Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: Loading Up on Top Players

Three days from today, we will have a baseball game that counts. Opening Day is usually a big deal, but MLB gets overshadowed a bit at their start by March Madness and then the NBA and NHL playoffs; at least the summer is left mostly to baseball.

Fantasy baseball doesn't wait, though, as owners are tasked with managing a rapidly changing landscape early in the season; small samples play havoc with our expectations. It's the end of mock draft season, so I have one more for you, this time built around securing multiple high-level players.

Let's look at a recent mock draft I completed in which I tried getting the top player at as many positions as possible. This was an ESPN 12-team roto-league auction draft. Each player is listed with the amount that I paid for him in the auction (out of a $260 limit).

Use FantasySP's Who Should I Draft? tool to compare players and help make your toughest preseason decisions while building your team!

The Stars

• SS Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals, $78
• 3B Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians, $72
• C Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners, $37
• 2B Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks, $29

This is what this strategy is all about. I got the top-ranked shortstop, third baseman, and catcher based on ESPN's rankings, and though Jazz Chisholm Jr. was rated above Marte in this format (for some reason), I prefer Marte and treat him as if he were ranked at the top of his position (which he is in points leagues).

There's not much to argue about here; you can find value later at all four positions, but there will be a lot of fantasy teams that struggle to find consistent production, particularly at second, shortstop, and catcher. While drafting a top-heavy team is a risky strategy if a few guys go down, you can work the waiver wire all season the same way no matter who you draft, so setting the highest ceiling is a strong strategy.

(This became my favorite strategy in fantasy football last year as well. We just don't know enough about who will stay healthy and be the top players from year to year, so taking multiple swings on guys who would be first-round picks in snake drafts gives you a few chances at having truly elite players. If more than one guy hits? Now you're looking at something special.)

Multi-Positional Guys

• C/1B Ben Rice, New York Yankees, $9
• 2B/OF Jose Altuve, Houston Astros, $7
• 1B/OF Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals, $1
• 2B/3B/SS Ernie Clement, Toronto Blue Jays, $1

I always like to grab at least a few players who can slot into multiple spots, and that's especially important in this endeavor, when so much money is spent on the stars at the top. Being able to mix and match around those guys, especially early in the season when we learn what players are going to be in 2026, is a major benefit that stops you from having to turn over a portion of your roster every day/week.

I have been talking about Rice often in the leadup to the season; he's officially “my guy” this year. I usually have taken him for my catcher spot, as he is set to put up first-base-level production while still eligible at his old position, but in this case, he is my backup catcher who will slot in at first base and the utility spot more often.

Altuve and Burleson will do a lot of heavy lifting in the outfield with this roster (you'll see the dearth on the roster at this position soon), but they can each fill an infield spot as well. That is helpful for lineup malleability, especially as it's generally easier to find useful fantasy outfielders, where so many guys are eligible at the position.

Clement is going undrafted in many leagues, so you can grab him with one of your last picks if you want an extra-versatile player early in the season (it's also easy to drop him if needed). Clement set career highs last year with 157 games played and 545 at-bats, finishing with 151 hits, 35 doubles, and 83 runs while batting .277. Some regression could be coming, but Clement is a useful player early.

Outfielders

• OF Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers, $3
• OF Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers, $2

I mentioned that the outfield is a little sparse, but these guys have upside and were close to free. Loading up on Dodgers isn't a bad plan if you're looking for offensive production. The veteran Hernandez missed a little time last year after topping 150 games the previous two seasons, but he still reached 500 at-bats and finished with 29 doubles and 25 homers. Over the past five years, he has averaged around 31 and 28, respectively.

You might remember Pages as a defensive ace who struggled mightily with the bat in the playoffs, but he had a good regular season in 2025, hitting .272 in 581 at-bats with 27 doubles, 27 homers, and 158 hits. He will play the whole season at 25 years old and could see even more improvement, putting him in 30/30 contention again.

A Power Bat

• 1B Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox, $1

I don't like to overdraft or load up too much on first basemen, but I love Contreras' outlook this year when he was basically free. While he has only reached 130 games twice in his 10-year career (and played 58 of 60 games in the COVID season), Contreras will exclusively play first base and DH this year, taking away the wear-and-tear of catching. He had 31 doubles and 20 homers in just under 500 at-bats last season and now gets to pepper the Green Monster in Boston.

Pitching Staff

• SP Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers, $3
• SP Chase Burns, Cincinnati Reds, $2
• SP Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers, $2
• SP Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners, $2
• SP MacKenzie Gore, Texas Rangers, $1
• SP Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds, $1

I always like to wait on pitchers and load up on guys with upside and big strikeout stuff. Eovaldi, Castillo, and Abbott were each just a little under one strikeout per inning last season but have the ability to top that number, and they each found success in preventing runs. Burns, Glasnow, and Gore were above that rate while holding some downside (being young, dealing with injuries, and a lower innings count, respectively).

I like to churn through pitchers also depending on matchups, so I wouldn't expect this group to stay stagnant. Abbott was the last player I picked up and could have been replaced by at least 20 other guys, but I wanted the excuse to share this video early: Hey Abbott! (It's going to be a good year.)

Injured Potential Stars

• SP Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees, $1
• RP Josh Hader, Houston Astros, $2

And we finish with one of my favorite yearly traditions, mining through injured former stars who might add high-level production for very low cost or a late draft pick. Cole isn't set to return to the big-league rotation until around June, but if your league has an IL spot, you could get elite pitching later in the season, even if it comes in five-inning starts.

Hader is a riskier pick, as though he will be back sooner (probably), he might not serve as the team's closer at any point, limiting his value. He still strikes guys a ton of guys out, so he can be a valuable player in any role, but I don't blame anyone who wants to stay away, particularly if you draft another injured guy, like Cole, who will use your IL slot.