2016 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft - Round 2

            If you missed round 1, click here. 

2-13 = Miguel Cabrera – First Baseman – Detroit Tigers – Age 32

            Cabrera has been such a valuable fantasy commodity for over a decade it seems disrespectful to have him come off the board in the second round, but after posting a career low in Isolated Power in 2015, it’s no longer wise to build a fantasy roster around him. It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see him begin the “Albert Pujols on the Angels” phase of his career.

2-14 = A.J. Pollock – Outfield – Arizona Diamondbacks – Age 28

            Pollock quietly had a massive breakout 2015 campaign, obliterating career highs in every meaningful offensive statistic while also earning his first Gold Glove award. He isn’t a first round pick because folks would like to seem him come close to repeating his 2015 performance. It isn’t wise to bank on him racking up 20 homers again, but if that means he pushes his stolen base total over 40 you won’t complain. We’re all in on Pollock.

2-15 = Andrew McCutchen – Outfield – Pittsburgh Pirates – Age 29

            We’ve seen McCutchen ranked as high as fifth on some fantasy sites, but his declining counting stats are why we won’t own McCutchen on any fantasy teams this year. He’s only cracked 30+ dingers once, and his stolen base total plummeted all the way down to 11 in 2015. No Credentials isn’t spending a first round pick on an outfielder who will not crack 40 combined home runs and steals, and neither should you.

2-16 = Mookie Betts – Outfield – Boston Red Sox – Age 23

            Mookie’s strong finish last year gives everyone reason to be excited about his prospects in 2016. It’s reasonable to expect him to eclipse 30 stolen bases, and barring injury he will contend for the league lead in runs scored.

2-17 = Jose Bautista – Outfield – Toronto Blue Jays – Age 35

            Sure he’s old, but 40 homer potential with oodles of RBIs make Bautista worth the investment. You could bump him up a few notches in leagues that count on-base percentage instead of batting average.

2-18 = Jose Abreu – First Baseman – Chicago White Sox – Age 29

            Abreu regressed in most statistics during his second year in the majors, but some of that had to do with the putrid lineup around him. Todd Frazier’s presence (whether he hits before or after Abreu) should help.

2-19 = Dee Gordon – Second Baseman – Miami Marlins – Age 27

            Gordon had a banner first season in south Florida, winning an unlikely batting crown, leading the league in steals, and snagging a Gold Glove. A DL stint was the only thing preventing Gordon from leading the National League in runs scored. Even if his batting average regresses to around .300, his elite stolen base totals are enough to warrant him ranking this high in the mock. Drafting Gordon gives you the peace of mind to target power bats and starting pitchers in the late rounds instead of spending picks on cheap speedsters.

2-20 = Max Scherzer – Starting Pitcher – Washington Nationals – Age 31

            Scherzer delivered a number of dominating performances in 2015, but an inconsistent Nationals squad depressed his win totals. With a little more luck in the health department with the Washington roster, Scherzer will be in line to rank as the most valuable starting pitcher in all of fantasy when 2016 is over.

2-21 = Charlie Blackmon – Outfield – Colorado Rockies – Age 29

            Here’s a case where playing in the wacky confines of Coors Field heavily inflates a dude’s value. Blackmon wouldn’t go this high if you were looking to build a real baseball team, but in the world of fantasy 15 homers and 40 steals go a long way. The greatest risk owning Blackmon (and for that matter, any Rockie not named Nolan Arenado) is the risk of getting traded away if the team stinks.

2-22 = Edwin Encarnacion – First Baseman – Toronto Blue Jays – Age 33

            Here’s another masher from the Blue Jays flying off the board. Encarnacion posted the highest WAR of his career last season, and you could make a case for him to go as high as 15 in a draft.

2-23 = Chris Sale – Starting Pitcher – Chicago White Sox – Age 26

            There are a number of pitchers that will be picked after Sale that posted better ERAs a year ago, but Sale’s dominant strike out totals warrant him being ranked so high. Also, don't underestimate the value of having at least a league average defense behind you (that's something Sale couldn't claim last year). He’s the greatest threat to unseat Clayton Kershaw as the league leader in Ks.

