Fantasy Baseball 10-Team Categories Mock Draft with Third Pick

It’s been a couple weeks since I participated in a mock draft, so I decided to do one on Tuesday afternoon.

I used the FantasySP Mock Draft Simulator and was selecting from the third position in a 10-team head-to-head category scoring league. I set things up so there was one starter at catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, third base, three outfield spots, two utility spots, five starting pitchers, three relief pitchers, two additional pitcher spots (starter or reliever) and then five bench spots.

Let’s break things down a little differently this time around, focusing on each position instead of going round by round.

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Catcher Options

I typically try to land one of the top four catchers (Will Smith, William Contreras, J.T. Realmuto or Adley Rutschman), but decided to see how my roster looked by waiting on the catcher position. I took Washington Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz in the 16th round.

I love that Ruiz hits for a decent average (.260 last season), along with providing some pop (18 home runs). He also played in 136 games, so knowing that, I decided to pass on taking any other catchers in the draft. 

Obviously that’s a risky gamble, but the plan would be to play with the end of my bench spots to provide depth at catcher when needed. I could also trade from a position of strength to add a second catcher.

First Base Options

I ended up with three possible first basemen in the draft, and my top one isn’t going to even be playing there every day.

I took Philadelphia Phillies’ Alec Bohm in the 17th round, mostly because he had position eligibility at 1B and 3B. He hits for a decent average (.274) and has some pop (20 homers). 

I got Milwaukee Brewers’ Rhys Hoskins in round 21. He’s a risk after not playing in a year, but he adds plenty of thump and could become my everyday first baseman if he excels in Milwaukee.

Miami Marlins’ Luis Arraez is another player with 1B eligibility, although he is slated to be my top second baseman.

Second Base Options

Let’s continue with Arraez. I love him in fantasy drafts because he’s going to play a bunch and have a really high average. The bit of position diversity also helps.

Other second base options at the start of the season are Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and Gavin Lux and San Diego Padres’ Xander Bogaerts.

Betts was my first-round pick and was picked thinking he’d lead my outfielders. He’s an absolute fantasy stud who should continue to mash in the loaded Dodgers’ lineup. That position versatility is why I like him so early in fantasy drafts.

Bogaerts was my pick in round 11, which is a steal in my book. I expect him to “bounceback from a down season” in which he hit .285 and clubbed 19 homers. 

Lux was my pick in the final round (No. 25). There’s a lot of risk taking him after he missed all of last season, but because it came in the last round, I wasn’t that concerned with things. If he struggles out of the gate, I could use that roster spot to pick up a second catcher, if need be.

Shortstop Options

Along with Bogaerts and Lux having shortstop eligibility, I drafted Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette in the fifth round to actually serve as my top option at the position.

He’s another guy that has a pretty high average (.306) and average pop (20 homers). I expect a few more homers this season and love that I landed him where I did.

Between Bichette and Bogaerts, I feel strongly about my shortstop position and could deal one of those two if a position was lacking at some point in the season.

Third Base Options

We already discussed Bohm as a third base option, but Atlanta Braves’ Austin Riley was my top pick at the position. I got Riley in round three, which feels like a steal in my book.

Riley not only hits for a solid average (.281) but adds some much needed pop (37 homers) to my lineup. He plays nearly every day and is simply a stud - I love this pick at this point of the draft.

Outfield Options

We already discussed Betts as my top outfielder.

I also drafted Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Jones in round nine and Chicago Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki in round 12. I landed Washington Nationals’ Lane Thomas in round 13 and Arizona Diamondbacks’ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in round 22.

I love Jones and think he continues to post a similar average (.297) along with more pop (20 homers) in year two in Colorado. He could be the player that my fantasy aspirations rest on.

Suzuki is a bit of an injury risk, but his strong average (.285) and power (20 homers) are hard to pass on, especially at that point of a fantasy draft. 

Thomas adds a touch more thump (28 homers) to my lineup, along with still having a decent average (.268). He played in all but six games last year, which is another big plus in my book.

I continued to try to add some power to my team with Gurriel in the later rounds. He still hit for a .261 average last season along with his 24 home runs. 

Starting Pitching Options

I ended up taking eight starting pitchers over the 25-round draft. I got Phillies’ Zack Wheeler in round two, Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto in round four, Pittsburgh Pirates’ Mitch Keller in round 14, Blue Jays’ Jose Berrios in round 15, Braves’ Charlie Morton in round 18, Los Angeles Angels’ Griffin Canning in round 20, Seattle Mariners’ Bryce Miller in round 23 and Cubs’ Shota Imanaga in round 24.

As you can see from when I drafted them all, I sort of neglected the position after landing Wheeler and Yamamoto in the first four rounds.

The reason I felt compelled to go that route was because Wheeler has been a pretty durable pitcher, especially over the past couple seasons. He’s coming off a year in which he had a 3.61 earned run average over 192 innings pitched, with 212 strikeouts along the way, so I loved him as a top option.

Yamamoto will obviously make his MLB debut this season, but is expected to be the Dodgers’ workhorse. He’s one of the more highly-touted pitchers to ever come over to the United States, and I see him having a huge year too.

Keller is another likely ace for his team. He had a bit higher ERA (4.21) but pitched 194 1/3 innings and struck out 210, so I like that value for where I got him.

Berrios is likely the No. 2 guy for the Blue Jays. He was great last season, with a 3.65 ERA over 189 2/3 innings, with 184 strikeouts mixed in.

Morton was drafted to help eat some innings. I expect him to continue to see his innings pitched drop for a fourth straight season, but it might allow him to still post a low ERA. He had a 3.64 ERA last season, and struck out 183 batters - another solid value pick in my eyes.

Canning had a 4.32 ERA over 127 innings pitched a season ago, with 139 strikeouts along the way. He didn’t pitch in 2022, so I like to think the Angels will continue putting more on Canning’s plate this season.

Miller had a 4.32 ERA across 131 1/3 innings (including 119 strikeouts) in his first MLB action last season. I expect all those numbers to improve in year two.

Imanaga should slot into the middle of the Cubs’ rotation. There’s a lot of expectations with him as well, and I think he could end up being a steal if he’s really drafted near where I got him.

Relief Pitching Options

I usually ignore the relief pitcher position, but decided to focus on it in this mock.

I landed Cleveland Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase, Houston Astros’ Josh Hader, Minnesota’s Jhoan Duran and Texas Rangers’ Jose Leclerc.

Clase, Hader and Duran were clearly my top options for the position, while Leclerc was more of a shot in the dark (and possibly a trade piece if he turns out to be the team’s closer).

I got Clase in round six. He covered 72 2/3 innings and got 44 saves last season. Hader was my pick in round seven. Hader had 33 saves over 56 1/3 innings pitched a season ago and now joins a better team that should give him more closing opportunities. I tripled up with Duran in the eighth round. He had 27 saves over 62 1/3 innings pitched a season ago.

Leclerc had a 2.68 ERA across 57 innings pitched a season ago. I got him in round 19, so I wouldn’t mind dropping him if he isn’t getting any saves.