Early 2025 fantasy baseball mock draft: Results, sleepers, top picks, analysis from Rotoworld writers

It’s that time of the year once again. As the cold of winter starts to creep in and we inch closer to the holidays, it’s time to dust off the spreadsheets and rankings and sit close to the warm glow of a new fantasy baseball draft.

Starting on Monday, the Rotoworld baseball staff and a couple of friends from the industry got together to start our first mock draft for the 2025 season. Since it’s a slow draft, I’ll have the luxury of checking in every couple of rounds to see how things are shaking out and provide analysis on each squad.

Here’s the fine group of fantasy managers that we have participating in this one along with the draft order:

1. Matthew Pouliot (Rotoworld)

2. Christopher Crawford (Rotoworld)

3. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports)

4. Dave Shovein (Rotoworld)

5. Vlad Sedler (FTN Fantasy)

6. Eric Samulski (Rotoworld)

7. Steve Gardner (USA Today)

8. James Schiano (Rotoworld)

9. Nick Shlain (Rotoworld)

10. D.J. Short (Rotoworld)

11. Jorge Montanez (Rotoworld)

12. George Bissell (Rotoworld)

It’s a 20-round draft. We’ll start one catcher, one at each infield position plus a corner infielder and a middle infielder, three outfielders, one utility spot on offense and nine pitchers. Scoring is standard 5×5 roto.

With that, let’s get to it!

Round 1

1.01 (1): Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers – UTIL/P
1.02 (2): Bobby Witt Jr., Royals – SS
1.03 (3): Aaron Judge, Yankees – OF
1.04 (4): Elly De La Cruz, Reds – SS
1.05 (5): Kyle Tucker, Cubs – OF*
1.06 (6): Gunnar Henderson, Orioles – SS
1.07 (7): Jose Ramirez, Guardians – 3B
1.08 (8): Juan Soto, Mets – OF
1.09 (9): Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres – OF
1.10 (10): Mookie Betts, Dodgers – SS/OF
1.11 (11): Francisco Lindor, Mets – SS
1.12 (12): Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays – 1B

*This mock draft took place prior to Tucker being traded to the Cubs

As you would probably expect with a group like this, there were no real surprises in the opening round. Shohei Ohtani has emerged as the favorite to be the top overall selection in most fantasy drafts in 2025 following his historic 2025 campaign with Royals’ superstar Bobby Witt Jr. close behind him.

Aaron Judge and Elly De La Cruz have separated themselves a tiny bit as the third and fourth overall options so far through the slow draft season, and that’s exactly how they went here. I was the one to pull the trigger on the Reds’ phenom at four after giving strong consideration to Jose Ramirez. The extra stolen bases were just too much to give up in that spot in exchange for RBI.

The industry as a whole has the next four players grouped pretty close together, and while they were shuffled a bit from the current landscape of ADP, the top eight as a whole remained true to what was expected. Vlad pulled up Kyle Tucker to the top of that group while one of our resident Mets’ fans couldn’t contain his excitement in nabbing Juan Soto at pick eight on the day that he inked his mega 15-year, $765 million contract.

We closed out the first round with four studly hitters who are no stranger to the top two rounds of fantasy drafts. By current ADP, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Francisco Lindor were the two lowest names pulled in the round, but they checked in at picks 15 and 16 respectively in ADP so it’s not like there was any reaching going on.

I was a bit surprised to see zero starting pitchers go in the first round, as I anticipated someone would make a splash by going up to get Paul Skenes or Tarik Skubal, but instead we had all twelve teams begin with strong anchor bats. Nine of those bats should be strong contributors in the stolen base department. Judge and Soto should provide something there. It looks like George is the only manager that’s taking a bat without any speed to begin his build.

