We’ve been analyzing mock drafts in all shapes and sizes, but they’ve all had the snake draft format in common thus far. Today, we step into the auctioneer’s house for a little bidding war.
For this particular 12-team redraft auction mock, we’re using a $260 budget and standard 5×5 roto categories with these slots: C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, CI, MI, 3 OF, 2 Util, 3 SP, 2 RP, 4 P and 5 BN. To complete this mock, I used our Draft Wizard which is a quick and easy way to prepare for your fantasy baseball drafts. You can view the full draft board and analysis here.
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Mock Draft Picks
- C – Yasmani Grandal – $4
- 1B – Paul Goldschmidt – $35
- 2B – Brian Dozier – $17
- SS – Carlos Correa – $23
- 3B – Matt Carpenter – $9
- CI – Freddie Freeman – $20
- MI – Trevor Story – $15
- OF1 – Ian Desmond – $20
- OF2 – Marcell Ozuna – $7
- OF3 – Jose Peraza – $7
- UTIL1 – Hanley Ramirez – $13
- UTIL2 – Matt Holliday – $3
- SP1 – Corey Kluber – $21
- SP2 – Yu Darvish – $18
- SP3 – Kenta Maeda – $9
- RP1 – Seung-Hwan Oh – $11
- RP2 – David Robertson – $8
- P1 – Matt Harvey – $6
- P2 – John Lackey – $7
- P3 – Hector Neris – $1
- P4 – Arodys Vizcaino – $1
- BN – Domingo Santana – $1
- BN – Corey Dickerson – $1
- BN – Joe Musgrove – $1
- BN – Danny Valencia – $1
- BN – Francisco Cervelli – $1
Early Buys
Typically, I’ll pay the cost for a top-10 player in auctions. I usually aim for the sixth or seventh player, though some draft rooms can award aggressiveness with the first or second nomination if there are enough risk-averse types like me who want to gauge the room. Paul Goldschmidt at $35 makes for the perfect building block due to his five-category contributions.
After that, I wouldn’t spend more than $23 on a player. Carlos Correa was that player, as he was nominated the pick after Manny Machado (who cost $10 more). The profit wasn’t astounding as Corey Seager later went for $21, but at the time it gave me a solid infield base with two players who could contribute in every category.
I knew I wanted at least two SP1 types, as I’d likely be going for bargain bin arms down the road due to my emphasis on hitting. I ended up with Corey Kluber ($21) and Yu Darvish ($18), which I’ll gladly take as my one-two punch. There’s a little worry that Kluber’s huge workload through the 2016 postseason may affect him in 2017, but these two arms should deliver 200+ strikeouts each with strong ratios.
With a CI and two UTIL slots, there were no qualms about ponying up $20 for Freddie Freeman and his premier bat. There’s no worrying about filling slots too early here. Just grab the talent at a solid price point.
I felt as though I could wait more on the outfield, but I still paid $20 to get Ian Desmond and his resurgent bat at Coors Field. His second half was troubling, but his ceiling is too high.
The Coors love continued by getting the electric Trevor Story for a paltry $15, going for $4 less than Francisco Lindor and $3 less than Xander Bogaerts. I had gotten some solid, well-rounded bats, so getting some emphatic power seemed wise.
The trend continued by getting Brian Dozier for $17, who won’t be expected to meet 2016’s numbers but should score 100 runs with 25+ homers and 15 steals. It doesn’t hurt that he’s averaged 700 plate appearances over the last three seasons.
If you’ve been following along with my mock draft series, you know that I love Hanley Ramirez at his price. Locking up one utility spot with him for $13 is an easy call, but my biggest surprise was grabbing Matt Carpenter for a lowly $9. I suppose this was when the draft started to tilt toward saving, but now my infield (sans catcher) is filled out with firepower.
Mid-Draft Buys
Speaking of catcher, I nominated Yasmani Grandal rather early and was able to scoop him for $4. Buster Posey went for $18, but things dropped off quickly after that. Even Jonathan Lucroy only went for $9, which I naturally wish went to me instead.
Rounding out my hitters were Marcell Ozuna ($7), Jose Peraza ($7) and Matt Holliday ($3). Two power bats that won’t hurt an average and a speedster.
You’re probably thinking that my pitching is horrendous, but I swear it’ll be okay. Kenta Maeda ($9), Matt Harvey ($6) and John Lackey ($7) round out my five-man rotation with two steady arms and a lotto-ticket ace in Harvey.
Nothing in Maeda’s metrics suggests he can’t repeat last season, and Lackey has adjusted well with age and has Chicago’s top defense behind him. If Harvey, who reportedly went through a normal offseason, can bounce back to his 2015 ways then we’ve snagged an SP1/2 for nothing.
Bargain Bin Buys
Now, we head on over to the dollar store for the last seven roster spots. Three young arms and three power bats fall in line, with Francisco Cervelli added to back up Grandal on his off days. With five bench slots, I’m okay with carrying a backup C to slot in.
Hector Neris, Arodys Vizcaino and Joe Musgrove are all promising hurlers, with Neris standing out as 2016’s underrated setup man. His 2.58 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 31.1 percent K-rate was beautiful, even if the Phillies refused to unseat the ineffective Jeanmar Gomez.
Vizcaino’s 27.5 percent K-rate was nothing to scoff at either, though injuries derailed him in the second half. Meanwhile, while Musgrove didn’t overwhelm in his first taste of the Majors, he held his own with 10 starts for Houston with a 4.06 ERA (3.98 SIERA).
The bats of Domingo Santana, Corey Dickerson and Danny Valencia are each capable of swatting 25 homers, though none will win me a batting title. Dickerson is one of those “best shape of my life” candidates after dropping 25 pounds and improving his mobility. Valencia’s versatility will likely come in handy, which gives me plenty of flexibility when combined with Carpenter and Peraza.
Conclusion
The Draft Analyzer has me finishing second with a grade of 94 out of 100. The first place team had 95, while third place sat at 78. That first-place team’s highest-paid player is Andrew McCutchen at $22, so don’t write off waiting a bit in an auction!
I’ll still take my squad over theirs, though, and would only change saving a bit more for a third true closer out of the opening gate. Blitzing those well-rounded bats early allows for strong power in the $7-12 range, with many cheap outfield options available for those looking to stretch their budget. Pitching depth remains as deep as the Mariana Trench, for the record.
If you think you can do better than my 98-grade team, here’s the link to our Draft Simulator. Tweet me @NMariano53 if you score a 99 or 100 on the auction block!
Recent mock from the first pick
Recent mock from the sixth pick
Recent mock from the 11th pick
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Nick Mariano is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Nick, check out his archive and follow him @NMariano53.
