Fantasy baseball 2015 mock draft

Ten SI.com staffers go 18 rounds in a fantasy baseball mock draft.

Forget March Madness—when it's fantasy baseball drafting season, not much else else matters. With MLB's Opening Day a little over two weeks away, now is the time to study up for drafts, and SI.com is here to help you prepare.

SI.com's experts (most of whom are members of the SI.com fantasy baseball league) conducted a 10-team, 6x6, mixed head-to-head league. The positions: one catcher, one first baseman, one second baseman, one shortstop, one third baseman, one utility player, three outfielders, five starting pitchers and three relief pitchers, with five bench spots and two DL spots. For this mock draft, we only drafted one of the available bench spots. Here, we break down each round of the draft, and below, each owner gives a self-assessment, observations and more. 

And if you haven't already, bookmark our fantasy baseball draft kit. We'll be updating it throughout March with all of our fantasy baseball preview material.​

Note: This draft took place before the Mets announced that Zack Wheeler needs Tommy John surgery and will be out for the season.

Draft order

1. Lorenzo Arguello
2. Ben Glicksman
3. Jon Tayler
4. Tom Mantzouranis
5. Ryan Hunt
6. Eric Single
7. Bette Marston
8. Michael Beller
9. Colin Becht
10. Dave Kaye

OVERALL	PLAyer	team	pos.	owner
1	Mike Trout	LAA	OF	Arguello
2	Andrew McCutchen	PIT	OF	Glicksman
3	Giancarlo Stanton	MIA	OF	Tayler
4	Paul Goldschmidt	ARI	1B	Mantzouranis
5	Carlos Gomez	MIL	OF	Hunt
6	Jose Abreu	CHW	1B	Single
7	Clayton Kershaw	LAA	SP	Marston
8	Miguel Cabrera	DET	1B	Beller
9	Jose Bautista	TOR	OF	Becht
10	Edwin Encarnacion	TOR	1B	Kaye

Overall	player	team	pos.	owner
11	Felix Hernandez	SEA	SP	Kaye
12	Adam Jones	BAL	OF	Becht
13	Anthony Rizzo	CHC	1B	Beller
14	Anthony Rendon	WAS	3B	Marston
15	Yasiel Puig	LAD	OF	Single
16	Robinson Cano	SEA	2B	Hunt
17	Josh Donaldson	TOR	3B	Mantzouranis
18	Troy Tulowitzki	COL	SS	Tayler
19	Jose Altuve	HOU	2B	Glicksman
20	Max Scherzer	WAS	SP	Arguello

Overall	player	team	pos.	owner
21	Buster Posey	SF	C/1B	Arguello
22	Michael Brantley	CLE	OF	Glicksman
23	Chris Sale	CHW	SP	Tayler
24	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	SP	Mantzouranis
25	Freddie Freeman	ATL	1B	Hunt
26	Bryce Harper	WAS	OF	Single
27	Adrian Beltre	TEX	3B	Marston
28	Ian Desmond	WAS	SS	Beller
29	Madison Bumgarner	SF	SP	Becht
30	Hanley Ramirez	BOS	OF/SS	Kaye

Overall	player	team	pos.	owner
31	Ryan Braun	MIL	OF	Kaye
32	David Price	DET	SP	Becht
33	Jacoby Ellsbury	NYY	OF	Beller
34	Corey Dickerson	COL	OF	Marston
35	Nolan Arenado	COL	3B	Single
36	Corey Kluber	CLE	SP	Hunt
37	Starling Marte	PIT	OF	Mantzouranis
38	Cole Hamels	PHI	SP	Tayler
39	Justin Upton	LAD	OF	Glicksman
40	Johnny Cueto	CIN	SP	Arguello

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
41	Carlos Santana	CLE	C/1B	Arguello
42	Adrian Gonzalez	LAD	1B	Glicksman
43	Kyle Seager	SEA	3B	Tayler
44	George Springer	HOU	OF	Mantzouranis
45	Jon Lester	CHC	SP	Hunt
46	Zack Greinke	LAD	SP	Single
47	Matt Kemp	SP	OF	Marston
48	Carlos Gonzalez	COL	OF	Beller
49	Prince Fielder	TEX	1B	Becht
50	Albert Pujols	LAA	1B	Kaye

