Fantasy Baseball 2024 Mock Draft: Strategy and Cheatsheet for Opening Rounds

Less than one week remains before the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres get the 2024 MLB season going in Korea with the Seoul Series.

That makes this the best time of the year for fantasy baseballers.

This is not only when fantasy managers build their roster through the draft, it's also when they're free to crank up the knob on their optimism setting. You seldom feel better about your roster than you do the moment it's created, so lean into the fun and let your imagination run wild.

Since drafts are coming quickly, though, let's get down to business with a points-league mock first round, a guideline for shaping your early draft strategy and a quick, cheatsheet-style rundown of some of the top sleepers to add and busts to avoid.

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves

2. Mookie Betts, 2B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

3. Juan Soto, OF, New York Yankees

4. Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees

5. Shohei Ohtani, DH, Los Angeles Dodgers

6. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers

7. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals

8. Julio Rodríguez, OF, Seattle Mariners

9. Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

10. Spencer Strider, SP, Atlanta Braves

11. José Ramírez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians

12. Matt Olson, 1B, Atlanta Braves

Outside of a blanket recommendation to take Ronald Acuña Jr. first overall, it's tough to get into specific strategies because they are so dependent on your league rules.

So, the first bit of strategy, then, would be to know the ins and outs of your league settings. Is this a points league or the rotisserie format? What are your lineup requirements? How many (if any) IL spots do you have? Do you use the standard stat categories, or do things like on-base percentage or saves-plus-holds come into play?

The answers to those questions (and many more) will go a long way toward determining your direction at the draft.

Beyond that, it's usually a safe bet—though, perhaps more in roto leagues than the points format—to balance your roster. You don't want too much pitching or too much hitting, but make sure you don't neglect either one.

If you go power-heavy with your first few picks, look for some speed shortly thereafter. If you absorb some risk, make sure to offset some of that with safer (and, yes, probably more boring) selections.

Sleepers

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Toronto Blue Jays

Guerrero can be one of the most productive hitters in the entire sport. In 2021, he led all position players in fantasy points, per CBS Sports, while belting 48 home runs, reaching base at a .401 clip and totaling 234 combined runs and RBI.

So, when he says he's in the best shape of his life, that's something worth clocking, especially when the fantasy world really isn't charging you for that potential. His average draft position is just 26th overall and fifth among first basemen, per FantasyPros, which could prove massive discounts if he finds his way back to that league-leading form.

Carlos Correa, SS, Minnesota Twins

Correa was plagued by plantar fasciitis last season, and fantasy managers are apparently worried he'll be bothered by the ailment yet again. That's about the only explanation for the fact that his consensus average draft position is just 206th overall and 24th at shortstop.

He seems fine this spring, though, and managers who draft him are getting a big discount for perhaps no reason at all. The 29-year-old mostly mashed over the two seasons prior to his 2023 disappointment, totaling 48 homers, 156 RBI and 174 runs while posting a .285/.366/.476 slash line over 284 outings.

Busts

Elly De La Cruz, SS/3B, Cincinnati Reds

De La Cruz might define the term electric, so there will absolutely be temptation to draft him. You'd be wise to avoid it, though, unless his draft price lands somewhere lower than expected.

For all of the positives he put forth last season—13 homers and 35 steals in just 98 games—he also set off plenty of alarms. He strikes out too often and hits too many grounders, both of which contributed to his disappointing marks in batting average (.235) and OBP (.300).

That can make him prone to prolonged slumps, like the one he suffered through in last season's second half, when he managed just a .191/.272/.355 slash line in 68 games.

Tyler Glasnow, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

On talent alone, Glasnow offers more than enough to seemingly justify his average spot as the 43rd overall player off the draft board. His stuff is among the filthiest you'll find, and it just allowed him to pitch to a 3.53 ERA with 12.2 strikeouts and 2.8 walks per nine innings pitched, per Baseball Reference.

Still, with a draft pick this high, you're looking to get some security, and he simply can't offer it. His 21 starts and 120 innings last season were both career highs. He's a walking injury-risk, and the Dodgers have enough pitching depth that they can be extra cautious with his workload.