Leading up to the start of the fantasy season I will be recapping a mock draft each Friday from MockDraftCentral.  I advise you to check out MockDraftCentral, as it is a great place for an active mock draft, full of very knowledgeable fantasy players.  Each mock draft I participate in will be with regular fantasy players who I have no prior contact with, much like the public leagues most of you will be playing in.

The first mock draft I chose is an interesting one.  I had one draft this week where everyone fell to me in the draft, and I ended up dominating my opponents by 22 points in league projections.  I could share that, but that is best case scenario.  The more likely scenario is this draft.  In this draft I had virtually no one falling to me, being undercut on several occasions, and in one instance, being forced to scramble after three guys were taken right before my pick.  I still managed to finish in third place in season projections, finishing three points behind the first place team.  That’s all you can really ask for, as that puts this team in a great chance to compete if the right moves are made during the season.

League Settings:  5 x 5, 12 teams, Positions:  C (x 2), 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF (x 5), CI, MI, UTIL, P (x 9)

My Pick:  Ryan Braun is going early in the second round in most drafts.  I would have missed out on him had I waited.  I was deciding between Braun and Utley.  Braun’s numbers were phenomenal last season, and I feel I can get a high quality second basemen later.

Round Notables:  A lot of people are questioning Albert Pujols because of his elbow.  Last season he was plagued by the same injury, and put up a .327 average, 32 homers, 99 runs, and 103 RBIs.

My Pick:  I decided to hold off on Phillips, since there were only two outfielders left in my top tier, and this league starts five outfielders.  I went with Beltran over Lee because of the bonus I would get in stolen bases.

Round Notables:  Call me crazy, but I’d rather take a guy like Fielder who will hit 50 homers, rather than Crawford, who will steal 50 bases.  I can find a guy to steal 40 bases in the later rounds.  It’s hard to find a guy who hits 40 homers in the later rounds.  I also love the Brandon Phillips pick.

My Pick:  I went with the best player on my board with this pick.  Sure, this gives me two third basemen, but I love the depth.  If this were a real league, one person would probably be without an elite third baseman, which would provide me with great trade bait.  Until then I have a star in my corner infield spot.

Round Notables:  I have a feeling Alex Rios is on the verge of a breakout season.  He has improved his numbers every season, and is entering his prime this year.

My Pick:  I was hoping for Derrek Lee, but he was taken before me.  This left me deciding between Tulowitzki and Markakis.  I went with Tulowitzki due to the availability remaining between the two positions, plus I think Tulowitzki will be a stud this year.

Round Notables:  I think Markakis could have a similar season to what we saw from Alex Rios last year.  For the record, I am against taking closers this high.

My Pick:  Robinson Cano was the guy I had my eye on since I passed up on Phillips, and this was the round I targeted for him.  When he was taken I immediately shifted my attention to Corey Hart.  After Hart went, I focused on Carlos Pena, who also went.  Finally I was left deciding between Byrnes, Torii Hunter, and Carlos Guillen.  I like the steals and homers from Byrnes.  Maybe last year was a contract year, but I think he can still top 20 homers and 30 steals this season.

Round Notables:  I’m not a fan of Adam Dunn because of his average.  However, in a deep league like this, you can afford to have one 40+ home run guy with a low average, as long as you make it up elsewhere.  Corey Hart was my favorite in this round.

My Pick:  I was hoping Hunter or Guillen would fall to me, and I got Guillen.  20 homers may be low for a first baseman, but the potential 15 steals and .300+ average will make up for that.

Round Notables:  Chipper Jones has really taken a drop, and mostly due to injury concerns.  However, he admits to being injured last season, and he posted a .337 average with 29 homers.  Jones is getting some great value in mock drafts.

My Pick:  I was focused on starting pitchers with a lot of my second tier guys flying off the board.  I decided to hold off until the next round for a pitcher and take my final second tier outfielder in Matsui.

Round Props:  Shane Victorino is the poor man’s Jose Reyes.  Sure, he only stole 37 bases last year, as opposed to the 1000 that Reyes stole, but every other number is in line.  Would you take Reyes with your first round pick, or would you take a guy like Wright, then take Victorino and a guy like Michael Bourn in the late rounds to make up for Reyes?

My Pick:  I wanted Smoltz in this round, but was once again undercut.  I decided to go with Vazquez.  He may not get a ton of wins, but he’ll strike out a lot of batters and put up some great WHIP numbers.

Round Props:  John Smoltz was solid last season, posting 14 wins, 197 strikeouts, and ace level ERA and WHIP numbers, yet he is falling to the eighth round.  Smoltz is a steal here, as he will put up similar numbers to last season, and similar numbers to many of those pitchers drafted ahead of him.

