Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft 2.0: Pick-by-pick analysis for first three rounds

One month ago, Scott Pianowski did his part to start the fantasy baseball mock draft process by detailing the first-round options for 2026. I’m going to take things one step further by breaking down the initial three rounds of a 12-team draft.

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Round 1 of Mock Draft, 2.0. (Photo by Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)

1. Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees

Judge or Ohtani. Flip a coin. I went with Judge in an effort to keep my utility spots open.

2. Shohei Ohtani, UT, Dodgers

You can’t go wrong with a top-two pick this year. Ohtani has had 109 homers, 280 runs and 79 steals over the past two years. Not too shabby.

3. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals

In a disappointing year, Witt hit .295 with 23 homers and 38 steals. With the fences coming in at Kauffman Stadium, the 25-year-old could have a 35-35 season.

4. Juan Soto, OF, Mets

Coming off a 38-steal season, Soto has a sky-high ceiling. And even if the steals dry up, his lifetime .948 OPS shows that he also has an elite floor.

5. Tarik Skubal, SP, Tigers

With a massive drop-off after the top three starters, managers should be open to taking a pitcher in Round 1. Skubal offers the best combination of skills, track record and supporting cast.

6. José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians

On skills, career résumé and position scarcity, Ramírez belongs in this spot. Still, the Guardians’ lackluster lineup mates make me worried.

7. Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds

Now that we know about a quad injury that caused De La Cruz to slump last summer, we can return to projecting massive counting stats for an ascending talent who is back to full health.

8. Kyle Tucker, OF, Dodgers

Tucker was a second-round option until he signed with the high-scoring Dodgers. His new team and diverse skill set put him back into the top 10 selections.

9. Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners

I’ll take another slow start if it ends with another 30-30 campaign. At some point, Rodríguez will come out of the gate quickly and make a run at 40-40.

10. Paul Skenes, SP, Pirates

By adding to their lineup, the Pirates have improved Skenes’ win potential. That was the final piece to cement the LSU product as a first-round pick.

11. Garrett Crochet, SP, Red Sox

Managers who are picking 11th will need to decide if they are willing to roll the dice on Crochet making it through the turn. In this draft, the manager didn’t want to take the chance, given that there will be plenty of hitting options for their second selection.

12. Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves

Acuña reestablished himself as a great hitter last season (.935 OPS) and is expected to bring back his base-stealing aggressiveness this year. He could return to top-three status by the end of the season.

Round 2 of Mock Draft, 2.0. (Photo by Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)

13. Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays

Team 12 is excited to blend a balanced contributor (Acuña) with a pure power hitter. Slugging 45 homers in his first full season was impressive. It will be even more impressive if Caminero can repeat the feat while playing half his games at Tropicana Field.

14. Gunnar Henderson, SS, Orioles

Grabbing Henderson after a down year seems like a wise move for Team 11 after they opened with a pitcher. After all, he still swiped 30 bases in 2025 and produced 37 homers and 118 runs the previous year.

15. Fernando Tatís Jr., OF, Padres

After selecting Skenes, Team 10 was looking for a balanced contributor with upside. Tatís fits the bill as a potential 30-30 player who is still trying to recapture the form he showed before missing all of 2022.

16. Jackson Chourio, OF, Brewers

Chourio’s production leveled off last season, which wasn’t a terrible outcome for a 21-year-old sophomore. He could take the next step and threaten the 30-30 club in his age-22 campaign.

17. Corbin Carroll, OF, Diamondbacks

Coming off his initial 30-30 season, Carroll would have been a top-10 pick if not for surgery to repair a broken hamate bone.

18. Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics

Rare power, an emerging lineup and a hitter-friendly park are a trifecta of reasons to grab Kurtz in Round 2, and his power skills are a great compliment to Team 7’s first pick of De La Cruz. Lowering his strikeout rate will be the next step to superstar status.

19. Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners

Team 6 is deploying the “position scarcity” plan that was recently detailed in my draft strategies articl e. By grabbing the top third baseman (Ramírez) and the best catcher, they have set themselves up to pick from the deeper pools at other positions.

20. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B/3B, Yankees

After starting with Skubal, Team 5 was looking for a balanced contributor as their first hitter. Enter Chisholm, who offers the bonus of being eligible at two scarce positions.

21. Kyle Schwarber, OF, Phillies

Team 4 would have preferred more of a balanced contributor to pair with Soto, but they instead opted for the best remaining hitter and will address steals later. Schwarber has remarkably averaged 46.75 homers, 107.25 runs and 108.5 RBI over his four years in Philly.

