FantasyPros Mock Draft: Rounds 22 & 23 Recap

You could do worse than pick the reinvented Rich Hill this late in your draft

There were not many name brand players picked in these 24 picks, but there is a good chance for deep sleepers from this group. Three more minor league players were picked this round, as owners look to the back-end of the season for these impact players. While the top prospects drafted in these 24 picks will grab attention, there were still a lot of other high upside players selected.

Remember to keep track of live updates of the mock draft @thezman2010 on Twitter or at #FPMockDraft.

Draft Wizard: Mock in minutes vs. the most accurate experts

Read below for picks and analysis for the 22nd and 23rd round of the 2016 FantasyPros MLB Mock Draft.

22.01 Rob Klein – Daniel Norris (SP – DET)

Norris was the prize that Detroit acquired from Toronto in the David Price trade. He acquited himself very well in 13 starts going 3-2 with 45 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched. In eight starts with Detroit, he posted a 1.02 WHIP and a .216 batting average against. He will be pitching in the four or five slot in the Tigers’ rotation for a team that should be able to provide him with lots of run support.

C-McCann 1B- Cabrera 2B-Phillips SS-Marte 3B-Machado OF- Cruz OF-Gonzalez OF-Puig UT-Teixeira UT-Pillar UT-Parra P- Hamels P-Lester P-Verlander P-Familia P-Britton P-Shields P-Fiers P-Estrada BE-Harrison BE-Eickhoff BE-Norris BE- BE- BE-

22.02 John Aubin – Starlin Castro (2B/SS – NYY)

It is very doubtful that Castro will reach the potential he showed early in his career. He looked to be a star of the future at shortstop for the Cubs but has failed to live up to his career year of 2012 when he was 22 and hit 14 home runs and stole 25 bases.

A move to New York to play for the Yankees could be enough to reinvigorate Castro. John is expecting a .250-.275 average with five stolen bases and has the potential for 15-20 homers playing his home games in Yankee Stadium.

C-Mesoraco 1B-Gonzalez 2B-Odor SS-Boegarts 3B-Bryant OF-McCutchen OF-Yelich OF-Pederson UT-Duffy UT-Granderson UT-Moreland P- Fernandez P-Bumgarner P-Kimbrel P-Richards P-Matz P-Rodriguez P-Corbin P-Ross BE-Vizcaino BE-Giolito BE-Castro BE- BE- BE-

22.03 Matthew Davis – Rich Hill (SP – OAK)

The 35-year-old journeyman was able to find the fountain of youth for the Red Sox in 2015. Hill only started four games for the big league club but was able to turn every start into a gem. His strikeout rate of 34% was absurd, especially because he owns a career strikeout rate of 22.6%. Hill’s short success in Boston landed him a one-year, $6 million contract with the Oakland A’s.

Matthew is intrigued by Hill and wanted to scratch beneath the surface of his success. Hill had a spin rate on his breaking ball that was among the elite and his former pitching coach, Brian Bannister enlightened Hill to think outside the box.

The key to success was changing his pitching pattern. Hill mentioned that he went from having four pitches to around 12 just by changing speeds and location with great deception. Matthew doesn’t expect Hill to be throw 200-plus innings or continue to own a gigantic 34% strikeout rate.

If that were the case, he would be getting drafted among the elite. However, Hill could certainly succeed in Oakland, and the park factor will help benefit him as well. Do not be shy and take a shot on the reinvented Rich Hill, especially if you can land him this deep into drafts.

C- 1B-Rizzo 2B-Murphy SS-Seager 3B-Longoria OF- Pollock OF-Upton OF-Gomez UT-Cespedes UT-Soler UT-Holliday P-Ross P-Salazar P-Martinez P-Rondon P-Rodon P-Boxberger P-Teheran P-Severino BE-Bauer BE-Heaney BE-Segura BE-Hill BE- BE-

22.04 Chris Zolli – Kyle Gibson (SP – MIN)

As I continue to develop my pitching depth, the fourth-year starter Gibson is a good addition to the roster. Although he will never be known for his strikeout potential, his K% has jumped in each of the last three seasons, up to 17.7% in 2015. He has also dropped his WHIP in each of the last three seasons, down to 1.29 last season.

