FantasyPros Mock Draft: Rounds 24 & 25 Recap

Is this the year Nick Castellanos puts it all together?

As we wrap up this draft, it is important to remember that the picks made are not for all different types of leagues and fantasy owners need to modify their strategy for their different needs. Although we tried to use the most common rules with a 5X5 head-to-head mixed league, there are many that have shifted to a roto league or have looked to make modifications to the common 5X5 settings. It is our hope here at FantasyPros that this draft was both informative and interesting as we enjoyed conducting this first live draft and will look to continue this into 2017 and beyond.

To keep in touch with the coming and goings of the league throughout the season, stay tuned to the site. We will be producing content for major moves in the league, keeping readers in touch with our Correspondent League on Yahoo.

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 twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth rounds of the 2016 FantasyPros MLB Mock Draft.

24.01 Rob Klein – Jeremy Jeffress (RP – MIL)

While many expect Will Smith to begin the season as the Brewers’ closer, it is tough for managers to consistently rely on left-handed pitchers as their permanent guy. Jeffress did very well in the Brewers’ pen last season with 23 holds and a good strikeout ratio with 67 in 68 innings. His ratios will also help Rob’s team. Last season he had a 2.64 ERA and a WHIP of 1.26. This is a good spot in the draft to take a chance on a couple potential closers, with the position being so volatile. If one or both of these two emerge, Rob can enjoy success in the saves, WHIP and ERA categories or use one or more of his relievers as trade bait to address other areas of his team as the season progresses.

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-Osuna BE-Jeffress

24.02 John Aubin – Marcell Ozuna (OF – MIA)

After hitting 23 home runs in 2014, it looked like Ozuna was primed for a breakout season in 2015. That was not the case as Ozuna struggled in 2015 and even got sent down to the minors for 33 games. He finished the season with just 10 home runs and a .259 average. John is hoping this late-round pick comes back around and finds his power again. One thing that should help Ozuna is that Miami is moving in the fences of their park which has been one of the most difficult for power hitters. If Ozuna can get back into the 20-homer range and hit around .275, this will be a good late-round pick for John and a power bat off his bench.

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-Porcello BE-Ozuna

24.03 Matthew Davis – Aaron Hicks (OF – NYY)

Why are people sleeping on this guy? Hicks struggled with the Twins’ organization until last season when things started to click. His strikeout rate is decreasing and his OBP is increasing, showing signs of positive plate discipline. As of now, Hicks is slated to be the fourth outfielder in New York, behind Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran. This is an aging group with a history of injuries. There will be plenty of opportunities for Hicks in pinstripes, and Matthew expects him to exceed expectations.

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-Finnegan BE-Hicks

24.04 Chris Zolli – J.P. Crawford (SS – PHI)

The best way to recap this pick is to say that Eugenio Suarez will probably not be my SS for a majority of the season, maybe not at all, as I believe Crawford will break camp in Philadelphia as the leadoff hitter and SS for the Phillies. Crawford may not be flashy at any part of his game, but did have more walks (63) than strikeouts (54) during the 2015 minor league season and posted an impressive .142 isolated power in Double-A. His batting average was too low at Double-A Reading in 2015 (.265), but he still posted an elite .380 OBP over two stops last season and had 35 extra-base hits and 12 stolen bases. There is a good chance that Crawford can have a similar effect for the Phillies as Francisco Lindor had for the Indians in 2015, and I am okay with drafting the talented rookie in the 24th, rather than Lindor in the 7th.

C-Schwarber 1B-Fielder 2B-Kipnis SS-Suarez 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-Crawford

24.05 David Marcillo – Brandon Morrow (SP – SD)

Brandon Morrow is a huge injury risk this year, as he has been almost every year of his career. However, when he is on the mound, he produces. Limited to five starts last season, he posted a 2.73 ERA. He’s still rehabbing from his latest surgery but is the favorite for the last spot in the Padres’ rotation assuming he makes it through Spring Training unscathed. There’s plenty of upside with this pick, but maybe even more risk.

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-Hoover BE-Morrow

24.06 Jamie Mellor – Trevor Plouffe (3B – MIN)

Plouffe is a strong power hitter who put up good runs and RBI numbers last season with a low average. This move gives Jamie more depth at third base behind Rendon and Baez plus another option at 1B and UTIL.

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-Castillo BE-Plouffe

24.07 Matt Terelle – Yasmani Tomas (OF – ARI)

Here’s hoping that this is the year that Tomas reaches the potential that inspired Arizona to give him a big contract when he came over from Cuba. He struggled through his rookie season in 2015 with only nine home runs, but he has a good amount of power upside and did bat .273. If he puts things together, he could be hitting in the middle of a powerful Arizona lineup.

