2017 MLB Mock Draft – Final Version

1B/LHP. University of Louisville. Brendan McKay. 6. player. 96. McKay is a guy that really confuses me. I’m not sold on him as an elite talent off the mound as I truly think a guy like Peterson or Canning has equal or better stuff as a pitcher, and as a hitter, I think he’s behind a number of guys, but somehow being a top 5 type of guy in both ways has him much higher on other boards. His depth of pitches fits recent focus at the MLB level for the Oakland club, but I think his bat would actually be more appealing in the A’s system as a legit <strong><a rel=

University of California at Irvine. Keston Hiura. 7. player. 8. The Diamondbacks system is one of the two to three worst in all of baseball, so getting an impact player should be the absolute stress here. Many mocks have the Diamondbacks grabbing a high-ceiling hitter or high-ceiling arm, typically a high school guy. To me, Hiura would be the ideal fit here as he’s a guy that I see as being a high impact hitter as a professional. He will hit for a high average with solid power.. IF/OF

6. Bukauskas is likely going to be a good example of the recency bias in the draft. He struggled in his last two starts, and I’ve seen him dipping up to a dozen spots in mock drafts since those starts, which is ridiculous. Within the Phillies system, there are a lot of guys who are high-ceiling pitchers but also have pretty low floors. Bukauskas would be the type of guy who would offer the high ceiling with a high floor as an absolutely dominant reliever.. RHP. University of North Carolina. J.B. Bukauskas. 8. player

After missing most of the summer showcase season last summer after a knee injury his junior year, Beck has been a guy who has been highly variable. However, the amount of talent is undeniable. The Brewers will be looking for the best player available at each slot, and at this spot, Beck would make an extremely athletic pick, capable of turning into an elite player down the road if all develops well.. OF. North Davidson HS (NC). Austin Beck. 9. player. 76

player. 102. Originally known for his arm at Virginia, Haseley has been impressive his entire collegiate career. This spring, he’s made a huge leap forward with his bat. He’s had a good reputation as a defender all three seasons, but this year he’s shown above-average tools across the board offensively. Haseley’s a guy with very good eye at the plate, and the combination could allow him to access what is really more of an average power tool better to play up for above average power.. OF. University of Virginia. Adam Haseley. 10

In a system known for handling excellent fastball guys and really getting the most out of them, taking Baz in Pittsburgh would seem an odd fit. Baz has 5 legit pitches and shows good feel on all 5, but there is where the Pirates organization could come into play, working with Baz to refine his repertoire to either drop a pitch or focus more on 3 pitches while 1-2 become more “show me” type of pitches.. RHP. Concordia Lutheran HS (TX). Shane Baz. 12. player. 4

player. 82. I honestly would not be surprised if Pearson comes off the board this early or even earlier on Monday. One of my favorite arms in the draft, Pearson has not just the blazing fastball that can bump triple digits and has a ton of life, but he also shows very good feel on his change and throws an average curve and slider. I really like the slider to have projection left to be a plus pitch. The Marlins right now could simply use legit prospects, and Pearson staying in state would give them a certain legit arm.. RHP. Central Florida Junior College. Nate Pearson. 13

Facing the prospect of losing significant pieces in either a big tear down this summer or in free agency over the offseason, I would be looking for players who could impact fairly quick out of this season’s draft in the Royals’ shoes. Faedo should do exactly that. He’s taken some time to get rolling this spring after some minor knee work in the fall, but once he truly got going, he’s been an ace and throwing extremely well. His fastball/slider combination could move him quickly, whether as a starter with his improved change, or as a power reliever, providing quick impact for the Royals.. RHP. University of Florida. Alex Faedo. 14. player. 7

135. Houston is a team with plenty of depth at the major league level and upper minors, so taking a guy, even a college guy, who may be a project works for them. Kendall is not the typical college hitting prospect in that he has plenty of work left to do in his profile to become a viable pro at the plate, but the Astros could be patient with him and reap the rewards of his incredibly loud tools when they do come together.. OF. Vanderbilt University. Jeren Kendall. 15. player

