Beyond our fantasy baseball content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator – which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents – to our Cheat Sheet Creator – which allows you to combine rankings from 100+ experts into one cheat sheet – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball draft season.
While the delay to the start of the MLB season is hard on everyone, it does allow for deeper dives into different aspects of fantasy baseball. You’ll notice that we’re doing this on a team-by-team and player-by-player basis with a pair of series we’ve put together. Additionally, we’re going to examine fantasy baseball on a round-by-round basis, covering 12 players per article and providing you a plethora of info specific to each fantasy baseball round.
We’ll get things started with Round 1. You can find the complete series here.
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Round 1 Player List
| Rank | Player | Team | Positions |
| 1 | Ronald Acuna Jr. | ATL | LF,CF,RF |
| 2 | Mike Trout | LAA | CF |
| 3 | Christian Yelich | MIL | LF,RF |
| 4 | Mookie Betts | LAD | CF,RF |
| 5 | Cody Bellinger | LAD | 1B,CF,RF |
| 6 | Trea Turner | WSH | SS |
| 7 | Francisco Lindor | CLE | SS |
| 8 | Gerrit Cole | NYY | SP |
| 9 | Trevor Story | COL | SS |
| 10 | Jacob deGrom | NYM | SP |
| 11 | Max Scherzer | WSH | SP |
| 12 | Juan Soto | WSH | LF |
Expert Analysis*
| EXPERT | VALUE | RISK | STUDS | BUSTS | |
| Jarad Evans | @Jarad_Evans | 10 | 1 | 11 | 1 |
| Andrew Gould | @AndrewGould4 | 10 | 2 | 11 | 1 |
| Jon Anderson | @JonPGH | 10 | 3 | 12 | 2 |
| Mario Mergola | @MarioMergola | 10 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| Carmen Maiorano | @carmsclubhouse | 10 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| Bobby Sylvester | @bobbyfantasypro | 10 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| Dan Harris | @danharris80 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
*Value: A total assigned to how the overall fantasy value of the round compares with other rounds relative to ADP/ECR (10 = most value : 1 = least value); Risk: A total assigned to how much potential risk exists compared with other rounds (10 = most risk : 1 = least risk); Studs: the number of potential league-winning players that can be found in the round; Busts: the number of potential busts that can be found in the round.
Q1. Who has the most league-winning potential of any Round 1 fantasy pick?
| EXPERT | PICK |
| Jarad Evans | Ronald Acuna Jr. |
| Andrew Gould | Mike Trout |
| Jon Anderson | Ronald Acuna Jr. |
| Mario Mergola | Mike Trout |
| Carmen Maiorano | Mike Trout |
| Bobby Sylvester | Christian Yelich |
| Dan Harris | Ronald Acuna Jr. |
Q2. Who has the biggest bust potential of any Round 1 fantasy pick?
| EXPERT | PICK |
| Jarad Evans | Mookie Betts |
| Andrew Gould | Max Scherzer |
| Jon Anderson | Max Scherzer |
| Mario Mergola | Trevor Story |
| Carmen Maiorano | Max Scherzer |
| Bobby Sylvester | Max Scherzer |
| Dan Harris | Max Scherzer |
Q3. What is your general strategy tip for Round 1?
Steals and starting pitching are in very high demand this year and I want my first-round pick to contribute in one of those areas. Cole or deGrom are awfully tempting if picking in the middle of the first round. Otherwise, grab one of those combo power/speed hitters to maximize flexibility as the draft moves along.
– Jarad Evans (@Jarad_Evans)
Just grab the best player available. The formula could change depending on the league (i.e. favoring a five-category hitter in roto or moving up aces in a deeper format), but this isn’t the time to go too far off the grain.
– Andrew Gould (@AndrewGould4)
Your first pick sets the tone for the rest of your draft. If you take a guy like Gerrit Cole, you may want to focus on high upside hitters as you move along the draft to compensate for missing one of the uber elite hitters. After taking a guy like Trea Turner, you can sit back on steals for a while since you already have such a big number there. You should decide what categories you feel good about making up for in the later rounds, and use your first pick to get someone who will hook you up big time in the categories that are harder to replace. Steals and batting average are very tough to find late in drafts, so I tend to lean towards covering those categories early on – making me most interested in Acuna, Betts, Lindor, and Turner here.
– Jon Anderson (@JonPGH)
The first round is about canceling out options more than chasing a target. Knock out anyone with a shred of doubt from your shortlist. If you feel the need to take a certain position because of how the round is unfolding, exercise restraint. Make a reasonable expectation about what will be available in the second round and, if the positions align, then eliminate more options. Ultimately, you’ll trim the list and then pounce on the best available.
– Mario Mergola (@MarioMergola)
Follow your projections and grab the highest-ranked guy left on the board. Simple as that.
– Carmen Maiorano (@carmsclubhouse)
What happens in this round should establish which category(s) you are punting. If you land Trout or Soto, punt steals, if a pitcher then punt batting average, otherwise punt saves unless your league allows for the Marmol Strategy, in which case you can draft any hitter and still be in good shape.
– Bobby Sylvester (@bobbyfantasypro)
In the first round, there is no real strategy. It’s too early to think about position strategy. This year, more than ever the first round is deep. You can’t go wrong.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)
Complete Round-by-Round Fantasy Baseball Draft Analysis
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