- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Early first-round fantasy mock draft for 2017
- Updated: September 15, 2016
We haven’t even closed the book on 2016, but I’m already in a mock draft for ’17.
I would normally say something trite like “it’s never too early to start studying for 2017,” but of course it can be too early. If I had done something in mid-May about the 2017 season, that definitely would’ve been too early.
And let’s be honest, this current mock draft might also be too early for any sane person.
We’re just wrapping up the third round, as it’s a slow mock, so we’re going to focus on the first round of this 12-team standard 5×5 draft.
12. Carlos Correa : I’m sure Correa’s season will be tabbed as a disappointment by many, but I don’t really see it that way. No, he didn’t pay off on his first-round draft cost, but his .272 AVG, 69 runs, 19 homers, 90 RBIs and 12 steals are well within the range of outcomes we should’ve expected based on his electric rookie season. Of course, everyone wants the shining first-rounder like Jose Altuve who greatly exceeds their pick slot, but I just don’t want to get crushed by my first rounder.
The injured guy who plays like 30 games — or worse, the guy who labors through a season with multiple nagging injuries and hits .220 with 15 HRs. We didn’t really see any of those in the first round this year. Giancarlo Stanton is probably the closest thing with a 25 HR/.244 AVG season in 108 games as the 11th pick. Thankfully, power was so plentiful this year that you might’ve actually found an adequate replacement for the other 15 or so homers you were hoping for from Stanton (if you were actually expecting more than 40 homers from a guy who has never hit 40 HRs, that’s your fault).
11. Anthony Rizzo :This is another great example of a player who won’t “earn” his first-round cost back while still being a perfectly viable first rounder again in 2017. In fact, his ’16 is very similar to his ’15, save one major difference that was pretty easy to see coming: fewer stolen bases. He swiped 17 bags in ’15 after netting 16 in 1,827 plate appearances prior to that. He got those 16 on a 57 percentsuccess rate, too, so it’s hard to be too surprised that he’s just 3-for-7 this year. You were buying a stable power force in a great lineup, and if the SBs stuck, it’d be gravy. They didn’t, but you still have to be happy with .289-86-29-98 so far.
10. Josh Donaldson : This is similar to Rizzo in that the only real difference for Donaldson is one we could’ve easily seen coming. There was almost no way he’d repeat the 122 runs/123 RBIs combo from 2015. He won’t, barring something insane, but he’s actually on pace to increase his run output. If everything holds, he’ll score around 127 while driving in 104. He’s got 34 HRs, leaving him an outside shot to crack 40 again, but no one is complaining if he “only” gets 37-38. Long story short: he’s been awesome again.
9. Bryce Harper : OK, maybe Harper is a bigger first-round disappointment than Stanton. He was the third pick on average, and he’s hitting just .247 on the year. But the counting categories have been solid.
In terms of HR+SB, Harper is actually pacing to beat his total of 48 from last year. Thanks to a surge in steals, he’s pacing for a 51 total and sits at 45 right now with 24 homers/21 steals. Despite Harper’s huge season last year, he only had 99 RBIs, so his 91 pace is palatable. I can’t sit here and tell you he hasn’t disappointed with his batting average, but I don’t think he’s the reason you didn’t win the title this year. His flaws could’ve been covered.
8. Jose Altuve: Back-to-back top-six finishes on the Player Rater — including the No. 1 spot this year (it’s unlikely that Mookie Betts …
