2012 Fantasy Baseball Head-to-Head Points League Mock Draft Review

I’m not sure there has ever been a Super Bowl matchup less appealing to me and others in flyover country than New England vs. New York this past weekend, and, because of that, I’ll confess that my mind was really never once focused on Rob Gronkowski’s ankle, Tom Brady’s Buffalo hotel commentary or football this weekend, but rather fantasy baseball and specifically mock drafts on CBS Sportsline.

If you’ve been reading Fake Teams this offseason, by now you know that Mock Draft Central is the preeminent website for fantasy baseball mock drafts and a must-have "favorite" for any diehard fantasy baseball fan or Die Hard film fan that plays fantasy baseball. But, if you’re looking for head-to-head (H2H) points league mock drafts, you’ll definitely want to sign onto CBS Sportsline and participate in their daily mock drafts like I did this past weekend.

After joining a couple of mock drafts on CBS Sportsline on Friday to get a feel of the program and the general behavior of points league drafters this season, I took a more serious approach on Saturday for one particular draft that I’d like to share the results of.

H2H Points League Mock Draft Results after the jump:

This particular mock draft was a 10-team, AL/NL league with a nearly identical scoring format to the one referenced throughout my 2012 Fantasy Baseball H2H Points League Rankings and rosters consisting of C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF (3), UTL, P (7), Bench (6):

My Picks Rounds 1-5:

1. CC Sabathia, NYY (8)
2. Dustin Pedroia, BOS (13)
3. Mark Teixeira, NYY (28)
4. Carlos Gonzalez, COL (33)
5. Madison Bumgarner, SF (48)

It’s my firm belief you need at least one ace pitcher in a H2H points league roster and had I not chosen Sabathia with my first pick that might not have been possible due to a serious SP run to start the draft. Then, I took my own advice from my point differential article and chose Dustin Pedroia in the 2nd Round after Robinson Cano was chosen 11th overall. CarGo in the 4th Round could prove to be a steal and Madison Bumgarner in the 5th Round ensured I would have two of my Top 25 Starting Pitchers for 2012.

Notes on Rounds 1-5:

Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander were the first two picks to start the draft with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Sabathia also selected in the 1st Round. Overall, there were 24 pitchers selected in the first five rounds. Miguel Cabrera was selected 3rd overall as the first position player off the board and is my number one player for 2012 H2H Points Leagues.

Best Pick:

Evan Longoria, TB (24)

Third base had the second highest point differential to second base in 2011 and many believe Longoria could surpass Bautista as the top third baseman in 2012.

Worst Pick:

Mike Stanton, MIA (29)

Whether or not you believe Mike Stanton is overrated in standard drafts, there is no doubt he was overrated in this draft. As referenced in my Top 25 Outfielder Rankings, Mike Stanton strikes out way too much to be of much value in H2H points leagues. In 2011, Stanton was outscored by 31 outfielders and while it’s possible he improves in 2012, there is no chance his performance will merit a 3rd Round selection.

My Picks Rounds 6-10:

6. Mat Latos, CIN (53)
7. Yu Darvish, TEX (68)
8. Shin-Soo Choo, CLE (73)
9. Eric Hosmer, KC (88)
10. John Axford, MIL (93)

Mat Latos was near the beginning of my Top 26-50 Starting Pitcher Rankings and should be a good source of points via strikeouts and wins, even if his ERA and WHIP suffer somewhat at Great American Ballpark. Considering the emphasis on pitching in this draft and most points league drafts, Darvish could win me the league or be an utter waste of a pick, but it’s typically around the 7th and 8th Rounds of drafts where I don’t mind taking a slight risk. I’m betting on a bounce-back from Choo in 2012 and was happy to have Eric Hosmer in the 9th Round as my UTL and backup to Mark Teixeira. Axford marked the third RP selected with Craig Kimbrel and Mariano Rivera being chosen earlier in the draft.

Notes on Rounds 6-10:

Craig Kimbrel marked the first RP off the board in Round 6 while Carlos Santana was the first catcher off the board in that same round.

Best Pick:

Craig Kimbrel, ATL (60)

Only five pitchers scored more points than Craig Kimbrel in 2011 and considering 30 SP had been drafted to this point, the Braves’ sophomore closer should be a sneaky source of elite points in the 6th Round.

