Couch Managers 2017 Industry Mock Draft Recap, Rounds 7-12

Earlier this week, I posted the first six rounds of the Couch Managers 2017 Industry Mock Draft. You’re never going to believe this, but I’m now going to post rounds 7-12. At the end of it all, there will be four posts and 23 total rounds. It’s a lot of work, but you guys are worth it.

Here is a quick recap of the league rules for this mock:

This mock was for a 15-team, 5×5 roto, with 23 roster spots made up of 9 pitchers (9), 1 spot for each position (8), a second catcher (1), 2 more outfielders (2), one corner infielder (1), one middle infielder (1), and one utility position (1).

As I did the last time, I’ll post the rounds below with some of my thoughts beneath the picks. I’ll keep the thoughts brief since we have a bunch of rounds to get through. That pissed off at least one commenter last time who apparently wanted more Mike Maher analysis and less Mike Maher patting himself on the back. Let’s see if I can do better this time around…

Round 7 thoughts: After taking Kenley Jansen at the end of the 6th round, Sporer kicks off the 7th by taking another closer. Taking back-to-back closers on the wheel is a strategy that I am seeing more of, and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. I love Alex Bregman pick for @Team_Heaney. That kid can rake, and he is going to be a stud. 94 is too early for Sano. I have him at around 150, but it could work out if he can stay healthy and productive and put up 30+ homers. I don’t like the rest here, though. I added my second pitcher, grabbing Porcello at 93. I don’t love the pick, but it made sense for my team based on what was available.

Round 8 thoughts: There’s another example of back-to-back closers at the wheel. Getting Greinke at 107 is good value. He’ll go before that in most drafts. Look for his ADP to be around 85 or so. The run on relievers continued. Once someone got that ball rolling in a 15-team league, there was no stopping it. This was the round where I decided I was just going to have to wait until late and then just take whatever relievers were left over. I don’t like to reach for a position like that just because there is a run. This league starts five outfielders, and I only had one so far, so I grabbed Khris Davis to add a little pop. I have Brad Miller 50 spots lower in my rankings right now. I just don’t see him putting up 30 home runs again, and without those, his value starts to decline pretty quickly. He’s a big regression candidate for me.

Round 9 thoughts: I was hoping to get my boy J.T. Realmuto in the 10th, so I was pretty disappointed to see him go here. If anyone read my Frankencatcher Reports on Razzball last year, you know I’m a big Realmuto fan. Other than that, I think I like most of the picks in this round. Cole at 121 is great value. That might be my favorite pick of the draft so far. I had him in my queue and was going to consider him if he made it to me. I was able to get Jose Ramirez as my utility with 3B and OF eligibility at 123, which is right around where I have him ranked right now. This league is 5×5 and doesn’t have holds, so that is the only reason Andrew Miller made it this deep into the run on relievers.

Round 10 thoughts: Alex Reyes is a really interesting player to watch in drafts this year. His ADP is around 205 right now, but the really interesting part is how divided people seem to be on him. Some experts have him ranked closer to 100. Some have him as low as 295. His consensus ranking on FantasyPros is 232 right now. This isn’t a bad spot for him, but I personally wouldn’t take him before Matt Harvey, Felix Hernandez, Jameson Taillon, or Rich Hill, who were all still on the board. Hunter Renfroe has a similar split right now, but I grabbed him based on potential and pedigree alone. That kid is going to be an absolute stud. It’s just a matter of when. He dominated in AAA last year and didn’t slow down when he was called up for two weeks.

Round 11 thoughts: I was surprised to see Felix Hernandez still on the board at 153. I know he had a bit of a down year last year, but he’s still pretty good. I mean, he just got drafted in the same round as Drew Smyly. Carlos Gomez, too. Michael Brantley is a pretty good gamble pick here. If he can get healthy, that could be a steal. That’s a big if, though. I like Taillon a lot, and I think he is going to be yet another one of those Pittsburgh pitchers you can count on. The Yasmany Tomas pick is an interesting one, and it is a bit of a gamble. Are the Diamondbacks going to trade him? If they don’t are they going to play him? If Tomas was guaranteed playing time, then I like the pick. But if the Diamondbacks are truly trying to improve their defense and are down on Tomas, then this pick could blow up rotoman.

Round 12 thoughts: I grabbed ben Zobrist in this round as what I view as a solid utility option who is going to hit. 2B and OF eligibility with a little bit of pop, was my thinking. Why not? As you can see in a deep league like this, things are starting to get interesting. These later rounds are where you are going to see people start to take some chances. I like the Eduardo Nunez pick a lot. 3B and SS eligible in most leagues, won’t hurt your average, and is going to steal a bunch of bases. If you miss out on the upper tier of shortstops, Nunez is a great player to add late like this.

After 12 rounds, we’re now more than half way done. I came away with Kris Bryant, Francisco Lindor, Rougned Odor, Kyle Seager, Stephen Strasburg, and Adam Jones in the first six rounds. Through the next six, I added Rick Porcello, Khris Davis, Jose Ramirez, Hunter Renfroe, Felix Hernandez, and Ben Zobrist. I was able to salvage my starting pitching after waiting on starters earlier in the draft, but I still need more outfielders, a first baseman, and two catchers. Once I missed on the catchers I wanted early, I decided to wait on that position. I wrote the Frankencatcher Report last year, after all. I would lose my identity if I walked out of this draft with a top tier catcher.

Which teams do you like the most and least so far?

If you want to talk fantasy football or have players you want Mike to feature, hit him up on Twitter at @mikeMaher or post a comment below!