MLB: 2016 First Round Picks Finish Up Their First Regular Seasons
The MLB draft was in June and over 40 rounds, over 1,000 players were added into professional baseball. How did they do?
In looking at the draft, it’s good to check different levels, so the first page will look at the first 41 selections, the second page will look at those players selected in the 2nd through 10th round who have performed well, and the third page will look at those who were drafted in the 10th through 40th rounds that performed well. Enjoy!
First Round
1. Mickey Moniak, Philadelphia Phillies – High school pick played the entire summer in the Gulf Coast League. Stat Line: .284/.340/.409, 4 triples, 10 steals, 11/35 BB/K
2. Nick Senzel, Cincinnati Reds – Worked his way up to A ball quickly and played most of his season there. Stat Line: .305/.398/.514, 24 doubles, 7 HR, 18 SB, 38/54 BB/K
3. Ian Anderson, Atlanta Braves – High school arm worked his way up to advanced rookie level after starting in the GCL. Stat Line: 10 G, 39 2/3 IP, 2.04 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 12/36 BB/K
4. Riley Pint, Colorado Rockies – High velocity high school arm struggled with advanced rookie level. Stat Line: 11 G, 37 IP, 5.35 ERA, 1.78 WHIP, 23/36 BB/K
5. Corey Ray, Milwaukee Brewers – Aggressively placed in high-A and had understandable struggles adjusting to moving up that quickly. Stat Line: .247/.307/.385, 5 HR, 9 SB, 20/54 BB/K
6. A.J. Puk, Oakland Athletics – Very solid numbers in New York-Penn League, though his FIP was significantly higher than his ERA, indicating he may have had some luck involved. Stat Line: 10 G, 32 2/3 IP, 3.03 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 12/40 BB/K
7. Braxton Garrett, Miami Marlins – Did not pitch due to signing late after a long high school season.
8. Cal Quantrill, San Diego Padres – Jumped up three levels in his first season with varying levels of success, but showed he was healthy and worth this draft slot. Stat Line: 12 G, 37 IP, 5.11 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 8/46 BB/K
9. Matt Manning, Detroit Tigers – Big strikeout numbers in GCL, though FIP a run and a half higher than ERA. Stat Line: 10 G, 29 1/3 IP, 3.99 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 7/46 BB/K
10. Zack Collins, Chicago White Sox – After working all the way to high-A, will play in Arizona Fall League in October. Stat Line: .244/.396/.435, 6 HR, 33/46 BB/K
11. Kyle Lewis, Seattle Mariners – Solid start to pro career cut short by major knee injury. Stat Line: .299/.385/.530, 16 XBH (in 30 G), 3 SB, 16/22 BB/K
12. Jason Groome, Boston Red Sox – Limited due to high school work load, but on the New York-Penn roster as a HS pitcher. Stat Line: 3 G, 6 2/3 IP, 2.70 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 4/10 BB/K
13. Joshua Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays – Worked up to advanced rookie as a high school hitter, flashing solid pitch recognition. Stat Line: .249/.374/.405, 5 HR, 37/59 BB/K
14. Will Benson, Cleveland Indians – Toolsy Georgia HS outfielder played in the Arizona Rookie League and flashed tools but needing refinement. Stat Line: .209/.321/.424, 6 HR, 10 SB, 22/60 BB/K
15. Alex Kirilloff, Minnesota Twins – Personal favorite HS OF out of Pennsylvania had a very solid season in advanced rookie ball. Stat Line: .306/.341/.454, 7 HR, 11/32 BB/K
16. Matt Thaiss, Los Angeles Angels – Moved off of catcher immediately to let the bat play, and it showed up well as he advanced up to full-season ball. Stat Line: .292/.361/.462, 19 doubles, 6 HR, 26/32 BB/K
17. Forrest Whitley, Houston Astros – Big righty (6’7, 240) moved up to advanced rookie in his first year. Stat Line: 8 G, 18 2/3 IP, 4.82 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 6/26 BB/K
18. Blake Rutherford, New York Yankees – Preseason top 5 talent fell to the Yankees and played like his preseason talent level, moving up to the Appy League. Stat Line: .351/.415/.570, 4 triples, 3 HR, 13/30 BB/K
19. Justin Dunn, New York Mets – Converted closer was worked in the New York-Penn League as a starter. Stat Line: 11 G, 30 IP, 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 10/35 BB/K
20. Gavin Lux, Los Angeles Dodgers – HS shortstop moved up to advanced rookie Pioneer League due to solid play. Stat Line: .296/.375/.399, 5 triples, 28/51 BB/K.
