Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: Prioritizing Pitching Early | Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Emmanuel Clase, Garrett Crochet, Devin Williams and More

After seeing Daniel Hepner's no pitcher mock draft strategy, I wanted to take a kind of opposite approach. In this fantasy baseball mock draft, I went pitcher heavy in the opening few rounds, just to see what the final product would look like.

Let's run round-by-round and assess how things went in the end.

It was a 10-team setup and I was randomly given pick nine. For starting spots, there was one catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman and utility, along with three outfielders, two starting pitchers and relief pitchers and four pitcher (SP or RP) slots. There were five bench slots in this points draft done here at FantasySP.

Check out Fantasy Baseball Average Draft Position data for 2025 and get ready for your fantasy drafts by utilizing the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Simulator.

Round 1 - Tarik Skubal

I got lucky and had no pitchers taken before my first pick. Skubal is my top fantasy pitcher for 2025, and he was the easy choice here in round 1.

Skubal is coming off a monster fantasy season and should be in the running for the top fantasy pitcher again in 2025 as long as he remains healthy.

Round 2 - Paul Skenes

I got lucky again and didn't have a pitcher go at picks 10 or 11. Skenes is my No. 2 fantasy pitcher for 2025, and was the only one I considered in round 2.

With the top-two fantasy pitchers in the game, I'm feeling pretty good about this strategy so far. Zack Wheeler went the pick after Skenes, and four more starters were off the board by my third pick.

Round 3 - Emmanuel Clase

After losing out on the starting pitchers I wanted, I decided to pivot to a reliever here. Clase is the best fantasy reliever in the game, and while I'd normally not pick him so early, he fits my strategy here.

I just have to hope Clase is the top fantasy closer again for this pick to be worth it in the end.

Round 4 - Garrett Crochet

I went against my own top-10 list for 2025 and took Crochet over guys like George Kirby and Cole Ragans. I decided on the high upside of Crochet in the points format.

You could make an argument that Skubal, Skenes and Crochet have three of the highest fantasy upsides among starting pitchers for 2025.

Round 5 - Devin Williams

I wasn't a huge fan of any of the starting pitchers on the board in round 5, so I decided to grab my No. 2 fantasy reliever for 2025 in Williams. 

Getting my top two starting pitchers and closers for 2025 makes for quite the fantasy roster, regardless of who else I add the rest of the way.

Round 6 - Anthony Santander

This is not exactly who fantasy owners have in mind when talking about their top fantasy hitter picked. That's the downside of taking this approach in a draft.

I like Santander's outlook in Toronto, and think he could be a steal again this season.

Round 7 - Jazz Chisholm Jr.

After waiting on hitting, getting guys who are eligible at multiple positions felt like a must for me. Chisholm can slot in at third base or in the outfield.

Picking Chisholm gives me some flexibility going forward, and I already thought he was a good pick for 2025.

Round 8 - Luis Arraez

Another multi-position guy here in Arraez - he can play first and second base.

He doesn't provide much for RBIs or home runs, but a high average and on-base percentage, and plenty of runs scored, make him a good option in points leagues.

Round 9 - Steven Kwan

I went after another high average guy in Kwan in the ninth round. I'm fine grabbing him as my second outfielder, because Santander is a big power guy in my first slot.

Round 10 - Salvador Perez

Perez was taken as my top catcher, but also can play first base if needed. I absolutely love getting him in fantasy leagues this season, and am expecting another big season from him.

Round 11 - Ezequiel Tovar

Tovar is my starting shortstop. He just missed my top 10 at his position, but his pretty well-rounded numbers are something I'm really excited to add to my team.

Round 12 - James Wood

My run on hitters continued by taking Wood in the 12th round. He's another high upside guy, and as my third outfielder, I'm a big fan of that.

Round 13 - Matt McLain

My run of hitters ended in round 13 with McLain, one of my favorite sleepers in 2025. He fills my second base position, and if he plays as well as I think he will, he'll be a monster draft steal.

Round 14 - Hunter Brown

I went for another big strikeout pitcher in Brown here. He's coming off his best season yet, and if he improves again in 2025, he'll be another draft steal.

Round 15 - Jonathan India

I went right back to hitters in round 15, filling my utility spot with India. I really like him atop the lineup in Kansas City.

Round 16 - Yusei Kikuchi

I kept my theme of drafting strikeout-heavy pitchers going with Kikuchi here in round 16. If he can maintain a 4.00 or so ERA with the Angels, this pick should be another good one.

Round 17 - Taj Bradley

Bradley improved most of his numbers in his second MLB season, and I expect even more improvement in year three. A sub-4.00 ERA and more strikeouts than innings pitched are what I'm looking for here.

Round 18 - Bryan Woo

Talk about a player who improved in his second MLB season. Woo had a sub-3.00 ERA, but he only had 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings. I think that stat improves in 2025, and if he can maintain a lower ERA, this is a big draft steal probably.

Round 19 - Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

I wanted a fourth outfielder, especially after waiting so long to grab my first one. Gurriel is going to hit in the heart of the Arizona lineup, and could either be a trade chip for me, or make one of my first three guys tradeable.

Round 20 - Logan O'Hoppe

I don't really need a backup catcher with how much Perez plays, but by taking O'Hoppe here, I can also utilize Perez in the first base slot if O'Hoppe takes off this season.

Round 21 - MacKenzie Gore

Gore has improved in his first three seasons, and should be the top starter for the Nationals in 2025. A sub-4.00 ERA and a season full of starts should lead to a good amount of fantasy points from Gore.

Round 22 - Chris Bassitt

I took a gamble on Bassitt here. I'm hoping he bounces back and posts closer to his career 3.59 ERA, not the 4.16 figure he had last season.

Round 23 - Brandon Woodruff

I took a big swing on Woodruff here. He didn't pitch last season, but if he returns to his pre-injury form, this could be a massive steal.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this mock draft.

Unsurprisingly, I feel better about my pitching, with Skubal, Skenes, Clase, Williams and Crochet likely doing enough to at least make me an average fantasy team. If I'm able to get steady contributions out of Brown, Kikuchi, Bradley, Woo, Gore, Bassitt and Woodruff, I should be in a good position to at least make the fantasy playoffs.

The season would 100% come down to how my hitters perform. I'm going to need a couple players to overperform and end up being steals for me to truly compete for a fantasy title.

I think there's enough talent amongst the hitters to get the job done, but without much top-end talent, I definitely don't feel very confident in things.

I still think the best way to go about a fantasy baseball draft is to mix picking hitters and pitchers early on, but looking at this mock and then the mock Daniel did, it's worth at least doing some mock drafts like this to see if you end up with a final product you really like.