This is the second 2026 fantasy baseball H2H mock draft conducted by the Pitcher List team. Here are the results of the first mock draft.
Yahoo Head-to-Head Settings & Strategy
This mock draft is for a 12-team head-to-head (H2H) league with the standard 5×5 scoring categories (R, RBI, HR, SB, AVG; K, W, SV, ERA, WHIP). Here are the positions we had to fill, along with five bench spots: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, 2 UT, 2 SP, 2 RP, 4 P. Also, there are two Ohtanis. It is also crucial to mention the liberal position eligibility guidelines on the Yahoo fantasy baseball platform. Kyle Schwarber, for example, is a highly desirable player since he retains his outfielder eligibility. Check their website for a full list before your main draft. This draft took about one week to finish and was completed on November 5.
Besides the obvious strategy of drafting well, many seasons are won or lost by the transactions made. I tend to max out the weekly transaction limit as I stream through the available free agents, searching for the players who can carry their hot streaks for longer and longer periods of time. More recently, I have adopted the strategy of streaming starting pitchers from my bench. Although there is a huge group of quality pitchers available this draft season, the number of pitchers with strikeout upside is not as plentiful. Therefore, you can gain an advantage by having more of them on your team, both earning your team more counting stats and keeping those stats away from your competitors.
League Format
12 Team H2H Categories Standard 5×5
C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, UTIL, UTIL
23 Players per Roster
One Win per Week
Two Ohtanis (DH, and SP)
Draft Room
One more draft day reminder is to study your draft room. Each website has a different display and sorting system. Fantrax has a default setting to order everyone by their proprietary score, which makes it much more likely that a player could be missed or forgotten about entirely. There were a ton of relievers taking up space near the top of the draft board that would never be in consideration for the first 15 rounds. I counteracted this by building up a long queue of players ahead of the start of the draft so that I could leisurely identify those players at the bottom of the player pool.
Bottom line: Know your player pool and draft room.
Assessment
I compare each round’s selection against the Steamer-projected fantasy points per game as a quick self-assessment. For example, Jakob Marsee is projected to average under five fantasy points per game. Yet, the hitters currently being selected in the ninth round are averaging around 5.3 points per game. This tells me that Marsee has to overachieve his projections to earn his selection, or that the projections are not accurately evaluating his skills. Either way, it is worthy of a deeper dive. These projections and NFBC ADP were downloaded on November 6, 2025.
Round by Round Recap
Below are the 23 picks for the Villains mock team. I was drafting out of the third spot. The recent Steamer projections are included, with lefty-righty splits included for hitters, along with the fantasy points per game as projected by Steamer. The ADP data is from the first 20 completed drafts at NFBC, which were made up of 12-team and 15-team leagues.
Below is the complete draft board.
Let me know what you think of the squad at @YGMfantasy on X/Twitter.
1st Round: Shohei Ohtani – Hitter
Although Ohtani’s upside is capped, I sense a full season of the Barry Bonds treatment. Bonds hit 73 home runs with an absolutely insane 26 BB% (yes, 26%!!!) and 14 K% in 2001. The following season, pitchers did not see much need to tempt fate as Bonds increased his walk rate to 32% and cut the strikeout rate almost in half at 7.7%. That 2002 season saw a dramatic increase in intentional walks to 68 IBB (31 more). That put Bonds on base enough (.582 OBP) to score 117 runs. And he still got enough swings in to earn 110 RBI. After five walks in Game 3 of the World Series, I foresee a similar strategy against Shohei all season in 2026. Even if his power numbers stay near the low projections above, I expect that he will be on base for well over 40% of his plate appearances. Ohtani is only behind Aaron Judge in fantasy points per game, making him an easy grab at number three.
My early round hitter mantra: “Everyone chips in power and steals.”
Considered: Bobby Witt Jr., Juan Soto
2nd Round: Kyle Tucker
Although Kyle Tucker finished the season on the injured list, I am fully expecting a bounce-back. Yet, I don’t think everyone else is fully bought into that notion. Therefore, Tucker is a player who may fall a bit further than the second round. The NFBC ADP shows a minimum pick of 23. His value is on par with a first-round draft pick, so it was a small internal debate before making the pick because the mantra is “Everyone chips in power and some steals.”
Considered: Definitely Gunnar Henderson… if I took Gunnar, then I wouldn’t have felt like I had to draft Betts a few rounds later.
