Fantasy: 10-team MLB mock draft with analysis

Welcome to theScore's 10-team MLB mock draft. We went 23 rounds in a snake format, building teams with the following positions: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, UTIL, UTIL, SP, SP, RP, RP, P, P, P, P, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN.

Our league is following a standard 5x5 format (R, HR, RBI, SB, AVG, W, SV, K, ERA, WHIP). This isn't the perfect representation of every draft - no mock is - but it does serve as a reminder that chaos reigns; you can never truly rely on average draft position (ADP) to guide you because someone will always reach for a player three rounds earlier than expected.

Average draft positions courtesy of FantasyPros and position eligibility courtesy of Yahoo (as of March 1 ).

Round 1

This draft diverged from ADP right off the top, with Acuna - the consensus top pick - dropping to fourth. It wouldn't be a shock if any of the top five went first overall in any given draft. ... With the top hitters gone, I elected to grab deGrom, who remains the most reliable pitcher in fantasy.

Round 2

Turner dropping to 14th is the biggest early surprise, especially after he provided top value in all five standard categories last season. ... With Turner off the board, I doubled down on pitchers by selecting Buehler. This gives me a strong rotation foundation, and I'm confident there's enough offensive depth in a 10-team league to compensate for some of the big names I missed.

Round 3

No major reaches here, though it's somewhat surprising to see Robert go before his slightly more established teammate Jimenez. ... I grabbed Bogaerts because the shortstop position is very top-heavy with a major talent drop-off. He has a proven high floor, and I would have taken him even if Bichette had fallen. ... Arenado has a lot to prove with his move from hitter-friendly Coors Field, but he remains a top-four fantasy third baseman.

Round 4

At first glance, Guerrero is a slight reach. But he probably wouldn't have lasted until the next set of picks for the team at the turn. Sometimes reaching is necessary depending on draft position. ... If Scherzer is healthy, he offers outstanding value as the 12th starter off the board. ... I nabbed Devers to secure the entire left side of the Red Sox infield. He's only 24, he should be a lock for 30 homers and close to 100 RBIs, and he won't kill your batting average. He might actually be underrated.

Round 5

LeMahieu dropping almost 20 ADP spots after winning a batting title is surprising. Very few players hit .300 these days, and he's hit .336 the last two seasons. He might not hit a wealth of homers or steal bases, but he will score a ton of runs. ... Mondesi will be an excellent pickup if he can add power and better overall hitting to his elite base-stealing production. ... Tucker is a preseason darling, and it may be premature, but I took him because of his five-category potential. Ozuna is more proven, though, so I may regret this.

Round 6

I made the biggest reach of the first six rounds by selecting Hiura (though I have him ranked higher than his ADP). I did this for two reasons. First, his power potential at a soft position is very enticing. Second, he's going to gain 1B eligibility. ... Realmuto breaks the catcher seal and offers solid value at this point in the draft.

Round 7

Alvarez could climb up draft boards with a strong spring as he comes off surgeries on both knees. ... Moncada went a bit early, but he hits in the middle of a very strong lineup and isn't far removed from being a top prospect; it's not a huge risk. ... I like Conforto here, even if he doesn't hit over .300 as he did in 2020. He's proven to be a high-floor producer over the last four seasons. ... The relief bubble pops with Hader at the end of the round.

Round 8

Sure enough, Hendriks is the second reliever off the board, going two picks after Hader. ... Age has to be the thing consistently keeping Cruz around this spot, but he keeps crushing homers. Until he stops, this is a fine place for him. ... After I missed on Trea Turner, getting Grisham here is part of my strategy to supplement speed in bunches. Grisham stole 10 bases in the shortened 2020 season (and hit 10 homers).

Round 9

Stanton seems undervalued. He's always injured, but he's not that far removed from a 59-homer season in 2017. While he hasn't lived up to his potential with the Yankees, the ninth round seems way too late. Check back in July if he's already made a couple of trips to the IL. ... Bryant, likewise, went from a perennial early selection to almost an afterthought. But he hit 31 homers in 2019 while batting .282. His drop here seems like a major overcorrection to an injury-plagued, pandemic-shortened 2020.

Round 10

Relievers were starting to go in bunches at this point. ... I was targeting Muncy here but missed him by two picks. Instead, Greinke became my first pitcher since deGrom and Buehler. ... Biggio fell nearly 40 spots. He's a better fit in OBP leagues, but snagging him this late removes a lot of the risk.

