Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Pick 1.12: Managers Should Target Paul Skenes With Pick

Fantasy baseball managers will have plenty of options with the No. 12 overall pick, but should target Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes among other stars.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) watches from the dugout in the sixth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. The Reds won, 2-1. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fantasy baseball managers are gearing up for upcoming drafts for respective leagues as draft orders fall into place. Managers with picks near the top of the draft will have their pick at some of the top players in the MLB, such as Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge or Tarik Skubal. Down the board, managers will have fewer star players to choose from, adding pressure to first-round selections. 

Monitoring the No. 12 pick, managers will see a quick turnaround in snake drafts, making the top selection in the second round. Players like Judge and Ohtani won’t find themselves available this far down the board, but plenty of talent remains to jumpstart fantasy lineups for the upcoming season. 

As draft season approaches, players like Paul Skenes, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Gunnar Henderson are predominant selections near the end of the first round, anchoring lineups for managers in possession of the 12th overall pick. Such a pick will set up drafts for managers, depending on position. Selecting an ace in the opening round could present greater need for offensive production in the later rounds, while a positional player could force a need for help in the bullpen. 

Using a standard scoring format in a 12-man league, let’s look at a mock selection from the No. 12 overall pick in fantasy baseball drafts:

Managers Should Target Paul Skenes With The No. 12 Pick In Fantasy Drafts

Sep 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Those in possession of the 12th pick in fantasy drafts will have a number of players to choose from. While players like Tatis and Henderson present quality offensive contributors, Skenes is a low-risk, high-upside pick as one of the top pitchers in the MLB. Selecting Skenes will set up bullpens for success this season, with Opening Day rapidly approaching. 

The third-year superstar has already cemented his status as one of the top aces in the majors. He’s led the MLB in ERA since coming into the league, posting 386 strikeouts during that span, the 11th most of any pitcher in that span. 

Skenes built on a dominant rookie campaign with another strong performance in 2025. The second-time All-Star led the majors with a 1.97 ERA over 32 starts, pitching 187.2 total innings last season. He improved his WAR from 5.9 in his rookie year to 7.7 in year two, posting a WHIP of 0.948, an NL-best mark. 

His strong performance helped him earn the first Cy Young award of his young career, finishing sixth in MVP voting despite the Pittsburgh Pirates’ struggles. Skenes sustains elite consistency from the mound, making him a steal at 12th overall. 

Entering his third season, Skenes is widely projected to build on a dominant sophomore campaign. The superstar pitcher will show out once again this season and sets up managers for quality lineups in 2026.