2026 Fantasy Baseball: Mock Draft

Every single draft is different. Drafts are just like snowflakes, even if they look the same, each one has something unique about it. Directionally, things might be the same, but at the end of the day, it makes sense to just drop a Forrest Gump analogy on you.

Drafts are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. Yes, I know you are going to get chocolate. You might even know whether it’s milk or dark chocolate. But until you get going, there’s no real way of knowing.

When it comes to drafts, you can take a look at all of the mock drafts and ADP you want, but every draft is different because the drafters are different. When drafting with 11 of your closest friends, all it takes is one person, or really one pick, to turn things upside down. Then everything else, is simply a reaction to that.

At the same time though, there is a lot of value in mock drafts. It allows you to test various strategies, react to different situations, and to get a feel for the market. Reviewing the drafts of others allows you to form your own opinions and thoughts to better shape your own approach.

Now, let’s take a look at a mock draft some of the Fantrax baseball staff did. Below you can find the reflections of others along with some of the draft picks I liked the most and the least.

Drafter Thoughts

Jeff Good – 8th Pick

I picked 8th and I like that slot because you can kinda bank on getting Skenes or Skubal and then just hammer hitters. That’s what I did, grabbing Junior Camineiro, Brice Turang, Roman Anthony, Jaren Duran and Hunter Goodman before making Eury Perez my second starter. I focused on taking guys who leave chalk outlines around baseballs. Junior’s power is well known, but all but Turang have recorded an exit velocity over 116mph. Did you that Duran, with his 17 home run projection, hit one 117.7mph last year? And don’t look now but my last pick Christian Moore has been tattooing balls 114+ in spring training.

I still really like the staff I put together waiting that long, adding Chase Burns, Trey Yesavage, Tatsuya Imai – whose stuff has been filthy in spring – as my top five. Ryan Weathers, Reynaldo Lopez and Braxton Ashcraft are also late round Stuff bets. In 12 teamers, that’s the kind of pitcher I like, and getting Skubal to start provides the security to do that without feeling the need to grab “Safe” innings eaters.

Brian Jaeger – 12th Pick

With the 12th pick, I was hoping to grab Garrett Crochet or Paul Skenes to start my pitching staff off with a consistent starter. However, Skenes went sixth, and Crochet was picked 11th. It was too early to grab the next highest-rated pitcher, so I pivoted to two players who would be productive across the board: Fernando Tatis Jr. and Kyle Tucker. This thought process of selecting five-tool players continued with my fourth pick, Zach Neto, gave me a comfortable start, knowing I’m covering every offensive category.

I’m very high on Cade Smith this season, with Emmanuel Clase officially out of the picture. I feel good with him, Raisel Iglesias, and Kenley Jansen as my closers, who are all on teams that will be contending for their division title.

I contemplated selecting Agustin Ramirez or Salvador Perez with my eighth pick, but felt it would be a significant reach. So I hoped one of the two would make it back to me for my ninth pick. However, neither made it back to me. I picked Logan O’Hoppe as my first catcher with my 17th pick out of desperation. I didn’t like how early the previous catchers were going, but in a two-catcher league, I had no choice but to grab the Angels’ backstop this late. I paIred him up with Gabriel Moreno as my catching duo. I’m hoping Moreno has a bounce-back season, only playing 83 games last season due to a fractured hand.

Todd Hedberg – 1st Overall

Mock drafts a fun way to get to know other fantasy baseball enthusiasts. After reading articles from many fellow writers over the last year it’s exciting to see how they apply their insights into action on the draft board. Though, the core benefit of mock drafting, for me, is to test my draft strategy out.

This year, my first strategy in two-catcher leagues is to prioritize a top-tier talent at the position early on (Shea Langeliers, pick 6.12) and then wait until late to fill the other spot (Dillon Dingler, pick 28.12). This year’s crop of catchers is far superior to past years; still, it quickly becomes unappealing in the second half of the draft. This is why I treat my C2 spot as fungible going into the season, knowing decent options will arise on the waiver wire over time.

