On Sunday, January 17, 2010, RotoCommunity.com participated in a fantasy baseball mock draft (on Mock Draft Central) with the other industry experts listed below. Player position eligibility was provided by Mock Draft Central. We assumed standard 5x5 category roto scoring with 23 starters and no reserves (for the purposes of the mock). Here's how the draft went down round-by-round, with analysis following each round. To check out draft trends, click here.

ROUND 1

Round One went about as you would expect. The first two picks are set in stone for all practical purposes, but sitting at pick three was left with a dilemma. I crossed off Ryan Braun because I felt outfield was deep, which left me a choice between A-Rod and Utley. Usually, I like to address a scarce position (2B) with elite talent, but I had planned on building my team with speed in the first half of the draft, so a guaranteed power source was necessary. I like ceiling of A-Rod's numbers better than anyone outside of Pujols and Hanley. He's a lock for .280, 30, 100, 100, 10 and that's his floor. 

ROUND 2

I was heart broken as my two targets, Upton and Reyes, fell off the board consecutively before me. If Reyes is back to full strength, he has Top 5 value. Since this is a two-catcher league, I decided to address the need with an elite talent now, so I wouldn't have to worry about it later on. I would be hesitant to pull the trigger on Martinez this high if we only started one catcher, but knowing your league settings if half the battle. Getting David Wright at pick 15 was a huge coup. If Wright can get back any semblance of his power, he'll have been had at a great value. It may seem crazy to see the first pitcher come off the board at pick 19, especially a talent like Lincecum, but pitching can be had at any point so there's no need to pay too steep a price for it.

ROUND 3

I went with what I felt to be the best potential left on the board in Grady Sizemore. Coming off injury, Sizemore is a risk, but I'm encouraged that he'll return to form after an extended rest, after being shut down early last season. I was very tempted to take one of the power hitting first basemen left on the board (Gonzalez or Morneau), but I felt that a five-category contributor like Sizemore would likely pay a greater dividend. Team Gilroy made great use of his back to back picks in round three and four. Taking Ichiro will give him elite steals, average and runs and it allowed him to beef up his home runs and RBI with Adam Dunn. Dunn proved last year that he isn't a complete average killer, but in case he is, Ichiro is there to pick up the slack. 

ROUND 4

After Dunn, the second basemen run began, and there was nothing I could do about it. Frankly, I think it worked in my favor because I had targeted Jose Lopez to fill my 4 spot, and this run would allow me to wait on him now that most teams had the position filled. This surge left a lot of great pitching on the board which was too good to pass up. I usually wait until Round 6 or 7 to take a pitcher, but seeing Greinke fall to me at pick 46 was shocking, so I had to take him. I didn't anticipate getting him in any draft this year, because I didn't want to use an first or second round pick on him, but I felt he was a steal in the fourth round. There were a lot of nice picks here. Adam Lind is a great talent who can provide elite power, while still being a plus player in average. Felix Hernandez and Roy Halladay have the potential to be the league's two best starters, so I must commend Gas and Broadway on those picks. I had both ranked ahead of Greinke, but not by much. 

ROUND 5

This may have been my toughest pick. I really didn't want to go back to back pitchers this early, but there weren't any hitters that really stood out to me. I considered Berkman here to fill my first base slot, but I don't have much confidence in him. I really like Lee this season, with his move to Seattle. He's now in a pitchers' park and has an excellent defense behind him. He'll make a run at 20 wins. I was surprised to see Verlander go at pick 53, with so much other pitching talent left out there (Haren, Sabathia, Santana, Lester). The first closer, Joe Nathan, came off the board at pick 58. I would never spend that high of a pick on a closer, but there's never any down side to owning Nathan. He's been the league's most consistent stopper over the last four years. 

ROUND 6

I was really hoping Abreu or Hamilton would make it to me, because I feel my hand got forced a bit with Manny. I couldn't take three pitchers in a row,as  I would have been left too weak in all offensive categories. For my sake, and the Dodgers, let's hope Manny did a few cycles this offseason and starts to mash the ball again. Carters' pick of Figgins was an excellent compliment to his team. He went pretty power heavy with Braun, Holliday, Berkman and Lind, and Figgins now gives him an elite speed/runs guy. I love Gordon Beckham, but this seems like a bit of reach. The sophomore third baseman should improve on his impressive stat line from 2009, but he probably would have still been there a few round from now. But hey, if you like a guy, make sure you get him. 