Most importantly, he has maintained a 53% or better ground ball percentage over the last two seasons while nearly doubling the amount of ground balls to fly balls. While he saw his hard hit ball percentage jump in 2015, he also saw his softly hit ball percentage increase as well, a testament to his emphasis on developing an elite changeup.

He has increased his changeup usage, and as he continues to jam batters with his explosive top pitch, he will ascend to fringe SP4 status. With the Twins improving in 2015 and looking to improve even more next season, look for 12-15 wins with an ERA in the mid-3.00s for the former first-rounder Gibson.

C-Schwarber 1B-Fielder 2B-Kipnis SS- 3B-Arenado OF- Marte OF-Martinez OF-Cain UT-Polanco UT-Gardner UT-Fowler P- Darvish P-McCullers P-Tanaka P-Street P-Papelbon P-Hendricks P-Kennedy P-Cashner BE-Nelson BE-Storen BE-Quackenbush BE-Gibson BE- BE-

22.05 David Marcillo – Jesse Hahn (SP – OAK)

Hahn is an injury risk, as he spent the second half of 2015 off the mound dealing with a forearm and elbow issue, but when he’s healthy, he’s been great. He put up a 3.35 ERA in 16 games and gets to continue pitching his home games at spacious O.Co Coliseum. There’s risk involved with this pick, but there’s some nice upside too if things go well.

C-Posey 1B-Votto 2B-Zobrist SS-Desmond 3B-Carpenter OF- Stanton OF-Calhoun OF- Conforto UT-Hosmer UT-Morales UT-Myers P- Harvey P-Gray P-Ramos P-Pineda P-Iglesias P-Smyly P-Happ P-Hernandez BE-Rodriguez BE-Karns BE-Hahn BE- BE- BE-

22.06 Jamie Mellor – Jose Berrios (SP – MIN)

This is an upside pick for Jamie. Berrios may not start the season with the Twins, but Jamie is hoping his call up will be fairly early. Berrios has plus stuff to go with advanced control that was considered among the best in the minors. There were safer picks at hitting positions left on the board, but if this pick comes through, he will be a steal.

C-Vogt 1B-Freeman 2B-Wong SS-Correa 3B-Rendon OF- Betts OF-Braun OF-Eaton UT-Davis UT-Bruce UT-Baez P- Price P-Hernandez P-Wainwright P-Davis P-Quintana P-Casilla P-Lackey P-Smith BE-Betances BE-Lind BE-Berrios BE- BE- BE-

22.07 Matt Terelle – Steven Souza (OF – TB)

Souza would have had a better season, but he was limited to just 110 games after suffering injuries to his finger and wrist. He has home run and stolen base upside as he hit 16 long balls to go along with 12 steals. Souza also carries a low batting average and strikes out quite frequently. As a bench piece, he should be fine as a fill-in from time to time.

C-Perez 1B-Duda 2B-Dozier SS-Reyes 3B-Donaldson OF- Bautista OF-Blackmon OF-Heyward UT-Sano UT-Ellsbury UT-Peralta P- Grienke P-Liriano P-Wacha P-Rosenthal P-Samardzija P-Doolittle P-Hammel P-Garcia BE-Martinez BE-Forsythe BE-Souza BE- BE- BE-

22.08 Eric Townsend – Yan Gomes (C – CLE)

A sprained MCL marred 2015 for Yan Gomes, causing him to miss seven weeks, come back too early and press when he did return. All of this resulted in a rough season for him, but this is still the same guy who was the best hitting catcher in the American League in 2014 when he had a line of .278/21 HR/74 RBI.

Gomes is an excellent bounce back candidate, as he showed signs of life late last season when he stopped forcing at-bats (10-game hitting streak to end the season, and nine of 12 homers last year came after the All-Star break), and with a clean bill of health going into Spring Training. A line of .275/20+ HR/70+ RBI is a reasonable expectation if Gomes can regain his Silver Slugger form.

