This year’s MLB draft class is one of the strongest in years, especially near the top, with three players who all could go 1-1 not just this year but in almost any year, and a couple behind that who’d be in consideration for the first pick in some years. There’s depth in the college class, especially hitters, that we haven’t seen in several years, as we see players who went undrafted as high schoolers in the five-round pandemic draft of 2020 come out as college juniors. The college pitching crop is also better than last year’s, and the high school hitter group is above the typical level. It’s a good year, and so far it’s been a very fun group to watch and cover.
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I’ve expanded my ranking here to 50 names, which is more than we have picks on Day 1. In a few weeks I’ll go to 100 names and stay there through the draft, updating that ranking as needed. This isn’t a mock draft, but a ranking — how I value the players based on what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard from scouts this spring. I will do several mock drafts, meaning projections of the first 30 picks, starting later this month. This isn’t one of them.
Read Keith Law’s latest MLB mock draft.
1. Dylan Crews, OF, LSU
Crews’ performance this year may go down as one of the greatest offensive seasons in college baseball history, as he’s hitting .490/.639/.860 through this past weekend with more than twice as many walks (49) as strikeouts (21) and playing solid to above-average defense in center field. He’s not the toolsiest player in the draft class, college or high school, but his performance alone will probably make him the top pick and no worse than top three.
2. Wyatt Langford, OF, Florida
Langford has had a tremendous season of his own, even if he can’t match Crews’ output, and has done so despite a rather painful injury where he fouled a ball directly off his groin. He came back incredibly quickly, even after surgery and he’s still hitting for average and power. At full strength, Langford is a 70 runner and has more raw power than Crews, but Crews is the better hitter and better defender despite Langford’s advantage in speed. I think you can dream of more of a power/speed ceiling here with Langford, but Crews is the safer bet to hit.
3. Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU
Skenes is almost certainly the hardest-throwing college starting pitching prospect we’ve ever seen, sitting 100 mph for multiple innings and averaging over 98 mph this year, with a plus slider to help him punch out 53 percent of batters he’s faced in 2023. He’s tapered off a little bit in performance over the last few weeks, giving up some harder contact and far more damage — including all four homers he’s allowed this year and five of his eight extra-base hits. He’s 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, with a good delivery and a ton of deception, needing to develop his changeup. I think he’s a fair comparison to some of the best college pitching prospects we’ve seen in the last 20 years, including Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer; and in most years Skenes would be the consensus No. 1 pick. Just not this year.
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4. Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick High (Oak Island, N.C.)
Jenkins is definitely the favorite among high school hitters this year when it comes to scouts’ assessments of their ability to hit. Scouts absolutely love Jenkins’ bat — it is a great swing, and he’s going to come into a lot of power — and they love his makeup as well. He’s a solid athlete who’ll end up in a corner outfield spot and probably play it well.
Max Clark (Courtesy of USA Baseball)5. Max Clark, OF, Franklin Community High (Franklin, Ind.)
Clark is the high school player you take if you want big tools, as he’s a 70 runner with a plus arm and plays plus defense in center. He has bat speed and average-ish power now, but his hit tool isn’t as advanced as Jenkins’ or even some of the high school bats below him here. He’s also suffered from facing bad competition around Indianapolis, getting walked multiple times a game in most of his outings. He’s also garnered some mixed attention from teams for his heavy presence on social media; my barber asked me if I’d seen him yet, to give you some idea. It’s big upside and, if we didn’t have those two college bats, he’d be in the mix at 1-1.
6. Kyle Teel, C, Virginia
Teel has had a monster year at the plate for the Cavs, hitting .422/.481/.659 through this past weekend with just an 11.5 percent strikeout rate, and he’s developed into at least a solid-average all-around catcher. He’s also a plus runner who could easily handle another position if the need arose, although that would just waste the value of his bat at a position where offense is at such a premium. He could be a left-handed-hitting Jason Kendall if he hits his ceiling.
7. Arjun Nimmala, SS, Strawberry Crest High (Dover, Fla.)
Nimmala added some good weight his past winter, resulting in harder contact to go with what was already a pretty swing and potentially plus defense at shortstop. He’s also one of the youngest players in the draft class, as he won’t turn 18 until October, so model-heavy teams will be falling all over themselves to take him. There’s some concern about swing and miss, but given his age, I think that’s easy to forgive, especially with the potential upside in the bat and glove.
