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A little over a month ago, we held our first mock draft for 2025, and some of the picks were straight-up bananas.

It could be that I'm the problem. After all, much of the early ADP data on NFBC also has me scratching my head. So, while some of the picks in this latest mock, our second for 2025, raised an eyebrow for me, I'm choosing instead to focus on the ones that were inspired by the scoring format, in this case, Head-to-Head points.

For instance, Juan Soto was the second overall pick in this draft when he often goes outside the top five in Rotisserie. It's less a response to his record-setting agreement with the Mets (not that I'd say he loses value with that move) and more a response to a format that rewards walks and penalizes strikeouts for hitters. Soto deserves special distinction in such a format, having walked (129) more than he struck out (119) for a fifth consecutive season, which is a rare feat for any hitter but particularly one with first-round credentials. Head-to-Head points participants also aren't so concerned with Soto's lack of stolen bases. The stat still has value in this format, but it's not essential like in Rotisserie.

Of course, these appeals to format can sometimes go too far, which I think is what happened with Bobby Witt sliding to sixth. Witt, the consensus No. 2 overall pick, derives much of his value from stolen bases and is a middling walker at best, so the prevailing belief is that he loses value in Head-to-Head points leagues. But again, stolen bases are still worth something in this format, and for what Witt lacks in walks, he makes up for in strikeout avoidance, whiffing just 15 percent of the time this past season. In fact, his 4.16 Head-to-Head points per game were the third-most for any hitter -- more than Soto, notably. It's why I was thrilled to take Witt with my first-round pick, and even seeing Corey Seager last to the middle of Round 5 didn't change that. Thank goodness for utility spots, right?

Head-to-Head points is also known as a format that favors starting pitchers, and while I think that's an oversimplification and applies only up to a certain point, I wasn't surprised to see one taken in Round 1. It being Paul Skenes was a mild surprise, though. Given that he just delivered a 1.96 ERA as a rookie, his upside may well be the highest of any pitcher, but he has yet to prove he can take on the sort of ace workload that we should know better than to presume in the year 2024, which concerns me all the more in a Head-to-Head points league where innings are worth three points apiece. Such a format tends to reward volume over efficiency in general, but especially on the pitching side.

Finally, there's the emphasis on SPARPs in Head-to-Head points leagues, which is to say starting pitchers as relief pitchers, which is to say relief pitcher-eligible starting pitchers. The good ones tend to outscore even the best closers, so many of us saw fit to speculate over who might inhabit such a role. Confirmed SPARPs Nick Martinez, Bowden Francis, Clay Holmes, and Kris Bubic went 124th, 137th, 174th, and 245th, respectively. Meanwhile, relief pitchers rumored to be moving into a starting role include Jeff Hoffman (200), Griffin Jax (214), Mike Soroka (227), and Drew Rasmussen (231).

Here's who all took part in this draft:

1) Nick Fox, NBC Sports (@CT_FOX)
2) Phil Ponebshek, Patton & Company
3) Frank Stampfl, CBS Sports (@Roto_Frank)
4) B_Don, Razzball (@RazzBDon)
5) Dave Funnell, Prospects1500 (@sportz_nutt51)
6) Scott White, CBS Sports (@CBSScottWhite)
7) Joe Schubert, It's The Bigs podcast (@itsthebigspod)
8) Chris Towers, CBS Sports (@CTowersCBS)
9) JR Fenton, TGFBI participant
10) Jeremy Heist, Fantistics Fantasy (@heistjm)
11) Chris Mitchell, FantasyData (@CJMitch73)
12) The Fantasy Gospel (@fantasy_gospel)

Just a few more observations before we get to the results:

