Jose Altuve is the Mock Draft Round 1 Shocker
Jul 12, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Boston Red Sox 3-2 at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports
This is the first round of the early mock draft between twelve fantasy baseball writers across the Internet. I chose the tenth slot in the draft in order to get the last remaining of the elite players in the first round and turn around with the best possible option in the second round. In these mock draft breakdowns, I will be highlighting all of the picks as well as the logic behind my own selections.
The numbers listed to the left of each name represent the round and the overall pick they were drafted.
Without further ado, the results of the first round of the mock draft:
1.1 OF Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Duh.
1.2 OF Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates
McCutchen seems to be the most popular choice as the second pick. He is highly likely to be a top five player yet again. His excellent five category contributions and an almost unparalleled floor make him a logical draft pick.
1.3 1B Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks
Looks like Goldy was the first 1B off of the board. I predict that he will have the highest ADP over his 1B counterparts by a razor thin margin over Miguel Cabrera. The likelihood of double-digit steals is probably the difference between Paul Goldschmidt and the rest of the first basemen.
1.4 1B Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers
Compared to the first three picks, I am a little “scared” of Miguel Cabrera. Miggy is probably on the back end of his prime, but he is still one of the best hitters this game has ever seen. I had Miguel Cabrera ranked fifth this year, but I could see the legendary slugger going as high as second.
1.5 OF Carlos Gomez of the Milwaukee Brewers
I absolutely love Carlos Gomez in fantasy, but not enough to take him over Giancarlo Stanton. The same logic applies for the previous three picks. I expect Gomez to most frequently go sixth or seventh overall in fantasy baseball drafts. He is the third best five category stud in the game.
1.6 OF Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins
Besides Jose Altuve being drafted in the first round, I thought the second biggest surprise was Stanton falling so far. I just wrote about how Stanton is my obvious #2 draft pick here. There is nothing wrong with any of the previous four picks, but I think everyone will regret not drafting Stanton if they had the chance.
1.7 1B Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox
Jose Abreu presents a little more of a risk than the first six picks of the draft because Jose Abreu only has a one-year pedigree. However, Jose Abreu was an absolute monster in 2014 and it would be hard to imagine that much of a drop-off. Again, it is hard to go wrong with any of the first ten players drafted.
1.8 SP Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers
This amazing southpaw is the reigning NL MVP, Cy Young, and arguably the safest pick in fantasy baseball. He is essentially the Mike Trout of pitchers. He is the obvious premier SP for the present and the foreseeable future. I actually thought that Kershaw would go above Jose Abreu, and I could see him going as much as three or four picks higher in some drafts.
1.9 1B Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays
Encarnacion is the one of the best home run hitters in the game in a loaded lineup in a hitter-friendly Rogers Centre. Edwin Encarnacion has the slight edge over Jose Bautista in my opinion as the top Blue Jay in fantasy baseball. As written here, I think Edwin Encarnacion is a truly elite option.
1.11 2B Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros
I probably would have not drafted Jose Altuve much higher than pick 20, but 11 overall? Wow. The majority of the mock drafters felt that this pick was a reach, but Jose Altuve should be a strong fantasy option yet again. I may have gone in ten other directions before landing the diminutive Astros star. In fact, I just mentioned how I would draft not Jose Altuve as you can see here.
1.12 OF Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles
Adam Jones was a very safe choice. I have already expressed my logic with the pick here. He is simply the safest pick outside of the top ten players in fantasy baseball for 2015.