3rd Round: James Wood
James Wood was an amazing player in the first half of 2025 before nosediving in July. The 22 home runs and 11 steals before July carried much of his final numbers. However, he was able to finish strong by drilling four home runs during the last week of the season and finishing September with a .478 slugging percentage. I actually do not mind the high strikeout rate too much since he was in the 95th percentile in many of the important power metrics: average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, expected wOBA on contact, barrel rate, and bat speed. He was also near the top 90th percentile in walk rate and expected slugging, while posting good chase rates. He is not a free swinger, so while he may miss (5th percentile whiff rate), when he connects, the ball is likely feeling pain from being hit so dang hard. His spray chart also signals a varied approach, which means that his numbers could tick up if he chose to increase the 11% pulled air rate. Steamer also expects that the 6’7″ lefty does not have much difference in his game versus pitchers of either handedness. Plus, he follows the mantra “everyone chips in power and steals.”
Considered: Only power hitters, which Woods felt like was the only player that made sense.
4th Round: Mookie Betts
“Everyone chips power and some steals” is the running mantra through my mind as I was only considering hitters at this part of the draft. For Mookie Betts, the chant falls apart a little, but he did finish September with six home runs and a .578 slugging percentage. Despite the poor power metrics, he does pull the ball in the air at above-average levels (24% pulled air), signaling that he may rebound in 2026 with full health from spring training. I also like that his plate discipline is top-notch, with 90th percentile in chase rate, whiff rate, and strikeout rate. Although the speed may not get back to 20 steals, I would anticipate more than the eight steals projected above, and I’ll gladly accept double digits.
Considered: Only looking at hitters, but someone jumped Zach Neto, and it was way too early to take Ben Rice. Given the state of my first and third base, I should have more seriously considered Austin Riley, Matt Olson, or Josh Naylor.
5th Round: Hunter Greene
Hunter Greene is my favorite ace pick because he could generate top-5 starter value from outside the fifth round. He is a power pitcher who balled out when healthy. His injury wasn’t arm-related, so I’m excited to see what happens with 150+ innings in 2026. Ok, you think that’s too high? Can we get 140+ IP of the 29 K% projected above? Sign me up! I am also forever grateful for Greene throwing a complete game, nine-strikeout game during the final round of the fantasy baseball playoffs.
Considered: Cole Ragans, Spencer Strider, Jacob deGrom, or another power hitter.
6th Round: Spencer Strider
Here was a pivot point in the draft where taking another hitter solidified category strengths, vs. selecting a second pitcher buffered the risk of taking Greene. I choose Strider because his strikeout ceiling is so dang high! Strikeouts keep runners off the bases. Fewer runners on base leads to fewer runs being scored. When healthy, Strider was posting 200 strikeouts a season. I am not too concerned about any lingering effects of his injury and am expecting him to do a better job at limiting the hard contact after another offseason to recover. Strider finished September with a solid mark of 26:13 K:BB. The downside is that he was hit often, posting a 1.44 WHIP that is .30 above his career rate. We do need to watch the fastball velocity, which has fallen about one mph each of the last four seasons. It will be important to see improvements in his changeup and curveball as a suitable third option should the fastball become a diminished product.
Considered: Nico Hoerner, but then I identified Jackson Holliday as my target 2B. Luke Keaschall was the alternate pick, so I didn’t feel the need to jump Hoerner in this round.
7th Round: Mason Miller
I fully believe Mason Miller is the closer in San Diego and don’t buy into the chatter about him becoming a starter. He eclipsed 100 strikeouts and 20 saves for the second consecutive season, which is a nice floor. San Diego will likely continue to deploy him over multiple innings, which is the best transition plan if they do envision him one day returning to the role as a starter.
Considered: Only the best available closers, so probably Miller, Andrés Muñoz, or bust. Josh Hader felt like too much of a risk at this stage of the draft, and I am not considering Aroldis Chapman, Edwin Díaz, or Carlos Estévez.
8th Round: Kyle Bradish
Kyle Bradish came on strong in the last month of fantasy baseball, so many distracted drafters may not realize his actual value. The SGP model had his name pop up really high, so I placed him high on the queue ahead of the more established pitchers like Nick Pivetta, Dylan Cease, Blake Snell, and Joe Ryan, among others. Bradish posted 37 strikeouts and five walks in the last five games over 25 innings. Maybe we will finally get the breakout we thought he would duplicate after 2023.
Considered: Only starters, as I didn’t see any hitters that would give my team an edge at this point in the draft.