  • You'll notice I didn't select a starting pitcher until Round 7, which might seem particularly strange in a format that's known to favor pitching, but the position is staggeringly deep right now, with only superficial distinctions to be found between 15 and, say, 50 in my rankings. I aim to load up on that group once I'm convinced the stud bats are all gone. You can judge for yourself whether my pitching staff looks like a competitive one, but I plan to stick with the approach.
  • Closers tend to be afterthoughts in Head-to-Head points leagues since every team has only two relief pitcher spots to fill, and some of those are occupied by SPARPs. Ryan Helsley clearly went too early at Pick 35. The next closer (Emmanuel Clase) didn't go off the board until Pick 88, and stud closers were available for several more rounds still. Shoot, Devin Williams lasted until Pick 125.
  • For the second time in as many of our mock drafts, Junior Caminero went about 40 picks ahead of his ADP, this time settling at 61, a spot ahead of format specialist Alex Bregman and several rounds ahead of Jordan Westburg, Royce Lewis, and Matt Chapman. I like Caminero so much that I recorded a song about it, but I also believe in safeguarding against downside for unproven players. I simply won't be drafting him at that cost, so let's hope it's a CBS-specific fluke.
  • This draft marked the first where I saw Caleb Durbin go off the board. The 24-year-old is a contender for the Yankees second base job, with Gleyber Torres hitting the open market and had a big showing in the Arizona Fall League despite lacking in prospect pedigree. I can see the sleeper appeal, but I can't see taking him 180th overall, much less ahead of Carlos Correa, who averaged nearly as many points per game as Trea Turner last year.
  • Other players who struck me as being drafted too early include Matt Olson (20), Jacob deGrom (36), Spencer Steer (47), Kevin Gausman (83), Brice Turang (86), Kutter Crawford (144) and Mitch Keller (145).

(Note that certain players' team designations aren't quite up to date, a product of the draft results populating automatically. It's still the offseason, after all, so not all gears are turning with their usual speed.)

