In Fantasy Baseball and life, the more you practice at something, the better you will get at it. Our free mock draft simulator is my go-to for preparing for my fantasy baseball drafts. This simulator allows custom league settings to be imported and provides insight as to why the rankings are the way they are instead of only placing players in order.
I view a 12-team league as ideal because it requires more knowledge of the game and transactions around the league to be successful. Ten-team leagues are great for getting into fantasy baseball, but allow the league to be star heavy and often determined by who is most active on the waiver wire. I will provide my mindset in each pick that I took, as well as any alternative(s) that I was considering at that same slot. I am always happy to answer your baseball questions. Happy drafting!
12-Team Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Results
The lineup for this 12-team draft is C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, UTIL, 2 SP, 2 RP, 4 P, 5 BN, and it was conducted using FantasyPros’ Draft Simulator.
1.6: Julio Rodriguez (OF – SEA)
When it comes to starting a team, there are two things that you want in your franchise player. You want him to be a stud in multiple categories, and have the star status to excite you that the season is here. Not only is J-Rod that, but he has potential to be even better. After starting the first month of the season in Triple-A, Julio ended with 28 home runs, 25 stolen bases and hit .284. These numbers were good enough to earn him the American League Rookie of the Year, and the first of many All-Star appearances.
Alternative Options: Yordan Alvarez, Juan Soto
2.7: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SS – SD)
Did everyone forget about Tatis? The top choice to be the face of baseball disappeared into anonymity, in what was maybe the worst year for a 23-year-old budding star I have ever seen. He started his spring with a motorcycle accident, and then got busted for taking PEDs. I think he can repair his image by coming back clean and repeating his 42 homer, 25 stolen base season, or even a prorated version of that, as he is set to miss the first three weeks of the season. Winning titles takes risks, and I would be happy to take my chances on Mr. Tatis to come back hungry and ready to show us what we have been missing.
Alternative Options: Mike Trout, Rafael Devers
3.6: Emmanuel Clase (RP – CLE)
I went into Round 3 trying to find a category that I could dominate over the course of time and seeing the 102-mph cutter of Emmanuel Clase on the board told me that saves were going to be that category. He helps in ERA and WHIP as well, but the main focus was to get the best closer in the game today. Clase pitched to a 1.36 ERA, with 42 saves, a 0.729 WHIP and 77 strikeouts in 72.2 innings pitched.
Alternative Options: Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom
4.7: Carlos Rodon (SP – NYY)
It seems like this stud lefty has figured it out over the last two seasons. His combined numbers are 27 wins (to 13 losses), 422 strikeouts in 310.2 innings and a FIP of 2.42. He was an All-Star last season, and goes from the worst defensive team in the nation to the best, in terms of Defensive Runs Saved, and also now has the best defensive catcher in baseball to work with. He had a minor injury in the Spring, but it doesn’t seem like anything to worry about as I write this. New York is going to love their new 1-2 punch on the bump
Alternative Options: Matt Olson, Shane Bieber
5.6: Josh Hader (RP – SD)
Like I said, I want to be dominant in the Saves category with this team, so I am going to make sure that I get a nice #2 closer to compliment my third round pick, and Hader is a good get in the fifth round. Hader was let down by his fielding last season, as he ended with a 5.22 ERA, but a 3.45 FIP. He still had 14.6 K/9, so there is nothing wrong with his stuff. Getting his first offseason with his Padres pitching staff and catcher, I am confident he will be closer to the 1.23 ERA and 0.835 ERA of 2021 than those numbers of 2022.
Alternative Options: Bryce Harper, Alek Manoah
6.7: Bryan Reynolds (OF – PIT)
All he does is hit, and he has done it on some really bad Pirates teams. The career .281 hitter is a candidate for all of his numbers to rise if he is traded to a contender, but he may see increased production with this Pittsburgh core getting a year older, if he does decide to stick around. Reynolds has 51 home runs over the last two seasons, and has had an OPS+ over 125 in three of his four seasons. The other season was the COVID year where some players were just never able to get it going. Look for a strong 2023 from the outfielder from Baltimore!
Alternative Options: George Springer, Adley Rutschman
7.6: Tim Anderson (SS – CWS)
What is one thing that drives players more than anything this day in age? Contract years. While Anderson does have a team option for 2024, the control that players have right now makes me think that an extension will be on the table for either this year, or in the next offseason. A .301 hitter in 2022, TA has now hit over .300 in each of the last four seasons. This is an extremely valuable skill, for a real team or a fantasy team, and this is a great spot in the draft to get him.
Alternative Options: Joe Musgrove
8.7: Vinnie Pasquantino (1B – KC)
Vinnie came up for a Royals team that seemed to have nothing to look forward, but then they saw this swing. It was a super small sample size, but the rookie left-handed first baseman hit .352 against LHP. For a rookie to come up without much protection, adjust mid-season, and hit .361 over the final month of the season (23 games played), is a reason for promise in the land of the Chiefs. Over this time, he had a .931 OPS. I can’t wait to see what he can do over a full season!
Alternative Options: Felix Bautista, Willy Adames
9.6: Triston McKenzie (SP-CLE)
Tristan took the next step in his career with the Guardians last season. He was 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA, 190 strikeouts in 191.1 IP and a 0.951 WHIP. If he can figure out a way to limit the long ball, he can climb into the true elites that this game has to offer, and to have those type of stats already, I am looking to him to be a big part of championship rosters this year, and as a result, I think he fits right in!
Alternative Options: Rhys Hoskins
10.7: Nestor Cortes Jr. (SP – NYY)
Putting Cortes with Jose Trevino was pure comedy during the All-Star game, and in the regular season, he has dominated batters just the same. In his last two full seasons as a Yankee, he has struck out over a batter per inning. Last season specifically, you could tell that he was a bit burned out at the end, having pitched 158.1 innings after never pitched more than 93 innings in a year. Look for him to bounce back and have used this offseason to better prepare, and for Nestor Cortes to do it again here in ’23!
Alternative Options: Logan Gilbert
11.6: Sean Murphy (C – ATL)
12.7: Jorge Polanco (2B – MIN)
13.6: Ryan Mountcastle (1B – BAL)
14.7: Pablo Lopez (SP – MIN)
15.6: Riley Greene (OF – DET)
16.7: Jose Leclerc (RP – TEX)
17.6: Jordan Walker (3B – STL)
18.7: Kyle Finnegan (RP – WSH)
19.6: Anthony Volpe (SS – NYY)
20.7: Edward Cabrera (SP – MIA)
21.6: Nathan Eovaldi (SP – TEX)
22.7: Taylor Rogers (RP – SF)
23.6: J.D. Martinez (DH – LAD)
Beyond our fantasy baseball content, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Baseball Tools as you prepare for your draft this season. From our free mock Draft Simulator – which allows you to mock draft against realistic opponents – to our Draft Assistant – which optimizes your picks with expert advice – we’ve got you covered this fantasy baseball draft season.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
