From new rivalries to midweek matchups: Connelly’s guide to enjoying the 2024 college football season
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Bill Connelly, ESPN Staff Writer
Forty years ago, the floodgates officially opened. In June 1984, the Supreme Court ruled in NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma that the NCAA couldn’t control all college football television contracts and limit its exposure. Suddenly, ESPN, TBS, WGN, Raycom and others were racing to air as much football as they possibly could. And what a season for this all to start.
On ESPN alone, viewers watched a supposedly rebuilding BYU team upset No. 3 Pitt 20-14 with a late 50-yard touchdown pass from Robbie Bosco to Adam Haysbert in Week 1. A couple of weeks later, they saw No. 4 Texas take down Bo Jackson and preseason No. 1 Auburn. Then Doug Flutie threw for 354 yards and six touchdowns in a Boston College blowout of North Carolina. Both Miami and South Carolina took down a fading Notre Dame. Navy came within a last-minute John Carney field goal of doing the same. Vanderbilt nearly erased a 28-point deficit at No. 12 LSU but fell just short. Iowa State nearly upset No. 2 Oklahoma. West Virginia beat Penn State for the first time in 25 years, replete with a field storm and the downing of goal posts.
And that was only on ESPN! On other networks, viewers saw Flutie’s Hail Mary miracle over Miami, Maryland’s record-setting 31-point comeback against Miami, a shocking Syracuse upset of No. 1 Nebraska, No. 20 Georgia’s 26-23 upset of No. 2 Clemson and a controversial 15-15 tie between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Oklahoma. And in the postseason, unbeaten and unexpected No. 1 BYU survived six turnovers to knock off Michigan in the Holiday Bowl on ESPN, which, combined with No. 4 Washington’s upset of No. 2 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on NBC — thanks in part to a penalty on OU’s Sooner Schooner! — earned the Cougars maybe the most surprising national title the sport has produced.
How were we not going to be hooked at the end of that season?
Forty years after this glorious nonsense, the college football landscape looks just a wee bit different. The year-end top 10 in 1984 featured three teams from the Pac-10 (Washington, USC and UCLA), three from the Big 8 (Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State), one from the Southwest Conference (SMU), one from the WAC (BYU), one non-Notre Dame independent (Boston College) and just one team from either the SEC or Big Ten (Florida, which was banned from the postseason).
In 2024, we’ve got a genuine, 12-team playoff atop the sport. BYU would have had to win three postseason games to secure the title (and it was good enough to do just that). Meanwhile, the Big 8, SWC and Pac-10 no longer exist. The WAC dropped football and only recently tried to bring it back. Washington, USC, UCLA and Nebraska are all in the Big Ten, Oklahoma is in the SEC, Boston College and SMU are in the ACC, and the SEC and Big Ten feature nine of the top- 11 teams in the preseason AP poll.
The balance of power (and most of the money) has coalesced dramatically, but college football is forever too big and too messy to contain. We probably cannot summon the chaos of the glorious 1984 season, but we’re always going to have fun. That’s particularly true if we know where to look. Here’s a road map to coaxing the most enjoyment out of this historic season.
Watch the big games (duh)
Sometimes you have to search for the fun, other times it’s staring you in the face. The spectacle of a big game is one of college football’s best draws, and we’ve got plenty of them in 2024. Based on preseason projections, here are three games from each week that feature (A) the highest combined projected SP+ ratings from the two teams and (B) a projected scoring margin (per SP+) under 10 points. (Games between two preseason AP top-15 teams are in bold.)
Week 1: Notre Dame at Texas A&M, LSU vs. USC (Sunday), Miami at Florida. Week 1 is for learning, and some of the teams with the most interesting questions square off. We’ll learn about Notre Dame’s remodeled offensive line, Conner Weigman and the new A&M offense, remodeled defenses at LSU and USC, and which embattled coach is more likely to pull off a 2024 surge, Miami’s Mario Cristobal or Florida’s Billy Napier.
Week 2: Texas at Michigan, Tennessee vs. NC State, Iowa State at Iowa. NC State gets an early spotlight opportunity, as does one of the most underrated rivalries in the country (Iowa-ISU). But Week 2 belongs to Texas’ trip to the Big House. (Conference realignment has scrambled my brain to the point where I thought Texas-Michigan was a conference matchup on multiple occasions this offseason.)
Week 3: Texas A&M at Florida, Arizona at Kansas State, UCF at TCU. The Big 12 did a really smart thing in scheduling quite a few exciting matchups in the back half of September, when the national schedule isn’t quite as strong. Meanwhile, A&M-Florida will either put us on Napier Fired watch or Florida Is Back watch.
Week 4: Tennessee at Oklahoma, NC State at Clemson, Utah at Oklahoma State. OU fans complained for years about a lack of marquee conference home games, but this year their inaugural SEC season starts with a visit from No. 15 Tennessee. You think the atmosphere might be fun for that? Elsewhere, Utah-OSU might tell us who the favorite is in OU’s former conference.
Week 5: Georgia at Alabama, Oklahoma at Auburn, Florida State at SMU. Alabama and Georgia have played each other six times in the past seven seasons but four of those games have been played in Atlanta (either the SEC or CFP championship), one was in Indianapolis (CFP) and one came in Tuscaloosa during the attendance-limited 2020 COVID season. This is the first genuine home game in this series since 2015.
Week 6: Missouri at Texas A&M, Clemson at Florida State, SMU at Louisville. Mizzou-A&M could have significant CFP at-large stakes, but Week 6 is the biggest of the season for the ACC, with the projected top-two conference teams squaring off, along with two of the most likely dark horse contenders.
Week 7: Ohio State at Oregon, Ole Miss at LSU, Oklahoma vs. Texas. Good gracious. And this list doesn’t even include Penn State at USC or Florida at Tennessee. This is about as big a week as major college football can offer.
Week 8: Georgia at Texas, Alabama at Tennessee, Kentucky at Florida. The SEC hogs the spotlight on the third Saturday in October. It’s hard to know for sure what the stakes of games like Bama-Tennessee or Kentucky-Florida will be by that point, but it’s safe to assume that Georgia-Texas will be enormous.
Week 9: Missouri at Alabama, Oklahoma at Ole Miss, LSU at Texas A&M. Another all-SEC affair. Mizzou gets its best chance to score a marquee win, OU fans visit The Grove for the first time, and while I have no idea what LSU-A&M will have in-store from a stakes perspective, this is a pretty reliably fun affair.
Week 10: Ohio State at Penn State, Oregon at Michigan, Kentucky at Tennessee. The Big Ten takes the baton as November begins. Its four preseason top-10 teams square off, with Penn State trying to beat Ohio State for the first time in eight years and Michigan and Oregon squaring off for the first time since Oregon’s 39-7 Big House blowout in 2007.