21. TJ Zeuch, Toronto Blue Jays – Jumped up 3 levels to full-season A-ball in the Midwest League due to performance in earlier levels. Stat Line: 9 G, 34 IP, 4.50 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 7/38 BB/K
22. Will Craig, Pittsburgh Pirates – Highly-rated college hitter started at short-season A-ball and showed excellent pitch recognition, though not quite the power expected. Stat Line: .280/.412/.362, 2 HR, 41/37 BB/K
23. Delvin Perez, St. Louis Cardinals – Positive PED test in pre-draft workouts dropped him from top 5 to this slot, but showed talent in GCL. Stat Line: .294/.352/.393, 4 triples, 12 SB, 12/28 BB/K
24. Hudson Sanchez, San Diego Padres – Considered by many as an overdraft, but showed well in rookie ball, earning a promotion to short-season A-ball. Stat Line: .280/.338/.366, 10 SB, 18/47 BB/K
25. Eric Lauer, San Diego Padres – Excellent college performer continued performing in the minor leagues, working his way all the way to full-season ball in the Midwest League. Stat Line: 10 G, 31 IP, 2.03 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9/37 BB/K
26. Zack Burdi, Chicago White Sox – Burdi worked in the bullpen for the White Sox, working his way all the way to AAA. Stat Line: 25 G, 38 IP, 3.32 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 20/51 BB/K
27. Cody Sedlock, Baltimore Orioles – Threw a ton in college, so the Orioles did manage his innings in the New York-Penn League. Stat Line: 9 G, 27 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 13/25 BB/K
28. Carter Kieboom, Washington Nationals – Family connection pick (brother is in the Nationals system) hit for power but some struggles with pitch recognition in the GCL. Stat Line: .244/.323/.452, 4 HR, 12/43 BB/K
29. Dane Dunning, Washington Nationals – Florida product picked ahead of many of his teammates expected to go higher, and he showed it was a wise selection with his performance in the NYPL. Stat Line: 8 G, 35 2/3 IP, 2.02 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 7/32 BB/K
30. Cole Ragans, Texas Rangers – Surprised many by coming off the board this early, as he had some injury concerns his senior year. Limited innings in ARL. Stat Line: 4 G, 7 2/3 IP, 4.70 ERA, 2.22 WHIP, 6/9 BB/K
31. Anthony Kay, New York Mets – College lefty signed late with a lot of mileage on the arm, so he did not pitch in pro ball in 2016.
32. Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers – Late-rising college catcher that really jumped up levels to high-A in his first pro season. Stat Line: .246/.355/.329, 4 HR, 29/50 BB/K
33. Dylan Carlson, St. Louis Cardinals – Surprise pick for most draft “experts”. Showed some good defense in the GCL and some flashes of tools offensively. Stat Line: .251/.313/.404, 3 HR, 4 SB, 16/52 BB/K.