Round 2

2.01 (13): Julio Rodriguez, Mariners – OF
2.02 (14): Yordan Alvarez, Astros – OF
2.03 (15): Tarik Skubal, Tigers – SP
2.04 (16): Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks – OF
2.05 (17): Paul Skenes, Pirates – SP
2.06 (18): Zack Wheeler, Phillies – SP
2.07 (19): Bryce Harper, Phillies – 1B
2.08 (20): Jackson Chourio, Brewers – OF
2.09 (21): Freddie Freeman, Dodgers – 1B
2.10 (22): Trea Turner, Phillies – SS
2.11 (23): Jarren Duran, Red Sox – OF
2.12 (24): Austin Riley, Braves – 3B

Starting the second round, George paired his Guerrero Jr. pick with Julio Rodriguez, picking up that speed that he was lacking in the first round. That’s a strong start across the board on the offensive side. Jorge followed by grabbing Yordan Alvarez to pair with Francisco Lindor. Another team with a masher and a five-category stud to start on offense. Not a bad way to go.

At pick 15 we finally see our first starting pitcher come off the board, and it’s reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to D.J.’s squad. Early ADP actually has Skenes slightly ahead of Skubal, but Skubal is easily the top overall pitcher on my board and the one that I would have gone with first. I think the volume of innings that he’s going to provide over Skenes will be beneficial.

Nick followed with Corbin Carroll to pair with Fernando Tatis Jr., giving him a fearsome duo of five-category contributors in the outfield. James then plucked Skenes at pick 17 to go with his earlier selection of Soto. As long as he stays healthy, there’s really no reason to doubt that we’re going to see anything other than elite numbers from the reigning National League Rookie of the Year in his sophomore campaign. Though I noted I expect Skubal to throw more innings, that doesn’t mean that Skenes still won’t be able to compete with him in strikeouts.

After no pitchers went in the first round, we saw three go in the first five picks in the second round as Steve grabbed Zack Wheeler to go with his earlier selection of Jose Ramirez. Eric followed with Bryce Harper, giving him a very strong power base along with Gunnar Henderson while also adding unconventional speed at first base.

Vlad continued to stockpile young five-category studs in the outfield by adding Jackson Chourio to his Kyle Tucker. Can’t find any fault with that pick. When the draft got back to me at pick 20, I strongly considered a pair of long-time first-round locks in Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner. Personally, I didn’t think either of them should be on the board at this stage, and anticipate that both will creep toward the backend of the first round before March. Since I already had plus-plus speed with De La Cruz and locked up my shortstop position, Freeman was the easy pick. I also think that his skillset compliments De La Cruz very well as he’ll help to pick up the slack in batting average and RBI while filling a difficult position at first base.

Scott must have been thinking along the same lines that I was, as he quickly snagged Turner to team up with Aaron Judge. Chris then followed with 2024 breakout star Jarren Duran, giving him a ridiculously strong base in power and speed when paired with Bobby Witt Jr. The second round finished with Matthew grabbing Austin Riley to go with the 100+ HR/SB that he had already locked in with Ohtani to start the draft.

Round 3

3.01 (25): Wyatt Langford, Rangers – OF
3.02 (26): Corbin Burnes, Free agent – SP
3.03 (27): Matt Olson, Braves – 1B
3.04 (28): Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves – OF
3.05 (29): Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees – 3B/OF
3.06 (30): Rafael Devers, Red Sox – 3B
3.07 (31): Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks – 2B
3.08 (32): Logan Gilbert, Mariners – SP
3.09 (33): Jackson Merrill, Padres – OF
3.10 (34): Jose Altuve, Astros – 2B
3.11 (35): Cole Ragans, Royals – SP
3.12 (36): *Garrett Crochet, Red Sox – SP

*This mock draft took place just as Crochet was traded to the Red Sox

Round three gets underway with Matthew adding Wyatt Langford to his capable offensive core (Ohtani, Riley). Langford and Chourio are both immensely talented youngsters with helium in their average draft position this draft season, with Chourio residing inside the top-30 overall and Langford more routinely in the top-50.

