With 2023 MLB Opening Day just a week away, the next seven days are going to be huge for fantasy baseball drafts. If you have one coming up, your draft prep should be in full-swing. Our free fantasy baseball draft guide provides you with everything you need from full updated fantasy baseball rankings to draft strategies to fantasy baseball player profiles and player debates. But it’s not just about having the knowledge, is it? It’s about how you apply it and fantasy baseball mock drafts are some of the best tools to get you prepared for your big day. We’ve posted two of them here in the draft guide – Mock Draft 1.0 and Mock Draft 2.0 – but with so many things happening, you need something even more recent as the fantasy baseball ADP changes on the regular.

 

 

The ever-changing fantasy baseball ADP is where we are going to focus for this mock draft analysis. We have our man Justin Vreeland writing up ADP Risers & Fallers to help you keep up with the latest draft trends, but it’s always good to look at a draft board and analyze which players are being reached for and which ones are being left behind. We also have a couple of write-ups from participants as well – including from the one member of #FANation who isn’t an analyst on our payroll. That’s right, one lucky subscriber landed in the fantasy shark tank with us and he’s got some thoughts to share. So let’s get to it.

Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

  • Participants: The Fantasy Alarm Staff and a guy affectionately known as JohnnyBlazedYou
  • League Specs: 12-team, 5x5 rotisserie league with batting average instead of OBP

Click Here to View the Draft Board

Notable ADP Risers from This Draft

The Top-3 Rookies – We’re talking about Corbin Carroll, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Walker. Over the past month, the ADP on all three has risen tremendously. I thought about taking Caroll in the fourth round, but have an unhealthy obsession with Luis Robert. I knew James Grande was going to take him as we’ve watched Carroll go from a sixth-rounder to a fourth-round lately and you will probably have to grab him in the fourth if you really want him. Henderson had settled down in the seventh or eighth rounds, but that has spiked to the late-sixth recently. He’s had a tough spring but that isn’t deterring anyone. And finally, there’s Walker who lasted until the 12th in this draft, but is going to continue climbing, especially when the Cardinals officially announce he’s made the team. Of the three, I am more locked into Walker so I don’t have to pay some insane price.

Gabriel Moreno, C ARI – With news that Carson Kelly will miss at least two months with a fractured forearm, Moreno is going to be on center-stage for Arizona. He’s a fantastic hitter with good power upside, but what we love most is his on-base work. He’s got surprisingly strong plate discipline for a youngster.

Masataka Yoshida, OF BOS – Everyone was wondering how Yoshida’s bat would play in the States and now we have a much better idea after watching him play in the World Baseball Classic. He’s a solid play who should give you a little power and help contribute in the RBI and runs scored categories. We’ll see where he settles in for the Boston lineup, but don’t let him fall too far.

Jared Shuster/Dylan Dodd, SP ATL – Neither of them have an ADP that says, ”draft me in your 12-teamer,” but they are currently competing for the fifth spot in the rotation and both are having strong springs. I paired them up with my last two picks in this mock, but once the Braves announce who wins the job, expect a jump in ADP.

 

 

Notable ADP Fallers from This Draft

Jacob deGrom, SP TEX – It’s not a huge drop, but we are starting to notice people leaving deGrom alone in the top rounds. Sure, he went in the fourth here, but he was still being treated like a 30-start ace in earlier drafts as people were taking him in the second or third round. Personally, I’m not touching him as I just don’t believe he’s making as many starts as you need form one of your aces.

Eloy Jimenez, OF CHW – I’ve been waiting to see Eloy start dropping down draft boards so I can start taking him as a better value. He, like Byron Buxton, who only went eight picks later, hasn’t played a full season due to injuries. I’m still a big fan and feel like the juice is worth the squeeze given the power upside and the home ball park

Jose Altuve, 2B HOU – With Altuve suffering a broken thumb and requiring surgery, we expected him to drop down boards. The big question on everyone’s mind is how far do you let him fall before he is considered a good value? Jon Impemba took him in the 10th round here and I saw him grab him in the ninth in the FSGA Best Ball draft. If you have unlimited IL spots and want to stash him, sure, this is the likely landing spot. But do you really want to take that chance that he’s only going to miss two months or will he still need a third to get his strike and timing back?

