2024 Fantasy Baseball: Mock Draft 2.0

Chevy Chase movie spies like usits spirit can be summarized as “ridiculing what you don’t understand.”

The fantasy mentality of Yahoo Sports? We scoff because we want to understand.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2024 MLB season]

Last week, Yahoo gathered six fantasy managers from its staff and put together a five-round draft with 60 picks. Each manager asked him to build two teams. Pre-draft fantasy season is all about repeat, repeat, repeat. Try strategizing and building your roster. See what this room can give you and what you can get.

Click here for a first round mock draft

A room of five fantasy analysts (and one editor) will produce several different strategies, but our broader actions as a group are similar to those of the early Yahoo Fantasy Baseball Draft. The trend was similar. Our room focused on early arrival. Athletes in the rare 5 category naturally went fast, with power and speed taking priority. The first two rounds were short on pitchers, but from the third to the fifth rounds, the mock team began actively recruiting staff.

Overall, our 60 picks included 43 batters, 16 starting pitchers, and one closer. This is not much different from what the Yahoo market has been doing over the past seven days: 40 batters, 17 starting pitchers, and 3 closers.

Closer market strategies in particular always have weight depending on the season. In some of the early drafts in the industry that I participated in, the market pushed closers. Maybe your room will be the same, or maybe it will be very different. Our scofflaws weren’t sweating it in the bullpen, but that doesn’t mean you need to apply it to your own pool.

The first 15 starting pitchers we selected are from teams projected to have winning records, with #16 SP Tarik Skubal on a growing Detroit team that can compete in a weaker division. Even if Detroit doesn’t make the playoffs, Skubal should enjoy playing against one of the weakest offensive departments in the majors. Yes, victory is fickle. It’s true that pitchers are difficult to predict. But when in doubt, raid the rosters of the best teams. It’s Occam’s Razor, dude.

Meet the mockers and see what happened:

– Andy Behrens, Picks 1 and 2

– Fred Zinke, Picks 3 and 4

– Mo Castillo, picks 5 and 6

– Scott Pianowski, Picks 7 and 8

– Jorge Martin, picks 9 and 10

– Dalton Del Don, picks 11 and 12

round 1

• Ronald Acuña Jr.’s Andy #1

• Corbin Carroll’s Andy #2

• Fred #1 SS Bobby Witt Jr.

• Fred #2 OF Julio Rodriguez

• Mo #1 SP Spencer Strider

• Mo #2 2B/SS/OF Mookie Betts

• Scott #1 OF Kyle Tucker

• Scott #2 1B Freddie Freeman

• Jorge #1 SS Trea Turner

• Jorge #2 OF Fernando Tatis Jr.

• Dalton #1 OF Aaron Judge

• Dalton #2 UT Shohei Otani

Top-four picks are the norm in most leagues. Strider’s ADP is closer to 10, but everyone seems to agree he belongs in the first round. Strider became the league’s leading strikeout ace after just two pitches. Just imagine if that third pitch will happen this year.

This path includes 6 outfielders, or 7 if you include multiple eligible bets. Most managers are looking for the best possible offensive statistics here, i.e. the position on the wing.

round 2

• Dalton #2 OF Juan Soto

• Dalton #1 OF Yordan Alvarez

• Jorge #2 1B Matt Olson

• Jorge #1 3B Jose Ramirez

• Scott #2 SS Francisco Lindor

• Scott #1 3B Austin Riley

• Mo #2 1B Bryce Harper

• Mo #1 3B Rafael Devers

• Fred #2 SP Gerrit Cole

• Fred #1 SP Corbin Barnes

• Andy #2 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

• Andy #1 1B Pete Alonso

For the most part, this is a round that emphasizes power over speed, and most sluggers are tied to plus offense. While managers are probably focused on finding the best stats possible, most teams were careful not to overload their outfield early on. Del Don’s first team is the only club to start OF-OF.

round 3

• Andy #1 2B Marcus Semien

• Andy #2 2B Ozzie Albies

• Fred #1 SP Zack Wheeler

• Fred #2 SS/3B Ellie Delacruz

• Mo #1 OF Louis Robert Jr.

• Mo #2 SS/3B Gunnar Henderson

• Scott #1 SS CJ Abrams

• Scott #2 OF Michael Harris

• Jorge #1 OF Randy Arozarena

• Jorge #2 2B Jose Altuve

• Dalton #1 SP Tyler Glasnow

• Dalton #2 SP Kevin Gausman

There’s a fun pinch of youth in this round, with the polarizing Dela Cruz dropping out and Henderson and Abrams also holding big tickets. Pitching can be kicked over at the end of a round, but this theme went into overdrive in the fourth round.

round 4

• Dalton #2 SS Beau Bichette

• Dalton #1 SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

• Jorge #2 SP Luis Castillo

• Adris Garcia’s Jorge #1

• Scott #2 SP Pablo Lopez

• Scott #1 SP George Kirby

• Mo #2 C Adley Rutschman

• Mo #1 1B/OF Nolan Jones

• Fred #2 SP Zac Gallen

• Fred #1 SS Corey Seager

• Mike Trout’s Andy #2

• Andy #1 3B Manny Machado

Now that the base of the attack was secured, the mound began to be ravaged. Five of the first nine picks are pitchers, and if you include the end of the previous round, they’re 7-for-11.

I was surprised to see Adly Latchman cover this early. Regardless of whether your format goes to one or two catchers, I see enough depth to approach the position with patience. I would like to make the same comment regarding the pick JT Realmuto taken in the 5th round.

round 5

• Andy #1 1B/OF Cody Bellinger

• Andy #2 SP Aaron Nola

• Fred #1 3B Royce Lewis

• Fred #2 OF Jazz Chisholm Jr.

