Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: 10-Team NL-Only Rotisserie League
theScore Staff
·
Caylor Arnold / USA TODAY Sports
Here are the results of theScore's 10-team NL-only rotisserie mock draft, using standard 5x5 categories (AVG, R, HR, RBI, SB, W, K, SV, ERA, WHIP); eligibility minimum 10 games played in 2015 for all non-pitchers (NOTE: draft took place prior to Ian Desmond signing with Texas):
Participants
Esten McLaren - Fantasy Sports Editor Dan Toman - Supervising Editor, MLB Kenneth Conrad - Fantasy Sports Editor Andrew Potter - Fantasy Sports Editor Josh Ghatak - Fantasy Sports Editor Jason Wilson - Fantasy Sports Editor David Chernish - Fantasy Sports Editor Gino Bottero - Integrated Content Editor James Bisson - Managing Editor, Fantasy Sports Josh Wegman - Fantasy Sports Editor
Round 1
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
1
McLaren
1B Paul Goldschmidt
ARI
2
Toman
OF Bryce Harper
WAS
3
Conrad
SP Clayton Kershaw
LAD
4
Potter
OF Giancarlo Stanton
MIA
5
Ghatak
3B Nolan Arenado
COL
6
Wilson
OF Andrew McCutchen
PIT
7
Chernish
SP Max Scherzer
WAS
8
Bottero
OF A.J. Pollock
ARI
9
Bisson
1B Anthony Rizzo
CHC
10
Wegman
3B Kris Bryant
CHC
McLaren on Goldschmidt: When choosing between Goldschmidt and Harper, it came down to the safety that comes with Goldschmidt. The assured 30-plus home runs, 100 RBIs, 100 runs and 15-plus stolen bases with an average over .300 negates the 40-home run potential of Harper. It's not even guaranteed we've seen the best from Goldschmidt just yet.
Round 2
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
11
Wegman
2B Dee Gordon
MIA
12
Bisson
OF Charlie Blackmon
COL
13
Bottero
OF Starling Marte
PIT
14
Chernish
1B Joey Votto
CIN
15
Wilson
SP Jake Arrieta
CHC
16
Ghatak
SP Madison Bumgarner
SF
17
Potter
C Buster Posey
SF
18
Conrad
OFRyan Braun
MIL
19
Toman
SP Jose Fernandez
MIA
20
McLaren
SS Corey Seager
LAD
Conrad on Braun: Braun is somewhat of a risk due to his advancing age and lingering injury concerns, but with 20 home runs and 20 steals in 2015, he's a middle-class man's Goldschmidt. Along with a solid slash line, there's really no weakness in his game aside from the potential for injury. Braun offers support in all categories as my first hitter selection.
Round 3
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
21
McLaren
OF Carlos Gonzalez
COL
22
Toman
2B/3B Anthony Rendon
WAS
23
Conrad
SP Zack Greinke
ARI
24
Potter
SP Jacob deGrom
NYM
25
Ghatak
OF Yoenis Cespedes
NYM
26
Wilson
SP Stephen Strasburg
WAS
27
Chernish
C Kyle Schwarber
CHC
28
Bottero
1B Adrian Gonzalez
LAD
29
Bisson
SP Matt Harvey
NYM
30
Wegman
SP Gerrit Cole
PIT
Toman on Rendon: Infielders who can hit and run are a scarce bunch, particularly in NL-only leagues. Rendon went 21/17 in 2014, but he was slowed by injuries in 2015, souring expectations of some fantasy owners who pegged him as high as a late first-rounder in mixed leagues coming off the previous season. His high ceiling and multi-position eligibility made this worth the risk.
Round 4
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
31
Wegman
OFYasiel Puig
LAD
32
Bisson
2B/3B Matt Carpenter
STL
33
Bottero
OF Matt Kemp
SD
34
Chernish
SP Johnny Cueto
SF
35
Wilson
OF Jason Heyward
CHC
36
Ghatak
SP Noah Syndergaard
NYM
37
Potter
SP Jon Lester
CHC
38
Conrad
OF Gregory Polanco
PIT
39
Toman
OF Christian Yelich
MIA
40
McLaren
SP Adam Wainwright
STL
Wegman on Puig: I simply couldn't pass up the last chance at snagging an elite OF. Expect Puig to return to his 2014 form when he hit .296/.382/.480 with 62 of his 165 hits going for extra bases. At just 25, his upside and pure raw talent outweigh the risks of injury or character issues. Puig might be the happiest person in Los Angeles to see manager Don Mattingly leave.