Christopher then made Corbin Burnes the third starting pitcher off the board to headline his staff. Given his history and consistency, it’s hard to find any fault there, even without knowing what ballpark he’ll call home in 2025. Scott continued to strengthen his well-rounded base on offense, adding slugger Matt Olson (Judge, Turner).

I had considered pulling the trigger on Ronald Acuna Jr. in the second round, given his immense upside, but went the safer route with Freeman still on the board. In the third round though, I’ll take this every single time. We have seen his ceiling as the top overall player in 2023, and while it’s likely that he won’t run quite as much coming back from the knee injury, he should still be a massive five-category contributor.

Vlad continued to stick with the five-category monsters as well, plucking Jazz Chisholm Jr. off the board. Eric also opted to strengthen his offense, adding Rafael Devers to the mix (Henderson, Harper).

Five of the first six teams in this draft have started with three consecutive hitters. That means we are going to be competing with one another a lot in the upcoming rounds as we try to get a start on our pitching staffs. Someone may wind up getting left out.

After Steve made another solid pick to snag Ketel Marte, James became the first manager in this draft to grab his second starting pitcher – Logan Gilbert. There’s wisdom in zigging while others are zagging and James may position himself well in the middle rounds as he could be shopping in areas where other teams are already set.

Nick then became the first team to fill up his outfield, selecting Jackson Merrill (Tatis Jr., Carroll). It’s an interesting build, but they’re all so talented that it’s also hard to find fault in it. D.J. added Jose Altuve and now has both second base and shortstop (Betts) locked down early.

The round finished with another pair of starting pitchers going off the board, with Cole Ragans going to Jorge and George adding Garrett Crochet. Through three rounds we have seen a total of just seven pitchers – all starting pitchers – off the board. Two of those went to one team (James), so half of the league is without an ace heading into Round 4.

Round 4

4.01 (37): Manny Machado, Padres – 3B
4.02 (38): Dylan Cease, Padres – SP
4.03 (39): Pete Alonso, Free agent – 1B
4.04 (40): Corey Seager, Rangers- SS
4.05 (41): James Wood, Nationals – OF
4.06 (42): Oneil Cruz, Pirates – SS/OF
4.07 (43): Ozzie Albies, Braves – 2B
4.08 (44): Chris Sale, Braves – SP
4.09 (45): George Kirby, Mariners – SP
4.10 (46): Framber Valdez, Astros – SP
4.11 (47): Gerrit Cole, Yankees – SP
4.12 (48): Jacob deGrom, Rangers – SP

George kicked off the fourth round with a strong addition of Manny Machado. He’s now got three bats (Guerrero Jr., Julio Rodriguez) and one arm through four rounds. I like all of the players individually, but it still feels a bit light on speed through his first three hitters.

Jorge pulled the eighth starting pitcher off the board, nabbing Dylan Cease with pick 38. He’s now the second team to secure a pair of aces, doubling up on Ragans from the previous round.

D.J. continued to work on his infield, adding one of the top slugging first baseman in all of baseball in Pete Alonso. I’m sure that he’ll be much more happy with the pick once (if?) Alonso re-signs with the Mets.

Nick continued his offensive onslaught, adding Corey Seager to his trio of outfielders. He’s going to have to find some pitching eventually, but the start on the offensive side of the ledger is certainly imposing.

Of all the multi-talented second-year outfielders that have risen up draft boards this spring, James Wood may be the one that I’m most excited about. He joins Juan Soto to form the offensive base on James’ squad.

Steve adding a big heap of exit velocity to his team in Round 4, adding Pirates’ specimen Oneil Cruz. He went the same path that D.J. did, locking in three infielders with his first three hitter selections. This should open up plenty of opportunities elsewhere later, especially in a shallow format that utilizes just three outfielders.

Speaking of loading up on infielders, Eric completed his (sans catcher) by drafting Ozzie Albies in the fourth round. Like D.J. and Steve, this should open up opportunities elsewhere later in the draft, though all three squads could be competing for the same types of players in the same areas of the draft.

