MLB Draft: The Final Mock Draft of 2016

62. The Mariners would struggle to say no with Rutherford staring them in the face unless his signing number became much too high, and that has not been reported to be an issue with Rutherford. Rutherford has suffered some prospect fatigue as he’s been highly regarded for nearly TOO long, but he’s an advanced hitter for a high school prospect. Others considered: Burdi, Dunn, Hudson, Lowe, Craig. of. Chaminade College Prep, Canoga Park, Calif.. Blake Rutherford . 11. player

21. The Rays would have had the guys they really love swooped up just in front of them. At this point, they’d have to decide on trying the signability of one of the high school arms, going after one of their favorites in Lowe, or ensuring they get a guy who could move quickly in Hudson. Hudson seems like a guy who would do very well in the Rays pitching development system. Considering: Rutherford, Collins, Craig, Lowe, HS arm. rhp. Mississippi State. Dakota Hudson . 13. player

rhp. Alamo Heights High, San Antonio, Texas. Forrest Whitley . 15. player. 2. The Twins are reportedly getting an arm.in this spot. Lots of reports say that they would love for it to be a guy like Hudson, but he may not make it here. The Twins went for the college closer-converting-to-starter route last year, so Dunn seems like it could be repetitive. I’m thinking the end result in Minnesota is a high school arm. As the numbers are rolling in, Whitley’s is the one that seems to make the most sense for the Twins here. Also considered: Hudson, Dunn, Sheffield, HS arms

3b. Pope High, Marietta, Ga.. Josh Lowe . 16. player. 102. There may not be a worst system that I’ve reviewed in my years of reviewing the minor leagues than the current Angels minor league system. To call it barren is an insult to barren desert wastelands. The Angels should go with the best player they can get on this spot, and Lowe’s power bat is probably the highest upside player in this spot. Also in play: HS arms, Nolan Jones, Lux, Kirilloff, Rutherford

135. This is a match that has been played out more and more as the Astros visited more and more and have been showing a ton of interest in Zeuch, who does fit their profile of a pitcher that could succeed in their system. He would also be able to give them a bit more flexibility financially than a high school arm. The bats here don’t seem to make sense for the Astros. Also considered: Thaiss, Sheffield, Dunn, Burdi, HS arm. rhp. Pittsburgh. T.J. Zeuch . 17. player

player. 43. Thaiss and the Yankees have been tied together a ton this spring, and that could be a match made on Thursday as well. Thaiss had a solid ACC tourney and showed well in the regionals. Thaiss may not play catcher forever in the pros, but he could work well with Gary Sanchez in tandem. Others in play: Nolan Jones, Craig, HS arm. c. Virginia. Matt Thaiss . 18

3b. Wake Forest. Will Craig . 19. player. 3. The Mets and Craig have a ton of connection, and I don’t think Craig gets beyond the Mets. They would manipulate their #31 pick to ensure they get Craig if his number drives him out of the range of other teams between 10 and 19. Also considered: Kirilloff, Lux, Trammell, HS arms

This is getting to be a common discussion. Manning has a big number that will be tough for teams outside the top 7-8 to meet until you get down to around 20 where there are a number of teams with multiple picks in the first round. A SoCal kid going to the Dodgers for over slot with a huge arm is seemingly a perfect fit, and they have shown a ton of interest. Also in play: Nolan Jones, Will Benson, HS arms. rhp. Sheldon High, Sacramento. Matt Manning . 20. player. 71

Boston College. Justin Dunn . 22. player. 4. The Pirates would be in heaven here. They would love to get their hands on local product Zeuch, but if he’s off the board, they’ll go after the pitcher that most fits their pitching philosophy, pitching strongly off of his fastball, and that would be Dunn. Also considered: Sheffield, Hansen, Zeuch, HS arms. rhp

