Chase Davis | Tue, Mar 10th 2026, 7:09am EDT

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

Let’s run a 12-team, head-to-head, 5×5 category fantasy baseball mock draft using FantasyPros’ Draft Wizard tool. For this fantasy baseball mock draft, we’ll use the following positions: 1-C, 1-1B, 1-2B, 1-3B, 1-SS, 3-OF, 1-UTIL and 7-Pitchers. I will be drafting from the No. 1 spot. You can find the draft board here.

2026 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

1.01: Aaron Judge (OF – NYY)

The first pick is either Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani. Both are elite in runs, home runs and RBI. Ohtani is a better bet for 20+ steals, although he’s slowed down on the basepaths since returning to the mound as a pitcher.

Judge, on the other hand, may be the best bet in baseball to have a .300+ batting average. He’s had back-to-back seasons of a .322 average or better while belting 53+ home runs.

2.12: Jackson Chourio (OF – MIL)

Jackson Chourio’s sophomore campaign looked nearly identical to his rookie season. He’s had back-to-back 20/20 seasons with a solid batting average. I would like to see him really break out in year three.

3.01: Trea Turner (SS – PHI)

Trea Turner is the perfect complement to Aaron Judge. Turner is a five-category contributor, and where his power is lacking, his speed really makes up for it. His 36 steals in 2025 were his most since 2018.

4.12: Cole Ragans (SP – KC)

It seems that I will find a way to draft Cole Ragans, no matter where I pick in the draft. His ERA estimators (xERA, FIP, xFIP) were all more than two full runs below his actual ERA (4.67) last season. The biggest question is his ability to stay healthy.

5.01: Mookie Betts (SS – LAD)

Taking two shortstops in the first five rounds wasn’t the plan heading into the draft, but Mookie Betts felt like a steal. His “down” season saw him still record 95 runs, 20 home runs, 82 RBI and eight steals while batting .258.

Betts will bat somewhere in the top three of the best lineup in baseball and will rack up the counting stats.

6.12: Maikel Garcia (2B – KC)

Maikel Garcia has had back-to-back seasons of over 600 plate appearances and a sub-17% strikeout rate. He has the upside of a 20-home run, 30-steal season.

7.01: Kyle Bradish (SP – BAL)

Kyle Bradish is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. In the 32 innings he pitched in 2025, he had a 2.53 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 13.2 K/9. He’s a stud, but there may be an innings limit concern.

8.12: Eugenio Suarez (3B – CIN)

Eugenio Suarez is a player I gravitate to a lot in drafts. He is the end of a tier for me at third base. The third basemen who went after him were Matt Chapman and Noelvi Marte. Neither player has the upside in any category Suarez has for homers and RBI.

9.01: Raisel Iglesias (RP – ATL)

Raisel Iglesias is my first reliever and the 10th off the board. There is a chance he loses his job to Robert Suarez at some point, but he is the current closer, and he has a good history in the position.

10.12: Brandon Woodruff (SP – MIL)

Brandon Woodruff is my third starting pitcher and makes my pitching staff risky. He’s dealt with injuries every season since 2023 and is almost guaranteed not to reach 150 innings.

Given all that injury risk, Woodruff had a 3.20 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 11.5 K/9 in 64.2 innings last year.

11.01: Kyle Stowers (OF – MIA)

At this point in the draft, outside of Aaron Judge and Eugenio Suarez, I was feeling light on power. Enter Kyle Stowers. He had 25 homers in 117 games last season with solid counting stats.

While Stowers shouldn’t replicate a .288 batting average, his .265 xBA isn’t too shabby.

12.12: Emmet Sheehan (SP – LAD)

Emmet Sheehan is my SP4, but may end up being my SP3 most of the season. In 73.1 innings last year, he had a 2.82 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 10.9 K/9. The Dodgers will likely run a six-man rotation, but the win potential will be high.

13.01: Emilio Pagan (RP – CIN)

Emilio Pagan is my second reliever, and I don’t exactly love it. He was great last year, but it’s hard to trust him when he gives up as many fly balls as he does. Still, you can’t argue with Pagan’s 32 saves in 2025.

14.12: Willson Contreras (1B – BOS)

Willson Contreras makes the move to Boston and joins a potent lineup. He no longer has catcher eligibility, which hurts his value, but he can be a solid source of RBI.

Contreras produced 70 runs, 20 home runs and 80 RBI last year in St. Louis. He had hit 20+ home runs in four of the last five seasons.

15.01: Edward Cabrera (SP – CHC)

Edward Cabrera was traded to the Cubs this offseason. His 3.53 ERA was great, but his 1.23 WHIP left a lot to be desired. Hopefully, the Cubs’ stellar defense can see him reach a new level.

16.12: Gabriel Moreno (C – ARI)

Gabriel Moreno provides this team with another solid batting average boost. His strikeout rate was 17% last year, and his xBA was .279. There are plenty of interesting catchers this year, so if I don’t get Cal Raleigh, I’m fine with waiting in a 12-team league.

Draft Wizard Insights

The Draft Wizard gave this draft an A- grade (90/100). I’m projected to finish in the top five in average, RBI, runs, home runs and saves, and third overall.

Between Aaron Judge, Eugenio Suarez and Kyle Stowers, I have a great chance to win home runs and RBI every week. Jackson Chourio, Trea Turner, Mookie Betts and Maikel Garcia are all going to bat leadoff or near the top of their high-powered offenses. Willson Contreras and Gabriel Moreno are boring hitters who will stabilize the offense.

Cole Ragans and Kyle Bradish provide Cy Young contender upside. Each finished in the top four in Cy Young voting the last season they were both fully healthy (Bradish in 2023; Ragans in 2024). Brandon Woodruff should be great for ratios, and Emmet Sheehan and Edward Cabrera provide unproven upside.

Overall, this team is solid, but I should have taken my third pitcher before the 10th round. Once the eighth and ninth rounds came around, I didn’t want to miss out on third base and relievers, but I boxed myself out of starters. Especially since I started with such a big advantage on offense with Aaron Judge, I should have hammered pitching a little earlier.

NFL

MLB

NBA

NHL