2018 MLB Draft Preview

With the NFL draft kicking off today It has officially started the 2-month span where all big four sports hold their respective drafts. Granted the MLB, NHL, and NBA don’t have their drafts until June, but regardless, I’m ready for the MLB first-year player draft.

In this article, I won’t do a full 1st round mock, because not only is that going to be super long and extensive, but baseball is definitely the hardest sport to make mock drafts for because you don’t look at how player A fits into your system or how Player B works with your coaches. MLB teams have numerous scouts across the country attending as many high school and college games as possible with hundreds of prospects in their sights. There is no consensus ranking for baseball, it’s basically “Do we like this guy? OK, how much do we like this guy?” And each team creates there board like that.

Yeah, you’re probably thinking “that’s how all teams make their boards” but baseball is very much different than all other league drafts. The NBA has 2 rounds, and the NFL and NHL have 7 rounds. Compare that to the MLB draft, which is 40 rounds. Each organization also has 5 or 6 minor league clubs that all have positions to fill. To be eligible to be drafted you must be:

• High school players, if they have graduated from high school and have not yet attended college or junior college;

• College players, from four-year colleges who have either completed their junior or senior years or are at least 21 years old;

• Junior college players, regardless of how many years of school they have completed

So when you put that into perspective, there are thousands of players that are eligible to be drafted. Some will get looked at more than others, some won’t get looked at, period. Most teams have a general idea of who the top 300 or so player could be, but that’s no guarantee they follow that. Each team could have a guy or two that no other team has on their board. Teams could be the only ones to know of a certain player. Here’s an example: an outfielder drafted in the 20th round of the 2009 draft, currently has a .285/.342/.516 slash line went to a Division II college in Fort Lauderdale called Nova Southeastern. That player is J.D Martinez.

This just goes to show that in baseball it doesn’t matter what school you go to. You’re not going to be a 1st round pick because you play in the SEC. Heck, a good number of 1st round picks are 18 years old just graduating high school. Granted, the majority of picks in the draft will be college players because they are easier to sign than high school players with college commitments. Something else to take into account, some of these guys won’t see big league time for maybe 5 or 6 years, and some may never see it. But that’s the beauty of the draft. It doesn’t matter where you are drafted. It’s what you do once you are signed. Another example is Mark Buehrle. You know the guy who threw a perfect game for the White Sox back in 2009. He was a 38th round draft pick out of Jefferson College. A guy who barely got drafted, is now in the MLB history books. And that’s something I love about the MLB draft as a whole because you never know who will arise.

Enough of my babbling about my enjoyment of the draft. And back to an actual mock. I will not be doing the full 1st round yet. For the time being I will stick with the top 10 picks. Everything I say, take with a grain of salt, because mocking baseball is very difficult because there are 4 groups of player to draft. College bats, College Pitchers, High School bats, and High School Pitchers. It is all dependent on what that team thinks it system needs, and who can help them when they are MLB ready, and when they will be MLB ready. If you want someone who can make an impact a year or 2 down the road then you could take a College player in the 1st. If you’re okay with waiting a few years for a guy to develop then take a high school player. So I’m just going to go based on any rumors going around and how I value certain players.

1. Detroit Tigers- Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn- To the majority of websites, Mize is the “Consensus” number 1 pick. The junior is enjoying quite the season so far posting a 2.00 ERA through nine starts. In the 63 innings he pitched, Mize has recorded 86 punchouts to go along with only four walks. That is a 21.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio. If the Tigers went with Mize at #1, he would then join the plethora of young arms the Tigers possess in their system.

2. San Francisco Giants- Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State- Bohm is arguably one of the better power hitters in the draft. 3 months ago he was considered a late 1st round pick and so far a strong spring has boosted him into the discussion for a top 10 pick. So far this year Bohm is hitting 355/.474/.664 with eight homers, 24 walks, and only 10 strikeouts in 107 at-bats. A plus bat still with some defensive concerns could make his way through the minors and be in the San Fran lineup during the 2020 season if he progresses well.

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3. Philadelphia Phillies- Nick Madrigal, 2B, Oregon State- Madrigal might be my favorite prospect in this draft. Some scouts have even commented by saying his skills are good enough he could be starting at 2B for a small number of teams. Now that’s a high praise for the 5 foot 7 California Native. But a comparison I could draw for him would be Jose Altuve-esque. He can hit for average, he can hit some home runs, and can even steal a few bags. I’m not saying he will be the next Altuve, but his talents could definitely get him far in the Majors. He has a small sample size so far this season due to battling a wrist injury, but that’s not a concern for any team, he is still considered a top prospect in this draft.