9th Round: Jakob Marsee
A big reach that won’t squeeze much value if he doesn’t hit at least an 80% outcome of 15/40 and .260 as a leadoff hitter. I wasn’t confident that I could find this profile later, so it felt like the right spot. I also believed strongly in his profile as based on my recent article.
Considered: A second baseman like Hoerner or Holliday, but ultimately, Kyle Stowers should probably always go a 1-2 rounds ahead of Marsee due to the raw power.
10th Round: Emmet Sheehan
Feed me more K monsters like Sheehan. He posted a 42% strike rate in Triple-A and then followed that up with a 31% strikeout rate in the Major Leagues. Assuming Los Angeles doesn’t add another starter in the offseason—which is always a risk with a spendthrift organization like the Dodgers—he should be in the starting six for Los Angeles out of the gate. Sheehan had 35 strikeouts to six walks in the last five games over 25.1 innings. He is posting 30% whiffs on the changeup and a 46% whiff rate on the slider. The 96 mph four-seamer has 18” IVB and a .200 average. Those pitch profiles give me confidence that he will earn his place, so I’m confident he will find a place. Furthermore, I want to stream starters from my bench to keep this kind of high upside player from my opponents.
Considered: Hoerner or Jose Altuve.
11th Round: David Bednar
Even if you don’t agree with David Bednar as a closer, I would have drafted the best available closer at the time here. I saw Bednar in a good light, given how he performed down the stretch for a playoff time. In Yahoo leagues, I want a core of strengths that will make it easier to stream for needs or starters. By having two closers and at least four strong starters, I can take chances with picks. Bednar gives the squad at least 60 projected saves and a solid core from which to add more arms.
Considered: Josh Hader, Cade Smith.
12th Round: Sandy Alcantara
At this stage of his career, Sandy Alcantara makes for an excellent fourth or fifth starter. He helps anchor the team pitching statistics and will drop due to the horrid overall numbers. If they don’t dig deeper, they may not see that Alcantara earned eight quality starts in his final eleven games. If Sheehan doesn’t begin in the rotation, then Sandy can stop right in.
Considered: Kevin Gausman
13th Round: Luke Keaschall
I missed out on Hoerner, and then Holliday didn’t make it back around, so it was important to get the next best upside second basemen. The drafting public is a bit more aggressive on Keaschall. Yes, I also strongly believe in the skills and that he will be hitting in the top third of this lineup all season. Keaschall should easily break 500 PA and smash these projected counting stats.
Considered: I saw Yandy Díaz as a solid choice and he was immediately taken by the next manager.
14th Round: Royce Lewis
Royce Lewis had some moments in September that demonstrate a potential comeback to relevancy in fantasy baseball. The nine steals in September were unexpected, but they helped establish a higher floor for 2026. Steamer seems to like his skill set and gives him one of the highest batting averages at the position. He has not done much to justify a significant positive regression, but his plate discipline metrics have held steady, while the only power metric to dip was his barrel rate. The best part of his 2025 is that he broke 400 PA for the first time in his career.
Considered: Didn’t look much beyond Jonathan Aranda or Lewis as a pick here because the first base and third base pool was thinning.
15th Round: Jonathan Aranda
I was the last team to select a first baseman, so it was getting necessary to lock in the best chance at upside. Jonathan Aranda actually had better numbers on the road than in his home park in 2025. He was on the injured list for most of the second half, but came back to bang out two home runs and five RBI over the last three games.
Considered: Had to have a first baseman.
16th Round: Abner Uribe
What’s better than having two closers? Yup, having three closers! Uribe is most definitely going to assume the closer role, assuming his arm doesn’t fall off after throwing 5 times the number of innings he did in 2024.
Considered: Devin Williams, Will Vest, and I should have started eyeing Sal Stewart.
17th Round: Bryan Reynolds
Selecting Bryan Reynolds was akin to drafting Alcantara. Reynolds shores up a potential risk by providing a stable source of stats. Although the power metrics are likely to continue their downward trajectory, he is still striking the ball ok with good plate discipline. The hope would be that 2024 was an outlier of poor play and that he can revert to 20 home runs. If I consult my old-timey fantasy baseball scouting, I see that Reynolds put up a career best 38 doubles in 2025. If only a few more of those could travel over the wall, then maybe we would be back to the good ol’ times.
Considered: Reynolds and Brenton Doyle. Both outfielders are extreme values after down years, which makes them good buy-low options. Yet, I missed out on Sal Stewart, who would have been a nice backup option to Aranda.
