As we ramp up the fantasy baseball draft season, the time for Mock Drafts is now. Most take part in mock drafts to determine the best potential plan of attack to achieve the best draft results. Of course, the results can vary based on draft spot, league competition, and more.
My task in these upcoming articles is to take part in quick mock drafts using the FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator. I will draft from the front, middle, and back of the draft, discussing the results and other potential picks available in that part.
In the end, remember that these are just mock drafts. They should be used to help build a better player pool concept, to realize when to target pitchers, certain hitting positions or statistics, and more. Let’s look at my results for picking 6th in a 12-team mock draft.
As we ramp up the fantasy baseball draft season, the time for Mock Drafts is now. Most take part in mock drafts to determine the best potential plan of attack to achieve the best draft results. Of course, the results can vary based on draft spot, league competition, and more.
My task in these upcoming articles is to take part in quick mock drafts using the FantasyPros Mock Draft Simulator. I will draft from the front, middle, and back of the draft, discussing the results and other potential picks available in that part.
In the end, remember that these are just mock drafts. They should be used to help build a better player pool concept, to realize when to target pitchers, certain hitting positions or statistics, and more. Let’s look at my results for picking 6th in a 12-team mock draft.
With Paul Skenes shockingly going number one, it was easy to take Shohei Ohtani with the second pick. Ohtani will go first for most drafts, and I’ll gladly take Bobby Witt Jr. with the second pick. Ohtatni, coming off the first 50/50 season in history, should still be good for 40/40 type success, even with some natural regression.
The first base position gets ugly quickly, so I want to draft one in the early rounds. Harper brings a nice batting average with power and counting stats. If Harper can find 10+ steals, then he’s a steal at this point in the draft.
Merrill is coming off a season worthy of a rookie of the year, and his second season could bring even more fantasy upside. He brings a nice batting average with a 25/15 floor, with the chance of a 30/20 upside. Merrill’s hitting in the potent Padres lineup should lead to plenty of runs and RBI, making Merrill a strong 5-category contributor.
I was debating on starting pitching, but I had to take the chance on an ace like Cease. He has thrown at least 177 innings in the last three seasons. Cease has produced solid ratios to go with at least 214 strikeouts in the previous four seasons. His walk rate improved to 8.5%, giving him a career-best 1.07 WHIP. Cease is an ace and is a gift at the end of round 4.
Teoscar had an excellent debut season with the Dodgers and is back in LA for an encore campaign. He hit a career-high 33 home runs, had 12 steals, and had a .272 batting average. A solid 5-category contributor, Teoscar should be involved in plenty of run production, hitting in the middle of the Dodgers lineup.
I was over the moon to see Langford available in Round 6. It was a slow start to the 2024 season for Langford but a strong finish, leaving plenty of optimism for 2025. After five home runs and eight steals in the first half, Langford hit 11 home runs with 11 steals in the second half. He’s a 20/20 talent who can score plenty of runs if he hits near the top of a loaded Rangers lineup.
After waiting on starting pitching, it was nice to add Shota as my SP2. He’s coming off a great rookie season where he collected 15 wins over 173.1 innings pitched. Shota had an impressive 2.91 ERA and 3.50 SIERA with a 21% K-BB. Shota was the real deal last year; another great season could be in store in 2025.
I tend to play RP chicken in drafts, but I still want to leave with one of the game’s top closers. Iglesias is a Top 5 closer for me, so drafting him at the end of Round 8 is a no-brainer. Iglesias has at least 28 saves in his last six seasons as a full-time closer. The Braves should win plenty of games in 2025, giving Iglesias another chance at 30+ saves.
Reynolds is a boring pick for many, but boring is beautiful, especially in Round 9. As drafts go deeper, finding a nice batting average floor is hard, and Reynolds provides that. Reynolds has also hit 24 or more home runs in the last four seasons while stealing at least ten bases in the previous two seasons. Run production may be hampered playing for the Pirates, but overall, Reynolds brings plenty of fantasy goodness as my fourth outfielder.
With third base drying up, it was time to take an upside pick with Caminero. In his previous minor league seasons, Caminero has provided plenty of power with some speed. He’ll be entering his first full season with the Rays and is only 21 years old. The sky is the limit for Caminero, and we may never see him available this late in a draft for many years to come.
Suarez is coming off an outstanding season where he saved 36 games for the Padres in his first year as a closer. He heads into 2025 as the closer again and should be in line for plenty of opportunities on a talented Padres team. The reliever market starts drying up after Suarez, so grabbing another closer with a 30+ save upside is quite nice.
Garcia burst onto the scene last year with 18 home runs and 22 stolen bases with a .282 batting average. He’ll be 25 years old entering the 2025 season and brings a lot of upside, hitting near the top of an improving Nationals lineup. The second base is deep, but not deep, regarding Garcia’s overall skill set. He’s a poor man’s Jose Altuve this season.