Vlad finally pulled the trigger on a starting pitcher in Round 4, adding Chris Stable to his trio of hitters. I then followed suit and did the same with George Kirby. I actually have Kirby as my fifth ranked starting pitcher overall, so I was downright giddy to land him as the 10th starting pitcher off the board.

Scott joined the run on starting pitchers as well, selecting Framber Valdez and Christopher became the third team to lock in a second starter by grabbing Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole. Matthew joined the fray as well, locking in Jacob deGrom as his ace to end the fourth round.

Through four rounds, we have now seen 13 pitchers go off the board with three teams (Christopher, James and Jorge) each grabbing a pair of aces. That also leaves two teams (Eric and Nick) without any pitchers through four rounds. We have also yet to see any closers have their names called, though the fifth round seems like it could be the right time for that.

Round 5

5.01 (49): CJ Abrams, Nationals – SS
5.02 (50): Marcus Semien, Rangers – 2B
5.03 (51): Pablo Lopez, Twins – SP
5.04 (52): William Contreras, Brewers – C
5.05 (53): Blake Snell, Dodgers – SP
5.06 (54): Michael Harris II, Braves – OF
5.07 (55): Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers – SP
5.08 (56): Kyle Schwarber, Phillies – UTIL
5.09 (57): Roki Sasaki, FA – SP
5.10 (58): Brent Rooker, Athletics – UTIL
5.11 (59): Emmanuel Clase, Guardians – RP
5.12 (60): Michael King, Padres – SP

Matthew got us started in the fifth round with Nationals’ superstar CJ Abrams. He adds another large boost of speed to a team that already featured Ohtani and Langford while filling his second infield slot. Christopher went to the infield as well, grabbing a five-category guy in Marcus Semien, just a solid all-around addition.

After starting the draft with three straight bats, Scott went with back-to-back starters to begin his rotation, adding Pablo Lopez to pair with Framber Valdez. The strikeouts will certainly be there.

I really didn’t know what direction to go with my fifth round pick. I also considered doubling up on starting pitchers, but the guys that I liked I thought could potentially make it back to me in the sixth. I also considered grabbing the first closer off the board but ultimately settled on breaking the glass at the catcher position. I understand that William Contreras isn’t quite as valuable in a one-catcher league as he is in a two-backstop format, but I still think he finishes as the top overall catcher and should return profit from this spot. There’s something to be said about getting a catcher who plays nearly everyday, hits in the right part of the lineup and chips in few stolen bases as well.

Like Scott, Vlad did double up on the starting pitchers, pairing Blake Snell with Sale to start his rotation. Snell is a guy that has been rising up my board a bit the more I look into him and he could wind up being a monster with the Dodgers’ offense supporting him.

Eric continued the stance that pitching is overrated and he can find it later, going with Michael Harris II as his fifth consecutive hitter to start the draft. It’s obviously a tremendous start on the offensive side of the ledger, I’m curious to see what the pitching staff ultimately looks like.

Steve added his SP2 as well, plucking Dodgers’ right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He’s very well balanced through the first five rounds. James added some massive thump (and subsequent batting average risk) with Kyle Schwarber in the fifth. His squad feels a bit light on speed through his first three hitters.

Unlike what we just saw from Eric, Nick decided to pivot after starting with four straight hitters and started his staff with Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki. It’s a complete wild card at the moment as we’re unsure where he’s going to sign and ultimately how many innings he’ll ultimately throw (career high of 129 1/3 in Japan, 111 in 2024), but the upside is obviously immense.

D.J. added his fourth bat – and first non-infielder – in the fifth round in A’s slugger Brent Rooker. He would be a lot more appealing if he had outfield eligibility everywhere, but where he qualifies will ultimately depend on which site you’re playing on (14 games in OF in 2024).

We finally see the first closer go off the board to Jorge at pick 59, and to the surprise of no one it’s Emmanuel Clase. It’ll be interesting to see if this pick triggers a run at the position, or if everyone else will try to push them as far as possible.

