2017 MLB Mock Draft, Version 5.2

Impressively, Wright could end up being a guy who did not get selected at all coming out of high school to being the top overall selection in the draft coming out of college. Wright has been a tremendous pitcher for Vanderbilt from the time he stepped on campus, and he’s developed into the top collegiate starter in the nation. Wright is a work out warrior that can impress with his power lifting abilities, and he attempted to “air it out” a bit too much this spring initially, leading to his stuff flattening out. Instead, he found as he was willing to pitch within himself, he could maintain 97 at the top end of his fastball velocity deep into games along with his unique ability to manipulate each of his pitches in multiple ways, really giving his three-pitch off-speed mix dozens of true looks that batters will see over the course of a game. Wright has an ability to profile as a top of the rotation starter who may not be among MLB’s aces, but certainly could be a top starter for any team in the game, akin to peak <strong><a rel=. RHP. Vanderbilt University. Kyle Wright. 1. player. 2

61. Greene’s comments about wanting to skip over the Reds if he doesn’t go #1 overall has led many to believe the Reds will be uninterested in Greene if he were on the board. Instead, the Reds have been noted at multiple events for Greene, and they would certainly be more than interested in his incredible talent. Last season, the Reds were not fazed when they needed to give the top bonus of the draft to their selection at #2 overall, <strong><a rel=. RHP/SS. Notre Dame HS (CA). Hunter Greene. 2. player

player. 127. The Padres have certainly been tied to Greene heavily, and they would open the bank account to bring him in. If they could not get Greene, they would certainly seek out the highest ceiling they could find, and one could certainly argue that in this year’s draft, that certainly could be Gore. He has the velocity of an elite starter along with the type of breaking pitch that has seasoned scouts uttering four-letter words under their breath. The big “concern” with Gore is his unusual delivery, which features a high leg kick to open, but he has the ability to keep his location, even when his mechanics get a bit off, and as he gains in strength and maturity into his frame, the delivery should present no real issue.. LHP. Whiteville HS (NC). MacKenzie Gore. 3

North Davidson HS (NC). Austin Beck. 4. player. 21. Beck has been the most variant of high school hitters near the top of the draft this spring. Many see the comparisons to some of the game’s best and dream big, but the reality is that there is a big question on the ability Beck will have to translate his hit tool to professional ball, and after missing the showcase circuit last summer, scouts weren’t able to see him have to face consistent elite stuff the way he will in pro ball. He could end up anywhere from #3 to dropping into the 20s due to that variance, though some compare his current variance to that of <strong><a rel=. OF

1B. Huntington Beach HS (CA). Nick Pratto. 5. player. 17. For the Braves, they’re sitting in a spot where they’re going to be meeting with a host of players to find out what the number will be to sign them, preparing to spend heavy over the team’s first 2-4 picks after loading up in the 2016 international market and having a high number of the team’s 2016 picks sign, filling up the team’s rookie league teams, not leaving a ton of space for 2016 picks, meaning the team will likely go big after a few picks rather than spreading across their 11-40 picks. Last week, I profiled Royce Lewis in this spot, and this week I profile Nick Pratto, and I truly believe that the team could go either direction with the Braves having a very strong history and presence in California in the prep market. They’ve been noted scouting both heavily, but the Braves will likely be heavy in the market for a number of guys, including Gore, Beck, Lewis, Pratto, Adell, Baz, Carlson, and others, and like last season, a player could impress them such that he’s outside of consensus in the media before the draft.

The Athletics could end up pulling off the top-rated collegiate talent two seasons in a row as they fall just as the draft approaches. Last season, <strong><a rel=. 1B/LHP. University of Louisville. Brendan McKay. 6. player. 96

8. The Diamondbacks want to get talent, and the best talent they can find at that. Lewis may be a guy who takes a bit to develop, but his makeup is absolutely tremendous, and he has the profile to work up the middle as either an infielder or outfielder, depending on the organization. Lewis is lightning-quick with his feet and with his bat through the zone. He is built slender right now, but he has the bat speed and the ability to put the barrel on the ball that would allow for power as he matured. An inconsistent start to Lewis’ spring had his initial top 3-4 placement in flux, but he will certianly not drop out of the top 10, and the Diamondbacks would be overjoyed to get a guy of Lewis’ personal makeup as their face of their porous farm system.. IF/OF. JSerra Catholic HS (CA). Royce Lewis. 7. player