8. Rhett Lowder, RHP, Wake Forest
Lowder has emerged as the second-best college pitcher in the draft, thanks in part to attrition but more to his potential for three 60s in his arsenal. It’s led by an easy plus changeup that’s one of the best in the draft class, which helps his 92-95 mph four-seamer play up. And he’s made huge progress with his slider, showing plus some weeks and more above-average in others. It’s a funky delivery that adds some deception, and the hope is that he can continue to induce weak contact as he moves up in pro ball.
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9. Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Mississippi
Gonzalez is one of the safer players in the draft, offering a high floor as a good utility player in the majors, but perhaps without the ceiling of the other guys in the top 10. He doesn’t have a plus tool but he has an array of solid ones, from his approach to his feel to hit to his power to his defense. He definitely stays at shortstop, as he makes a lot of contact, and he has enough power to profile as more than a Nick Madrigal type. He’s also never had the big performance in college that would be typical for a first-rounder, which is the reason I’ve slid several guys past him since the season began.
10. Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Florida
Waldrep hasn’t had a great year by the numbers, with a 4.74 ERA and 34 walks in 62 2/3 innings, although he’s whiffed 42 percent of batters he’s faced. His splitter is a knockout pitch, one that generates misses in the zone and a ton of chases, but when I saw him in March he was throwing it too often and Alabama hitters just laid off it, waiting on the fastball instead. He’s been up to 98 mph and will show a lot of 95-97 mph, while he has a curve and slider, either of which could end up an average or better pitch. I think changing up his usage pattern and having him work more on one breaking ball will help him. He also has to throw more strikes, and that could be the difference between him starting or relieving in the long term.
11. Colin Houck, SS, Parkview High (Lilburn, Ga.)
Houck is a two-sport star who is committed to Mississippi State for baseball only, giving up the gridiron in favor of the diamond, although he’s done well enough this spring that he’s probably never going to Starkville except as a tourist. Houck has a super quiet approach, with some present power now that projects to plus, as he uses his hips and legs well and generates good launch angles off the bat. He’s reasonably disciplined already, with some weakness against high fastballs. He has the arm and hands for short, but he’s already big for the position and may end up at third base instead. The bat is the real carrying tool here, regardless of where he plays.
12. Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Vanderbilt
Bradfield is one of the fastest players in this draft class, an 80 runner who’s at worst a 60 defender in center and probably better than that. His swing needs a real overhaul, and he needs to stop bunting all the time, as he’s just not hitting anywhere near as well as he should — he’s at .297/.459/.458, with a pedestrian .320 BABIP that’s way too low for someone with his speed. The speed and defense give him a great chance to be at least an extra outfielder, but someone has to clean up his swing and get him to drive the ball more to make him a regular or better.
Chase Dollander (Bob Levey / Getty Images)13. Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee
Dollander was the top college arm coming into the spring, showing plus velocity, plus command and a 70 slider that was a big-league out pitch already. He’s scuffled all season for the Vols in just about every way. He’s walked 21 batters in 57 innings after walking 13 in 79 innings all of last spring. His slider has been average at best most weeks and it’s not missing bats — it’s become flatter and lost bite, as if someone tried to make him throw a sweeper instead of the true slider with sharp tilt he had in 2022. He’s never had much of a third pitch anyway, so I’m not sure what you have. Do you draft him and hope you can restore the pitcher he was in 2022, when he probably would have been the No. 1 pick if he were eligible? I’m inclined to think that pitcher is still in there, and whether it’s mechanics or pitch design or health, it’s fixable in the end.
14. Bryce Eldridge, 1B/RHP, James Madison High (Vienna, Va.)
Eldridge is a two-way talent, probably a top-three-rounds pick as a pitcher based on size and arm strength, but a clear first-rounder as a hitter. He’s got a great swing, shorter than you’d think for a 6-7 guy, with plus raw power already that’s going to probably end up at 80. He’s a good athlete and should be able to move to an outfield corner as well. On the mound, he’s up to 95 mph but doesn’t have an average secondary pitch yet. He tweaked his ankle this spring and has been shut down, at least for now, after re-aggravating it. I don’t think it’ll matter much — he’s already established himself as a hitting prospect and should go in the top-20 picks.
