Odor – 2B, Texas Rangers
John fills out his infield taking Rangers’ second baseman Rougned Odor. Odor had a tale of two halves last season. He started the year with a 28 percent strikeout rate and found himself getting demoted to Triple-A. Odor played 30 games in the minors and found his stroke, which dramatically dropped his K rate.
After the All-Star break, Odor hit 12 homers and drove in 37 runs. Prorated over 162 games, that is 22 home runs, 86 RBI and 70 runs from the second base position. If he can post similar stats as the second half of last year, then he could be a value pick batting in a dangerous lineup.
C- 1B-Gonzalez 2B-Odor SS-Boegarts 3B-Bryant OF-McCutchen OF- OF- UT- UT- UT- P- Fernandez P-Bumgarner P-Kimbrel P- P- P- P- P-BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.03 Matthew Davis – Danny Salazar – SP, Cleveland Indians
You probably know how fun or frustrating it is to roster Danny Salazar if you have owned him in the past or played DFS. When he gets into a groove that big arm of Salazar’s can rack up strikeouts in a hurry. Danny Salazar is a 26-year-old phenom who showed a lot of maturity and progression in 2015.
Salazar is a strikeout pitcher who had a K% of 25.8% and a SwStr% of 11.8% in 2015. I expect Salazar’s BB% (7.0%) to decrease and his already massive K% (25.8%) to increase around 27.5% but wouldn’t be surprised if it was over 30.0%. The sky is the limit for Salazar, and slowly but surely he is sculpting into the superstar ace we’re itching to watch while owning.
Salazar pitched 185.0 innings last season while striking out 195 batters. Salazar is trending in the right direction with experience and a better understanding of how to pitch. 200+ innings are in the near future along with a 200+ strikeout season should be expected.
C- 1B-Rizzo 2B- SS-Seager 3B- OF- Pollock OF-Upton OF-Gomez UT-Cespedes UT- UT- P- Ross P-Salazar P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.04 Chris Zolli – Jason Kipnis – 2B, Cleveland Indians
Seeing Kipnis available at the beginning of the eighth round was amazing, as I had been looking at him for a couple of rounds. Although his steal total has dropped in each of the last four seasons and he has not been able to regain the power that led to 31 home runs over 2012 and 2013, he did have a career-high .823 OPS in 2015 and had 59 extra base hits. Kipnis topped a .300 batting average for the first time in 2015, .304, improving from a .240 batting average in 2014.
His ground-ball percentage was a bit higher than a fantasy owner would like, his line drive percentage was at a career high (26.8%) in 2015 and his hard-hit ball percentage was above his career average as well. Look for a .285 batting average, 50 extra base hits, 80 runs and 75 RBI from Kipnis.
C-Schwarber 1B-Fielder 2B-Kipnis SS- 3B-Arenado OF- Marte OF-Martinez OF-Cain UT- UT- UT- P- Darvish P- P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.05 David Marcillo – Kole Calhoun – OF, Los Angeles Angels
In a lineup with Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, other players sometimes get lost. Calhoun has been solid for years and had his best overall season in 2015. His average dipped a bit, coming in at .256, but he slugged 26 home runs and drove in 83 while scoring 78 runs on his own. Halfway through round eight, Calhoun is a valuable pick. He has a high floor based on the lineup around
Halfway through Round 8, Calhoun is a valuable pick. He has a high floor based on the lineup around him and has the potential for a nice ceiling.
C-Posey 1B-Votto 2B- SS- 3B-Carpenter OF- Stanton OF-Calhoun OF- UT-Hosmer UT- UT- P- Harvey P-Gray P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.06 Jamie Mellor – Adam Wainwright – SP, St. Louis Cardinals
Jamie deviated from his plan here. This is a huge upside potential type pick, and he decided to take the opportunity presented. Now, the question will be whether he still is quite so happy when his next pick comes and he surveys what is left from the direction he originally was looking at.
