Post by Rays GM (forbz) on Apr 25, 2016 15:53:21 GMT -5
1. Jason Groome, LHP, Barnegat (New Jersey) High School
Groome is No. 1 by default right now -- he's the best pitcher in a class weakened by injuries and non-performances -- while his season is just ramping up in the cold weather of the Northeast. I liked what I saw at his April 5 outing.
2. Delvin Perez, SS, International Baseball Academy (Ceiba, Puerto Rico)
Perez has the best tools of any position player in the class, and he won't turn 18 until November, but he isn't as advanced a hitter as the obvious point of comparison, Carlos Correa, was at the same age, and Perez has been dinged multiple times for his immaturity on the field.
3. Corey Ray, OF, Louisville
Ray has a good chance to be a top-three pick as the safest all-around college position player. He brings a power-speed combination that is very rare in this class. But his inability to play center field and troubles with left-handed pitching will probably be enough to keep him out of the mix for No. 1.
4. Blake Rutherford, OF, Chaminade Prep (West Hills, California)
The most advanced pure bat in the class, college or high school, Rutherford is going to profile in a corner outfield spot in pro ball and will turn 19 in early May, both of which might hurt his appeal in the eyes of teams, especially those that have become focused on hitters' dates of birth. In another draft class, it might be a bigger problem, but I don't see many hit tools to compare to Rutherford's.
5. Riley Pint, RHP, St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park, Kansas)
Pint throws 96-100 mph, with size and athleticism to go with a big fastball. However, scouts remain concerned about his ability to throw strikes, given his command issues and the effort in his delivery.
6. Mickey Moniak, OF, La Costa Canyon High School (Carlsbad, California)
The speedy Moniak has good feel to hit and lacks only power among the five tools. Some scouts prefer his overall package of athleticism to Rutherford's promise with the bat.
7. Kyle Lewis, OF, Mercer
Lewis swings and misses a lot, even against mid-major competition, but he's an athletic center fielder with real power in his wrists. That's a rarity in this draft for a position player who projects to stay up the middle.
8. Ian Anderson, RHP, Shenendehowa High School (Clifton Park, New York)
Committed to Vanderbilt, which automatically makes any player a tough sign, Anderson has been up to 97 mph this spring when the weather has permitted him to pitch. He shows a good delivery and promising command.
9. Braxton Garrett, LHP, Florence (Alabama) High School
Garrett has an above-average fastball, a plus changeup and some feel for a breaking ball already, so despite a commitment to Vanderbilt, he seems likely to go in the first round. He has earned comparisons to Cole Hamels and Jon Lester.
10. Nick Senzel, 3B, Tennessee
The most advanced pure bat among the college crop, Senzel makes a ton of quality contact with good hand-eye coordination and has improved his defense to the point that some scouts think he can stay at third base. His above-average power in batting practice is absent during games, however, and if he can't stay at third, he might lack the power to profile in an outfield corner.
11. Joey Wentz, LHP, Shawnee Mission East (Prairie Village, Kansas)
Wentz has been 91-96 mph with a good curveball and some feel for a changeup in the early going this year -- while playing in the same area as Pint. He has some projection left in his 6-foot-5, 210-pound body.
12. Matt Manning, RHP, Sheldon High School (Sacramento)
Manning, son of 6-foot-11 former Vancouver Grizzlies/LA Clippers center Rich Manning, is just getting started after playing hoops this winter; his first formal start of the season came Monday. He threw up to 95 mph last fall, he is as good an athlete as you'd expect him to be, and his arm works well.
13. A.J. Puk, LHP, Florida
Puk was pulled from his April 3 start because of "back spasms," then he missed his April 11 start. That injury might be accurate, but we've had enough college coaches mislead us about pitcher injuries that I no longer trust any report until I see the player back on the mound. If healthy, Puk would likely be a top-five pick, with mid-90s velocity and a good changeup.
14. Nolan Jones, SS, Holy Ghost Prep (Bensalem, Pennsylvania)
Jones might not stay at shortstop, but even at second base, he would profile very well as a smart hitter with good speed, strong hand-eye coordination and a strong overall feel for the game.
15. Anfernee Grier, CF, Auburn
No college player in the class has improved as much as Grier this year. He has gone from a raw-tools player who couldn't hit to someone with enough track record to go in the first round. He projects to stay in center, but scouts question his ability to hit breaking stuff and whether his stats will hold up against the better pitching of conference play.
