Five Thoughts Following the MLB Draft

High School Seniors Selected in 17 of 30 First Round Picks, With Two more in Comp. Round 

With each year of the MLB Draft one of the more interesting aspects is found in the diversity of picks distinguished between high school and college prospects.

This year's high school class featured some quality depth of talent, especially at the pitching position. A handful of names in the Class of 2018 were mentioned in the consideration for top five, top ten selections, with a few even garnering mention for the top two picks as some of the top college pitchers faced questions of their own.

Nevertheless, ultimately it was a position player who was the first prep prospect off the board — and not the one many initially may have expected. The New York Mets selected outfielder Jarred Kelenic from Waukesha West HS (WI) sixth overall, who was committed to Louisville, but has signed with for $4.5 million.

Kelenic's selection set off a string of three high school players in a row as prep pitchers Ryan Weathers (Padres) and Carter Stewart (Braves) followed.

Weathers, the Gatorade National High School Player Of the Year, is a stout southpaw whose father, David, spent 20 seasons in MLB as right-handed relief pitcher.

While a few prep pitchers names were bandied about being the first player from their class to be chosen, including the following pick Stewart, Ethan Hankins, Matthew Liberatore, Cole Winn, and even a few others in more distant times, Weathers always remained firmly as a likely first round selection.

Though he didn't always necessarily garner the same attention as his peers. Almost seemingly to be taken for granted as a sure thing when being discussed in relation to those he was selected ahead of, while the promise and potential in the project-ability of other prospects was fascinated upon.

Weathers stands an MLB-ready 6'2, 225 pounds and has a well-developed pro-pitcher feel for his pitches on the mound — and the game itself.

While high school/prep players reeled in about a quarter of the selections in total (303/1214, 24.96%), they made it count in the first round where they accounted for more than half of the selections — with 17 out of 30, including another two in the five compensation round picks in Nick Schnell (Rays) and Ethan Hankins (Indians).

There were a few high school players selected in bunches as Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles), Jordan Groshans (Blue Jays), and Connor Scott (Marlins), were selected with the 11-13 picks, before Cole Winn (Rangers), Matthew Liberatore (Rays), and Jordyn Adams (Angels) were selected 15th, 16th, and 17th, respectively.

Another trio came off the board later as Matt McLain (Diamondbacks), Triston Casas (Red Sox), and Mason Denaburg (Nationals) went 26, 27, and 28. Noah Naylor (Indians) and JT Ginn (Dodgers) rounded out the last of the 30 first round picks. 

Few College Pitchers Slip, Some High School Pitchers Fall 

As the draft materialized it was interesting to see which prospects who were often and highly spoken about throughout the process proceeding the event itself whose names weren't announced as early as expected.

While Casey Mize went first overall, another SEC pitcher Brady Singer name went unheard during the top five and then ten selections. Having been viewed as a potential competitor for the top two  selections in the many reports and mock drafts throughout the months prior to the event in Secacus, NJ, it was somewhat of a surprise to see such a standout pitcher from the college ranks drop out of the top ten selections, let alone the top 15.

It was reported by a few analysts shortly before the draft whose sources from organizations articulated that the media and analysts had a slightly higher perception of Singer in terms of draft status than many scouts and front office personnel around MLB.

While he was still viewed as a sure, solid future MLB starter by many, some do have questions about whether his slender frame may be subjected to potential stamina and durability concerns long-term and be better suited for the bullpen.

Singer wasn't the only Florida Gator starting pitcher to go a little bit later than expected as his fellow right-handed rotation member Jackson Kowar was chosen with the 33rd pick by the Kansas City Royals, as well.

The 6'6 right hander, often spoken about as a possible mid-first round selection, was effective though less consistent than his college and now pro teammate, though his size and stuff lend itself to the potential of a higher ceiling than that of Singer.

Other college pitchers such as Shane McClanahan (31st overall, Rays) and Tristian Beck (fourth round, Braves) saw their stock slip some on the as the draft day bell rang. McClanahan, out of South Florida, was spoken often as a potential top-ten pick as the lefty exhibited electric stuff, occasionally reaching triple digits and was often un-hitable. Conversely he also occasionally struggled with his control of the strike zone and saw his velocity fluctuate. Leading to questions whether he may be headed for a potential reliever role.

