Usually when I set up a mock draft, the draft order is random, but I made a point to give myself the second pick in our latest Rotisserie mock draft to see if I could really justify taking Bobby Witt there. I think I prefer him to Julio Rodriguez, who had the lower combined home run and stolen base total in 2023, but I'm open to the possibility that position scarcity should be the deciding factor between the two.
What do you mean by that? Well, if you skip ahead to the results, you'll see that eight of the first nine picks were outfielders, with Witt being the lone exception. But then Yordan Alvarez was the only outfielder taken in the next 21 picks, and when Randy Arozarena ended the drought at Pick 31, it was a bit early for my tastes.
This is basically in line with my Outfield Tiers 1.0, if you've had a chance to familiarize yourself with those, which depict a loaded first tier, followed by a completely vacant second tier, followed by a couple of alarmingly small tiers. It's a particularly punishing distribution for Rotisserie leagues, which typically require five outfielders. In short, no position offers more talent at the top, and no position runs out of talent sooner.
So what would be most logical, then, is to seize upon that first tier of talent for the short window it's available -- i.e., Round 1 -- in which case targeting Witt so early might not be the best use of resources.
Is that what I came away believing? Not so much. I did make a concerted effort to fill in my outfield as soon as it didn't feel like a reach to do so, doubling up on Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger in Rounds 4-5. This put me in a bit of a hole pitching-wise, though I wouldn't say I'm dissatisfied with how that ultimately turned out either. I was fortunate enough to land Joshua Lowe at the end of Round 6, which may have relaxed me a little too much. My fourth and fifth outfielders are among the weakest points on my team, but then again, that's probably the norm in five-outfielder leagues this year.
It certainly wasn't the Witt pick that caused it to happen, so for now, I'm going to keep him at second overall. I'm curious how it would have gone had Trout and Bellinger not both lasted to me, though.
Here's who all took part in this draft:
1) Martin Sekulski, Pitcher List (@M_Ski22)
2) Scott White, CBS Sports (@CBSScottWhite)
3) Raymond Atherton, Fantasy Aceball Podcast (@RaymondAtherton)
4) Dave Funnell, Prospects1500 (@sportz_nutt51)
5) Joe Orrico, Sports Ethos (@JoeOrrico99)
6) Jake Wiener, Prospects1500 (@GatorSosa)
7) Nick Mimikos, Faceoff Sports Network (@NMimi)
8) B_Don, Razzball (@RazzBDon)
9) R.J. White, CBS Sports (@rjwhite1)
10) Blake Meyer, FantasyPros (@Buhhlockaye)
11) George Kurtz, Sportsgrid (@GeorgeKurtz)
12) Frank Stampfl, CBS Sports (@Roto_Frank)
And here are a few more scattered observations:
- What would have made my outfield better is if I could have grabbed a fourth outfielder instead of Zack Gelof in Round 11. But with high-end rookies Jackson Chourio and Wyatt Langford having just gone off the board, nobody stood out to me at the time. I didn't like the way second base was headed either, but then Brandon Lowe ended up going undrafted, which seems like a serious misapplication of resources. He's not a model of health, but he still hit 21 homers in the 109 games he did manage to play last year and remains one of the few players at second base with 30-homer upside. I'd be perfectly content with him as my starter if the cost remains that low.
- Coming off a year in which aces were less dominant on the whole, I don't see much justification for drafting any pitcher other than Spencer Strider and Gerrit Cole in Rounds 1 and 2. Corbin Burnes at Pick 18 stands out, then, particularly with hitters as good as Corey Seager and Matt Olson still on the board. It was a full 16 picks before my third-ranked pitcher, Kevin Gausman, was drafted.
- I also don't see much justification for drafting Pete Alonso ahead of Olson and Bryce Harper, as happened here, and wouldn't be surprised to see the latter two creep into Round 1 in some leagues. Bo Bichette (25 overall) over Francisco Lindor (26) was also unexpected.