Round 5
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
41
McLaren
SP Tyson Ross
SD
42
Toman
1B Freddie Freeman
ATL
43
Conrad
3B Maikel Franco
PHI
44
Potter
RP Kenley Jansen
LAD
45
Ghatak
OF Hunter Pence
SF
46
Wilson
SP Francisco Liriano
PIT
47
Chernish
OF Curtis Granderson
NYM
48
Bottero
2B Kolten Wong
STL
49
Bisson
SP Michael Wacha
STL
50
Wegman
SP Carlos Martinez
STL
Chernish on Granderson: I drafted Granderson slightly ahead of his ADP because I wanted an outfielder that does everything. He's fresh off a 26-HR, 70-RBI season at 35 years old and he's more than capable of scoring over 90 runs, having done so six times in his 12-year career. He's a safe pick as early as the fifth round in all NL-Only formats.
Round 6
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
51
Wegman
SS Jung Ho Kang
PIT
52
Bisson
OF Billy Hamilton
CIN
53
Bottero
RP Mark Melancon
PIT
54
Chernish
OF Jay Bruce
CIN
55
Wilson
OF Joc Pederson
LAD
56
Ghatak
RP Jeurys Familia
NYM
57
Potter
SP Raisel Iglesias
CIN
58
Conrad
2B/SS Addison Russell
CHC
59
Toman
SP Jeff Samardzija
SF
60
McLaren
OF Jorge Soler
CHC
Wilson on Pederson: Pederson brings big power potential, as he showed in his dynamite first half in 2014. His second-half evaporation is concerning, but he's still a developing player. If he plays to his potential for even half the season, it will be worth the spot because I'll likely get elite home run and RBI production. His poor batting average shouldn't hurt me too much.
Round 7
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
61
McLaren
2B DJ LeMahieu
COL
62
Toman
OF David Peralta
ARI
63
Conrad
1B Brandon Belt
SF
64
Potter
OF Gerardo Parra
COL
65
Ghatak
OF Ben Revere
WAS
66
Wilson
C Jonathan Lucroy
MIL
67
Chernish
SP Shelby Miller
ARI
68
Bottero
1B Lucas Duda
NYM
69
Bisson
2B/OF Ben Zobrist
CHC
70
Wegman
SP Scott Kazmir
LAD
Potter on Parra: Parra was essentially a 15-HR, 15-SB player in a season split between the Brewers and Orioles. He's under 30 and has played 150-plus games in three-straight seasons, so health isn't a factor. He'll play half his games at Coors Field and the Rockies stole the 8th-most bases in 2015. To get a potential 20-20 hitter in round seven is excellent value.
Round 8
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
71
Wegman
OF Randal Grichuk
STL
72
Bisson
C Travis d'Arnaud
NYM
73
Bottero
SP Julio Teheran
ATL
74
Chernish
2B Neil Walker
NYM
75
Wilson
2B/3B Matt Duffy
SF
76
Ghatak
SS Brandon Crawford
SF
77
Potter
1B/2B/3B Daniel Murphy
WAS
78
Conrad
2B/3B/OF Josh Harrison
PIT
79
Toman
OF Matt Holliday
STL
80
McLaren
1B/3B Justin Turner
LAD
Bottero on Teheran: His win total is going to take a hit on a bad Braves team, but Teheran is a prime bounce-back candidate following a 2015 campaign which saw him start slow before getting things together after the All-Star break. Teheran has a little bit of Pedro Martinez in him. He can lead a fantasy staff if he's able to cash-in on his vast potential in his age-25 season.
Round 9
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
81
McLaren
3B/OF Yasmany Tomas
ARI
82
Toman
SP John Lackey
CHC
83
Conrad
SP Stephen Matz
NYM
84
Potter
RP Trevor Rosenthal
STL
85
Ghatak
1B/OF Wil Myers
SD
86
Wilson
1B/OF Stephen Piscotty
STL
87
Chernish
SS Jose Reyes
COL
88
Bottero
C Devin Mesoraco
CIN
89
Bisson
SP James Shields
SD
90
Wegman
RP Hector Rondon
CHC
Ghatak on Myers: The limited pool of first basemen was evident come Round 9 so Myers was an option with nice potential at this juncture. Health is obviously an issue, as he's played only 145 games over the past two seasons. If all goes well, Myers could post 20 homers and provide 60-plus RBIs and runs, while also swiping 10 bases and hitting for a .250 average.