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
51	Jordan Zimmermann	WAS	SP	Kaye
52	Ian Kinsler	DET	2B	Becht
53	Matt Harvey	NYM	SP	Beller
54	Joey Votto	CIN	1B	Marston
55	Billy Hamilton	CIN	OF	Single
56	Evan Longoria	TB	3B	Hunt
57	Mookie Betts	BOS	OF/2B	Mantzouranis
58	David Ortiz	BOS	1B	Tayler
59	Jose Reyes	TOR	SS	Glicksman
60	Brian Dozier	MIN	2B	Arguello

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
61	Alex Gordon	KC	OF	Arguello
62	Yoenis Cespedes	DET	OF	Glicksman
63	Aroldis Chapman	CIN	RP	Tayler
64	Craig Kimbrel	ATL	RP	Mantzouranis
65	Gerrit Cole	PIT	SP	Hunt
66	Julio Teheran	ATL	SP	Single
67	Matt Holliday	STL	OF	Marston
68	Jorge Soler	CHC	OF	Beller
69	Todd Frazier	CIN	3B/1B	Becht
70	Adam Wainwright	STL	SP	Kaye

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
71	Nelson Cruz	SEA	OF	Kaye
72	Jason Heyward	STL	OF	Becht
73	Alex Cobb	TB	SP	Beller
74	Jacob deGrom	NYM	SP	Marston
75	Jonathan Lucroy	MIL	C/1B	Single
76	Sonny Gray	OAK	SP	Hunt
77	Tyson Ross	SD	SP	Mantzouranis
78	Devin Mesoraco	CIN	C	Tayler
79	Jeff Samardzija	CHW	SP	Glicksman
80	Christian Yelich	MIA	OF	Arguello

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
81	Greg Holland	KC	RP	Arguello
82	Jake Arrieta	CHC	SP	Glicksman
83	Kolten Wong	STL	2B	Tayler
84	Evan Gattis	HOU	C/OF	Mantzouranis
85	Jay Bruce	CIN	OF	Hunt
86	Hisashi Iwakuma	SEA	SP	Single
87	Dee Gordon	2B	MIA	Marston
88	Jason Kipnis	CLE	2B	Beller
89	James Shields	SD	SP	Becht
90	Chris Davis	BAL	1B/3B	Kaye

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS	OWNER
91	Charlie Blackmon	COL	OF	Kaye
92	Alex Wood	ATL	SP	Becht
93	Kole Calhoun	LAA	OF	Beller
94	Dellin Betances	NYY	RP	Marston
95	Starlin Castro	CHC	SS	Single
96	Michael Wacha	STL	SP	Hunt
97	Kris Bryant	CHC	3B	Mantzouranis
98	Brandon Moss	CLE	1B/OF	Tayler
99	David Robertson	CHW	RP	Glicksman
100	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	SP	Arguello

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
101	Alexei Ramirez	CHW	SS	Arguello
102	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	SP	Glicksman
103	Brett Gardner	NYY	OF	Tayler
104	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	SP	Mantzouranis
105	Victor Martinez	DET	1B/DH	Hunt
106	Jose Quintana	CHW	SP	Single
107	Anibal Sanchez	DET	SP	Marston
108	Phil Hughes	MIN	SP	Beller
109	Yan Gomes	CLE	C	Becht
110	Mark Melancon	PIT	RP	Kaye

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
111	Trevor Rosenthal	STL	RP	Kaye
112	Pablo Sandoval	BOS	1B	Becht
113	Hyun-jin Ryu	LAD	SP	Beller
114	J.D. Martinez	DET	OF	Marston
115	Hector Rondon	CHC	RP	Single
116	Chris Carter	HOU	1B	Hunt
117	Garrett Richards	LAA	SP	Mantzouranis
118	Doug Fister	WAS	SP	Tayler
119	Kenley Jansen	LAD	RP	Glicksman
120	Josh Harrison	PIT	2B/3B/OF	Arguello

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
121	Cody Allen	CLE	RP	Arguello
122	Manny Machado	BAL	3B	Glicksman
123	Glen Perkins	MIN	RP	Tayler
124	Koji Uehara	BOS	RP	Mantzouranis
125	Jimmy Rollins	LAD	SS	Hunt
126	Marcell Ozuna	MIA	OF	Single
127	Shin-Soo Choo	TEX	OF	Marston
128	Huston Street	LAA	RP	Beller
129	Elvin Andrus	TEX	SS	Becht
130	Neil Walker	PIT	2B	Kaye