15. Matt Shaw, SS, Maryland
Shaw has one of the better pure bats in the class, and while he’s not a shortstop at the next level — his arm alone would push him off the position — I think he can be a plus offensive second baseman in pro ball. He started the year slowly, in part because he came down with COVID-19, but has turned it up in conference play, hitting .417/.532/.850 in the Big 10 this spring, with a swing that works extremely well for line-drive contact as long as he keeps his back side strong. He doesn’t have the arm or range for shortstop, but his hands are fine, and I have no concerns about him moving to second, which would make him a regular or better.
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16. Tommy Troy, SS, Stanford
Troy is a high-contact hitter without power who should stay at shortstop, which should put him in the same bucket as Gonzalez and Shaw among college position players. Troy has less power than the other two, with a deep load and slashing stroke that makes it hard for him to get the same kind of impact, but his wrists are very quick so he makes a tremendous amount of contact. He’s a plus runner who has played all three skill positions on the infield, but I think someone has to send him out as a shortstop and let him prove he can’t stay there. If he’s not a shortstop, he has a harder path to everyday play, so giving him that chance is key to creating some upside.
17. Jacob Wilson, SS, Grand Canyon
Wilson is a true shortstop who rarely strikes out, but who has probably 40 game power and doesn’t offer a lot of projection, giving him a narrow range of potential outcomes but a high floor that will appeal to teams that value high contact rates. Wilson, whose father Jack played for the Pirates and several other MLB teams, has struck out 12 times in total since the start of the 2022 season, covering 97 games and 447 plate appearances, for a 2.7 percent strikeout rate. He’s got a narrow frame and doesn’t project to more than fringe-average power, with some risk that he can’t impact the ball enough to be a regular, although his defense at short buoys him.
18. Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Florida Atlantic
Schanuel is hitting .473/.624/.960 this year, which are Dylan Crews numbers, although Crews is doing it in the SEC — not that there’s much more Schanuel could do at this point. He’s striking out less than 10 percent of the time and hitting for sort of power you have to show to profile as a first base-only prospect — no one else on FAU has double-digit homers yet. He’s hitting all pitch types, even good velocity, and rarely whiffing. He’s limited to first base, and of course hasn’t seen the same caliber of pitching as Crews, Langford, et al., but he’s answered every question he can answer given the competition he’s facing. First basemen aren’t a great demographic in the first round, and that probably keeps him from cracking the top half.
19. Kevin McGonigle, SS, Monsignor Bonner High (Upper Darby, Pa.)
McGonigle offers a strong hit tool for a high schooler, faring well against better competition last month in Nevada than he’ll face at any point this spring in the Philly area, but a strong commitment to Auburn might mean he goes later than the first round. He has a simple swing but gets out over his front side early enough that he loses the potential for more power; when he stays back, he’s better able to drive the ball to the gaps for extra bases. He’s more likely to move off shortstop than stay there, but it’s the hit tool that’s made him a potential first-rounder.
20. Brayden Taylor, 3B, TCU
Taylor came into the spring as a possible top-10 pick, but hasn’t taken a step forward in performance or underlying data, and is hitting just .273/.408/.576 on the season, with more strikeouts than walks. He has a very smooth left-handed swing that produces a lot of line-drive contact and should lead to 50-55 power; but he hasn’t had the results on balls in play you’d expect, although he has improved slightly in conference play this year. He’s no worse than an average defender at third with a strong arm and good hands, although his instincts aren’t great and he’s played third like a shortstop who hasn’t adjusted to the position yet. He might be a value pick for a team that liked him as a follow coming into 2023 but didn’t think he’d reach their selection.
21. Blake Mitchell, C, Denton (Texas) High
Mitchell is a left-handed hitting catcher who’s a no-doubter behind the plate, but has some questions around his hit tool and the generally poor history of high school catchers drafted in the first round. He starts with an extremely wide setup so his stride is short and he’s often off-balance through contact, while giving himself less time to adjust to changing speeds. He’s very strong, however, and puts the ball in the air a ton, with 25-homer upside if he hits enough to get to it. He’s committed to LSU, and could easily go there and be a top-10 pick in three years if he hits at all.