George concluded the fifth round by grabbing his second starter in Michael King to pair with Crochet. King was overwhelmingly successful in his transition back to the rotation in 2024 and he should be even better in 2025. He’s a guy I expect to move up draft boards as the off-season progresses.

Round 6

6.01 (61): Willy Adames, Giants – SS
6.02 (62): Marcell Ozuna, Braves – UTIL
6.03 (63): Shota Imanaga, Cubs – SP
6.04 (64): Bryce Miller, Mariners – SP
6.05 (65): Aaron Nola, Phillies – SP
6.06 (66): Teoscar Hernandez, FA – OF
6.07 (67): Max Fried, Yankees – SP
6.08 (68): Bailey Ober, Twins – SP
6.09 (69): Josh Hader, Astros – RP
6.10 (70): Mark Vientos, Mets – 3B
6.11 (71): Cal Raleigh, Mariners – C
6.12 (72): Luis Robert Jr., White Sox – OF

The sixth round gets underway with George nabbing Giants’ new superstar shortstop Willy Adames. That’s his third infielder through the first six rounds (Guerrero Jr., Machado), leaving just second base, corner and middle to fill there.

Jorge then grabbed some extreme power production – and locked up his utility spot – with Marcell Ozuna. He has three bats and three arms through the first six rounds, but two of them (Ozuna and Yordan Alvarez) don’t run at all. Lindor helps, but he’s going to need to add speed somewhere to stay in the game there.

We then had a run of three straight starting pitchers, with D.J. (Shota Imanaga) and Nick (Bryce Miller) each adding their second starters while James plucked Aaron Nola as his SP3 to go along with Skenes and Logan Gilbert. He’s the first team to get an SP3 and does so before two teams have landed their SP2 and before Eric has any pitchers at all.

Steve followed by going to the outfield for the first time, grabbing Teoscar Hernandez. He’s still languishing on the free agent market, but should continue to mash regardless of where he ultimately ends up. I still believe it’ll be a return to either the Dodgers or the Blue Jays.

Speaking of Eric, he chose round six to take his first pitcher, landing Yankees’ new prized left-hander Max Fried. For waiting as long as he did, coming away with Fried as the 22nd starting pitcher off the board is impressive.

Vlad followed by becoming the second team to grab an SP3 in Bailey Ober. After starting the draft with three straight five-category bats he built a strong front-three to his rotation with Ober, Sale and Snell.

Sticking with the types of things that I normally do, I grabbed the second closer off the board in Josh Hader with my sixth round selection. Seems to me that closers were falling farther than they should in this draft and that it was time to take advantage before the run started.

Scott followed with Mets’ slugger Mark Vientos. That gives him four bats through the first six rounds and fills three of his infield spots, just leaving second base.

Christopher then plucked the second catcher off the board with Mariners’ masher Cal Raleigh. Matthew rounded out the sixth round with another five-category stud who slipped way too far in the draft in Luis Robert Jr. He only has one pitcher on his roster through the first six rounds, but that base on offense is fearsome (Ohtani, Riley, Langford, Abrams and Robert Jr.).

Round 7
7.01 (73): Joe Ryan, Twins – SP
7.02 (74): Brenton Doyle, Rockies – OF
7.03 (75): Mason Miller, Athletics – RP
7.04 (76): Logan Webb, Giants – SP
7.05 (77): Josh Naylor, Guardians – 1B
7.06 (78): Shane McClanahan, Rays – SP
7.07 (79): Devin Williams, Yankees – RP
7.08 (80): Matt Chapman, Giants – 3B
7.09 (81): Royce Lewis, Twins – 3B
7.10 (82): Lawrence Butler, Athletics – OF
7.11 (83): Tanner Bibee, Guardians – SP
7.12 (84): Yainer Diaz, Astros – C

Matthew got the seventh round going by taking his second starting pitcher in Twins’ right-hander Joe Ryan. He’s got a very strong base with his first five hitters and has Ryan and deGrom to start his pitching staff so far.