RHP. University of North Carolina. J.B. Bukauskas. 8. player. 6. The Phillies want elite talent, and their early hot start in 2016 put them out of the top 5 in the draft, so they’re left watching the draft come to them rather than controlling their selection like they did in the 2016 draft. Philadelphia has tremendous depth at the lower levels with high-upside prospects and could be enticed by a selection that could move quicker. I’ve mocked a number of guys here, but the Phillies are known to be in on top college arms this season. Bukauskas very likely has the best individual pitch in the entire draft in his slider, but many teams have concerns in his stature and his delivery. Philadelphia could take the big swing here, knowing they’d have an elite closer at the least. Bukauskas is one of the youngest collegiate players in the class due to his reclassification in high school during his junior year, and he would instantly become the top pitching prospect in a good pitching system.

player. 76. While Beck has been highly variable, Adell’s had a seeming issue with his strikeout ability since last summer when he showed his first real issues with swing-and-miss. He did make adjustments mid-summer after those initial struggles and finished on a high note, but the reports for many were already written. Adell’s tools are impressive, with legit double plus arm, speed, power, and defense. His contact has even flashed at that level at the end of the summer, and there are a number of scouts who believe he could be the top overall high school prospect when all is said and done in this year’s high school class. Getting him at #9 would be a coup for the Brewers, who got an equally toolsy outfielder last season out of college in <strong><a rel=. OF. Ballard HS (KY). Jordon Adell. 9

OF. University of Virginia. Adam Haseley. 10. player. 102. Haseley got his first collegiate notice as a pitcher with the Virginia College World Series championship team in 2015. He’s worked his way from more of a pitching prospect who could also hit to an outfield prospect who also pitches at this point. His experience as a pitcher portends his plus arm in the outfield and his impressive accuracy from the outfield. He likely does not profile as an elite power guy, but he has shown the ability to be an above-average to plus outfielder in all offensive aspects – power, speed, and contact. He would be a guy that would be a big addition to the Angels high-ceiling, low-floor system as a guy with a high-ceiling but also a likely high-floor as well.

player. 4. Pittsburgh has been hitting the college bat market fairly hard, so while getting Smith would be a definite plus for their goal of the college bat, seeing Haseley and Kendall both go off the board just ahead of them would certainly drive the Pirates a bit bonkers and force their hand a bit. There is plenty of traction that the Pirates could be very heavy into Kentucky 1B/OF Evan White here, but for this scenario, they’ll have the guy many view as the best overall hitter in the college class. Smith has some athleticism that could project to an outfield corner, but if he does end up at first base, he is a tremendous first baseman defensively.. 1B. University of Virginia. Pavin Smith. 12

13. player. 82. Baz really has come into play from about #2 on to this spot in doing this particular mock draft. The Marlins would be getting an elite arm in Baz, with a fastball that can reach the upper 90s with good movement along with four secondary pitches – and that doesn’t include that he’s turned his four-seam fastball in his hand to offer a two-seam fastball on top of the cutter, change, slider, and curve he already throws with above-average command for a high school arm. Many have compared Baz to 2016 Atlanta Braves draft selection <strong><a rel=. RHP. Concordia Lutheran HS (TX). Shane Baz

University of Florida. Alex Faedo. 14. player. 7. Faedo may not have the elite stuff of Bukauskas, but he has stuff that is just a hair below J.B.’s, and he has the more “natural” frame. On a loaded Florida rotation in 2016 that produced two first round selections and six selections in the first 10 rounds out of the pitching staff, Faedo was the guy that received the most notice from scouts, pitching ahead of top-10 selection A.J. Puk in the rotation. Faedo struggled early on in the spring, but he’s gotten hot as the spring has turned to summer. Faedo has a tremendous ability to manipulate his fastball and control his secondary stuff. The Royals would be able to move Faedo quickly as a future rotation member or see him plug in as a future bullpen ace as well.. RHP