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-Snell BE-Tomas

24.08 Eric Townsend – Ervin Santana (SP – MIN)

Big Erv had his 2015 season cut in half due to an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, resulting in him only pitching 108 innings. However, his talent remains, as he displayed in his last seven outings of the season, with a line of 1.62 ERA/1.02 WHIP/8.46 K/9. With no distractions going into 2016, and no worries about a rotation spot, Santana is primed for a bounce back to somewhere in the middle of his strikeout-heavy 2014 (3.95 ERA/1.31 WHIP/8.22 K/9) and his control-minded 2013 (3.24 ERA/1.14 WHIP/6.87 K/9). 180+ IP with a line of 3.50 ERA/1.20 WHIP/150 Ks is a reasonable expectation for a veteran, making him a nice safety net in the 24th round.

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-Ryu BE-Santana

24.09 Kerry Kauffman – Jeremy Hellickson (SP – PHI)

Hellickson is a former Rookie of the Year with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011 when he posted 13 wins and a 2.95 ERA. The problem is that 2012 was his last solid season. Hellickson appeared in only 13 games in 2014 and posted a 4.62 ERA last season. The good news is that he will be entrenched in the No. 2 spot in the Phillies’ rotation, so Hellickson should log plenty of innings. While he likely will not put up stellar numbers, a 10-win season, ERA in the low 4s with 120 to 150 strikeouts is not out of the question. That would be decent production for a 24th-round pick and the eighth starter on Kerry’s staff.

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-Grilli BE-Hellickson

24.10 Daniel Marcus – Marcus Semien (SS – OAK)

Dan likes Semien as a sleeper at shortstop this season. He provides a nice power/speed combo and a 15-15 season is realistic. His defense is a concern to cause him to lose playing time, but Oakland is not exactly overflowing with talent.

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-Kiermaier BE-Semien

24.11 Roy Widrig – Josh Bell (1B – PIT)

All that stands in Bell’s way of starting at first base for the Pirates this April are John Jaso and Michael Morse, who aren’t very good. The 23-year-old Texan hit seven home runs and drove in 78 runs at Double-A and Triple-A in 2015, but did so while slashing .317/.393/.446 and stealing nine bases. Prospect evaluators see power slowly developing from his 6-foot-2, 235 pound frame and predict an eventual .290/20 home run talent at first base, with the ability to play outfield when needed.

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-Arcia BE-Bell

24.12 Gavin Tramps – A.J. Reed (1B – HOU)

The 22-year-old will arrive at Spring Training with a genuine shot at making the Opening Day lineup. Jonathan Singleton is likely to be given another opportunity, but Reed is fresh from an explosive .340 AVG, 34 HR, 1.044 OPS season. The Astros are contenders so Singleton will be on a very short leash if he wins the job. Unless Reed’s 2015 was a small sample mirage boosted by hitter-friendly parks, then he should be manning first base in Houston by the end of May, at the latest.

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- Reed

25.01 Gavin Tramps – Hyun Soo Kim (1B/OF – BAL)

It is too difficult to project what Kim will deliver in his first taste of the major leagues. His KBO stats of .326 AVG, 28 HR, 11 SB, .979 OPS are likely to translate into a player with a bit of speed and a bit of pop. The 101 walks to 63 strikeouts screams good strike zone judgment and a patient approach. With Dexter Fowler spurning the Orioles, Kim should remain near the top of the batting order. His floor could be Nori Aoki which, in the 25th round, is acceptable.

25.02 Roy Widrig – Matt Cain (SP – SF)

While this team is mostly composed of young talent, the time has come to take a flier on an oft-injured veteran. Cain has had difficulties with his elbow over the past three seasons, but if those issue are behind him, he could win a pile of games with a sub-4.00 ERA. The pick offers incredibly low risk with decent reward, but it is likely Cain’s best days are behind him.

25.03 Daniel Marcus – Michael Taylor (OF – WAS)

Taylor will not have a starting gig at the beginning of the season, but it is only a matter of time until Bryce Harper runs into a wall (or Johnathan Papelbon chokes him) or Jayson Werth gets hurt. Either of those scenarios will allow Taylor to step into an everyday role, which will give him the chance to be a nice power-speed combo player. The average will be low, but Taylor is a solid bench bat.

25.04 Kerry Kauffman – Chase Utley (2B – LAD)

Kerry’s last pick is more of a sentimental pick than anything, as Utley has been a favorite of Kerry’s since the day he set foot on a Major League field. Utley is clearly at the tail end of his career and is nowhere near the player he was during his prime. He struggled mightily most of last season, but showed a glimmer of hope that there is something left in the tank when he went on a hitting barrage before the Phillies traded him to the Dodgers. How much playing time Utley gets depends on how well he plays. Utley had 78 RBI in 2014 and hit .284 with 18 home runs in 2013. Should Utley come close to either of those numbers, he will be a very productive player for a 25th round pick. Should he falter, it will not be hard to replace him on the waiver wire. Here’s hoping Utley has something left in the tank and can fill in as needed.

