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

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.

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

Adley Rutschman – Ranking: 4th overall

The oldest of the three prospects, Adley Rutschman was the first overall pick because of his stellar play in college and his plus tools both offensively and defensively on the diamond.

In the box, Rutschman has an incredible eye that really helps his plate discipline, which shows in his impressive numbers with OPS and base on balls. He also has plus power from both sides of the batter’s box, putting the ball in play across the diamond and over the wall.

Defensively, the Oregon State alum did have a few errors in his first professional season, but his strong arm and movement behind the plate make it seem natural and easy for pitchers to throw home with confidence.

The catching prospect would split his time between three different leagues within the Orioles system, starting in the Rookie League and working his way to Class A with the Delmarva Shorebirds.

His slash line across the three leagues was a respectful .254/.351/.423, finishing with 4 home runs, 26 RBI’s, and 20 walks in just 37 games. He would also finish with a .774 OPS while tallying 27 strikeouts and 1 stolen base.

Defensively, Rutschman would finish with a .976 fielding percentage while committing 4 errors in the 17 games where he was used as the catcher. Rutschman’s powerful arm was on display all season, as he was able to throw out 7 of 11 stealing attempts for a 64% success rate.

While we may not see Rutschman play with the Orioles next season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him move quickly up the farm system and end in either AA or AAA by the end of 2020. His ETA for the MLB is currently at 2021, and I truly think he can hit that mark if he has successful sophomore season in pro ball.

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

Bobby Witt Jr. – Ranking: 10th overall

The youngest of the group, Bobby Witt Jr. has baseball pedigree in his blood and an enormous ceiling when it comes to his potential. His father, Bobby Witt, is a former MLB pitcher who spent 16 seasons with 7 different teams and was also drafted in the 1st round just like his son.

Heading into the draft, there was some concern regarding Witt Jr’s ability to hit consistently over the course of the season. Witt Jr. impressed with his ability to put the ball in play across the diamond and his quick hands through the box helped add some power to his swing, with his plus speed and aggression on the base paths helping him improve his stat line.

Remarkably, his defensive ability was never in question as many scouts found that Witt Jr. does have the potential to be a legitimate MLB shortstop given his speed, plus movement, and strong arm across the diamond. While many prospects start at shortstop once drafted/signed and move around the diamond once they progress through the farm system, Witt Jr. seems to possess the tools to be able to keep his spot on the left side of second base for the time being.

Fresh out of high school, Witt Jr. would spend the entire 2019 season with the Arizona League Royals in the Rookie League. He did have a slow start to begin the campaign, going 5 for 26 through his first 5 games with the AZL Royals, but this would turn around as the season wore on.

Witt Jr. would finish the season with a .262/.317/.354 slash line, along with 5 triples, 1 home run, and 27 RBI’s to go with a .670 OPS. His plus speed was on display as well, finishing the season with 9 stolen bases while only being caught once.

Considering Witt Jr. is still under 20 years old, he does have a few years of development to go before you will find him in a Kansas City Royals uniform. His ETA is in 2022, which does fit the timeline of having Witt Jr. play two full seasons in the minor leagues before competing for a roster spot on baseball’s biggest stage.

All in all, Witt Jr. does have a ton of potential, and a strong performance next season could push the ETA to late 2021, but the Royals do have an impressive prospect with a high ceiling ahead for whenever he does reach the MLB stage.