22. Aidan Miller, 3B, JW Mitchell High (Trinity, Fla.)
Miller, whose older brother Jackson is a catcher in the Reds’ system but hasn’t played in nearly two years due to injuries, missed a chunk of this spring with a broken hand, so scouts haven’t seen the same quality of contact they did last summer. Aidan is a strong kid who takes a big swing with some length to the first half, but he doesn’t whiff or chase very often for a hitter with that type of swing or power profile. He’s already moved from short to third and he might end up too big even for the hot corner. A broken hamate can affect a hitter’s hand strength for months, so any concerns this spring can be ascribed to that; he’s probably the same high-upside power bat everyone saw last summer.
Roch Cholowsky (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)23. Roch Cholowsky, SS, Hamilton High (Chandler, Ariz.)
Cholowsky, whose father is a scout for the Reds, was seen as a high-upside hitting prospect when he was younger, but over his high school career has morphed into a premium defensive shortstop who has feel to hit but whose future impact with the bat is more of a question. He’s one of the top fielders in the draft class, and he can show plus power, but his contact hasn’t been as consistent. If teams don’t buy him out of his commitment to UCLA, he’s got an excellent shot to be a top-five pick in three years.
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24. Juaron Watts-Brown, RHP, Oklahoma State
I saw Watts-Brown’s first outing of the year, when his stuff was down and he got hit around, but he’s been better since then in stuff and results, striking out 34 percent of batters so far this season around too many walks and general wildness. The redshirt sophomore, who transferred from Long Beach State this offseason, has a plus slider and above-average curveball, while he sits 91-93 mph, but he’ll eventually need something else to help get lefties out and remain a starter.
25. Tanner Witt, RHP, Texas
Witt may return to the mound for the Longhorns in the next few weeks, just over a year after Tommy John surgery, and I think he can only help himself from here. Before the injury, Witt had three average to above-average pitches, just 89-93 mph on the fastball but with a delivery he could repeat, a changeup that missed a lot of bats and some depth on a 50-55 curveball. Let’s just hope Texas doesn’t pull a Pat Casey and run Witt out there for 100-plus pitches.
26. Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit High (Portland, Ore.)
Meyer is probably the top high school pitcher in this draft, certainly the top right-hander, and in some years he’d be looking at a sure top-10 selection and would be at least a little higher on my rankings — although new readers should bear in mind that I discount all high school pitchers based on the much higher attrition rates for such players taken in the first round. (They reach the majors at a much lower rate than other categories, and even if they get there a lower percentage of them have sustained success.) Meyer is up to 96 mph with a hammer curveball that has huge spin rates and a power slider, barely using his changeup, perhaps because he just doesn’t need it yet. It’s a good delivery and good body for a starter, with a lot of projection left on his 6-5 frame. I’ve heard scouts say they think the fastball plays down from its velocity, which is a fair concern but also a small one if that’s his biggest flaw. There’s at least mid-rotation upside here.
27. Thomas White, LHP, Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.)
White, not to be confused with LSU sophomore Tommy “Tanks” White, is the top left-handed pitcher in the class right now, with injuries and poor performance taking out a few college names who might have been ahead of him. White is 6-7, 250 pounds, with a now body, and sits 93-95 mph with a plus curveball and plus changeup. His delivery isn’t great, as he has a long arm stroke that’s very visible to hitters and that he doesn’t repeat that well, so his command is still well below average. He’s a fair athlete and probably will need some fine-tuning of the delivery, but you can point to those three pitches and hope for a No. 2 starter ceiling.
28. Colton Ledbetter, OF, Mississippi State
Ledbetter transferred to Starkville after two years at Samford, improving his performance even with the move to facing better pitching this spring, as he’s hitting .325/.466/.613 for the Bulldogs and walking more than he’s striking out. He’s a left-handed hitter with a very smooth and simple swing, rarely swinging and missing or chasing while generating surprising power for such a quiet approach. He’s a corner outfielder, so there’s pressure on the bat, but he’s performed all spring and even shown he can hit lefties well enough to profile as a regular.
