MLB Draft: Day 1 review, best available for day 2 of 2018 MLB draft

The first day of the 2018 MLB draft is complete. What did we see happen, and what should we expect on day 2?

The 2018 MLB draft kicked off Monday night with expected selections going 1-2-3 in the draft, but by the end of the evening, there were plenty of twists and turns that made for an exciting night for draftniks and more general team fans alike!

2018 MLB Draft, Day 1: College rules!

Certainly early on, collegiate players were the order of the day, as the first five selections were all college players, and seven of the first ten were college players. In the end, 40 of the 78 selections on the night were collegiate players. That trend will be heavy today, but for a very different reason, something we’ll get to later. However, this is the first time since 2000 that a high school player was not part of the first five selections in the draft!

While the first few picks went pretty much as expected, the Oakland Athletics shocked many by taking Kyler Murray, an outfielder from Oklahoma, with the 9th pick. Murray is an exceptional athlete that is assumed to be taking over as the Sooners’ starting quarterback this fall, so many felt he would be a tough player to sign. The A’s have reportedly worked with Murray to have him play football this fall and then return to baseball with them starting in the spring. There is plenty of risk involved, but definitely risk that could be more than worth it if he pans out!

2018 MLB Draft, Day 1: Quick notes

Some quick hitters in observation from the first night of the draft:

• University of Florida teammates Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar will get to continue their careers together as members of the Kansas City Royals organization as both fell significantly from projections to land in a spot where the Royals could make that happen.
• The Rays draft pursued two things their organization has been willing to do – the opener strategy, something Shane McClanahan could be perfect for, and two-way players, like 2nd round selection Tanner Dodson, a RHP/OF from Cal
• While the Rays and Indians both went hard after prep players with their extra picks, the Royals selected all collegiate players, and all college pitchers at that. That could allow the Royals to be a big player in the 2nd day with bonus money they may have saved by picking three lower-tier college arms after landing Singer and Kowar.

2018 MLB Draft, Day 2: Preview

There are plenty of big names still left on the board as the day begins, and you’ll see that in a bit, but many of those players are there for a reason – their signing bonus demands are too high, meaning that unless a team has the right amount of money to go after them, they will likely be heading to college.

Day 2 of the MLB draft is characterized by heavy college picks, primarily due to “senior signs”. Those are selections of players who would likely be much later draft picks or are seniors in college and therefore have no negotiating leverage with teams for teams to save money in the bonus pool in the first 10 rounds of the draft. Depending on the team, we could see some of those selections right away in the 3rd round, but in general by the 6th round, every team is in that mode. That doesn’t mean those players are by any means less valuable as many selections that were senior signs have turned into productive pieces in the major leagues, so these rounds are definitely interesting to watch!

2018 MLB Draft, Day 2: Best available

Keeping in mind that many of these high school players may not be able to be signed and could go undrafted today, here are the best players available going into today, by my rankings:

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1. Kumar Rocker, RHP, North Oconee HS (GA)

2. Tristan Beck, RHP, Stanford

3. Adam Kloffenstein, RHP, Magnolia HS (TX)

4. Cole Wilcox, RHP, Heritage HS (GA)

5. Nander De Sedas, IF, Montverde Academy (FL)

6. Mike Siani, OF, Penn Charter School (PA)

7. Blaine Knight, RHP, Arkansas

8. Brett Hansen, LHP, Foothill HS (CA

9. Konnor Pilkington, LHP, Mississippi State

10. Trey Riley, RHP, John A Logan College (IL)

11. Nicholas Northcut, 3B/RHP, William Mason HS (OH)

12. Kyle Isabel, OF, UNLV

13. Zach Watson, OF, LSU

14. Steven Gingery, LHP, Texas Tech

15. Tristan Pompey, OF, Kentucky

16. Austin Becker, RHP, Big Walnut HS (CA)

17. Slade Cecconi, RHP, Trinity Prep School (FL)

18. Matt Mercer, RHP, Oregon

19. Elijah Cabel, OF, TNXL Academy (FL)

20. Jonathan Ornelas, Raymond S Kellis HS (AZ)

21. Colton Eastman, RHP, Cal State Fullerton

22. Garrett Wade, LHP, Harselle HS (AL)

23. Cal Raleigh, C, Florida State

24. Raynel Delgado, Calvary Christian Academy (FL)

25. Cole Sands, RHP, Florida State

Next: Player rankings for 2018 MLB draft

Let’s get started with even more fun today in the MLB draft!