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
131	Andrew Cashner	SD	SP	Kaye
132	Chris Archer	TB	SP	Becht
133	Ian Kennedy	SD	SP	Beller
134	Salvador Perez	KC	C	Marston
135	Chase Utley	PHI	2B	Single
136	Yadier Molina	STL	C	Hunt
137	Denard Span	WAS	OF	Mantzouranis
138	Gregory Polanco	PIT	OF	Tayler
139	Mike Fiers	MIL	SP	Glicksman
140	Ben Zobrist	OAK	2B/SS/OF	Arguello

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
141	Jake Odorizzi	TB	SP	Arguello
142	Javier Baez	CHC	2B/SS	Glicksman
143	Jose Fernandez	MIA	SP	Tayler
144	Ben Revere	PHI	OF	Mantzouranis
145	Steve Cishek	MIA	RP	Hunt
146	Jenrry Mejia	NYM	RP	Single
147	Fernando Rodney	SEA	RP	Marston
148	Yordano Ventura	KC	SP	Beller
149	Mat Latos	MIA	SP	Becht
150	Lance Lynn	STL	SP	Kaye

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
151	Matt Wieters	BAL	C	Kaye
152	Matt Shoemaker	LAA	SP	Becht
153	Drew Storen	WAS	RP	Beller
154	Wil Myers	SD	OF	Marston
155	Mark Trumbo	ARI	1B/OF	Single
156	Francisco Liriano	PIT	RP	Hunt
157	Michael Pineda	NYY	SP	Mantzouranis
158	Joaquin Benoit	SD	RP	Tayler
159	Homer Bailey	CIN	SP	Glicksman
160	Collin McHugh	HOU	SP	Arguello

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
161	Matt Adams	STL	1B	Arguello
162	Joc Pederson	LAD	OF	Glicksman
163	Rick Porcello	BOS	SP	Tayler
164	Xander Boegarts	BOS	SS/3B	Mantzouranis
165	Zack Wheeler	NYM	SP	Hunt
166	Danny Salazar	CLE	SP	Single
167	Drew Smyly	TB	SP	Marston
168	Jayson Werth	WAS	OF	Beller
169	Justin Verlander	DET	SP	Becht
170	Jered Weaver	LAA	SP	Kaye

OVERALL	PLAYER	TEAM	POS.	OWNER
171	Scott Kazmir	OAK	SP	Kaye
172	Ervin Santana	MIN	SP	Becht
173	Russell Martin	TOR	C	Beller
174	Matt Cain	SF	SP	Marston
175	Leonys Martin	TEX	OF	Single
176	Jonathan Papelbon	PHI	RP	Hunt
177	Erick Aybar	LAA	SS	Mantzouranis
178	Shelby Miller	ATL	SP	Tayler
179	Brian McCann	NYY	C	Glicksman
180	A.J. Pollock	ARI	OF	Arguello

• Lorenzo Arugello—Mike Trout, Max Scherzer, Buster Posey, Johnny Cueto, Carlos Santana, Brian Dozier, Alex Gordon, Christian Yelich, Greg Holland, Gio Gonzalez, Alexei Ramirez, Josh Harrison, Cody Allen, Ben Zobrist, Jake Odorizzi, Collin McHugh, Matt Adams, A.J. Pollock

Drafting Mike Trout and Max Scherzer in the first two rounds were no-brainers. I like having roster flexibility, so getting two players who are eligible at multiple positions like Josh Harrison and Ben Zobrist worked out in my favor as well. One thing I wish I could change? I wanted to draft one Colorado Rockies hitter, i.e. Nolan Arenado or Corey Dickerson, to take advantage of Coors Field, but I waited a round too long and both were gone by the time I picked last in the fourth round. You can't win them all.