34. Dakota Hudson, St. Louis Cardinals – Very good college performer moved to the bullpen to manage his innings in pro ball and pitched well up to high-A. Stat Line: 12 G, 13 1/3 IP, 0.68 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 7/19 BB/K
35. Taylor Trammell, Cincinnati Reds – Possibly the fastest player in the draft. Sent to advanced rookie Pioneer League. Stat Line: .303/.374/.421, 6 triples, 24 SB, 23/57 BB/K
36. Jordan Sheffield, Los Angeles Dodgers – Vanderbilt product moved quickly to full-season A-ball in the Midwest League. Stat Line: 8 G, 12 IP, 3.75 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 6/13 BB/K
37. Daulton Jefferies, Oakland Athletics – Big time arm that was injured in his draft year after projecting as a top 10 pitcher. Stat Line: 5 G, 11 1/3 IP, 2.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2/17 BB/K
38. Robert Tyler, Colorado Rockies – Big arm from University of Georgia really struggled with control in his pro debut. Stat Line: 5 G, 7 IP, 6.43 ERA, 2.57 WHIP, 16/5 BB/K
39. Anfernee Grier, Arizona Diamondbacks – Toolsy player that was a spring riser up draft boards spent most of his time at DH as he got used to pro ball. Stat Line: .236/.277/.337, 2 HR, 9 SB, 3/26 BB/K
40. Joey Wentz, Atlanta Braves – Exceptional start in GCL and finished strong in Appy League in first pro season out of Kansas HS. Stat Line: 12 G, 44 IP, 3.68 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 25/53 BB/K
41. Nick Lodolo, Pittsburgh Pirates – Did not sign with the Pirates
Next: 2nd-10th Rounders
Second Through Tenth Rounders
Peter Alonso, 1B, 2nd Round, New York Mets – University of Florida big bat didn’t show the same power in the NYPL but had good contact skills. Stat Line: .321/.382/.587, 12 doubles, 5 HR, 11/22 BB/K
Lake Bachar, RHP, 5th Round, San Diego Padres – Lake was selected out of perennial D-III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater, and he spent a lot of his time in the bullpen, but also made 5 starts across 3 levels, reaching high-A. Stat Line: 15 G, 36 2/3 IP, 3.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 7/41 BB/K
Caleb Baragar, LHP, 9th Round, San Francisco Giants – Baragar was a highly-rated college performer that didn’t have great pitch grades, leaving him to the 9th round. He showed well in the AZL, though. Stat Line: 15 G, 61 IP, 2.51 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 21/53 BB/K
Peter Bayer, RHP, 9th Round, Tampa Bay Rays – Coming out of Cal Poly Pomona, Bayer put up eye-popping numbers in the Appy League. Stat Line: 10 G, 32 2/3 IP, 0.83 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 3/45 BB/K
Bo Bichette, IF, 2nd Round, Toronto Blue Jays – Bichette has good bloodlines, and he destroyed the GCL. Questions remain about his eventual defensive position. Stat Line: .427/.451/.732, 4 HR, 3 SB, 6/17 BB/K
Cavan Biggio, 2B, 5th Round, Toronto Blue Jays – Son of Craig, the Notre Dame product worked his way to full-season ball with his performance. Stat Line: .273/.371/.349, 12 doubles, 11 SB, 33/35 BB/K
Gio Brusa, OF, 6th Round, San Francisco Giants – Big time power hitter in college slugged in pro ball, but struggled with pitch recognition. Stat Line: .264/.298/.495, 15 doubles, 10 HR, 11/69 BB/K
Corbin Burnes, RHP, 4th Round, Milwaukee Brewers – Excellent college starter rumored as high as the 1st round was a steal in the 4th, pitching his way to the Midwest League. Stat Line: 12 G, 35 2/3 IP, 2.02 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 18/41 BB/K
Bobby Dalbec, 3B, 4th Round, Boston Red Sox – Many teams passed on Dalbec as he wanted to hit and they viewed him as a pitcher. Turns out he may have known what he was talking about. Stat Line: .386/.427/.674, 13 doubles, 7 HR, 9/33 BB/K
Tommy Edman, SS, 6th Round, St. Louis Cardinals – Stanford product showed excellent eye at the plate, great speed, and solid defense at both middle infield spots. Stat Line: .286/.400/.427, 14 doubles, 5 triples, 4 HR, 19 SB, 48/29 BB/K
