Mock Draft Army 10 Team Mock Draft

Are you a member of the Mock Draft Army? Howard Bender of Fantasy Alarm runs a multi-week mock draft program where he runs multiple mocks each week as we get ready for the fantasy baseball season. His readers have 5-10 mock drafts each week while including industry people (including Steve and myself) in every draft. Would you like to be a part of the Army? Email me and I will get you on the mailing list! This mock that I did was a ten team league conducted on February 1^st. Yeah, I know that was a while ago but I’ve been sick so get off my back! This is a two catcher, five outfield league, that lasted 25 rounds. Feel free to leave comments on my team below.

1.07 Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays. I feel that if you are in the back half of the first round that you should probably target one of the elite third basemen, because they mostly are drafted here. Whether it be Arenado, Donaldson, Bryant, or Machado, all of them are awesome anchors for your team. I picked Donaldson. He has a slightly shorter injury history than Machado, but it is really just your preference on this call.

2.03 Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros. I was debating between Correa and Miguel Cabrera here, despite the fact I felt a starting pitching run starting with Mad Bum going the pick before me.  But a 22 year old shortstop who can possibly go 25/20 was just too much for me to pass up. In a ten team league I figure I could wait on starting pitching, and the lure of Correa proved too much for me to pass up.

3.07 Edwin Encarnacion, 1B, Cleveland Indians. Despite four starting pitchers off the board, I still couldn’t get away from the offensive side of the ball. I am on record as saying that first base isn’t nearly as deep as it has been in the past, and that’s why I couldn’t say no to Encarnacion. He has a new home in Cleveland, but I still see him popping 32-35 homers and driving in 110. I wanted to be sure I got a high tier first baseman, and I accomplish that here.

4.03 Brian Dozier, 2B, Minnesota Twins. Despite telling myself that I was going to take a starting pitcher here finally, the next three on the board were Justin Verlander, Yu Darvish, and David Price. I would be highest on Price of the three, but there sat the opportunity for me to finish with one of the biggest offensive powerhouse of an infield in the history of mock drafts. I don’t expect Dozier to hit 40+ homers again, but if he can get me 30 and hit .250 with 15 steals, I’ll take that at 33^rd overall.

5.07 A.J. Pollock, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks. No question about it taking a pitcher here.  Oh wait, we also need five outfielders and I don’t have any of them yet! Pitching to me is deeper than outfield so I changed strategy yet again. Pollock was a hot commodity going into last season following his near 20/40 season in 2015. An elbow injury cost him all but the last two weeks, so he could be an epic bargain here. Even if he isn’t able to replicate 2015, I still like the pick as my first outfielder. I drafted almost all power in the first four rounds, I needed to add speed to the roster.

6.03 Stephen Strasburg, SP, Washington Nationals. OK FINALLY I had to take a pitcher. I know that Strasburg has had plenty of injury problems in his career, but if the guy is able to stay healthy he certainly can return me elite production. His strikeout numbers are redonkulous, and he won 15 games last year despite only starting 24. There is certainly some risk there, but going with my first pitcher in the sixth round, I think I did just fine.

7.07 Carlos Martinez, SP, St. Louis Cardinals. Martinez signed a long term deal this offseason and has become the ace of the St. Louis staff. The kid has electric stuff, and even though he isn’t a dominant strikeout pitcher, he will still get you 185 whiffs. He does walk a few too many guys, keeping his WHIP a little higher than you’d like it, but he can dominate a game at any time and I feel good about him as my number two starter.

8.03 Jacob DeGrom, SP, New York Mets. Elbow and forearm pain ended DeGrom’s season early, but outside of the very end, he was good again. He had offseason surgery to correct his issues, and should be pain free coming into the year. He has ace stuff as evidenced by his sub-1.00 WHIP and 205 strikeouts in 2015. Everything went wrong for the Mets pitching staff last season, but a return to form should be in the cards, and another possible ace has found its way to my team.

9.07 Dee Gordon, 2B, Miami Marlins. After hitting the last three rounds with pitchers it is time to get back to filling my outfield right? WRONG! Gordon stole 30 bases in a half a season last year after returning from suspension, after stealing 58 in 2015 and 64 in 2014. He is nearly a lock to lead the league in stolen bases. Pairing him with A.J. Pollock gives me a great one-two punch in stolen bases and my middle infield spot is secured. Now, to go trolling after an outfielder.

