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Welcome in everybody to Fantasy Pros MLB.

Can you believe it?

We're here.

It's mock draft time.

It's me, Joey P.

Joe Piz appear with me, of course.

Back from the Dead is the Welsh. He has been sick all holiday season, but it's a new year. We're going to give it a shot, try to put him on a show here. It's our first mock draft of 2026. That's how you know, we've turned the page here, Fantasy Pros, from all the football stuff to all the baseball stuff. But of course, we're on our baseball channel on YouTube.

Make sure you subscribe to Fantasy Bros. MLB. And just like the last season of Stranger Things,

somebody here sounds a little bit like Vecna. So Welsh, why don't you show everybody the deep, dark,

scary voice that you've brought with you from this awful flu you've been battling for two weeks.

Oogly boogly. Yes, I do not, I don't sound quite as Welshish. So hopefully it's not finger nails on a chalkboard. This will actually be like the most self-conscious I will ever be on a show because I know I sound weird. And people are going to be like, what the hell? I have been knockdown sick. Me and Joe have been talking about it. We don't miss shows. I've missed some shows. But can't keep me away from mock drafts. So I'm back. That's right. Can't keep them away from mock draft. Can't do that. And today we got a fun mock draft for you. We're doing head-to-head roto categories. We're going to do standard five-by-5, right? So we're going to have your home runs, your RBIs, your stolen bases, your batting average, run score. We're going to have the wins, old-school style, ERA, whip, saves, and whatever Welsh's voice. Old-school style, you just said. Old-school 5-5, not the OBP. But that's not the batting average, not the quality starts. That the quality starts that's like I think that's old school style that's standard fantasy baseball like

standard old no when you're too cool for school you're like listen I can't do average and I can't

do ERA like that's fine but standard fantasy baseball is ERA standard five by five and the strikeouts being the fifth category. So we're standard. But Welsh, before we do this big mock draft, like in Stranger Things, I do want to tell you something very important. I got to get off my chest. All right. I don't like closers. Is that okay? I still, I just, I don't like clothes. Even in 2020.

He became the kid from, uh, what was the Bruce Willis movie like? I don't like closest. Well, you know, it's kind of like, you know, everyone's going to be listening to this saying the same thing, which is, yeah, Joe, we already knew that. Just like they didn't stranger things. All right. So, uh, we're going to go through here. I hope you've got catcher, first base, second base, third base shortstop, corner spots.

We've got catcher, first base, second base, third base shortstop, corner spots. We've got three outfielders because we don't want Welsh to die during the show. So we're going to try to keep it a little shorter today. We got ourselves two utility spots, nine open pitcher spots. So we're going to go ahead and rock and roll this bad boy. And of course, we want everybody to join in on the mock draft fund. We'll be using the draft simulator here from draft wizard, which you can obviously get in that mock draft lobby right now. It's fun. It's free. It's easy. Go to fantasyprose.com slash MLB draft wizard so you can start your simulations because, hey, you might still be off from the holidays and you're sitting around with a little time on your hands. Never too early to start working here. Maybe you were sick. Maybe you were sick for like 10 days and you got to have something to do. Mock draft. Maybe. All right. Welsh is going to draft from the 12 spots. We only have to hear him once per round talking about each of his players. I'm going to draft from the fifth spot here and we'll see how things unfold. Welsh, I have specifically not done any mocks yet. I wanted to come into this one with a fresh perspective. I know we've got some guys that haven't signed yet. I don't care. I love fantasy baseball. You love fantasy baseball. So have you, I mean, you haven't seen the

light a day. I assume you haven't done any mock drafts either. No, I did like a really way too

early mock draft, but I've spent all that time writing, analysis, research, all that type of stuff,

not application. It's application time now and I'm ready for it. It's application time. All right,

first couple picks off the board. Judge goes one. Otani goes to Bobby Wood Jr. Juan Soto. I took Jose Ramirez at three. Still love Jose Ramirez. He gives you power. He gives you speed. Third base is crap every single year. I mean, 30, 44, nobody talks about Jose Ramirez enough, I don't think. Like,

everyone talks about Aaron Judge and they should. No, Tani, obviously, is the god of all baseball. But Jose Ramirez, man, just keeps plugging along every single year. It's going to be 33 years old this year. Still love Ramirez, still loves what he brings. And at a premium position. Next up, Ronald Cunia early. No discounts on Ronald Cunia this year, Boys and Girls, 106, Corbyn Carroll, 107, Paul Skeen's at 108, Tariq Scoubles to get the back-to-back pitchers in round one. Ellie Delacruz goes at 110. Julio Rodriguez at 11. Welsh, you're up for two picks. Talk us through. All right, Gunner Anderson dropping to the, it's actually kind of tough on the wheel.

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