18th Round: Colson Montgomery
Unfortunately, Sal Stewart went at the start of the round, so I was hunting for power. Colson Montgomery put on a power display for a glorious few weeks. The interesting thing is how his three months of results were divided. In August, he hit 10 home runs, but hit under .200 with a .255 OBP. I would prefer the September stat line when he hit six home runs with a .267 average and .362 OBP. Montgomery missed out on qualifying at 3B, but could earn it back in 2026.
Considered: I missed on Sal Stewart, so getting a power-hitting corner infielder felt like a priority.
19th Round: Quinn Priester
Ivan Herrera should have been the pick here, but I don’t mind keeping Quinn Priester on the bench as the primary substitute starter. He scrapped the four-seamer in favor of more sinkers, and it appears to have done the trick as he maintained a high 55% groundball rate and improved the strikeout rate to a career high 20%. He is not a strikeout demon like his teammates above, but he did have three 10-strikeout games, one of which was against the Dodgers.
Considered: Will Warren, Brayan Bello.
20th Round: José Caballero
This is a format pick. José Caballero can be a weekend stream for those weeks when the steals category needs a boost. In addition, there is some suggestion that he could be in the starting lineup more often with Anthony Volpe likely to start the season on the injured list.
Considered: Luis García Jr., Christian Walker, Xavier Edwards.
21st Round: Andrew Painter
I felt the need to take one long-shot prospect pick. With the uncertainty around the health of Zack Wheeler, Andrew Painter could easily find himself in the rotation towards the start of the year. I outlined reasons why I am optimistic for a Painter breakout in 2026 here. Given my roster, he would be first in line to be dropped if another need arises or if his spring performance doesn’t show any improvements.
Considered: Ryan Weathers, Will Warren. I am also intrigued by the mystery box of Tatsuya Imai.
22nd Round: Alejandro Kirk
In a 12-team league, there was little motivation to draft a catcher much higher than the last few rounds, although I should have considered Ivan Herrera, since he would qualify for catcher in Yahoo. Catcher prices were greatly depressed in this mock, so I would be cautious about reading too much into their ADP. Kirk was auto-drafted for me, but I’m not mad that he is on the squad. In addition, if he falls flat, there is no heartache if I need to move on to a better-performing catcher.
Considered: Kyle Teel, Carter Jensen, J.T. Realmuto.
23rd Round: Brett Baty
Bretty Baty represents an upside pick if the team gives him more playing time than Steamer projects. He does sit versus the majority of lefties, but would be the main beneficiary if Pete Alonso doesn’t resign with the team. In addition, you could play matchups in a daily moves format to take advantage of his better platoon splits versus righties. In 2025, he vastly improved his power metrics by doubling his career barrel rate and improving bat speed, while maintaining strong plate discipline (low chase rate). This is the gamble pick to see if he can maintain those gains.
Considered: Samuel Basallo, Dylan Crews.
Conclusion
Below are the total results based on early Steamer projections. Colson Montgomery was used as the second utility spot, and Abner Uribe was slotted into the fourth pitcher spot. The totals are an underestimate based on my tendency to stream pitchers and the likelihood of benching struggling hitters during a cold streak. In addition, this forecasted total is not as relevant in a head-to-head format, but is interesting to ponder nonetheless.
I believe that this is one of the strongest pitching staffs in this league, and I didn’t take my first pitcher until the fifth round. If this is how drafts play out, then I will continue to wait on pitching. The other team with Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Logan Gilbert is very strong, but then falls off on the reliever front with Daniel Palencia and the recently waived Pete Fairbanks. There is risk in my rotation, but the extremely high strikeout upside for Greene, Strider, Bradish, and Sheehan is balanced with innings eater Alcantara and three strong ratio monsters in Miller, Bednar, and Uribe. Looking around the draft board, another manager passed on pitchers all the way until the seventh round and ended up with a good group in Snell, Jacob Misiorowski, Pivetta, Robert Suarez, and Trevor Megill.
Overall, I like the team, but I will need to adjust my draft strategy on Marsee, Sheehan, and Bradish as they were selected a touch high. The hitters started strong, but then faded as the best options were taken off the board. For future Yahoo drafts with two utility spots, I will aim to take another power hitter instead of a hitter in the first ten rounds. And just as a point of emphasis, I will do a better job scouring the player pool in each draft room to identify players like Sal Stewart who are buried down the list. Lastly, I will probably base my second base options around Jackson Holliday, Luke Keaschall, Nico Hoerner, and Jorge Polanco as a last resort. Holliday did enough positive things each month that I believe he is in line for a breakout in 2026.
Thanks for reading, and as always, go Villains!