2-24 = Starling Marte – Outfield – Pittsburgh Pirates – Age 27

            If only Marte could learn how to take a walk and not strike out a ton. His plate discipline is what keeps Marte from posting elite run scoring and stolen base totals.

2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings - First Basemen

            First Base is still the deepest infield position in the fantasy game like it has been since the beginning of time, which if you’re a positional scarcity fanatic means you likely wait for the elite options to come off the board and snag the ninth or tenth best option. These days though, you can’t afford to pass up on the power numbers generated by the top-tier. In your draft or auction, half of the first twelve picks (or half of the players that cost the most money in auctions) will be first basemen.

            Beyond the top tier, you’re looking at players that will be leading candidates to fill your utility spot. If you play in a league with two utility men, it’s imperative that you have one of those spots filled with a 1B.

Tier 1 = The Cream of the Crop

J.Abreu, CHW

P.Goldschmidt, ARI

A.Rizzo, CHC

J.Bautista, TOR OF

M.Cabrera, DET 3B

E.Encarnacion, TOR

            Health permitting, here are your safest bets for guys that will put up elite home run and RBI totals. If you find yourself in the bottom part of the first round in a draft, it would be a terrible idea to draft two of these guys back to back (that scenario is even rosier if Miguel Cabrera has third base eligibility in your league, but we’ll cover that later) to give yourself an edge in homers.

Tier 2 = Lower Ceilings, But Reliable

F.Freeman, ATL

A.Gonzalez, LAD

            Freeman’s value is impacted immensely by extreme lack of talent in the rest of the Atlanta Braves’ lineup. The risk of him getting virtually no pitches to hit is enough reason for me to stay away from him in fantasy leagues. Adrian Gonzalez is one of the better bets to lead the National League in RBIs, but his limited home run potential keeps him out of the top tier.

Tier-3 = High Ceilings, Low Floors

T.Frazier, CIN 3B

P.Fielder, TEX

B.Posey, SF C

D.Ortiz, BOS

A.Pujols, LAA

V.Martinez, DET

J.Lucroy, MIL C

C.Santana, CLE C-3B

J.Votto, CIN

(EDITORS NOTE: There’s no way you should be drafting Buster Posey or Jonathan Lucroy as your starting first basemen, but we note them because they do have 1B eligibility)

            Tier-3 can be divided into three groups. Catchers (read the note above), older guys who’s year-to-year value is extremely volatile (Fielder, Ortiz, Pujols, Martinez, Votto), and guys that we’d like to see match their 2014 performance again to ensure reliability (Frazier was a beast all of last year, while Santana was a rock once the calendar turned to summer). If one or two of these guys slip into the ninth or tenth round of your draft, or are available towards the end of your auction, there’s a lot of profit potential if you plug one of them into your utility spot.

Tier-4 = All or Nothing

C.Davis, BAL 3B

C.Carter, HOU OF

            Here are two of the only players in baseball whose most likely results are either a tape-measure home run or a strikeout. Davis is the preferred option here because he is only two years removed from a MVP-caliber campaign, but don’t sleep on Carter. Sure he’s going to demolish you in batting average, but he hit more homers than any other first base eligible player last year while only hitting .223. If he can hit over .250 like he did after the All-Star break in 2014, we could be talking about 45+ dingers.

Tier-5 = Valuable Bench Players 

M.Adams, STL

E.Hosmer, KC

R.Zimmerman, WAS 3B-OF

B.Moss, CLE OF

S.Pearce, BAL OF

L.Duda, NYM

M.Trumbo, ARI OF

A.LaRoche, CHW

C.Headley, NYY 3B

M.Napoli, BOS

M.Morse, MIA OF

            Ideally you’d like as much positional flexibility as possible out of your bench, and you should have at least one 1B-OF or 1B-3B eligible player on your team. Of this group, we like Ryan Zimmerman (35% chance he doesn’t get hurt now that he’s stationed at first, and he’ll offer three position eligibility by May 1) and Chase Headley (just a hunch) the most.