2019 MLB Draft: Scouting the top three prospects
The 2019 MLB Draft is slated to take place on June 3, where all the teams from across the league will be looking to add to their respective farm systems. The draft will last 2 days, concluding on June 5 and will consist of 40 rounds where over 1,200 players will be looking to hear their name called by a major league team.
While players may hear their name called during the 2019 MLB Draft, not all players will sign with their respective teams, regardless of where in the draft the player is selected. There is always signing bonus concerns, injury concerns, and many more reasons that can cause a player not to sign, but it is always an exciting time for every MLB team when the draft comes around.
The draft is organized by which teams had the worst record last season, so the Baltimore Orioles will be drafting first overall, followed by the Kansas City Royals and then the Chicago White Sox. The complete draft list can be found here.
Looking at the draft order, the Arizona Diamondbacks look to be in a good shape as they will have 4 picks between 1st to 35th overall, with compensation coming from not signing Matt McLain last year and because they also lost Patrick Corbin and A.J. Pollock via free agency, who were both offered a qualifying offer (and any team who signed them would forfeit a draft pick). The rules behind this are a bit complicated, and can be found here as well.
When looking at the draft class for 2019, there is a good mix of both college and high school players represented within the top 50 players. There is also a good mix of both position players and pitchers within the class, with position players dominating the top 6 spots as per MLB Pipeline.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at who are the top 3 prospects within this years draft class and where they may end up when the draft takes place on June 3.
Adley Rutschmann
One of the top ranked prospects in the 2019 draft class is catcher Adley Rutschmann. He has been drafted previously before by the Seattle Mariners while in high school, but chose to not to sign with the team when he was selected in the 40th round in 2016.
He would take his talents to Oregon State where he has been a main stay in the Beavers starting lineup over the past three season.
As a freshman, he would play in over 61 games and would slash .234/.322/.306 with 2 home runs and 33 RBI. As a freshman with a heavy workload, this is not terrible numbers given his playing time against more experience pitchers in the college circuit.
Over the past two years, he would start to gain his footing at the college level and as a sophomore would see his batting average climb to .408 while playing in 6 more games than the previous season. He would also smack 9 home runs to go along with 83 RBI, while also walking 53 times compared to his 40 strikeouts. Talk about a fantastic second season at the college level.
To start 2019, Rutschmann is currently slashing .422/.577/.797, which is absurd given the team has played in 40 games already this season. He also has more home runs this season compared to the entire 2018 campaign with 14 dingers and continues to draw more walks than strikeouts.
It is pretty obvious to see why Rutschmann’s is at the top of the draft class for 2019. While I have previously mentioned only his batting statistics, he is also an elite defender at a tough position at catcher, committing only 17 errors throughout his 168 games he has played in.
Who will draft him?
I truly believe the Baltimore Orioles will take Rutschmann first overall. His experience at a high level of competition in college ball will streamline him towards the major leagues quicker than any high school counterpart. The Orioles also lack depth at the catcher position, as there is only 1 catching prospect within their top 30 organization prospects (Brett Cumberland), and both starting catchers on the major league roster could be improved upon (Jesus Sucre and Pedro Severino).
I feel like his one is a bit of a no brainer to me, but the Orioles could go another way in the draft. If the Orioles do draft someone else, I could see the Royals selecting Rutschmann as a replacement for Salvador Perez for when he makes the transition away from the backstop position in his later playing days.
Bobby Witt Jr.
With a baseball pedigree in his family history, Bobby Witt Jr. is no stranger to the pressures of major league baseball. His father, you guessed it, Bobby Witt, was a major league pitcher for 16 seasons, playing a majority of his career with the Texas Rangers.
Bobby Witt Jr. is a high school senior who has a verbal commitment to the University of Oklahoma. He is categorized as a shortstop, but has also been used a right handed pitcher as well, with a fastball averaging around 90-91 MPH.
Junior is no stranger to big league events, as he won the high school home run derby last year and played in tournaments such as the Under Armour All-America Game and Pan American Championships with the 18U USA National Team.
It is safe to say that Bobby Witt Jr. is one of the best high school players in the draft coming into 2019. His defensive abilities have been widely admired as his arm and his quick hands to make difficult plays seem easy. His bat has also been impressive at times, but he has received criticism in that he sometimes loses power and can be a bit aggressive at the plate. Even with these criticisms, Witt Jr. can still hit anywhere on the diamond and has impressive speed on the base paths, with many scouts applauding his baseball instincts when he is on the base paths and at shortstop.
Who will draft him?
The Baltimore Orioles could select Bobby Witt Jr. at first overall, but I believe they will select Rutschmann first overall. This will leave the Kansas City Royals with the option to select Jr., and I do believe they will draft him if he is available.
The reason I think Witt Jr. will be drafted by the Royals is because he will be the best all around player left on the board, but will also take enough time to develop through the minor league system that in 4-5 years, the Royals will need a SS. Currently the Royals only have Jeison Guzman as the only SS within their top 30 prospects, and Witt Jr. would be a significant contribution to the Royals farm system.
While Adalberto Mondesi has had an impressive 2019 campaign, I do not believe he will be the long term solution the Royals will be looking for.
Andrew Vaughn
Andrew Vaughn came to the University of California as an un-drafted infielder looking for somewhere to play. What would develop was a power hitter who would go on to win the Golden Spikes award in 2018, an award given to the best college player in the United States.
In 2018, Vaughn would slash an incredible .402/.531/.819 while belting 23 HR with 63 RBI. He would also draw 44 walks over the season while striking out a paltry 18 times during his 54 games.
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This power and contact ability is something Vaughn has always showcased during his college career. As a freshman in 2017, he would slash .349/.414/.555 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI, an incredible feat for a player who was not drafted out of high school and was playing in his first year of college baseball.
Deemed one of the best hitters in the 2019 draft, the first baseman has been described as an all around hitter with a determined approach at the plate, showcased by his walks to strikeout ratio.
Who will draft him?
I personally don’t believe the Baltimore Orioles or the Kansas City Royals will select Vaughn in the draft. I also don’t think the Chicago White Sox will select him either, but the argument could be made either way.
While he is one of the best all around batters in the draft, the Sox have Jose Abreu entrenched at first base (who is also a good power hitter). The only problem is that Abreu’s contract will make him a free agent in 2020, so they could draft Vaughn and have him be the starting 1B in 2021 or 2022.
It all depends if Abreu becomes a free agent or becomes extended by the Sox, but even if he does get an extension, the White Sox could extend Abreu and have him become a DH (allowing the team to still draft Vaughn).
I personally think the White Sox will instead draft #4 ranked catcher Shea Langeleirs or #5 ranked SS C.J. Abrams. Both players have experience within college baseball and both have their pros, with Langeleirs being one of the best defensive catchers in the draft and Abrams having both power and extreme speed (a rare combination).
The White Sox are thin at both of these positions within their top 30 prospects and the major league starters could both be upgraded by a top prospect.
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I will say that I while I do believe the Sox will not draft Andrew Vaughn, it will be hard for the team to pass on one of the best hitters in the 2019 draft (if he is still there).