Christopher followed with Rockies’ outfielder Brenton Doyle. He brings that dynamic combination of power and speed that we have already seen from so many of his hitters (Witt Jr., Duran, Semien). Christopher also with five bats and two arms (Burnes, Cole) through seven rounds.

Scott then jumped into the closer world, making Mason Miller the third player off the board at the position (Clase, Hader). He’s pretty balanced through seven rounds with three pitchers and four bats.

I waited longer than I normally would have wanted to land my SP2 and wasn’t thrilled with the options available. I knew that if I didn’t take one there though I’d certainly regret it. Welcome old reliable Logan Webb to the squad. I also have four hitters and three arms through seven rounds.

Vlad followed with his fourth bat, nabbing Guardians’ slugger Josh Naylor. He’s got four bats (two infield, two outfield) and three strong starting pitchers through seven rounds.

After starting his draft with five consecutive bats, Eric went back to the well with two starting pitchers in a row here, pairing Shane McClanahan with Max Fried. He’s still without a closer, but has a strong base on offense to go with his pair of starters.

Steve shopped in the closer pool in the seventh round, adding Yankees’ new stopper Devin Williams. That’s his third pitcher overall joining Wheeler and Yamamoto on what looks like a very balanced roster thus far.

James picked up his fourth bat in Giants’ third baseman Matt Chapman. The 31-year-old came out of nowhere to swipe 15 bases for the Giants in 2024, destroying his previous career-best of four. If he keeps running like that, he could wind up being a tremendous value at this pick.

Nick followed by adding Twins’ rising superstar Royce Lewis. He has done nothing but mash at the big league level when healthy, and more of the same should be expected in 2025. He now has five bats through his first seven picks, three outfielders and a pair of infielders.

D.J. then made one of my favorite picks of the draft so far, taking Athletics’ outfielder Lawrence Butler. The 24-year-old had a breakout season in 2024 with 22 homers and 18 stolen bases in only 412 at-bats and now gets the added benefit of playing his home games in a bandbox in West Sacramento. The upside on this one is massive. D.J. also has five bats and a pair of starting pitchers through his first seven picks.

Jorge continued to work on his pitching staff in the seventh round, snagging Tanner Bibee as his SP3 (Ragans, Cease). He also has the top closer in Emmanuel Clase, going with just three bats through his first seven rounds (Lindor, Yordan, Ozuna).

The seventh round concluded with George picking up Yainer Diaz as the third overall catcher off the board. That looks like an absolute steal at this point in the draft. George also has five hitters and a pair of starting pitchers through his first seven picks.

Round 8
8.01 (85): Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers – SP
8.02 (86): Adley Rutschman, Orioles – C
8.03 (87): Edwin Diaz, Mets – RP
8.04 (88): Christian Walker, FA – 1B
8.05 (89): Hunter Greene, Reds – SP
8.06 (90): Triston Casas, Red Sox – 1B
8.07 (91): Anthony Santander, FA – OF
8.08 (92): Felix Bautista, Orioles – RP
8.09 (93): Ryan Helsley, Cardinals – RP
8.10 (94): Spencer Steer, Reds – 1B/OF
8.11 (95): Andres Munoz, Mariners – RP
8.12 (96): Matt McLain, Reds – 2B/SS

George got the eighth round started by grabbing Tyler Glasnow as his SP3. If he’s fully healthy (finished the season with an elbow sprain, didn’t undergo surgery), then this could be a home run pick here – even with the Dodgers going with a six-man rotation. I’d sure like to see him healthy and at his regular velocity during the spring though.

Jorge followed with the fourth catcher off the board in Adley Rutschman. He had an absolutely brutal second half of the season, but he’s still one of the top offensive backstops in the game and always finishes near the top of the position in plate appearances. That’s four hitters on his roster now and only Lindor contributing in stolen bases.