16. Forrest Whitley, RHP, Alamo Heights High School (San Antonio)
Whitley returned from the thumb injury that knocked him out for a month but showed no loss of stuff, as he held low-90s and touched 96 with a good curveball and cutter. He has already filled out, at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, so his development will be more a matter of command and refinement (and staying healthy).
17. Dakota Hudson, RHP, Mississippi State
The 6-foot-5 Bulldog can sink the ball with low-90s velocity that touches mid-90s and spin a tight curveball. He brings mid-rotation upside and good health and performance history.
18. Josh Lowe, 3B/RHP, Pope High School (Marietta, Georgia)
Lowe is a prospect both on the mound and as a position player. He's up to 95 mph on the mound but more likely to be drafted as a hitter due to his power potential and above-average speed.
19. Cody Sedlock, RHP, Illinois
Sedlock is a lot like Hudson; he can sink the fastball, shows a good circle-changeup and has a better overall mix. But he lacks Hudson's top-end velocity and will face lighter competition in the Big Ten than Hudson's in the SEC.
20. Will Benson, OF, The Westminster Schools (Atlanta)
Benson gets somewhat mixed reviews from scouts, who mostly see him as a first-rounder but disagree on how much his power potential outweighs the swing-and-miss in his bat. At 6-foot-6, Benson has some physical resemblance to Dave Winfield, and like Winfield, he's also a basketball star.
21. Cal Quantrill, RHP, Stanford
Quantrill might have been a 1-1 (top overall pick) candidate if he hadn't blown out his elbow last spring. He could be pitching in games by the beginning of May.
22. Bryan Reynolds, CF, Vanderbilt
Reynolds can fly, has power and can hit, but like (first overall pick) Dansby Swanson last year, he strikes out more than a hitter of his caliber and pedigree should. Reynolds should be able to stay in center for the time being, though the emphasis in the majors on getting plus defenders there could push him to a corner.
23. Alex Kirilloff, 1B/OF, Plum High School (Pittsburgh)
Kirilloff won the home run derby at the Perfect Game All-American Classic in August, thanks to a powerful, left-handed swing that allows him to drive the ball to all fields. He also works in the upper 80s as a pitcher.
24. Robert Tyler, RHP, Georgia
Tyler has big velocity and a plus changeup, but his below-average breaking ball and command questions keep him out of the top tier of college starters -- for now.
25. Kevin Gowdy, RHP , Santa Barbara (California) High School
Gowdy is mostly 89-93 mph with a plus slider and good command. Like many SoCal arms this spring, he has been up-and-down in terms of stuff and performance.
26. Reggie Lawson, RHP, Victor Valley High School (Victorville, California)
Lawson's delivery changed for the worse this spring -- he now has a shorter stride that has cut his velocity and reduced the power in his breaking ball -- but he was so good the past summer and fall that I think he's still a first-round-caliber arm. Any organization's player development crew should be able to restore his old mechanics and get him back into the mid-90s while taking advantage of his tremendous athleticism.
27. Joe Rizzo, 3B, Oakton High School (Vienna, Virginia)
Another polished high-school bat, Rizzo is clearly a first-rounder, if you think he can stay at third base, and probably a second-rounder, if you think he has to move to first base or left field.
28. Cooper Johnson, C, Carmel Catholic HS (Mundelein, Illinois)
Johnson is a premium defensive catcher in a bad draft for catching, so even if he isn't a good bet to hit -- scouts are mixed -- he'll go somewhere in the sandwich/second round.
29. Zack Collins, C, Miami
Collins isn't a prospect as a catcher, but his bat should get him plenty of attention in the late first round, as he's one of the country's leading hitters across the board, and he's doing so on the No. 1-ranked team at the Division I level.
30. Carter Kieboom, SS, Walton High School (Marietta, Georgia)
Kieboom, younger brother of Nationals catcher prospect Spencer, has feel to hit and outstanding makeup, but his tools are more second-round than first, and he will end up moving off shortstop.
31. Bo Bichette, SS, Lakewood High School (St. Petersburg, Florida)
Bichette has great bat speed and the athleticism to play somewhere in the infield -- I'm guessing second base -- with a swing that's uncontrolled but not the same uphill hack as that of his brother, Dante Bichette Jr.