C- 1B-Freeman 2B-Rendon SS-Correa 3B- OF- Betts OF-Braun OF- UT- UT- UT- P- Price P-Hernandez P-Wainwright P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.07 Matt Terelle – Francisco Liriano – SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Liriano can be extremely inconsistent at times as he tends to sprinkle in a disastrous start from time to time, sandwiched around dominant outings. He’s still a solid No. 2 fantasy pitcher to have on board and should form a nice one-two punch with Zack Greinke. He has immense strikeout upside as evidenced by his 9.88 K/9 rate last season, good for seventh-highest in the league.
The main reason Liriano is lasting into the eighth round of drafts is his trouble with command, as he averaged 3.38 BB/9, eighth-highest in the league. He should still contribute solid fantasy stats across the board while only being a detriment in the WHIP category.
C- 1B- 2B- SS- 3B-Donaldson OF- Bautista OF-Blackmon OF-Heyward UT-Sano UT- UT- P- Grienke P-Liriano P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.08 Eric Townsend – Kenley Jansen – RP, Los Angeles Dodgers
There comes a point in the draft where you must decide to pay for saves, or ignore the elite arms and stock up later. Jansen is one of the few names worthy of a mid-round selection, as his numbers are truly elite. Last season he only pitched 52 innings, yet still amassed 80 strikeouts (a ludicrous 13.76 K/9 – fourth among relievers) to go with a 2.41 ERA and an MLB-best 0.78 WHIP. While Jansen’s WHIP is likely to normalize (think ~0.85-0.90), in a full season he should have over 100 strikeouts for the third time in his career, and should finish around the top five in saves, making him well worth taking near the end of the eighth round.
While Jansen’s WHIP is likely to normalize (think ~0.85-0.90), in a full season he should have over 100 strikeouts for the third time in his career, and should finish around the top five in saves, making him well worth taking near the end of the eighth round.
C- 1B-Abreu 2B-Altuve SS-Tulowitzki 3B- OF- OF- OF- UT-Ortiz UT-Pujols UT- P-Cole P-deGrom P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.09 Kerry Kaufmann – Shin-Soo Choo – OF, Texas Rangers
Needing to fill his outfield, Kerry was surprised to see Choo still on the board at the end of the eighth round. He hit .276 with 22 home runs, 82 RBI with a healthy .838 OPS in 2015.
While he only stole four bases last season and three in 2014, Choo has shown he can swipe some bases, totaling over 20 in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Kerry feels he can get back above the 10-stolen base mark, combine that with his power and solid batting average, Choo is an excellent choice for his final starting outfield spot.
C- 1B-Encarnacion 2B-Cano SS- 3B-Frazier OF-Kemp OF-Revere OF-Choo UT- UT- UT- P-Kershaw P-Keuchel P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.10 Daniel Marcus – Corey Dickerson – OF, Colorado Rockies
Dickerson had his season ruined by injuries last year, but his peripherals were consistent across the board from his 2014 season. No pick is free from risk, so the injury from 2015 doesn’t deter Dan from taking him. Dan has also gone heavy in the outfield as Dickerson is his fourth outfielder through eight rounds and feels he has a nice combination of speed and power at the position. In the coming rounds, he will have to work on filling the rest of the positions on his team with sleepers and players with
Dan has also gone heavy in the outfield as Dickerson is his fourth outfielder through eight rounds and feels he has a nice combination of speed and power at the position. In the coming rounds, he will have to work on filling the rest of the positions on his team with sleepers and players with the potential to break out.
C- 1B-Goldschmidt 2B- SS- 3B-Franco OF- Springer OF-Jones OF-Hamilton UT-Dickerson UT- UT- P- Sale P-Carrasco P- P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.11 Roy Widrig – Brandon Crawford – SS, San Francisco Giants
This is a reach, but a reach that needed to be made. The sixth and seventh rounds were murderous to the middle infield depth in this draft, and after stocking up on pitching, the team needed solidification up the middle.
Enter Crawford, coming off a career year in which he “figured out” how to hit left-handed pitching and started spraying the ball all over the diamond – when the hits were not leaving the park that is. Crawford broke out in 2015, banging 21 home runs and driving in 84 fellow Giants in a season when most of the team slumped.