My Pick:  Dye had a horrible first half, but turned things around with an excellent second half of the season last year.  His first half is still costing him.  In my opinion Dye is a steal in the ninth round, and a great bounce back candidate.

Round Props:  Sheffield had a great season last year, but is dropping mostly due to the fact that he is only a DH, and therefore only eligible at the utility spot.  However, he will be rested as the DH, making him a good value in this round.  Would you rather fill your utility position with guys in the later rounds who will put up numbers nowhere near Sheffield?

My Pick:  I feel this is pretty solid value for a guy like Weeks, who I think will have a bounce back season.  If he goes back to his .279 average from 2006, rather than the .235 average from last year, he could be productive in all five stat categories.

Round Notables:  Matt Cain had some bad luck last year, pitching very well, but getting 16 losses.  He may not get much support from his team, but he will provide you with solid stats in three other categories.

My Pick:  Lincecum is a great value in this round.  Last year he struck out 150 in 146 innings.  He could easily top 10 wins this season, with over 200 strikeouts.

Round Notables:  I love Josh Hamilton in this round.  Health concerns drop his value, but I’d rather take a risk on him than go with a guy like Johnny Damon in round 10.

My Pick:  I waited until this round to take a closer, as there were five available in round 11 that I liked.  I took Soria over Capps, although both will provide you with great ERA, WHIP, and strikeout numbers.

Round Notables:  Am I the only one who thinks this is way too high for Chamberlain?  He was dominant as a reliever, but he’s not closing, and if he is moved to a starter he won’t get the same amount of starts as other guys drafted in this round.

My Pick:  A.J. Burnett has health issues, but is in a contract year, and posted some pretty decent numbers last season.  I would have rather taken John Maine, but he didn’t fall to me.

Round Notables:  Pedro is another injury risk, but after seeing what he did in September last year, he is a high risk-high reward type of player.

My Pick:  Billingsley is one of my favorite sleeper pitchers this season.  If you’re looking for this year’s Dan Haren, he’s your guy.

Round Notables:  After countless injuries last year, I wouldn’t touch Rich Harden, unless my league gave points for time on the DL.

My Pick:  Marmol is a lights out reliever, and is currently the favorite for the Cubs closer role.  If he wins the job, he is a steal in the 15th round.

Round Notables:  I love the first base options in this round.  LaRoche and Garko are two sleepers who could easily top 20 homers, and flirt with 30 homers, all while posting a high average.

My Pick:  I’ve been talking about Bourn, so you knew I was going to take him eventually.  Bourn could easily top 30 steals this season if given the playing time.

Round Notables:  Joe Blanton is a great value in this round, especially if he gets traded to a contender in-season, which would boost his win totals.

My Pick:  Gorzelanny was the last of my Blanton/Lowe/Hughes/Gorzy list, so I had to go with him.  At some point I need to address the catcher position, which I have pretty much booted.

Round Notables:  I think there are better options than Chavez at third, like Hank Blalock in the next round.

My Pick:  I wanted either Theriot for speed and average, or Greene for power, to fill my middle infield spot.  Theriot was taken, so I went with Greene, who could top 25 homers.

Round Notables:  Out of all of the relievers drafted who aren’t closing, Accardo is the one I would consider the most.  He did well in the role last season, and BJ Ryan may not be ready by the start of the season.

My Pick:  In my opinion, Ankiel is getting the shaft.  He could top 30 home runs, with a pretty respectable average.  This is an excellent risk to take in the late rounds.

Round Notables:  I would have taken Bengie Molina if he would have fallen to me.  Very cheap, reliable catcher.

My Pick:  I needed a catcher, and Hernandez seems like a pretty solid option.  There are some injury risks involved, but at this point I can’t do much better.

Round Notables:  If I could do it over again I would have taken Molina instead of Greene, and Kaz Matsui in this round to give me 25 steals from my middle infield spot.

My Pick:  The bad news for Bailey was that he had a 5.76 ERA.  The good news is that he is 21 and only allowed three homers in a home run heavy ballpark.  He’s a solid sleeper.

Round Notables:  After last season I wouldn’t touch Ervin Santana, regardless of the round.

My Pick:  Snyder is a good sleeper option here.  He hit .292 after the All-Star break last season, and had 13 homers in 326 at bats.

Round Notables:  Hiroki Kuroda is an interesting sleeper.  He could end up like Kaz Ishii, but he’s worth the risk in this round.

My Pick:  Sonnanstine struck out 97 last season in 130 innings, but gave up a ton of homers.  If he cuts down on the home runs he could be a solid sleeper.

Round Notables:  Gomez was the key in the Johan Santana trade, and could be a nice sleeper for stolen bases.