Pavin Smith. 16. player. 43. The Yankees are certainly targeting more high school talent over collegiate talent, but the opportunity to get Smith’s bat into the system and develop him defensively in the outfield or at first base would certainly intrigue New York. Smith may have the best eye in the entire draft at the plate, and his power would play well in Yankee Stadium, even with his all fields approach at the plate.. 1B. University of Virginia

62. A guy who has jumped up a lot of draft boards this spring, White is the rare college first base type that could slip into center field and be a quality defender at the position. He’s an elite defender at first, which is why he was left there by Kentucky in college, but his future home defensively as a pro is up for debate because he is a premium athlete. White is certainly a hit over power guy, with excellent contact skills, but some question whether his power even grades out to an average level, but he does spray line drives around the field at present, leading to some thought that there could be future 15-20 home run power at peak.. 1B. University of Kentucky. Evan White. 17. player

18. player. 63. Considered by some as the best lefty arm in the HS class, even over Gore, Hall had an impressive summer on the showcase circuit, flashing velocity that can reach in the 96-97 range, an impressive change, and arguably the best lefty curve in the entire draft. Hall struggled with inconsistency this spring, which took him from a possible top 10 pick down the board this far, but his skills are simply too loud to drop any further.. LHP. Valdosta HS (GA). DL Hall

RHP. University of Missouri. Tanner Houck. 19. player. 31. Houck was one of the top starters in the SEC since he walked onto campus, featuring a sinker/slider combo that has many making reference to pitchers like <strong><a rel=

3. Carlson might be my biggest personal cheese ball in this draft, and as someone who cheers for a divisional rival, I would be sad to see him end up on the Mets, but at the same time, he’s the type of pitcher that their development program would absolutely turn into an ace, with an electric fastball and breaking ball already along with tremendous feel for his change. Carlson, to me, is the guy I’d put money on being a future ace among the high school righties if I were forced to pick one name.. RHP. Burnsville HS (MN). Sam Carlson. 20. player

Warmoth has really charged up draft boards in a weak college middle infield class this season. Warmoth has always worked well defensively up the middle, but he’s taken another step this season in that respect to a true plus defender at the position in projection. Warmoth has also shown the ability to be a saber-darling at the plate, with good contact skills and working counts well while getting good contact on seemingly everything he hits.. SS. University of North Carolina. Logan Warmoth. 21. player. 11

Heliot Ramos. 23. player. 71. The Dodgers will certainly be looking for athleticism, and they’ve been tied with a few different guys in this spot, but Ramos is the guy I’d want in their shoes as he’s the type of raw bat that seems to absolutely thrive in the Dodgers’ development system. Ramos flashed double-plus power this past summer as he drove balls out of the park in showcases, but he struggled to replicate that production outside of the cage. Physically gifted, Ramos is really not too different from an international signee. He’s not going to be 18 until December, and his tools are very raw, but the right organization could end up with a future star here.. OF. Leadership Christian Academy HS (PR)

University of California at Los Angeles. Griffin Canning. 25. player. 90. Canning was projecting much higher this spring, but some word on a possible injury has come around, but I’ve had good conversation with some scouts who say any “new” injury report is bunk and simply relates to teams going through the medicals on his previous stress fracture in his back. Canning has fully recovered from this and done well this season, pitching as UCLA’s ace. The Nationals, looking hard for impact arms, wouldn’t get an ace upside type here, but Canning is a guy who should slot in quickly in the majors as a #3 pitcher.. RHP