Kole Enright, 3B, 3rd Round, Texas Rangers – Enright was considered a project out of Florida high school, but the switch-hitter came out swinging the bat well in the AZL. Stat Line: .313/.378/.420, 13 doubles, 14/33 BB/K
Lucas Erceg, 3B, 2nd Round, Milwaukee Brewers – Based on pure talent, Erceg was a top-10 talent, but he had some personality issues that caused college transfers and a number of teams to pass on him in the draft. He worked his way up to the Midwest League with his play. Stat Line: .327/.376/.518, 17 doubles, 9 HR, 9 SB, 20/54 BB/K
Matt Fiedler, OF, 9th Round, St. Louis Cardinals – A college product from Minnesota, Fiedler hit very well in the Appy League in his first year. Stat Line: .325/.386/.487, 20 doubles, 4 HR, 8 SB, 19/32 BB/K
Jameson Fisher, OF, 4th Round, Chicago White Sox – Fisher was a big time hitter with Southeastern Louisiana, and he continued that in the Pioneer League. Stat Line: .342/.436/.487, 4 HR, 13 SB, 27/43 BB/K
Austin Franklin, RHP, 3rd Round, Tampa Bay Rays – Franklin was selected out of high school and showed excellent stuff in the GCL. Stat Line: 11 G, 43 1/3 IP, 2.70 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 16/40 BB/K
Zac Gallen, RHP, 3rd Round, St. Louis Cardinals – After a long season with UNC, Gallen was limited in his pro innings, but he impressed all the same in the GCL. Stat Line: 6 G, 9 2/3 IP, 1.86 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 0/15 BB/K
Garrett Hampson, SS, 3rd Round, Colorado Rockies – College shortstop out of Long Beach State hit for a tremendous line in the Northwest League. Stat Line: .301/.404/.441, 14 doubles, 8 triples, 36 SB, 48/56 BB/K
Alec Hansen, RHP, 2nd Round, Chicago White Sox – Considered a possible top pick candidate going into the spring, Hansen’s control issues knocked him all the way to the 2nd round, but he’s shown tremendously in pro ball. Stat Line: 12 G, 54 2/3 IP, 1.32 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 20/81 BB/K
Ryan Hartman, LHP, 9th Round, Houston Astros – Lefty from Tennessee Wesleyan threw very well in the NYPL, getting a ton of grounders. Stat Line: 14 G, 45 2/3 IP, 2.36 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 7/48 BB/K
Austin Hays, OF, 3rd Round, Baltimore Orioles – One of the best power hitters in college in 2016 out of Jacksonville hit very well in NYPL. Stat Line: .336/.386/.514, 4 HR, 4 SB, 11/32 BB/K
Ryan January, C, 8th Round, Arizona Diamondbacks – It’s rare for a catcher to play well in his first pro season, but January hit well out of community college. Stat Line: .273/.376/.470, 10 HR, 26/63 BB/K
Mitchell Jordan, RHP, 10th Round, Oakland Athletics – Drafted from small school Stetson, Jordan has pitched his way all the way up to high-A for the A’s. Stat Line: 14 G, 45 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 12/38 BB/K
Andrew Knizner, C, 7th Round, St. Louis Cardinals – North Carolina State catcher split time nearly even between catcher and 1B to get his bat in the Appy League lineup. Stat Line: .319/.423/.492, 12 doubles, 6 HR, 21/21 BB/K
Khalil Lee, OF, 3rd Round, Kansas City Royals – Big-tooled outfielder out of Virginia HS really performed well for AZL. Stat Line: .269/.396/.484, 6 triple, 6 HR, 8 SB, 33/57 BB/K
Joey Lucchesi, LHP, 4th Round, San Diego Padres – Drafted out of Southeast Missouri State, Lucchesi showed much better than his draft position by working his way all the way to full season ball. Stat Line: 15 G, 42 IP, 1.29 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 3/56 BB/K
Jeremy Martinez, C, 4th Round, St. Louis Cardinals – Solid defensive catcher out of USC with an excellent eye, but not a lot of power potential. Stat Line: .325/.419/.433, 14 doubles, 32/16 BB/K
Dakota Mekkes, RHP, 10th Round, Chicago Cubs – Big time college pitcher that many figured would need to move to the bullpen in pro ball and did that for two levels in the Cubs system. Stat Line: 11 G, 20 IP, 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 4/27 BB/K
