In my last points mock draft which can be found here, I conducted the mock with an early pick. In this mock draft, I have a later pick where we’ll be looking at a slightly different group of players in the early rounds.
In previous years, starting pitchers have generally dominated in points leagues. With the new rule changes being implemented in the MLB this season, we are also seeing some platforms, such as ESPN, change up the default settings from the roster set-up to the scoring. ESPN is cutting down the starting lineup from 22 players to 16 players while also dropping the number of points a pitcher gets for a win from five points to two points and adding two points for holds. This limits the dominance that starting pitchers once held in points leagues while also adding more relevance to middle relievers as they become more important parts of certain teams with strong bullpens.
The roster is as follows: C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, three OF, UTIL, seven pitchers (starters or relievers), and four BN, and was conducted using the FantasyPros Draft simulator.
Other Mock Drafts
Categories
Points
2023 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: Late Pick
1.10: Vladimir Guerrero (1B – TOR)
2.03: Sandy Alcantara (SP – MIA)
3.10: Shane McClanahan (SP – TB)
4.03: Luis Robert (OF – CWS)
5.10: Luis Castillo (SP – SEA)
In my last mock draft, I focused more on hitters early. With the way this mock played out, I attacked starting pitching early on with three of my first five selections. This allowed me to then wait on starting pitching and attack hitters more in the middle rounds.
6.03: Alex Bregman (3B – HOU)
7.10: Dansby Swanson (SS – CHC)
8.03: Ryan Helsley (RP – STL)
9.10: Steven Kwan (OF – CLE)
10.03: Seiya Suzuku (OF – CHC)
I attacked more hitters here in these middle rounds after selecting three starting pitchers in the first five rounds. After focusing on more power in the early rounds with Vladimir Guerrero and Luis Robert, I didn’t worry as much about that aspect in scoring and focused more on contact and RBIs with Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson and Steven Kwan. I also liked the value of Seiya Suzuki near the double-digit rounds. He has the potential to take a step forward in his second season in the MLB after showing flashes in an inconsistent fashion last year – which is to be expected for him making the transition from playing in Japan to the MLB.
11.10: Kris Bryant (OF – COL)
12.03: Pablo Lopez (SP – MIN)
13.10: Andres Munoz (RP – SEA)
14.03: Thairo Estrada (2B – SF)
15.10: Paul Sewald (RP – SEA)
16.03: Cal Raleigh (C – SEA)
17.10: Josh Bell (1B – CLE)
18.03: Oscar Gonzalez (OF – CLE)
19.10: Jose Urquidy (SP – HOU)
20.03: Martin Perez (SP – TEX)
One strategy I am liking a lot more later in these double-digit rounds is attacking the Mariners’ bullpen with Andres Munoz and Paul Sewald. They should both continue to work the late innings heavily for Seattle. There’s a good chance you get the hold from one of them and the save from the other many nights, (which gives you double points in that case).
I continue to invest heavily in Kris Bryant as well in these mock drafts. Coming off an injury-riddled season last year, I believe his upside is simply too high in Colorado to pass up in the double-digit rounds.
I waited on the catcher position as I tend to do in most mock drafts and landed Cal Raleigh who is the perfect late-round target in points leagues given his power and home run upside.
Full Draft Results
See all of the draft results here 
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