C-d’Arnaud 1B-Abreu 2B-Altuve SS-Tulowitzki 3B-Moustakas OF-Ramirez OF-Reddick OF-Burns UT-Ortiz UT-Pujols UT-DeShields Jr. P- Cole P-deGrom P-Jansen P-Kazmir P-Ziegler P-Gonzalez P-Cishek P-Gausman BE-Moore BE-Dyson BE-Gomes BE- BE- BE-

22.09 Kerry Kauffman – Edison Volquez (SP – KC)

Kerry was pleasantly surprised to see Volquez available in the 22nd round. Perhaps the fact that he’s had only two solid seasons since 2008 allowed Volquez to drop off the radar, but he’s posted a 26-16 record with a respectable 3.30 ERA over the past two years. He struck out 299 and allowed only 356 hits during that span in 393 innings.

While his walk totals and home runs allowed have been up, Volquez is expected to be one of the top starters on the Royals’ staff. Expect a 12-15 win season, an ERA in the upper threes and 140 to 160 strikeouts. That’s excellent production for a 22nd round draft pick.

C-Gattis 1B-Encarnacion 2B-Cano SS-Andrus 3B-Frazier OF-Kemp OF-Revere OF-Choo UT-Gordon UT-Zimmerman UT-Herrera P-Kershaw P-Keuchel P-Giles P-Zimmermann P-McHugh P-Perkins P-Wood P-Nola BE-Wieters BE-Miller BE-Volquez BE- BE- BE-

22.10 Daniel Marcus – Wilmer Flores (SS – NYM)

Flores won’t be in line to start this season but with the injury prone David Wright manning third base, Flores should get some at-bats at the position. The fact that Flores is shortstop-eligible will allow him to provide good value at this point in the draft and gives Dan nice depth on the infield.

C-Lucroy 1B-Goldschmidt 2B-Russell SS-Kang 3B-Franco OF- Springer OF-Jones OF-Hamilton UT-Dickerson UT-Santana UT-Schoop P- Sale P-Carrasco P-Allen P-Robertson P-Odorizzi P-Ventura P-McGee P-Rodriguez BE-Glasnow BE-Buchholz BE-Flores BE- BE- BE-

22.11 Roy Widrig – Jhonny Peralta (SS – STL)

Jhonny Peralta was the 177th ranked player in Yahoo! leagues in 2015 and the eighth highest ranked shortstop. Considering this as a depth move and safety for a regression-ready Brandon Crawford, a 15 HR, 61 R, 67 RBI season (his actual PECOTA projections) would be heartily welcomed.

C-Martin 1B-Davis 2B-LeMahieu SS-Crawford 3B-Seager OF-Harper OF-Pence OF-Grichuk UT-Buxton UT-Park UT-Walker P-Arrieta P-Syndergaard P-Archer P-Melancon P- Stroman P-Miller P-Tolleson P-Maeda BE-Chen BE-Gallo BE-Peralta BE- BE- BE

22.12 Gavin Tramps – Anthony DeSclafani (SP – CIN)

Gavin likes the breakout potential that the Reds’ 25-year-old offers, especially at the end of the 22nd round. DeSclafani had an effective three-pitch mix and finished the season strongly, with 64 strikeouts and just nine walks in his final 63 2/3 innings.

Everyone is looking for upside at this stage of the draft, and the young right-hander could be the ace of the rebuilding Reds. Certainly not bad upside for the 89th starter off the board.

C- 1B-Belt 2B-Gordon SS-Lindor 3B-Beltre OF-Trout OF-Brantley OF-Trumbo UT-Kinsler UT-Span UT-Piscotty P-Scherzer P-Kluber P-Strasburg P-Cueto P- Chapman P-Walker P-Iwakuma P-Capps BE-Miller BE-Inciarte BE-DeSclafani BE- BE- BE-

23.01 Gavin Tramps – Yasmani Grandal (C – LAD)

Even with a couple of teams taking a pair of catchers, catching is very deep in a 12 team, one-catcher league. Perhaps the wiser decision would have been for Gavin to take the last of the tier of Grandal, Norris, Realmuto or Swihart.

However, Gavin likes the framing skills of Grandal, which should increase his plate appearances and his patience at the plate (no catcher took more walks in 2015). 15 home runs could be the floor, and there is a realistic opportunity for Grandal to finish in the top five.