25.05 Eric Townsend – Nick Castellanos (3B – DET)

Nick Castellanos isn’t going to turn any heads in the last round of the draft, but he is a solid young player with a bit of upside at the 3B position. Castellanos will hit for an average that won’t kill you (.255-.260), smack double-digit homers (12-15+), and should approach 80+ RBI this season. That baseline isn’t overly impressive, but in an improved Tigers’ lineup, with another year in the majors under his belt to hopefully learn better plate discipline (a meager 0.26 BB/K – 123rd in MLB in 2015), there is hope for the 23-year-old to achieve new heights in 2016.

25.06 Matt Terelle – Jayson Werth (OF – WAS)

Werth struggled through injuries in 2015 and will be turning 37 this season. That being said, he’s a perfect flier in the last round. Before last year’s struggles, he put together 41 home runs and 164 RBI combined in 2013-2014. If he can stay healthy, a big if, he could be a useful reserve outfielder this year. If not, he can be cut for a top waiver claim.

25.07 Jamie Mellor – Rusney Castillo (OF – BOS)

This pick is about upside. He has great defense which should keep him in the starting lineup. He has great power but did not get much lift, so he has been working on that. His swing was too long causing problems with fastballs so he spent the off-season shortening it. He has injury problems but says he has learned and has a better idea how to condition himself for the longer MLB season. He carries a lot of risk for fantasy but if he puts things together, he could get better through the season and be a value.

25.08 David Marcillo – Sean Newcomb (SP – ATL)

Newcomb came over from the Angels in the deal that sent Andrelton Simmons to (near) LA. He was a first-round pick in 2014, and while he almost certainly won’t start the year with the Braves, he should be one of the first young arms to get called up during the season. He has ace potential, but is more likely to settle in as a solid No. 2/3. He began 2015 in Short Season Single-A and advanced up to Double-A, never posting an ERA higher than 2.75 or a K/9 lower than 9.75 in the process.

25.09 Chris Zolli – Jon Gray (SP – COL)

Gray is a sleeper, as he was a top-20 prospect in both 2014 and 2015, but his poor MLB debut saw him slip to the end of the draft. This will be a huge advantage for me. Even though he had a 5.53 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 2015, he also struck out nearly one batter per inning (40 in 40 2/3 innings) and had a 3.63 FIP in his nine starts. Either way, nine starts is far too small of a sample size to evaluate Gray’s MLB upside, but we do know that Gray should provide in excess of a strikeout per inning. Even the biggest pessimist cannot see his ERA go over 4.15. Only 19 qualified SP struck out a batter or more per inning and, if for only his strikeout potential, Gray would be a great addition in the last round of the draft.

25.10 Matthew Davis – J.T. Realmuto (C – MIA)

Matthew is content on taking a catcher with his last pick in every 12-team mixed league this year. If you’re playing in a similar league and aren’t adamant on investing in the likes of Buster Posey, Matthew highly suggests that you wait it out until the last round. The catcher position isn’t as thin as it usually is and a lot of catchers fall into a huge tier. Matthew chose J.T. Realmuto due to his rare talent in the stolen base department for a catcher. Realmuto should post a 10/10 season if he is able to get 500-plus at-bats, which is rare for any catcher. However, if Realmuto doesn’t pan out or gets injured, Matthew can dive right into the waiver wire to replace him and won’t take a huge hit.

C-Realmuto 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-Finnegan BE-Hicks

25.11 John Aubin – Nick Williams (OF – PHI)

John fills his second NA spot with an outfielder who could potentially help him out early in the season in Nick Williams. Williams was acquired by the Phillies from the Rangers in the Cole Hamels deal last season. Wiliams had a breakout year in Double-A and offers a combination of power and speed and could be a 15-15 player in 2016.

25.12 Rob Klein – Jonathan Villar (SS – MIL)

The only piece needed for Rob‘s roster is a backup who can play shortstop in case Ketel Marte struggles at the start of the season. Villar may not be spectacular by any means, but he does provide enough at each of the offensive categories to help a fantasy team on a fill-in basis. Last season in 116 at-bats with Houston, Villar batted . 284 with an on-base percentage of .339. He even stole seven bases. Two seasons ago, in 84 games, he stole 17 bases, and stole 18 bases in 2013, bringing some much-needed speed to Rob‘s lineup. He may not have the shortstop position long in Milwaukee with hot prospect Orlando Arcia due to be called up at some point this season, but Villar provides a low-risk option as a backup with speed to begin the season.

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

MLB Jeremy Jeffress Will Smith Marcell Ozuna Aaron Hicks Jacoby Ellsbury Brett Gardner Carlos Beltran J.P. Crawford Eugenio Suarez Francisco Lindor Brandon Morrow Trevor Plouffe Yasmani Tomas Ervin Santana Jeremy Hellickson Marcus Semien John Jaso Michael Morse A.J. Reed Jonathan Singleton Hyun Soo Kim Dexter Fowler Nori Aoki Matt Cain Bryce Harper Jayson Werth Chase Utley Nick Castellanos Rusney Castillo Sean Newcomb Andrelton Simmons Jon Gray J.T. Realmuto Buster Posey Nick Williams Cole Hamels Jonathan Villar Ketel Marte Orlando Arcia

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Chris Zolli

@thezman2010

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