2017 ODC Draft Rankings

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

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[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#26 Texas Rangers (3)

Zach Rutherford, SS
Matt Whatley, C
Max Lazar, RHP

A rather unexciting collection of draftees. Whatley is the best player here and has the defensive tools to stick at the position along with a potential for average hit and power grades. Rutherford has the ceiling of a steady-handed backup at short.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#25 Chicago White Sox (3)

Michael Gigliotti, OF
Bryce Johnson, OF
Garrett Cave, RHP

Three college performers that lack in ceiling but make up for in safety. Gigliotti and Johnson are cuts from the same cloth as centerfielders with speed to spare and an ability to control the head of the barrel. They should hit their ways up the ladder and straddle the line between starter and backup for a few years, hoping for Delino DeShields-type roles. Cave throws hard but I've struggled with San Francisco's track record when it comes to developing high-velocity college guys. Either way, Cave's a reliever all the way.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#24 Colorado Rockies (6)

Mike Papierski, C
Mac Sceroler, RHP
Logan Salow, LHP
Jordan Rodgers, 3B
Zach Pop, RHP
Ryley Widell, LHP

I wouldn't be particularly surprised if this class yields nothing at the major league level, but there are a few semi-interesting guys here. Widell is projectable has possesses potential for better stuff, while Sceroler had some buzz as a surprise 2nd rounder in early June for a guy with command.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#23 Pittsburgh Pirates (2)

Daulton Varsho, C
Tommy Doyle, RHP

Varsho is the rare, athletic and agile catcher. He's an oddity in terms of catcher profiles, but he sure can hit. My pre-draft comp for him was actually not even at the catcher position and instead Reds' 2B Shed Long, so we'll see how he progresses defensively. I was not on Doyle coming into the year and still am not really intrigued by his vanilla repertoire.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#22 Minnesota Twins (1)

Brian Miller, OF

I've gradually come around to Miller more and more as the draft is further in the rear-view mirror, so he likely benefits from a bit of foresight now that I'm actually writing this up. His floor is more aligned with the DeShields comp of above, with the ceiling of an everyday centerfielder along the lines of Austin Jackson.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#21 San Diego Padres (3)

Hagen Danner, C
Corbin Martin, RHP
Jake Eder, LHP

San Diego just barely edges out Miller for this rank, as the draft (in both fantasy and reality) relies strongly on numbers. Eder could develop into a weekend rotation member at Vanderbilt as soon as 2018, and surface down the line as a strong early-round selection. Danner is someone who's debut line should be looked over, as everyone knew he was raw as a position player coming into the year. He's got raw power as a tall, built catcher, and needs to refine his swing to unlock it all. Martin is the prize here, who, if he can't develop as a starter, should fall in line as a top-flight setup man or even low-end closer in time.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#20 San Francisco Giants (5)

Blake Hunt, C
Quinn Brodey, OF
Troy Bacon, RHP
John Swanda, RHP
Landon Leach, RHP

Swanda and Leach should grow into better secondaries and emerge as backend SP prospects, if not a little more, though I'm much more bullish on Leach. Hunt was a definite riser coming into 2017 and parlayed that into a high draft selection, but fell here because he lacks offensive firepower as a prep catcher.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#19 Oakland A's (12)

Riley Adams, C
Nick Margevicius, LHP
Brigham Hill, RHP
Steven Sensley, OF
Parker Dunshee, RHP
Tyler Ratliff, 3B
Craig Dedelow, OF
Brad Bass, RHP
Tyreque Reed, 1B
Dallas Carroll, 3B
Chad Spanberger, 3B
Tanner Houck, RHP

Houck is all that is supporting this class from being four or five spots lower, as everyone else besides him and Adams lack any sort of prospect value. Houck's down year dropped him a bit but he still reminded me of Sal Romano prior to the draft because of their figures and overall stuff. Adams is tall for a catcher so he might struggle in the plate discipline department, but I like the power he brings to the table. Spanberger is the last player here worthy of discussion, as he does possess plus raw power that could play in Colorado if he ever overcomes the holes in his swing and zeroes in the field and on the bases.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#18 Washington Nationals (5)