• Ben Glicksman—Andrew McCutchen, Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Justin Upton, Adrian Gonzalez, Jose Reyes, Yoenis Cespedes, Jeff Samardzija, Jake Arrieta, David Robertson, Masahiro Tanaka, Kenley Jansen, Manny Machado, Mike Fiers, Javier Baez, Homer Baileym Joc Pederson, Brian McCann

My strategy was to select the best player available through the first 12 or so rounds, although I certainly went hitter-heavy. I was thrilled to secure a starting outfield of Andrew McCutchen, Michael Brantley and Justin Upton, but wish I would have taken my first pitcher a few rounds earlier than I did. In retrospect I’d consider grabbing Gerrit Cole or Julio Teheran instead of Yoenis Cespedes in round seven, particularly given the depth in the outfield. I decided to lock in speed at the middle infield spots (Jose Altuve, Jose Reyes) while taking a flier on high-upside prospects (Javier Baez, JocPederson) to fill out my bench. I also targeted Kenley Jansen as soon as he fell past the 10th round; the closer won’t return until mid-May, but recorded 44 saves with a strikeouts-per-nine average of 13.9 in 2014.

• Jon Tayler—Giancarlo Stanton, Troy Tulowitzki, Chris Sale, Cole Hamels, Kyle Seager, David Ortiz, Aroldis Chapman, Devin Mesoraco, Kolten Wong, Brandon Moss, Brett Gardner, Doug Fister, Glen Perkins, Gregory Polanco, Jose Fernandez, Joaquin Benoit, Rick Porcello, Shelby Miller

My draft strategy: Power, power and more power. The two biggest gambles were drafting Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Fernandez, but if the former is healthy and the latter comes back in his pre-surgery form, they'll be steals at these draft slots.

• Tom Mantzouranis—Paul Goldschmidt, Josh Donaldson, Stephen Strasburg, Starling Marte, George Springer, Mookie Betts, Craig Kimbrel, Tyson Ross, Evan Gattis, Kris Bryant, Carlos Carrasco, Garrett Richards, Koji Uehara, Denard Span, Ben Revere, Michael Pineda, Xander Bogaerts, Erick Aybar

Overall, I’m happy with how my team turned out. I’ve got a ton of power and enough speed from a mix of reliable known entities and strategic breakout grabs. Usually I put too much of an emphasis on pitching early, but—other than Strasburg—I waited and felt like it paid off with a deep rotation of guys that should all out-pitch their ADP. The one position I got caught on, though, is shortstop. I had my sights set on Starlin Castro in the 10th, but when he went two picks before mine I decided not to reach and effectively punt the position until the end of the draft altogether. And when you’re doing that, it makes sense to at least take a flier on a guy with upside like Xander Bogaerts, even if he has shown nothing so far. The downside to this strategy is that I had to waste another pick on a shortstop as insurance in case Bogaerts flames out, which is where the more reliable Aybar comes in. Ideally I’d have grabbed a shortstop earlier and used the Aybar roster spot on another starting pitcher, but in looking back at my draft pre-Castro there really isn’t anything I’d take back. Just the way the chips fell, I guess.

• Ryan Hunt—Carlos Gomez, Robinson Cano, Freddie Freeman, Corey Kluber, Jon Lester, Evan Longoria, Gerrit Cole, Sonny Gray, Jay Bruce, Michael Wacha, Victor Martinez, Chris Carter, Jimmy Rollins, Yadier Molina, Steve Cishek, Francisco Liriano, Zack Wheeler, Jonathan Papelbon

It's almost a given that Trout, McCutchen, Goldschmidt and Stanton will be the first four picked in fantasy drafts, but I'm perfectly content taking Gomez with my first pick, knowing that he'll hit for plenty of power and boost my average. I stocked up on pitchers in the middle rounds, drafting five in rounds four through 10 to give me a solid rotation (also, potential trade fodder in the middle of the season). Also, I'll reiterate that we conducted this draft before we knew that Wheeler would be out for the season. Obviously, he belongs on no fantasy rosters this season.

• Eric Single—Jose Abreu, Yasiel Puig, Bryce Harper, Nolan Arenado, Zack Greinke, Billy Hamilton, Julio Teheran, Jonathan Lucroy, Hisashi Iwakuma, Starlin Castro, Jose Quintana, Hector Rondon, Marcell Ozuna, Chase Utley, Jenrry Mejia, Mark Trumbo, Danny Salazar, Leonys Martin​

From the No. 6 slot, I knew I'd miss out on the elites but didn't feel comfortable springing for the top player at a thin position. Abreu began a trend I stuck with throughout my draft: grabbing young position players who are already league-wide stars yet still have room to grow. I took the opposite tactic with pitchers, waiting out the initial rush to take a trio of high-floor top-end starters. I'll lean on Hamilton and Martin for steals, a stat category I'm wary of chasing on the waiver wire—I mistakenly thought I could wait one more round for Dee Gordon.