Round 10
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
91
Wegman
SP Patrick Corbin
ARI
92
Bisson
SP Gio Gonzalez
WAS
93
Bottero
SS Jhonny Peralta
STL
94
Chernish
3B David Wright
NYM
95
Wilson
SP Kyle Hendricks
CHC
96
Ghatak
SP Wei-Yin Chen
MIA
97
Potter
SS Jean Segura
ARI
98
Conrad
PF Michael Conforto
NYM
99
Toman
SP Andrew Cashner
SD
100
McLaren
SP Jaime Garcia
STL
Bisson on Gonzalez: I'm not overly concerned by Gonzalez's elevated WHIP from last season; his FIP remained solid, and he'll be in position to win 15-plus games behind a solid Nationals lineup. Gio isn't without his question marks, but at this point in the draft, I'm looking for consistent pitching options. While his upside is capped, his floor is high.
Round 11
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
101
McLaren
SP Kenta Maeda
LAD
102
Toman
SS Ian Desmond
--
103
Conrad
RP A.J. Ramos
MIA
104
Potter
1B Ryan Zimmerman
WAS
105
Ghatak
RP Brad Ziegler
ARI
106
Wilson
2B Brandon Phillips
CIN
107
Chernish
RP Jonathan Papelbon
WAS
108
Bottero
SPHyun-Jin Ryu
LAD
109
Bisson
RP Santiago Casilla
SF
110
Wegman
C Yasmani Grandal
LAD
Bottero on Ryu: Ryu's two-year sample size in the MLB has produced results more than adequate for a middle of the rotation fantasy starter. He's compiled a 3.17 ERA while striking out 7.7 batters per nine innings and finishing in the teens in wins each season. While he's still on the road back from shoulder surgery, 25 or so starts and 150-plus innings would be a good return at a discounted cost.
Round 12
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
111
Wegman
SP Mike Leake
STL
112
Bisson
OF Dexter Fowler
CHC
113
Bottero
3B/OF Alex Guerrero
LAD
114
Chernish
OF Denard Span
SF
115
Wilson
SS Eugenio Suarez
CIN
116
Ghatak
SP Jason Hammel
CHC
117
Potter
2B Joe Panik
SF
118
Conrad
C Derek Norris
SD
119
Toman
3BHector Olivera
ATL
120
McLaren
SP Joe Ross
WAS
Toman on Olivera: Olivera only played 24 games during his 2015 debut - hitting two homers and posting a .715 OPS. There's still optimism inside the Braves organization that the 30-year-old Cuban can be the "imposing" figure 1B Freddie Freeman once described. Olivera's value gets a further boost by retaining third-base eligibility, while picking up outfielder status.
Round 13
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
121
McLaren
SP Aaron Nola
PHI
122
Toman
RP Will Smith
MIL
123
Conrad
OF Marcell Ozuna
MIA
124
Potter
SP Tanner Roark
WAS
125
Ghatak
2B Howie Kendrick
LAD
126
Wilson
1B Matt Adams
STL
127
Chernish
SS Alexei Ramirez
SD
128
Bottero
RP Jake McGee
COL
129
Bisson
OF Domingo Santana
MIL
130
Wegman
1B/OF Ben Paulsen
COL
Wilson on Adams: Adams is set to platoon at first base with Brandon Moss. The injury risk is real, but so is Adams' ability to demolish right-handed pitching. I drafted him as depth, but my lineup is fairly balanced so it would be easy to shuffle the deck to accommodate him if he plays up to his mashing potential. If he falters, he can ride the pine behind Stephen Piscotty.
Round 14
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
131
Wegman
SP Vince Velasquez
PHI
132
Bisson
RP J.J. Hoover
CIN
133
Bottero
OF Jayson Werth
WAS
134
Chernish
SP Alex Wood
LAD
135
Wilson
SP Jimmy Nelson
MIL
136
Ghatak
SP Anthony DeSclafani
CIN
137
Potter
SP Lucas Giolito
WAS
138
Conrad
SP Taylor Jungmann
MIN
139
Toman
RP Jeremy Jeffress
MIL
140
McLaren
SS/2B Trea Turner
WAS
Potter on Giolito: Other SPs at this level have concerns about health or statistical regression, while Giolito is an ace in the making. He's set to start the season in the minors but with the Nats pushing for a pennant, any injury to the rotation would mean a promotion for baseball's No. 5 prospect. That's a big if, but his upside is greater than any other player on the board at this point.
Round 15
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
141
McLaren
1B Justin Bour
MIA
142
Toman
2B/SS/3B Javier Baez
CHC
143
Conrad
1B Chris Carter
MIL
144
Potter
OF Ender Inciarte
ATL
145
Ghatak
SP/RP Brandon Finnegan
CIN
146
Wilson
SP Brett Anderson
LAD
147
Chernish
3B Yangervis Solarte
SD
148
Bottero
2B/SS/3B Cesar Hernandez
PHI
149
Bisson
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
NYM
150
Wegman
OF Nick Markakis
ATL
Conrad on Carter: Carter admittedly won't help at all in terms of batting average, but he fits the bill as a late-round power threat. He hit between 24 and 37 home runs each of the past three seasons in Houston, and now gets to play half his games at Miller Park, which can be considered a more favorable stadium for power hitters, according to ESPN's 2015 Park Factors.
