The 2017 MLB draft is now complete. How did each team do?
We at Call to the Pen have covered the MLB draft in many ways coming into the draft this week from mock drafts to draft profiles to team profiles. Now that the draft is complete, let’s take a look at how each team fared in the draft, going in draft order.
First, a review of CTTP mock drafts along the way:
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Final Mock (2-rounds)
We’ll start with the #1 overall drafting team, the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
Day One
Round 1, Overall 1 – Royce Lewis, SS, California HS
Round 1, CBA, Overall 35 – Brent Rooker, OF, Mississippi State
Round 2, Overall 37 – Landon Leach, RHP, Canadian HS
Lewis may not have the highest overall upside in the draft, but he’s not far off, and he is one of the few guys who is a legit first rounder who should stick up the middle as a shortstop or a center fielder. Rooker absolutely destroyed the SEC this season and was drafted by the Twins last season, so there were a lot of ties between the two this year, though few had him going this early. Leach is an intriguing prospect from Canada who actually profiles much more raw than Mike Soroka, a fellow Canadian in the Atlanta Braves system, but does have a lot of similarities in his pitchability and approach to pitching.
Day Two
Round 3, Overall 76 – Blayne Enlow, RHP, Louisiana HS
Round 4, Overall 106 – Charlie Barnes, LHP, Clemson
Round 5, Overall 136 – Andrew Bechtold, 3B, Chipola College
Round 6, Overall 166 – Ricardo De La Torre, SS, Puerto Rico HS
Round 7, Overall 196 – Ryley Widell, LHP, Central Arizona College
Round 8, Overall 226 – Bryan Sammons, LHP, Western Carolina
Round 9, Overall 256 – Mark Contreras, OF, UC-Riverside
Round 10, Overall 286 – Calvin Faucher, RHP, UC-Irvine
Enlow was considered one of the most elite pitchers this year. He very likely has the best curveball in the right-handed HS class this year, and brings premium velocity and athleticism with it. The Twins also got a very impressive power bat in JuCo product Bechtold. The other big talent guy in the third day was De La Torre, a Puerto Rico prospect who really has excellent footwork and instincts in the field. His bat is behind his glove, but he’s certainly highly regarded. The rest of day 2 was spent primarily on “senior sign” types that help to keep costs down, but many of those guys can turn into good relievers and bench players in the end.
Day Three
Round 11, Overall 316 – Gabriel Rodriguez, OF, Puerto Rico HS
Round 12, Overall 346 – Bailey Ober, RHP, College of Charleston
Round 13, Overall 376 – Jared Akins, OF, Fresno State
Round 14, Overall 406 – Derek Molina, RHP, Merced College
Round 15, Overall 436 – Rickey Ramirez, RHP, Fresno State
Round 16, Overall 466 – Cade Smith, RHP, Canada HS
Round 17, Overall 496 – Andrew Cosgrove, C, North Carolina State
Round 18, Overall 526 – Colton Burns, OF, UC-Santa Barbara
Round 19, Overall 556 – Jordan Gore, SS, Coastal Carolina
Round 20, Overall 586 – Tyler Gray, RHP, Central Arkansas
Round 21, Overall 616 – Colton Waltner, C, San Diego
Round 22, Overall 646 – Christian Broussard, RHP, Cal State-Los Angeles
Round 23, Overall 676 – Jared Finkel, RHP, Iona
Round 24, Overall 706 – T.J. Dixon, OF, Samford
Round 25, Overall 736 – Carson Crites, 2B, Southeastern Louisiana
Round 26, Overall 766 – Jordan Spicer, RHP, Polk State
Round 27, Overall 796 – Chandler Taylor, OF, Alabama
Round 28, Overall 826 – Joe Record, RHP, UC-Santa Barbara
Round 29, Overall 856 – Griffin Roberts, RHP, Wake Forest
Round 30, Overall 886 – Alex Robles, RHP, Austin Peay
Round 31, Overall 916 – Luke Miller, 3B, Indiana
Round 32, Overall 946 – Nick Brown, RHP, William and Mary
Round 33, Overall 976 – J.J. Robinson, 1B, Lewis-Clark State College
Round 34, Overall 1006 – Max Meyer, RHP, Minnesota HS
Round 35, Overall 1036 – Adam Oviedo, SS, Texas HS
Round 36, Overall 1066 – Josh McMinn, RHP, Oral Roberts
Round 37, Overall 1096 – Patrick Bailey, C, North Carolina HS
Round 38, Overall 1126 – Benjamin Rodriguez, C, Pepperdine
Round 39, Overall 1156 – Jonny DeLuca, OF, California HS
Round 40, Overall 1186 – Austin Bizzle, RHP, Alabama State
Rodriguez is a legit two-way guy with big power from the left side and can touch low-90s off the mound, even though he’s had nearly no instruction on the mound. Possibly my favorite player in the third day was right-hander Jordan Spicer from Polk State JuCo. His fastball/slider/curve combo would make an elite reliever, but if the Twins can get him signed, his pitch mix could allow him to really be an asset going forward.
Of the guys who could be rough signs, 34th rounder Meyer is a local guy with a commitment to the University of Minnesota and projects to be much more after time in college. Oviedo is a guy who flashes big tools, but he’s also committed to TCU. DeLuca is a guy who is a track and baseball recruit for Oregon that is very raw at baseball, though his extreme athleticism makes him a very intriguing prospect.
The fun guy to track in the third day for the Twins will be Ben Rodriguez, who is listed at 6’6″ and 240 pounds, who they list as a catcher and has incredible raw power but cannot translate it to games.
Overall Outlook
When the Twins called Lewis’ name first overall, many Twins fans were less than enthused when there were legit options for higher-rated players on many boards for the #1 overall pick. When the first day ended with Rooker and Leach, many Twins fans were ready to revolt over the plan.
The second and third days of the draft should please those who were upset, as there are plenty of talented players that will be able to absorb the cost savings from Lewis and allow for a much higher level of talent than a typical draft.