As we ramp up the fantasy baseball draft season, the time to Mock Draft is now. Most take part in mock drafts to find out 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 of the draft.
In the end, remember these are just mock drafts and should be used to help build a better concept of the player pool. To realize when to target pitchers, certain hitting positions or statistics, and much more. Let’s look at my results for picking 6th in a 12-team mock draft.
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- Hitters to Avoid | Target
- Pitchers to Avoid | Target
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Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: Middle Pick (2023)
Results
The lineup for this 12-team draft is C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, UTIL, 2 SP, 2 RP, 4 P, and 5 BN, conducted using FanasyPros Draft Simulator.
1.6: Kyle Tucker (OF – HOU)
There is a clear top-six target in the first round, so getting the fifth or sixth pick seems quite ideal. With the sixth pick, I am happy to get a potential 30/30 talent in Kyle Tucker. He will contribute in all five categories, and we have yet to see his full potential. I would take him as high as third.
Others Considered: Julio Rodriguez (OF – SEA)
2.7: Pete Alonso (1B – NYM)
With power being on the decline last season, drafting a bomber like Alonso in the early rounds makes too much sense. He should be suitable for 40+ home runs while being one of the only players you could realistically see hit 50. Alonso has also improved his plate discipline in recent years, which helps with his batting average and all the counting stats.
Others Considered: Manny Machado (3B – SD), Sandy Alcantara (SP – MIA)
3.6: Spencer Strider (SP, RP – ATL)
After locking up a couple of elite bats, it was time to grab an ace, so I took a chance on the young stud, Spencer Strider. Strider brings elite strikeout skills and solid rations. Innings and health is the primary concern with Strider. If he stays healthy and can start going 6+ innings a start, he may be a top-three starting pitcher by the season’s end.
Others Considered: Jazz Chisholm (2B – MIA), Zack Wheeler (SP – PHI)
4.7: Brandon Woodruff (SP – MIL)
After grabbing Strider, who has a few slight concerns, I backed him up immediately with Woodruff. Woodruff brings a solid floor for your team with some ace upside as the Brewers’ 1B behind Burnes. With Strider and Woodruff, the team has a great 1-2 SP punch to start the rotation.
Others Considered: Max Scherzer (SP – NYM), Emmanuel Clase (RP – CLE)
5.6: Josh Hader (RP – SD)
Lessons learned from the first mock draft article with an early pick, relievers start to fly off the board, so I remedied that in this draft. I grabbed the third-best closer off the board with Hader, who finished the year looking much more like the Hader of old and should be in for a lovely 2023.
Others Considered: Adolis Garcia (OF – TEX), Framber Valdez (SP – HOU)
6.7: Ryan Pressly (RP – HOU)
To lock up the saves department, I quickly backed up Hader with Pressly, who is good for at least 25 saves but more likely 30+ saves. Pitching for the Astros, who could win 100+ games again, should lead to plenty of saves for Pressly, not to mention elite ratios.
Others Considered: Max Fried (SP – ATL), Raisel Iglesias (RP – ATL)
7.6: Eloy Jimenez (OF – CWS)
After going pitching heavily for the last four rounds, it was time to attack the bats again. Eloy had a solid second half of his season and should be ready to roll as the DH for the White Sox. If Eloy can stay healthy, he brings an outstanding batting average and 30-home-run upside to your roster.
Others Considered: N/A
8.7: Andres Gimenez (2B, SS – CLE)
With power bats like Alonso and Gimenez, it was time to grab more speed to go with Tucker. Gimenez is coming off a strong 2022 and should continue that success in 2023. He can hit for average, with some pop, and score many runs atop the Guardians lineup while also stealing 20+ bases-a solid ROTO contributor in Round 8.
Others Considered: Joe Musgrove (SP – SD)
9.6: Willy Adames (SS – MIL)
Adames has continued to develop year after year and hit 31 home runs last year while stealing eight bases. He won’t supply the best batting average, but the team already has a solid batting average floor, which allows the addition of Adames’ power and speed to the roster.
