MLB Draft: A preview of the top college prospects
With the 2018 MLB draft roughly a month and a half away, it’s a good time to take a look at the top players in this year’s class.
For the last couple of years, Benjamin Chase has provided MLB draft coverage at Call To The Pen, including mock drafts and player profiles as the draft gets closer.
The first mock draft will come out on April 30th, but as April works its way to the end of the first month of the big league season, most colleges are hitting the home stretch of their conference schedule and prepare for the College World Series.
Who are the top college players for this year’s draft? We will look in an alphabetical order.
Joey Bart, C, Georgia Tech – Absolutely raking this swing, and some believe he could be a top-10 pick as a college backstop with the spring season he is having.
Seth Beer, DH, Clemson – Quality hitter with little defensive ability has hit a ton in college, but struggled in any wood bat experience.
Tristan Beck, RHP, Stanford – Highly regarded last season as a draft-eligible sophomore before an injury caused him to fall. Good mix of pitches and 95 MPH fastball that should make him a day one pick.
Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State – A big power guy has shown the arm for third, but has questions about his ability to stick at the position.
Tim Cate, LHP, Connecticut – Incredible curve and plus change allow a low-90s fastball to play up for Cate, who could be a rare guy throwing fastballs in the 80s that goes off the board in the first day of the MLB draft.
Griffin Conine, OF, Duke – Jeff Conine‘s son is a much different hitter than his father, with big raw power and good feel for the game. Inconsistent spring could have Conine falling out of day one in the MLB draft.
Jeremy Eierman, SS, Missouri State – Excellent hands, average-ish range at short, but very good bat for the position that could end up generating power and average.
Logan Gilbert, RHP, Stetson – Incredible Cape Cod League performance over the summer hasn’t quite translated, but a deep repertoire of pitches should get Gilbert snagged off the board in the first round.
Jameson Hannah, OF, Dallas Baptist – Very young for a college player, Hannah has big power/speed potential with some huge strides in his contact and zone coverage this spring that could move Hannah a long way up boards by the time June rolls around.
Sean Hjelle, LHP, Kentucky – Towering 6’11” lefty gets incredible plane on his pitches and can touch mid-90s with a pair of average breaking pitches.
Nico Hoerner, 2B, Stanford – Middle infielder that could pass at short but be very good at second. Pounds gaps and could end up producing more power with added loft in pro ball.
Jonathan India, 3B, Florida – Good instincts guy until this season when he dedicated himself to his fitness, and it’s shown on the field.
Greyson Jenista, OF, Wichita State – A huge guy that can move fairly well for his size, Jenista has major lefty power, but he needs to get his swing altered to put the ball into the air more to access that raw double-plus power.
Blaine Knight, RHP, Arkansas – Reminds a lot of fellow SEC starter Alex Faedo, a 2017 first round MLB draft pick with his dominant fastball/slider mix, but not the build of Faedo and will need a good strength program wherever he lands.
Jackson Kowar, RHP, Florida – With plenty of buzz this spring, Kowar could even overtake his college teammate Singer in draft position due to a big draft season on the mound.
Trevor Larnach, OF, Oregon State – Solid performer before this season has tattooed balls this spring at a high rate. Low-defense profile, but plenty of power to be a day 1 pick.
Nick Madrigal, IF, Oregon State – Injured early in the season, Madrigal’s track record will make him still a first rounder, in spite of his size.
Joe McCarthy, OF, Virginia – Plus runner with raw plus power that will need work on his swing once he gets to pro ball, but brother has shown excellent transition.
Shane McClanahan, LHP, South Florida – His best stuff has been the best stuff in college baseball this spring, but it’s not been consistent, and he could be running out of gas, leading to a possible slip down the board.
Casey Mize, RHP, Auburn – Highly regarded coming into the season, Mize has been dominant all season long, and he’s found his way to the top of most draft boards at this point.
Konnor Pilkington, LHP, Mississippi State – Used hard over his college career, where Pilkington goes in the MLB draft will depend on whether an org believes they can turn any of his three above-average pitches into a plus.
Tristan Pompey, OF, Kentucky – Pompey has a ton of raw tools, and he’s flashed all of them this spring. Consistency could get his named called out early in June.
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Ryan Rolison, LHP, Mississippi – While not a guy with any one pitch that’s a double-plus, Rolison has four pitches that can be graded average to plus, which could help him to jump up boards, especially from the left side.
Brady Singer, RHP, Florida – Beginning to be a divisive player as the season wears on, Singer’s 2018 feels a lot like A.J. Puk‘s 2016, when he started rough after being widely regarded as the top draft prospect, but still rallied late in the year to be a top-10 pick.
Travis Swaggerty, OF, South Alabama – Tremendous defender with elite speed has really pushed up draft boards as he’s shown increased size and power without sacrificing either of those pieces.
Steele Walker, OF, Oklahoma – Walker is a guy with a right field defensive profile, but his offensive profile is more contact over power.
Next: CTTP's Top 150 prospects
That is the top college prospects for the 2018 draft. Who are you hoping that your team will grab?! Comment below!!