2017 MLB Mock Draft, Version 6.1

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

61. After a struggle to end his season on the mound that saw him dip in velocity, McKay had a tremendous showing in the regionals this past weekend for Louisville. Whether off the mound as a mid-rotation type with a legit bat that could be a <strong><a rel=. 1B/LHP. University of Louisville. Brendan McKay. 2. player

Hunter Greene. 3. player. 127. The Padres would absolutely love Greene and probably would sacrifice going even above #3 slot just to get him they like the player so much. He is frequently the top-rated prospect on draft boards, and his talent level has brought out comparisons to some of the all time great high school pitchers in the draft. Greene will almost certainly stick with pitching, though he is a legit first round talent as a shortstop as well.. RHP/SS. Notre Dame HS (CA)

Tampa Bay is in the spot where they are taking the guy they like best, and that has been a number of guys this spring, depending on who you trust. From the word out of Rays camp, they’d prefer a college arm if they go pitching, but would go either college or high school after a bat. In Lewis, the Rays would be getting arguably the most gifted player in the draft with a chance to have five above-average tools playing up the middle.. IF/OF. JSerra Catholic HS (CA). Royce Lewis. 4. player. 21

player. 17. The Braves have been stockpiling pitching, and many see this draft’s depth in hitting as a chance to grab someone, and the Braves are definitely in on a number of players, likely doing some financial discussions to see where guys sit as far as their signing number. Gore could go as high as #2 with one of the most athletic frames in the entire draft. The Gatorade national play of the year, and I knew that they werrying out!. LHP. Whiteville HS (NC). MacKenzie Gore. 5

4. Pittsburgh loves getting in a pitcher with raw tools and one elite pitch, so don’t be surprised if he’s still on the board if Bukauskas is actually the pick, but the Pirates have focused on college hitting this spring fairly heavy in their scouting travels. Smith would give the Pirates very possibly the most mature bat in the entire draft class with a very advanced approach.. 1B. University of Virginia. Pavin Smith. 12. player

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. 13. player. 82

White has jumped up the board significantly this spring in the eyes of many teams. He’s a rare player who is playing first base now and can play that at an elite level defensively but is athletic enough that he can handle center field in the outfield as well. White is definitely a hit over power guy, and many see him as a guy who is more likely to retire with a career major league .300 batting average than having ever hit 30 home runs in a single season. There is the raw build to develop more power, but how much that would affect his natural contact swing could come into play. Either way, he’d be a very good selection for the Royals here, who are staring at the departures of many players from their major league roster in the offseason and could use a guy who would be a fast mover through the system.. 1B. University of Kentucky. Evan White. 14. player. 7

135. The Astros might do a “happy dance” to see Bukauskas fall to this spot. They would love to get their hands on one of the top 4 college pitchers (Wright, McKay, Faedo, JB), and with a rough finish to the season, especially a tough regional start, Bukauskas has been rumored to be a guy who could slip some on draft day from a possible top 3 selection at points this spring. The Astros would love to get his elite fastball/slider combo into their system.. RHP. University of North Carolina. J.B. Bukauskas. 15. player

Huntington Beach HS (CA). Nick Pratto. 16. player. 43. The Yankees and Pratto have had a connection for some time, really since many teams viewed Pratto as more of a pitching prospect than a hitting prospect. Pratto is in play as an underslot option for teams in the top 10, but if he gets out of the top 10, the Yankees would love to gobble him up with his advanced contact skills and raw power. While he played 1B in high school, Pratto has been reported to have had workouts for some teams in a corner outfield and showed the ability to handle the outfield well.. 1B

Drew Waters. 17. player. 62. Waters is a guy who is starting to gain helium in the way that a fellow Georgian outfielder, <strong><a rel=. OF. Etowah HS (GA)

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. 63

RHP. University of California at Los Angeles. Griffin Canning. 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 to the Giants.

Valdosta HS (GA). DL Hall. 20. player. 3. Hall is considered by many as the draft’s top lefty arm, even over highly-regarded MacKenzie Gore, and the Mets would love to be able to bring in his talented arm in this spot. Hall is a guy who can tough 96-97 but usually sits lower 90s with very good movement. His curve is an elite pitch, already drawing plus grades and future double-plus grades. Hall has also shown the ability to handle a change. He is one of the older prospects in the class, which has bumped him down some boards, but he’d be a big get for the Mets this late in the draft.. LHP

Tanner Houck. 21. player. 11. The Orioles have been strongly desiring college arms in their spot, and in many mocks, I’ve had trouble seeing guys of value available to them in this spot without reaching. However, the way Houck finished the season after being a consistent performer for his first two seasons at Missouri has led to him moving back in a positive direction in the eyes of many teams, and while he may not profile as an “ace”, he has a sinker/slider combination that should move quickly and eat innings for quite a while as a pro.. RHP. University of Missouri