Week 11: Georgia at Ole Miss, Alabama at LSU, Florida State at Notre Dame. Week 7 is the first of the season’s two genuine fencepost weekends, with Week 11 as the second. We get these three games, all of which could have major CFP bid and/or seeding implications, and we also get Oklahoma’s first trip to Missouri since 2010, the first Florida-Texas game since 1940 and, of course, the Holy War (BYU at Utah).
Week 12: LSU at Florida, Nebraska at USC, UCLA at Washington. After a ridiculous five-week run, we take the foot off of the accelerator a bit here and shift into more existential vibes. All of these games could deliver more angst for the loser than joy for the winner.
Week 13: Alabama at Oklahoma, Ole Miss at Florida, Texas A&M at Auburn. Another SEC trio, led by OU’s second-huge SEC home game of the season. Meanwhile, Florida could be on an interim coach by this point or could completely wreck Ole Miss’ CFP hopes. Or maybe both! Hooray, mess!
Week 14: Michigan at Ohio State, Texas at Texas A&M, Oklahoma at LSU. College football can change as much as it possibly wants, but Rivalry Week is still Rivalry Week.
Immerse yourself in the largest playoff race ever
For those of us who spent years clamoring for a genuine playoff — not merely a four-teamer that gave us one extra game — we’re going to enjoy the hell out of the 12-teamer we’ve been given (before it becomes a 14-teamer, or before Greg Sankey demands seven automatic SEC bids, or whatever else is on the horizon). We’re now giving three times the amount of CFP teams a shot at the national title, and more than one-third of FBS begins the season with at least a glimmer of playoff hope. According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, 47 teams enter 2024 with at least a 5% chance of making the CFP, and 71, more than half, have at least a 2% chance.
Do all 71 of these teams have hopes of winning the national title? Of course not. But access is awesome. We should have been doing this all along! Hopefully we don’t lose this when the sport’s powers attempt further power grabs in the future.
Bask in wild conference title races
Most conferences start the season with a pretty clear hierarchy. SP+ gives Georgia a 31% chance of winning the SEC for instance, with only six other conference teams having a 5% chance. In the Big Ten, Ohio State‘s at 30%, and the top-four teams combine for a 90% chance.
We’ve got a couple of genuinely democratic races, though. The Big 12, as wide-open a power conference as you’ll ever see, features only two teams with a greater than 12% chance (Kansas State and Utah), while five more are at 5% or higher (Oklahoma State, Arizona, Iowa State, Kansas, West Virginia, TCU) and two others nearly hit that mark (Texas Tech Red 4%, UCF 3%). This race could go in any number of different directions.
Then you’ve got the Sun Belt. James Madison has the second-lowest odds for any SP+ conference title favorite (22%) and is facing coaching turnover that SP+ isn’t designed to account for. Three others, meanwhile, are between 11% and 19% (App State, Troy and Louisiana), and five are between 4-6%.
Will a national title contender emerge from either of these two conferences? Probably not. Will that matter as we’re enjoying a wild stretch run with loads of plot twists? Absolutely not.
Celebrate the remaining rivalries
One of the more deleterious effects of conference realignment is the loss of some of the sport’s connective tissue, of games that have been played 100 times (or close to it) but won’t be played much, if at all, moving forward. We lost Bedlam (Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State) to this latest round, along with Texas–Texas Tech, Texas-Baylor and plenty of former Pac-12 matchups like UCLA–Cal and USC–Stanford. Others, like the Apple Cup (Washington vs. Washington State) and Civil War (Oregon vs. Oregon State), were moved to earlier in the season with lower stakes.
Rivalry Week will forever be something to celebrate (even if it now features new “rivalries” like Cal-SMU and Oklahoma-LSU), but we’ll have plenty to take-in before then. Here are some of my favorites, including a couple that realignment or fun nonconference scheduling brought back to us.
Week 1: Clemson vs. Georgia, Miami at Florida, Penn State at West Virginia
Week 2: Iowa State at Iowa, Colorado at Nebraska, Pitt at Cincinnati (the Armon Binns Bowl)
Week 3: Oregon at Oregon State, Washington State at Washington, Cincinnati at Miami (Ohio), Colorado at Colorado State, Appalachian State at East Carolina
Week 4: Iowa at Minnesota, TCU at SMU
Week 5: Arkansas vs. Texas A&M, Georgia Southern at Georgia State, New Mexico at NMSU
Week 6: Auburn at Georgia, Navy at Air Force
Week 7: Ole Miss at LSU, Florida at Tennessee
Week 8: Toledo at NIU (the Tommylee Lewis Bowl)
Week 9: Florida State at Miami, Kansas at Kansas State, Michigan State at Michigan
Week 10: Air Force at Army, TCU at Baylor
Week 11: BYU at Utah, Florida State at Notre Dame, Oklahoma at Missouri
Week 12: Texas at Arkansas (it’s back!)
Week 13: Stanford at Cal, USC at UCLA, Boise State at Wyoming
Boise State potentially having to win in Laramie in late November to hold onto a CFP spot? Count me all the way in on that one.
Embrace the absurdity
Look, nobody asked for USC-Rutgers as a conference rivalry, and the sport isn’t better off for its existence. But we embrace whatever weirdness we get in this sport, and to be sure, there are quite a few weird new conference matchups this year. Might as well immerse ourselves into them. Here’s a sample. Week 9 is going to be … a treat? Is that the right word?
Week 3: Stanford at Syracuse (Friday), Cal at Florida State
Week 4: Northwestern at Washington, Stanford at Clemson
Week 5: Washington at Rutgers
Week 6: USC at Minnesota
Week 7: Minnesota at UCLA, Cal at Pitt
Week 8: Oregon at Purdue (Friday), NC State at Cal, South Carolina at Oklahoma
Week 9: Rutgers at USC, Texas at Vanderbilt, Wake Forest at Stanford, Illinois at Oregon, Washington at Indiana
Week 10: Pitt at SMU
Week 11: Boston College at SMU, Maryland at Oregon, Cal at Wake Forest (Friday)
Week 12: Louisville at Stanford, Syracuse at Cal
Week 13: Kentucky at Texas
Oregon playing at Purdue in a night game — just ask Ohio State how those can go — is the ultimate “Welcome to the Big Ten” experience right there.
