Greg's MLB Draft Preview

The MLB Draft is the most unique of all of the major sports drafts, and its coming up starting June 4th.  It is unique because each team drafts somewhere between 40-60 players each year, with the hopes that maybe 3-4 players(in an outstanding draft) will make it to the majors as regulars 3-4 years after they are drafted.  


No other draft has near the amount of uncertainty and places a more important emphasis on scouting than the MLB draft.  The new CBA also has slotted the amount of money teams can pay draft picks, which will significantly impact the younger players being drafted, and will probably result in teams drafting more college players as opposed to high school players in this draft, and in drafts moving forward.


In this version of the blog, I am going to examine Keith Law's Mock Draft 2.0 and give my opinion (limited though it is) on each draftee, and how they fit the needs of the teams that are drafting them.


1. Houston Astros- Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford
    The Astros have surprised quite a few people this year with their record (22-27) as most experts thought they'd be a 100 loss team.  Bud Norris has been a nice surprise at pitching though, and they have some nice young players at the Major League level. That being said, their overall organizational depth is pretty thin, and starting to build with arguably the college game's best pitcher is a good move and a safer bet than high school OF Byron Buxton.


2. Minnesota Twins- Byron Buxton, OF, Appling County H.S. (Baxley, Ga.)
    The Twins need all kinds of help, and no one piece is going to jump in and help them right away, so taking Buxley and giving him a few years to develop alongside some other talent is a smart move.  It might be a good time to start looking to trade away some of the valuable pieces they still have left (Mauer, Morneau, Span, Pavano,Willingham) and rebuild internally. That had always been the way the Twins did things prior to giving Mauer  his big payday.  The Twins were better that way, and in my opinion should get back to building their organization in that mold.


3. Seattle Mariners- Mike Zunino, C, Florida
     Some of you may be saying...wait didn't the Mariners just trade for Jesus Montero...and doesn't he play the same position..this doesn't make sense.  Hold on a minute, it actually does.  Zunino is probably the best college hitter in this draft, and just because he happens to play catcher(a position where hitting is even more valuable) doesn't mean the Mariners shouldn't take him because he plays the same position as Montero.  The Mariners are in the AL,and Montero will be accustomed to playing DH and catching by the time Zunino reaches the Majors.  Having multiple options at multiple positions is something most managers dream of, and drafting Zunino potentially places the Mariners in that position if he pans out.  Good pick who comes from a great baseball school.


4.  Baltimore Orioles- Carlos Correa, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
     The Orioles are the biggest surprise in baseball this year, hands down.  Their farm system is well stocked, and their current SS, J.J. Hardy, though having a great year is getting up there in years (29).  Drafting a young SS and grooming him is a great pick, and Puerto Rico seems to be getting better and better every year with young Major League talent. Good depth pick here for Baltimore.


5. Kansas City Royals- Kevin Gausman, RHP, LSU
    Kansas City is a tough team to figure out.  Their Major league roster is stocked with young talent and they've got a farm system rated in the top 5, but they can't seem to win baseball games consistently.  Gausman is a good pick here, as I'm always a fan of drafting and developing more pitching. You can always compete with great pitching, but great hitting does you no good if you don't have the pitching to back it up.


6. Chicago Cubs- Max Fried, LHP, Harvard-Westlake H.S., Studio City, Calif.
      The Cubs clearly need a lot of help and this year's draft with be the first run by the team's new trio of front office blue chippers, Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, and Jason Mcleod.  Many Cubs fans heralded the hiring of Epstein, but Mcleod might end up being the most important hire of the three as he is widely regarded as the best scout in all of baseball. The Cubs top prospects, Anthony Rizzo, Brett Jackson, Javier Baez, Junior Lake, all have one thing in common: they are not pitchers.  The Cubs organization is bereft of pitching depth, and starting off their tenure with the Cubs by drafting a pitcher(and a lefty at that) would be a great start for Jedstein & Co. I'd also be satisfied with Clemson 3B Richie Shaffer, a safe pick to be a solid big leaguer at a position of need.


7. San Diego Padres- Kyle Zimmer, RHP, San Francisco
      This team has a good looking farm system, and it got better when they traded Mat Latos for their 1B of the future in Yonder Alonso.  As I said earlier, more pitching is better, and Petco Park makes even average pitching better. Going with a pitcher who is familiar with California weather, and pitching there regularly is a good move here.