Moving up boards all spring, Waters has moved into the top 20 on a number of draft prospect lists as he has a tremendous amount of raw tools. Waters has raw plus power from both sides of the plate along with plus speed. One area Waters has shown refinement is in his defense, showing advanced feel in center field, reading the ball tremendously well off the bat, along with a plus arm in center as well. For a team like the Rangers, that combination of tools is simply too loud to pass up.. OF. Etowah HS (GA). Drew Waters. 26. player. 95

player. 9. The Cubs are looking to add some impact arms into their farm system as they look ahead to losing a couple of their rotation pieces in the next few seasons. Schmidt may not pitch in 2017 or for a bit of 2018, but he’s absolutely an impact starter as a guy who was on his way to a top 10 selection this spring before his elbow popped. The Cubs would also use this selection to manipulate some money into other draft slots down the board.. RHP. University of South Carolina. Clarke Schmidt. 27

95. Looking at pure upside in an arm option for the Rangers, it’s hard to make a case better than Enlow here. It’s quite likely that the single best pitch grade left on the board at this point is Enlow’s curve, which has received raw 70 grades, and there are some who compare his easy delivery and approach on hitters to elite pitchers like <strong><a rel=. RHP. St. Amant HS (LA). Blayne Enlow. 29. player

SS. Francis Parker School (CA). Nick Allen. 30. player. 9. Probably my favorite player to watch because I’m a big fan of defense, Allen is very possibly the best defensive shortstop in the entire draft, regardless of college or high school. His height concerns some, but his legit double-plus speed should allow his bat to play as his body fills in to develop power, something that has shown some already in gap power. I don’t see Allen ever being a 30-homer guy, but if he could get to 10-15 home runs on top of what should be excellent speed and good gap power, he could be almost as valuable on offense as he is on defense.

player. 21. Arguably the most powerful high school bat in the draft, Lutz is athletic enough to handle center field, so he’s not just a power-only brute by any means. Lutz is a physically impressive at 6’3″ and 220 pounds that could project for legit double-plus power as he develops. Lutz’s hit tool is behind his power and probably behind his above-average speed as well, but he has excellent bat speed and should develop into a plus defender in a corner with excellent athleticism, in the mold of <strong><a rel=. OF. Martin HS (TX). Tristen Lutz. 31

If I’m the Reds, I’m looking for the best player I can get my hands on at this pick, not worrying at all about finances. In this spot, Vientos is clearly that guy. With the ability to handle short and possibly be elite defensively at third base, Vientos has the bat skills that are arguably the top of the high school class, with the chance to be a legit high-average, gap power star, and the chance to develop home run power as well. He’s also one of the youngest players in the entire high school draft class, so he’ll have plenty of development left in his frame for the Reds to tap into.. 3B. American Heritage HS (FL). Mark Vientos. 32. player. 61

RHP. Ernest Righetti HS (CA). Matt Sauer. 33. player. 96. A righty with dynamite stuff that has been jumping up the draft boards all spring, Sauer would be the type of guy that would quickly be among the elite arm talents in the Athletics system, and the system could use some elite “stuff” arms. As he develops his change, Sauer could leap forward as a prospect to a frontline starter prospect.

76. The Brewers really put together a strong group of collegiate and advanced arms in 2015-2016 that now populate their high-A and AA rosters. This year’s draft is a good one to get developmental pitchers that could become elite but also have low floors. At 6’6″ tall and quite lean, Rogers has a projection frame that many believe could tick up his velocity as he fills out from already reaching 93-94. He also has an exceptional sweeping slider.. LHP. Carlsbad HS (NM). Trevor Rogers. 34. player

2. After coming out as a brilliant freshman, Lange has never really matched that level of production the rest of his LSU career. He has the talent and the pitches that would intrigue the Twins as a pitcher that could move quickly in their system, whether as a starter or as a dynamite reliever if he just focuses on his electric fastball and curve. The quality of his arm is simply too good to pass up at this spot.. RHP. Louisiana State University. Alex Lange. 35. player