32. Lauer is one of two guys that I think are prototype Cardinals picks. He’s the highest-rated of the two on the board here, so I’m putting him with the Cardinals here. He should move quickly, and while he may not be a #1 starter, he should have a long career in the major leagues as a starting pitcher. The Cardinals have three picks between 23-34, and they’ll likely go after one tough sign, and they could choose to go after that guy here if they really like someone, but there’s no one on the board here that they’ve been tied to heavily beyond the college pitchers, so they’ll take the top guy they’ve been tied to in order to ensure they get that guy. Possible picks: Sheffield, Trammell, Nolan Jones, Marsh, Benson, Connor Jones, Anthony Kay. lhp. Kent State. Eric Lauer . 23. player

Mount Paran Christian School, Kennesaw, Ga.. Taylor Trammell . 24. player. 127. The Padres are reported to have a deal with a Georgia prep player, and many have assumed for a long time that it was Atlanta metro outfielder Will Benson, but that has recently been strongly denied, which could be draft speak, but the sources weren’t the types that are prone to such draft speak stuff. So, in leiu of Benson, it would seem that Lowe would cost too much to move down to 24/25 and be an overdraft at 8, so then you get to guys like Trammell, Kieboom, and Marsh. Trammell had a workout with the Padres this last week and left very pleased from all reports. I’ll put my educated guess that their Georgia prep guy ends up being the speedy Trammell to eventually roam spacious Petco center field. Also in play: Kieboom, Marsh, Benson, Lowe. of

Jordan Sheffield . 25. player. 127. San Diego will want to ensure they have the money to make all three top picks work, and that will require a college player. In this situation, they couldn’t ask for much better with a college bat in Lewis and college arm in Sheffield that are both highly thought of and yet should be somewhat affordable in order to make Trammell also workable. Also in consideration: College arms. rhp. Vanderbilt

ss. Holy Ghost Prep, Langhorne, Pa.. Nolan Jones . 27. player. 11. With one selection in the first 41 picks, the Orioles will want ot hit a home run. They would love to have one of the top college hitters fall, but at this point, the best college guys on the board are known more for their defense and upside than their present bats. If they’re going to go for an upside bat, they’ll pursue the bigger upside of a high school bat. Jones is the best of those left on the board. Also in consideration: Benson, Kieboom, Marsh, Reynolds, HS arm

90. The Nationals seem set to make a splash with back to back picks. They’re known for taking injured pitchers, but this seems early for Daulton Jefferies, though he did pitch very well at the end of the season and could be the guy they choose rather than Jones in order to save money. Jones did nothing wrong all season, but he really didn’t have that “dominant” season that one of the top college starters entering the season is expected to have, so now he’s dropped down a number of draft boards. The Nationals would enjoy having the “local” guy be their low-cost guy that should have a fairly high floor. Also in play: Jefferies, Quantrill, Tyler, Burnes. rhp. Virginia. Connor Jones . 28. player

90. This could go a number of ways, but I just think it’s too perfect a match to see the Nationals take the guy with the blistering fastball in college and working him with Stephen Strasburg to develop him into an incredible piece of the rotation or a dominant back-end reliever. Others in consideration: Drew Mendoza, Joe Rizzo, Kieboom, Marsh. rhp. Oklahoma. Alec Hansen . 29. player

95. The Rangers have one selection, and they tend to go for the high-upside, higher-risk guy in the international market, so this could be the opportunity, especially in this draft to grab a solid, safe, high-floor sort of guy that should provide a ton of stability in the organization as he moves up to the majors. Reynolds is just a solid player all around, solid on offense, excellent on defense, but neither so much so to be “elite”. Others in play: Okey, Reed, HS arms. of. Vanderbilt. Bryan Reynolds . 30. player

Anthony Kay . 31. player. 3. The Mets will likely have to go over slot to get Craig at 19, so they’ll need to have some money. Kay may not have elite upside, but his performance at the end of the season has really shown teams that he’s a higher floor option than even he was considered before. Others considered: Logan Shore, Connor Jones, Tyler, Sedlock. lhp. Connecticut

32. player. 71. The Dodgers would need some college picks in order to make the Manning selection work, and likely need to overdraft to some degree. Tyler takes care of the first consideration as he’s a guy that could move very quickly in the bullpen but has the size, stamina, and potential repertoire to be a mid rotation starter for many years. Also considered: Kay, Connor Jones, Jefferies, Shore. rhp. Georgia. Robert Tyler