Try not to get blown away on Lake Michigan
Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium is the official name of Northwestern’s makeshift stadium on the banks of Lake Michigan. It’s where it’ll play Miami (OH), Duke, Eastern Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin before moving to Wrigley Field to play Ohio State in Week 12 and Illinois in Week 14. This is going to be awfully unique, though I’m disappointed we missed out on an “Ohio State comes to Evanston No. 1 in the CFP rankings and has to survive 40 mph winds in a tiny stadium” scenario. Football at Wrigley is always pretty cool, though.
Watch the midweek games
Let’s be honest: Saturdays are absolute fire hoses sometimes. It’s impossible to keep up with everything you want to keep up with. But midweek games can sometimes be blessings in that regard. You can check on teams you’ve been wanting to see more of, and once November rolls around, you can immerse yourself in glorious MACtion.
Here’s one Tuesday-to-Friday game to pay particular attention to each week. (It was really hard limiting myself to just one for some.) The Friday slate is awfully strong this season.
Week 1: North Dakota State at Colorado (Thursday)
Week 2: Duke at Northwestern (Friday)
Week 3: Arizona at Kansas State (Friday)
Week 4: South Alabama at Appalachian State (Thursday)
Week 5: Virginia Tech at Miami (Friday)
Week 6: Texas State at Troy (Thursday)
Week 7: Memphis at USF (Friday)
Week 8: Oregon at Purdue (Friday)
Week 9: Boise State at UNLV (Friday)
Week 10: Louisiana Tech at Sam Houston (Tuesday)
Week 11: Appalachian State at Coastal Carolina (Thursday)
Week 12: CMU at Toledo (Tuesday)
Week 13: NC State at Georgia Tech (Thursday)
Week 14: Memphis at Tulane (Thursday)
Watch as much smaller-school football as you can
It’s one of my annual messages: The more small-school ball you watch, the healthier you become. In my Friday preview columns during the season, I always try to identify at least one smaller-school game to keep an eye on, but in addition to some super-interesting early-season matchups for highly ranked FCS teams — No. 4 Montana State at New Mexico in Week 0, No. 1 South Dakota State at Oklahoma State and No. 2 North Dakota State at Colorado in Week 1, No. 5 South Dakota at Wisconsin in Week 2 — here are two games per week that pit teams ranked particularly high in the preseason polls. These games will rock. I had to include three for Week 9.
Week 1: No. 3 Ferris State at No. 6 Pittsburg State (D2), No. 3 Georgetown (Kentucky) at No. 21 Montana Tech (NAIA)
Week 2: No. 3 Montana at No. 22 North Dakota (FCS), No. 19 John Carroll at No. 3 Wisconsin-Whitewater (D3)
Week 3: No. 11 College of Idaho at No. 4 Montana Western (NAIA), No. 1 North Central at No. 15 Aurora (D3)
Week 4: No. 6 Wisconsin-La Crosse (D3) at No. 4 Grand Valley State (D2), No. 2 Cortland at No. 12 Susquehanna (D3)
Week 5: No. 12 West Florida at No. 4 Grand Valley State (D2), No. 11 Southern Illinois at No. 5 South Dakota (FCS)
Week 6: No. 1 North Central at No. 9 Wheaton (D3), No. 1 Keiser at No. 12 St. Thomas (NAIA)
Week 7: No. 4 Montana State at No. 7 Idaho (FCS), No. 2 North Dakota State at No. 11 Southern Illinois (FCS)
Week 8: No. 1 South Dakota State at No. 2 North Dakota State (FCS), No. 1 Harding at No. 19 Ouachita Baptist (D2)
Week 9: No. 5 South Dakota at No. 1 South Dakota State (FCS), No. 3 Ferris State at No. 4 Grand Valley State (D2), No. 8 Bethel (Tennessee) at No. 3 Georgetown (Kentucky) (NAIA)
Week 10: No. 2 Central Missouri at No. 6 Pittsburg State (D2), No. 2 Northwestern (Iowa) at No. 10 Morningside (NAIA)
Week 11: No. 10 Sacramento State at No. 4 Montana State (FCS), No. 3 Wisconsin-Whitewater at No. 6 Wisconsin-La Crosse (D3)
Week 12: No. 3 Montana at No. 4 Montana State (FCS), No. 2 North Dakota State at No. 5 South Dakota (FCS)
Better yet, adopt a small-school team
Want the full smaller-school experience? Follow a team (preferably a good one) from start to finish. Here are five particularly choice options.
1. Montana Grizzlies. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with just about anyone in the Big Sky. Montana State has a devastating run game, one of the best defensive players in the FCS (defensive end Brody Grebe) and a glorious locale. Idaho has one of my favorite head coaches (Jason Eck) and a potential breakout QB (Jack Layne) and plays in the glorious Kibbie Dome. Sacramento State has a mighty offensive line and 29 wins in three years. Eastern Washington plays on a blood red field and boasts yet another prolific quarterback (Kekoa Visperas). Portland State hasn’t been amazing of late but once fielded one of the most fun and influential teams of all time. And I’m wearing an utterly delightful Idaho State “Throwin’ Idahoans” shirt from Homefield Apparel as I write this.
Hell, maybe just adopt the Big Sky as a whole. You can’t go wrong. But if you’re just picking one team, pick the one that made the FCS title game last year and returns the guy who did this:
0:50
Junior Bergen returns the punt 47 yards for a TD vs. North Dakota
Junior Bergen makes a magnificent play as he weaves around the defense to return the 47-yard punt for a touchdown.
(That was his third return score in two playoff games. He would go on to both catch a touchdown pass and throw the game-winning 2-point conversion in overtime. It was one of the greatest playoff runs you’ll ever see.)
2. Central Missouri Mules. You like points, right? You like the forward pass? And great mascots? The Mules check all the boxes. Quarterback Zach Zebrowski returns after throwing for a Joe Burrow-ian 5,157 yards and 61 touchdowns and winning the Harlon Hill Award (a.k.a. the D2 Heisman). They lost to Harding, the eventual D2 national champions, by just one point in the playoffs, too.
3. SW Oklahoma State Bulldogs. Hey, sue me, the Bulldogs are my hometown team, and they need all the support they can get. Their next win will be their first since November 2022.
4. Wheaton. The Thunder are good, their stadium is right next to an active train track, their games had scores of 49-41, 41-34, 42-26, 36-35, 75-0, 52-6, 50-13, 61-6, 54-35, 41-34, 47-16 and 30-21 last season, and their entire offense consists of giving the ball to Giovanni Weeks until he falls over. He gained at least 140 yards from scrimmage in 11 of 12 games last season, and he’s back to both dish out and receive more punishment.
5. College of Idaho. I realize there is probably some residual Big Sky love working in their favor, but the Yotes reached the NAIA semifinals by scoring loads of points and throwing for loads of yards, and they return enough of last year’s team to rank third in the preseason polls this year. You won’t regret pulling up a choppy live feed of a game in Simplot Stadium this fall.