Brendon Little. 36. player. 82. To get the interesting pairing, the two best JuCo arms are both from Florida this spring, and both end up with the Marlins in this scenario. Looking for legit impact talent off the mound, Little woudl be tough to pass up with his fastball that can reach into the upper 90s, plus curve, and developing feel for his change. Little has made significant strides in his delivery in JuCo, and a team looking for impact could move Little to the majors quickly as a power reliever, but he’s got the stuff to work well as a starter.. LHP. State Junior College of Florida

37. player. 2. After selecting Rooker and not signing him last season, the Twins have seen Rooker simply have one of the most incredibly dynamic offensive seasons in SEC history. While the defensive limitations and strikeout tendencies could scare off some teams, I’m looking at Rooker here as the best bat available to impact my system quickly.. 1B. Mississippi State University. Brent Rooker

61. After locking down Wright, I wanted to go for the highest upside arm. Seeing plenty of high school upside, it’s hard to pass on Crowe here. Crowe was selected last year even though he was healing from <strong><a rel=. RHP. University of South Carolina. Wil Crowe. 38. player

127. Quite possibly the fastest player in the entire draft, Merrill is a fun player to watch in the field once he’s on base or once he’s tracking down a ball in play. Some have said he may need to move to center field rather than shortstop as a pro, a sort of <strong><a rel=. SS. University of South Florida. Kevin Merrill. 39. player

21. Possibly my favorite pitcher to watch on the mound, Crouse is an incredible competitor, considered by many as a “bull dog” on the mound. That by no means is due to a lack of stuff – in fact, in many of the tournaments and showcases where he’s displayed his bulldog mentality, Crouse could be argued to have the best raw stuff in the entire tournament/showcase. He has a legit plus fastball that can flash double plus with movement along with that velocity. His delivery and his secondary stuff haven’t been the most consistent this year. He’ll need some early work in those areas, but he could rocket up the system once he figures that out or is determined to be a reliever.. RHP. Dana Hills HS (CA). Hans Crouse. 40. player

RHP. Stanford University. Tristan Beck. 41. player. 17. I mentioned the strategy for the Braves, getting a number of high-level athletes and/or injured players. Beck fits the latter mold. Interesting enough, there’s a crazy amount of connection between Beck and the Braves, with rumors that Beck hasn’t pitched this spring due to a deal that he made early on with the Braves to save stress on his injured back and then have surgery and recover under the Braves’ watch, something they did successfully with 2015 first rounder <strong><a rel=

In a system ripe with up the middle prospects, it would seem odd to pursue Fairchild as he’s a center field guy, but Fairchild’s defensive skills are absolutely elite and would work well in in a system suddenly light on legit outfield prospects. Fairchild has average tools across the board offensively, though certainly gets plus grades for his speed. His power really came around in 2017, and carrying that over to the pro game could make this a steal of a pick.. OF. Wake Forest University. Stuart Fairchild. 42. player. 4

player. 96. After getting his Louisville teammate with the first selection, bringing in Ellis along with McKay would give the A’s the heart of the order for one of the best offenses in college baseball. While McKay is more contact over power, Ellis is certainly the opposite. He may not stick at third as a pro, but he has enough arm and athleticism to handle an outfield corner, and his power will certainly play in any corner.. 3B. University of Louisville. Drew Ellis. 43

Michael Mercado. 44. player. 8. Repeating the goal to get high impact players, Mercado is a guy who may not have ace upside, but he’s got a tremendous cerebral approach to the game along with some very impressive stuff on the mound. He should be a guy who can move quickly as a high school arm and should work as a #2/#3 starter for a long time in a big league rotation, which is very good impact.. RHP. Westview HS (CA)

Brady McConnell. 45. player. 6. A guy who many thought would be taken in the early first round based on his summer performance. The Phillies are looking for up the middle talent as their elite guys are struggling to be fully there on both sides of the ball (outside of the impressive performance of <strong><a rel=. SS. Merritt Island HS (FL)