Others Considered: Robbie Ray (SP – SEA), Taylor Ward (OF – LAA)
10.7: Logan Webb (SP – SF)
Webb’s strikeouts dropped in 2022, but he threw 192 innings with excellent ratios, and that plays very well as the SP3 with Strider and Woodruff. If Webb regains some of his strikeout upsides, he could be a gift in Round 10.
Others Considered: William Contreras (C – MIL), Rhys Hoskins (1B – PHI)
11.6: Steven Kwan (OF – CLE)
Kwan broke out late last season and could carry that success into 2023. Leading off for the Guardians with the batting average and OBP skills he possesses could lead to 100 runs scored. Kwan will also steal 20 or so bases which round out the ROTO categories for your fantasy team.
Others Considered: Lance Lynn (SP – CWS)
12.7: David Bednar (RP – PIT)
Once again, not waiting on relievers like the previous draft, I grabbed the third RP for the team in Bednar. He is another elite closer, he just plays on a bad team, so the total number of saves could be in question. However, Bednar should still save 20 or so games with many strikeouts and excellent ratios.
Others Considered: N/A
13.6: Matt Chapman (3B – TOR)
With third base drying up quickly, I drafted Chapman and his immense power. He will play nearly every day with his defense and provide power and counting stats to the team.
Others Considered: Eugenio Suarez (3B – SEA)
14.7: Rowdy Tellez (1B – MIL)
Tellez has been a target of mine in many drafts as he is an excellent source of 30+ home runs and should be in line for some positive batting average regression in 2023. In addition, he will hit in the middle of a solid Brewers’ lineup, which should allow for his fair share of RBIs.
Others Considered: Thairo Estrada (2B, SS, OF – SF)
15.6: Pablo Lopez (SP – MIN)
It was time to get back on the starting pitching train, so Lopez was the pick. He threw 180 innings last year, which is excellent at this stage in the draft, and he has also had a sun 4.00 ERA for three straight seasons. So getting a potential innings eater with excellent ratios in round 15 is a nice addition to the team.
Others Considered: Drew Rasmussen (SP – TB), Brady Singer (SP – KC)
16.7: Cal Raleigh (C – SEA)
I could have waited on catcher a little longer since it’s a one-catcher league, but I decided to take the significant power source in Raleigh. If he can hit for a better batting average, Raleigh could be a top-end catcher in 2023.
Others Considered: Danny Jansen (C – TOR)
17.6: Ian Happ (OF – CHC)
Happ supplied an excellent batting average last season and, in previous seasons, hit for power. If he can add some of that power to go with his batting average and speed, he is a tremendous late outfield target.
Others Considered: Lars Nootbaar (OF – STL)
18.7: Patrick Sandoval (SP – LAA)
Sandoval improved a lot last season in the long ball department but still walked too many hitters. If he can take the next step in limiting walks, then Sandoval is a solid SP5 for the team.
Others Considered: Brandon Drury (1B, 2B, 3B – LAA)
19.6: Alex Cobb (SP – SF)
We all know how unlucky Cobb was last season, so he’s worth a shot this late in the draft. Sure, the Giants’ defense will still stink, but Cobb and his improved strikeout skills are in play in round 19.
Others Considered: Carlos Carrasco (SP – NYM), Andrew Heaney (SP – TEX)
20.7: Reid Detmers (SP – LAA)
Detmers returned from the minors in the middle of last season and was a great pitcher. He changed his pitch mix and used his slider a lot more, which was great. Keep that development; he will be an excellent start every fifth day.
Others Considered: Merrill Kelly (SP – ARI)
21.6: Justin Turner (3B – BOS)
With my last pick, I loved taking Turner. He should supply help in all ROTO categories except steals. He will hit in the middle of the Red Sox lineup while also being the primary DH which should keep him healthy.
Others Considered: Josh Jung (3B – TEX)
Summary
Unlike the early pick mock draft, this middle picks mock went much better. The draft was graded with an A- (91/100), according to FantasyPros. That is likely due to the balance and depth throughout the draft. If I had to pick a weakness, it would be the starting pitching depth which relies heavily on younger pitchers developing even more. But, overall, I love this team.
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- 12-Team, Early Pick (Wait on Pitcher)
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