As the 2026 Major League Baseball season approaches, enthusiasts are likely gearing up for their fantasy baseball drafts. A highly effective method for preparation involves engaging in numerous simulated drafts. However, it can sometimes be challenging to locate a public mock draft environment that precisely mirrors your specific league configurations.
There’s no need for concern! For those holding a Yahoo Fantasy+ membership, the Instant Mock Draft utility is available, enabling rapid draft simulations in moments. This feature allows users to try diverse approaches, select from various drafting positions, and refine roster compositions repeatedly, whenever they wish, without delay. Subscribing to Yahoo Fantasy+ now offers an excellent opportunity to leverage its extensive collection of resources for your draft readiness.
Within this ongoing feature, we will employ the Instant Mock Draft utility to make selections from each of the twelve positions within a twelve-person fantasy baseball league — with previous simulated drafts including the first and second overall picks. Our next focus is drafting from the third overall slot. What direction does one pursue once Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have been chosen? Let’s delve into the specifics.
Notice: These practice drafts are configured with Yahoo’s standard points league parameters.
Complete Team Lineup
Catcher: Shea Langeliers, Athletics
First Base: Ben Rice, Yankees
Second Base: José Altuve, Astros
Shortstop: Mookie Betts, Dodgers
Third Base: Noelvi Marte, Reds
Outfield: Juan Soto, Mets
Outfield: Jackson Chourio, Brewers
Outfield: Oneil Cruz, Pirates
Utility: Colson Montgomery, White Sox
Utility: Brendan Donovan, Mariners
Starting Pitcher: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
Starting Pitcher: Cole Ragans, Royals
Relief Pitcher: Trevor Megill, Brewers
Relief Pitcher: Emilio Pagán, Reds
Pitcher: MacKenzie Gore, Rangers
Pitcher: Shota Imanaga, Cubs
Pitcher: Ryan Weathers, Yankees
Pitcher: Connelly Early, Red Sox
Reserves: Yainer Díaz, Astros
Reserves: Royce Lewis, Twins
Reserves: Abner Uribe, Brewers
Reserves: Konnor Griffin, Pirates
Reserves: Gerrit Cole, Yankees
First Round Conundrum: After the first two picks, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, are off the board, the draft scenario can become quite intriguing, depending on your approach. While experts Scott Pianowski and Fred Zinkie favor Bobby Witt Jr. for the third overall selection, I chose to embrace a more unconventional path, recalling Peewee Herman’s famous line, “I’m a loner, Dottie, a rebel.” Consequently, I decided to pick Juan Soto ahead of Witt at the third spot. To justify this choice, statistical forecasts actually show Soto ranked above Witt. The Mets’ powerful hitter experienced a somewhat reduced performance in terms of WAR, dropping from 7.9 with the Yankees to 6.2 during his inaugural season at Citi Field. Despite this, Soto still paced the league in bases on balls, stolen bases, and on-base percentage, concurrently hitting a personal best of 43 home runs. Furthermore, he is still only 27 years old, suggesting his full potential might not yet be realized. I’m prepared to take this chance by selecting him slightly earlier than expected.
Pair of Dodgers Players: Let’s discuss the reigning consecutive champions, as such a feat is rarely accomplished nowadays. Beginning with Betts, surely his top-tier performance isn’t over, is it? Just two seasons prior, he topped the National League in WAR with 8.6 and secured second place in the MVP ballot. I’m counting on Betts having a resurgence this season. His rate of strikeouts has declined over recent years, even as his home run output has lessened.
I harbor some apprehension regarding Yamamoto’s pitching volume if Los Angeles chooses to extensively rotate its starting pitchers to ensure their readiness for the postseason. Nevertheless, even with 30 starts last year, Yamamoto surpassed 170 innings pitched and was awarded the World Series MVP. Perhaps the Dodgers will enable their premier pitcher to contend for an NL Cy Young award next?
Reinforcing the Catcher Position: I frequently observe myself selecting either Langeliers or Contreras for the catcher spot around the sixth or seventh rounds of drafts. Therefore, I might need to adjust this pattern and defer the selection of a catcher in future drafts. I am quite satisfied with my depth at catcher, especially with the addition of Rice. He is expected to rotate among catcher, first base, outfield, and designated hitter for the Yankees. Rice is also anticipated to occupy a favorable position in the batting order and has demonstrated strong hitting during spring training. Should Rice continue to improve his offensive performance, he possesses the potential to hit over 30 home runs.
Key Pitching Acquisition: Gore represents a pitcher I was determined to secure in one of these simulated drafts, identified as a primary breakout prospect this season by Yahoo analyst Corbin Young. Gore exhibits a strong ability to induce swings and misses with his diverse pitch repertoire and, at 27 years old, is finally participating in significant baseball with Texas. His presence on an improved Rangers squad is expected to reduce his earned run average and contribute to an increased number of victories. He appears to be an excellent acquisition beyond the typical “starting pitcher lull” and could yield considerable returns.
Future-Oriented Strategy: I am particularly keen to discuss my last two selections. Both represent speculative additions or forward-looking maneuvers. Personally, I doubt the Pirates will retain Griffin on their active roster at the season’s outset, yet he could receive a promotion relatively soon. While this seldom occurs for players his age, Griffin possesses a promising future, and Pittsburgh has an incentive to boost attendance. Regarding Cole, I am content with placing him in an injured list position, thereby freeing up the last bench slot for temporary roster additions (both offensive and pitching options). The Yankees potentially regaining their star pitcher sometime this summer could significantly benefit my team composition later in the season.
Observations from the Third Pick: The available player options in this position remained quite comparable to those seen with the first and second selections. I aimed to solidify my outfield early, alleviating concerns in later rounds and allowing me to concentrate on pitching talent and securing potential breakout players. For the upcoming simulated drafts, we intend to diversify our tactical approaches further. Keep an eye out for more updates!