Worst Pick:

Dustin Ackley, SEA (100)

Chase Utley, Rickie Weeks, Ryan Roberts, Neil Walker, Howie Kendrick and Jemille Weeks were all selected much later than Ackley while Jason Kipnis went undrafted. Like many others, I’m completely confused by the Ackley hype this offseason as he doesn’t project to hit more than 10-15 HR or steal more than 10-15 SB.

My Picks Rounds 11-15:

11. Elvis Andrus, TEX (108)
12. Adam Jones, BAL (113)
13. Jonathan Papelbon, PHI (128)
14. Aramis Ramirez, MIL (133)
15. Michael Cuddyer, COL (148)

In my 2012 Shortstop Rankings, Andrus was ranked 6th and the 11th Round seemed like an appropriate time to draft him. Hopefully his OPS continues to improve as it did in 2011. Adam "Not Pacman" Jones could be a steal in the 12th Round and is the third outfielder on my team from my Top 25 Rankings. Papelbon should be in my rotation every week alongside Axford and Ramirez could get off to a better start in 2012 than past seasons thanks to the controlled climate of Miller Park. Cuddyer provides depth at 2B, 1B and OF and could find his way into my lineup on weeks the Rockies play six or seven games at Coors Field.

Notes on Rounds 11-15:

Owners wisely waited until the mid rounds to select shortstops and catchers with nine being selected in Rounds 11-15. Both shortstop and catcher offered minimal value in terms of point differential in 2011.

Best Pick:

Chase Utley, PHI (137)

It’s clear that Utley is entering the downside of his career, but considering he offered 2nd Round talent only two seasons ago, there is plenty of reason to believe he can drastically outperform his 137th overall selection.

Worst Pick:

Javier Vazquez, MIA (138)

All indications are that Vazquez will retire prior to the start of the 2012 season. Were he to pitch for the Marlins or another team in 2012, this could prove to be a good selection but with other pitching options more likely to contribute this season, Vazquez seems like a reach in Round 14.

My Picks Rounds 16-22:

16. Scott Baker, MIN (153)
17. Jesus Montero, SEA (168)
18. Mark Buehrle, MIA (173)
19. Ryan Roberts, ARZ (188)
20. Russell Martin, NYY (193)
21. Kenley Jansen, LAD (208)
22. Brandon McCarthy, OAK (213)

All signs are that Baker should be healthy to start 2012 and could provide elite point potential were he able to remain so for most of the year. Montero will most likely spend much of April on my bench until he gains catcher eligibility, but once he does, he should be a staple of both my and the Mariners lineup. Until then, Martin would act as my backstop and you could do worse than someone batting 7th or 8th in the Yankees lineup. Once Monetro does qualify at catcher its likely I would then drop Martin for more pitching depth. Depending on when or if the Dodgers turn to Jansen as their closer, he could be a major source of points thanks to his phenomenal K/9. While McCarthy won’t offer much in the way of points via wins, he shouldn’t hurt me most nights and could be an excellent streaming option in two-start weeks at home.

Notes on Rounds 16-22:

For the most part, owners used the last seven rounds to build rotation depth as is common in weekly points leagues where bench players aren’t nearly the focus they are in daily league formats.

Best Pick:

Joe Mauer, MIN (151)

The 16th Round seems like an excellent time to take the chance on Joe Mauer returning to his elite level of performance prior to the 2010 season.

Worst Pick:

Alexei Ogando, TEX (177)

This owner must not have heard that Ogando would be returning to the bullpen in 2012. Were he to be a starter, this would be an excellent choice, but since holds are worthless in this format and Ogando doesn’t figure to see any save opportunities with Nathan and Adams ahead of him on the depth chart, it’s hard to imagine Ogando providing owners many points in ’12.

Final Roster:

C - Russell Martin (Jesus Montero)
1B - Mark Teixeira
2B - Dustin Pedroia
3B - Aramis Ramirez
SS - Elvis Andrus
OF - Carlos Gonzalez
OF - Shin-Soo Choo
OF - Adam Jones
UT - Eric Hosmer
BN - Michael Cuddyer
BN - Jesus Montero
BN - Ryan Roberts
P - CC Sabathia
P - Madison Bumgarner
P - Mat Latos
P - Yu Darvish
P - Scott Baker
P - Mark Buehrle
P - Brandon McCarthy
P - John Axford
P - Jonathan Papelbon
P - Kenley Jansen

What do you think about that roster? For more questions on this H2H points league mock draft or points league strategy, please comment below.