Round 16
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
151
Wegman
SP Zack Wheeler
NYM
152
Bisson
1B Ryan Howard
PHI
153
Bottero
SP Jerad Eickhoff
PHI
154
Chernish
OF Andre Ethier
LAD
155
Wilson
OF Aaron Altherr
PHI
156
Ghatak
OF Odubel Herrera
PHI
157
Potter
SP Robbie Ray
ARI
158
Conrad
RP Arodys Vizcaino
ATL
159
Toman
SS Erick Aybar
ATL
160
McLaren
SP Tyler Glasnow
PIT
Bisson on Howard: Nobody feels good about drafting Howard at this point in his career - but with the player pool running desperately-low on players with 25-HR potential, he was worth the pick. He's no longer capable of working the count, and his OBP will probably never see .300 again - but he's still a decent matchup-based option who could wind up with 80+ RBIs.
Round 17
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
161
McLaren
SP Archie Bradley
ARI
162
Toman
SP Matt Garza
MIL
163
Conrad
RP David Hernandez
PHI
164
Potter
2B/3B Martin Prado
MIA
165
Ghatak
1B/OF Brandon Moss
STL
166
Wilson
3B Jake Lamb
ARI
167
Chernish
2B Jace Peterson
ATL
168
Bottero
RP Fernando Rodney
SD
169
Bisson
RP Tyler Clippard
ARI
170
Wegman
SS Trevor Story
COL
Wegman on Story: Jose Reyes is likely to face a suspension from MLB, opening the door for Story to start at shortstop. A highly touted prospect playing in Colorado's hitters utopia usually leads to good things. If he gets off to a strong start, the job could be his for good. It can't hurt taking a sleeper Rookie of the Year candidate in the 17th round of an NL-Only draft.
Round 18
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
171
Wegman
OF Scott Schebler
CIN
172
Bisson
SP Chris Heston
SF
173
Bottero
SP Jake Peavy
SF
174
Chernish
SPJonathon Niese
PIT
175
Wilson
SS/3B Jonathan Villar
MIL
176
Ghatak
C J.T. Realmuto
MIA
177
Potter
RP Kevin Siegrist
STL
178
Conrad
2B Cory Spangenberg
SD
179
Toman
SP Bartolo Colon
NYM
180
McLaren
C Welington Castillo
ARi
Chernish on Niese: Once the majority of pitchers came off the board, I drafted Niese in the late rounds of the NL-Only draft as a player to fill out my pitching staff. He won't win any categories with a below average WHIP and ERA but with pending UFA status, a bounce-back year could be in the cards. He's worth the risk.
Round 19
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
181
McLaren
OF/1B Derek Dietrich
MIA
182
Toman
RP Sergio Romo
SF
183
Conrad
SP Jeremy Hellickson
PHI
184
Potter
OF Melvin Upton Jr.
SD
185
Ghatak
RP Jason Grilli
ATL
186
Wilson
SP Jon Gray
COL
187
Chernish
SP Adam Conley
MIA
188
Bottero
C Miguel Montero
CHC
189
Bisson
2B/3B Danny Espinosa
WAS
190
Wegman
RP Tony Watson
PIT
Ghatak on Grilli: With Jeurys Familia and Brad Ziegler as my two relievers, I wanted a third option in case one fails me. Grilli shouldn't be doubted as a legitimate option. He had a strong 2015 season with 24 saves and a 12.03 K/9 ratio. The main concerns here are Atlanta's poor offense and Grilli's return from an Achilles injury. Grilli's track record makes him worth the risk as a depth add.
Round 20
PICK
NAME
PLAYER
TEAM
191
Wegman
RP Kevin Quackenbush
SD
192
Bisson
2B/SS Jedd Gyorko
STL
193
Bottero
2B/SS Chris Owings
ARI
194
Chernish
RP Brandon Maurer
SD
195
Wilson
SP John Lamb
CIN
196
Ghatak
SP Rubby De La Rosa
ARI
197
Potter
RP Hunter Strickland
SF
198
Conrad
SS/2B Alen Hanson
PIT
199
Toman
SS Zack Cozart
CIN
200
McLaren
2B/SS Jose Peraza
CIN
McLaren on Peraza: Peraza isn't guaranteed playing time in 2016, but few members of the Reds' offense are. He comes with the ability to play both middle infield positions, potentially sliding into the hybrid spot in fantasy lineups. He's twice stolen 60-plus bases in a calendar year across three minor league levels, compensating for a distinct lack of power.