The other strategy I tested out was seeing how aggressive I had to be on my target players. This year, I am keen on several players who were late-season breakouts or a couple of prospects who look ready to lead their teams from day one of the season. Fortunately, I was able to get many of my targets at the anticipated round. These players included Andy Pages pick 11.1, JJ Wetherholt pick 21.1, and Connelly Early pick 22.12.

Dave Funnell – 10th Overall

• went in wanting to try pocket aces or no pitching
• Skenes and Skubal went, so I went with the latter
• Taking Yordan 3-10 felt like a steal… will likely gain OF eligibility at some point
• needed OF, as it dries up quickly, so I got three top ones
• Hate 3B, so taking Maikel should be a steady force
• First pitchers taken were for saves… both should be the closer all year if healthy
• Mackenzie Gore is by no means SP1, but I love him in Texas
  • Gore, Lodolo, Cabrera, and Shota are all SP2-3’s
• Assume that Holliday and Rodon will be back by the end of April
• Yanier C2 is a steal as a nice bounce-back
• Dominguez as RP3 is nice, but Suarez might be overkill
• Late round SP in Burrows, Harrison, and Liberatore all have upside

Ray Kuhn – 4th Overall

It’s important to know your audience when drafting. I’m accustomed to closers flying off the board, so I rushed to take my second in round seven. Considering I’m not used to seeing David Bednar available in round seven, that should have been my first clue that something was amiss. Regardless, starting my pitching staff with Hunter Brown/Freddy Peralta, and Jhoan Duran/Bednar is pretty impressive.

I like it even more, considering I didn’t have to sacrifice offense to get there. Starting off with Bobby Witt and Jazz Chisholm gives me plenty of power and speed, and I was able to build from there.

Jackson Merrill is being undervalued this winter, and I have no issues with him as my OF1 in round six. The problem, though, is that Ian Happ smelt of desperation. Happ is a solid option, but he’s just that: very bland.

Being able to draft “my guys” like Ceddanne Rafaela and Jonathan Aranda was nice and I like my catcher duo. Francisco Alvarez and Austin Wells should combine for 50 home runs, and the price was right on both. Being able to sneak Carson Benge in late was another pick I liked. Overall, I was able to secure a lot of my targets and build a seemingly well-round team.

My Five Favorite Picks

• Francisco Lindor, 3.2 – Lindor is already back in the lineup and was a borderline first-round pick prior to his hamate bone injury.
• Cade Smith, 6.1 – What did I say about waiting for closers here? Smith is one of the best, and in some leagues, he’s not going to make it past round three. This is the perfect example as to why it’s important to understand how your league approaches closers.
• Trevor Story, 14.2 – Sure, there are some injury concerns with Story, but at this point in the draft, it’s criminal. Both his power and speed were on display in spades last season. In a 12-team league, the replacement value is that much better as well so I’m willing to take the risk.
• Shane McClanahan, 19.9 – All systems appear to be a go for the talented left-hander. He’s looked good so far this spring, and he offers more upside than most of the pitchers going a few rounds ahead of this.
• Michael Burrows, 26.3 – When the Houston Astros trade for a pitcher, they generally know what they’re doing. Burrows has stuff that needs to be unlocked, and I’m expecting that to happen this season.

My Five Least Favorite Picks

• Adley Rutschman, 11.9 – While this is a two-catcher league, the position didn’t fly off the board. Rutschman doesn’t offer much in the way of upside these days, and he’s not even the best catcher on his own team.
• Josh Hader, 12.12 – Closers weren’t costly in this draft, and this one isn’t healthy. Hader is expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the season. And when he does come back, it’s unclear what that looks like.
• Oneil Cruz, 7.9 – The tools are loud, but the performance isn’t. Cruz strikes out way too much, and the batting average is a legitimate liability.
• Evan Carter, 14.7 – Since the postseason of 2023, Carter has been on a downward slope. While he might bounce back, this is probably about 10 rounds too early to take that chance.
• Jordan Westburg, 19.6 – At best, Westburg isn’t going to be back until July. To be honest, I’m not sure I believe that to be the case. Unless you have unlimited Injured List spots, he’s going to be dropped well before you can utilize him.

Full Round-by-Round Mock Draft Results

Here are the full results of the mock draft. You can scroll through the rounds by clicking the arrows at the bottom of the table.

For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2026 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.