C- 1B-Davis 2B- SS-Crawford 3B-Seager OF-Harper OF-Pence OF- UT- UT- UT- P-Arrieta P-Syndergaard P-Archer P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
8.12 Gavin Tramps – Aroldis Chapman – RP, New York Yankees
In the last three years, Chapman has thrown 334 strikeouts in 184 innings, that is a rate of 16.34 SO/9. Over this time, he has a 1.82 FIP, 1.02 WHIP and has converted 107 of 117 save opportunities. The 27-year-old dominates the velocity recorder on the MLB Statcast with no other pitcher appearing on the leaderboard.
Without a doubt, Chapman is the epitome of a “lights out” closer. Joe Girardi has confirmed Chapman as the Yankees’ closer, so this would be an excellent pick if it were not for the threat of a suspension. Gavin is hoping for a ban of no more than two weeks and ideally the decision would be made before Spring Training.
C- 1B- 2B-Gordon SS-Lindor 3B- OF-Trout OF- OF- UT- UT- UT- P-Scherzer P-Kluber P-Strasburg P-Cueto P-Chapman P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.01 Gavin Tramps – Adrian Beltre – 3B, Texas Rangers
Beltre has been a model of consistency. Over the last four years, he has a .505 SLG and .312 AVG in more than 2,500 plate appearances. It could be suggested that ageism has contributed to Beltre slipping to the ninth round, although last year the 36-year-old posted his lowest home run total (18) and his lowest batting average (.287) since his Seattle days.
The stats do not show that he was playing for much of the season with an injury he sustained at the start of June. They also do not show that despite the discomfort, he improved to be the second-best third baseman according to fWAR in the second half, just behind Josh Donaldson. With other third basemen from the same tier still on the board, Gavin does not love this pick, but he felt he needed Beltre’s batting average and reliable production to solidify his infield.
C- 1B- 2B-Gordon SS-Lindor 3B-Beltre OF-Trout OF- OF- UT- UT- UT- P-Scherzer P-Kluber P-Strasburg P-Cueto P- Chapman P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.02 Roy Widrig – Mark Melancon – RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
At first, this pick seemed like a bit of a stretch, but all signs point to a lack of closers by the time the draft snakes back around. In many instances, fantasy owners shouldn’t fear “overdrafting” a player (though Melancon’s ADP is 86 and this is pick 98).
Melancon is probably the most boring player to own in fantasy baseball – very few blown saves, solid defense behind him and no injuries – and about 50 saves to go along with it. Just draft Melancon and forget it.
C- 1B-Davis 2B- SS-Crawford 3B-Seager OF-Harper OF-Pence OF- UT- UT- UT- P-Arrieta P-Syndergaard P-Archer P-Melancon P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.03 Daniel Marcus – Jonathan Lucroy – C, Milwaukee Brewers
After taking Billy Hamilton, Dan needed players with a solid average to balance out what will likely be Hamilton’s low average. Lucroy is a bounce-back candidate after struggling and being injured much of last season. While the Brewers might not be a great team, he should get on base enough to score a lot of runs and regress more towards his solid .282 career batting average.
C-Lucroy 1B-Goldschmidt 2B- SS- 3B-Franco OF- Springer OF-Jones OF-Hamilton UT-Dickerson UT- UT- P- Sale P-Carrasco P- P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.04 Kerry Kauffman – Ken Giles – RP, Houston Astros
Kerry originally was going to go with a shortstop or another starting pitcher, until he saw four top-tier closers go with recent picks. The selection of Giles may seem to be a reach to some, but Giles has all the makings of a top closer for years to come. Having pitched as the setup man much of his first two seasons in Philadelphia behind Jonathan Papelbon, Giles has excelled. He had a ridiculously low 1.18 ERA in 2014 striking out 64 in 45 2/3 innings, allowing just 25 hits.
