The 2018 MLB Draft wrap up – every pick, every team
Philadelphia Phillies
Day One
Round 1, Overall 3 – Alec Bohm, 3B, Wichita State
The entirety of the first day rests on Bohm’s shoulders, as the Phillies did not have a selection in the 2nd or the 3rd round due to signing Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta. Bohm’s raw power is a huge draw, but there are plenty of concerns that he might not work at 3B and be forced into a 1B/LF role, which could limit his overall value.
Day Two
Round 4, Overall 107 – Colton Eastman, RHP, Cal State Fullerton
Round 5, Overall 137 – Matt Vierling, OF, Notre Dame
Round 6, Overall 167 – Logan Simmons, SS, Georgia HS
Round 7, Overall 197 – Gabriel Cotto, LHP, Puerto Rico HS
Round 8, Overall 227 – Seth Lancaster, SS, Coastal Carolina
Round 9, Overall 257 – Dominic Pipkin, RHP, California HS
Round 10, Overall 287 – Madison Stokes, 3B, South Carolina
Very, very intriguing second day with a mix of high schoolers that would indicate that the Phillies think they’ll have some money to use on those players, or that they’ll be fairly signable. Pipkin was a guy who was very highly regarded coming into the spring before command issues and a lack in development of his offspeed stuff really saw him fall down draft boards, but he still can pump out upper 90s fastballs. Simmons likely moves over to third, but he has impressive raw power that could translate well there.
Day Three
Round 11, Overall 317 – Jack Perkins, RHP, Stetson
Round 12, Overall 347 – James McArthur, RHP, Mississippi
Round 13, Overall 377 – Jose Mercado, SS, Puerto Rico HS
Round 14, Overall 407 – Jesse Wilkening, C, Nebraska
Round 15, Overall 437 – Daniel Carpenter, RHP, California HS
Round 16, Overall 467 – Tyler McKay, RHP, Howard JuCo
Round 17, Overall 497 – Keylan Kilgore, LHP, Wichita State
Round 18, Overall 527 – Matt Kroon, 3B, Oklahoma State
Round 19, Overall 557 – Mark Potter, RHP, JC of Central Florida
Round 20, Overall 587 – Connor Litton, 3B, East Carolina
Round 21, Overall 617 – Jake Smith, RHP, North Carolina HS
Round 22, Overall 647 – Luke Miller, OF, Indiana
Round 23, Overall 677 – Logan O’Hoppe, C, New York HS
Round 24, Overall 707 – Corbin Williams, OF, JC of the Canyons
Round 25, Overall 737 – Adam Cox, RHP, Montana State
Round 26, Overall 767 – Eric White, RHP, Southern Arkansas
Round 27, Overall 797 – Jack Conley, C, North Carolina State
Round 28, Overall 827 – Jonathan Jones, RHP, Texas HS
Round 29, Overall 857 – Jaylen Smith, LHP, Texas HS
Round 30, Overall 887 – Brandon Ramey, RHP, California HS
Round 31, Overall 917 – Tyler Carr, RHP, South Alabama
Round 32, Overall 947 – Ben Aklinski, OF, Kentucky
Round 33, Overall 977 – Jake Kinney, RHP, Tallahassee JuCo
Round 34, Overall 1007 – Nick Matera, C, Rutgers
Round 35, Overall 1037 – Austin Ross, RHP, Radford
Round 36, Overall 1067 – Trent Bowles, OF, Texas-San Antonio
Round 37, Overall 1097 – Ryan Rijo, 1B, New Mexico JuCo
Round 38, Overall 1127 – Stephen Jones, RHP, Samford
Round 39, Overall 1157 – Mat Nelson, C, Florida HS
Round 40, Overall 1187 – Waylon Richardson, RHP, Kankakee JuCo
By far my favorite player in the Day Three haul for the Phillies won’t likely be signing, catcher Mat Nelson, a Florida State commit who has excellent defensive skills and the type of bat that could end up being a high-average, ton of doubles sort of bat to go along with his D. The Phillies did scatter in quite a bit of upside into the third day with big Daniel Carpenter probably the most well-known high schooler with his 6’7″ frame popping out big fastballs but still finding coordination after going through a massive growth spurt over the last couple of years. I’m also a fan of Matt Kroon, who may not ever be a first-division regular at 3B, but he’s a solid player that could surprise folks.
Overall Outlook
Because of the lack of signing money available in losing the 2nd and 3rd round picks, this draft rests heavily on Bohm’s broad shoulders. There is some very interesting upside mixed in, though, so if it can be developed, this draft could produce quite a few nice pieces down the road for the Phils.