I gathered 11 of the industry’s finest to join me in this 2017 Fantasy Baseball mock draft, and they’re going to share their expertise with each pick. Who knows what 2017 holds for any of us, much less our Fantasy Baseball drafts!?!
We could be driving around in hovercrafts, eating Soylent Green and watching Netflix streaming through our eyelids!
Rather than just look at what next year’s draft might hold, we decided to shoot ahead TWO years, to really give keeper-league and dynasty-league owners a great idea of what’s coming down the pike from a Fantasy Baseball perspective.
A couple years ago, in 2013, I ran a similar mock draft of the future — for 2015, actually. The draft itself was a ton of fun, and there were some really interesting picks!
Three of the consensus top-four picks were correct for this season! However, there were also a few misses … remember that guy, Jurickson Profar? … He’s awesome.
I’d have to say, though, that the most prescient picks went to Jeff Mans of FantasyAlarm.com, as he chose 1.12 Troy Tulowitzki, 2.01 Christian Yelich, 3.12 Matt Wieters and 4.01 Jose Abreu.
This year, we’re going four rounds deep, once again. And while some of the top talent has shifted in the past couple seasons, with more Cubans entering the fray (hello, Abreu), we’ve also seen more aging veterans slipping (goodbye, Justin Verlander).
This 2017 Fantasy Baseball mock draft of the future is just four rounds, and it’s for a standard mixed Rotisserie league, with standard 5×5 scoring, 12 teams, and a two-catcher starting lineup. Each writer was asked to tweet a sentence or two of analysis for each pick, so you’ll get to see the thinking behind each selection.
1.01 Mike Trout, OF, L.A. Angels
Cory Schwartz, MLB.com
Roster: OF-Trout
Took Mike Trout 1.01 in the #2017FutureMock hosted by @davidgonos. Maybe anticlimactic, but he’s that good. Follow: http://t.co/mF9W4caifB
— Cory Schwartz (@schwartzstops) March 2, 2015
Trout 1.01: increased power last year, will consolidate w/ speed & contact by 2017. #1 now, #1 later #2017FutureMock http://t.co/mF9W4caifB
— Cory Schwartz (@schwartzstops) March 2, 2015
This pick may seem anticlimactic, but he’s that good, and still has room to improve. In 2014, Trout traded contact and speed for power, but I don’t view that as the start of any negative trend… he’s a 23-year-old superstar who’s still building his game. By 2017, he’ll be a 25-year-old megastar who will have had another two years to consolidate his skills, making a 2017 projection of .315-35-110-25 seem like a pretty reasonable baseline.
1.02 Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pittsburgh
Ray Flowers, FantasyAlarm.com
Roster: OF-McCutchen
1.02 Andrew McCutchen – There are still few that can match the athletic OFs overall brilliance. #2017FutureMock http://t.co/qm4jZmfHbG
— Ray Flowers (@BaseballGuys) March 2, 2015
1.03 Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Miami
David Gonos, SoCalledFantasyExperts.com
Roster: OF-Stanton
1.03 Giancarlo Stanton, OF, MIA #2017FutureMock for @SoCalledFanEx http://t.co/zFALKXxD6m @nandodifino is up next!
— David Gonos (@davidgonos) March 2, 2015
Stanton is 3rd OF in 3 pix but will still just be 27yo in 2yrs & remain a power guy in power-thin MLB #2017FutureMock http://t.co/zFALKXxD6m
— David Gonos (@davidgonos) March 2, 2015
1.04 Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Arizona
Nando Di Fino, FantasySportsNetwork.com
Roster: 1B-Goldschmidt
1.04 #2017FutureMock – Paul Goldschmidt. He’ll be just 29 and already has power, speed, and average. @Tim_Heaney up! http://t.co/gaRUbxYZoz
— Nando Di Fino (@nandodifino) March 2, 2015
1.05 Yasiel Puig, OF, L.A. Dodgers
Tim Heaney, Fantasy.USAToday.com
Roster: OF-Puig
1.05 #2017FutureMock – Yasiel Puig. 26yo mini-Cutch. Going for 3rd straight year of min. 20-20, .275 BA. @BrentHQ up. http://t.co/RrzdPfCs2P
— Tim Heaney (@Tim_Heaney) March 2, 2015
1.06 Stephen Strasburg, SP, N.Y. Yankees
Brent Hershey, BaseballHQ.com
Roster: SP-Strasburg
1.06 #2017FutureMock – Stephen Strasburg, RHP, NYY. Easily No. 1 SP in Fantasy Baseball. @DerekVanRiper up! http://t.co/Ypc4alymqb
— Brent Hershey (@BrentHQ) March 2, 2015
Strasburg has Cy Young on his mantle, WS ring on his finger, + record-busting contract in his pocket. Boras wins again. #2017FutureMock
— Brent Hershey (@BrentHQ) March 2, 2015
1.07 Bryce Harper, OF, Washington
Derek VanRiper, RotoWire.com
Roster: OF-Harper
1.07 #2017FutureMock – Bryce Harper, OF, WAS — Took him at 1.1 in the #2015FutureMock in 2013. Feels like a bargain here. @RotoDaddy is up.
— Derek VanRiper (@DerekVanRiper) March 2, 2015
1.08 Clayton Kershaw, SP, L.A. Dodgers
Doug Anderson, FantasySportsNetwork.com
Roster: SP-Kershaw
1.08 #2017FutureMock – SP Clayton Kershaw, LAD – 29 in 2 years, most dominate player in baseball @Jeff_Mans up http://t.co/6GRxYs85M5
— Doug Anderson (@rotodaddy) March 2, 2015
1.09 Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs
Jeff Mans, FantasyAlarm.com
Roster: 3B-Bryant
1.07 Kris Bryant, 3B #2017FutureMock His ’16 postseason tear was just the beginning. Can’t match his production at 3B http://t.co/C66mS6eGRP
— Jeff Mans (@Jeff_Mans) March 3, 2015
1.10 Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Chicago Cubs
Nick Raducanu, ProjectRoto.com
Roster: 1B-Rizzo
1.10 #2017FutureMock – Anthony Rizzo, 1B, CHC — In the heart of the Cubs’ order, Rizzo has a chance to hit 50 in 2017. @lawrmichaels is up!
— ProjectRoto (@ProjectRoto) March 3, 2015
1.11 George Springer, OF, Houston
Lawr Michaels, Mastersball.com
Roster: Springer
George Springer is my #1 pick in @davidgonos #2017FutureMock w/@schwartzstops @DerekVanRiper @nandodifino check here: http://t.co/sildFagi5Q
— lawr michaels (@lawrmichaels) March 3, 2015
Struggled much like Trout (.182 first two weeks) before working into a groove and clubbing 20 big flies — .294-10-25 in May — and then torqued his knee and missed the rest of the season. He is 25, meaning he is going into those peak years — as a seasoned vet Opening Day 2017. This year, he will be pretty good, too.
1.12 Jason Heyward, OF, St. Louis
Eric Mack, BleacherReport.com
Roster: Heyward
1.12 OF Jason Heyward #2017FutureMock Gifted slugger in age-27 year? Yes, please! How does .290-45-120-100-15 sound? http://t.co/zPhUATULHU
— Eric Mack (@EricMackFantasy) March 3, 2015
Let us know what you think about these picks in the comments below — or tweet about them with the hashtag #2017FutureMock.
Click the arrow to see the picks and analysis of the next round of our Rotisserie mock draft!
Colin Jordison, Future No. 1 Overall Pick? Photo Credit: Eric Mack, his kinda/sorta Step-Dad/Coach
David Gonos
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