8. Pittsburgh Pirates- Deven Marrero, SS, Arizona State
       Marrero has struggled at the plate this year, and has solid makeup, and great defensive ability at the position.  The Pirates haven't had a mainstay at the SS position in quite a long time. Taking a flier on Marrero seems like a solid move.


9. Miami Marlins- Albert Almora, CF, Mater Academy Charter (Hialeh Gardens, Fla.)
Unless Amora can step in and play right away I'm not sure I see the logic in drafting him.  The Marlins spent a bunch of money this past offseason, and I'm pretty sure its not to win 3 seasons from now.  They have a huge need at 1B, and even though Logan Morrison can probably provide a stop-gap there, that's a position that really needs to be filled fairly quickly.  The bullpen also needs help, which can usually come from this early in the draft also.  The last thing they need in my opinion is a project CFer who might pan out in a few years, after the team's current stars are old.


10. Colorado Rockies- Courtney Hawkins, OF, Carroll (Texas) H.S.
This draft so far has many more H.S. players than I originally thought since they will be harder to sign as the money that can be offered is limited, but this move makes some sense, as the Rockies really only have 2 OF right now.  Tyler Colvin is playing now, but really should be a bench option, and Dexter Fowler is struggling a bit.  Those are two good pieces on a good team, and Hawkins looks like a plus power bat that could really do well in Colorado.


11.Oakland Athletics- Richie Shaffer, 3B, Clemson
Already talked about him as an option for the Cubs. All-star caliber power, and a Rafael Furcal-like arm project him as a solid big league 3B.  Oakland is where prospects to go get traded and get rich, but this is a position of need for this team and a solid pick.


12. New York Mets-David Dahl, CF, Oak Mountain H.S. (Birmingham, Ala.)
Yet another H.S. OF drafted in the top 15 with the new CBA.  Since this is still only a mock draft, I really feel that more college players will be drafted higher, and these H.S. athletes will fall down a little bit because of their signability issues. That being said, the Mets have serious needs in their OF, and this looks to be a good start.


13.Chicago White Sox-Matt Smoral, LHP, Solon (Ohio) H.S.
     The White Sox system is nearly bare after Kenny Williams' wheeling and dealing over the last few seasons.  It looks to be paying off, especially with the drafting of Chris Sale 2 seasons ago, and the White Sox find themselves in first place in the AL Central.  If Williams has a good draft, that could  put the Sox system back on the map and help owner Jerry Reinsdorf to save a little bit of money over the next few years as Adam Dunn, Alex Rios, and Jake Peavy's contracts all are up.  If Williams can make this draft count, they can continue competing over the next few seasons. Smoral has some injury issues that could scare the White Sox and other teams away from him, and if it does look for them to draft a college arm that can help the big league team sooner rather than later.


14. Cincinnati Reds- Andrew Heaney, LHP, Oklahoma State
The Reds look to be set at 1B, 2 OF positions, 2B,C, and have a good young player in Zach Cozart at SS. That being said their pitching rotation will almost continue to be decimated as long as Dusty Baker is the manager, so loading up on solid(but not spectacular) replacements is a good idea. Heaney is the best left-handed college starter available and the Reds GM Walk Jocketty has a history of drafting pretty decent pitchers.  Whoever they choose could see action with the big league club later this season as they are contending for the NL Central title.


15.Cleveland Indians-Chris Stratton, RHP, Mississippi State 
The Indians are a team that is in contention, but surprisingly so, and may need as much immediate help as possible.  They have the lowest attendance in all of baseball and if they drop too far out of contention they will be on the trade market and can stock the farm system that way. Swinging for the fences on a guy that can help right away wouldn't hurt their farm system all that much, and a guy with a high immediate impact- especially a pitcher, is a distinct possibility.


16. Washington Nationals-Michael Wacha, RHP, Texas A&M
Wacha is a low ceiling pitcher that may not even be a big leaguer, and this team could really use some pitching help with Strasburg's innings ceiling and injuries to key members of their pitching staff.  Law points out that GM Mike Rizzo has never drafted a pitcher under 6'2", so that would seem to limit his options here.


17.Toronto Blue Jays-Gavin Cecchini, SS, Barbe, H.S. (Lake Charles, La.)
The Blue Jays are another team whose farm system is well stocked, and can afford to wait and see on a H.S. player. Yunel Escobar is not a long term solution at SS, so I like this pick for value, need, and depth.


