One of the best ways to practice for your real fantasy baseball draft is to partake in mock drafts. They give you a general idea of where players are being taken so you aren’t entering your actual draft blind. It is important to remember that there is no guarantee how a mock draft goes is how your actual draft will go, but they still act as solid practice to get you ready. They can help you get a better understanding of what positions you can afford to wait on and what players you can snag late as potential sleepers.
This was my first mock draft of the 2022 fantasy baseball season, so keep that in mind as the first mock draft is always going to be different than say the fifth or sixth one you participate in.
The roster is as followed: C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, three OF, UTIL, five SP, three RP and four BN and was conducted using the FantasyPros Draft simulator. This is based on H2H categories scoring, so finding a balance of hitters and pitchers who can help produce runs, home runs, RBIs, stolen bases, average, wins, saves, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP is important.
Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Picks, Strategy & Analysis
1.02: Aaron Judge (OF – NYY)
This was a no-brainer for me. After Trea Turner was selected No. 1 overall, I took Judge coming off his record-breaking season. While all the talk was about the home runs he was hitting, and for good reason, his average was also still high, as were his RBIs and runs scored. Judge is the perfect all-around player for category leagues.
2.11: Sandy Alcantara (SP – MIA)
Coming off his Cy Young campaign, I took Alcantara as the fourth starting pitcher off the board behind Shohei Ohtani, Corbin Burnes and Gerrit Cole. I value Alcantara only behind Ohtani when it comes to starting pitchers, so I happily drafted him at the end of round two.
3.02: Paul Goldschmidt (1B – STL)
I continued to attack the power column here with Goldschmidt coming off an MVP campaign where he also hit .317 at the plate with 115 RBIs. I tend to attack hitters early in category leagues who can help produce in multiple categories, and that’s what I got here with Judge and Goldschmidt.
4.11: Jordan Romano (RP – TOR)
Being at the top of your league in every category is tough. The primary category I typically value the least is saves. I drafted my anchor closer here in Romano before waiting on the position until late in the draft to fill my other relief pitcher spots. There are always closers that emerge on the waiver wire every season, so between that as well as making trades, I tend to value relief pitchers the least in drafts.
5.02: Starling Marte (OF – NYM)
After focusing more on power and average with Judge and Goldschmidt, I attacked more speed with stolen bases here in Marte. The category I tend to value least when it comes to hitters is stolen bases, but I usually still try to mix in a few players who I know I can rely on when it comes to that category. That is what you get here with Marte to go along with being a steady hitter who can get on base.
6.11: Max Fried (SP – ATL)
After already drafting the Cy Young award winner in Alcantara, I grabbed one of the other finalists in Fried as my second starting pitcher to provide a star-studded starting pitcher duo.
7.02: Dansby Swanson (SS – CHC)
Fresh off his new seven-year contract with the Cubs, we’ll see Swanson crushing home runs at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoons. He is another player who provides the all-around production that includes speed after stealing 18 bases last season. I’ll have Marte and Swanson headlining my stolen base production.
8.11: Triston McKenzie (SP – CLE)
It was a breakout season last year for McKenzie, who posted a 2.96 ERA with 190 strikeouts across 30 starts. I’m looking for him to build off that dominance as he provides the upside with wins and strikeouts. He posted some huge strikeout performances last season including three 12+ strikeout games.
9.02: Raisel Iglesias (RP – ATL)
I mentioned earlier I usually target one elite closer and wait after that on the position, but I felt I liked the value here of Iglesias. With Kenley Jansen signing with the Red Sox, Iglesias should be fully unleashed this season as the Braves closer where he should see a ton of opportunity on a great team.
10.11: Kris Bryant (1B, 3B – COL)
It was a disastrous season, to say the least, last year for Bryant, playing just 42 games in the first year of his new seven-year contract. He was still productive in his limited playing time and the latest reports suggest Bryant will be fully healthy heading into spring training. I was more than willing to take a flier on the upside of Bryant at this value.
11.02: George Kirby (SP – SEA)
12.11: Clay Holmes (RP – NYY)
13.02: Lucas Giolito (SP – CHW)
14.11: Tyler Stephenson (C – CIN)
15.02: Hunter Renfroe (OF – LAA)
16.11: Jeff McNeil (2B, OF – NYM)
17.02: Oscar Gonzalez (OF – CLE)
Bench
18.11: Edward Cabrera (SP – MIA)
19.02: Brendan Rodgers (2B – COL)
20.11: Justin Turner (3B, BOS)
21.02: Cal Quantrill (SP – CLE)
I’m all about George Kirby at this value heading into his second season. His dominance from the regular season continued into the playoffs, which was super impressive. One of my top targets super late this year also at the starting pitcher position is Edward Cabrera. He showed flashes last year, posting a 3.01 ERA across 14 starts, and did not allow more than three runs in any of his final six starts. The Marlins starting rotation is loaded with talent, but Cabrera should have his spot at the end of Miami’s rotation.
This was my early pick category mock draft. I will be doing a points mock next time, where the strategy will be much different.
Results & Full Mock Draft Board
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