On Tuesday, January 26, 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.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING!!!

I had some internet connectivity problems during the draft, so some of my picks were made by the MDC artificial intelligence. I'll let you know the details below. This was my first mock of the season, and the rust was evident. I'm not crazy about two-catcher formats, and five outfielders in the starting lineup skews things as well. I also need to fidget with MDC's default rankings a bit. All told, not a horrible team, but I can do much better... and I will next week. Take this one with a grain of salt, gang... It's early... Stay tuned...

ROUND 1

I was shocked that Han-Ram fell to #3, but I didn't stop by the complaint desk on the way to Round 2. I thought Tex was a value at #9, but otherwise, nothing too unusual happened here.

ROUND 2

Obviously, the Artificial Intelligence acted for me here. With a MI position it wasn't a buzz-kill, but I would have taken Upton or possibly Zimmerman here. Crawford was a nice bargain at 2.6, but I thought Reynolds went a bit early.

ROUND 3

The AI grabs Votto for me; no way I would leave a 5-OF league without having at least on board in the first three rounds. Holliday or Youkilis were my guys here. Not sure I would take Greinke over Halladay.

ROUND 4

I finally get to pick a player myself, and B-Rob gives me an elite option at a scarce position. I thought Jeter went too early, but Felix might be a bargain here. I passed on an OF, since B-Rob was clearly better than the other 2B on the board, while there were a few good options in the OF.

ROUND 5

And one of them fell to me. Nice to see Nicky Mark here, as I believe he's in for a nice bounce-back season in '10. Almost went for the Panda, but with five starting OFs, I couldn't wait any longer.

ROUND 6

I was hoping Wainwright would fall, but I took Lester as a consolation prize. He was nails in the second half and should only get better. Bourn felt a little early, and I see Vazquez as a huge risk now that he's back in the AL.

ROUND 7

No love for El Caballo in this draft, but I thought he presented nice value 75 picks in. Nathan is a fine value here as well, and Victorino was a guy I was looking at if Lee hadn't fallen.

ROUND 8

Since I got skunked on OFs early on, I starting drafting for upside here, and Jones has a ton. I love Gallardo here, as he has the potential to be a top-15 or so hurler this year.

ROUND 9

I'm happy with Coco. I thought Ibanez was a very nice value this late.

ROUND 10

Wieters would have been nice, but Posada is steady (if elderly). I love Hamels' upside at this juncture -- nice pick Fred.

ROUND 11

I thought AJ was the best SP option on the board, but his increasing walk rate the past two seasons means I might not take him here next time. Jay Bruce = BEAST this season, but I thought I could wait another round for him.

ROUND 12

Third base empties fast, but Chipper is fine while healthy. If we had drafted a bench, I'd have had plenty of 3B depth on hand. Hoffman and Shields are nice values here, as is Lackey, who I was strongly considering.

ROUND 13

I made a risky play here, but I wanted to lock down that second closer. If I wasn't already full at MI, I'd have considered Andrus here. Konerko still has some gas in his tank.

ROUND 14

Danks is the type of pitcher I really favor. He is solid across the board, flies under the radar, and should post good ratios, Ks and pick up his share of wins. I almost went with Kaz for his upside. I liked Kendrick here -- is this the year he stays healthy?

ROUND 15

Meh. Rivera has a nice stick, and should contribute in all the power stats, without killing my BA. Hindsight: Beltre was my pick, but I thought I had time. Oswalt is nice value here, as is Cantu, who also isn't getting much love this year.

ROUND 16

Helton can hit, but I'd rather have taken Beltre in R15 and grabbed Reimold or Rasmus here.

ROUND 17

I think Price will have a very good season, and his slow start to his '09 campaign has depressed his draft value. Harden is a nice dice roll, and Napoli is a guy I'd like to have gotten in the next round.

ROUND 18

I see Cameron as a nice sleeper, now that he's playing in the Fenway bandbox. He could post 20-20 in that lineup.

ROUND 19

If I had a "do-over", I'd use it here. In the two-catcher format, AJ was my pick here. I love Maybin's upside, but I lost track of Pierzynski. Weeks is a nice gamble, and Floyd a solid value this late.

ROUND 20

Olivo's serviceable, but I'm not happy with my C2 situation. I'll upgrade this next week, now that I have a feel for the rankings.

ROUND 21

You know what you're getting with Buehrle, though I looked back and thought perhaps Wood was a better pick here. I'm a little shaky with Wags as my CL2. Meh, I'll tidy it up next time around and go with 6 SP and 3 RP

ROUND 22

Was drooling for Sheets here, but Ken spoiled my fun. Happ is a solid SP6, but maybe Octavio Dotel was the right guy here.

ROUND 23

I was surprised Strasburg made it this deep, but I'll take him as my SP7. I love Posey, but his fantasy value tanked when the Giants re-signed Molina.

ALSO

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