Brandon Miller, RHP, 6th Round, Seattle Mariners – Picked from a small school in Pennsylvania, Miller pitched tremendously well in the Northwest League. Stat Line: 14 G, 56 1/3 IP, 2.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 7/51 BB/K
Troy Montgomery, OF, 8th Round, Los Angeles Angels – Montgomery was overshadowed by teammate Ronnie Dawson, but he was a solid hitter in his own right, working his way up to full-season A-ball. Stat Line: .291/.384/.461, 7 HR, 13 SB, 31/50 BB/K
Scott Moss, LHP, 4th Round, Cincinnati Reds – Another University of Florida pitcher, Moss had a very good debut in the Pioneer League. Stat Line: 10 G, 38 1/3 IP, 2.35 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 14/29 BB/K
Kyle Muller, LHP, 2nd Round, Atlanta Braves – Muller stayed at the GCL all season, but he really pitched exceptionally well in his time there. Stat Line: 10 G, 27 2/3 IP, 0.65 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 12/38 BB/K
D.J. Peters, OF, 4th Round, Los Angeles Dodgers – Peters came out of community college in Nevada to hit for big power in the Pioneer League. Stat Line: .351/.437/.615, 24 doubles, 13 HR, 35/66 BB/K
Heath Quinn, OF, 3rd Round, San Francisco Giants – Quinn was a personal favorite coming out of Samford as a complete hitter with big college power but high-end defense and he worked his way all the way to high-A. Stat Line: .344/.434/.564, 21 doubles, 9 HR, 30/58 BB/K
Bryan Reynolds, OF, 2nd Round, San Francisco Giants – Vanderbilt product was mature and ready to contribute right away. A real steal in the 2nd round. Stat Line: .313/.363/.484, 17 doubles, 6 HR, 14/61 BB/K
Errol Robinson, SS, 6th Round, Los Angeles Dodgers – Speedster out of Ole Miss hit the ground running (literally!) in the Pioneer League. Stat Line: .282/.336/.395, 17 doubles, 18 SB, 17/42 BB/K
Jacob Robson, OF, 8th Round, Detroit Tigers – Robson is a speedster leadoff guy that split his time between the GCL and NYPL. Stat Line: .294/.399/.395, 15 SB, 31/42 BB/K
Logan Shore, RHP, 2nd Round, Oakland Athletics – Shore was the University of Florida ace this season and threw very well for the NYPL. Stat Line: 7 G, 21 IP, 2.57 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 7/21 BB/K
Nick Solak, 2B, 2nd Round, New York Yankees – Drafted to save some money for Blake Rutherford, Solak showed to be a nice find himself, if limited in upside. Stat Line: .321/.412/.421, 13 doubles, 8 SB, 30/39 BB/K
Mason Thompson, RHP, 3rd Round, San Diego Padres – The towering (6’7) righty was drafted out of high school by the Padres and threw very well for the AZL. Stat Line: 5 G, 12 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 5/12 BB/K
Zack Trageton, RHP, 6th Round, Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays selected Trageton out of high school in Las Vegas, and he showed exceptional control in his time in the GCL. Stat Line: 10 G, 42 IP, 2.36 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 6/29 BB/K
Colton Welker, 3B, 4th Round, Colorado Rockies – Welker hit for a lot more power than expected when the Rockies picked him out of Florida high school. Stat Line: .329/.366/.490, 15 doubles, 5 HR, 6 SB, 13/28 BB/K
Bryse Wilson, RHP, 4th Round, Atlanta Braves – Wilson’s performance in the GCL turned a lot of heads after the Braves gave him a big bonus in the 4th round. Stat Line: 9 G, 26 2/3 IP, 0.68 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 8/29 BB/K
Stephen Wrenn, OF, 6th Round, Houston Astros – University of Georgia product filled up the stat line between NYPL and Midwest League. Stat Line: .260/.324/.471, 14 doubles, 5 triples, 12 HR, 15 SB, 25/78 BB/K
Trey York, 2B, 9th Round, Milwaukee Brewers – A college pick out of East Tennessee State, York showed very well and was promoted all the way to high-A. Stat Line: .289/.393/.407, 14 doubles, 15 SB, 33/42 BB/K
Nick Zammarelli, 3B, 8th Round, Seattle Mariners – College bat with mature approach hit very well in the Northwest League. Stat Line: .329/.391/.467, 18 doubles, 5 HR, 25/67 BB/K
Next: Final Day Picks
Eleventh Through Fortieth Round Picks