Beck was one a handful of freshman in history to start Opening Day for Stanford, whose standard-setting program has seen the likes of Mike Mussina, "Black Jack" McDowell, and Jeremy Guthrie gone on to be successful starting pitchers in the majors. He experienced a setback as he was forced to miss the 2017 season with a stress-fracture in his back, before returning to the mound this spring.

Despite the fact he may not sustain the sensational, electric stuff that it seems so many arms filtered throughout this draft possess, his feel for all his offerings and true pitch-ability could see him rise through the the minor league system swiftly, should he remain healthy.

On the other side of the spectrum high school pitchers saw their names slip to third day of the draft as potential top selections Cole Wilcox and Kumar Rocker were selected in the 37th and 38th rounds, respectively.

The two pitching products from the Peach State both exhibited their electric arsenals throughout their high school careers, as each will follow through with their commitments to continue their career in college, as Wilcox will attend the University of Georgia and Rocker will venture to separate SEC school, Vanderbilt University.

Both of their college careers should be worth following in the future as they continue to develop and progress before they again become draft-eligible in 2021. Possibly representing the top pitching prospects in NCAA at the time. 

Multi-Sport Stars, Murray and Adams Selected in First Round

As athletes today are beginning to be placed in the eye of exposure at early ages, many parents/guardians are specializing in developing their child in a single sport. A result of that, there has been a thought there are less dual/multi-sport athletes in the amateur ranks than before.

While there are benefits to be seen for either side, there is no denying that there has always been an appreciation and affinity for all-around athletes in the game of baseball.

Whether, it be on the mound, in the field, at the plate, or on the bases, teams are looking to have quality athletes who have the potential to be complete ballplayers by performing with proficiency in each part of the game.

This year's edition of MLB Draft picks provided a few prospects who found their way on the gridiron in fall as football players and bounced the ball on the hardwood during the winter as basketball players.

Two prospects in particular whose promise with the ball in their hands on the football field is possibly equal to that of the bat in their hand on the baseball diamond are outfield prospects Kyler Murray and Jordyn Adams, both selected in the first round. 

Murray has been an interesting prospect in the making for a few years now, having had a record-breaking football career in the state of Texas (42-0 record, three state championships, 186 total touchdowns), as well as being a potential first round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, then as a high school senior. At which time he removed his named from the MLB Draft and decided to concentrate his focus on college and playing both quarterback in football and the infield in baseball at Texas A&M.

After showing promise in reserve action and spot starts as a true freshman on the football team, Murray transferred from Texas A&M to the University of Oklahoma in December of 2015.

As a result, he was forced to miss a full-calendar year of sports — which included baseball in the spring semester in 2015-16 and football in the fall semester of 2016-17.

Getting back onto the baseball field the former top-50 prospect in the 2015 MLB Draft, before opting out, struggled in his return during the spring of 2017 with Oklahoma. Batting .122 with no home runs and 20 strikeouts in 49 at-bats, appearing in 27 games.

After also scuffling at the plate during a stint in the Cape Cod Summer League last year, Murray displayed the dexterity of his abilities in the 2018 season that had him once considered a legitimate prospect once again. Making malleable strides in his overall development and obvious positive progression from 2017, he saw his names rise draft boards throughout the NCAA season.

Gaining traction as a favorable mid-to-late first round pick as the season continued, Murray might've been one of the early surprises in the draft being selected in the top ten picks — as much as Brady Singer not being one.

Murray along with Lincoln Riley, head coach of the Oklahoma football team, made announcements, both having the idea that the ninth overall pick of the MLB Draft will follow the number one pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Baker Mayfield, as the likely starting signal-caller for the Sooners come this fall. Now strapped with a reported $4.6 million contract from the Oakland Athletic's— with language stipulates Murray will be allowed to play football in the upcoming season — it will be interesting to see how he performs and is perceived as a potential NFL prospect.