76. Continuing to get more high-upside arms, the Brewers would jump on the chance to get Burns, one of the top arms in the entire draft this season. He can run his fastball up to 96 and features a slider that is certainly plus and has been seen at plus-plus. He does need some work on his change, but he has repeatable mechanics that should allow him to control his pitches well as he works up the Brewers system.. RHP. Decatur HS (AL). Tanner Burns. 46. player

player. 102. Returning from Tommy John surgery in April, Rasmussen has been incredibly impressive. He could be viewed as a reliever by some teams, but I’m taking him as a starter for the Angels in this spot. He has a very good fastball with movement as it runs 92-95. Rasmussen works with an average slider and change, but he sequences very well as a starter, and if he can get some more feel for his offspeed stuff, he could be an impressive starter. He’d have a floor as a very impressive reliever for the Angels. RHP. Oregon State University. Drew Rasmussen. 47

player. 108. Certainly a guy who could find himself in the first round, for the Rockies to get Danner with their first pick would feel like not losing a first round selection at all. Danner’s a legit pick in this range off the mound or as a hitter. The question of whether he profiles better as a catcher or on the dirt as an infielder has been asked this spring, and some teams prefer him as a pure arm. The Rockies will have the flexibility to let him develop some in their system and find the best fit for his tools, whether it be on the mound, behind the plate, or on the dirt.. RHP/C. Huntington Beach HS (CA). Hagen Danner. 48

4. Fitting the profile of the typical “Texas high school arm”, Scherff is known for a big fastball with one offspeed pitch that works well, in his case his change. There are some off field things that have whispered around with Scherff that seemed to come from a few different teams that bumped him from a likely mid-first round guy to here, along with the fact that he’s one of the oldest high school players this season. He’d work very well with the Pirates organization.. RHP. Colleyville Heritage HS (TX). Alex Scherff. 50. player

Westminster Christian School (FL). M.J. Melendez. 51. player. 82. A third in-state prospect because this season’s Florida draft class has some excellent talent, Melendez and Miami have been linked multiple times this spring, as Melendez would like to go to play for his father, who coaches with Florida International, but he’d also like to play for his home state Marlins as well. Advanced defensively and a heady player, Melendez could move quicker than a typical high school catcher, especially if the improvement with his bat this season is legit and he’s going to be able to put together consistent contact to go with certain present power.. C

University of North Carolina. Brian Miller. 52. player. 7. Miller’s blazing speed is certainly the first thing noted on a scouting report about him, but he’s also uses that speed well to be a legit plus defender in center field, which could help him move quickly. Miller does not project for a ton of power in his game, which is his biggest hole in his game, but he does offer a good line drive stroke that, in combination with his speed, should provide plenty of extra base hits, even if he’s not tallying home runs.. OF

One of the dangers of playing two sports in high school is that you could get injured playing the one that doesn’t lead you to pro prospects, which is what happened with Jennings, otherwise, you’d be hearing his name called much earlier. Jennings tore his ACL in the fall playing football and hasn’t been 100% this spring, but he’s still shown a fastball with easy velocity into the mid-90s and good life, two breaking pitches that flash plus, and a change that he’s rarely used but seemingly always got swing and miss on when he did – all shown on one knee this spring. Jennings could decide to risk his draft profile and go to college, but a big enough number here could bring one of the more underrated arms in the draft to the Astros system.. RHP. Dekalb County HS (TN). Steven Jennings. 53. player. 135

Jeter Downs. 54. player. 43. Call me a sucker for team tie-ins, but when a player is named after your most notable recent superstar, and he’s arguably the best player on the board at your pick, it’d have to be hard to let him pass. Downs has an easy swing that produces pop with ease, but the word used most about his game, offensively and defensively, is smooth. He may not have elite raw defensive skills, but he has the ability to move with ease to balls and make all the plays at short. Even if he has to move to second base, he should be a quality defender at the position.. SS. Monsignor Edward Pace HS (FL)