Chris Baker, SS, 17th Round, San Diego Padres – College shortstop from Washington worked his way up to full-season ball with his play. Stat Line: .299/.384/.432, 14 doubles, 5 HR, 14 SB, 30/67 BB/K
Danny Beddes, RHP, 15th Round, Pittsburgh Pirates – Sinkerball artist from Utah Valley pitched very well in the NYPL. Stat Line: 14 G, 71 1/3 IP, 2.27 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 24/55 BB/K
Greg Belton, RHP, 27th Round, Los Angeles Angels – Belton came out of Sam Houston State and was the primary closer for the Angels Pioneer League team. Stat Line: 22 G, 39 2/3 IP, 2.27 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 6/43 BB/K
Matt Blandino, RHP, 19th Round, Cincinnati Reds – Blandino came from a tiny college in New Jersey, but he performed well in the AZL. Stat Line: 8 G, 31 1/3 IP, 2.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 3/30 BB/K
Joel Booker, OF, 22nd Round, Chicago White Sox – Iowa is not known for producing big time college hitters, but Booker came out and has been a big value for the White Sox, working up to the advanced rookie level. Stat Line: .312/.403/.404, 41 SB, 27/49 BB/K
Geoffrey Bramblett, RHP, 30th Round, Kansas City Royals – Coming out of Alabama, the Royals got a lot more production than expected in the Appy League from their 30th rounder. Stat Line: 11 G, 49 2/3 IP, 2.17 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 9/43 BB/K
John Brontsema, IF, 26th Round, Kansas City Royals – The Royals took the UC-Irvine product seeing a future utility man, and they promoted him all the way to high-A Wilmington over the season. Stat Line: .337/.386/.396, 9 SB, 13/33 BB/K
Layne Bruner, LHP, 18th Round, Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles took Bruner out of Washington State, and he threw very well in the GCL. Stat Line: 13 G, 45 1/3 IP, 2.38 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 19/47 BB/K
J.R. Davis, 2B, 15th Round, St. Louis Cardinals – The Oklahoma State product showed excellent contact with some solid speed as well. Stat Line: .333/.362/.457, 3 HR, 11 SB, 5/22 BB/K
Matt Eckelman, RHP, 21st Round, Pittsburgh Pirates – Big righty showed excellent control and the ability to get a ton of grounders in the Appy League. Stat Line: 13 G, 62 IP, 2.76 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 9/55 BB/K
Eric Filia, OF, 20th Round, Seattle Mariners – Old (24) prospect for a draft prospect, he hit very well and even went up to AAA for a short stint, showing tremendous pitch recognition. Stat Line: .360/.451/.494, 19 doubles, 4 HR, 10 SB, 40/19 BB/K
Matt Foster, RHP, 20th Round, Chicago White Sox – Made a closer straight out of Alabama, he pitched tremendously well from the AZL to the Pioneer League. Stat Line: 22 G, 29 2/3 IP, 0.61 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 7/41 BB/K
Grant Gavin, RHP, 29th Round, Kansas City Royals – College righty from Central Missouri showed tremendous control in AZL. Stat Line: 13 G, 49 1/3 IP, 2.01 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 5/47 BB/K
Zach Gibbons, OF, 17th Round, Los Angeles Angels – College bat out of Arizona hit well across the board in the Pioneer League. Stat Line: .351/.441/.513, 5 HR, 17 SB, 29/22 BB/K
Ronnie Gideon, 1B, 23rd Round, Milwaukee Brewers – Big masher out of Texas A&M bruised baseballs in the Pioneer League at a high rate in his first pro year. Stat Line: .321/.371/.638, 20 doubles, 17 HR, 15/69 BB/K
Darick Hall, 1B, 14th Round, Philadelphia Phillies – Power hitter in college showed solid power in pro ball, but also struggled with pitch recognition. Stat Line: .282/.372/.518, 19 doubles, 9 HR, 13/57 BB/K
Nick Heath, OF, 16th Round, Kansas City Royals – Speedster out of Northwestern State ran wild in the Pioneer League. Stat Line: .291/.350/.387, 4 triples, 36 SB, 21/61 BB/K
Jacob Heyward, OF, 18th Round, San Francisco Giants – Jason’s little brother was drafted out of Miami and really played well in the AZL and North Woods League. Stat Line: .330/.483/.560, 5 triples, 11 SB, 27/33 BB/K
