The folks over at MLB.com and the Fantasy 411 Blog (thanks Zach), asked me to be a part of one of the first experts drafts of the 2016 season (they have been nice enough to ask me many times now). Yes we’re doing a mock draft for 2016 in 2015. No we don’t have a problem. Well, maybe a little bit of one. We love baseball. Sue us. We know you love it too.

Below you can find the results of my team through 10 rounds (this draft only includes 10 rounds of selections since, after all, it is 2015). The draft was set up for a mixed league with 12 teams (roster expectations: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 5 OF, MI, CI, UT and 9 pitchers). Here are the participants.

 

 

The roster (in draft order):

1. Derek Van Riper – Rotowire
2. Zach Steinhorn – MLB.com/Mastersball
3. Todd Zola – Mastersball
4. Ray Flowers – SiriusXM/Fantasy Alarm
5. David Gonos – SoCalledFantasyExperts.com
6. Jason Collette – Rotowire/Fangraphs
7. Jeff Erickson – Rotowire
8. Tim Heaney – USA Today
9. Cory Schwartz – MLB.com
10. Fred Zinkie – MLB.com
11. Lawr Michaels – Mastersball
12. Nando DiFino – FNTSY Sports Network

Here is the team I put together out of the #4 hole.

1.04 – Carlos Correa (Flowers) – I’ll be that guy, the one who does something he shouldn’t far too early in a draft. At shortstop we have the perpetually injured Tulo at the top and then…lots of guys with talents, but none that can match those of Correa. Is 20/20 doable in his first full season? After all, he went 22/14 in just 99 games as a rookie. What about 30/30? Why not. One can only dream.

2.09 – Starling Marte (Flowers) – Was one homer from a 20/30 season with 80 RBIs and 80 runs. He’s hit 30 steals in three straight seasons, providing a nice floor in that column, and he’s a .283 batter who has hit at least .280 each of the past three seasons. At 27, perhaps he will learn to lift the ball just a bit. If he does, there is little doubt that a 20/30 season is possible.

3.04 – Chris Davis (Flowers) – I grabbed Correa and Marte, giving me a great power/speed combo the first two rounds. Now it’s time to add some corner infield power since Braun was just taken by Steinhorn. It’s either Todd Frazier or Davis for me at this spot. Ultimately, I decided on Davis, who also qualifies in the outfield. Two of the last three seasons he’s hit at least 47 homers with 117 RBIs and 100 runs scored. He’s one of the top-3 power hitters in the game. I’ll take that in round three.

4.09 – Todd Frazier (Flowers) – The last two seasons Frazier has averaged 32 homers, 85 RBIs, 85 runs and 17 steals. Amongst third basemen, that places him second in homers, fourth in RBIs, third in runs and first in steals. I’ll take all that even if it comes with a .260 batting average in the 4th round of a draft.

5.04 – Troy Tulowitzki (Flowers) – Tulo is just 31 years old, and though no longer with the Rockies he’s part of the best offense in baseball with the Blue Jays, and Toronto is a great place to hit. Per 162 games played for his career Tulo’s average effort is .297-29-100-103. It was just two years ago that Troy was a first round selection. I’ll take the shot given his lowest draft cost since 2009.

6.09 – Adam Eaton (Flowers) – I’ve got oodles of power with the likes of Correa/Tulo up the middle and Frazier/Davis at the corners, so let’s add some speed and average in Eaton. It took him awhile to get going last year but Adam ended up going 14/18 with a .287 average and 98 runs scored. That’s the level of production we should be expecting from him moving forward, maybe a little less pop given the sudden increase in power, but the soon to be 27-year-old hits atop a good lineup, in a good park, and is just entering his physical prime.

7.04 – Matt Kemp (Flowers) – Kemp is just 31 years old, and though it wasn’t always pretty, he did hit 23 homers, drive in 100 runs and score 80 times. You know how many outfielders did that in 2015? The answer is five, and that’s if you include Chris Davis (Bautista, Cespedes, JDM). If you add in his 12 steals, Kemp was the only outfielder in 2015 to go 20-100-80-10. Was tempted to grab my first starting pitcher here, but I’ll wait since everyone seems to blow their arm out these days.

8.09 – Danny Salazar (Flowers) – Salazar had a better ERA than Carlos Carrasco (3.45 to 3.63). Salazar had a better WHIP than Chris Archer (1.13 to 1.14). Salazar had a better K/9 rate than Jake Arrieta (9.49 to 9.28). Salazar had a better BB/9 rate than Sonny Gray (2.58 to 2.55). His talent is immense and he could better the numbers he posted last season.

9.04 – Johnny Cueto (Flowers) – Cueto wasn’t very good with the Royals last season before he had that dominating playoff start that reminded everyone just who he is. Even in a down 2015 effort, he still posted a 1.13 WHIP with a career best 3.83 K/BB ratio. For his career, the righty owns a 3.30 ERA and 1.18 WHIP and I see no reason to expect his numbers in 2016 to be any worse and they could still be better. His last three healthy seasons he’s also hit the 170-strikeout mark.

10.09 – Dexter Fowler (Flowers)
Fowler doesn't have a team yet, but whomever signs him will almost certainly bat him at the top of their lineup. Three homers short of a 20/20 season with 100 runs scored, it's doubtful he will fully match those numbers again, though the soon to be 30 year old has the talent to repeat. Oddly, despite all his success, he his lowest OBP since his rookie season (.346).

 

C:
1B: Chris Davis
2B:
3B: Todd Frazier
SS: Carlos Correa
MI: Troy Tulowitzki
CI:
OF:  Starling Marte, Adam Eaton, Matt Kemp, Dexter Fowler

PITCHERS: Danny Salazar, Johnny Cueto

 

For the final results of the draft you can click on the google spreasdsheet.

If you want to see the experts thoughts on their first 10 selections click on the link to the 411 Blog.

Comment below. Would love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

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