Fantasy Baseball 2020: Roto Rankings, 1st-Round Mock Draft for 60-Game Season

There will be baseball in 2020.

It won't be much, but 60 games of MLB—and, maybe more importantly, fantasy baseball—is infinitely better than none.

With camps already set to open on July 1, we have officially hit cram-session mode with drafts set to roll early and often between now and then. Let's get the cramming started with a look at our top 50 rankings for rotisserie leagues and a 12-team mock first round.

Top 50 Roto Rankings for 2020

1. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

2. Christian Yelich, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

3. Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves

4. Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

5. Mookie Betts, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

6. Francisco Lindor, SS, Cleveland Indians

7. Juan Soto, OF, Washington Nationals

8. Trea Turner, SS, Washington Nationals

9. Gerrit Cole, SP, New York Yankees

10. Alex Bregman, 3B/SS, Houston Astros

11. Trevor Story, SS, Colorado Rockies

12. Jacob deGrom, SP, New York Mets

13. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Colorado Rockies

14. Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox

15. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Atlanta Braves

16. Anthony Rendon, 3B, Los Angeles Angels

17. Bryce Harper, OF, Philadelphia Phillies

18. J.D. Martinez, OF, Boston Red Sox

19. Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Indians

20. Justin Verlander, SP, Houston Astros

21. Max Scherzer, SP, Washington Nationals

22. Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros

23. Javier Baez, SS, Chicago Cubs

24. Fernando Tatis Jr., SS, San Diego Padres

25. Starling Marte, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

26. Walker Buehler, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

27. Charlie Blackmon, OF, Colorado Rockies

28. Stephen Strasburg, SP, Washington Nationals

29. Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox

30. Jack Flaherty, SP, St. Louis Cardinals

31. George Springer, OF, Houston Astros

32. Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets

33. Clayton Kershaw, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

34. Gleyber Torres, SS/2B, New York Yankees

35. Manny Machado, 3B/SS, San Diego Padres

36. Shane Bieber, SP, Cleveland Indians

37. Austin Meadows, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

38. Bo Bichette, SS, Toronto Blue Jays

39. Nelson Cruz, DH, Minnesota Twins

40. Luis Castillo, SP, Cincinnati Reds

41. Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Chicago Cubs

42. Ozzie Albies, 2B, Atlanta Braves

43. Yordan Alvarez, DH, Houston Astros

44. Ketel Marte, OF/2B, Arizona Diamondbacks

45. Kris Bryant, 3B/OF, Chicago Cubs

46. Patrick Corbin, SP, Washington Nationals

47. Jonathan Villar, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins

48. Max Muncy, 2B/1B/3B, Los Angeles Dodgers

49. Eddie Rosario, OF, Minnesota Twins

50. Eugenio Suarez, 3B, Cincinnati Reds

Before getting any further into the preparation process, it's best to understand this: We're heading into uncharted waters. This season will be strange, and it might prove unpredictable.

It's basically one-third of a normal season, and we have seen time and again how streaky players can be over a roughly two-month stretch. Through 60 games in 2019, Gerrit Cole had a 3.94 ERA, and Hunter Pence had launched 12 home runs. Cole wound up with an AL-best 2.50 ERA, while Pence hit just six homers the rest of the season. It's not enough of a sample size to limit the effects of cold or hot starts.

What should that mean for your predraft rankings? Good question.

To simplify the process, the best advice is probably not to overthink it. While there's no guarantee the best players look the part over a 60-game season, they still have the most favorable odds to do so. Your original rankings heading into the season can mostly still be trusted at this point.

That said, you'll want to bump up any players you had previously downgraded for injury issues (like Justin Verlander). You might also choose to collectively drop the value of pitchers. They are inherently more volatile year over year, and that volatility could spike over what might be only 10 or 12 starts. They may not be afforded as many innings per start either, and one bad outing could permanently scar their ratio stats.

Then again, some may argue that the volatility at this position should increase the value of the elite. The thought process there is if there are fewer sure things available, then it's best to grab as many as you can. That's not the worst strategy to employ—though it's not utilized for these rankings—but you better hope you invest in the right brand-name hurlers.

12-Team, Roto League Mock First Round

1. Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves

2. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

3. Christian Yelich, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

4. Mookie Betts, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

5. Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

6. Trea Turner, SS, Washington Nationals

7. Trevor Story, SS, Colorado Rockies

8. Juan Soto, OF, Washingon Nationals

9. Gerritt Cole, SP, New York Yankees

10. Jacob deGrom, SP, New York Mets

11. Alex Bregman, 3B, Houston Astros

12. Francisco Lindor, SS, Cleveland Indians

If your roto league draft doesn't start with some combination of Acuna, Trout and Yelich, you're doing it wrong.

Quibbling over the order isn't worth the effort. Acuna gets the nod here for his obvious upside as a power-plus-speed threat. He is 22 years old and just paired 41 homers with 37 steals last season. He already seems like the sport's next young superstar.

But if you prefer Trout or Yelich, there's no major argument from us. Trout remains in the heart of his prime, and he might eventually walk away as the greatest to ever play the game. Yelich has arguably been the best hitter in baseball for two years running. Either makes for a tremendous foundation to construct your roster around.

The fourth pick provides the first true decision of the draft, as there's a noticeable gap after the top trio. Betts' ceiling wins out here, but it's not a comfortable choice. In two of the last four seasons, he's been unbelievable. In the other two, he's been more of a star than a superstar. Tack on the fact he's playing with a new team and in a new league this season, and his outlook seems less predictable than most.

The other debate point of the round is when the first starting pitcher should come off the board.

Some owners might ding pitchers across the board. Others could prop up the legitimate aces. We're doing more of the former than the latter with Cole leading the position as the ninth overall pick, and deGrom being its only other first-rounder. Your draft room might see it differently, though, so you should find a pitching strategy you're comfortable with but prepare to divert from it based on your league's activity.