29. Yohandy Morales, 3B, Miami
Morales looks like an easy top-10 pick when you see him walk on the field, or get his batting practice, or even just a few game swings where he makes contact. But he whiffs too much and most scouts think he’ll end up in left field or at first base, making the bat that much more important. Morales looks the part, certainly, and has a pretty swing that can produce significant power. He’s not natural or easy at third, and I think at least has to move to right field in pro ball. To his credit, he’s hit better in the ACC, .348/.415/.457 with just a 17 percent strikeout rate, and may be able to hit his way back up into the middle of the first round.
30. Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest
Wilken has really scuffled in conference play this year and might hit — or I guess not-hit — his way out of the first round at this point. He has a very good swing and 55 power right now, with good-not-elite exit velocities that you have to think will improve as he fills out. He’s at least a solid-average defender at third with a 55 arm and good instincts that make up for a lack of speed or lightness on his feet. He’s also hitting .215/.446/.400 in the ACC, with a .262 BABIP. If that’s just a fluke, he’s going to be great value for some team that grabs him in the sandwich round, like the Orioles have done in recent drafts with college players Jordan Westburg (2020) and Dylan Beavers (2022).
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31. Charlee Soto, RHP, Reborn Christian Academy (Kissimmee, Fla.)
Soto is one of the youngest pitchers in the class, turning 18 in August, and has shown three plus pitches in limited looks, although scouts have complained that he’s been hard to see and doesn’t throw often enough to get a complete read on him. He’s 93-98 mph with tight spin on a low-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup that has hard fading action. He’s got a big step-over stride toward the plate to generate that power from his lower half. Ten years ago I would have argued for him as a top-10 pick, but the history of high school pitchers works against him.
Ralphy Velazquez (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)32. Ralphy Velazquez, C, Huntington Beach (Calif.) High
Velazquez showed well early this spring after working on his conditioning and his catching in the offseason, giving him a chance to go somewhere between the late first round and early second, especially in a draft without much catching. He’s a strong kid whose body looks compact for its listed size of 6-2, and when he stays back he can show plus power, although his over-wide setup often leads to him drifting over his front side. He is a high school catcher, however, and unlike Mitchell, he has some work to do to get himself to an average defender. He’s committed to Arizona State.
33. George Lombard Jr., SS, Gulliver Prep (Miami)
Lombard is one of the more intriguing upside plays among high school hitters this year, with a very quiet approach and an athletic build that looks like it’s going to fill out to get him to 65-70 power at his peak. He’s been vulnerable to fastballs up against better competition, and he’s probably going to move off shortstop, although he might be a better fit in center field than at third or second. He’s less advanced than many of his peers in the class but offers as much or more upside.
34. Jake Gelof, 3B, Virginia
Gelof became the Cavaliers’ career leader in homers midway through this spring, his junior year, with 70 power that should translate fine to the wood bat. The younger brother of Oakland prospect Zack, who also went to UVA, Jake has a very rotational swing and makes hard contact when he squares it up, but he’s had a lot of trouble with velocity up in or above the zone. He’s a thick-bodied player for third base and is more likely to end up in an outfield corner, probably right field since he has a plus arm. He could be a lower-average high-power guy who plays every day for most clubs but whose swing-and-miss issues turn a few teams away.
35. Chase Davis, OF, Arizona
Davis has helped himself as much as anyone in college baseball this year, cutting his strikeout rate by more than a third over last year while hitting for more power, with a .362/.497/.717 line and more walks than strikeouts this year for the Wildcats. He’s got at least 60-65 power and is an above-average runner who should get a shot to play center in pro ball. And while he likes the ball middle-away, he’s done an excellent job closing the hole he’d shown on the inner third. I think he’s at least a regular and has more upside than some of the safer college bats who’ll go before him.