18. Los Angeles Dodgers-Ty Hensley, RHP, Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe H.S.
The Dodgers go big here with a H.S. pitcher who currently possesses an above average major league fastball and curveball. Depending on how they want to use him (starter/reliever) he could be groomed as a dependable #2/3 starter alongside Clayton Kershaw.


19. St. Louis Cardinals-Stryker Trahan, C, Acadiana H.S. (Lafayette, La.)
High school catcher with a real chance to be a force at the plate. Yadier Molina isn't going anywhere soon, and to me this is just a depth pick.  St. Louis has the luxury of having 2 first round picks this year (this pick is compensation for the Angels signing Albert Pujols) and GM John Mozeliak has drafted well over the last 3 seasons.


20. San Francisco Giants-Zach Eflin, RHP, Hagerty (Fla.) H.S.
Another depth pick here for GM Brian Sabean.  They can't spend much more money on pitching after locking up Matt Cain this year and Tim Lincecum will certainly command a high $ amount, assuming he bounces back from the awful year he is having. This seems to be a luxury pick, and I see the Giants having many more pressing needs.


21. Atlanta Braves-Tanner Rahier, Palm Desert (Calif.) H.S.
H.S. SS that has a chance to stay there through the big leagues.  Pastornicky might be old enough to move to 3B at the point Rahier comes up, or he might be a piece they could trade away in the future.


22. Toronto Blue Jays-D.J. Davis, OF, Stone County (Miss.) H.S.
A H.S. outfielder who can absolutely fly.  Scouts rate him an 80 speed on a 20-80 scale. Outfield depth is a must for this organization as Jose Bautista ages.


23. St. Louis Cardinals-Hunter Virant, LHP, Camarillo (Calif.) H.S.
Law doesn't project Virant any higher than average on any pitch other than his changeup. Ceiling could be as a MR but don't see anything special unless his velocity really increases.


24.Boston Red Sox-Tyler Naquin, OF, Texas A&M
College outfielder who could step in and contribute soon.  First draft for GM Ben Cherington.  It'll be interesting if he follows Epstein's model or develops one of his own.


25. Tampa Bay Rays-Stephen Piscotty, 3B, Stanford
Rays GM Andrew Friedman hasn't disappointed in his tenure with the Rays. I have no doubt that whoever they pick will be a good pick, but their needs include 1B, C, OF, and bullpen help. Longoria isn't getting any younger, but assuming he doesn't fall off completely I think he's signed for another 6 years, which is plenty of time to find a replacement.


26.Arizona Diamondbacks-Nick Travieso, RHP, McCarthy H.S. (Southwest Ranches, Fla.)
Arizona is a good young team. They don't need a whole lot position player-wise.  They'd be wise to go out and draft 20-25 pitchers this draft to see if they can get some additional help that way. I like where this team is going.


27/28 Milwaukee Brewers- Clint Coulter, C, Union H.S. (Camas, Wash.)/Lucas Sims, RHP, Brookwood (Ga.) H.S.
Milwaukee's season is certainly not going as they would have hoped.  They really miss Prince Fielder's bat in the middle of their lineup, and have decimated their farm system in the last few seasons trying to trade for players to help them win now.  If they don't win this season(and it doesn't look like they will) expect them to try to replenish their farm system by trading some valuable pieces away (Axford,Braun,Marcum,Greinke) and start a rebuilding trend.


29.Texas Rangers-Duane Underwood, RHP, Pope H.S. (Marietta, Ga.)
The Rangers are the best team in baseball and its not really close. They don't have many holes on their ML roster and their farm system is in good shape.  GM Jon Daniels is very, very good. I expect they will stock up with young, high ceiling players and continue to let them develop behind their superstars in the bigs.


30.NY Yankees-Joey Gallo, 3B, Bishop Gorman H.S. (Las Vegas)
Best power hitter in this draft. A lot of teams project him to be a pitcher also, but he's unwilling to change positions. He has below average feet for 3B but his bat could make up for that.


31.Boston Red Sox-Marcus Stroman, RHP, Duke
Projects almost strictly as a reliever, and considering this is a compensatory pick for Jonathan Papelbon that seems like poetic justice for the Red Sox.  They have quite a few needs, and are currently in the basement of the AL East.  Bobby V is pretty much the most exciting thing they have going on most nights, unless you actually like watching 5 hour games and Wil Middlebrooks(who is actually very exciting).