No matter your fantasy baseball strategy, in these days of declining pitching workloads, piecing your pitching staff together is a practically mandatory practice.
The 2024 season was as representative of this as any. It saw the fewest pitchers (21) working at least 180 innings in any non-shortened season in history. Additionally, among the generally undrafted players in ESPN leagues who scored at least 350 fantasy points, 10 of the 14 such players were pitchers.
How might fantasy managers unearth some of this gold on the pitching side? My favorite method is to identify pitchers with potentially elite skill sets, but whose surface statistics — “back of the baseball card” measures like wins and ERA — belie their true talent. They are my annual “Kings of Command,” pitchers who meet a specific set of statistical benchmarks reflecting excellence in the command department.
Kings of Command baseline numbers
Pitchers who qualify for inclusion exceeded the MLB averages listed below in all of the following categories during the 2024 season. Starting pitchers must have faced at least 200 batters and relief pitchers must have faced at least 100 batters, while serving in those specific roles.
Starting pitchers:
Swinging-strike rate (SwStrk%): 11.8% or more
First-pitch strike rate (1stPStrk%): 62.9% or more
Command rate (K’s per walk, or K/BB): 2.89 or more
Relief pitchers:
Swinging-strike rate (SwStrk%): 12.7% or more
First-pitch strike rate (1stPStrk%): 61.6% of more
Command rate (K’s per walk, or K/BB): 2.61 or more
Put-away rate (K’s per 2-strike count): 19.8% or more
Using those thresholds, 98 pitchers (40 starters and 58 relievers) met all of those criteria in either role. Among them were both Cy Young Award winners (Chris Sale, Tarik Skubal), both Reliever of the Year Award winners, (Emmanuel Clase, Ryan Helsley), each of the top four starting pitchers in terms of both fantasy points scored and Player Rater finish, and all four relief pitchers who earned a Cy Young vote.
The following nine names, however — none of whom were anywhere near as ballyhooed as Skubal, Zack Wheeler or Corbin Burnes or their ilk — also qualified. That’s not to place any of them on an equal (or even a nearby) pedestal as those three fantasy stalwarts, but each possesses underappreciated skills that had them perform statistically beneath our radar in 2024.
Each is a potential bargain in fantasy drafts, and each might be only a minor tweak or adjustment to a specific pitch or his pitch usage, the pitcher’s stance on the pitching rubber, greater fortune on batted balls, or an increased opportunity on his team away from breaking through.
Let’s examine what it might take for each to emerge. My “Kings of Command” are listed in alphabetical order, along with their 2024 Player Rater finishes and fantasy point totals using ESPN’s standard scoring.
David Festa, Minnesota Twins
2024 Player Rater: SP172/745th overall
2024 fantasy point total: 107 (SP166)
His strengths: Between his 95-mph fastball and his slider and changeup, Festa has legitimate swing-and-miss stuff, generating the third-best swinging strike rate (16.4%) among Triple-A pitchers last season in addition to meeting this column’s qualifications. Across his final 10 starts with the Twins, he held opposing hitters to a .228 batting average and struck out 29.2%.
How he could break out: Festa introduced a new sinker to his repertoire, which could help him improve against right-handers (.332 wOBA allowed in the majors, 17 points higher than he had in Triple-A), and is pitching entirely out of the stretch this spring. Merely cracking the Twins rotation might fuel a breakthrough, but progress with either the new sinker or his slider (29% whiff rate, 6% beneath the league’s average) would ultimately fuel his biggest step forward.
Robert Garcia, Texas Rangers
2024 Player Rater: RP123/398th overall
2024 fantasy point total: 147 (RP126)
His strengths: A sneaky pickup in December’s Nathaniel Lowe trade, Garcia had a 2.39 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching score) last season as a member of the Washington Nationals bullpen, 11th-best among 160 relief pitchers with at least 50 innings. Thanks to an electric changeup, he held right-handed hitters to a .272 wOBA (league average for lefties was .314) with a 31.1% strikeout rate, alleviating any worry about platoon splits or a situational role.
How he could break out: Better luck would go a long way toward vaulting Garcia up the fantasy leaderboard, as he had a ghastly .331 BABIP (.290 league average for relievers) and second-worst-among-relievers 57.2% left-on-base (LOB) rate. A crack at the late innings, in what’s largely a wide-open Rangers bullpen, would also help.
Chris Martin, Texas Rangers
2024 Player Rater: RP91/331st overall
2024 fantasy point total: 143 (RP133)
His strengths: He has long been one of the better relievers in baseball, as his 2.66 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 66 holds are all top-10 numbers among relievers with at least 200 IP over the past five seasons combined. Martin possesses exceptional control, as his 2.9% walk rate during that same time span leads all relievers. Plus, he has never issued more than eight walks in a single MLB season.
How he could break out: Martin is the most logical choice to close for the Rangers, but better luck in the health department is imperative if he’s to retain the job. He has made seven trips to the IL during the past five seasons — including multiple stints in three of them — and only once made as many as 60 appearances (2022). That health history opens the door for Garcia to potentially emerge.
Reese Olson, Detroit Tigers
2024 Player Rater: SP98/405th overall
2024 fantasy point total: 209 (SP104)
His strengths: He has two potentially elite strikeout pitches in his slider and changeup, both of which generated at least a 43% whiff rate in 2024 (MLB rates on each were 34% and 31%). Through two months, he appeared to be on the verge of a major breakthrough, posting a 1.92 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP over his first 10 starts. However, shoulder issues cost him nearly two months during the second half, interrupting his momentum.
How he could break out: Olson’s command of his four-seam fastball and changeup waned after his hot start and will need correction if he’s to recapture the promise he showed early last year. The fastball in particular needs improvement, as it generated the sixth-worst whiff rate (13%) among pitchers who threw at least as many as he did the past two seasons, which is why it’s encouraging to see him throwing it a full mph faster (95.4) in his two Statcast-measured spring starts thus far.
Chris Paddack, Minnesota Twins
2024 Player Rater: SP174/751st overall
2024 fantasy point total: 127 (SP151)
His strengths: He’s a master of control, as among 113 pitchers with at least as many as his 82 career starts over the past six seasons, his 5.0% walk rate ranks sixth, his 66.4% first-pitch strike rate ranks 11th and his 52.6% in-zone rate ranks 12th. Paddack’s changeup has also shown an ability to be top shelf when he’s healthy and possesses full command of it, including 2020, when Statcast graded it as the league’s fourth-best-performing changeup.