Matt Tabor. 55. player. 62. The Northeast’s big arm this spring, Tabor is a guy who has developed a mid-90s fastball with a change up that many see as plus already and projecting to double-plus. Some concerns about his delivery will have him down the draft board from where his natural fit would be with his stuff and size to this point, but the Mariners would love to get his arm into their system with plenty of development yet to do.. RHP. Milton Academy (MA)

56. player. 135. There are plenty in the scouting community that have mentioned to me this spring that Brannen could be an even better player than fellow Georgian Drew Waters. Brannen was graded with excellent future value grades, but due to an injury this spring, he didn’t really show for a lot of teams. Once again, he’d fit with the Astros ability to think long-term and let a talented player develop, however, and they could reap the rewards of a legit center field defender who has above-average to plus power to go along with excellent bat skills and speed.. OF. The Westfield School (GA). Cole Brannen

Monsignor McClancy Memorial HS (NY). Quentin Holmes. 57. player. 63. The top position player in the Northeast this season, Holmes is an exceptional athlete with truly gifted speed. Holmes has added some significant strength in the last aseason as well, and he now his flashes of raw power are showing more consistently in games, allowing him to project with plus power and speed. He does have a bit of cleaning up to do in his swing, but a lot of that has to do with a lack of reps due to his location in a cold-weather state.. OF

One of the rare guys who will flash double plus defensive grades at shortstop, yet also at the same time get 50 grades in speed, Seise reminds me a lot of the pre-draft profile of current Giants rookie <strong><a rel=. SS. West Orange HS (FL). Chris Seise. 58. player. 31

If Mitchell wasn’t a type 1 diabetic, I’d wager to say that he may be a top 30 pick. He has tools that match or surpass any high school outfielder that is being considered in that area. Mitchell has double plus speed, good defensive reads in center, plus contact skills at present due to his incredible bat speed, and the frame and body to project future power, though some are not in love with his swing as far as future development of that power. Mitchell has tremendous character and will be an asset for years in the Mets system, very feasibly moving quickly in their system.. OF. Orange Lutheran HS (CA). Garrett Mitchell. 59. player. 3

LHP. Cullman HS (AL). Jacob Heatherly. 60. player. 11. I had trouble placing Heatherly, simply due to the high possibility that he ends up a reliever, as I’m not incredibly sold on his ability to develop a third pitch, and he’s one of the older players in the draft, so there’s less development window than most. However, the Orioles are a team that have taken similar profiles and found the way to utilize them previously. The other end of things is that Heatherly would fit the way the Orioles have developed elite bullpen arms lately, and Heatherly may be a risk they’re willing to take for that reason.

Calvary Christian Academy HS (FL). Jake Eder. 62. player. 71. If you were designing a pitcher in the lab, Eder would resemble what the final product would be physically. He is 6’4″ with a wide shoulder base and good arm/leg length to allow for consistency in his delivery. His fastball has really played up as he’s filled into his frame and found that consistency in his delivery, pounding the zone with a fastball that moves well. His slow curve is his best off speed pitch, and he sometimes loses the feel for the pitch, which will be the big issue for him as a pro. He could be a tough sign as a Vanderbilt commit, but that’s why I projected the Dodgers to pop him off the board here as they’ve shown a willingness to take a chance on signability recently.. LHP

player. 90. The Nationals should do backflips and sing happy songs if Leach is still on the board at this point in the draft. A Canadian that didn’t get a ton of views, he’s really impressed scouts this spring as his fastball has showed mid-90s velocity with tremendous sink from his long limbs along with a tremendous feel for his other pitches. Many have positively compared Leach to fellow Canadian <strong><a rel=. RHP. Pickering HS (Canada). Landon Leach. 65

OF. Louisiana State University. Greg Deichmann. 66. player. 95. While he seems ageless, the injuries this season have perhaps begun to show the first kinks in the armor of future Hall of Famer <strong><a rel=