• Bette Marston—Clayton Kershaw, Anthony Rendon, Adrian Beltre, Corey Dickerson, Matt Kemp, Joey Votto, Matt Holliday, Jacob deGrom, Dee Gordon, Dellin Betances, Anibal Sanchez, J.D. Martinez, Shin-Soo Choo, Salvador Perez, Fernando Rodney, Wil Myers, Drew Smyly, Matt Cain​

When I saw I had the No. 7 pick, I told myself that I would draft Clayton Kershaw if he was still available. By doing that, I was able to focus on drafting hitters for the next several rounds, knowing that I had my pitching ace. I nearly took Adrian Beltre with my second-round pick, so I was thrilled to still see him available in Round 3. Sure, he may be old, but he hasn't turned off the power switch yet. A regret? Not drafting a shortstop... I mentally penciled Dee Gordon into that slot, and didn't realize until after that he, in fact, only has 2B eligibility this year. Don't make that same mistake.

• Michael Beller—Miguel Cabrera, Anthony Rizzo, Ian Desmond, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Harvey, Jorge Soler, Alex Cobb, Jason Kipnis, Kole Calhoun, Phil Hughes, Hyun-jin Ryu, Huston Street, Ian Kennedy, Yordano Ventura, Drew Storen, Jayson Werth, Russell Martin​

I'm not sure I've ever been happier about my first two picks in a draft than I am about this one. With Miguel Cabrera and Anthony Rizzo, my corners are locked down and could easily give me 60-plus homers, 200-plus RBI and runs, along with great rates. Given that I waited on pitching, I'm happy with the rotation I built, though I got burned by passing on guys who I thought I could get later, especially Tyson Ross. Jacoby Ellsbury should provide 15 homers and 30 steals, but in retrospect I wish I would have taken Starling Marte. This team doesn't have any holes offensively, and as long as a pitcher or two step up alongside Harvey and Cobb, it will be one of the best in the league. Other than my team, I really like what both Mantzouranis and Glicksman did with their squads.​

• Colin Becht—Jose Bautista, Adam Jones, Madison Bumgarner, David Price, Prince Fielder, Ian Kinsler, Todd Frazier, Jason Heyward, James Shields, Alex Wood, Yan Gomes, Pablo Sandoval, Elvis Andrus, Chris Archer, Mat Latos, Matt Shoemaker, Justin Verlander, Ervin Santana​

I didn't go into the draft intending to punt on saves. I just didn't value the top closers as highly as others did, and then when the option of Alex Wood (a starter with reliever eligibility) presented itself, the strategy became clear. I'll trade a guaranteed loss in saves for a significantly improved chance of winning the usage stats (wins, strikeouts and quality starts in our league). As long as my extra starters give me one of those three per week, I'll break even. Two or more, and I'll profit. As for my offense, I like that my outfield can contribute across the stat sheet, and don't forget that we've yet to really see what kind of power numbers Prince Fielder can produce in the hitter-friendly confines of Globe Life Park.

• Dave Kaye—Edwin Encarnacion, Felix Hernandez, Hanley Ramirez, Ryan Braun, Albert Pujols, Jordan Zimmermann, Adam Wainwright, Nelson Cruz, Chris Davis, Charlie Blackmon, Mark Melancon, Trevor Rosenthal, Neil Walker, Andrew Cashner, Lance Lynn, Matt Wieters, Jered Weaver, Scott Kazmir​

Ryan Braun is coming off the worst season of his career, but I attribute his poor numbers to a lingering thumb injury rather than PED withdrawal. Besides Giancarlo Stanton and maybe Freddie Freeman, there are no scary bats a Nationals starter will face in the NL East. That makes Jordan Zimmermann a steal at 51, but not as big a steal as elite starter Adam Wainwright at 71. If Chris Davis can split the difference between his previous two night and day seasons, he’ll hit .241 with 40 homers and 105 RBI. I’ll take Adam Dunn numbers at 3B. And I’d take Neil Walker over half the 2B drafted ahead of him. He and Brian Dozier led the position with 23 homers last year.​