32. Daulton Jefferies, RHP, California
Jeffries was getting Mike Leake comparisons -- slight 6-foot right-hander with great control and some sink on the fastball -- earlier this spring with talk of top-10 potential, but he has missed two weeks with a "calf" injury (in quotes because you know what I think about team reports on injuries to pitchers).
33. Connor Jones, RHP, Virginia
Another strike-throwing sinkerballer, Jones' delivery has regressed since high school, so he hasn't gained any velocity and lacks an out pitch but still looks like a durable back-end starter with a track record of solid performance.
34. Alex Speas, RHP, McEachern High School (Powder Springs, Georgia)
If you want to roll the dice on an upside arm, Speas has the stuff now and the loose, athletic body you want to see in a high school arm but without the polish or command or even the consistent delivery that would make him an easy top-10 pick.
35. Bryson Brigman, SS, University of San Diego
Brigman is another bat-first prospect, probably a future second baseman and definitely not a shortstop, with excellent hand-eye coordination -- he has struck out only seven times in 111 plate appearances so far this year -- and above-average running speed but no power.
36. Anthony Kay, LHP, UConn
Touch-and-feel lefty who has big league fourth-starter potential but hasn't had the expected results so far this spring.
37. Will Craig, 1B, Wake Forest
Craig is leading Division I in several offensive categories, albeit against some very weak competition, so despite questions about his defense, he has a solid chance to go in the first round, especially to teams that put a lot of stock in performance.
38. Alec Hansen, RHP, Oklahoma
Hansen was a potential 1-1 guy (top draft pick) going into the school year, missed fall ball with a forearm injury, lost his rotation spot after a dismal start to the season and now could slip out of the first round. It would not surprise me if something more was amiss with his arm, based solely on his performance and the issue in the autumn.
39. Jordan Sheffield, RHP, Vanderbilt
Older brother of Cleveland farmhand Justus, Jordan is a 6-foot righty with an electric arm but the command and size of a reliever.
40. Jesus Luzardo, Douglas High School (Parkland, Florida)
Out for the year after Tommy John surgery, Luzardo was a likely first-rounder before he got hurt and likely will get offers to sign an over-slot deal after the first round from a team that believes in the high (though not 100 percent) recovery rate of TJ patients.
41. Corbin Burnes, RHP, Saint Mary's College
Burnes has been in the low 90s this spring with a four-pitch mix, with inconsistency resulting from his delivery despite his athleticism.
42. Ryan Boldt, OF, Nebraska
Boldt can hit, he can run, he'll probably be a plus defender in an outfield corner -- but why doesn't a 6-foot-2, 220-pound hitter hit for power or even try to drive the ball more?
43. Gavin Lux, SS, Indian Trail High School (Kenosha, Wisconsin)
An Arizona State commit and the nephew of former No. 2 overall pick Augie Schmidt, Lux is a solid defender at short with a good left-handed swing, but he'll have to show more strength this spring now that games are getting underway on the tundra.
44. Hunter Bishop, OF, Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo, California)
The younger brother of Mariners farmhand Braden and another commit to Arizona State, Hunter is a high-upside athlete who has just begun to emerge as a legitimate hitting prospect, having changed his swing several times but finally (we think) settled on one that works.
45. Zach Jackson, RHP, Arkansas
Jackson probably projects as a reliever, as he has starter stuff but can't repeat his delivery enough to command either the fastball or slider. At least now he'll get the chance to start for the Hogs so scouts can see him more easily.
46. Ben Rortvedt, C, Verona (Wisconsin) Area High School
An Arkansas commit, Rortvedt has a chance to stay behind the plate, but his carrying tool is his left-handed bat.
47. Bailey Clark, RHP, Duke
Up to 97 mph as a starter, Clark is almost certainly a reliever in pro ball, and he hit a bit of a wall a few weeks back when he couldn't get out of the first inning of a start against Wake Forest, giving up an 8-spot and retiring just two batters.
48. Zack Burdi, RHP, Louisville
Zack is the brother of hard-throwing Twins minor leaguer Nick and former Western Michigan backup quarterback Drew. In fact, someone should sign Mrs. Burdi, because the whole damn family throws 100 mph.
49. Sean Murphy, C, Wright State
Murphy had first-round potential but broke his hand after just nine games and isn't likely to hit as well even once he returns to action.
50. Matt Thaiss, C, Virginia
Another catcher who doesn't project to remain there, Thaiss has some feel to hit and was on Team USA last summer. He's likely to go among the top 30-40 picks to a team that believes it can keep him behind the plate.