9. A two-sport guy in a cold weather state meant a shorter season for McMahon, but it also has left his arm more fresh than the average high schooler, with plenty projection left in his arm. He has a tremendously athletic frame that can show mid-90s fastballs with two excellent off speed pitches. He could be a guy that requires some extra money to sign, but if the Cubs like his ability off the mound, he’d be a good get this late.. RHP. West Chester Rustin HS (PA). Chris McMahon. 67. player

Rancho Bernardo HS (CA). Calvin Mitchell. 68. player. 8. After getting Mercado, they get another San Diego high school prospect, but in Mitchell, they aren’t getting a guy with a large array of skills. On the contrary, there is a good possibility that he will end up a 1B only eventually. What Mitchell offers is a ridiculously good bat, one that should hit for both average and power. He’s worked some to be willing to pull inside pitches after working a contact-first approach lately, and the impact on the ball he made in that change was incredible to note.. OF

player. 127. Extremely lean in his 6’6″ frame, Lemons is a guy who fits the Padres long view in their current development model. He has an exceptionally high ceiling with the ability to touch 96 now and many scouts believing he could be a guy to sit in that range and frequently top triple digits. Lemons has shown excellent improvement in his delivery this year, allowing him to command the fastball better as well. His secondary pitches are behind the fastball, but he shows some level of feel for a slider and change. While he’ll likely be a guy to move a level at a year and may repeat levels as he develops that feel, the upside for Lemons is as high as nearly anyone outside of the top 3-5 high school arms in this draft.. RHP. Vestavia Hills HS (AL). Caden Lemons. 69

Jacob Pearson. 70. player. 108. Coming into his senior year, Pearson was considered a contact over power guy with questionable defensive skills in center. He’s cleaned up some of his defensive routes to at least allow one to believe he could be a plus defender in a corner if he doesn’t stick in center. He’s also shown some excellent power this spring after a change in his follow through in his swing provided for more loft in the ball. He’s a solid athlete that is an above-average runner as well and should be an asset in Colorado’s big outfield.. OF. West Monroe HS (LA)

1B. Oregon State University. K.J. Harrison. 72. player. 4. Listed as a first baseman here, the Pirates would certainly have interest if Harrison was forced to stay at 1B long term, but they’re drafting the legit option that he could return back to catcher as an above average defender. Harrison was considered such coming out of high school before deferring to <strong><a rel=

7. Certainly a guy who looks the part, Matijevic has been simply hurting baseballs this spring, leading the nation for a significant part of the season in hitting while also providing plenty of gap power. While he currently uses an all-fields approach, tapping into his pull side would certainly allow his natural raw plus power to play up to a 20+ home run guy along with the type of bat that could annually produce 35+ doubles and a solid average.. 1B. University of Arizona. J.J. Matijevic. 73. player

Torrey Pines (CA). Kyle Hurt. 74. player. 11. One of my favorite last names in the draft, Hurt hasn’t been able to show his best this spring due to a knee injury, and that’s backed a lot of teams off of him, where he was once an early 2nd round projection to even a late 1st projection, he may now make the 3rd round. The moving fastball that worked in the mid-90s before his injury along with a plus change and average breaking ball with plenty of projection is an excellent profile to plug into a system desperate for high-upside arms.. RHP

75. player. 135. Having four picks in the top 75 thanks to the Cardinals hacking punishment, the Astros will continue to absolutely load up on long view talent in these picks. Tillo was a two-sport recruit out of high school in baseball and basketball, actually winning his state’s Mr. Basketball award as a senior. He has a clean delivery, but his feel for pitching is still very raw due to limited reps on the mound. Tillo offers a fastball that runs to 96-97 with tremendous sink, a hard, sharp slider, and a change that showed good sink when he used it. He did wear down as the season went on this year, but much of that was due to his lack of track record. His arm from the left side is the type that could develop well with a system willing to give him time.. LHP. Iowa Western Junior College. Daniel Tillo