• Mo #1 RP Devin Williams

• Mo #2 SP Logan Gilbert

• Scott #1 by Christian Yelich

• Scott #2 SP Framber Valdez

• Jorge #1 2B/SS Matt McClain

• Jorge #2 C JT Realmuto

• Dalton #1 SP Max Fried

• Dalton #2 SP Tarik Skubal

Five more starting pitchers have left the green room, with Williams becoming the starting closer, while Josh Hader, Edwin Diaz and Emmanuel Classe remain in the green room. As fantasy rosters begin to take shape in this area, many of the picks will be based on team needs and clear trends.

final roster

andy 1

• Acuña state

• 1B Alonso

• 2B Semien

• 3B Machado

• 1B/OF Beringer

This is one of two rosters to ignore pitchers, and Behrens can’t attack the deficiency for 11 more picks. With that in mind, he’ll probably double-tap a few pitchers in Games 6 and 7. Of course, Acuña is a cheat code for pick 1, and his ADP will likely rise now that we know Bellinger will remain in Chicago. The fear of changing teams as an expensive free agent is probably not a concern. I keep seeing the underrated Semien going in the third round of the draft, but to me it doesn’t and it makes me want to throw up. That’s an incredible value.

andy 2

• carol’s

• 1B Guerrero

• 2B Albee

• OF Trout

• SP Nora

Behrens built a new offensive core here, but in Game 5 he was forced to hire a starting pitcher. Carol is a speed trader, but she needs to be. Trout is done running (and at risk of missing time) and Albies surprisingly wasn’t a major runner last season.

fred 1

• SS Wit

• SP Burns

• SP wheeler

• SS Seeger

• 3B Lewis

It was a little strange to see two shortstops in the first four picks, but Zinke is one of the astute managers and is known for his trade acumen. Seager will also likely be on the IL when the season begins. Some managers will view this his ADP as a discount, while others will simply shop elsewhere. Seager’s Yahoo ADP (32) last week matches what Fred got to here.

fred 2

• Rodriguez’s

• SP call

• 3B Delacruz

• SP Galen

• chisholm island

Interesting combination of floor and upside — Rodriguez, Cole, and Gallen look like very safe picks, while Delacruz and Chisholm have scary floors. The offensive environment could be better — Rodriguez has average teammates and plenty of yards, and Miami’s offense probably won’t be anything special.

Mo1

• SP Strider

• 3B Devers

• OF Robert

• 1B/OF Jones

• RP Williams

[2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP]

After getting the strider in round 1, it’s important to catch up offensively. So much so that perhaps Williams wasn’t needed in Round 5. But the bunch of offensive players didn’t look exciting that round, so sometimes it’s enough to just identify. Assemble the best people on your board.

Mo2

• 2B/SS/OF bet

• 1B Harper

• 3B Henderson

• C. Lutchman

• SP Gilbert

Betts and Henderson are stars who cover multiple positions, and Harper was back to MVP level in the final quarter of last season. No one disputes Rutschman’s status as the top catcher, but a false catcher designation isn’t for everyone, especially in 2024. Gilbert has been checked by some of Seattle’s rotation mates, but he offers high status and comfortable visibility.

Piano 1

• OF TUCKER

• 3B Riley

• SS Abrams

• SP Kirby

• Yelich University

The first two players are offensive super floor stars, and Kirby and Yelich are solid building blocks, even if the latter is now on a boring track. Abrams became a star late in 2023, but his ADP is bought at the high end of his range.

Piano 2

• 1B Freeman

• SS Lindor

• officer le harris

• SP Lopez

• SP Valdez

If one of your Tier 1 starters doesn’t land, it may make sense to double-tap and take most opponents down to SP2. Harris is an intriguing player, a star in every appearance, and has a good chance of emerging in MLB’s deepest batting order.

Jorge 1

• SS Turner

• 3B Ramirez

• OF Arozarena

• garcia university

• 2B/SS McLane

Turner got his mojo back in late 2023, and Garcia continued his steals until the fourth round. However, Ramirez is surrounded by a weak supporting cast. He belongs in the second round, but this box score could be depressing for most of the summer. Would McClain, a fifth-round pick, have been a better fit for the vacant pitcher?

Jorge 2

• Tatis’s

• 1B Olson

• 2B Altuve

• SP Castillo

• C real mute

I like the balance and shape of the first four picks, but preferred to wait at catcher. Realmuto’s internal profile saw some decline last year, but its position is deeper than in recent years. Castillo is one of those starters in the fourth-round area who offers a very high floor and also offers a Cy Young-like opportunity.

dalton 1

• judge’s

• OF Alvarez

• SP glass no

• SP Yamamoto

• SP Fried

This team was the only club to ignore speed and use three starting pitchers. The latter strategy is Del Don’s brand. Not only did Dalton acquire three pitchers from competing clubs, he targeted three arms from two of baseball’s preeminent giants. Heaven help us if Tyler Glasnow can stay healthy (full disclosure, I’ll hide it, but Del Don is probably right), and an effective way to pitch Judge, especially Alvarez. there is no.

dalton 2

• UT Otani

• OF Soto

• SP Gaussman

• SS Bichette

• SP Skubal

The other roster is focused on speed and has only one infielder. Corner spots will require immediate attention. Soto didn’t look like himself for much of his time in San Diego, but perhaps he’s changing teams, leagues and parks at the perfect time.