Listed at 5'11, some may automatically write him off and consider him an unlikely future NFL QB. But that can't be summarily dismissed, as even Mayfield was considered a "day three" grade prior to the 2017 NCAA Football season, before the 6-footish passer went on to win the Heisman Trophy and be selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns. 

Jordyn Adams —like Murray three seasons ago — is a dual-sport athlete in both baseball and football, who signed a letter-of-intent with to a university, having the opportunity to continue playing both sports.

Considered a four-star prospect at wide receiver, the 6'2 showstopper racked up over 1,000 receiving yards his senior season en route to being ranked the eighth best player at his position in country. Signed to the University of North Carolina, where his father serves as the defensive line coach on the football team, the springboard athlete, took his speed and elite hand-eye coordination to baseball in the spring.

Though he showed some signs of still being raw in terms of his approach and ability at the plate —especially during the summer circuit of 2017 — his performance at the National High School Invitational in early spring helped soar his stock in the right direction.

Adams natural athletic tools are evident and have made appearances in peeks as his play on the baseball diamond has been limited in comparison to most other prospects who've played the sport year round.

Selected 17th overall by Los Angeles Angels, Adams has announced that he'll forego his intentions to attend college at UNC and sign a contract to begin his professional baseball career.

There may very well be better baseball players at this current point in time who were selected behind the boy-star that's talent was dispersed between two sports. Yet, with his capabilities coupled with him concentrating solely on the game of baseball, he could potentially turn into one of the games biggest prospects turned stars.

The organization which Adams will enter has had success in drafting and developing a high potential prep outfield talent into one of the the biggest stars in the game. As the Angels selected Mike Trout — the face of baseball — with the 25th overall pick of the 2009 MLB Draft as a senior from Millville HS in New Jersey, where he also played basketball.

Depending on Adams projection and progression in the minor leagues he could share the Angels outfield for years to come with Trout and possibly take over for him in centerfield, as the six-time all-star and two-time AL MVP potentially moves over to the one of the corner outfield spots later in his career. 

Teams Whose Draft Classes to Follow in the Future

Often times following the completion of a particular draft, grades in the form of the lettering system similar to that used in schools, are assessed to each team's overall draft class. The combination and total haul of each team's prospects are considered based on their current talent level and what is believed to be their projected future.

In the NBA and NFL the grades assessed to teams are often said that it isn't fair or effective to truly grade a team's class three to five years into their career, being able to accurately convey their actual projection.

Those leagues drafts have two and seven rounds, respectively, and often have their draft picks placed on the active roster immediately.

In the MLB Draft — where there are 40 rounds of players selected to fill the six different levels of the minor leagues, of which nearly 100% of players selected begin their career — things are a bit different.

While it could take three to five years to accurately assess NBA and NFL team's draft class, organizations in MLB could take nearly twice that amount to truly tell whether it succeeded in it's scouting and draft departments.

Without placing grades on any team's draft class, I found it interesting to take a learned look at a few clubs selections — with a particular eye on their picks early on. Of the teams I kept a keen eye on in review were the Miami Marlins, Kansas City Royals, and Oakland A's. Each organization being a small-budget club whose franchise is in transition at the moment.

Given that, it was interesting to see how those specific teams went about deploying the use of their draft picks as the projection and development of their prospects in the success of a quality return rate is likely needed in order to turn the state of the franchise in the near future.

The Marlins recently were sold to a new ownership group, headlined by former Yankee superstar shortstop Derek Jeter. Following the acquisition of the team, the newly assembled group of chairmen agreed to the trades of star players Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, Dee Gordon, and none bigger than now new Yankee superstar slugger Giancarlo Stanton.

For a team that was already struggling with the supply of stars it had, shipping them off stipulates another wave of splashy young prospects to move swiftly through the farm system and supply the big league team with success.

While it would seem likely that the Marlins organizations might select more seasoned college players who have the potential to advance to the major league-level within a couple of full seasons, they decided to draft high school players with their first three choices in the first, second, and competitive balance B rounds. In those three picks they decided on outfielder Connor Scott, shortstop Osiris Johnson, and catcher Will Banfield. They used another selection on a high school catcher in the sixth round, with the 177th pick, to choose Cameron Barstad.