Round By Round
Round 1
Pos Team Player
1 JR Fenton
2 Frank Stampfl
3 Joe Schubert
4 The Fantasy Gospel
5 B_Don
6 Scott White
7 Chris Mitchell
8 Dave Funnell
9 Jeremy Heist
10 Chris Towers
11 Phil Ponebshek
12 Nick Fox
Round 2
Pos Team Player
13 Nick Fox
14 Phil Ponebshek
15 Chris Towers
16 Jeremy Heist
17 Dave Funnell
18 Chris Mitchell
19 Scott White
20 B_Don
21 The Fantasy Gospel
22 Joe Schubert
23 Frank Stampfl
24 JR Fenton
Round 3
Pos Team Player
25 JR Fenton
26 Frank Stampfl
27 Joe Schubert
28 The Fantasy Gospel
29 B_Don
30 Scott White
31 Chris Mitchell
32 Dave Funnell
33 Jeremy Heist
34 Chris Towers
35 Phil Ponebshek
36 Nick Fox
Round 4
Pos Team Player
37 Nick Fox
38 Phil Ponebshek
39 Chris Towers
40 Jeremy Heist
41 Dave Funnell
42 Chris Mitchell
43 Scott White
44 B_Don
45 The Fantasy Gospel
46 Joe Schubert
47 Frank Stampfl
48 JR Fenton
Round 5
Pos Team Player
49 JR Fenton
50 Frank Stampfl
51 Joe Schubert
52 The Fantasy Gospel
53 B_Don
54 Scott White
55 Chris Mitchell
56 Dave Funnell
57 Jeremy Heist
58 Chris Towers
59 Phil Ponebshek
60 Nick Fox
Round 6
Pos Team Player
61 Nick Fox
62 Phil Ponebshek
63 Chris Towers
64 Jeremy Heist
65 Dave Funnell
66 Chris Mitchell
67 Scott White
68 B_Don
69 The Fantasy Gospel
70 Joe Schubert
71 Frank Stampfl
72 JR Fenton
Round 7
Pos Team Player
73 JR Fenton
74 Frank Stampfl
75 Joe Schubert
76 The Fantasy Gospel
77 B_Don
78 Scott White
79 Chris Mitchell
80 Dave Funnell
81 Jeremy Heist
82 Chris Towers
83 Phil Ponebshek
84 Nick Fox
Round 8
Pos Team Player
85 Nick Fox
86 Phil Ponebshek
87 Chris Towers
88 Jeremy Heist
89 Dave Funnell
90 Chris Mitchell
91 Scott White
92 B_Don
93 The Fantasy Gospel
94 Joe Schubert
95 Frank Stampfl
96 JR Fenton
Round 9
Pos Team Player
97 JR Fenton
98 Frank Stampfl
99 Joe Schubert
100 The Fantasy Gospel
101 B_Don
102 Scott White
103 Chris Mitchell
104 Dave Funnell
105 Jeremy Heist
106 Chris Towers
107 Phil Ponebshek
108 Nick Fox
Round 10
Pos Team Player
109 Nick Fox
110 Phil Ponebshek
111 Chris Towers
112 Jeremy Heist
113 Dave Funnell
114 Chris Mitchell
115 Scott White
116 B_Don
117 The Fantasy Gospel
118 Joe Schubert
119 Frank Stampfl
120 JR Fenton
Round 11
Pos Team Player
121 JR Fenton
122 Frank Stampfl
123 Joe Schubert
124 The Fantasy Gospel
125 B_Don
126 Scott White
127 Chris Mitchell
128 Dave Funnell
129 Jeremy Heist
130 Chris Towers
131 Phil Ponebshek
132 Nick Fox
Round 12
Pos Team Player
133 Nick Fox
134 Phil Ponebshek
135 Chris Towers
136 Jeremy Heist
137 Dave Funnell
138 Chris Mitchell
139 Scott White
140 B_Don
141 The Fantasy Gospel
142 Joe Schubert
143 Frank Stampfl
144 JR Fenton
Round 13
Pos Team Player
145 JR Fenton
146 Frank Stampfl
147 Joe Schubert
148 The Fantasy Gospel
149 B_Don
150 Scott White
151 Chris Mitchell
152 Dave Funnell
153 Jeremy Heist
154 Chris Towers
155 Phil Ponebshek
156 Nick Fox
Round 14
Pos Team Player
157 Nick Fox
158 Phil Ponebshek
159 Chris Towers
160 Jeremy Heist
161 Dave Funnell
162 Chris Mitchell
163 Scott White
164 B_Don
165 The Fantasy Gospel
166 Joe Schubert
167 Frank Stampfl
168 JR Fenton
Round 15
Pos Team Player
169 JR Fenton
170 Frank Stampfl
171 Joe Schubert
172 The Fantasy Gospel
173 B_Don
174 Scott White
175 Chris Mitchell
176 Dave Funnell
177 Jeremy Heist
178 Chris Towers