36. Cade Kuehler, RHP, Campbell
The Camels are becoming a baseball powerhouse, with two high picks last year in Zach Neto, now the Angels’ shortstop, and Thomas Harrington (Pirates system). Kuehler is their Friday night starter this year and works 93-96 mph with a funky delivery and short arm action, flashing a plus slider and a full assortment of pitches, with the changeup his worst and least-used pitch. He’s a 6-foot right-hander, not the ideal demographic for a college starter, and his body offers no projection. With below-average command and the funk in his delivery, he offers fair reliever risk, but has the two pitches right now that should let him go out as a starter.
37. Travis Honeyman, OF, Boston College
Honeyman’s an aggressive, high-contact hitter who put the ball in play in 77 percent of his plate appearances this year for the Eagles, and is very good at spoiling two-strike pitches to keep himself alive and avoid the strikeout. He’s a much better fastball hitter than offspeed, and hasn’t had trouble with velocity so far. He’s an average runner who mostly plays right, and will at least have to work to show he can handle center. Honeyman is 6-2 and has some projection left, which makes me think he might be a pick for a team that thinks they can tweak his swing and get some strength on him to tap into 20-homer power.
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38. Jonny Farmelo, OF, Westfield High (Chantilly, Va.)
Farmelo does it all wrong at the plate, with an arm bar and a bizarre launch-angly finish, but he’s so good at fouling stuff off that he performs anyway — and if someone just loosens him up and lets him hit freely, he might really take off. He’s a superb athlete and 65-70 runner who can definitely stay in center field and should come into 55 power. He’s considered a strong commit to UVA, but that might be the worst choice for someone who needs this kind of swing adjustment, as UVA’s track record there is not strong.
39. Travis Sykora, RHP, Round Rock (Texas) High
Sykora is probably the hardest-throwing high school pitcher in the draft class, hitting 100 mph last summer and sitting 96-98 mph with some arm-side run, pairing it with a plus splitter that has hard tumble. He’s huge at 6-6, 220 pounds, but has a super-short arm action where his arm is extremely late relative to his front leg landing, which might be why his slider has velocity but not much bite or tilt. He’s 19 already, which will hurt him in analytical models and means he’ll be draft-eligible in two years if he ends up at the University of Texas. He’s one for teams that value size and arm strength over delivery or breaking stuff.
40. Alonzo Tredwell, RHP, UCLA
An age-eligible sophomore, Tredwell made his first start for the Bruins in February and has been their best starter, throwing strikes with a 92-94 mph fastball and plus slider with sharp downward break. Tredwell didn’t make his scheduled start last weekend, however, and there’s been no further information yet on why. He did have Tommy John surgery in high school, which is already going to knock him down some teams’ boards. If healthy, he’s a potential mid-rotation starter with some projection left on the fastball.
41. Colt Emerson, SS, John Glenn High (New Concord, Ohio)
Emerson is one of the better hitters in the high school class, with a chance to come into some power as well. He’s got a loose left-handed swing with the loft to drive the ball, and works very hard on his conditioning, so he’s already pretty strong for his size and age. He’s a shortstop now but is going to move to second or third in pro ball, as he’s just an average or fringe-average runner and that added muscle has him looking less like what we see in pro shortstops. He turns 18 two weeks after the draft, so he’s on the younger side for the class. He’s got quite a bit of upside as a high-average, 20-homer sort of hitter at second base if he gets to the ceiling.
Brandon Sproat (Samuel Lewis / Icon Sportswire)42. Brandon Sproat, RHP, Florida
Third time’s the charm? Sproat has been drafted twice, out of high school in 2019 by Texas and last year by the Mets, and declined the teams’ offers both times, so we’ll have to see what he does this year with less leverage as a fourth-year college player. He’s still tantalizing but inconsistent, 94-99 mph with a changeup that can at least show plus and is generally above-average, while he doesn’t have great feel for his slider and might never have much of a breaking ball. He’s missing more bats this year, but walking more players, and his ERA is actually over a run higher than what he posted in 2022. It’s at least mid-rotation upside but with a lot of reliever and overall command risk.
43. Mitch Jebb, SS, Michigan State
Jebb was a star on the Cape last summer but hasn’t quite followed it up with the big year scouts were hoping to see, which probably lands him in the second round rather than the late first. He’s a 70 runner with good feel to hit, and at least has a chance to stay at short, with center field always there as an option given his speed. While he’s hitting a little less this spring with the metal bat than he did last summer with wood, he’s still making a ton of contact, with a strikeout rate just under 10 percent. It’s 40 power at best — he hasn’t homered this year but did hit six last spring — so his ceiling is a soft regular, but he’s also very likely to see the majors in some capacity.