Bubba Thompson. 23. player. 71. Thompson is one of the most elite athletes in the draft, and the Dodgers are big fans of raw athleticism. Thompson was committed to Auburn coming into his senior season, but he pulled his commitment when he had very heavy football interest as a two-way quarterback. After entertaining offers from a number of schools to play D1 ball in both sports, he chose to commit to Alabama. In the meantime, he showed well at showcases and put himself firmly into the first round with his raw athleticism, elite speed, and tremendous power potential. When asked who in this draft could someday put together a 30/30 season, one scout answered that only one player in the class possessed that skill set, and that was Thompson.. OF. McGill-Thoolen Catholic HS (AL)

Peterson is a guy who has developed plenty of interest this spring as he’s shown tremendous ability to command all four of his pitches. He really doesn’t feature any pitch that anyone would consider double-plus, but each pitch works as above-average and will flash plus on its best days, and he knews well how to mix up all four. Peterson is a rare guy who has consistent mechanics at 6’6″ tall, and he has the size at roughly 235-245 pounds to handle the rigors of pitching. The Nationals are looking heavily for pitching this spring or college hitting, and while they may like Burger, Fairchild, Miller, or another bat on the board, Peterson would fill a huge hold in the Nationals system created by their offseason trades.. LHP. University of Oregon. David Peterson. 25. player. 90

26. player. 95. Rogers has received plenty of notice this spring for his projectable size at 6’6″ tall. He has a wide frame that is lean right now, but he should certainly fill out as he ages. He already shows mid-90s head with an impressive slider. Though he’s old for the class, his loose arm reminds many of <strong><a rel=. LHP. Carlsbad HS (NM). Trevor Rogers

27. player. 9. While they’ve shuffled some to begin 2017, the Cubs certainly have the team that should allow them to be playing in the postseason. Little is the type of guy that could move quickly to the major leagues and make an impact as a bullpen pitcher immediately due to his elite fastball and curve. His fastball could be reaching triple digits out of the bullpen, and the curve is a wicked pitch that gets swing and miss. He’s shown more feel for a change that would allow Little to return to the minors and work as a starter after helping the Cubs to the playoffs, but he could definitely be one of the few 2017 draftees to make an impact this season.. LHP. State Junior College of Florida. Brendon Little

player. 95. The Rangers are looking at a near future without <strong><a rel=. 3B. Missouri State University. Jake Burger. 29

American Heritage HS (FL). Mark Vientos. 30. player. 9. The Cubs may have a tough choice between Vientos and <strong><a rel=. 3B

21. Lange was an elite pitcher his freshman year at LSU, but hs’e struggled to repeat that success since. A solid finish to the season this year has encouraged scouts, but he’s done it on the back of his fastball and curve primarily, rarely using his change, which also makes it more difficult to project his future as a pro prospect. He has been able to handle workload well, and he’ll be able to be a solid performer if even in the bullpen.. RHP. Louisiana State University. Alex Lange. 31. player

96. Oakland has been heavy into the college hitting market, and after getting a college arm with their first pick, they’d certainly take a bat here. Some have begun to tie Oakland to Mississippi State slugger Brent Rooker, and this could be the first spot he goes, likely more of an early second round pick, but the A’s will certainly take a long look at the Wake Forest center fielder, who offers a blend of tools across the board that gives him a fairly high floor.. OF. Wake Forest University. Stuart Fairchild. 33. player

34. player. 76. There are guys with elite fastballs in the high school class, but when you have a guy who is best known for an elite off speed offering, it’s a definite attention-grabber. Enlow in high school can get passed over for his “lack” of velocity as he sits in the low-90s, touching into the mid-90s, but he has an easy delivery, a tremendous curve ball that has been considered the best in the class, and a feel for command and control of all of his pitches that is beyond a typical high school pitcher. He could be a very fast mover, but he may not come cheap to buy out of his LSU commitment.. RHP. St. Amant HS (LA). Blayne Enlow

Nick Allen. 35. player. 2. The Twins would be very pleased to see the dynamite defender Allen available in this spot. While he may not have offensive projections that are the stuff of dreams, his defense has been called major league ready right now as a high school player. Allen is a small guy, but he has a good swing path and uses his tools well offensively, reminding me plenty of a guy like <strong><a rel=. SS. Francis Parker School (CA)

Heliot Ramos. 36. player. 82. Ramos may be the most intriguing player to me in the entire first round due to his tremendous upside with a very low floor. Ramos could end up not making it at all, but he also could be the best hitter in the entire draft when we look back in 10 years with his raw tools. Coming out of Puerto Rico high school, the Miami environment would be good for him, and the Marlins system could use the elite athleticism in the system.. OF. Leadership Christian Academy HS (PR)