This is the second installment of the baseball dynasty mock draft results. I’ve conducted a mock draft with 12 unique fantasy players to get a feel for the player evaluations of the top MLB athletes. The league scoring is category-based and the categories are as follows. 

Hitters: home runs, runs batted in (RBIs), runs scored, stolen bases, and on base percentage (OBP). 

Pitchers: quality starts, strikeouts pitched, earned run average (ERA), saves + holds (SVH), and walks and hits per innings pitched ratio (WHIP).

The first round results were:

1.01 Julio Rodriguez, Outfield, Seattle Mariners

1.02 Ronald Acuña Jr., Outfield, Atlanta Braves

1.03 Juan Soto, Outfield, San Diego Padres

1.04 Fernando Tatis Jr., Shortstop / Outfield, San Diego Padres

1.05 Yordan Álvarez, Outfield, Houston Astros

1.06 Jose Ramirez, Third Base, Cleveland Guardians

1.07 Aaron Judge, Outfield, New York Yankees

1.08 Shohei Ohtani, DH / Pitcher, Los Angeles Angels

1.09 Kyle Tucker, Outfield, Houston Astros

1.10 Vladimir Guerrero Jr., First Base, Toronto Blue Jays

1.11 Trea Turner, Shortstop, Philadelphia Phillies

1.12 Corbin Burnes, Starting Pitcher, Milwaukee Brewers

Like most drafts, this mock is in snake format, meaning the first pick of the second round belongs to the team who has the last pick in the first round, and so on and so forth. 

 

2.01 Sandy Alcantara, Starting Pitcher, Miami Marlins

Pairing up Alcantara with Burnes solidifies this team’s pitcher group early on, creating an easy path to dominate the pitching categories for years to come. Alcantara showed significant improvement in 2022, lowering his ERA from 3.19 in 2021 to just 2.28. His youth and productivity make him worth this pick, although his average strikeout per nine inning ratio (K/9) drags him down just a bit. I think Alcantara could have been drafted later, but his true value comes with the ability to pair Burnes and Alcantara together on the same roster, they will handle the bulk of the work from the pitcher group. 

 

2.02 Mike Trout, Outfield, Los Angeles Angels

Trout is the oldest player to have been drafted thus far, as he will turn 32 years old during the 2023 MLB season. Despite a few injuries along the way, Trout has proven he’s still one of the top players in baseball, hitting 40 home runs in 2022 despite missing 43 games. Personally, I would have avoided Trout in this range due to his age and injury history, but I can’t blame anyone for desiring his incredible talent. If Trout can stay healthy, he will immediately return to MVP caliber player in 2023.  

 

2.03 Bobby Witt Jr., Third Base / Shortstop, Kansas City Royals

Witt Jr. is a 22-year-old player who’s 2022 rookie stats nearly mirrored that of Julio Rodriguez. The main difference was his below average OBP, at just .294. Witt has the potential to be a steal at this pick, but carries maybe the most risk of any player taken so far.  

2.04 Rafael Devers, Third Base, Boston Red Sox

Devers may not have the extreme ceiling of some of the early first round picks, but his ability to contribute in nearly every category is right there with the best of them. At only 26 years old, Devers is a great pick who should be around for a long time. Devers also has high positional value, as there are only five or six elite third basemen around the league. 

 

2.05 Manny Machado, Third Base, San Diego Padres

And just like that, another third baseman is off the board. The drop off from some of the top guys to the next group is substantial, it’s no wonder these third basemen are being drafted so early.  Machado will be in the heart of that impressive Padres lineup, he should easily approach 100 runs, 100 RBIs and 30 home runs as he’s done in years past. The addition of Soto and Bogaerts as well as the return of Tatis will help keep Machado as a top producer in the league. 

 

2.06 Shane McClanahan, Starting Pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays

McClanahan is possibly the number one pitcher in dynasty formats as he is only 25 years old and posted a 2.54 ERA and 0.926 WHIP in 2022. The Rays have proven over recent years that they have mastered the art of pitching, they constantly improve their pitchers beyond what most people think is humanly possible. They believe McClanahan is their future and with their teachings hopefully McClanahan can continue to dominate.  McClanahan has only been dominant once, so he is a riskier pick than Burnes and Alcantara who have done it multiple times, but his long-term upside could sneak him into the first round of many dynasty startup drafts. 

 

2.07 Mookie Betts, Outfield, Los Angeles Dodgers

Betts can do it all and continues to dominate at 30 years of age.  Betts is paired with Jose Ramirez in this draft and will help push for the win now approach. Betts is in phenomenal shape and competes in multiple sports throughout the year, including professional bowling and golf as well. Betts’ addiction to winning and his health will help keep him around into his mid-30s at least.

 

2.08 Bo Bichette, Shortstop, Toronto Blue Jays

Bichette is 25 years old and has blossomed as of late in the MLB. He is nearly a lock for 90-plus RBIs and runs, as well as 25 home runs. His ceiling is unknown for now, but his floor appears to be very high barring injury. It’s hard to imagine Bichette falling below the second round in any dynasty startup league.  

 

2.09 Austin Riley, Third Base, Atlanta Braves

Riley is a freak of nature and warrants mid first round consideration. It’s a miracle he fell this far in the draft, but that is in large part due to the fact that Riley is not well known by the average baseball fan. Riley just doesn’t get the national attention he deserves. We all know Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, and Aaron Judge. They’ve been doing this for a long time in Los Angeles and New York. Guys like Austin Riley, Michael Harris, and Ashley Rutschman are up-and-coming stars who haven’t had their chance in the limelight just yet. Over the past two seasons, Riley has had 181 runs, 200 RBIs, and 71 home runs. Riley was a steal with this draft pick. 

 

2.10 Matt Olson, First Base, Atlanta Braves

The Braves teammates go back-to-back and their stats are very similar. Both put up monster numbers, but Olson is a bit older, three years older than Riley. Olson does not have many faults in his game besides the lack of stolen bases, but that’s pretty typical for a first baseman.  

 

2.11 Pete Alonso, First Base, New York Mets

Alonso puts up ridiculous numbers at times with 131 RBIs in 2022 and averages nearly 40 home runs per season. Alonso gets some hate along the way because he plays for the Mets, but he is certainly a beautiful pick in this range. 

 

2.12 Gerrit Cole, Starting Pitcher, New York Yankees

Cole was a bit of a surprise pick here, he is the oldest player drafted so far and has the highest ERA of any pitcher taken to this point. Cole’s value comes with his consistency and high strikeout output. Cole has had an ERA at or below 3.50 each of the past five seasons. He’s also had a WHIP at or below 1.059 in the same span, and has a K/9 well above nine. Cole has been Mr. Consistent and hopes to lead a career similar to Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. If he ends up being anything like them, currently at 32 years old, he’s just getting started.