Fantasy Baseball 2012: Daily Mock Madness

I drew the 11th slot in a 12-team mock draft on Wednesday, a favorable slot for advancing four time-tested principles when handling roto drafts:

1. You can never have enough elite power at the corner-infield spots.
2. Select no more than three starting pitchers in the first nine picks.
3. Never pay exorbitantly for saves.
4. Prepared owners will always take advantage of the plentiful depth at starting pitcher and outfield.

Round 1 (No. 11 overall): 1B Joey Votto, Reds
Round 2: 1B Prince Fielder, Tigers
Round 3: SP Cole Hamels, Phillies
Round 4: SP Zack Greinke, Brewers
Round 5: SS Elvis Andrus, Rangers
Round 6: SP Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
Round 7: OF Jayson Werth, Nationals
Round 8: 2B Rickie Weeks, Brewers
Round 9: OF Chris Young, Diamondbacks
Round 10: C Buster Posey, Giants
Round 11: OF Cameron Maybin, Padres
Round 12: SP Max Scherzer, Tigers
Round 13: RP Huston Street, Padres
Round 14: RP Andrew Bailey, Red Sox
Round 15: C Jesus Montero, Mariners
Round 16: SP Colby Lewis, Rangers
Round 17: OF Austin Jackson, Tigers
Round 18: SP Ricky Nolasco, Marlins
Round 19: 1B Mark Trumbo, Angels (ridiculously cheap)
Round 20: 3B Chase Headley, Padres
Round 21: OF Brennan Boesch, Tigers
Round 22: RP Matt Thornton, White Sox
Round 23: OF Ben Revere, Twins
Round 24: 2B/OF Ryan Raburn, Tigers
Round 25: 1B Justin Smoak, Mariners

 

Breakdown

1. In real drafts, it's difficult to justify taking Votto and Fielder in the first two rounds. But it's also the kind of prodigious start that allows owners to systematically address speed, runs and batting average in subsequent rounds, without feeling the need to reach for power in the first 150 picks.

2. As stated in the Top 40 Starting Pitchers preview, Strasburg's career indicators in ERA, WHIP and K/9 ratio are off the charts for someone his age (23); and I refuse to let him slide past Round 6 or 7. Yes, the threat of an innings count will likely rear its ugly head sometime before Sept. 1...but I'll cross that bridge later. From April through August, a healthy Strasburg will be a fantasy ace.

3. Grabbing Werth as my first outfielder was a little deflating; but then again, it's my fault for waiting seven rounds to address a position that calls for five starters (and probably two reserves).

4. Drafting closers in the middle rounds should mirror the philosophies of fantasy football owners waiting until Round 8 for quarterbacks: When you finally commit...buy in bulk. Hence, the back-to-back picks of relievers Street and Bailey in Rounds 13/14.

5. I overextended for only one player in the first 20 rounds—Mariners rookie Jesus Montero. In a Yahoo, CBS or Mock Draft Central draft, Montero's probably queued up as a 17th-rounder; but ESPN has him dangling at 15. So, I bit the bullet and took him anyway.

6. There is no greater resource of ultra-cheap, high-end speed than Twins outfielder Ben Revere, who's a safe bet for 42 steals in 2012.

The Great 48

In case you're wondering, here are the first 48 picks from Wednesday's mock (5x5 rules):

Round 1

1. 1B Albert Pujols, Angels
2. 1B Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
3. SS Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
4. OF Matt Kemp, Dodgers
5. 3B/OF Jose Bautista, Blue Jays
6. OF Ryan Braun, Brewers
7. OF Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox
8. 2B Robinson Cano, Yankees
9. OF Justin Upton, Diamondbacks
10. SP Justin Verlander, Tigers
11. 1B Joey Votto, Reds (my pick)
12. 3B Evan Longoria, Rays

Round 2

13. 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox
14. 1B Prince Fielder, Tigers (my pick)
15. SP Roy Halladay, Phillies
16. SP Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
17. SS Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
18. OF Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
19. 2B Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
20. OF Curtis Granderson, Yankees
21. 1B Mark Teixeira, Yankees
22. 2B Ian Kinsler, Rangers
23. SS Jose Reyes, Marlins
24. OF Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

Round 3

25. OF Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
26. SP Cliff Lee, Phillies
27. OF Josh Hamilton, Rangers
28. 3B Adrian Beltre, Rangers
29. OF Matt Holliday, Cardinals
30. SP Jered Weaver, Angels
31. SP Tim Lincecum, Giants
32. 3B Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals
33. SP Felix Hernandez, Mariners
34. SP CC Sabathia, Yankees
35. SP Cole Hamels, Phillies (my pick)
36. OF Michael Bourn, Braves

Round 4

37. 2B Dan Uggla, Braves
38. SP Zack Greinke, Brewers (my pick)
39. 3B Brett Lawrie, Blue Jays
40. 3B David Wright, Mets
41. SP Dan Haren, Angels
42. C/1B Mike Napoli, Rangers
43. 3B Pablo Sandoval, Giants
44. 1B Eric Hosmer, Royals
45. SP Jon Lester, Red Sox
46. 1B Paul Konerko, White Sox
47. OF Hunter Pence, Phillies
48. SS Jimmy Rollins, Phillies

Jay Clemons can be reached on Twitter, day or night, at @ATL_JayClemons.