Fantasy baseball 2015 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.