C-Grandal 1B-Belt 2B-Gordon SS-Lindor 3B-Beltre OF-Trout OF-Brantley OF-Trumbo UT-Kinsler UT-Span UT-Piscotty P-Scherzer P-Kluber P-Strasburg P-Cueto P- Chapman P-Walker P-Iwakuma P-Capps BE-Miller BE-Eovaldi BE-Inciarte BE-DeSclafani BE- BE-

23.02 Roy Widrig – Orlando Arcia (2B/SS – MIL)

This was a tough pick, as there are many players worth spending an NA spot on remaining, but few possess a clearer path to “The Show” than Orlando Arcia. Having to beat out only Jonathan Villar and Scooter Gennett for starting time at either 2B or SS, Arcia represents a speed threat balanced with a solid on-base skill and slowly developing power.

It’s worth noting that he has improved at every level of his minor-league career and had a breakout season in 2015 at Double-A Biloxi, slashing .307/.347/.453 while popping eight home runs, seven triples and driving in 69 runs. In 440 MiLB games, Arcia has stolen 89 bases.

23.03 Daniel Marcus – Kevin Kiermaier (OF – TB)

Kiermaier is a defense first player, but the good news is that it will keep him in the lineup. If you squint really hard, there is potential for a breakout in the mold of Lorenzo Cain last year, making him a good outfielder for Dan’s bench.

23.04 Kerry Kauffman – Jason Grilli (RP – ATL)

Having a solid veteran closer in Glen Perkins and potential dominant closer in Ken Giles, Kerry feels good with this gamble in the 23rd round. Grili saved 33 games in 2013 and was excellent last season with the Braves before blowing out his Achilles tendon. He allowed just 28 hits and struck out 45 in 33 2/3 innings, while posting an ERA of 2.94.

While there is no certainty at Grili’s age (he turned 39 on Nov 11), should he prove he is healthy and pitch well, he could be attractive trade bait down the stretch, increasing his fantasy value. Grilli is a low risk, high reward selection late in the draft.

23.05 Eric Townsend – Hyun-Jin Ryu (SP – LAD)

Hyun-Jin Ryu missed the 2015 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, but he is ready to go for Spring Training, and barring any setbacks should return to the rotation. There is plenty of risk with a potential logjam in the Dodgers’ rotation (six pitchers for five slots), as well as injury possibilities.

However, a fully healthy Ryu not only would earn that spot over the likes of either Brett Anderson or Alex Wood, but he’s an ace-level pitcher who’s well worth the risk of him sitting for part of the season. Expecting a repeat of past performance might be unreasonable, so a conservative line (assuming a full campaign) would be a 3.50 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 140 Ks, and that floor with plenty of upside is a bargain in the 23rd round.

C-d’Arnaud 1B-Abreu 2B-Altuve SS-Tulowitzki 3B-Moustakas OF-Ramirez OF-Reddick OF-Dyson UT-Ortiz UT-Pujols UT-DeShields Jr. P- Cole P-deGrom P-Jansen P-Kazmir P-Ziegler P-Gonzalez P-Cishek P-Gausman BE- Moore BE-Dyson BE-Gomes BE-Ryu BE- BE-

23.06 Matt Terelle – Blake Snell (SP – TB)

Snell isn’t expected to start the season with the Rays, but he should be called up within the first month as Tampa attempts to delay his free agency as long as possible. He made headlines last season by pitching 46 consecutive scoreless innings. He also demonstrated that he has huge strikeout upside as evidenced by him averaging over 11 per nine innings in Triple-A in 2015. At this point of the draft, he is worth stashing.

23.07 Jamie Mellor – Wellington Castillo (C – ARI)

This pick is about protection with upside. Vogt still carries some risk due to his recent surgery, so it behooves Jamie to pick up a second catcher. Castillo has great power potential, and the Diamondbacks have some hitters. He comes with low batting average concerns which is why he dropped to the 23rd round.

23.08 David Marcillo – J.J. Hoover (RP – CIN)

The Reds are going to struggle mightily to win games in 2016. They are rebuilding and in a very tough division. That being said, the worst teams in baseball still win about 60 games, and someone has to come in and save those games.

That someone for the Reds is J.J. Hoover. Hoover has served as Aroldis Chapman’s setup man for some time now, posting an impressive 2.94 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 2015. He won’t be an elite closer, but what are the odds that anyone drafted in the 23rd round will be an elite anything?