The Astros continue to be linked with a group of high school arms, but it would not surprise whatsoever if the Astros made a move for a college bat like Hiura or Warmoth. In the mold of projection high school arms, they don’t come with much more projection than Rogers. He stands 6’6″ tall with long limbs and minimal build. He is one of the older members of this class, but he has had less usage and exposure than many of his classmates that are much younger. With a fastball that can reach mid-90s with ease and a wicked slider, Rogers has a profile that many see emulating that of <strong><a rel=. LHP. Carlsbad HS (NM). Trevor Rogers. 15. player. 135

Many love to talk about selecting a projectable athlete in a baseball draft, and as that, there’s none that have received more distinction this high school season than Thompson. An elite high school quarterback in football, he decommitted from Auburn in the fall to consider options to play both football and baseball at multiple D-1 schools. He chose to play just baseball at Alabama in the end, but that was after his draft stock rose to such a point where it was clear that he would be drafted in the first round. This spring he’s simply established himself as one of the guys who could jump out early, along the lines of <strong><a rel=. OF. McGill-Thoolen Catholic HS (AL). Bubba Thompson. 16. player. 43

player. 62. The rare collegiate first sacker that can handle more elite defensive positions like center field, White has a hit tool ahead of his power tool, but his hit tool is so elite that he’s working his way up boards in a hurry and could end up in the 10-15 range the way things are going. White does have a body that could add in some more muscle to truly access his power.. 1B. University of Kentucky. Evan White. 17

63. While some discount Carlson due to his lack of competition in the Minnesota high school ranks and lack of reps this spring, that’s also a benefit to him in that his arm does not have anywhere near the wear of many of the other arms in the class, yet he’s shown equal or better overall stuff. Carlson has been up to 97 this spring with his fastball, and many consider his change his best pitch overall. A curve that can flash plus and a projectable frame that would be a two-way player if he holds to his collegiate commitment to Florida should allow the athletic Carlson to develop into an excellent starter.. RHP. Burnsville HS (MN). Sam Carlson. 18. player

19. player. 31. While the Giants may be more interested in a college bat, in this scenario, the guys they truly want in the first are all off the board, as are the high school bats that would also be of Giants interest. In that case, it’d be a matter of choosing between the likely faster-moving Canning and the possible higher upside Peterson. Either would be a solid selection, but Canning’s ability to likely move quickly to the majors as a #3 starter and stay there for quite some time would attract Canning heavily.. RHP. University of California at Los Angeles. Griffin Canning

University of Oregon. David Peterson. 20. player. 3. The Mets have built their current run based on the strength of pitching, and adding Peterson to their system would not be an impact on their prospect lists for long. Peterson is a guy who should be a quick mover to the major leagues with four quality pitches at this time, even if none are a double-plus pitch. Peterson has the rare ability to have excellent location with a 6’6″, 240-ish pound frame, with a repeatable delivery that produces heavy feel to all four pitches. He could be a guy to make a major league debut as quickly as 2018, and the Mets could use his left-handed presence in their rotation.. LHP

11. I’m not sure if this is the absolute floor for Burger, but it’s probably close. He’d certainly be gobbled up by the Nationals if he were there at 25, so that’s probably the absolute floor for him, but he could come off the board as high as 11-12 as well. College power seems to always climb the ranks, but at the same time, college power without a defined position often struggles to find a home. The Orioles have a history of working with guys with some pedigree on the infield/outfield corners and letting them play just to get the bat in the lineup, and Burger would certainly fit that. Burger has the ability to handle premium velocity, and he has showed the ability to handle quality breaking stuff when he’s faced it, with his biggest concern being his zone recognition and some swing mechanics that some believe could lead to a low average, high power output as a professional.. 3B. Missouri State University. Jake Burger. 21. player

