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Top 3 Picks in 2019 MLB Draft Finish High in 2020 Prospect Rankings

By Tyson Shushkewich

SECAUCUS, NJ - JUNE 03: A general view of the completed first round draft board during the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft at Studio 42 at the MLB Network on Monday, June 3, 2019 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB via Getty Images)
SECAUCUS, NJ - JUNE 03: A general view of the completed first round draft board during the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft at Studio 42 at the MLB Network on Monday, June 3, 2019 in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB via Getty Images) /

The top three picks in the 2019 amateur draft are already making huge strides after their first season of professional baseball, with each player ranking in the top 20 of the 2020 prospects rankings through MLB Pipeline.

For the 2019 Amateur Draft, the Baltimore Orioles had the 1st overall pick, followed by the Kansas City Royals and then the Chicago White Sox. There were quite a few prospects on the board, and tons of talent to be taken across the entire draft.

The Orioles would take switch-hitting college catcher Adley Rutschman first overall, signing him to a staggering $8.1 million dollar bonus. The Royals would then use their 2nd overall pick to select high school shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. while the White Sox went with hard-hitting first baseman Andrew Vaughn with their 1st pick.

Heading into the 2019 draft, Rutschman was the consensus #1 pick and it was no surprise that the Baltimore Orioles not only took him first off the board but also threw a boatload of money at him. All of this was helped by the fact he was the most recent winner of the Golden Spikes Award, given to the top amateur player in the country.

It was more of a toss-up for who would be selected 2nd by the Kansas City Royals, with the organization choosing to go with the young infielder in Witt Jr. over a pitcher or eventual third overall pick Vaughn.

With junior off the board, the White Sox decided to go for one of the best college hitters available in the draft in Andrew Vaughn, who also has a Golden Spikes award in his trophy cabinet from 2018.

This past week, the MLB Pipeline released their top 100 prospect rankings for all the MLB teams, with Tampa Bay Rays prospect Wander Franco taking spot #1 on the list. Impressively, each of the recently drafted players found themselves ranking pretty high on the leaderboard after just one season of professional ball under the belt.

Rutschman leads the charge at 4th overall, with Witt Jr. slotting in at 10th and Vaughn following up at 16th overall to round out the trio.

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