ROUND 7

When I went back and looked at my picks, and I really feel like this was the best one. 'Don't call me Pacman' Jones was in the midst of a breakout season before a foot injury took him out. He's only 23, so I expect bigger and better things to come, hopefully starting this year. He adds to my team's theme of players who do a bit of everything. Having Jones, A-Rod, and Sizemore gave me the balance to go after some category specific players later on. Seems like Broadway really believes in Billy Butler. I had identified Butler as a guy to go after, but it surprised me to see him go this high. He's full of potential but has yet to realize it. Soriano at pick 84? How the mighty have fallen. If he can stay healthy, this may be the steal of the draft. While his speed numbers will never be where they once were, he's still capable of a 30+ HR, 80+ RBI, 80+ R and 10-20 SB season. If you get that out of your 8th-round pick, you're doing fine.  

ROUND 8

After my last pick of Adam Jones, I was hoping Rays' SS Jason Bartlett would make it back to me -- i guess it wasn't meant to be. I love Bartett's upside, and barring injury, he should be able to out-perform his stellar 2009 campaign. While it's usually not a great idea to invest in Pirates, I really like Andrew McCutchen. I never like to take second-year players, but McCutchen's upside is huge. He should be able to build on his power numbers and his already impressive 22 steals. To high for Lopez? Maybe. Having seen Uggla and Stewart selected right before this caused me to panic a little. After Lopez, my next ranked second baseman was Howie Kendrick, and I didn't want that headache. Playing in a terrible line-up and in Seattle made Lopez's 2009 season even more impressive. He slugged 25 HR and 96 RBI last season, and the 27-year-old should only increase those numbers with on-base machines Figgins and Kotchman now hitting in front of him. It may have been a bit of a reach, but my need for a second baseman was the deciding factor. I really hope Tommy Hanson is on the board five picks from now...

ROUND 9

... of course he's not. With Hanson gone, I decide to turn to Plan B and take a speed guy. On the downside, I'm ignoring my holes at SS, 1B, CI, and MI, but I really like Morgan to build on his quietly good season last year. He'll see everyday playing time in Washington and should be good for a .300+ BA, 80+ R, and 50 + steals. Taking an elite speed guy should give me an advantage in SB, with the rest of my guys chipping in steals here and there. My choice came down to Morgan and Bourn, and I liked Morgan's average better. Broadway takes a chance on Beltran here. He'll be out for at least a month but should be excellent when he returns. If you're good at working the wavier wire, you shouldn't have a problem finding a capable filler until Beltran returns to action. There was a lot of good value in this round -- Hunter, Kershaw, and Jimenez should all outperform their draft positions.

ROUND 10

While there was no need to take another outfielder, I just really love Carlos Gonzalez. He fits the mold of the 5-category contributors I like and was absolutely dynamite in the second half of last year. I decided that Rounds 10 and 11 would be used for sleepers, and I was hoping to grab Arizona catcher Miguel Montero with my next pick, but he went to Aaron Marks a pick after I took Gonzalez. Raul Ibanez was a very nice pick at 110. There's nothing sexy about drafting Ibanez, but he's very able in the box and in a very good situation playing in Philadelphia. 

ROUND 11

I'm sitting in Round 11, without a SS, and I see one of my favorite players still available -- this makes Cabrera an easy pick for me. He'll do a bit of everything and, if the Indians are better, could have a breakout season. Brandon Webb's a steal if he's healthy. Same goes for Hideki Matsui. A trio of pitchers (Baker, Garza, and Shields) all went at the end of the round and are all nice lottery tickets. We've all seen their potential, but none of them has ever strung together an entire season of greatness. Maybe 2010 is the year?

ROUND 12

Since Lee isn't an elite source of strikeouts, I couldn't pass up someone who is. I'll have to deal with his inconsistent nature but Burnett will help out in Wins and Ks, and hopefully not kill my ratios. The more I go through this draft, the more I like the Strokin' Carters' line-up. Nabbing Yunel Escobar in the 12th is fantastic. He's shown power from the position and is entering his prime, a good recipe for a breakout year.

ROUND 13

Since I ended up not taking another closer, I really shouldn't have wasted this pick on Fuentes, but he'll likely save 35-45 games, so he has value. I really like Ivar's selection of Brett Anderson, as he was superb in the second half last season, and some more maturity will only do him favors. If I hadn't already loaded up on outfielders, Brad Hawpe would have been a nice fit for me. I fully expect Hawpe to be moved at point this year and a change of scenery could do him a lot of good. 

ROUND 14

After taking Burnett, I decided to go with Jackson over de la Rosa, to help out with my ERA and WHIP. Jackson is coming off his best year yet, and a move to the NL West should only improve his stats. He's a quality 4th starter in my fantasy rotation. There were a lot of fun sleepers taken this round. With everyday playing time, Rajai Davis will compete for the stolen base title while scoring runs along the way. With Figgins gone, Aybar finally has a top of the order slot and should improve his 2009 stats across the board. Max Scherzer is a strikeout machine and could certainly figure out the rest of his game under Jim Leyland, like Verlander, Jackson and Porcello before him.

