On Tuesday, February 2, 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.

You can go here to read about my first mock draft of the season last week. That one was a 12-teamer. Go here to read about my 15-teamer from Sunday. This is my third expert mock within the past couple weeks. Also, go here to read colleague Todd Nord's analysis of this same draft, but from the viewpoint of his strategy and picks, which differed from mine.

ROUND 1

It was a nice surprise to see Braun still on the board at pick #6.The Milwaukee slugger provides true five-category production, and with five starting outfielders, I'm not worried about grabbing one early. Speaking of early, Mark Reynolds going before Miguel Cabrera was a major surprise here.

ROUND 2

I'm not sold on Tulowitzki -- his strong numbers of a year ago were the result of an enormous second half. Even so, I could see taking him over Rollis, but J-Roll is a bit of a safer pick in my view. I'm not a Brandon Phillips guy -- give me Pedroia over the Reds second baseman any day.

ROUND 3

Third base dries up quickly this year, and Youkilis is a steady-as-a-rock option at the hot corner. With Jason bay out of town, Youk's production should only increase. Greinke goes before Halladay again -- maybe the kid has supplanted the old vet in the fantasy baseball hierarchy.

ROUND 4

I seem to be ending up with B-Rob quite a bit, and it's possible I'm overvaluing him somewhat. In this case, though, he's something of a no-brainer in the fourth round -- decent pop, good batting average and a mortal lock for at least 30 stolen bases. Me likey. Me no likey Chone Figgins going this early -- Figgy's speed is a definite fantasy weapon, but this is too early to fire that cannon.

ROUND 5

Markakis' HR numbers have fallen each of the past two seasons, but he still plated 101 RBI, scored 96 runs and batted .293 last year. I could have lived with either Nicky Mark or Manny here. I consider Markakis less of an injury (and drama) risk. I'm staying away from Josh Hamilton at this price -- his career consists of a monstrous half-season and an epic performance in the Home Run Derby.

ROUND 6

Wainwright and Jon Lester represent the last of what I consider to be the baggage-free No. 1 starting pitchers. there are some fine hurlers available later on, but all come with their own "if / then" statement. Wainwright is an absolute horse who is just entering the prime years of his career, and this may be the last season that he's available this late in fantasy drafts. I like Jay Bruce this year, but not so much that I'd take him over more established players like Bobby Abreu or even Hunter Pence. As I've mentioned before, many industry drafters tend to favor upside over establishment, and the result is that some solid veterans fall in the draft....

ROUND 7

...and land in the welcome hands of Yours Truly. Abreu showed no signs of slowing down last season, and he should be good for 15-18 homers, 100 RBI and 25-30 steals again in '10. He's a career .299 hitter, so elite home run power is the only thing missing from his game. No worries -- I'll find some boppers later on, I'm sure. Javier Vazquez has never shown that he can pitch at a consistently high level in the American League, and his return to the Big Apple scares me to death. I can honestly see not drafting him at all this year -- unless of course, the price is extremely attractive.

ROUND 8

This drew a few hoots from the Peanut Gallery, but I look at it this way -- Lee's power resurgence last season may well have been the result of his wrist finally healing completely. Don't forget, this guy mashed 31, 32 and 46 taters between 2003-05, so the pedigree is there for some great things to happen. I'm willing to bet that last year was a return to normalcy rather than a departure from the new norm.

ROUND 9

I'm not a K-Rod fan (too much ninth-inning drama for my taste), but I felt that he was a solid value in the middle of the ninth round. This might have been a bit early for Stewart, but third base is a tough spot to fill in the later rounds, and he has some upside, so maybe he's worth a bit of a reach.

ROUND 10

Two-catcher formats force your hand on backstops earlier than normal, so I reckoned Posada was the best option on the board. Kurt Suzuki would have worked for me here as well, but it felt a little early for him... and there were a couple of pitchers I was targeting for next round.

ROUND 11

And this would be one of those pitchers. I'm a bit concerned about Lackey's move to the Fenway Shoebox, but at the end of the day, he's arguably the best No. 3 starting pitcher in baseball. Don't overlook that factor, by the way -- after years of facing #1's and #2's, Lackey will primarily square off with #3's this season -- meaning a better shot at a win on any given night.

ROUND 12

Chipper will be solid until he breaks, and we all know he'll break, don't we? He's clearly near the end, but I'm willing to bet that his putrid second half in '09 will motivate him for one more strong season. There's no place like home. There's no place like home... This pick should show you just how thin third base is this year -- grab your target player early.

ROUND 13

Hawpe is pretty much a "filler" pick here -- I neither love him nor hate him this season. I have taken Rajai Davis at this point also. I wasn't crazy about Garrett Jones -- he's a player who is primed for a fall-back in 2010.

ROUND 14

This shores up my C spots, but if we had been drafting a bench, I probably would have grabbed Beltre here as Chipper insurance.

ROUND 15

There's my buddy Roy Oswalt again, in all his bargain-basement glory. This guy had been rock-solid for seven straight seasons. He suffers through a bumpy 2009, and everyone's jumping ship. Have a nice trip there, everyone... enjoy yourselves on the Lemming Express. Oswalt has been focused in the off-season and has implemented a new workout regimen. The guy's only 32 years old, people... sakes! 

ROUND 16

Wow, speaking of bargains... could the 35-year-old Vlad break for good this year? Yep, but this late in the draft is a nice time to gamble that he'll manage something along the lines of .300-20-80. However, he played only two games in the outfield last year, so he's a DH-only in most formats.

ROUND 17

Francisco was serviceable as the Rangers closer last season, and I'm not worried about Neftali Feliz, who Texas may try to develop into a starter. Sheets is a guy who I'm targeting at this juncture of most drafts, and if I'd known Chad Qualls was going to fall to the next round, I might have taken Big Ben here. That's a nice pick of Konerko, who looks to still have some gas in his tank.

ROUND 18

Ludwick was clearly over his skis when he batted .299 back in 2008, but the .265-22-97 line he posted last season will certainly fill my OF5 slot nicely. 

ROUND 19

Ah,I  just love that cheap speed. The Riot gets every ounce he can out of his ability, and that usually translates into 20-plus stolen bases, 80-some runs, and about a .280 BA. I'll take that from a 19th-rounder. If I had needed pop over speed and average, Barmes would have been my man.

ROUND 20

Lindstrom will battle for the Astros closers job, but I'll be quick to cut bait if he struggles out of the gate.

ROUND 21

Porcello has some nice upside at age 21, but he's not likely to become a strikeout guy any time soon. Even so, 14 wins as a 20-year-old last season is quite impressive. His WHIP should come down as he learns to work the plate, and he's a minimal risk 21 rounds into the draft.

ROUND 22

There's not much to say about Pettitte. I'm looking for about 12-14 wins, an ERA around 4.00, and something in the neighborhood of 140 strikeouts. That's what he does. That was a nice upside pick on Matusz, who should get a chance to show his stuff this season.

ROUND 23

I love this guy. Hopefully, the Yanks have finally figured out that Joba's a set-up man, not a starter, and will unleash Phil Hughes on the American League this season. I really feel like Hughes has the tools for greatness, but he has been lost in all the "Joba Rules" blah-blah-blah nonsense. This kid is a polished pitcher, who only needs an opportunity to show his mettle. Bumgarner looks like he'll open camp as the Giants' No. 5 starter, making him a fine gamble to take in the draft's final round.

ALSO

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