How he could break out: Health, health, health. Paddack has had only one professional season with as many as 120 innings pitched, while averaging just 58 IP over the last four. The Twins seem confident enough in him to likely hand him a season-opening rotation spot, but he’ll first need to stay on the mound long enough to make it worth discussing his next breakout ingredient (better luck on batted balls).
Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks
2024 Player Rater: SP78/317th overall
2024 fantasy point total: 317 (SP49)
His strengths: A “pepper the strike zone” control artist — his 68.4% first-pitch strike and 53.2% in-zone rates since the date of his MLB debut rank fourth and 14th — Pfaadt has a 5.5% walk rate between the majors and minors over the past four seasons combined. He also has a four-seamer/sweeper/sinker combination that is flat-out nasty against right-handed hitters (26.6% K rate, versus 20.5% against lefties).
How he could break out: Better luck is the easy answer, as Pfaadt’s 64.5% strand rate and .315 BABIP last season were second- and fifth-worst among ERA qualifiers, but the true path to greatness is a stronger pitch mix against left-handed hitters. Corrections to those rates could vault him into the position’s top 40. Reaching the top 20 requires tweaks to his four-seamer or curveball to counter lefties, who have a wOBA 47 points higher against him through two seasons.
A.J. Puk, Arizona Diamondbacks
2024 Player Rater: RP58/210th overall
2024 fantasy point total: 206 (RP59)
His strengths: Puk’s miserable four-start stint with the Miami Marlins to begin last season, coupled with the shoulder injury that cost him three-plus weeks immediately thereafter, masked how truly brilliant his finish to 2024 was. Over the final three months, he had an 0.99 ERA, a 43.6% strikeout rate, a .128 BAA, a 1.35 FIP to back the performance up, and a 5.3% walk rate to match the marked improvement he showed in terms of control the season before.
How he could break out: His path to fantasy greatness lies in his bullpen role, as he needs to be in place to pile up saves, or at least holds. Puk’s 95-96 mph fastball and slider generate excellent whiff rates, fueling a hefty number of strikeouts, and it’s an easy case to make that he and Justin Martinez should form a formidable, underrated one-two punch at the back end of the Diamondbacks’ bullpen.
Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies
2024 Player Rater: SP46/191st overall
2024 fantasy point total: 342 (SP39)
His strengths: Improvements he made to his changeup in 2023 have quickly transformed him into one of the game’s more underrated pitchers. Statcast graded Sanchez with the league’s best changeup last season and his 91 strikeouts with them were the most by any pitcher. His control has improved markedly during that same time (13th-ranked 5.2% walk rate from 2023-24), and his heavy ground ball lean (58.3% rate last year) minimizes his risk of damaging innings.
How he could break out: He’s kind of doing it already, having fanned 12 out of 30 hitters through his three spring starts. Sanchez, a pitcher constantly refining his pitch repertoire, has most notably seen his sinker go from a 92.1 mph average velocity in 2023, to 94.5 in 2024, to 96.9 in the two of those starts measured by Statcast. He’ll take a big leap forward if that fuels even a hint of a higher whiff rate with the pitch.
Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves
2024 Player Rater: SP47/195th overall
2024 fantasy point total: 279 (SP67)
His strengths: Schwellenbach, a high school and college shortstop (plus Nebraska’s 2021 closer) who didn’t even make his first pitching start until 21 months after being drafted due to Tommy John surgery, sure looked like a future fantasy ace in his 2024 rookie year. He flashed five-plus pitches, two of which had at least a 40% whiff rate (curveball and splitter), sported a 4.6% walk rate in the majors, and posted a 2.73 ERA and 27.5% K rate across his 13 second-half starts.
How he could break out: Most every question Schwellenbach faces as he enters his sophomore season relates to how a pitcher with 65 total professional innings across his first 2½ years fares after a 168⅔ inning campaign like he had last year. Fortunately, he’s showing no ill effects of the workload spike during spring training. More cutter or curveball reliance against lefties, to narrow what was a 66-point wOBA split, would be a nice added touch.
Opening Day is quickly approaching and the Tokyo Series is just one week away. If you haven’t yet held your league’s draft, the clock is ticking. Fear not, though, as the ESPN fantasy baseball crew is ready to show you the results of its final fantasy baseball mock draft of the season, using ESPN standard head-to-head points league scoring and roster settings.
Default rosters include 16 starters: seven pitchers of any kind along with a C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, three outfielders and a utility player (can be any position, and is also the only slot to allow a DH-only player). There are also three bench spots.
Hitters score one point for every base reached via hits (total bases), as well as each walk, run, RBI and stolen base, and lose one point when they strike out. Pitchers earn a point for every out they record (three per inning) and an extra point for a strikeout, as well as two points for a win or a hold. Saves are worth five points each. Pitchers lose two points per run allowed, one point per baserunner (hit or walk) and two points for a loss.
This draft was held on Monday, March 10 and included fantasy writers Eric Karabell, Tristan H. Cockcroft, Todd Zola and Derek Carty, MLB writer David Schoenfield, and fantasy editors fantasy editors Pierre Becquey, Joe Kaiser, AJ Mass, James Best and Sachin Chandan.
If you’d like to conduct your own mock drafts, check out the Mock Draft Lobby, select one of several league types and sizes available, and you’ll be mock-drafting in minutes. Ready for the real thing? Create or join a fantasy baseball league for free.
(Note: At the time this draft took place, while it was known that Gerrit Cole was likely to miss a significant portion of the 2025 season, it had not yet been announced that he was indeed going to sit out the entire year due to Tommy John surgery.)