- Two picks I was pleased to see were Manny Machado at 35 and Elly De La Cruz at 40, which are more in line with my own feelings about both players than what NFBC ADP currently shows (65 for Machado and 21 for De La Cruz). Machado's numbers were only slightly off last year, and we've regarded him as a first- or second-rounder for most of his career. De La Cruz has huge upside but also serious strikeout and launch angle issues that led to him hitting .191 with a .627 OPS in the second half last year. Investing a Round 2 pick in him is just too reckless for me.
That's enough to get us started, anyway. Here are the full results.
| Round 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 1 | R.J. White | |
| 2 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 3 | Joe Orrico | |
| 4 | Scott White | |
| 5 | George Kurtz | |
| 6 | Blake Meyer | |
| 7 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 8 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 9 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 10 | Jake Wiener | |
| 11 | Dave Funnell | |
| 12 | B_Don | |
| Round 2 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 13 | B_Don | |
| 14 | Dave Funnell | |
| 15 | Jake Wiener | |
| 16 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 17 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 18 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 19 | Blake Meyer | |
| 20 | George Kurtz | |
| 21 | Scott White | |
| 22 | Joe Orrico | |
| 23 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 24 | R.J. White | |
| Round 3 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 25 | R.J. White | |
| 26 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 27 | Joe Orrico | |
| 28 | Scott White | |
| 29 | George Kurtz | |
| 30 | Blake Meyer | |
| 31 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 32 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 33 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 34 | Jake Wiener | |
| 35 | Dave Funnell | |
| 36 | B_Don | |
| Round 4 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 37 | B_Don | |
| 38 | Dave Funnell | |
| 39 | Jake Wiener | |
| 40 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 41 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 42 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 43 | Blake Meyer | |
| 44 | George Kurtz | |
| 45 | Scott White | |
| 46 | Joe Orrico | |
| 47 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 48 | R.J. White | |
| Round 5 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 49 | R.J. White | |
| 50 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 51 | Joe Orrico | |
| 52 | Scott White | |
| 53 | George Kurtz | |
| 54 | Blake Meyer | |
| 55 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 56 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 57 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 58 | Jake Wiener | |
| 59 | Dave Funnell | |
| 60 | B_Don | |
| Round 6 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 61 | B_Don | |
| 62 | Dave Funnell | |
| 63 | Jake Wiener | |
| 64 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 65 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 66 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 67 | Blake Meyer | |
| 68 | George Kurtz | |
| 69 | Scott White | |
| 70 | Joe Orrico | |
| 71 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 72 | R.J. White | |
| Round 7 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 73 | R.J. White | |
| 74 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 75 | Joe Orrico | |
| 76 | Scott White | |
| 77 | George Kurtz | |
| 78 | Blake Meyer | |
| 79 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 80 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 81 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 82 | Jake Wiener | |
| 83 | Dave Funnell | |
| 84 | B_Don | |
| Round 8 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 85 | B_Don | |
| 86 | Dave Funnell | |
| 87 | Jake Wiener | |