Brendan McKay, LHP/1B
Spencer Howard, RHP
Jason Delay, C
Cole Freeman, 2B
Jake Scheiner, 3B

McKay is the gem here, even though I'm much lower on him than others. His versatility is a good hedge against either one of his floors but also works against any sort of ceiling at the moment. Without focus on one position or the other, he feels more like a middle of the rotation, #3 SP, or an average 1B. Howard never impressed me enough to warrant attention during the draft process but could make it as a backend SP prospect. Delay is a future backup after signing as a senior, lacking the offensive skillset to develop further.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#17 Philadelphia Phillies (6)

Nate Pearson, RHP
MJ Melendez, C
Connor Seabold, RHP
Joey Morgan, C
Nate Raquet, LHP
Cole Turney, OF

Pearson's high-octane stuff should play out of the pen if starting never works out, but I'm higher on his chances in the rotation than most. I see a future top of the order arm, and with continued refinements, a top 50 prospect as soon as 2019. Melendez will be a long wait but he is a solid catcher defensively and has a little power in there. Raquet is the next most interesting arm, with a plus curveball and hard enough fastball, but lacked punch in Auburn alongside less talented Washington draftees. Seabold and Morgan are nothing special.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#16 St. Louis Cardinals (6)

Scott Hurst, OF
Jonathan Rodriguez, OF
Griffin Canning, RHP
JJ Matijevic, 1B
Seth Corry, LHP
Evan Steele, LHP

St. Louis went less risk averse than many other teams, electing to take his chances on less established talents like Steele and Rodriguez for the potential payoff. Matijevic is a solid choice as well, and profiles as a second-division starter at 1B if he can come up quickly (He'll have to beat out a number of other Astros 1B and 3B for the job, though). Canning will probably emerge as the safe top-flight prospect here after being shut down late last year. Canning should also move quickly as a middle of the rotation starter with a chance for even more if he can prove UCLA's workload won't catch up to him.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#15 Milwaukee Brewers (6)

Chris Seise, SS
Tyler Ivey, RHP
Wyatt Mills, RHP
Charlie Barnes, LHP
Drew Strotman, RHP
Harrison Francis, RHP

The difference marker between something like Washington's class and Milwaukee's is simply the depth surrounding the star. In the Brewers' case, it's a lot stronger here than in the capitol, as all 5 pitchers are interesting enough follows in their respective systems. Strotman's stuff ticked up late in the season and Mills, despite being the oddball RP in the 3rd round, is showing command of a great breaking ball. I was even a fan of Ivey pre-draft, and saw Barnes in person carve through a rookie ball lineup. Seise rose a lot after the draft process once more evaluators got their eyes on the prep shortstop. He's capable of sticking at the position and has a strong feel for the barrel, offering the possibility of starting in Hickory and moving up to Down East after midseason if he follows up his strong debut season with another.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#14 Toronto Blue Jays (6)

Pavin Smith, 1B
Phoenix Sanders, RHP
Riley Ottesen, RHP
Harold Cortijo, RHP
Drew Lugbauer, C
Tarik Skubal, LHP

I'd expect Smith to be Arizona's full-time 1B by mid-season 2019 but that'd mean he'd have to dethrone Goldschmidt in the process. So unless Goldschmidt falls off a cliff between then and now, I'd expect one of them to be moved down the line as Smith can't play anywhere else. Still, he's a strong bat with a .300 potential even if the power never manifests as better than 20 HR annually. Ottesen was a favorite of mine as a sophomore with an upper-90s fastball and promising slider. Lugbauer is one of the more powerful catchers drafted but most don't think he's a catcher long-term.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#13 Arizona Diamondbacks (13)

Brady McConnell, SS
Garrett Mitchell, OF
Riley Thompson, RHP
Hunter Ruth, RHP
Jeremiah Estrada, RHP
Chris McMahon, RHP
Shane Drohan, LHP
Sam McMillan, C
Tyler Johnson, RHP
Spencer Strider, RHP
Boyd Vander Kooi, RHP
Cole Bellinger, RHP
Justin Bellinger, 1B