10.03 Matt Kemp, OF, Atlanta Braves. Kemp is on the wrong side of 30 years old now, but has had back to back 100 RBI seasons. He is finally out of San Diego, and hit very well for the Braves last season. His 35 home runs last year were the second most in his career. His days of stealing double digit bases are over, but if he can hit me anywhere near .275 and hit 25-30 home runs, I am pretty stoked to get him in the 10^th round as my second outfielder.

11.07 Tony Watson, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates. The only positions I haven’t touched yet is closer and catcher. I wanted Roberto Osuna, but he went the round before. I probably should have taken Ken Giles, but I went with Watson instead. He saved 15 games in 18 chances last year after the Pirates traded Mark Melancon last season. He isn’t a dominant strikeout pitcher, but he should get the job done for a team that will at least compete for a playoff spot if a couple of things break right. Not a great choice, but not a bad one either.

12.03 Masahiro Tanaka, SP, New York Yankees. Tanaka had his first injury free season for the Yankees in 2016 and he was pretty darn good. He compiled a 14-4 record with an ERA just over 3.00. His K/9 were down for the second consecutive season, but I will take that if that’s the price of getting 31 starts out of Tanaka. I am willing to accept 165 whiffs in just short of 200 innings. He is a control freak with only 36 walks in 200 innings, and his WHIP has never been above 1.08. In the 12^th round and my fourth starter, I am willing to take on this injury risk.

13.07 Gerrit Cole, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates. For the second time in three seasons, Cole missed about a third of the season due to injury. When he was fully healthy in 2015, however, he was lights out. With a full offseason of rest, I am confident that Cole will be able to get back to his dominating self. He is capable of a sub-3.00 ERA and 200 strikeouts and if he can get anywhere near that this season, this will be a good pick.

14.03 Yasmani Grandal, C, Los Angeles Dodgers. Grandal led catchers in home runs last season with 27, although his batting average will always be a drain on your squad. However, catcher is so shallow this year, that getting elite power at the position is worth it even if you have to sacrifice batting average. He is an offensive force at the position, and is a good first catcher in a two catcher format.

15.07 Kole Calhoun, OF, Los Angeles Angels. Calhoun opened some eyes in 2015 when he hit 26 home runs and drove in 83 runs. He took a step back last season in power production, but was able to raise his batting average by 15 points. I think his home run total this season will be around 22-23, as I think he has shown the ability to hit more than the 18 he did last season. He just signed a new three year contract and is fully healed from abdomen surgery in the offseason and shouldn’t be a bad bet as my third outfielder.

16.03 A.J. Ramos, RP, Miami Marlins. Manager Don Mattingly said not long ago that Ramos was going to be his primary closer this season. He then said he had plenty of options if things were to change, and I think that shook some people’s confidence. Ramos saved 40 of 43 games last season, and while his 2.81 ERA says he made more games interesting than you’d probably like as a manager, his 73 strikeouts in 64 innings shows he knows how to mow down the opposition. I like Ramos to hold the job and excel in 2017.

17.07 Maikel Franco, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies. I’ve been high on Franco since he came to the Majors, even if he didn’t have the best year in 2016. Sure you’d like to see his batting average higher, and he padded his stats a little at the end, but I’ll take a “disappointing season” that includes 25 homers and 88 RBIs. Franco still has some maturing to do at the plate, but the guy won’t turn 25 until August. He still isn’t in his prime yet, and to get him as my corner infielder in the 17^th round had me as happy as a little girl!

18.03 Michael Brantley, OF, Cleveland Indians. We sit in the same place with Brantley as we were in this time last season. Another shoulder surgery, rehab, hitting off a tee, hoping he will be ready for Opening Day. Well, last season he was limited to 11 games the entire season. I’m banking this year that things are better and I’m not taking a huge chance with him being my fourth outfielder. Rolling the dice here, but if it comes up in my favor it would be an amazing value pick.

