Fantasy baseball drafts — both real and of the mock variety — are open for the 2024 MLB season, and the Yahoo Fantasy crew wanted to get in on the fun. Below is our first-round, 12-team mock — who’s building the best team?
Go here for our five-round Mock Draft
Round 1, Pick 1: Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves
No heavy lifting required; Acuña is coming off a historic season, he’s only 26 and the Atlanta lineup is absurdly deep. This is why I love Salary Cap Leagues more than basic drafts; give everyone a shot at Acuña instead of whoever gets the No. 1 pick. — Scott Pianowski
Witt is still learning how to play the game and yet he’s coming off a 30-homer, 49-steal monster season. Imagine what’s possible when he smooths out his approach at the plate. — Pianowski
Does this really require an explanation? Carroll is a 23-year-old former top prospect who just delivered a 25/54 season and scored 116 runs. He was a .310/.426/.588 hitter in the minors and every elite trait has translated to the big leagues. — Andy Behrens
Julio just delivered his first 30/30 season and it seems unlikely to be his last. He had a legendary second half for Seattle (.941 OPS) and he only recently turned 23. It’s easy to imagine him entering the 40/40 club soon, perhaps this year. — Behrens
Ohtani goes into a stacked Dodgers lineup, so there’s no pitching around him. Since he’s only hitting this year, 50+ homers is a possibility with 15-20 steals. He’ll have tons of runs and RBI with a .300 avearge as well. It’s SHO-Time in LA! — Jorge Martin
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2024 MLB season]
Soto hitting with Aaron Judge behind him and with that short RF porch in Yankee Stadium will be epic. We could be talking 40+ bombs and with his lifetime .421 OPS, he’ll fly past 100 runs. Same with RBI. Oh, and he’ll give you double-digit steals. Get ready to benefit from one of the all-time free-agent walk years. — Martin
Round 1, Pick 7: Spencer Strider, SP, Atlanta Braves
Strider is the league’s clear best pitcher who also benefits from playing for Atlanta. He belongs in a pitching tier by himself and is worth a top-five overall pick. — Dalton Del Don
[2024 Fantasy Baseball Draft Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP]
Round 1, Pick 8: Mookie Betts, 2B/SS/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Betts posted a 167 wRC+ last season and is 2B/SS/OF eligible. He can take a step back and still be a huge help in the counting stats while hitting atop a loaded Dodgers lineup. — Del Don
Round 1, Pick 9: Gerrit Cole, SP, New York Yankees
Dalton sniped me with Strider, as this is the point in the first round where I’m all in on getting an elite ace, considering there’s only a true handful left. I’ll take Cole’s consolation prize: 180+ innings, 200+ strikeouts, double-digit wins and a nearly nonexistent WHIP. — Mo Castillo
I’m not incredibly ecstatic about Tucker as I think his ceiling hitting fifth or sixth in the Houston lineup is a bit capped, but if ever the cap on that upside came off, well, we’re talking about AL MVP-level talent here. I’ll take that toward the end of the first round. And he’s still just 27! — Castillo
Round 1, Pick 11: Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
Freeman is a metronome for elite fantasy production, producing an outstanding batting average and quality numbers in the cumulative categories every year. Sure, he’s heading into his age-34 season and will endure a gradual decline at some point in the coming years, but he should also be propped up when necessary by the Dodgers’ outstanding lineup. — Fred Zinkie
Round 1, Pick 12: Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees
It was tough to leave Fernando Tatís Jr. out of Round 1, but Judge needed to get the final spot. The most powerful player in baseball, Judge could justify this selection by playing in 130 games. I would slot Judge into my top four if I could look past the hulking slugger’s spotty injury history and predict 150 contests. — Zinkie
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