Ari Koslow | Sun, Mar 16th 2025, 7:19am EDT

Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: 12-Team, Points League (2025)

We are just a few days away from the Dodgers and Cubs opening the 2025 MLB season in Japan and just under two weeks away from Opening Day for every other team. The start of the season is getting closer with the time for fantasy baseball mock drafts coming to an end.

It is important in fantasy baseball to understand your league’s scoring. This mock draft is for a points league, where, generally speaking, starting pitchers can hold greater value compared to other scoring formats. You can see the full results here.

Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

In this mock draft, I will be drafting from the No. 5 pick in a 12-team points league. The roster for this mock draft will be: 1-C, 1-1B, 1-2B, 1-SS, 1-3B, 3-OF, 1-UTIL, 6-P and four bench spots.

1.05: Elly De La Cruz (SS – CIN)

I considered Paul Skenes (who went right after this selection) given the importance of starting pitchers in points leagues, but I instead elected to draft Elly De La Cruz, who will give you production in just about every possible point category given his combination of power and speed.

2.08: Logan Gilbert (SP – SEA)

3.05: Chris Sale (SP – BOS)

After not going starting pitcher in round one, I elected to draft back-to-back starting pitchers in rounds two and three in Logan Gilbert and Chris Sale. I have found in the past that in points leagues, drafting at least two starting pitchers in the first three or four rounds allows you to have more flexibility at other positions in the middle rounds.

4.08: Jose Altuve (2B – HOU)

5.05: Wyatt Langford (OF – TEX)

6.08: Josh Naylor (1B – ARI)

In points leagues, power hitters see the biggest uptick in value. That was my reasoning for prioritizing Wyatt Langford and Josh Naylor back-to-back. I especially like Naylor with the move to Arizona. Jose Altuve offers some power upside as well. It also helps that he should get eligibility at both second base and outfield this season with his transition to left field.

7.05: Logan Webb (SP – SF)

8.08: Andres Munoz (RP – SEA)

9.05: Luis Castillo (SP – SEA)

I went back to focusing on pitching in this stretch, grabbing two workhorse starting pitchers as well as my top closer. In points leagues where there is a limit for the number of starts you can have each week, it makes closers more valuable, as you can have them sometimes pitching as much as 3-4 times in a matchup.

10.08: Ian Happ (OF – CHC)

11.05: Matt Chapman (3B – SF)

12.08: Adolis Garcia (OF – TEX)

I don’t usually have stretches in drafts of selecting three pitchers followed by three hitters, but that happened a few different times in this particular fantasy baseball mock draft. I went back to power hitters in this span, closing my starting outfield with Ian Happ and Adolis Garcia, as well as drafting my starting third baseman in Matt Chapman.

They all crushed at least 25 home runs last season with the upside to potentially reach the 30-35 home run mark this year.

13.05: Kodai Senga (SP – NYM)

It was a lost season last year for Kodai Senga due to injuries. He has reportedly “felt healthy” since January. He posted an impressive 2.98 ERA across 29 starts in his rookie season. He’ll look to get back to that point this year in the Mets’ rotation.

14.08: Nick Castellanos (OF – PHI)

Nick Castellanos is another power hitter who closes out my starting lineup in my utility spot and is my fourth outfielder. His power numbers were a little down last year, but he still holds 25-30 home run and 90-100 RBI upside any given season in the middle of the Phillies lineup.

15.05: Robbie Ray (SP – SF)

16.08: Pete Fairbanks (RP – TB)

17.05: Taylor Ward (OF – LAA)

18.08: Gabriel Moreno (C – ARI)

19.05: Taj Bradley (SP – TB)

As I have done in my previous two mock drafts, I punted the catcher position while also targeting high-upside players on my bench. Robbie Ray and Taj Bradley are two starting pitchers I like as fliers late on the bench.

Ray is slated to enter this season fully healthy after making his way back from Tommy John surgery last year. Bradley has shown flashes early in his career. He’ll look to put it all together heading into his third season in the Majors.

Draft Wizard Insights

The Draft Wizard gave this draft a B grade with an 86/100 grade. I’m projected to finish fifth in the league.

I liked the way my starting pitching turned out. The biggest risk here is having drafted multiple players on several different teams, which adds some daily and weekly risk. It can still be manageable, though, as long as you aren’t reaching for anyone.

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