What You Don’t See Here:

Anthony Volpe, SS NYY – It hasn’t been announced officially, but my inside sources tell me that Volpe has made the Yankees Opening Day roster. He is going to shoot up draft boards very quickly. This 20th-round pick we see here? Never again, once the announcement is made. But don’t just dismiss Oswald Peraza. The team loves his defense at short, so eventually it will be him and Volpe in the lineup and Josh Donaldson on the bench.

Rhys Hoskins, 1B PHI – He was taken in the ninth round, but we are currently waiting to hear the full diagnosis after he was carted off the field Thursday with a knee injury. Hoskins was chasing down a ball into shallow right and it looked like his knee buckled on him. Non-contact, so we all know what that could end up being. Stand by for test results and maybe take a late-round flier on Darick Hall who could end up playing first until the Phillies make a move.

Raisel Iglesias, RP ATL – We received word on Thursday that Iglesias is dealing with shoulder discomfort and is expected to open the season on the injured list. Ivar Anderson took A.J. Minter in the 27th round and that could end up being a huge get for him. We preach it all the time – late-round middle relievers who could have a path to saves. Very slick move by Ivar, for sure, but we also need to keep an eye on Joe Jimenez, who could be in the mix as well.

 

 

Other Thoughts on This Mock Draft:

From Ray Kuhn –

Especially with Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez beat up, although seemingly nothing too seriously, I am really not a fan of drafting sixth. With no perfect options, I decided to play it “safe” with Mookie Betts, and then to go from there. I don’t love the idea of a one-dimensional player like Pete Alonso in the second round, but waiting on pitching allowed me to grab Randy Arozarena in the third and really got off to a nice offensive build.

While there is certainly risk with Jacob deGrom, I had to pounce in the fourth round. That is especially the case in a 12 team league with better replacement value and I like Luis Castillo and Nick Lodolo a ton this year, so that puts me in a good spot. Devin Williams gave me the last of the top closers, and I feel good in that department so I shouldn’t be chasing saves.

At the price, I figured Esteury Ruiz was worth the stolen base upside, but I feel good enough about my bench bats and speed that it’s possible he would just turn out to be a luxury. I think I have good balance here although it did hurt to get shut out of catching.

From JohnnyBlazedYou –

I went into the draft with a focus on targeting stars and young talent. I wanted to have a solid SP staff and decided to throw the Saves category. With the new rule changes this year, I wanted to put my team in a good position to compete for Steals. Overall, I am pleased with the way my team turned out. 

  • Yordan Alvarez at 1.8 is a great pick here as he has huge power potential and should be a consistent source of RBIs and runs. I selected him over Kyle Tucker because of the pure upside and spark Alvarez brings.
  • Shohei Ohtani at 2.5 was my "no brainer" pick. Being able to use him as a P or U provides value both as a starting pitcher and as a designated hitter.
  • Alek Manoah at 5.8 and Farmber Valdez at 6.5 are both good value picks as young pitchers with high upside on powerhouse offense teams. 
  • Christian Walker at 8.5 seemed like a bit of a reach, he will help in BA but consistent power is in question.
  • 9.8 I debated on Altuve but I took Logan Webb for his high upside. Told myself I'd take Altuve in round 10 but he was taken before it got back to me.
  • Jordan Walker at 12.5 may be too early to take the young top prospect. I knew I needed to take him semi early if I wanted him. I followed up with a safety pick in Eugenio Suarez in the 13th to help cover the Walker pick (sniping Kirksey in the process). 
  • Ramon Laureano at 19.8 (as long as he says healthy) should provide solid production in multiple categories, including stolen bases.
  • Matt Carpenter at 26.5 seems like a possible reach. We know he is past his prime and doesn't offer much upside at this point in his career outside of consistent mid range numbers. At this pick, that was what I was looking for.
  • Tyler Glasnow at 27.8 could be a steal if he can return to his pre-injury form, even if I have to wait a few months to cash in.

My team, in this draft, seems to have a good balance of upside and safety players. The team has a good mix of established stars and emerging talents (which is what I was going for), and would be competitive in most categories.

Looking for more ADP Risers & Fallers? Check out the latest episode of the Cash It podcast with Howard Bender and Adam Ronis:

 

And don't miss the latest episode of Fantasy Alarm's Fantasy Baseball podcast:

 

 

 

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