D.J. then added the closer for his hometown squad in Edwin Diaz. He’s just the fifth closer off the board (Clase, Hader, Miller, Williams) and it feels like a run should be happening soon. He should be much better a year removed from the surgery and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he paced the entire league in saves.

Nick went next, grabbing Christian Walker as his sixth hitter overall and third infielder (leaving just 2B). It’ll be interesting to see where he ultimately winds up in free agency, but Walker is perennially underrated in fantasy circles and should have no problem returning a profit from this spot.

James continued his strategy of hammering starting pitching in the eighth round, picking up Reds’ fireballer Hunter Greene as his SP4 (Skenes, Gilbert, Nola). Steve followed by completing his starting infield with Triston Casas.

Eric followed by going right back to the offensive side of the ledger with free agent outfielder Anthony Santander. He’ll add another strong power source to an already deep and well-rounded offense.

Vlad then picked up his first closer in Felix Bautista. He’s the sixth closer off the board so far. The seventh closer off the board went the very next pick as I grabbed Ryan Helsley as my RP2, becoming the first team in the draft to double dip at the closer position.

Scott continued to stay balanced and added flexibility on offense by adding Spencer Steer with his eighth round selection. The closer run then continued as Christopher nabbed Mariners’ stopper Andres Munoz.

Matthew finished off the eighth round by grabbing Reds’ dynamic infielder Matt McLain. After missing the entire 2024 campaign due to injury, McLain is a complete wild card heading into the 2025 season. If he’s anything close to the player that we saw in his rookie season, he’ll be an absolute steal at this draft cost.

Round 9
9.01 (97): Raisel Iglesias, Braves – RP
9.02 (98): Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals – 1B
9.03 (99): Luis Castillo, Mariners – SP
9.04 (100): Bryan Reynolds, Pirates – OF
9.05 (101): Freddy Peralta, Brewers – SP
9.06 (102): Robert Suarez, Padres – RP
9.07 (103): Grayson Rodriguez, Orioles – SP
9.08 (104): Cody Bellinger, Cubs – 1B/OF
9.09 (105): Hunter Brown, Astros – SP
9.10 (106): Seiya Suzuki, Cubs – OF
9.11 (107): Riley Greene, Tigers – OF
9.12 (108): Christian Yelich, Brewers – OF

The ninth round got under way with Matthew snagging his first closer in Braves’ stopper Raisel Iglesias. He’s the ninth closer off the board overall and that leaves four teams at the moment that have yet to dip their toe in the closer pool.

Christopher followed with Royals’ slugger Vinnie Pasquantino, adding another heap of power to a team that now has three infield spots locked up (just needs 3B).

Scott then picked up a very strong SP3 in Luis Castillo (Framber Valdez, Pablo Lopez). He also has one closer on his roster to go along with five hitters through his first nine rounds.

I wasn’t sure which direction that I wanted to go with my ninth round pick, ultimately settling for steady and reliable multi-category production from Bryan Reynolds. That’s my second outfielder and gives me five hitters and four pitchers through the first nine rounds.

Vlad went back to the starting pitching well in round nine, locking in Freddy Peralta as his SP4. Combined with Sale, Snell and Ober that’s a very formidable bunch.

Eric plucked his first closer in the ninth round as well with Padres’ studly right-hander Robert Suarez. He now has three pitchers (Fried, McClanahan) to go along with six bats thus far.

Steve looked to starting pitching in the ninth round as well, calling out Grayson Rodriguez to be his SP3 (Wheeler, Yamamoto). The upside from that trio is extremely high. He also has Devin Williams alongside five bats through nine rounds.

James continued to add to his strong power base with Cody Bellinger in the ninth round. He’s got five hitters and four pitchers (all SP) through nine rounds and still feels a bit light on speed overall. Bellinger is his second infielder, joining third baseman Matt Chapman.

Nick followed with local legend and proud graduate of St. Clair Shores Lakeview High School Hunter Brown. That’s his third starter through nine rounds (Sasaki, Bryce Miller) and he has yet to dabble in closers.

