Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: 12-Team, Early Pick (2026)

We are officially back. It is that time of the year, with spring training right around the corner. We will be running a fantasy baseball mock draft using FantasyPros’ Draft Wizard tool. For this mock draft, I want to focus on starting pitchers early.

We’ll draft for a 12-team, head-to-head, traditional 5×5 categories league with the following positions: 1-C, 1-1B, 1-2B, 1-3B, 1-SS, 3-OF, 1-UTIL, 5-Pitchers and three bench spots. I’m drafting from the two-slot. You can find the draft board here.

Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

1.02: Aaron Judge (OF – NYY)

This felt like a no-brainer with Shohei Ohtani going No. 1 overall. It was between Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt.

2.11: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (SP – LAD)

I’m looking for Yoshinobu Yamamoto to build off his dominant performance in the postseason. He had his workload managed in the regular season last year, but the hope is that changes this upcoming season, coming off his performance in the postseason.

3.02: Ketel Marte (2B – ARI)

Despite the trade rumors all offseason, it appears Ketel Marte will remain with Arizona heading into Opening Day. It’s still possible that a trade happens near or at the trade deadline during the season. Either way, he remains one of the top second basemen.

4.11: Kyle Schwarber (DH – PHI)

I considered Kyle Schwarber as early as round three, so he was a no-brainer here at the end of round four. He is coming off a 56 home run season, where he played in all 162 games. Schwarber’s average has taken a bit of a hit, but the power upside remains high.

5.02: Cole Ragans (SP – KC)

Despite drawing trade interest this offseason, Cole Ragans remains with the Royals for now. He missed three months with a rotator cuff strain last year before returning to make three more starts to close the season. He remains a high-upside starting pitcher.

6.11: Corey Seager (SS – TEX)

It was a down season for Corey Seager compared to his standards last year, as he was limited to 102 games due to injuries. That has been an issue the last few seasons for him, which is baked into where he is going in drafts, as he hasn’t played more than 123 games the past three years. He had three years of hitting at least 30 home runs that ended last season.

7.02: Spencer Schwellenbach (SP – ATL)

Spencer Schwellenbach had his season end early last year with a fractured right elbow. He was reported to be pain-free to begin the offseason. Schwellenbach holds a steady 3.23 ERA across 234.1 innings (38 starts) over the past two seasons.

8.11: Oneil Cruz (OF – PIT)

Oneil Cruz is coming off a disappointing season where he slashed just .200/.298/.378 at the plate. He’ll be looking to bounce back as he likely remains in center field for the Pirates.

9.02: Tyler Glasnow (SP – LAD)

Despite some early trade rumors, Tyler Glasnow remains with the Dodgers. The biggest knock on him remains his durability, which is part of why I prioritized depth at starting pitcher on this roster. He remains one of the top starters in baseball when he’s healthy.

10.11: Trey Yesavage (SP – TOR)

After breaking out in the postseason as part of the Blue Jays’ path to the World Series, Trey Yesavage enters his first full season in the Majors. There can be some concern over regression for him coming off a historic performance in the postseason, but that risk is baked into him falling to the double-digit rounds.

11.02: Will Smith (C – LAD)

I’m always someone who punts the catcher position. I usually wait till the final few rounds, but I elected not to pass up Will Smith. Looking back, I may have kept waiting and targeted a closer like David Bednar or Aroldis Chapman with this selection.

12.11: Lawrence Butler (OF – ATH)

After playing through a patellar tendon strain in his right knee, Lawrence Butler underwent surgery in October. Athletics general manager David Forst said he expects Butler to be ready to go for spring training.

13.02: Christian Walker (1B – HOU)

It was a rough first season in Houston for Christian Walker, hitting just .238 at the plate. He did finish the season on a high note, power-wise, with 27 home runs and 88 RBI. He’ll be looking to bounce back at first base as the Astros also look to bounce back as a team to get back into the playoffs.

14.11: Josh Hader (RP – HOU)

I usually punt the closer position, but I don’t usually wait this long. Josh Hader was the first — and only closer — I selected in this fantasy mock draft. Hader underwent season-ending surgery last season, but he’s expected to be ready to go for spring training. When healthy, he remains one of the top closers in baseball.

15.02: Shane McClanahan (SP – TB)

16.11: Isaac Paredes (3B – HOU)

17.02: Edward Cabrera (SP – CHC)

I’m always chasing pure upside for my bench, and that’s just what I did with Shane McClanahan and Edward Cabrera.

McClanahan has not pitched in the regular season the past two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Cabrera showcased his upside in Miami and now lands with a better team in the Cubs that will give him more opportunities to earn wins.

Draft Wizard Insights

I was given a B+ grade (89/100) for this mock, which I agree with. I would have continued to wait on the catcher position and drafted another established closer if I could do it over again.

Articles MLB MLB Draft Advice Mock Drafts

About Author

Ari Koslow

@Koslow_ari

I am currently in my senior year at the University of Arizona, majoring in journalism with a minor in sports management. I've been running a fantasy football account on Instagram since 2015 (@Fantasy.footballexpert) that currently has over 70,000 supporters. I've also been with the sports desk of my school newspaper (Daily Wildcat) since my freshman year where I'm currently the assistant sports editor. I've covered football, basketball, baseball and a little bit of tennis over the last couple of years.