ROUND 15

I hate Jorge Cantu, but I really needed a first baseman. I liked his upside more than Konerko or Garrett Jones, so I bit the bullet and made the pick. He's a super streaky player who I would probably look to flip if he got off to a hot start. I really liked Marks' Reimold pick, as he showed flashes of what he can be after getting called up last season and should be able to post some good numbers in the surprisingly good Baltimore offense. Roy Oswalt is a nice value pick in the 15th, but relying on him as your second starter is a bit dicey. If Hawpe gets moved, speedster Dexter Fowler will have been thieved at pick 177. He has 50+ SB potential and could score a ton of runs at the top of the Rockies line-up. All he needs is playing time.

ROUND 16

People really didn't like this pick, but Weeks was really good before his season was abruptly ended last May. He's been labeled a break-out candidate for years now, but has never lived up to his perceived potential. He has no buzz this year and will return to the top of the Brewers order. He's a high risk/high reward guy, but if he is a bust, it's OK. He's only occupying my middle infield position. Being the Jays fan that I am, I don't know if Snider is actually good, or if I just want him to be really good. Either way, rounds 15 and on are all about striking big on sleepers, and Snider has definitely shown some promise. Maybe his second year in the majors will have him show everyone why he was rushed to the big leagues at such a young age. 

ROUND 17

Damn you Aaron Marks! I really wanted the flame-throwing Feliz. He was outright dominant last year in Texas, posting a sterling 1.74 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, and 39 K in 30 innings coming out of the bullpen. It's unclear whether he'll be a starter or reliever to start the year, but Feliz is too good not to eventually crack the rotation. Either way, he'll be of great value to any fantasy team. Although the heartbreak of missing out o Feliz was hard to take, I think I still had a pretty successful 17th round by getting Adam LaRoche as my corner infielder. He gives me another option at 1B if Cantu doesn't work out and he's always been undervalued. He's a noted second-half performer, but even a down first half will be well worth grabbing him at 195 overall. For more on LaRoche, check out my D-Backs team preview.

ROUND 18

I felt that my pitching staff was looking pretty good with Greinke, Lee, Jackson and Burrnett, and I decided I could afford to take some high-upside guys in these last few rounds. If Harden could ever stay healthy, he'd be a Top 20 hurler every year. Unfortunately, that's never the case. He's a strikeout machine and is returning to a division that he's had success with in the past. And, this time around he doesn't have to face the high octane offense of the Rangers and can pick on his former team a few times a year. If Ted Lilly has recovered from his 2009 injuries, he'll be great for the Reject's. Lily has been underrated his entire career but will give you Top 20 strikeouts for the year. If 2009 proved to be an aberration for Mr. Sunglasses at Night, Corey Hart will be Top 75 value at Pick 206.

ROUND 19

He's missed the last year and half after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but Marcum had nasty stuff before he left. At Pick 219, if he doesn't pan out, I won't feel obligated to keep him. Martin Prado was a Godsend in my 20-team league last season, and he'll now get everyday reps at second base with the departure of Kelly Johnson. He'll give you a first-rate average and should be a plus player in R and RBI too. He'll even chip in with more power than you were expecting (11 HR in 2009). I had actually forgotten about him (cut me some slack, it was my first draft of the year), but he'll be able to be had late in drafts and will outperform that slot. 

ROUND 20

Kevin Correia will appear on my 2010 sleepers list (when I get round to it) and will probably find a home on my roster in every league I'm in. He pitches in a weak division and will play half of his games at PETCO, the league's most friendly park to pitchers. A lot of catchers are going off the board right now, as everyone is scrambling to fill out their C2 position, which serves to remind me that I need to do that soon.

ROUND 21

Ramon Hernandez should be a good second catcher because he rarely sits out. In the days he doesn't catch, he'll get some reps at first base. I felt I didn't need to get too crazy with my second catcher after taking Victor Martinez in the second round. Just having Martinez gives me one of the better catching platoons. Mark DeRosa is a nice late round pick for Ivar. Hand injuries are tough to come back from, but getting 20+ HR potential in the 21nd round is hard to pass on.

ROUND 22

He's coming off a terrible year, but I'm hoping Harang can have a bounce back year. He's rarely hurt and is a good source of strikeouts from my 8th starter. If he can get those ratios (4.21 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) down a bit, he'll have been worth it. 

ROUND 23

Since I like the D-backs to have a bounce back year, I thought giving Chris Young another chance could have some upside. He has power and speed (and loves to strikeout), but if he can regain a smidgen of his former abilities, he could be a 20/20 guy. Getting Ludwick with the last pick was nice. It turns out it wasn't just me who forgot about him. He turned it on in the second half last year, and even if he puts up 80% of his 2009 campaign (22 HR, 97 RBI) he'll be this draft's best bargain. 

ALSO

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