Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft: Predicting the First 15 Players Who'll Be Taken

There's a good bit of time before the start of the 2012 baseball season, but teams are already forming the groups that will make up their 25-man rosters. 

Baseball GMs never take a break. Similarly, neither do fantasy team owners. The good ones are already thinking about who to draft. So with that in mind, let's look at the top 15 fantasy baseball players for 2012. 

15. Carl Crawford

The 2011 season was terrible for Crawford, but his track record of performance is so good that he’s worth the risk. At just 29, I’m gonna call last season an aberration.

In 2010 Crawford produced 200 runs while hitting .307 and stealing 47 bases. Let’s not forget about a perennial top 10 fantasy producer over one bad season.

14. Justin Upton

Upton was one of the top producers in all of baseball last season due to his combination of power and speed. Upton managed to hit 30 home runs, steal 20 bases and score 100 runs en route to winning a Silver Slugger Award.

At just 24, Upton should continue to get better and rank among the top fantasy producers in 2012. 

13. Cliff Lee

He may not be the most flashy pitcher, but Lee is just a machine. If production of 200 innings, 200 strikeouts and an ERA in the 2’s sounds like a player you would be interested in, then Lee is your guy.

He puts up some of the best numbers in the game every year. He is beginning to get a bit long in the tooth but doesn’t look to be slowing down.

12. Dustin Pedroia

Dustin Pedroia consistently ranks among top fantasy scorers due to his multi-faceted game.

Pedroia had career highs in power numbers and steals last season, hitting 21 home runs to go along with 91 RBI and 26 steals. Like with other Boston players, he will be presented with good run-producing situations in that lineup. 

11. Roy Halladay

At 34, Roy Halladay has to slow down sometime, but I wouldn’t bet against him yet. Last season marked Halladay’s sixth straight with at least 220 innings pitched and his second in a row with an ERA below 2.50. Keep trusting Halladay until he gives you a reason not to. 

10. Curtis Granderson

Granderson is one of those players who can bring scoring to your team from a variety of areas.

Granderson ranked second in all of baseball in both home runs and RBI last season. He also stole 25 bases and ran away with the lead in runs, at 136.

It was a career year for Granderson that will be difficult to replicate. However, he still has the advantage of playing in that Yankees lineup. 

9. Adrian Gonzalez

Gonzalez is one of the safest picks among this list of players. At 29, he’s consistently among the best hitters in baseball, and he adjusted well to life in Boston last season.

With great players around him and half his games in Fenway Park, Gonzales tied a career high in OPS at .958. As long as he’s a Red Sox, expect Gonzalez to be an MVP candidate and among the top producers in fantasy leagues. 

8. Carlos Gonzalez

Despite playing just 127 games due to injury, Carlos Gonzalez still managed to put up some pretty impressive numbers in 2011. He hit .295 with 26 home runs, and 92 RBI.

Most would consider that a good season with a full complement of games. If CarGo can stay healthy in 2012, he should return to elite form and be a top-level scorer. 

7. Jose Bautista

If you’re looking for the best hitter in fantasy baseball, look no further. After a breakthrough season of 54 home runs in 2010, Bautista added average to his game in 2011.

He hit .302 while leading baseball in OPS at a whopping 1.055. He’s no threat to steal bases and doesn’t have the best talent around him. That’s the only reason he’s not the top man in fantasy. 

6. Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera may have been the best hitter in baseball over the last five years, next to Albert Pujols, and continues to produce for the Tigers and fantasy owners alike.

Last season the 28-year-old first baseman was top five in baseball in batting average, OBP, OPS and runs scored. 

5. Clayton Kershaw

At just 23 Kershaw has established himself as the best pitcher in the National League. He couldn’t have done much better in 2011.

Kershaw’s ERA of 2.28 led all starting pitchers in baseball, and his 248 strikeouts ranked second behind Justin Verlander. Coming off of a Cy Young, it’s scary to think how much better Kershaw could get.

4. Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury was known for his speed and defense, but a power explosion landed him in the MVP race and among the top scorers in fantasy baseball.

He topped 30 home runs and 100 RBI last season, while ranking in the top 10 of all players in OPS. As usual, Ellsbury did damage on the basepath, with 39 steals.

It's unlikely that Ellsbury can replicate those same power numbers, but they shouldn’t fall off greatly and he will always steal bases while scoring a lot of runs for a good Red Sox offense. 

3. Justin Verlander

Verlander brings it all from a pitching perspective in fantasy baseball. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has pitched 200 innings in five consecutive years and has accumulated 200 strikeouts in the last three seasons.

At 28, he looks to be entering the prime of his career. Verlander is without a doubt the top pitcher and one of the top real life and fantasy players. 

2. Albert Pujols

You can’t keep a player like Pujols down for long. Even during the worst season of his career, Pujols was still a top-15-caliber player last season.

With the distraction of pending free agency gone, expect Pujols to return to his form as arguably the best hitter in baseball.

1. Matt Kemp

Kemp just missed out on an NL MVP in 2011, finishing second to Ryan Braun. No one put up better stats, though, than Kemp.

He’s a threat in every aspect. Kemp was second in baseball in home runs, fourth in OPS and had 40 stolen bases.

Kemp earned himself a nice little $160 million contract this offseason and should be the top fantasy guy, once again, in 2012.