Round 1
1. Shohei Ohtani DH1 (SP) — Best
2. Juan Soto OF1 — Karabell
3. Bobby Witt Jr. SS1 — Carty
4. Aaron Judge OF2 — Kaiser
5. Jose Ramirez 3B1 — Zola
6. Paul Skenes SP1 — Schoenfield
7. Tarik Skubal SP2 — Mass
8. Mookie Betts SS2 (OF) — Chandan
9. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B1 — Becquey
10. Kyle Tucker OF3 — Cockcroft
Round 2
11. Zack Wheeler SP3 — Cockcroft
12. Gunnar Henderson SS3 — Becquey
13. Logan Gilbert SP4 — Chandan
14. Francisco Lindor SS4 — Mass
15. Yordan Alvarez OF4 — Schoenfield
16. Corbin Carroll OF5 — Zola
17. Ketel Marte 2B1 — Kaiser
18. Fernando Tatis Jr. OF6 — Carty
19. Dylan Cease SP5 — Karabell
20. Freddie Freeman 1B2 — Best
Round 3
21. Corbin Burnes SP6 — Best
22. Rafael Devers 3B2 — Karabell
23. Garrett Crochet SP7 — Carty
24. Anthony Santander OF7 — Kaiser
25. William Contreras C1 — Zola
26. Bryce Harper 1B3 — Schoenfield
27. Cole Ragans SP8 — Mass
28. Adley Rutschman C2 — Chandan
29. Jackson Chourio OF8 — Becquey
30. Emmanuel Clase RP1 — Cockcroft
Round 4
31. Manny Machado 3B3 — Cockcroft
32. Alex Bregman 3B4 — Becquey
33. Chris Sale SP9 — Chandan
34. Jackson Merrill OF9 — Mass
35. Devin Williams RP2 — Schoenfield
36. Blake Snell SP10 — Zola
37. Framber Valdez SP11 — Kaiser
38. Edwin Diaz RP3 — Carty
39. Marcus Semien 2B2 — Karabell
40. Elly De La Cruz SS5 — Best
Round 5
41. Steven Kwan OF10 — Best
42. Corey Seager SS6 — Karabell
43. Ronald Acuna Jr. OF11 — Carty
44. Matt Olson 1B4 — Kaiser
45. Pablo Lopez SP12 — Zola
46. Mason Miller RP4 — Schoenfield
47. Josh Hader RP5 — Mass
48. Aaron Nola SP13 — Chandan
49. Jose Altuve 2B3 — Becquey
50. Trea Turner SS7 — Cockcroft
Round 6
51. Michael King SP14 — Cockcroft
52. Max Fried SP15 — Becquey
53. Pete Alonso 1B5 — Chandan
54. Ryan Walker RP6 — Mass
55. Julio Rodriguez OF12 — Schoenfield
56. Marcell Ozuna DH2 — Zola
57. Austin Riley 3B5 — Kaiser
58. Luis Arraez 1B6 (2B) — Carty
59. Jarren Duran OF13 — Karabell
60. Kyle Schwarber DH3 — Best
Round 7
61. Ozzie Albies 2B4 — Best
62. Logan Webb SP16 — Karabell
63. Freddy Peralta SP17 — Carty
64. Luis Castillo SP18 — Kaiser
65. Bailey Ober SP19 — Zola
66. Yoshinobu Yamamoto SP20 — Schoenfield
67. Vinnie Pasquantino 1B7 — Mass
68. Joe Ryan SP21 — Chandan
69. Christian Walker 1B8 — Becquey
70. Yainer Diaz C3 — Cockcroft
Round 8
71. Ryan Helsley RP7 — Cockcroft
72. Shota Imanaga SP22 — Becquey
73. Wyatt Langford OF14 — Chandan
74. Brent Rooker DH4 — Mass
75. Gerrit Cole SP23 — Schoenfield
76. Josh Naylor 1B9 — Zola
77. Andres Munoz RP8 — Kaiser
78. Raisel Iglesias RP9 — Carty
79. Robert Suarez RP10 — Karabell
80. Nolan Arenado 3B6 — Best
Round 9
81. Brendan Donovan OF15 (2B) — Best
82. Felix Bautista RP11 — Karabell
83. Tyler Glasnow SP24 — Carty
84. Bryce Miller SP25 — Kaiser
85. Jhoan Duran RP12 — Zola
86. Will Smith C4 — Schoenfield
87. Brandon Pfaadt SP26 — Mass
88. Alec Bohm 3B7 — Chandan
89. Salvador Perez C5 (1B) — Becquey
90. Michael Harris II OF16 — Cockcroft
Round 10
91. Tanner Bibee SP27 — Cockcroft
92. Sonny Gray SP28 — Becquey
93. Zac Gallen SP29 — Chandan
94. Jared Jones SP30 — Mass
95. Hunter Greene SP31 — Schoenfield
96. Tanner Scott RP13 — Zola
97. Cal Raleigh C6 — Kaiser
98. Jacob deGrom SP32 — Carty
99. George Kirby SP33 — Karabell
100. Ian Happ OF17 — Best
Round 11
101. Justin Steele SP34 — Best
102. Hunter Brown SP35 — Karabell
103. Yandy Diaz 1B10 — Carty
104. CJ Abrams SS8 — Kaiser
105. Willy Adames SS9 — Zola
106. Oneil Cruz SS10 (OF) — Schoenfield
107. Nico Hoerner 2B5 — Mass
108. Cody Bellinger OF18 (1B) — Chandan
109. Kevin Gausman SP36 — Becquey
110. Bryan Reynolds OF19 — Cockcroft
Round 12
111. Spencer Schwellenbach SP37 — Cockcroft
112. Cristopher Sanchez SP38 — Becquey
113. Carlos Rodon SP39 — Chandan
114. Sandy Alcantara SP40 — Mass
115. Junior Caminero 3B8 — Schoenfield
116. Alec Burleson OF20 — Zola
117. Jack Flaherty SP41 — Kaiser
118. Matt Chapman 3B9 — Carty
119. Alexis Diaz RP14 — Karabell
120. Jeff Hoffman RP15 — Best
Round 13
121. Yusei Kikuchi SP42 — Best
122. Christian Yelich OF21 — Karabell
123. Zach Eflin SP43 — Carty
124. Isaac Paredes 3B10 — Kaiser
125. Kodai Senga SP44 — Zola
126. Riley Greene OF22 — Schoenfield
127. James Wood OF23 — Mass
128. Randy Arozarena OF24 — Chandan