Round 11

Questions around Lamet's elbow have seen him fall, but if he's healthy and pitches to the level of his 2020 numbers, a top-10 pitcher went outside the top 100 here. ... Correa has also dealt with a lot of injuries over the years, but he was mostly healthy in 2020, so his drop in ADP is a little confounding. ... Fried is coming off a strong season. He hasn't been homer-prone in the juiced-ball era, and if MLB has, in fact, deadened the ball somewhat, pitchers like Fried could benefit greatly.

Round 12

I jumped on the reliever train. Hand is as reliable as they come and should have plenty of opportunities to close out games for an improved Nationals bullpen. ... Musgrove had a career year on a short schedule and now pitches for a contender. He should have a better shot at wins as a result.

Round 13

I was hoping to grab Pressly to form a 1-2 punch with Hand, but I shifted to Bohm because I expected Yates to last until at least my next pick. ... Bell was another player in my queue because he's poised to be an RBI machine hitting behind Trea Turner and Juan Soto. He's another whose ADP feels wrongly suppressed.

Round 14

When I missed out on Max Muncy, I made sure to add Moustakas to my queue. ... If Kluber can regain any of his past success, this was a perfect spot to take him. ... This was a reach for Stroman, no matter how well he pitches. There's a very good chance he would have been available two or three rounds later. ... Valdez fractured his finger after this draft was concluded.

Round 15

May is a tough sell: He might not open the season in the majors, and he may not even be a starter once he gets promoted because of the Dodgers' rotation depth. ... I'm starting to fill in my starting pitcher depth at this point, and Lopez was Miami's most consistent starter in 2020. ... Reyes and Soler scratch similar itches with their massive power; if you missed out on Nelson Cruz 50 picks earlier, either of these two can adequately fill the void.

Round 16

Graterol is the biggest miss in this mock. He won't be a starter, he's probably fourth on the Dodgers' bullpen depth chart, and he's showed barely any strikeout upside to make up for his lack of save opportunities. If you're going to pick a non-closer reliever at this stage, it has to be Williams. ... I love Ohtani here. He's touching 100 mph on the radar gun this spring, and if he doesn't live up to expectations, I already have a solid pitching core to compensate.

Round 17

Catchers were bound to start flying off the board at some point. Sanchez has fallen out of favor with many fantasy managers after entering the last several seasons as a top-100 player, but his power upside at a weak position still makes him somewhat appealing. ... Carlson might have been a mistake on my part.

Round 18

Like Dustin May before him, Gonsolin might not find himself starting many games. ... Sheffield probably could have been taken in the last couple rounds of this draft - or even targeted off waivers - but he's locked into a rotation spot after a breakout 2020. He's a savvy deep sleeper. ... McKenzie should stick in Cleveland's rotation barring injury or catastrophic performance. He posted an 11.34 K/9 over 33 1/3 innings last season with a 3.24 ERA.

Round 19

I don't feel great about Montero, but I needed to address my paucity of saves. It doesn't look like he'll have much competition for the ninth-inning role in Seattle's bullpen. ... Third base is deep, so it makes sense for Hayes to drop a bit due to possible doubts about his ability to sustain the insane production from his first 24 games. Even if he struggles, he'll hit high in the batting order of a bad Pirates team.

Round 20

With my starting lineup in order, I added insurance to the back end of my bullpen with Barnes. If he loses the closer's job with Boston, I'll have no problem going to the waiver wire. ... Senzel could be in a good position to cash in as a post-hype sleeper. There is a danger he'll platoon in center field with Shogo Akiyama, but if the bat plays, the Reds will have to keep him in the lineup.

Round 21

I was more than happy with Pearson at this spot until he suffered a groin injury a couple of days later. ... Benintendi gets a change of scenery after some big-time struggles. He was a top-100 selection as recently as last year. ... Calhoun underwent a knee procedure shortly after this draft was completed.

Round 22

With two rounds to go, I decided to punt on the catcher position. Instead, I took a couple of high-upside starters who will open the season on the IL while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The first is Severino, who owns a career 3.46 ERA and 10 K/9. ... Edman offers nice value in this spot, but his flexibility means he probably won't be available this late very often.

Round 23

I closed with Syndergaard. My pitching staff has a very high ceiling but is fraught with risk. ... The Orioles might not be very good, but both Mountcastle and Santander should - and usually will - go earlier than this. ... Hosmer may not be an elite fantasy talent, but watching him drop nearly 100 spots from his ADP was purely absurd.