| 88 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 89 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 90 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 91 | Blake Meyer | |
| 92 | George Kurtz | |
| 93 | Scott White | |
| 94 | Joe Orrico | |
| 95 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 96 | R.J. White | |
| Round 9 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 97 | R.J. White | |
| 98 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 99 | Joe Orrico | |
| 100 | Scott White | |
| 101 | George Kurtz | |
| 102 | Blake Meyer | |
| 103 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 104 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 105 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 106 | Jake Wiener | |
| 107 | Dave Funnell | |
| 108 | B_Don | |
| Round 10 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 109 | B_Don | |
| 110 | Dave Funnell | |
| 111 | Jake Wiener | |
| 112 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 113 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 114 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 115 | Blake Meyer | |
| 116 | George Kurtz | |
| 117 | Scott White | |
| 118 | Joe Orrico | |
| 119 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 120 | R.J. White | |
| Round 11 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 121 | R.J. White | |
| 122 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 123 | Joe Orrico | |
| 124 | Scott White | |
| 125 | George Kurtz | |
| 126 | Blake Meyer | |
| 127 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 128 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 129 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 130 | Jake Wiener | |
| 131 | Dave Funnell | |
| 132 | B_Don | |
| Round 12 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 133 | B_Don | |
| 134 | Dave Funnell | |
| 135 | Jake Wiener | |
| 136 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 137 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 138 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 139 | Blake Meyer | |
| 140 | George Kurtz | |
| 141 | Scott White | |
| 142 | Joe Orrico | |
| 143 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 144 | R.J. White | |
| Round 13 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 145 | R.J. White | |
| 146 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 147 | Joe Orrico | |
| 148 | Scott White | |
| 149 | George Kurtz | |
| 150 | Blake Meyer | |
| 151 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 152 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 153 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 154 | Jake Wiener | |
| 155 | Dave Funnell | |
| 156 | B_Don | |
| Round 14 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 157 | B_Don | |
| 158 | Dave Funnell | |
| 159 | Jake Wiener | |
| 160 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 161 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 162 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 163 | Blake Meyer | |
| 164 | George Kurtz | |
| 165 | Scott White | |
| 166 | Joe Orrico | |
| 167 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 168 | R.J. White | |
| Round 15 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 169 | R.J. White | |
| 170 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 171 | Joe Orrico | |
| 172 | Scott White | |
| 173 | George Kurtz | |
| 174 | Blake Meyer | |
| 175 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 176 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 177 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 178 | Jake Wiener | |
| 179 | Dave Funnell | |
| 180 | B_Don | |
| Round 16 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 181 | B_Don | |
| 182 | Dave Funnell | |
| 183 | Jake Wiener | |
| 184 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 185 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 186 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 187 | Blake Meyer | |