129. Spencer Steer OF25 (1B) — Becquey
130. Gleyber Torres 2B6 — Cockcroft
Round 14
131. Roki Sasaki SP45 — Cockcroft
132. Jurickson Profar OF26 — Becquey
133. David Bednar RP16 — Chandan
134. Trevor Megill RP17 — Mass
135. Spencer Strider SP46 — Schoenfield
136. Mike Trout OF27 — Zola
137. Mitch Keller SP47 — Kaiser
138. Willson Contreras C7 — Carty
139. Carlos Santana 1B11 — Karabell
140. Mitch Garver C8 — Best
Round 15
141. Bo Bichette SS11 — Best
142. Nick Pivetta SP48 — Karabell
143. Jazz Chisholm Jr. OF28 (3B) — Carty
144. Lawrence Butler OF29 — Kaiser
145. Jordan Westburg 3B11 (2B) — Zola
146. Jung Hoo Lee OF30 — Schoenfield
147. Shea Langeliers C9 — Mass
148. Adolis Garcia OF31 — Chandan
149. Seiya Suzuki OF32 — Becquey
150. Triston Casas 1B12 — Cockcroft
Round 16
151. Brandon Nimmo OF33 — Cockcroft
152. Xander Bogaerts 2B7 (SS) — Becquey
153. Tanner Houck SP49 — Chandan
154. Brenton Doyle OF34 — Mass
155. Bryan Woo SP50 — Schoenfield
156. Griffin Jax RP18 — Zola
157. Taj Bradley SP51 — Kaiser
158. Taylor Ward OF35 — Carty
159. Seth Lugo SP52 — Karabell
160. Keibert Ruiz C10 — Best
Round 17
161. Bowden Francis RP19 (SP) — Best
162. JJ Bleday OF36 — Karabell
163. Teoscar Hernandez OF37 — Carty
164. Ronel Blanco SP53 — Kaiser
165. Kirby Yates RP20 — Zola
166. Jackson Holliday 2B8 — Schoenfield
167. A.J. Puk RP21 — Mass
168. Jake Cronenworth 1B13 (2B) — Chandan
169. Ryan Pressly RP22 — Becquey
170. Carlos Correa SS12 — Cockcroft
Round 18
171. Justin Martinez RP23 — Cockcroft
172. Jose Berrios SP54 — Becquey
173. Masyn Winn SS13 — Chandan
174. Matthew Shaw 3B12 (2B/SS) — Mass
175. Luke Weaver RP24 — Schoenfield
176. Tomoyuki Sugano SP55 — Zola
177. Nick Castellanos OF38 — Kaiser
178. Pete Fairbanks RP25 — Carty
179. Cade Smith RP26 — Karabell
180. Bryson Stott 2B9 — Best
Round 19
181. Chris Bassitt SP56 — Best
182. Austin Wells C11 — Karabell
183. Maikel Garcia 3B13 (2B) — Carty
184. Jeremy Pena SS14 — Kaiser
185. Nathaniel Lowe 1B14 — Zola
186. Matt McLain SS15 (2B) — Schoenfield
187. Jake Burger 1B15 (3B) — Mass
188. Tommy Edman OF39 (SS) — Chandan
189. Lucas Erceg RP27 — Becquey
190. Brandon Woodruff SP57 — Cockcroft
Team rosters are presented in first-round pick order. Primary position is used. If a player qualifies at more than one position, all positions are included in parentheses. Pick is displayed as “Round.Pick”.
Team Best
C1 Mitch Garver [Pick: 14.10]
C2 Keibert Ruiz [Pick: 16.10]
1B1 Freddie Freeman [Pick: 2.10]
3B1 Nolan Arenado [Pick: 8.10]
2B1 Ozzie Albies [Pick: 7.1]
2B2 Bryson Stott [Pick: 18.10]
SS1 Elly De La Cruz [Pick: 4.10]
SS2 Bo Bichette [Pick: 15.1]
OF1 Steven Kwan [Pick: 5.1]
OF2 Brendan Donovan (2B) [Pick: 9.1]
OF3 Ian Happ [Pick: 10.10]
DH1 Shohei Ohtani (SP) [Pick: 1.1]
DH2 Kyle Schwarber [Pick: 6.10]
SP1 Corbin Burnes [Pick: 3.1]
SP2 Justin Steele [Pick: 11.1]
SP3 Yusei Kikuchi [Pick: 13.1]
SP4 Chris Bassitt [Pick: 19.1]
RP1 Jeff Hoffman [Pick: 12.10]
RP2 Bowden Francis (SP) [Pick: 17.1]
Team Karabell
C1 Austin Wells [Pick: 19.2]
1B1 Carlos Santana [Pick: 14.9]
3B1 Rafael Devers [Pick: 3.2]
2B1 Marcus Semien [Pick: 4.9]
SS1 Corey Seager [Pick: 5.2]
OF1 Juan Soto [Pick: 1.2]
OF2 Jarren Duran [Pick: 6.9]
OF3 Christian Yelich [Pick: 13.2]
OF4 JJ Bleday [Pick: 17.2]
SP1 Dylan Cease [Pick: 2.9]
SP2 Logan Webb [Pick: 7.2]
SP3 George Kirby [Pick: 10.9]
SP4 Hunter Brown [Pick: 11.2]
SP5 Nick Pivetta [Pick: 15.2]
SP6 Seth Lugo [Pick: 16.9]
RP1 Robert Suarez [Pick: 8.9]
RP2 Felix Bautista [Pick: 9.2]
RP3 Alexis Diaz [Pick: 12.9]
RP4 Cade Smith [Pick: 18.9]
Team Carty
C1 Willson Contreras [Pick: 14.8]
1B1 Luis Arraez (2B) [Pick: 6.8]
1B2 Yandy Diaz [Pick: 11.3]
3B1 Matt Chapman [Pick: 12.8]
3B2 Maikel Garcia (2B) [Pick: 19.3]
SS1 Bobby Witt Jr. [Pick: 1.3]
OF1 Fernando Tatis Jr. [Pick: 2.8]
OF2 Ronald Acuna Jr. [Pick: 5.3]
OF3 Jazz Chisholm Jr. (3B) [Pick: 15.3]
OF4 Taylor Ward [Pick: 16.8]
OF5 Teoscar Hernandez [Pick: 17.3]
SP1 Garrett Crochet [Pick: 3.3]
SP2 Freddy Peralta [Pick: 7.3]
SP3 Tyler Glasnow [Pick: 9.3]
SP4 Jacob deGrom [Pick: 10.8]
SP5 Zach Eflin [Pick: 13.3]
RP1 Edwin Diaz [Pick: 4.8]
RP2 Raisel Iglesias [Pick: 8.8]
RP3 Pete Fairbanks [Pick: 18.8]
Team Kaiser
C1 Cal Raleigh [Pick: 10.7]