22. Pete Alonso, 1B, Orioles

Team 3 reached a bit on Alonso, since his power potential is the perfect complement to Witt’s high batting average and steals total. Alonso shouldn’t skip a beat after moving from the New York Mets to Baltimore.

23. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays

Team 2 has a pair of rock-solid hitters. Guerrero’s good-but-not-great power skills are less of an issue when he’s paired with Ohtani, who is coming off consecutive 50-homer seasons.

24. Trea Turner, SS, Phillies

Turner is quietly productive every year, and Team 1 opted for his consistency over the upside of some younger options.

Round 3 of Mock Draft, 2.0. (Photo by Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports)

25. Cristopher Sánchez, SP, Phillies

With the long wait from pick 25 to 48, Team 1 decided to jump into the pitcher market. Sánchez and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have pulled away from the pack to emerge as the popular SP4 and SP5 draft options.

26. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Dodgers

Knowing that Team 1 was unlikely to take two pitchers on the turn, Team 2 waited and took the leftover hurler. That turned out to be Yamamoto, who would rank ahead of Sánchez on many draft boards if not for concerns of a six-man Dodgers rotation.

27. Yordan Alvarez, OF, Astros

With a lifetime .961 OPS, Alvarez is one of baseball’s best pure hitters. After starting with a shortstop (Witt) and first baseman (Alonso), Team 3 decided to take a chance that the 28-year-old could bounce back from an injury-plagued 2025 season.

28. Zach Neto, SS, Angels

Neto fell into the lap of Team 4, who was looking for some speed after starting with Soto and Schwarber. Neto will be selected shortly after Turner in most drafts. His 162-game pace in 2025 included 32 homers, 32 steals and 104 runs scored.

29. Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets

Lindor was one 2024 stolen base away from three straight 30-30 seasons. The Mets’ sparkplug lasted a little longer than usual in this draft; though he’s reportedly on track to be ready by Opening Day, he’s recovering from surgery to repair a broken hamate bone.

30. Bryan Woo, SP, Mariners

Team 6 continues to avoid the deeper hitting positions and instead opts to draft their ace. Opinions vary on Woo, with some valuing him as much as Sánchez and Yamamoto, and others wanting to first see a repeat of his breakout 2025 season (2.94 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 198 SO).

31. Ketel Marte, 2B, Diamondbacks

Team 7 has adopted a strategy to fill their infield first, as Marte joins Kurtz and De La Cruz. With three outstanding hitters, they can next turn their attention to pitching before plucking from the wide range of outfield options in the later rounds.

32. Logan Gilbert, SP, Mariners

Gilbert could be undervalued, as his strikeout rate jumped in an injury-impacted 2025 season. He thrives at his pitcher-friendly home park and should be good enough on the road to give Team 8 a mid-level ace.

33. Chris Sale, SP, Braves

Sale remains as skilled as nearly any pitcher, but his injury history and age make him a boom-or-bust option for his age-37 season. After drafting two five-category stars (Rodríguez, Chourio), Team 9 takes their first risk.

34. Manny Machado, 3B, Padres

Team 10 is borrowing from a fantasy football strategy, by stacking their top-two hitters from the same team. If Tatís has a terrific season, Machado will benefit from more RBI opportunities.

35. Bryce Harper, 1B, Phillies

Would you rather roster Crochet and Harper or Acuña and Hunter Brown? That is the debate that will keep Team 11 up at night, as their Round 1 decision to draft Crochet forced them to pass on the remaining aces in Round 3.

36. Hunter Brown, SP, Astros

Who says that you can’t build a great roster with the last pick? Team 12 has a pair of potential superstars in Acuña and Caminero, and Brown could be a top-five starter.

Team-by-team results: Which one do you like best?

Team 1: Aaron Judge-Trea Turner-Cristopher Sánchez
Team 2: Shohei Ohtani-Vladimir Guerrero Jr.-Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Team 3: Bobby Witt Jr.-Pete Alonso-Yordan Alvarez
Team 4: Juan Soto-Kyle Schwarber-Zach Neto
Team 5: Tarik Skubal-Jazz Chisholm Jr.-Francisco Lindor
Team 6: José Ramírez-Cal Raleigh-Bryan Woo
Team 7: Elly De La Cruz-Nick Kurtz-Ketel Marte
Team 8: Kyle Tucker-Corbin Carroll-Logan Gilbert
Team 9: Julio Rodríguez-Jackson Chourio-Chris Sale
Team 10: Paul Skenes-Fernando Tatís Jr.-Manny Machado
Team 11: Garrett Crochet-Gunnar Henderson-Bryce Harper
Team 12: Ronald Acuña Jr.-Junior Caminero-Hunter Brown

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