He saved 16 games for a woeful Phillies’ team after Papelbon got traded last year and finished with a 1.80 ERA and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Moving to the American League and pitching for a very good Houston team will give Giles the opportunity to save 40 and be one of the top young closers in baseball. Kerry is happy to add Giles to my roster as my top closer.
He had a ridiculously low 1.18 ERA in 2014, striking out 64 in 45 2/3 innings and allowing just 25 hits. He saved 16 games for a woeful Phillies’ team after Papelbon got traded last year and finished with a 1.80 ERA and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Moving to the American League and pitching for a very good Houston team will give Giles the opportunity to save 40 and be one of the top young closers in baseball. Kerry is happy to add Giles to his roster as his top closer.
C- 1B-Encarnacion 2B- SS- 3B-Frazier OF-Kemp OF-Choo OF- UT- UT- UT- P-Kershaw P-Keuchel P-Giles P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.05 Eric Townsend – Hanley Ramirez – OF, Boston Red Sox
Ramirez is a tough player to own, given both his injury history and his inconsistency from month to month. In 2015, HanRam suffered a shoulder injury that limited him to only 105 games, but he still was able to put up respectable numbers with 19 homers and six stolen bases. The biggest concern apart from health for the former shortstop, is his fluctuating batting average, down from .283 in 2014, to .249 in 2015.
However, he has a clean bill of health, has lost some weight in the offseason, and if healthy remains a threat for 25 homers, 12-15 steals, a decent average (~.270 is doable), and great run and RBI production in a good Boston lineup. Ramirez is also going to be playing 1B this season for the Red Sox, giving him dual eligibility early on. He is worth the risk.
C- 1B-Abreu 2B-Altuve SS-Tulowitzki 3B- OF-Ramirez OF- OF- UT-Ortiz UT-Pujols UT- P- Cole P-deGrom P-Jansen P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.06 Matt Terelle – Jacoby Ellsbury – OF, New York Yankees
Ellsbury suffered through a tough year at the plate in his second season in the Bronx. A midseason knee injury limited him to just 111 games, and he was not very effective upon returning to action, sparking speculation that he was still injured. Ellsbury is a classic five-tool player when healthy and a dominant fantasy asset. Unfortunately, he’s struggled with injuries throughout his career, so saying he’ll bounce back if healthy is taking a leap of faith. At this point of the draft, he’s well worth the risk.
Ellsbury is a classic five-tool player when healthy and a dominant fantasy asset. Unfortunately, he’s struggled with injuries throughout his career, so saying he’ll bounce back if healthy is taking a leap of faith. At this point of the draft, he’s well worth the risk.
C- 1B- 2B-Dozier SS- 3B-Donaldson OF- Bautista OF-Blackmon OF-Heyward UT-Sano UT-Ellsbury UT- P- Grienke P-Liriano P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.07 Jamie Mellor – Wade Davis – RP, Kansas City Royals
He has been historically great regarding his ratios the last few years and is now the closer for the reigning champions. This was not Jamie’s original intention or vision when he looked forward after his eighth-round pick, but the run on good hitters lead him to adjust to grab perhaps one of the last players left who is elite at their given position.
C- 1B- 2B-Rendon SS-Correa 3B- OF- Betts OF-Braun OF- UT- UT- UT- P- Price P-Hernandez P-Wainwright P-Davis P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.08 David Marcillo – Ben Zobrist – 2B/SS/OF, Chicago Cubs
Zobrist is one of those guys who won’t win you a fantasy league but will just happen to be on many winning teams. His numbers don’t pop as far as being particularly elite, but his .276/.359/.450 line combined with his positional versatility and the fact that he’s moving into a new offense make him a potential value pick with over 100 other players already drafted.
