What Happens When You Draft Pitchers Early? Mock Draft Breakdown

It's time for my third fantasy baseball mock draft of the year. I went into the draft attempting to go pitcher-heavy early on, just to see how that might look.

This time, I'll do the mock draft on FantasyPros platform, drafting fifth in a 10-team points setup. There's one starter at catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, third base and a utility player, plus three outfielders, five starting pitchers, two relief pitchers and four bench slots.

Fantasy baseball average draft position data can be found on FantasySP. Draft Genius now has custom head-to-head scoring options and on demand AI expert help for every pick.

Round 1 - Tarik Skubal

Skubal is the best fantasy pitcher in my eyes, so he gets the round 1 nod in this pitcher-heavy draft early on.

He's coming off a stellar season and was right up there among the top fantasy hitters, so he's worthy of a first-round pick. We'll see if he can stay healthy and deliver another big season in 2026.

Round 2 - Junior Caminero

I wanted to take a pitcher here, but the value just wasn't good after Garrett Crochet and Paul Skenes were taken between my Skubal pick and this one.

I went with Caminero for this pick, taking him over Vladimir Guerrero Jr. I think it'll be tougher to find talent at third base, so that's why I chose Caminero over Guerrero.

Round 3 - Yoshinobu Yamamoto

I got back into adding pitchers early with Yamamoto in round 3.

He could have been the pick in round 2, but his ADP is later on FantasyPros, so I rolled the dice and hoped he'd be there for this pick. Yamamoto was great last season, and if he can improve on that showing, he definitely could be worth a second-round pick, or even higher.

Round 4 - Logan Gilbert

Gilbert is the third pitcher I've grabbed in the first four rounds now, and I'm ecstatic about the three I've drafted to this point.

Gilbert was good in a 25-start season in 2025. If he gets a full season of starts in 2025, he could join Skubal and Yamamoto as top-five fantasy starting pitchers, so I love this pick too.

Round 5 - Max Fried

Let's continue to overstock the pitcher position, as that was my goal coming into this mock draft.

Fried was stellar in his first season with the Yankees, and while he's likely to regress from 19 wins in 2026, a healthy amount of innings/strikeouts could help Fried to a high-end fantasy finish.

Round 6 - Mason Miller

I don't like drafting relief pitchers this early usually, but sticking with the theme of things, I thought it was a great pick.

Miller has a chance to be RP1 in fantasy in a full year with the Padres. He's been a great fantasy asset in the past on a bad team, so as long as he stays healthy, I think Miller could be a good value pick, even if I think it's too early.

Round 7 - Dylan Cease

Another starting pitcher to add to the mix for me. I was debating between George Kirby and Joe Ryan, but Cease is just the most confident pick in my eyes.

Cease struggled in 2025, but joining a very good Blue Jays' team/rotation, I think he bounces back and is a good/great fantasy asset again in 2026. He could be a major draft steal if he indeed bounces back.

Round 8 - Cade Smith

I planned on breaking away from pitchers in this round, but after grabbing a hitter in round 2, I decided to take one more pitcher in Smith.

Smith is a great fantasy RP2 for me after Miller. Smith will be the Guardians' closer with Emmanuel Clase on the restricted list. Smith has been a good fantasy reliever as a setup man in the past, and now as the closer, he could deliver high-end fantasy marks.

Round 9 - Nico Hoerner

We've already filled every starting pitcher/relief pitcher spot, so now it's time to start hammering away on hitters.

Hoerner is a good option at second base, and I think I got a great value on him at this draft slot. He's not a huge power threat, but a good average/OBP and low strikeout marks still has him as a high-end fantasy talent.

Round 10 - Alex Bregman

There were a few hitters who I liked here, and I decided on a second third baseman over them all.

Bregman is in a good fantasy situation with the Cubs, but has some injury concerns. I don't mind taking him because I had Caminero already, so Bregman will be my utility guy, or a trade chip if he takes off early on.

Round 11 - Michael Busch

It's back-to-back Cubs for me after drafting Busch to play first base.

He's coming off a big year and is still a pretty underrated fantasy option. I liked the options at shortstop and the outfield more, so I decided to land my top first baseman left.

Round 12 - Drake Baldwin

Catcher isn't a position I had really thought about, and I liked Baldwin, Agustin Ramirez and Will Smith. 

I landed on Baldwin after what he did in his rookie season in 2025. If he takes a step forward as the lead catcher in 2026, this could be a major draft steal by the end of the year.

Round 13 - Brandon Nimmo

I finally landed my first outfielder here in round 13 with Nimmo.

He's coming off a bounceback year, and now is joining a new team in the Rangers. Nimmo has a nice fantasy outlook there, so I see good value in this pick.

Round 14 - Taylor Ward

I got another outfielder in round 14 that changed teams this offseason.

Ward had a good last season with the Angels, but now has a better outlook with the Orioles. If he's able to replicate his 2025 season, I'll be thrilled, and this will be another draft steal.

Round 15 - Jacob Wilson

I needed a fantasy shortstop yet, so I grabbed one of my favorite late-round picks in Wilson.

I think he's going far too late, after what he accomplished while healthy in 2025. Hopefully Wilson can return to that level, but even if he doesn't, I feel like I got a good value pick here.

Round 16 - Will Smith

I didn't expect to still see Smith available this late - it makes me less happy with the Baldwin pick earlier, but I just wasn't going to pass on Smith any longer.

He's a stellar second catcher, and could be a trade chip. Really, I'd probably rather move Bregman, then utilize Smith/Baldwin in the utility spot if both catchers were delivering good results.

Round 17 - Jakob Marsee

I liked what Marsee did in his first taste of the big leagues, so I'm fine taking him as a third outfielder near the end of a fantasy draft.

If he keeps delivering like he did last season, but over a full season, I could have another big draft steal on my hands. I still want another outfielder in case Marsee regresses hard, but I'm happy with my three outfielders.

Round 18 - Steven Kwan

I didn't realize Kwan was still available, otherwise I'd have scooped him up several rounds ago.

Here's my extra outfield option - he'll likely start over Marsee to open the season. This pick could turn an outfielder into a trade chip. Getting Kwan this late is an absolute steal though.

Round 19 - Edward Cabrera

I finally added another pitcher here in Cabrera, who was dealt to the Cubs this offseason.

Cabrera has a better fantasy outlook with his new team. Coming off a career season already, Cabrera is an up-and-comer, so we'll see if this is another fantasy draft pick steal.

Round 20 - Carlos Rodon

With my last pick, I decided to take a flier on Rodon.

He's expected to miss the first few weeks of the season, so I'll need to stash him, or throw him in an IR spot. Rodon could be a really good fantasy asset when healthy, and with my last pick, that's exactly the kind of upside I want.

Final Thoughts

For having a focus on pitchers early on, I really am quite pleased with my hitters and roster overall.

I was only graded as a B (85/100) on the FantasyPros system, but using ADP data from FantasySP, I think I knocked this mock out of the park.

Of course, I love my pitchers in this mock, and think that is going to carry my team. My hitting isn't elite, but there's enough good talents in the mix to offset a lack of high-end talents.

I have trade chips all over the place to fill in weak spots, or pitchers to trade away if my hitting really lacks that much. I truly think this group of hitters could get the job done though, and help me to a playoff spot - it'd be the pitchers who carried me though.