Over the past couple of years, the MLB Draft has received a little more attention. The MLB does not garner near the attention of the NFL or NBA drafts, but it is slowly evolving into more of an event. This year, the draft will once again be live streaming on mlb.com beginning at 6 PM ET with a preview followed at 7 PM ET for the first round of the actual draft.
With the draft come the mocks…and with the mocks come many sites with their own mock…and with all the mocks comes the ability (or frustration) in trying to determine who the Reds might take. I have checked out a few of the mocks. I’m liking what I’m reading, too. Well, that should n’t be surprising since this year’s draft is considered as one of the deepest ever. Many arms to be had, that’s for sure.
So, what does that mean for your favorite team?
Just a few months ago, any freelance scout or draft guru worth our time was praising the historic depth of this draft in terms of all the quality pitching. As we get closer to Monday’s draft, though, most pundits are now calling for everyone to calm down—that the pitching is good but it’s nothing worth taking a bullet for, etc.
Obviously, the uncertainty at the top of the draft could be a cause. Also, the power outage at the college level could be a culprit, especially in the wide division between above-average pitchers and the few very good hitters. But I do know that the amount of quality available will make some teams richer in terms of prospect depth next offseason.
Below, is my one and only attempt at “mocking” this year’s amateur draft. Please note that 60 to 70 percent of these picks were taken by researching other draft sites while the other 30 percent are mere speculation.
1. Pittsburgh Pirates – Gerrit Cole RHP – UCLA. 6’4″ 220. Cole is an unsigned former 1st rounder (NYY – ’08 – 28th overall).
2. Seattle Mariners – Anthony Rendon – 3B – Rice. 6’0″ 190. The best amateur player in the country.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks -Matt Purke – LHP – TCU. 6’4″ 180. Much like Cole, the unsigned 14th overall pick from 2009 draft should go even earlier as a draft eligible sophomore.
4. Baltimore Orioles – Bubba Starling – OF/RHP – Gardner Edgerton HS (KS). 6’4″ 180. College Commitment: Nebraska (Football). He’ll be a tough sign and much more likely to slide down draft boards and get well above average bonus offers.
5. Kansas City Royals – Taylor Jungmann – RHP – Texas. 6’6″ 195.
6. Washington Nationals - Daniel Norris – LHP – Science Hill HS (TN). 6’3″ 180. College Commitment: Clemson
7. Arizona Diamondbacks (for failure to sign Barret Loux) – Jackie Bradley Jr. – OF – South Carolina. 5’10″ 175.
8. Cleveland Indians – George Springer – OF – Connecticut. 6’3″ 205.
9. Chicago Cubs – Sonny Gray – RHP – Vanderbilt. 6’0″ 185. The Cubs took a flyer on him in 2008 (27th Round) knowing it would be tough to sign him away from Vanderbilt. Makes sense they’d take him again.
10. San Diego Padres (for failure to sign Karsten Whitson) – Archie Bradley – RHP – Broken Arrow HS (OK). 6’4″ 210. College Commitment: Oklahoma.
11. Houston Astros – Dillon Howard – RHP – Searcy HS (AR). 6’2″ 200. College Commitment: Arkansas.
12. Milwaukee Brewers – Matt Barnes – RHP – Connecticut. 6’3″ 180.
13. New York Mets – John Stilson – RHP – Texas A&M. 6’4″ 190. The Mets may draft a stud reliever so they can stop using their blue chip starting pitching prospects in the bullpen.
14. Florida Marlins – Dylan Bundy – RHP – Owasso HS (OK). 6’1″ 200.
15. Milwaukee Brewers (for failure to sign Dylan Covey) – Trevor Bauer – RHP – UCLA. 6’1″ 175. Tim Lincecum comps are ludicrous, but he’s still very good.
16. Los Angeles Dodgers – Danny Hultzen – LHP – Virginia. 6’2″ 195. 2011 will be his 3rd year as the ace for a good Virginia team.
17. Los Angeles Angles – Blake Swihart – C – Cleveland HS (NM). 6’0″ 175. College Commitment: Texas.
18. Oakland Athletics – Josh Bell – OF – 6’3″ 205. Jesuit Prep School of Dallas (TX). College Commitment: Texas.
19. Boston Red Sox (from Tigers for Victor Martinez) – Francisco Lindor – SS – Montverde Academy (FL). 5’11″ 175. College Commitment: Florida State.
20. Colorado Rockies – Tyler Anderson – LHP – Oregon. 6’3″ 195.
21. Toronto Blue Jays – Jason Esposito – 3B – Vanderbilt. 6’1″ 195.
22. St. Louis Cardinals – Derek Fisher – OF – Ceder Crest HS (PA). 6’3″ 210. College Commitment: Virginia.
23. Washington Nationals (from White Sox for Adam Dunn) – Alex Meyer – RHP – Kentucky. 6’9″ 210. This ranking is based purely on talent and not on results. Here’s hoping Meyer has a Matt Harvey like turn around in 2011.
24. Tampa Bay Rays (from Red Sox for Carl Crawford) – Brandon Nimmo – OF – Cheyenne (WY). 6’3″ 185. College Commitment: Arkansas.
25. San Diego Padres – Anthony Meo – RHP – Coastal Carolina. 6’2″ 190.
26. Boston Red Sox (from Rangers for Adrian Beltre) – Jose Fernandez – RHP – Alonso HS (FL). 6’3″ 215. College Commitment: South Florida.
27. Cincinnati Reds – Alex Dickerson – OF – Indiana. 6’3″ 220. See scouting report here.
28. Atlanta Braves – Zach Cone – OF – Georgia. 6’2″ 200.
29. San Francisco Giants – Jed Bradley – LHP – Georgia Tech. 6’3″ 205.
30. Minnesota Twins – Noe Ramirez – RHP – Cal State Fullerton. 6’3″ 180.
31. Tampa Bay Rays – (From Yankees for Raphael Soriano) – Logan Verrett – RHP – Baylor. 6’2″ 180.
32. Tampa Bay Rays – Charlie Tilson – OF – New Trier HS (IL). 6’0″ 165.
33. Texas Rangers (From Phillies for Cliff Lee) – Mikie Mahtook – OF – LSU. 6’1″ 205.
