After a long, cold, snowy winter, baseball season cannot come fast enough. And with baseball season, comes fantasy baseball. While we all know that Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera are going to be the first two picks of every fantasy baseball draft this year, the rest of the draft order is up in the air. I participated in a 10-team mock draft. The names of the other participants are not available, so in place of their names, I have inserted some of the names from JK Rowling's Harry Potter series. Plus, having my name mentioned with all of these characters makes it look as though I am just another Hogwarts student -- something I dream of every night. I have posted comments on each of my picks, along with some feedback on certain picks within this 22-round mock draft. The positions are as follows: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, 2 UTIL, 2 SP, 2 RP, 3 P, 5 bench. Round 1
The reigning NL-MVP provides numbers across the board. Hitting over .300, McCutchen is also good for 20-30 home runs and stolen bases as well as 85-100 runs and RBIs. It does not get much more well-rounded than that. (Except for Mike Trout...) Round 2
This pick was between Pedroia and Bryce Harper. It came down to who was more likely to be available in the third round (Harper) and how big the drop-off is at each position. The second baseman was the clear choice after that. Now that he is healthy, expect some more power this year. Round 3
Again, a debate between two players, in this case Wright and Longoria. Having gone well-rounded players who hit for average in the first two rounds, I decided to continue the trend and look for some more power in later rounds. Round 4
The power I was looking for sandwiched my pick. Stanton was my first choice but after he was gone, it made sense to go after the best catcher available. Round 5
Again, I went with an all-around good player in Gonzalez. Jose Bautista in the fifth round is excellent value. Bautista was a first round pick last year and if he stays healthy, could be a steal for Albus Dumbledore. How wise he is, indeed. Best Pick: Jose Bautista Round 6
I once again saw my guy taken the pick before mine. Anyways, it seemed like a good time to start building my pitching staff. I cannot justify taking a closer in the sixth round. Not worth it for essentially one category (saves). Best Pick: Ben Zobrist Round 7
With no players I really loved, I continued to build up the rotation with the AL ERA leader of 2013. Best Pick: Matt Kemp - If Kemp, like Bautista, can stay healthy, this is an absolute steal. Round 8
Wil Myers may not put up the average he did last year, but he should put up good power numbers. Best Pick: Cole Hamels - He is bound to bounce back. Round 9
Carlos Beltran hit 24 home runs last season. While he is going to be 36 years old, he is playing in a ballpark that is the size of a little league field. Best Pick: Carlos Beltran Round 10
Maybe there are no superstar pitchers on Team Pericolo, but there are now three excellent starters all on good teams, something that is vital for the "wins" category. Best Pick: Manny Machado - He will return from his injury as good as new. Expect him to hit around .300, 20 home runs, and hover around 90 runs and 75 RBIs. Round 11
Jered Weaver was my Cy Young prediction for 2013. Injury has pushed him all the way back to the 11th round. Great value. Best Picks: Jered Weaver and Gerrit Cole Round 12
I am shocked to see a closer on my roster this early. However, there was nobody I loved here, so figured it was a good time to grab an elite closer. Best Pick: Matt Moore - Moore showed us what he is made of last year going 17-4 with a 3.29 ERA. Round 13
Julio Teheran is a young pitcher with great upside on a very good team. The Braves locking him up through 2019 shows how good they believe he can be. Best Pick: Matt Adams - He shows great power potential. 30+ home runs assuming he gets every day starts at first (and Allen Craig moving to OF full-time). Round 14
Michael Wacha showed the world that he has nearly un-hittable stuff during the playoffs. Best Picks: Michael Wacha and CC Sabathia - Sabathia is in better shape than he has been in years. He will bounce back. Round 15
Johnson is exactly the guy I had my eyes on from the start of the draft. He may not give you strikeouts, but he gets a ton of saves, and should continue to on a good Oakland A's team. Round 16
I drafted Bogaerts to be my SS. Since I missed out on Zobrist, I decided to wait for my SS. It came down to Bogaerts and Simmons. While Xander does not yet have SS eligibility, he will gain it very quickly and take over my starting SS job. Biggest Question Mark: Jose Abreu - How will the Cuban rookie adapt to MLB? Most likely a lot of power and low average, but he could surprise us with his average. Round 17
I took a chance with this pick. Hamilton, if he gets on base, will be a monster on the base paths. However, it really is if he gets on base. Biggest Question Marks: Hamilton and Will Middlebrooks - While both are question marks, at least Harry Potter has Middlebrooks on his bench; Hamilton will open the season in my starting lineup. Round 18
This pick came down to two pitchers who are aces when healthy, but cannot seem to stay on the field. Flipped a coin and ended up with Cueto. Best Picks: Johnny Cueto and Clay Buchholz - These guys have exceptional stuff and are aces. Why not take a chance on them in the 18th round? Biggest Question Marks: Johnny Cueto and Clay Buchholz Round 19
I wanted Mark Teixeira. Best Pick: Mark Teixeira Round 20
Rollins is definitely on the back nine; he just finished up the 17th hole. However, he is a solid player to insert in as my SS while Bogaerts gains eligibility. At that point, Rollins may no longer have a spot on the roster. Round 21
Stacking your bench with starters is the way to go. If Burnett can give me a 3.30 ERA and 200+ K's I would be ecstatic. Best Pick: Evan Gattis - Just as I waited until the final rounds to take a SS, Remus Lupin waited until the second-to-last round to find his catcher, and he got a pretty good one. Round 22
I think Archer in the last round is a steal. I would have been prepared to take him a few rounds earlier. I put together what I believe to be a championship team. The lineup is very balanced, but I also took a few chances on young guys such as Xander Bogaerts and Billy Hamilton. Even if the young players go through rough patches, there are enough proven veterans who can carry the team. As for the pitching, every guy on this staff, with the exception of Phillies' starter AJ Burnett, is on a playoff team.
Looking at the other teams, Severus Snape seems to have one of the better teams. Goldschmidt and Beltre in the first two rounds are as good as any first two picks that you are going to get, and getting Puig in the fourth round is a round later than I projected him. Despite taking a closer far earlier than I ever would, Lord Voldemort's team may be one of the best in this league. In addition to a strong infield, The Dark Lord also has excellent pitching, including the best closer in the game, Craig Kimbrel. With value picks of Matt Kemp (7) and CC Sabathia (14), if the man formerly known as Tom Riddle sees these two back to form, he could be holding the championship trophy this year. One has to wonder if any dark magic was involved, seeing he drafted such a good team. You can view the full rosters for each team rosters here.
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SAMUEL PERICOLOSam is a graduate of Assumption College where he studied History, Marketing, and Political Science and was a Co-Producer on a weekly sports talk television show. Archives
March 2018
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