I waited on the catcher position, so it was time to grab one of my Top-10 catchers this year. Stephenson brings a nice batting average floor at a position that is not usually great in batting average. Stephenson also provides 20 home runs upside and should provide plenty in the run-scoring statistics, hitting in the middle of the Reds lineup.
With only two starting pitchers on the team, I wanted to take a chance on an upside arm in Jones. He was great to start last season but scuffled a bit as the season went on. He finished the year with a 4.14 ERA over 121 innings, but a 3.72 SIERA and 26.2% strikeout rate leave plenty of upside as he enters his second season in the Pirates rotation.
It was a down season for Castellanos as he hit .254 with 166 runs and RBI, but he still hit 23 home runs while lowering his strikeout rate to 21.1%. Castellanos’s barrel and hard-hit rates were down from 2023, but he also had his best maxEV of his career. Castellanos is getting older and may not be elite, but he can still be productive for fantasy-hitting in the Phillies lineup and does not cost a premium draft pick anymore.
Waiting on third base is not always a great feeling and leaves you drafting a player like Bohm. He brings a nice batting average floor, but 15-20 home runs and 150+ runs and RBI. It is a solid floor and fits the team build, but it leaves you wanting more from the third base position.
Health is always an issue when drafting O’Neill, but that is baked into his draft price. Last year, he played 113 games, the second time he had played over 100 games in his career. He hit 31 home runs and brings tons of power upside, hitting in a potent Orioles lineup.
Pfaadt racked up a 4.71 ERA over 181.2 innings pitched, but there is plenty to like with Pfaadt. He had a 3.65 SIERA with an 18.8% K-BB. Walks and home runs have been an issue throughout his career, but he improved in both categories in 2024. 2025 could be the year that Pfaadt becomes a potential ace for the DBacks, which makes for an enticing SP4 in fantasy.
Eovaldi threw 170.2 innings last season, his first time throwing 170+ innings since 2021. Regardless of the amount of innings thrown, Eovaldi has recorded an ERA of 3.80 or lower in the four seasons with a strikeout rate of 22% or better. He’s a great SP5.
With the rumors of Willson Contreras playing more games at 1B, I am buying into Herrera getting more playing time behind the plate. He is one of the better offensive talents at the catcher position, and a full season can expose the goodness. Last year, he hit .301 with five home runs while stealing five bases in 259 plate appearances. I’ll take that gamble in Round 20 of every draft.
Castro played in 158 games last year and put together quite the fantasy season, hitting .247 with 12 home runs, 14 steals, and 89 runs scored. He’s expected to lead off for the Twins, which could lead to another big season. His positional flexibility also makes Castro an excellent fantasy pick later in drafts.
Gore continues to improve each season in the bigs. This past season, he threw 166.1 innings and put together a 3.90 ERA, 3.98 SIERA, and 24.8% strikeout rate. Gore cut his home runs dramatically and lowered his walks a bit. If Gore continues improving his walk rate, he could be a steal in Round 22.
With two stud closers already on the roster, I took the chance on the unsigned Jansen. If/when he signs, he will sign as a closer. Jansen still strikes out over ten per nine innings with a low three ERA while also collecting 20+ saves. He makes for a nice third closer with RP2 upside.
Lodolo battled injuries again in 2024 but managed to throw 115.1 innings. His 4.76 ERA was rough, but his 3.78 SIERA and 24.7% strikeout rate suggest plenty of skills. A healthy Lodolo does not deserve to sit around until Round 24.
McMahon is not a fantasy world beater, but he is as consistent as they come. He’s good for a batting average of .240 or better with at least 20 home runs. He’ll continue to be productive playing half his games in Coors Field, and having MI/CI positional flexibility is a bonus.
Plenty of questions surround Pages playing time with the Dodgers signing Teoscar and Michael Conforto. With Gaving Lux getting traded, Tommy Edman could move to the infield, and Pages could find more at-bats in the Dodgers’ outfield. He will be a nice power source and speed if that plays out. It’s worth a gamble with the last pick.
Others Considered: N/A
Summary
The early pick in drafts should result in some top-heavy goodness, but balancing that out throughout the draft is challenging. I received an A+ (98/100) grade, largely thanks to my hitters. Drafting hitters early and often helped. My pitching is rated 4th, which makes sense when taking chances on the upside arms later in the drafts. Drafting near the top is always great, especially when Ohtani is your first pick.
I've been running TheSportsDegens.com which is now FantasySportsDegens.com for almost 4 years. I've contributed articles and also record 4 or more podcasts a week. I record Benched with Bubba, Around the Bases with Bubba & Mo, MLB DFS Quick Hits and others.
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