32. Okey is the type of college guy that fits the Cardinals well. He doesn’t seem to profile as a major leaguer with any tool on offense or defense, but he has an extremely high baseball IQ and leadership skills that have had him on the Team USA squad for three years now. He’ll be a financially cheap sign here, but he’s more in play as a great fit than for mere money reasons. Also considered: Reed, Heath Quinn, Will Smith. c. Clemson. Chris Okey . 33. player

34. player. 32. The Cardinals are reputed to grab these baseball rat sort of guys that grind their way to being tremendous ball players. While the organization certainly appreciates high baseball IQ, they also love when it’s paired with high talent. Kieboom is that type. He’s got the family bloodlines with a brother in the minor leagues and another in high-level college, and yet he’s got a very solid power bat that could be very impactful as well. Also considered: Dawson, Marsh, Benson, Rizzo, Bo Bichette. ss/3b. Walton High, Marietta, Ga.. Carter Kieboom

rhp. Shenendohowa High, Clifton Park, N.Y.. Ian Anderson . 35. player. 61. Grabbing Senzel at #2 was set up to grab one of the signability issue high school players, and this worked out perfectly for the Reds in this draft as Anderson falls right in their lap. Anderson’s reported $3-4M number has scared away a lot of teams, so he could fall to this area if he doesn’t work out a deal to go very under slot in the top end of the draft, which is also feasible. Also considered: Wentz, Kyle Muller, Jared Horn, Kevin Gowdy

36. player. 71. This is the Dodgers overdraft, though more and more, Burnes is working his way into the top 35-40 discussion based on his skills this season, but he is a guy who hasn’t had the same level of competition and probably needs more time than the average college arm if you want him to start. He could move quickly as a reliever, though. Also considered: Jefferies, Jon Duplantier, Dane Dunning. rhp. St. Mary’s. Corbin Burnes

of. Florida. Buddy Reed . 37. player. 96. This would be a great fit for the A’s, with a highly skilled defensive outfielder with a ton of raw offensive skills going to a team that will likely need a center fielder in 2017 and going forward. That said, his skill set also is very odd for the Athletics to pursue, so he may be passed here. Also in play: Dawson, Austin Hays, College arm

Ronnie Dawson . 38. player. 108. The Rockies would go for some upside here as they would likely get Moniak with some room in their #4 draft pool, so they could go for upside here. Dawson really shot up boards with his end of season performance and would fit well. Also considered: Benson, Marsh, Anfernee Grier, Bo Bichette. of. Ohio State

of. The Westminster Schools, Atlanta. Will Benson . 39. player. 8. The Diamondbacks have just one pick in the first 50 picks, so they’ll want to make an impact here. They could go for a high-end high school arm here as well, but Benson is a tremendous talent that was tied to the Padres for so long that he seemingly didn’t get the tie-in with other teams that many other players in this area did. Also considered: Horn, Muller, Gowdy, Marsh, Kieboom

Joey Wentz . 40. player. 17. The Braves are working to get a set of players before the draft even takes place for 3, 40, and 44 with deals in place for all three. There are heavy rumors that good friends Pint and Wentz want to play together and are willing to work with a team to sign together, and this would absolutely entice the Braves, who tremendously love Pint as it is, and getting arguably the second-best high school lefty along with him would be a great haul. Considered: Benson, Kieboom, Marsh, Heath Quinn, Akil Baddoo, HS arms. lhp. Shawnee Mission East HS, Prairie Village, KS

4. With a college arm at 22, the Pirates could take a risk here, and Marsh offers as much power as any high school bat out there. They’re stacked long-term in the outfield for sure, but Marsh may take some time to develop, which would mean that they’d have a spot by the time Marsh was ready. Also considered: HS arm, Rizzo, Mendoza, Dawson, Grier. of. Buford (Ga.) High. Brandon Marsh . 41. player