It is time to start preparing for the MLB draft! We kick off our mock drafts with our fifth go-round today!
The MLB Draft will be held June 4th through the 6th. It can be viewed on MLB Network and online on MLB.com. However, pre-draft, one of the most exciting parts of preparing for the draft is putting together mock drafts of just how things could break down.
Our mock MLB draft work is done by Benjamin Chase, one of our editors here with Call To The Pen. Ben works with contacts around the game to attempt to find out if there are teams and players getting connected together or players rising that could surprise us by going earlier or later than selected. We will have a new mock MLB draft each Monday all the way until June 4, with each mock being through the CBA selections between the first and second round until that last mock, when Ben drinks some extra coffee and goes all the way through the second batch of competitive balance picks between rounds 2 and 3 on draft day.
Mock Draft, Version 1.0
Mock Draft, Version 2.0
Mock Draft, Version 3.0
Mock Draft, Version 4.0
We’ll start right at the top:
1. Detroit Tigers
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Cincinnati Reds
Next: #6-15
6. New York Mets
7. San Diego Padres
8. Atlanta Braves
9. Oakland Athletics
10. Pittsburgh Pirates
11. Baltimore Orioles
12. Toronto Blue Jays
13. Miami Marlins
14. Seattle Mariners
15. Texas Rangers
Next: #16-25
16. Tampa Bay Rays
17. Los Angeles Angels
18. Kansas City Royals
19. St. Louis Cardinals
20. Minnesota Twins
21. Milwaukee Brewers
22. Colorado Rockies
23. New York Yankees
24. Chicago Cubs
25. Arizona Diamondbacks
Next: #26-35
26. Boston Red Sox
27. Washington Nationals
28. Houston Astros
29. Cleveland Indians
30. Los Angeles Dodgers
Compensatory selections, first round
31. Tampa Bay Rays
32. Tampa Bay Rays
33. Kansas City Royals
34. Kansas City Royals
35. Cleveland Indians
Next: #36-43
Competitive Balance Selections, Round A
36. Pittsburgh Pirates
37. Baltimore Orioles
38. San Diego Padres
39. Arizona Diamondbacks
40. Kansas City Royals
41. Cleveland Indians
42. Colorado Rockies
43. St. Louis Cardinals
Now, who are the best players left on the board after this mock? Click to the next page to find out!
Next: Best Available
Best available: high school
Blaze Alexander – A shortstop with an incredible arm from Florida, Alexander has some feel for hitting, especially pull power.
Braxton Ashcraft – A righty with inconsistent velocity off the mound in Texas this spring, Ashcraft is extremely athletic and has big upside.
Will Banfield – The Georgia prep catcher has brilliant defensive skills, but his offensive game is still very raw.
Austin Beckr – A big righty from Ohio, Becker has mid-90s velocity, and he has just started to fill into his 6’6″ frame.
Elijah Cabell – Cabell has the ability to be a five-tool guy in the outfield, but his contact and defensive skills cause some question.
Nander De Sedas – Florida shortstop will be in high demand by teams picking near the top of the 2nd round with his polish, but a so-so spring has knocked him out of first-round consideration most likely.
Raynel Delgado – Florida infielder that likely will slide over to third, but has excellent contact skills from both sides of the plate.
Joe Gray – One of the highest ceilings in the draft, but a huge difference between that ceiling and his floor for the Mississippi outfielder.
Brett Hansen – California lefty with a Vandy commitment, Hansen will be a tough sign but has a pair of elite offspeed pitches to go with a mid-90s fastball at its top end.
Adam Kloffenstein – Teammate of Jordan Groshans, Koffenstein’s easy ability to generate velocity could elevate him into the back end of the first round.
Parker Meadows – Younger brother of Austin Meadows, Parker isn’t the same type of player, but he does have tools across the board and could be a guy to go in the back of the first round.
Nick Northcut – An Ohio prospect, Northcut reminds many of Austin Riley due to his excellent arm off the mound but his likely destination at 3B with a big, powerful bat and a body that will need to be conditioned well.
Jayson Schroeder – Righty from Washington hasn’t had the elite competition of a Florida or California prep, but his three-pitch mix will be attractive in the second or third round.
Lineras Torres, Jr. – One of the more dynanic high school arms in the draft, Torres didn’t get a ton of eyes because of his New York location, but he will have plenty of interest starting late in the first round.
Owen White – A long-watched North Carolina righty, White saw his stuff tick up this spring, and he could factor into teams’ decisions early in the 2nd round.
Simeon Woods-Richardson – Extremely young for the class, yet filled out very well at 6’4″ and 205-220, “SWR” has impressed both on the mound and with a powerful bat, though most believe his future is off the mound.
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Best available: college
Luken Baker – When healthy, the TCU 1B/DH has been incredibly productive, but he’s suffered a laundry list of freak injuries over his college career.
Tristan Beck – A back injury bumped Beck from the first round last year, and he chose to return to school. While doing nothing to hurt his stock in 2018, the back issue could drop him into the 2nd.
Kris Bubic – Beck’s lefty rotation mate could go off the board before him due to throwing lefty, but he has a solid mid-rotation projection.
Tim Cate – Arguably the best collegiate curveball, the small lefty from Connecticut was a consideration at the back of the first round before a late injury, which could drop him more to the third.
Griffin Conine – Conine could fall victim to his poor start as he has finished the year very well, but the back half of the first round will be plenty of teams looking more toward high school.
Tanner Dodson – A Two-way star with Cal, Dodson has been elite this season as a closer, and he could move quickly in that role. He’s a switch-hitting outfielder with excellent contact skills with the bat.
Tyler Frank – Frank has played around the diamond, but his maturity and baseball moxy projects him up the middle with elite contact and raw power.
Cadyn Grenier – The best defensive shortstop in the class, Grenier’s lack of offensive upside likely drops him to the second round, but his defense will give him a high floor.
Sean Hjelle – The towering 6’11” righty has shown very well this spring and impressed plenty of scouts, which should put him in play starting in the compensatory first-round picks.
Nico Hoerner – While Grenier is the best defensive shortstop, it’s his Pac-12 competitor Hoerner who is arguably the most well-rounded shortstop in the college class, and that should allow him to go early in the 2nd round.
Blaine Knight – While Knight has never added much to his skinny 6’3″ frame, he’s been durable for 3 years in the SEC, and that should play up on draft day.
Matt Mercer – Mercer has high effort in his delivery, but the Oregon righty has been productive for the past two seasons in the weekend rotation in the Pac-12.
Kyler Murray – An incredible athlete, Murray could be the starting quarterback at Oklahoma in 2018, so it’s unlikely he would end up signing if he was drafted, but a team could take the chance on him.
Konnor Pilkington – The sturdy Mississippi State lefty works around 90 MPH with his fastball, but he repeats his delivery well and locates his pitches well.
Tristan Pompey – Younger brother of Dalton Pompey, Tristan has hit tremendously well, but his lack of athleticism leads to a divide among scouts as to his future projection.
Griffin Roberts – Roberts has been in the Wake Forest bullpen. His slider is arguably the best in the class, and he’s shown an ability to transition to the rotation long-term possibly as well.
Cole Sands – One of the top college starters from day 1 of his college career, Sands has been more durable than elite this season.
Zach Watson – LSU’s diminuitive center fielder can jet and produces raw power, but his swing has some significant issues that could have him falling even beyond the first day.
Next: How the Red Sox can keep Swihart
That’s all for this week’s mock MLB draft. Who looks too high? Too low? Just right? Comment below!