Their first college selection was Tristian Pompey, brother of Major League outfielder Dalton Pompey, who has had back-to-back successful seasons in the toughest and most talented conference in college baseball — the SEC  — sandwiched around a tough go at the plate during a summer in the Cape Cod League in 2017.

Another interesting college selection for the Marlins was pitcher Peyton Culbertson, chosen in the eighth round. The right-hander lives in the high 90's and has touched triple digits on the radar gun, which he may do so with more regularity should Miami transition him to the bullpen full-time, where he made half of his appearances out of this season at Arkansas State.

Should that happen, his transition to the big leagues may be the shortest of any player selected by the franchise this year.

The Kansas City Royals are only a few years removed from a couple of World Series appearances, including a victory over the Mets in 2015. However, as a small-budget team, the prospects they drafted and developed, which served as not only the lynchpins of that team but became stars of MLB,  eventually hit the free agent market and ultimately signed contracts elsewhere that the Royals franchise simply couldn't afford — in outfielder Lorenzo Cain (Brewers) and Eric Hosmer (Padres).

As a result the American League franchise retained two additional picks in the Compensation Round following their selection in the first round, which came at 18th overall. Kansas City decided to go the college route and choose Florida teammates Singer and Kowar with their first two selections then selecting lefty-pitcher Daniel Lynch from Virginia — one choice after Kowar — with the 34th overall pick.

They doubled up southpaws when a handful of picks later they scooped up Stanford starting pitcher Kris Bubic at 40, in the Competitive Balance A Round, which followed the Compensation Round. As a matter of fact, with their first ten selections the Royals sided on college pitchers with eight of them, not selecting their first high prep prospect until the ninth round in outfielder Kevon Jackson from Quentin Creek HS (AZ).

Moving onto the "Moneyball" Oakland A's, the organization that always seems to be needing to supplement it's big league team with new talent. The AL West franchise set things ablaze in the draft when they selected dual-sport athlete in Oklahoma QB/outfielder Kyler Murray, with the ninth overall selection. Though that may have seemed somewhat of a high-risk, high-reward approach for a player of his profile at that pick, the Billy Beane-influenced team went with their customary college-heavy routine, choosing all college players in the first 30 rounds with all but one of their picks.

Of their many players selected from the NCAA ranks were speedy, centerfielder Jameson Hannah of Dallas Baptist, who hit nearly .400 in Cape Cod last summer, ending the season with a 20-game hitting streak. Infielder Jeremy Eierman of Missouri State is capable of playing either shortstop or third base, while JJ Schwarz of Florida has experience behind the plate and at first base — inserting two position players into the A's farm system with balanced bats, who have the potential to fill in at multiple spots.

Not forgetting about pitching they also grabbed five arms who could help them in the future, during the first ten rounds, beginning with Hogan Harris.

Harris returned from an early-season injury touching 98 mph, after having previously sit between 91-94. Over the last two seasons the Louisiana-Lafaeyette lefty had nearly identical numbers (17: 5-2, 2.66 ERA in 12 starts, 18: 5-2, 2.62 ERA, in 11 starts) while striking out over a batter an inning (141 K's in 125.2 innings). He, too, like Hannah also had success at the Cape Cod League, tallying a 3.03 ERA in 10 games across 32.2 innings with 42 strikeouts to 19 walks over the last two summers .

Who Will Be Fastest-First to make MLB Debut? 

One question that is often wondered in the aftermath of the MLB Draft, and leading up to it as well, is which prospect will reach the Major League level the quickest. Conventional wisdom would lend on it being a college player who has an already advanced skill-set to ascend quickly through the minor league system. While it would seem Casey Mize, the first overall pick would be the the obvious choice as an hard-throwing starter with a solid arsenal of pitches and tremendous control over them as well, I decided upon a list of five prospects who have as good a chance of any player selected to be the first to debut in MLB from the 2018 MLB Draft.