| 188 | George Kurtz | |
| 189 | Scott White | |
| 190 | Joe Orrico | |
| 191 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 192 | R.J. White | |
| Round 17 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 193 | R.J. White | |
| 194 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 195 | Joe Orrico | |
| 196 | Scott White | |
| 197 | George Kurtz | |
| 198 | Blake Meyer | |
| 199 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 200 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 201 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 202 | Jake Wiener | |
| 203 | Dave Funnell | |
| 204 | B_Don | |
| Round 18 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 205 | B_Don | |
| 206 | Dave Funnell | |
| 207 | Jake Wiener | |
| 208 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 209 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 210 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 211 | Blake Meyer | |
| 212 | George Kurtz | |
| 213 | Scott White | |
| 214 | Joe Orrico | |
| 215 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 216 | R.J. White | |
| Round 19 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 217 | R.J. White | |
| 218 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 219 | Joe Orrico | |
| 220 | Scott White | |
| 221 | George Kurtz | |
| 222 | Blake Meyer | |
| 223 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 224 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 225 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 226 | Jake Wiener | |
| 227 | Dave Funnell | |
| 228 | B_Don | |
| Round 20 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 229 | B_Don | |
| 230 | Dave Funnell | |
| 231 | Jake Wiener | |
| 232 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 233 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 234 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 235 | Blake Meyer | |
| 236 | George Kurtz | |
| 237 | Scott White | |
| 238 | Joe Orrico | |
| 239 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 240 | R.J. White | |
| Round 21 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 241 | R.J. White | |
| 242 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 243 | Joe Orrico | |
| 244 | Scott White | |
| 245 | George Kurtz | |
| 246 | Blake Meyer | |
| 247 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 248 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 249 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 250 | Jake Wiener | |
| 251 | Dave Funnell | |
| 252 | B_Don | |
| Round 22 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 253 | B_Don | |
| 254 | Dave Funnell | |
| 255 | Jake Wiener | |
| 256 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 257 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 258 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 259 | Blake Meyer | |
| 260 | George Kurtz | |
| 261 | Scott White | |
| 262 | Joe Orrico | |
| 263 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 264 | R.J. White | |
| Round 23 | ||
| Pos | Team | Player |
| 265 | R.J. White | |
| 266 | Nick Mimikos | |
| 267 | Joe Orrico | |
| 268 | Scott White | |
| 269 | George Kurtz | |
| 270 | Blake Meyer | |
| 271 | Raymond Atherton | |
| 272 | Frank Stampfl | |
| 273 | Martin Sekulski | |
| 274 | Jake Wiener | |
| 275 | Dave Funnell | |
| 276 | B_Don | |
| R.J. White | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | 24 | |
| 3 | 25 | |
| 4 | 48 | |
| 5 | 49 | |
| 6 | 72 | |
| 7 | 73 | |
| 8 | 96 | |
| 9 | 97 | |
| 10 | 120 | |
| 11 | 121 | |
| 12 | 144 | |
| 13 | 145 | |
| 14 | 168 | |
| 15 | 169 | |
| 16 | 192 | |
| 17 | 193 | |
| 18 | 216 | |
| 19 | 217 | |
| 20 | 240 | |
| 21 | 241 | |
| 22 | 264 | |
| 23 | 265 | |
| Nick Mimikos | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 2 | |
| 2 | 23 | |
| 3 | 26 | |
| 4 | 47 | |
| 5 | 50 | |
| 6 | 71 | |
| 7 | 74 | |
| 8 | 95 | |
| 9 | 98 | |
| 10 | 119 | |
| 11 | 122 | |
| 12 | 143 | |
| 13 | 146 | |
| 14 | 167 | |