44. Will Sanders, RHP, South Carolina
Sanders came into the spring as a potential mid to late first-rounder, but he’s got an ERA over 5.50 and hasn’t missed as many bats as a guy with his stuff should. He’s 6-6, and throws 92-95 mph with a plus slider, but the fastball plays down because he doesn’t command it. There’s some delivery work to be done here as he could definitely be stronger on his front side, although I also think he needs to develop a third pitch regardless of the delivery. There’s a remote chance of getting a mid-rotation starter here given what he already offers in stuff and size, although he’s a project for player development.
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45. Cooper Pratt, SS, Magnolia Heights School (Oxford, Miss.)
Pratt is a disciplined hitter with good bat-to-ball skills who has fringe-average power right now, favoring contact over contact quality, although scouts this spring have questioned how much impact he’ll have as he fills out. He’s a shortstop now with a plus arm and good range, but he’s a below-average runner and may end up at third base. He’s committed to Mississippi.
46. Blake Wolters, RHP, Mahomet-Seymour High (Mahomet, Ill.)
Wolters is a 6-4 Arizona commit who didn’t do the showcase circuit, making him a hot name this spring as scouts have rushed in to see him. He’s been up to 97 mph already with a breaking ball that’s at least a 55, showing a loose arm and high 3/4 slot that puts some riding life on the fastball up in the zone.
47. Samuel Stafura, SS, Walter Panas High (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.)
Stafura is a high-contact infielder with strong strike zone judgment, staying upright and balanced through the ball for excellent plate coverage, although right now he’s only flashed occasional power. He projects to stay at shortstop with good lateral range and a plus arm. He’s committed to Clemson.
48. Luke Keaschall, 2B, Arizona State
Keaschall transferred to Tempe from the University of San Francisco this year and has taken a jump across the board, hitting .375/.466/.756 while already setting career highs in doubles and homers. He’s a young junior who won’t turn 21 until a month after the draft, which will appeal to model-heavy teams. Keaschall glides way out over his front side before contact, which is going to hurt his ability to adjust to offspeed stuff and cut off some power, and he’s had issues with chasing fastballs up in the zone. He’s a 55/60 runner who could move to center if he can’t handle second base, but lacks the arm for the left side of the infield.
49. Eric Bitonti, SS, Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.) High
Bitonti is a 6-4 shortstop with a surprisingly short swing that generates more power than you’d expect, but also has some swing-and-miss in the zone that he’ll have to address at the next level. He’s a shortstop now but almost certainly moves to third base, boosted by a plus arm that he shows while pitching (although he’s not anywhere near the same sort of prospect on the mound). Bitonti won’t even turn 18 until November, making him one of the youngest guys on the board this year.
50. Hunter Owen, LHP, Vanderbilt
Owen was a strike-throwing reliever last year for Vandy, moving to the rotation this spring, where he’s been a little inconsistent but shown first-round stuff in his best weeks. In those outings, he’ll top out at 95-96 mph with a plus curveball and generally throws strikes, although it’s control over command right now. He’s 6-6, 260 pounds, and can show four pitches, although he goes to the breaking ball a ton for whiffs. Owen just returned from two missed starts to throw well last weekend, which puts him back in the running for the top two rounds, although I fear his chance to sneak into the first as the top college lefty might be gone.
Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order)
Zane Adams, LHP, Porter (Texas) High
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Trent Caraway, SS/3B, JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Alex Clemmey, RHP, Bishop Hendricken (Warwick, R.I.)
Will Gasparino, OF, Harvard-Westlake (Los Angeles)
Nick Goodwin, OF, Kansas
Mac Horvath, 3B/OF, North Carolina
Jack Hurley, OF, Virginia Tech
Collin Priest, 1B, Mount Dora Christian Academy (Eustis, Fla.)
(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton; Photos: Samuel Lewis and Bob Levey / Getty Images, Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
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