Tanner Hill, 1B, 26th Round, Arizona Diamondbacks – Big (6’2, 250-lb) first baseman didn’t knock out a ton of home runs, but still showed plenty of power in the Pioneer League. Stat Line: .303/.383/.548, 15 doubles, 7 HR, 18/38 BB/K
David Jacob, 1B, 32nd Round, Toronto Blue Jays – Jacob was drafted from a small school and showed solid power between GCL and NYPL. Stat Line: .304/.387/.480, 6 HR, 21/25 BB/K
Jared James, OF, 34th Round, Atlanta Braves – The Braves like James, having drafted him multiple different times. This time he signed and played his way up to full-season A-ball. Stat Line: .300/.379/.420, 4 HR, 11 SB, 21/30 BB/K
Bradley Jones, 1B, 18th Round, Toronto Blue Jays – Jones came out of College of Charleston and hit for power and speed in the Appy League playing first and third. Stat Line: .291/.336/.578, 18 doubles, 16 HR, 16 SB, 17/71 BB/K
Nathaniel Lowe, 3B, 13th Round, Tampa Bay Rays – Interestingly, the Rays selected two guys named Lowe to play 3B in their system. This version was from Mississippi State and played in the NYPL in 2016. Stat Line: .300/.382/.437, 18 doubles, 30/39 BB/K
Bobby Melley, 1B, 34th Round, Tampa Bay Rays – UConn product hit for solid double power in the Appy League, showing much better than one would think from a late pick. Stat Line: .323/.404/.466, 15 doubles, 4 HR, 21/33 BB/K
DeAires Moses, OF, 19th Round, Seattle Mariners – Toolsy outfielder from community college in Tennessee had a big year in the AZL in short time there. Stat Line: .300/.397/.340, 8 SB, 8/20 BB/K
D.J. Myers, RHP, 15th Round, San Francisco Giants – Big UNLV righty showed exceptional control in his pro debut. Stat Line: 15 G, 59 1/3 IP, 1.67 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 5/53 BB/K
Kort Peterson, OF, 23rd Round, Kansas City Royals – Peterson came from UCLA, and the outfielder showed both power and speed for the Royals in their Appy League team. Stat Line: .347/.437/.545, 4 triples, 5 HR, 7 SB, 17/38 BB/K
Mitch Roman, SS, 12th Round, Chicago White Sox – The Wright State speedster hit for great contact and showed off his wheels in the Pioneer League. Stat Line: .332/.392/.418, 6 triples, 26 SB, 21/42 BB/K
Aaron Schnurbusch, OF, 28th Round, Chicago White Sox – The outfielder from Pittsburgh was sent directly to advanced rookie, and he produced big. Stat Line: .357/.471/.542, 6 triples, 6 HR, 19 SB, 47/69 BB/K
Robby Sexton, LHP, 14th Round, Boston Red Sox – Exceptional control was the calling card from this lefty from Wright State in his introduction to pro ball. Stat Line: 6 G, 20 IP, 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 1/23 BB/K
Sterling Sharp, RHP, 22nd Round, Washington Nations – Drafted out of high school in Missouri, Sharp showed “sharp” control in his time in the GCL and NYPL. Stat Line: 12 G, 46 2/3 IP, 3.28 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 6/38 BB/K
Cody Thomas, OF, 13th Round, Los Angeles Dodgers – Oklahoma product put up huge power numbers between AZL and Pioneer League. Stat Line: .297/.382/.621, 19 HR, 10 SB, 21/87 BB/K
Josh Vidales, 2B, 28th Round, Oakland Athletics – Vidales was a college hitter out of Houston, and the switch-hitter really hit well in the AZL. Stat Line: .345/.437/.507, 15 doubles, 5 SB, 20/16 BB/K
Tim Viehoff, LHP, 12th Round, Seattle Mariners – Viehoff came out from small school Southern New Hampshire and dominated in pro ball, striking out a ton of hitters. Stat Line: 12 G, 39 IP, 2.77 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 23/55 BB/K
Tyler Wells, RHP, 15th Round, Minnesota Twins – The huge (6’8, 265-lb) righty threw very well for Appy League Elizabethton, racking up a ton of strikeouts. Stat Line: 10 G, 47 1/3 IP, 3.23 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 17/59 BB/K
Next: Minor League Award Winners Announced
Weston Wilson, 3B, 17th Round, Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers picked the Clemson infielder hoping they could get his big bat to translate to pro ball, and he showed plenty of power in the Pioneer League. Stat Line: .318/.390/.498, 16 doubles, 7 triples, 4 HR, 5 SB, 23/33 BB/K