| 15 | 170 | |
| 16 | 191 | |
| 17 | 194 | |
| 18 | 215 | |
| 19 | 218 | |
| 20 | 239 | |
| 21 | 242 | |
| 22 | 263 | |
| 23 | 266 | |
| Joe Orrico | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 3 | |
| 2 | 22 | |
| 3 | 27 | |
| 4 | 46 | |
| 5 | 51 | |
| 6 | 70 | |
| 7 | 75 | |
| 8 | 94 | |
| 9 | 99 | |
| 10 | 118 | |
| 11 | 123 | |
| 12 | 142 | |
| 13 | 147 | |
| 14 | 166 | |
| 15 | 171 | |
| 16 | 190 | |
| 17 | 195 | |
| 18 | 214 | |
| 19 | 219 | |
| 20 | 238 | |
| 21 | 243 | |
| 22 | 262 | |
| 23 | 267 | |
| Scott White | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 4 | |
| 2 | 21 | |
| 3 | 28 | |
| 4 | 45 | |
| 5 | 52 | |
| 6 | 69 | |
| 7 | 76 | |
| 8 | 93 | |
| 9 | 100 | |
| 10 | 117 | |
| 11 | 124 | |
| 12 | 141 | |
| 13 | 148 | |
| 14 | 165 | |
| 15 | 172 | |
| 16 | 189 | |
| 17 | 196 | |
| 18 | 213 | |
| 19 | 220 | |
| 20 | 237 | |
| 21 | 244 | |
| 22 | 261 | |
| 23 | 268 | |
| George Kurtz | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 5 | |
| 2 | 20 | |
| 3 | 29 | |
| 4 | 44 | |
| 5 | 53 | |
| 6 | 68 | |
| 7 | 77 | |
| 8 | 92 | |
| 9 | 101 | |
| 10 | 116 | |
| 11 | 125 | |
| 12 | 140 | |
| 13 | 149 | |
| 14 | 164 | |
| 15 | 173 | |
| 16 | 188 | |
| 17 | 197 | |
| 18 | 212 | |
| 19 | 221 | |
| 20 | 236 | |
| 21 | 245 | |
| 22 | 260 | |
| 23 | 269 | |
| Blake Meyer | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 6 | |
| 2 | 19 | |
| 3 | 30 | |
| 4 | 43 | |
| 5 | 54 | |
| 6 | 67 | |
| 7 | 78 | |
| 8 | 91 | |
| 9 | 102 | |
| 10 | 115 | |
| 11 | 126 | |
| 12 | 139 | |
| 13 | 150 | |
| 14 | 163 | |
| 15 | 174 | |
| 16 | 187 | |
| 17 | 198 | |
| 18 | 211 | |
| 19 | 222 | |
| 20 | 235 | |
| 21 | 246 | |
| 22 | 259 | |
| 23 | 270 | |
| Raymond Atherton | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 7 | |
| 2 | 18 | |
| 3 | 31 | |
| 4 | 42 | |
| 5 | 55 | |
| 6 | 66 | |
| 7 | 79 | |
| 8 | 90 | |
| 9 | 103 | |
| 10 | 114 | |
| 11 | 127 | |
| 12 | 138 | |
| 13 | 151 | |
| 14 | 162 | |
| 15 | 175 | |
| 16 | 186 | |
| 17 | 199 | |
| 18 | 210 | |
| 19 | 223 | |
| 20 | 234 | |
| 21 | 247 | |
| 22 | 258 | |
| 23 | 271 | |
| Frank Stampfl | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 8 | |
| 2 | 17 | |
| 3 | 32 | |
| 4 | 41 | |
| 5 | 56 | |
| 6 | 65 | |
| 7 | 80 | |
| 8 | 89 | |
| 9 | 104 | |
| 10 | 113 | |
| 11 | 128 | |
| 12 | 137 | |
| 13 | 152 | |
| 14 | 161 | |
| 15 | 176 | |
| 16 | 185 | |
| 17 | 200 | |
| 18 | 209 | |
| 19 | 224 | |
| 20 | 233 | |
| 21 | 248 | |
| 22 | 257 | |
| 23 | 272 | |
| Martin Sekulski | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 9 | |
| 2 | 16 | |
| 3 | 33 | |
| 4 | 40 | |
| 5 | 57 | |
| 6 | 64 | |
| 7 | 81 | |
| 8 | 88 | |
| 9 | 105 | |
| 10 | 112 | |
| 11 | 129 | |
| 12 | 136 | |
| 13 | 153 | |
| 14 | 160 | |
| 15 | 177 | |
| 16 | 184 | |
| 17 | 201 | |
| 18 | 208 | |
| 19 | 225 | |
| 20 | 232 | |
| 21 | 249 | |
| 22 | 256 | |
| 23 | 273 | |
| Jake Wiener | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 10 | |
| 2 | 15 | |
| 3 | 34 | |
| 4 | 39 | |
| 5 | 58 | |
| 6 | 63 | |
| 7 | 82 | |
| 8 | 87 | |
| 9 | 106 | |
| 10 | 111 | |
| 11 | 130 | |
| 12 | 135 | |
| 13 | 154 | |
| 14 | 159 | |
| 15 | 178 | |
| 16 | 183 | |
| 17 | 202 | |
| 18 | 207 | |
| 19 | 226 | |
| 20 | 231 | |
| 21 | 250 | |
| 22 | 255 | |
| 23 | 274 | |
| Dave Funnell | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 11 | |
| 2 | 14 | |
| 3 | 35 | |
| 4 | 38 | |
| 5 | 59 | |
| 6 | 62 | |
| 7 | 83 | |
| 8 | 86 | |
| 9 | 107 | |
| 10 | 110 | |
| 11 | 131 | |
| 12 | 134 | |
| 13 | 155 | |
| 14 | 158 | |
| 15 | 179 | |
| 16 | 182 | |
| 17 | 203 | |
| 18 | 206 | |
| 19 | 227 | |
| 20 | 230 | |
| 21 | 251 | |
| 22 | 254 | |
| 23 | 275 | |
| B_Don | ||
| Rd | Pk | Player |
| 1 | 12 | |
| 2 | 13 | |
| 3 | 36 | |
| 4 | 37 | |
| 5 | 60 | |
| 6 | 61 | |
| 7 | 84 | |
| 8 | 85 | |
| 9 | 108 | |
| 10 | 109 | |
| 11 | 132 | |
| 12 | 133 | |
| 13 | 156 | |
| 14 | 157 | |
| 15 | 180 | |
| 16 | 181 | |
| 17 | 204 | |
| 18 | 205 | |
| 19 | 228 | |
| 20 | 229 | |
| 21 | 252 | |
| 22 | 253 | |
| 23 | 276 | |