23. player. 71. While Hiura’s injury has fans of many teams hoping that he could fall further in the draft, it appears that this could be his floor and he could go as high as #12 overall. On pure overall hitting talent, Hiura is a top-10 talent without question. The Dodgers are very high on Bubba Thompson, but if he were to go ahead of them, L.A. would be very intrigued in Hiura or one of the high school arms in this area. Hiura has an unmatched combination of hit tool and power in this collegiate class, and his ability to handle second base and the outfield when healthy draws natural comparisons to the Chicago Cubs’ <strong><a rel=. IF/OF. University of California at Irvine. Keston Hiura

After trading away plenty of pitching depth over the winter, the Nationals have been strongly tied to fast-moving pitching in the draft class as well as fast-moving prospects in general. The Nationals could always go after one of their bread-and-butter moves and grab an injured pitcher like Clarke Schmidt or Tristan Beck, but Houck would give them an elite arm that has a perfect frame to sit in the middle of a rotation and rack up innings as a sinker pitcher with an average slider and change that help him keep hitters honest and pounding balls into the ground... RHP. University of Missouri. Tanner Houck. 25. player. 90

21. While Little could reach the majors, his fellow Florida junior college prospect Pearson could be the better pro in the end. Pearson was a lanky high schooler that could reach into the low-90s and had projection coming out of high school, and he’s made himself into a pitcher that has cleared triple digits and has a plus change, possibly even double-plus. Pearson offers two breaking pitches with both needing some work to be pro-caliber pitches, but he has the chance to be an effective starter just due to the heavy fastball/change combination, let alone if his breaking stuff can develop as well.. RHP. Central Florida Junior College. Nate Pearson. 31. player

OF. Martin HS (TX). Tristen Lutz. 32. player. 61. There may not be a more powerful high school bat in the 2017 draft than Lutz. While he may not stick in center field as a pro, he has the athleticism to play there initially, which leads to just how well he should handle defense at the corner when he does move there. Lutz does have the traditional right field profile with a power arm and power bat. At 6’3″ and 220 pounds, he looks like he has been working with professional training for years already, and adding that pro coaching to his possible double-plus future power could allow him to be a very special bat indeed.

33. player. 96. After sitting low-90s in summer showcase circuit games, Sauer has seen his physical projection begin to come through as he’s flashing 97 and sitting 92-95. He has a hard-breaking slider that he pairs with his hard fastball that really befuddles high school hitters. Sauer will need work with his change and/or another secondary offering in order to work as a starter, but even as a reliever, his upside would be incredible and a value at this spot for the Athletics. RHP. Ernest Righetti HS (CA). Matt Sauer

player. 76. Drafting Adell earlier would require a significant investment, and while this would likely be a bit of a money-saving pick, by no means is Mercado unfit to be a selection here. A tall right hander that can be described no other way than “skinny” at this point, Mercado has a great frame to add size but he already has solid velocity and excellent feel for his curve and tremendous control. He reminds strongly of Braves prospect <strong><a rel=. RHP. Westview HS (CA). Michael Mercado. 34

2. This would be an ideal haul for the Twins. Taking the top pitcher on most boards in Wright at #1 overall and getting a guy that many people believe has the best hit tool in the entire draft class in Vientos, the Twins would be keyed up to move in a lot of ways at pick #37 when it came around in round 2. Vientos will likely move over to third, and his powerful arm and fluent movement should allow him to be an above-average to plus defender at the hot corner, but the thing the Twins would be drafting here is Vientos’ bat. He has driven the ball well this spring after showing a unique ability to make excellent contact against the best arms of the class in the showcase circuit last summer. Vientos projects with elite bat speed and high contact skills along with plus power projection as well.. 3B. American Heritage HS (FL). Mark Vientos. 35. player

3B. University of Louisville. Drew Ellis. 36. player. 82. As scouts have come to see teammate McKay, they’ve been able to see the power in Ellis’ bat. Over the summer, Ellis showed power but had issues with contact with wood bat, but he’s made an adjustment and is now using the whole field, allowing him to be a pure hitter that allows him to take heat and breaking stuff all over the field. While Ellis may not settle at 3B long-term, his arm could allow him to profile in a corner outfield spot, but his bat would also play at first base. This could be a bit of a reach for the Marlins, but it would open up the ability to spend big again on their second rounder as well as securing one of the best collegiate bats on the board.