4. Chicago White Sox- Shane McClanahan, LHP, USF- The White Sox look to be a few years away from being strong contenders, and with the plethora of talent they possess a college player makes the most sense whether it be a bat or an arm. In this scenario, the White Sox might have a situation similar to that of Chris Sale. An established college pitcher who if handled correctly could join the big league club in the next year or so. Or if they choose to let him groom in the minors for a few years to work out the kinks then that works too. So far in 10 appearances, McClanahan is enjoying a 3.04 ERA in 56 ⅓ innings while striking out 94.

5. Cincinnati Reds- Jarred Kelenic, OF, Waukesha West HS- Last year the Reds took arguably the best player in the draft in HS pitcher Hunter Greene.  Here they take another HS player but this time they grab one of the best pure hitters in Kelenic. Unfortunately due to weather problems in Wisconsin he has been limited, but his hitting skills are quite polished and he has a good feel for the strike zone. Kelenic is considered as safe a bet as high school bats go.

6. New York Mets- Matthew Liberatore, LHP, Mountain Ridge HS- Liberatore is a 6’5” lefty that sits in the 91-94 MPH but can touch 95-96 MPH. He gets a good run on the ball with the help of his three-quarter release and is good at locating it. He also possesses a 12-6 curve that is well ahead of schedule. He also can mix in a changeup which could be his best pitch, but he doesn’t need to use it that much because of how dominant his other 2 pitches are. Liberatore is also confident in his ability to throw all 3 pitches in any situation. If put into the right situation he could move fairly quickly for a left-handed high school lefty.

7. San Diego Padres- Carter Stewart, RHP, Eau Gaille HS- Stewart is very unique and separates himself from the rest of the class. He can be described as a true pitcher by most. He has mastered the curveball and has the highest spin rate in the class. Evaluators have described his curve as elite and have given his curve the title of best breaking ball of the class. What’s scary about Stewart is he is still adding velocity to the curve and he could develop that to be a dominant weapon

8. Atlanta Braves- Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech- The Atlanta Braves have taken a good step forward in the past few years, They have a few young core players and have a ton of good talent waiting in the minors. If they have hopes to contend in the near future then taking Bart makes near perfect sense. Bart is a natural catcher that is well developed behind the plate. His only downside is his over-aggressiveness at the plate. But if Bart can work on his patience at the plate he can definitely be part of a scary Atlanta Braves team come the 2020 or 2021 season.

9. Oakland Athletics- Travis Swaggerty, OF, South Alabama- I try not to look real hard into draft tendencies, because in baseball it barely means anything, but 6 of their last 8 first round picks dating back to 2010 have been college players. So I’m taking a chance that they take another college player in the 1st round in 2018. Swaggerty has gotten some high praise by scouts in the previous months. He is being compared to that of Andrew Benintendi because of his plus speed and above average tools in the outfield. In 37 games so far this season Swaggerty is putting up a .313/.483/.590 slash line. He’s walking more than he’s striking out and is getting on base nearly half the time. Swaggerty’s stock is rising but if he’s there at #9 for the A’s I think they will happily take him. But since this is baseball, they are Oakland, and nothing ever makes sense, they will probably take some high school pitcher.

10. Pittsburgh Pirates- Kumar Rocker, RHP, North Oconee HS-Speaking of high school pitchers. Rocker has a fastball that can top out at 98 MPH and sits in the 92-95 MPH range. He also carries a slider and a change-up in his arsenal. He also has very good command with all 3 pitches. The 6’5” righty is committed to Vandy. He could choose to honor that commitment if he falls far enough. Rocker was at one point the best high school pitcher in the class. Now he may not be the best but he’s still top 3. The Pirates took Jameson Taillon when he was a high school pitcher back in 2010. Maybe Rocker follows a similar path that Taillon did.

 So I start the 39-day countdown until June 4th when the first 2 rounds of the MLB first-year player draft take place. My picks will surely change in the next month and as the draft gets closer I will add more teams until I get a full round 1 mock. On draft day I will be looking at this and seeing how far off my original thoughts would be, because who knows who will go #1. Only the Tigers know who they are taking, and they probably don’t even know yet. So kick back, and enjoy the draft season.