Arizona continues to prefer the unsigned high school demographic to any other form of safety, so it's hard to rank this class among all others. McConnell was probably the best unsigned player in the draft and could emerge, like a few others here, as top flight picks in 2020. However, I'd expect a 1/3 of this class to never be heard from again while playing college ball.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#12 New York Mets (9)

Seth Romero, LHP
Cole Brannen, OF
Nick Storz, RHP
Daniel Cabrera, OF
Trevor Stephan, RHP
Zac Lowther, LHP
Daniel Tillo, RHP
Greg Jones, SS
Jack Leftwich, RHP

A bunch of guys going to school amidst Brannen and Romero, the two most draft university people imaginable. Nevertheless, Romero profiles as a #3 SP with a FB that gets into the upper 90s on occasion. Brannen has speed a feel to hit. I'm intrigued on whether he grows into any more power. Stephan and Cabrera are two players I do think will come out as high choices either next year (Stephan) or later on.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#11 Detroit Tigers (3)

Jake Burger, 3B
Joe Perez, 3B
Joe Dunand, 3B

A class lacking positional diversity is still a class worthy of taking notice. Burger is as safe as they come, with the potential for a plus power and 55 hit within the next 3 years. Perez, who went down with TJ, is a player I could really see either breaking out or completely slumping upon return. Scouts preferred him as a pitcher pre-draft, so I'm not sure what to make of him. Dunand is solid and I could see him powering his way through the lower minors with ease.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#10 Atlanta Braves (11)

Austin Beck, OF
Jacob Heatherly, LHP
Jacob Gonzalez, 3B
Kevin Smith, SS
CJ Van Eyk, RHP
Jesse Berardi, SS
Jared Oliva, OF
Noah Campbell, SS
JeVon Ward, OF
Matt Givin, RHP
Reid Detmers, LHP

I like what I saw from Beck pre-draft but he obviously faltered in his first shot at AZL play. Still, I believe in the enormous tools and see him working his way up through Vermont or Beloit after maybe another year of struggling. Heatherly has a beauty of a curveball and projection remaining. Gonzalez, unlike Beck, killed the AZL. Despite that, he looks more like a long-term 1B who will need to hit his way up the ladder. The rest of the college guys are unexciting and profile as nothing more than backups at best. Watch out for Van Eyk and Givin, though. 

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#9. Los Angeles Dodgers (11)

Alex Lange, RHP
Stuart Fairchild, OF
Drew Rasmussen, RHP
KJ Harrison, C
Dylan Busby, 3B
Seth Elledge, RHP
Tony Dibrell, RHP
Ethan Lindow, LHP
Will Gaddis, RHP
Brady Puckett, RHP
Jonah Todd, OF

Lange's arsenal backed up a little in 2017 but he's shown the FB/CB combo to mow down hitters and I'd expect the Cubs to challenge him early. If nothing else, those two pitches will play up in the pen very well. Fairchild might have just enough power to stick in the corners if centerfield doesn't work out but many consider him a tweener. Harrison might hit but is a question mark as to whether he'll stick at catcher. I like Dibrell coming out of Kennesaw State as a SP with the possibility of three above average pitches. Todd had a nice debut in Orem and profiles as a 4th OF. Lindow is someone to watch.

[Yankees GM (Justin)]

#8 Seattle Mariners (9)

Greg Deichmann, OF
Gavin Sheets, 1B
Drew Ellis, 3B
Connor Uselton, OF
Adam Hall, SS
Taylor Walls, SS
Michael Baumann, RHP
Brett Netzer, 2B
Mason McCoy, SS

Almost entirely composed of college bats, Seattle's draft was distinctively that of a team needing depth soon. Deichmann wasn't someone I was on pre-draft but I've come around on him a little bit similar to Brian Miller. Sheets and Ellis are corner bats who could be average regulars (I'm higher on Ellis). Uselton and Hall are solid athletic HS bats, but neither possess a trademark fantasy skill like enormous raw power or blazing speed. Netzer is interesting at 2B, especially if he can develop a little more power to go with his hitting profile.