19.07 Jeurys Familia, RP, New York Mets. C’monnnnnnnnnnnn no suspension! You never know what might happen, but you have to figure he is looking at a suspension to start the season. With the charges now dropped by his wife, that will likely reduce the number of games that he is looking at as opposed to if he was convicted. I would say the minimum of 30 games and a max of 50.  Familia is one of the more dominant closers, and the Mets should give him plenty of opportunities. Even if I have to sit on him for 50 games, it will hurt, but will be worth it in the end.

20.03 Randal Grichuk, OF, St. Louis Cardinals. Things got so bad for Grichuk in 2016 that he was sent to the Minor Leagues to try to get himself straight. He was 4-35 for an ugly .114 average in the month of June, but when he returned he was a new man. 16 of Grichuk’s 24 home runs came in the last three months of the season, and he got his batting average back to a respectable mark. You have to hope that he doesn’t have another one of those monster slumps, but as my fifth outfielder this late, I think he is a decent gamble.

21.07 Tom Murphy, C, Colorado Rockies. Murphy looks to be the Rockies starting catcher after a great September callup at the end of 2016. He had five homers in just 21 games, and finally gave the Rockies some sort of offense from the position. He is unproven and a risk, but there wasn’t a whole lot left at catcher in the 21^st round.

22.03 Nick Castellanos, 3B, Detroit Tigers. Castellanos continues to improve a little bit more each season. His RBI numbers were down, but he hit three more homers to bring his best season to 18, and even more important was his 30 point raise in batting average. I still believe that Castellanos has 20-21 home runs in that bat, and hopeful we will see it in 2017. He is my third guy at the hot corner and penciled in to my utility spot.

23.07 Blake Snell, SP, Tampa Bay Rays. One of the top pitching prospects coming into last season, Snell’s rookie year was marked by some brilliance and a lot of walks. He did strikeout 98 batters in 89 innings, and he only allowed five home runs in 19 starts. The future appears bright for Snell, but he will have to get his control problems under control if he is going to take the next step to be among the elite, but in the 23^rd round, I think he is a great gamble.

24.03 Lance Lynn, SP, St. Louis Cardinals. Lynn had Tommy John Surgery in November of 2015 so he will be a full 18 months recovered from surgery by the time the season rolls around. He isn’t an elite strikeout pitcher, but he is fully capable of collecting 180 whiffs, and his ERA has hovered around 3.00 the past couple of years. He is in line for a new contract so his motivation should be at an all time high so I am confident in my late round pick here.

25.07 Mike Moustakas, 3B, Kansas City Royals. Moustakas tore his ACL and missed most of 2016, but he will be fully recovered and will be back at the hot corner for the Royals.  He was off to a good start last season, and he had a great 2015 with 22 homers and 82 RBIs and his first decent batting average in his career. I certainly don’t need three third basemen, but I think Moustakas is a great bounceback candidate and a really solid last round pick.

Round 1

Round/Pick	Team	Player
1.1		Josh Donaldson, 3B, Blue Jays
1.2		Carlos Correa, SS, Astros
1.3		Edwin Encarnacion, 1B/DH, Indians
1.4		Brian Dozier, 2B, Twins
1.5		A.J. Pollock, OF, Diamondbacks
1.6		Stephen Strasburg, SP, Nationals
1.7		Carlos Martinez, SP, Cardinals
1.8		Jacob DeGrom, SP, Mets
1.9		Dee Gordon, 2B, Marlins
1.10		Matt Kemp, OF, Braves
1.11		Tony Watson, RP, Pirates
1.12		Masahiro Tanaka, SP, Yankees
1.13		Gerrit Cole, SP, Pirates
1.14		Yasmani Grandal, C, Dodgers
1.15		Kole Calhoun, OF, Angels
1.16		A.J. Ramos, RP, Marlins
1.17		Maikel Franco, 3B, Phillies
1.18		Michael Brantley, OF, Indians
1.19		Jeurys Familia, RP, Mets
1.20		Randal Grichuk, OF, Cardinals
1.21		Tom Murphy, C, Rockies
1.22		Nick Castellanos, 3B, Tigers
1.23		Blake Snell, SP, Rays
1.24		Lance Lynn, SP, Cardinals
1.25		Mike Moustakas, 3B, Royals