Brady Singer, RHP, 18th Overall, KC Royals

Singer entered the 2018 season as the consensus choice likely to be taken with first overall pick in the draft, and though he had another superb year, he still slipped to 18th, in favor of some other potential high-risk, high-reward pitchers. Still ask any scout and they'll probably say that Singer has just as good a chance at reaching the big leagues as quick as any player selected in the 2018 MLB Draft — including first pick, pitcher Casey Mize, whom he beat twice this season in head-to-head matchups. Equipped with a  terrific three pitch arsenal that features a fastball that runs into the mid 90s, a slider which serves as his top secondary offering, and a changeup that has been effective enough and continues to show improvement, he has the makings and makeup of a starting big league pitcher already. 

Joey Bart, Catcher, 2nd Overall, SF Giants

Widely considered a surefire lock for one of the top five selections Bart went to second overall to the San Francisco Giants. Many pegged him for that exact spot prior to the draft as his ability and approach at the plate, with his actions and arm behind it have the potential qualities of a perennial all-star catcher. He is now in-line to follow one as NL MVP and World Series MVP Buster Posey is the current starting catcher for the organization. Sparingly having spent time each season at first base throughout his career, Posey, 31, may be poised for a full-time responsibility at the position once Bart reaches the Major League-level. Having called his own game at Georgia Tech, whose alumni includes all-star catchers in former MLB player Jason Varitek and currently playing Matt Wieters, Bart is already ahead of the curve of most backstops coming from college.

Alec Bohm, 3B/1B, 3rd Overall, Philadelphia Phillies 

The large 6'5, 240 pound corner infielder opened eyes at the Cape Cod League last summer when he excelled with wooden bats used in Major League Baseball as opposed to the composite bats regulated for the NCAA season. Bohm led the league with a .351 batting average held in high regard by many scouts and evaluators, while also proving his ability to protect the plate with a lowly 12.5% strikeout rate, while also hitting for power with a .513 slugging percentage. Equipped with pop to all fields he carried his performance over to the 2018 NCAA Baseball season for Wichita State, when he hit 16 home runs in 57 games with an OPS over 1.000 and more walks (39) than strikeouts (28). For a Phillies organization which wants to comprise a lineup of hitters with both power and plate discipline Bohm could be a piece to build around. Potentially rather sooner than later. 

Greyson Jenista, Outfielder, 49th Overall, Atlanta Braves

Though Bohm stood out at the Cape Cod League last summer it was his fellow Wichita State teammate Jenista who improved in his second summer there to garner MVP honors for his performance. A competent hitter, fielder, and base runner, he batted .310/.391./.401 in 39 games while also stealing nine bases in addition to playing quality defense in the outfield. With a swing that often has the barrel of the bat find the ball, Jenista has a hitting profile similar to that of current Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis. Though he has focused more on making contact than pressing for power, it is believed that the 6'4, 220-pound left-handed batter has more pop than he's given in games, displaying the ability to drive the ball with authority in batting practice. With a relatively strong arm that is suited for right field and the ability to also play in the opposite corner, as well as first base, Jenista's combination of versatility in the field, on the bases, and at the plate could allow him to reach MLB soon, should he continue to put it all together. 

Feltman Durbin, RHP, 100th Overall, Boston Red Sox

While much of the focus around the draft is centered around the position players and starting pitchers who have the look of future MLB stars, often overlooked are college relievers who can have an overwhelming impact on a Major League-team in the near future. Feltman Durbin will hope to follow in the footsteps of Brandon Finnegan who pitched in the World Series just months after being selected in the MLB Draft. Equipped with a fastball that runs in the mid-to-high 90s, and up to 99 mph with natural movement, Durbin is a prime prospect to potentially help a Red Sox team this season that features the second-best record in MLB. Featured as a closer for TCU, while in college, he established a school-record 17 saves in 2017 and began the 2018 season with 13 scoreless appearances in a row. Should he exhibit the control he did during the NCAA season (15.9 K/9 to 2.2 BB/9), the 6'1, 190-pound righty could find himself in MLB by season's end, sitting down batters with his devastating slider.