1B1 Matt Olson [Pick: 5.4]
3B1 Austin Riley [Pick: 6.7]
3B2 Isaac Paredes [Pick: 13.4]
2B1 Ketel Marte [Pick: 2.7]
SS1 CJ Abrams [Pick: 11.4]
SS2 Jeremy Pena [Pick: 19.4]
OF1 Aaron Judge [Pick: 1.4]
OF2 Anthony Santander [Pick: 3.4]
OF3 Lawrence Butler [Pick: 15.4]
OF4 Nick Castellanos [Pick: 18.7]
SP1 Framber Valdez [Pick: 4.7]
SP2 Luis Castillo [Pick: 7.4]
SP3 Bryce Miller [Pick: 9.4]
SP4 Jack Flaherty [Pick: 12.7]
SP5 Mitch Keller [Pick: 14.7]
SP6 Taj Bradley [Pick: 16.7]
SP7 Ronel Blanco [Pick: 17.4]
RP1 Andres Munoz [Pick: 8.7]
Team Zola
C1 William Contreras [Pick: 3.5]
1B1 Josh Naylor [Pick: 8.6]
1B2 Nathaniel Lowe [Pick: 19.5]
3B1 Jose Ramirez [Pick: 1.5]
3B2 Jordan Westburg [Pick: 15.5]
SS1 Willy Adames [Pick: 11.5]
OF1 Corbin Carroll [Pick: 2.6]
OF2 Alec Burleson [Pick: 12.6]
OF3 Mike Trout [Pick: 14.6]
DH1 Marcell Ozuna [Pick: 6.6]
SP1 Blake Snell [Pick: 4.6]
SP2 Pablo Lopez [Pick: 5.5]
SP3 Bailey Ober [Pick: 7.5]
SP4 Kodai Senga [Pick: 13.5]
SP5 Tomoyuki Sugano [Pick: 18.6]
RP1 Jhoan Duran [Pick: 9.5]
RP2 Tanner Scott [Pick: 10.6]
RP3 Griffin Jax [Pick: 16.6]
RP4 Kirby Yates [Pick: 17.5]
Team Schoenfield
C1 Will Smith [Pick: 9.6]
1B1 Bryce Harper [Pick: 3.6]
3B1 Junior Caminero [Pick: 12.5]
2B1 Jackson Holliday [Pick: 17.6]
SS1 Oneil Cruz (OF) [Pick: 11.6]
SS2 Matt McLain (2B) [Pick: 19.6]
OF1 Yordan Alvarez [Pick: 2.5]
OF2 Julio Rodriguez [Pick: 6.5]
OF3 Riley Greene [Pick: 13.6]
OF4 Jung Hoo Lee [Pick: 15.6]
SP1 Paul Skenes [Pick: 1.6]
SP2 Yoshinobu Yamamoto [Pick: 7.6]
SP3 Gerrit Cole [Pick: 8.5]
SP4 Hunter Greene [Pick: 10.5]
SP5 Spencer Strider [Pick: 14.5]
SP6 Bryan Woo [Pick: 16.5]
RP1 Devin Williams [Pick: 4.5]
RP2 Mason Miller [Pick: 5.6]
RP3 Luke Weaver [Pick: 18.5]
Team Mass
C1 Shea Langeliers [Pick: 15.7]
1B1 Vinnie Pasquantino [Pick: 7.7]
1B2 Jake Burger (3B) [Pick: 19.7]
3B1 Matthew Shaw (2B/SS) [Pick: 18.4]
2B1 Nico Hoerner [Pick: 11.7]
SS1 Francisco Lindor [Pick: 2.4]
OF1 Jackson Merrill [Pick: 4.4]
OF2 James Wood [Pick: 13.7]
OF3 Brenton Doyle [Pick: 16.4]
DH1 Brent Rooker [Pick: 8.4]
SP1 Tarik Skubal [Pick: 1.7]
SP2 Cole Ragans [Pick: 3.7]
SP3 Brandon Pfaadt [Pick: 9.7]
SP4 Jared Jones [Pick: 10.4]
SP5 Sandy Alcantara [Pick: 12.4]
RP1 Josh Hader [Pick: 5.7]
RP2 Ryan Walker [Pick: 6.4]
RP3 Trevor Megill [Pick: 14.4]
RP4 A.J. Puk [Pick: 17.7]
Team Chandan
C1 Adley Rutschman [Pick: 3.8]
1B1 Pete Alonso [Pick: 6.3]
1B2 Jake Cronenworth (2B) [Pick: 17.8]
3B1 Alec Bohm [Pick: 9.8]
SS1 Mookie Betts (OF) [Pick: 1.8]
SS2 Masyn Winn [Pick: 18.3]
OF1 Wyatt Langford [Pick: 8.3]
OF2 Cody Bellinger (1B) [Pick: 11.8]
OF3 Randy Arozarena [Pick: 13.8]
OF4 Adolis Garcia [Pick: 15.8]
OF5 Tommy Edman (SS) [Pick: 19.8]
SP1 Logan Gilbert [Pick: 2.3]
SP2 Chris Sale [Pick: 4.3]
SP3 Aaron Nola [Pick: 5.8]
SP4 Joe Ryan [Pick: 7.8]
SP5 Zac Gallen [Pick: 10.3]
SP6 Carlos Rodon [Pick: 12.3]
SP7 Tanner Houck [Pick: 16.3]
RP1 David Bednar [Pick: 14.3]
Team Becquey
C1 Salvador Perez (1B) [Pick: 9.9]
1B1 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. [Pick: 1.9]
1B2 Christian Walker [Pick: 7.9]
3B1 Alex Bregman [Pick: 4.2]
2B1 Jose Altuve [Pick: 5.9]
2B2 Xander Bogaerts (SS) [Pick: 16.2]
SS1 Gunnar Henderson [Pick: 2.2]
OF1 Jackson Chourio [Pick: 3.9]
OF2 Spencer Steer (1B) [Pick: 13.9]
OF3 Jurickson Profar [Pick: 14.2]
OF4 Seiya Suzuki [Pick: 15.9]
SP1 Max Fried [Pick: 6.2]
SP2 Shota Imanaga [Pick: 8.2]
SP3 Sonny Gray [Pick: 10.2]
SP4 Kevin Gausman [Pick: 11.9]
SP5 Cristopher Sanchez [Pick: 12.2]
SP6 Jose Berrios [Pick: 18.2]
RP1 Ryan Pressly [Pick: 17.9]
RP2 Lucas Erceg [Pick: 19.9]
Team Cockcroft
C1 Yainer Diaz [Pick: 7.10]
1B1 Triston Casas [Pick: 15.10]
3B1 Manny Machado [Pick: 4.1]
2B1 Gleyber Torres [Pick: 13.10]
SS1 Trea Turner [Pick: 5.10]
SS2 Carlos Correa [Pick: 17.10]
OF1 Kyle Tucker [Pick: 1.10]
OF2 Michael Harris II [Pick: 9.10]
OF3 Bryan Reynolds [Pick: 11.10]
OF4 Brandon Nimmo [Pick: 16.1]
SP1 Zack Wheeler [Pick: 2.1]
SP2 Michael King [Pick: 6.1]
SP3 Tanner Bibee [Pick: 10.1]
SP4 Spencer Schwellenbach [Pick: 12.1]
SP5 Roki Sasaki [Pick: 14.1]
SP6 Brandon Woodruff [Pick: 19.10]
RP1 Emmanuel Clase [Pick: 3.10]
RP2 Ryan Helsley [Pick: 8.1]
RP3 Justin Martinez [Pick: 18.1]
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