23.09 Chris Zolli – Eugenio Suarez (SS – CIN)

Zack Cozart missing the end of the 2015 season gave Suarez a chance at shortstop, but, with Cozart returning in 2016, Suarez will move over to third base. For fantasy purposes, though, Suarez is an SS, and his .761 OPS from 2015 would be a welcome addition in the 23rd as my starting SS.

He may not give me much in the way of steals, but did once steal 21 bases in the minor leagues, but his .167 isolated power and boost in both medium and hard hit ball percentage could translate into a 2016 fantasy sleeper. The Reds will not give him much help in the lineup, but he could hit 20 home runs in a strong hitter’s ballpark in Cincinnati and hit around .275.

23.10 Matthew Davis – Brandon Finnegan (SP – CIN)

The Reds’ youth movement is in full flux, and Finnegan is a major component. Finnegan’s strikeout upside is enormous, but his walk rate is a bit of a concern. Finnegan is going to fly up draft boards if he shows major signs of improvement in spring with his command. You should be able to add Finnegan to your roster late in mixed league drafts as of now, but he could gain some helium before April.

23.11 John Aubin – Rick Porcello (SP – BOS)

Porcello came into 2015 with the potential to be the ace of the Red Sox staff. After getting traded to Boston and getting handed a big contract, Porcello struggled under the pressure. He posted a 5.81 ERA in his first 20 starts and looked to be a bust.

After a stint on the disabled list, Porcello came around and posted a 3.14 ERA in his final eight starts. The biggest change was Porcello going back to throwing more sinkers and fewer fastballs. If Porcello can continue his second half pitching performance in 2016, he should be a solid starter for John’s fantasy team.

23.12 Rob Klein – Roberto Osuna (RP – TOR)

Osuna is in a battle with Drew Storen to become the Blue Jays closer this season. Even if he does not win the job, he will bring good ratios and a live 21-year-old arm to Rob’s team. Last season he pitched 69.7 innings and had 75 strikeouts.

He also posted an ERA of 2,58 and a WHIP of 0.91 while pitching in a very hitter-friendly ballpark and division. Even if Storen wins the closer job, Osuna will likely have some save opportunities this season.

Draft Wizard: Mock in minutes vs. the most accurate experts

Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.

MLB was the 177th ranked player in Yahoo! leagues in 2015 and the eighth highest ranked shortstop. Considering this as a depth move and safety for a regression-ready Brandon Crawford . Having to beat out only Jonathan Villar and potential dominant closer in Ken Giles or Alex Wood

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Chris Zolli

@thezman2010

Chris Zolli is a featured writer at FantasyPros, providing unique insights and in-depth analysis.

22.01 Rob Klein – Daniel Norris (SP – DET)

22.02 John Aubin – Starlin Castro (2B/SS – NYY)

22.03 Matthew Davis – Rich Hill (SP – OAK)

22.04 Chris Zolli – Kyle Gibson (SP – MIN)

22.05 David Marcillo – Jesse Hahn (SP – OAK)

22.06 Jamie Mellor – Jose Berrios (SP – MIN)

22.07 Matt Terelle – Steven Souza (OF – TB)

22.08 Eric Townsend – Yan Gomes (C – CLE)

22.09 Kerry Kauffman – Edison Volquez (SP – KC)

22.10 Daniel Marcus – Wilmer Flores (SS – NYM)

22.11 Roy Widrig – Jhonny Peralta (SS – STL)

22.12 Gavin Tramps – Anthony DeSclafani (SP – CIN)

23.01 Gavin Tramps – Yasmani Grandal (C – LAD)

23.02 Roy Widrig – Orlando Arcia (2B/SS – MIL)

23.03 Daniel Marcus – Kevin Kiermaier (OF – TB)

23.04 Kerry Kauffman – Jason Grilli (RP – ATL)

23.05 Eric Townsend – Hyun-Jin Ryu (SP – LAD)

23.06 Matt Terelle – Blake Snell (SP – TB)

23.07 Jamie Mellor – Wellington Castillo (C – ARI)

23.08 David Marcillo – J.J. Hoover (RP – CIN)

23.09 Chris Zolli – Eugenio Suarez (SS – CIN)

23.10 Matthew Davis – Brandon Finnegan (SP – CIN)

23.11 John Aubin – Rick Porcello (SP – BOS)

23.12 Rob Klein – Roberto Osuna (RP – TOR)

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