D.J. locked in his second outfielder with Cubs’ dynamic star Seiya Suzuki. Have to love the upside at this stage of the draft. He’s got just three pitchers through the first nine rounds (Skubal, Imanaga and Edwin Diaz).

Maybe Jorge is simply punting stolen bases? He picked up his second outfielder in Riley Greene and now has five bats on his roster, but only one of them (Lindor) that’s an asset in stolen bases.

George rounded out the ninth round with a fantasy superstar of yesteryear in Christian Yelich. While he’s no longer elite, he still contributes in all five categories and is a nice well-rounded pick as his second outfielder.

Round 10
10.01 (109): Spencer Strider, Braves – SP
10.02 (110): Jordan Westburg, Orioles – 2B/3B
10.03 (111): Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks – SP
10.04 (112): Sonny Gray, Cardinals – SP
10.05 (113): Brice Turang, Brewers – 2B
10.06 (114): Mike Trout, Angels – OF
10.07 (115): Ian Happ, Cubs – OF
10.08 (116): Willson Contreras, Cardinals – C
10.09 (117): Ezequiel Tovar, Rockies – SS
10.10 (118): Bryson Stott, Phillies – 2B
10.11 (119): Jack Flaherty, FA – SP
10.12 (120): Justin Steele, Cubs – SP

George wrapped up the first half of his draft with an extreme upside shot at Spencer Strider. The top overall pitcher from 2024 fantasy drafts, he ultimately underwent an internal brace procedure on his pitching elbow and is expected to be ready to return early in the 2025 season. If fully healthy, he could be a league-winner from this spot.

Jorge then followed by adding infielder Jordan Westburg to his squad. It isn’t quite the speed that I was hoping to see from his squad, but he’ll at least add a handful of bags. He now has two infielders with the corners still to fill.

D.J. dug in and grabbed his SP3 in the 10th round, plucking Diamondbacks’ ace Zac Gallen to join Skubal and Imanaga. That’s a strong front three. Nick followed with his SP4 in veteran right-hander Sonny Gray. He’s as steady and as reliable as they get, which is appealing at this stage of the draft.

James added a major source of speed with his 10th round selection, taking Brewers’ infielder Brice Turang fresh off of his 50-steal season. I like it.

Steve achieved some name recognition with his 10th round pick, adding Mike Trout to his team. When he’s healthy he’s likely to produce at an elite level. History tells us though that there’s a good chance he winds up spending time on the injured list.

Eric completed his outfield in the 10th round, nabbing Anthony Santander as his third option at the position. Tony Taters should continue to be a viable source of power regardless of where he ultimately lands up, but there are plenty of landing spots that would be more hitter friendly than a return to the Orioles.

Vlad plucked perhaps my favorite catcher value from the board with his 10th round selection, grabbing Willson Contreras. He’s set to function as the Cardinals’ everyday first baseman and hit in the middle of the lineup in 2025, and we absolutely love catcher-eligible players who are slated for everyday at-bats.

I got through nine rounds without any of my three middle infield spots being filled, so i was more than happy to take what the draft gave me by taking Ezequiel Tovar there. A repeat of his 2024 season would deliver a profit from this spot and there’s plenty of reason for optimism that his 2025 campaign will be even better.

Scott picked up his fifth infielder in the 10th round in dynamic Phillies’ second baseman Bryson Stott. All he has left to fill there is the middle infield spot, unless he shifts Steer to the outfield and would then need to fill corner as well.

Christopher finally went back to starting pitching for the first time since grabbing a pair of aces in the third and fourth rounds (Burnes and Cole), selecting free agent right-hander Jack Flaherty as his SP3.

Matthew then finished the first half of the draft by taking his SP3 as well – Justin Steele. For waiting as long as he has, getting deGrom, Ryan and Steele as his first three arms should definitely be enough to keep him in the game – especially with that offense.

Thanks for following along thus far. Be sure to check back regularly, as I’ll continue to update every couple of rounds as we continue to progress. Happy drafting!