C-Posey 1B-Votto 2B-Zobrist SS- 3B-Carpenter OF- Stanton OF-Calhoun OF- UT-Hosmer UT- UT- P- Harvey P-Gray P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.09 Chris Zolli – Gregory Polanco – OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
There are many ways to build an offensive dynamo for fantasy purposes, but my favorite is to stockpile potential 20/20 players. Polanco joining Starling Marte and Lorenzo Cain in this group of multi-purpose players should suit my fantasy team well, and there will be others joining forces with this strategy later in the draft. Polanco had 49 extra base hits and stole 27 bases in 2015, showing his blend of power and speed. A .316 career OBP has limited the development of Polanco, especially with his BB% dropping from 9.6% in 2014 to 8.4%, but his hard hit ball percentage jumped from 24.3% in 2014 to 29.9% in 2015. He will never be a player with even a .285 batting
A .316 career OBP has limited the development of Polanco, especially with his BB% dropping from 9.6% in 2014 to 8.4%, but his hard-hit ball percentage jumped from 24.3% in 2014 to 29.9% in 2015. He will never be a player with even a .285 batting average as he only had .285 career average in 1,769 minor league at-bats, but he has the potential to be a 20/25 player in a multi-talented Pittsburgh outfield.
C-Schwarber 1B-Fielder 2B-Kipnis SS- 3B-Arenado OF- Marte OF-Martinez OF-Cain UT-Polanco UT- UT- P- Darvish P- P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.10 Matthew Davis – Carlos Martinez – SP, St. Louis Cardinals
Martinez finally got his long-awaited opportunity to join the Cardinals’ rotation full time in 2015. Martinez earned himself a spot on the NL All-Star team but saw his season end short due to a shoulder strain. The shoulder strain did not require surgery, and the 24-year-old should be a full go at the beginning of camp. The Cardinals’ talented young hurler has more room from growth and another level to him. His K% of 24.4% and 0.65 HR/9
The Cardinals’ talented young hurler has more room from growth and another level to him. His K% of 24.4% and 0.65 HR/9 rate are outstanding, showing that he can rack up strikeouts, and he keeps the ball in the yard. I am very high on Martinez in 2016 where his 200+ inning outlook comes with big strikeout numbers, a solid ERA (3.01 ERA in 2015) and the possibility of notching plenty of wins with the Cardinal way.
C- 1B-Rizzo 2B- SS- 3B- OF- Pollock OF-Upton OF-Gomez UT-Cespedes UT- UT- P-Ross P-Martinez P- P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.11 John Aubin – Christian Yelich – OF, Miami Marlins
Yelich battled back and knee problems in 2015 and missed quite a bit of time in the first half of the season. In the second half, though, he came through strong hitting .343 with 46 runs and 11 steals. He looked like one of the rising stars in baseball when healthy and should be primed to have a breakout season in 2016. Yelich does not offer much in the power department due to playing in Marlins Park which turns many of his big hits into doubles, but he makes up for the lack of homers in speed and average. Look for Yelich to hit over .300 with 10 home runs and 25 steals.
Yelich does not offer much in the power department due to playing in Marlins Park which turns many of his big hits into doubles, but he makes up for the lack of homers in speed and average. Look for Yelich to hit over .300 with 10 home runs and 25 steals.
C- 1B-Gonzalez 2B-Odor SS-Boegarts 3B-Bryant OF-McCutchen OF-Yelich OF- UT- UT- UT- P- Fernandez P-Bumgarner P-Kimbrel P- P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
9.12 Rob Klein – Jeurys Familia – RP, New York Mets
In his first season as the closer for the Mets, Familia was a key factor in helping the Mets reach the postseason. He posted 43 saves in 48 opportunities and had nice ratios with a 1.00 WHIP and a 1.85 ERA. The closer’s role seemed to suit Familia just fine as he lowered his ERA from 2.21 in 2014. He has good strikeout numbers just under a batter per inning with 76 strikeouts in 78 innings.
He has good strikeout numbers just under a batter per inning with 76 strikeouts in 78 innings. Familia is young at 26-years old and still growing into the role, so last year’s experience and his talents should make for a very good 2016 with the Mets being in contention for another playoff push.
C- 1B- Cabrera 2B- SS- 3B-Machado OF- Cruz OF-Gonzalez OF-Puig UT- UT- UT- P- Hamels P-Lester P-Verlander P-Familia P- P- P- P- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE- BE-
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Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.