179 Phil Ponebshek
180 Nick Fox
Round 16
Pos Team Player
181 Nick Fox
182 Phil Ponebshek
183 Chris Towers
184 Jeremy Heist
185 Dave Funnell
186 Chris Mitchell
187 Scott White
188 B_Don
189 The Fantasy Gospel
190 Joe Schubert
191 Frank Stampfl
192 JR Fenton
Round 17
Pos Team Player
193 JR Fenton
194 Frank Stampfl
195 Joe Schubert
196 The Fantasy Gospel
197 B_Don
198 Scott White
199 Chris Mitchell
200 Dave Funnell
201 Jeremy Heist
202 Chris Towers
203 Phil Ponebshek
204 Nick Fox
Round 18
Pos Team Player
205 Nick Fox
206 Phil Ponebshek
207 Chris Towers
208 Jeremy Heist
209 Dave Funnell
210 Chris Mitchell
211 Scott White
212 B_Don
213 The Fantasy Gospel
214 Joe Schubert
215 Frank Stampfl
216 JR Fenton
Round 19
Pos Team Player
217 JR Fenton
218 Frank Stampfl
219 Joe Schubert
220 The Fantasy Gospel
221 B_Don
222 Scott White
223 Chris Mitchell
224 Dave Funnell
225 Jeremy Heist
226 Chris Towers
227 Phil Ponebshek
228 Nick Fox
Round 20
Pos Team Player
229 Nick Fox
230 Phil Ponebshek
231 Chris Towers
232 Jeremy Heist
233 Dave Funnell
234 Chris Mitchell
235 Scott White
236 B_Don
237 The Fantasy Gospel
238 Joe Schubert
239 Frank Stampfl
240 JR Fenton
Round 21
Pos Team Player
241 JR Fenton
242 Frank Stampfl
243 Joe Schubert
244 The Fantasy Gospel
245 B_Don
246 Scott White
247 Chris Mitchell
248 Dave Funnell
249 Jeremy Heist
250 Chris Towers
251 Phil Ponebshek
252 Nick Fox
Team by Team
JR Fenton
Rd Pk Player
1 1
2 24
3 25
4 48
5 49
6 72
7 73
8 96
9 97
10 120
11 121
12 144
13 145
14 168
15 169
16 192
17 193
18 216
19 217
20 240
21 241
Frank Stampfl
Rd Pk Player
1 2
2 23
3 26
4 47
5 50
6 71
7 74
8 95
9 98
10 119
11 122
12 143
13 146
14 167
15 170
16 191
17 194
18 215
19 218
20 239
21 242
Joe Schubert
Rd Pk Player
1 3
2 22
3 27
4 46
5 51
6 70
7 75
8 94
9 99
10 118
11 123
12 142
13 147
14 166
15 171
16 190
17 195
18 214
19 219
20 238
21 243
The Fantasy Gospel
Rd Pk Player
1 4
2 21
3 28
4 45
5 52
6 69
7 76
8 93
9 100
10 117
11 124
12 141
13 148
14 165
15 172
16 189
17 196
18 213
19 220
20 237
21 244
B_Don
Rd Pk Player
1 5
2 20
3 29
4 44
5 53
6 68
7 77
8 92
9 101
10 116
11 125
12 140
13 149
14 164
15 173
16 188
17 197
18 212
19 221
20 236
21 245
Scott White
Rd Pk Player
1 6
2 19
3 30
4 43
5 54
6 67
7 78
8 91
9 102
10 115
11 126
12 139
13 150
14 163
15 174
16 187
17 198
18 211
19 222
20 235
21 246
Chris Mitchell
Rd Pk Player
1 7
2 18
3 31
4 42
5 55
6 66
7 79
8 90
9 103
10 114
11 127
12 138
13 151
14 162
15 175
16 186
17 199
18 210
19 223
20 234
21 247
Dave Funnell
Rd Pk Player
1 8
2 17
3 32
4 41
5 56
6 65
7 80
8 89
9 104
10 113
11 128
12 137
13 152
14 161
15 176
16 185
17 200
18 209
19 224
20 233
21 248
Jeremy Heist
Rd Pk Player
1 9
2 16
3 33
4 40
5 57
6 64
7 81
8 88
9 105
10 112
11 129
12 136
13 153
14 160
15 177
16 184
17 201
18 208
19 225
20 232
21 249
Chris Towers
Rd Pk Player
1 10
2 15
3 34
4 39
5 58
6 63
7 82
8 87
9 106
10 111
11 130
12 135
13 154
14 159
15 178
16 183
17 202
18 207
19 226
20 231
21 250
Phil Ponebshek
Rd Pk Player
1 11
2 14
3 35
4 38
5 59
6 62
7 83
8 86
9 107
10 110
11 131
12 134
13 155
14 158
15 179
16 182
17 203
18 206
19 227
20 230
21 251
Nick Fox
Rd Pk Player
1 12
2 13
3 36
4 37
5 60
6 61
7 84
8 85
9 108
10 109
11 132
12 133
13 156
14 157
15 180
16 181
17 204
18 205
19 228
20 229
21 252